One of the best things about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was how everyone could relate to one of them. Were you Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, or Michelangelo? We all had our favorite! The other best thing about them was how "normal" they were. Well, how normal they were for sewer dwelling ninja turtles, anyway. They liked pizza, we liked pizza! For kids, that's how simple it really was.
While the TMNT comic started in 1984, the Ninja Turtles didn't have mainstream popularity until the successful animated series began in 1987. The late-80s was turtle mad and there is still a bunch of old merchandise around to prove it. If you have any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the '80s still in mint condition, they could fetch up to $5,000. Pieces that are not rare can still sell for around $500.