<P> The property lay dormant until 2003, when a new animated TV series also entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began to air on Fox Box (4Kids TV). The series storyline stuck much closer to the original Mirage comic book series, but was still less violent . It lasted for seven seasons and 156 episodes, ending in February 2009 . </P> <P> On October 21, 2009, it was announced that cable channel Nickelodeon (a subsidiary of Viacom) had purchased all of Mirage's rights to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property . Mirage retains the rights to publish 18 issues a year, though the future involvement of Mirage with the Turtles and the future of Mirage Studios itself is unknown . Nickelodeon has developed a new CGI - animated TMNT television series and partnered with fellow Viacom company Paramount Pictures to bring a new TMNT movie to theaters . The TV show premiered on Nickelodeon on September 29, 2012 . The live - action film, produced by Platinum Dunes, Nickelodeon Movies, and Paramount Pictures, directed by Jonathan Liebesman, and produced by Michael Bay, was released on August 8, 2014 . </P> <Ul> <Li> Leonardo (Leo)--The tactical, courageous leader and devoted student of his sensei, Leonardo wears a blue mask and wields two ninjatos, commonly confused by fans and writers as katanas . As the most conscientious of the four, he often bears the burden of responsibility for his brothers, which commonly leads to conflict with Raphael . Leonardo was named after the Italian polymath, painter, engineer, inventor, writer, anatomist, and sculptor, Leonardo da Vinci . </Li> <Li> Michelangelo (Mikey or Mike)--The most stereotypical teenager of the team, Michelangelo is a free - spirited, relaxed, goofy and jokester, known for his love of pizza . Michelangelo wears an orange mask and wields a pair of nunchucks . He provides the comic relief, though he still has an adventurous side . The least mature of the four Turtles, he shows characteristics of a "surfer" type and is often depicted with a Southern Californian accent . He is named after the Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer, Michelangelo . His name was originally misspelled "Michaelangelo" by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman . </Li> <Li> Donatello (Donnie or Don)--The scientist, inventor, engineer, and technological genius, Donatello wears a purple mask and wields a bo staff . Donatello is perhaps the least violent turtle, preferring to use his knowledge to solve conflicts, but never hesitates to defend his brothers . He is named after the early Renaissance Italian artist and sculptor from Florence, Donatello . </Li> <Li> Raphael (Raph)--The team's bad boy, Raphael wears a red mask and wields a pair of sai . He has an aggressive nature, and seldom hesitates to throw the first punch . He is often depicted with a very pronounced New York accent . His personality can be fierce and sarcastic, and oftentimes delivers deadpan humor . He is intensely loyal to his brothers and sensei . He is named after the Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance, Raphael . </Li> <Li> Splinter--The Turtles' sensei and adoptive father, Splinter is a Japanese mutant rat that learned the ways of ninjutsu from his owner and master, Hamato Yoshi . In the 1987 TV series, Archie Comics series, and the 2012 TV series, Splinter was Hamato Yoshi mutated into a humanoid rat . In the 2003 TV series, he was Hamato Yoshi's pet rat . He was mutated from a mysterious ooze from the TCRI building . In the IDW comics, he is Hamato Yoshi reincarnated as a mutated rat . </Li> <Li> April O'Neil--A former lab assistant to the mad scientist Baxter Stockman, April is the plucky human companion of the Turtles. April first met the Turtles when they saved her from Baxter's Mouser robots . She embarks on many of the Turtles' adventures and aids them by doing the work in public that the Turtles cannot . In the 1987 TV series, Archie Comics series, the subsequent three films, and the 2014 film reboot, April was a television news reporter . In the 2007 CGI film (following the continuity from the original three films), Casey Jones and she work for a shipping firm . In the 2012 series, April is a teenager who is rescued by the TMNTs and later given some "crash courses" in being a ninja by Splinter . </Li> <Li> Casey Jones--A vigilante who wears a hockey mask to protect his identity, Casey Jones has become one of the Turtles' closest allies, as well as a love interest to April . Casey first encountered the Turtles after having a fight with Raphael . He fights crime with an assortment of sporting goods he carries in a golf bag, such as baseball bats, golf clubs, and hockey sticks . </Li> <Li> The Shredder--A villainous ninjutsu master called Oroku Saki, he is the leader of the Foot Clan, an evil ninja clan . In every incarnation of the TMNT franchise, he has been the archenemy of the Turtles and Splinter . The Shredder prefers to use his armor instead of weapons in some versions . </Li> <Li> Foot Soldiers / Ninjas--The ninjas of the Foot Clan who work for the Shredder . They are probably the most common villains that the Turtles encounter . </Li> <Li> Karai--A female high - rank member of the Foot Clan, she has appeared in several different TMNT comics, cartoons, and films, as well as in multiple video games . In some incarnations of the character, she is closely related to Shredder as his adopted daughter or biological granddaughter . In most works, she shares an ambiguous rivalry with Leonardo, which occasionally even borders on romantic interest . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Leonardo (Leo)--The tactical, courageous leader and devoted student of his sensei, Leonardo wears a blue mask and wields two ninjatos, commonly confused by fans and writers as katanas . As the most conscientious of the four, he often bears the burden of responsibility for his brothers, which commonly leads to conflict with Raphael . Leonardo was named after the Italian polymath, painter, engineer, inventor, writer, anatomist, and sculptor, Leonardo da Vinci . </Li>

What was the name of the ninja turtles