Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a theme officially released in 2013, although it was available in stores in some areas as early as December 2012. It is based on the Nickelodeon TV show that premiered on September 29th, 2012 in the US. Seven more sets were released in 2014, with three being based on the 2014 Ninja Turtles movie.^[1]

Background

Season 1

Ninjutsu master Hamato Yoshi (Splinter) is carrying his four pet turtles through the streets of New York City when he encounters members of an alien race called the Kraang. During an altercation with these aliens, Hamato and the turtles are exposed to their chemical ,called Mutagen, and undergo major mutations. Hamato becomes a humanoid rat and the turtles become human/turtle hybrids. Splinter retreats to the New York City sewers, where he raises the four turtles as his sons and imparts to them his knowledge of ninjutsu.

Now teenagers, the Turtles (Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael and Michelangelo) venture to the surface for the first time and learn that the Kraang is using the mutagen as part of their plan to take over New York City. The Turtles befriend the teenage April O'Neil after she and her psychologist father Kirby are abducted by the Kraang. Donatello, who has developed a crush her, is able to save her, and while Kirby remains a prisoner of the Kraang, April becomes an ally of the Turtles as they help her to find out where the Kraang have taken her father.

Meanwhile, upon learning of Splinter and the Turtle's presence in New York, Splinter's adoptive brother and long-time enemy, Oroku Saki (Shredder), orders his Foot Clan to track down Splinter and his sons, and put an end to their clan. This family feud has the consequence of two of Shredder's deciples, world-famous martial arts star Chris Bradford and Brazilian street thug Xever, getting mutated by Mutagen from one of the Kraang's Mutagen bombs into Dogpound (later Rahzar) and Fishface, and after Shredder learns of the Kraang's presence through his adopted daughter Karai, he has the Foot Clan enter an alliance with the aliens to destroy their mutual enemies in the Hamato Clan.

The Turtles soon discover the Kraang and their leader, Kraang Prime, have come to Earth from Dimension X and built their headquarters within a company called TCRI to use the Mutagen and a set of psychic Kraang-like powers that April was born with to convert the Earth into a planet suitable for their race. After the Turtles finally rescue Kirby, the Kraang invade New York using their mothership, the Technodrome, but the Turtles and April emerge triumphantly as they send the Technadrome crashing into the sea. Sent by his sons to confront Shredder, Splinter learns that Karai is actually his own daughter, Miwa, who Shredder had kidnapped after his last battle with Splinter in Japan. depressed, he returns to the Turtles to celebrate their victory, promising to tell them the surprise he got from Shredder later.

Season 2

The Turtles struggle to contain an outbreak of mutations that occurs thanks to them accidentally spilling the leftover Mutagen from the thwarted Kraang invasion for the Kraang. Kirby becomes one of the victims in the outbreak, causing April to become very dissapointed and upset with the Turtles and break off her friendship with them. However, the Turtles earn her forgiveness when they save her from Karai, who has taken temporary command of the Foot Clan while Shredder is away in Japan. With April came her new friend Casey Jones, who helps Raphael repel a Foot Clan assault on the Turtle lair. Kirby is eventually restored to his human form when Donatello is able to construct a Kraang chemical called Retromutagen and helps the other Turtles and April keep it away from former TCRI inventor Baxter Stockman, who was mutated into Stockman-Fly while employed by Shredder to make a perfect mutant army.

Meanwhile, Shredder returns from Japan with mutated Japanese bounty hunter Tiger Claw as his new second-in-command. While helping Tiger Claw fight the Turtles, Karai is informed of her true past by Leonardo, who had a crush on her since Season 1, but she is too reluctant to except it. When she is taken to the Turtle lair, she finally realizes the truth and disowns Shredder, who responds by imprisoning her. After the Turtles succeed in rescuing her, Shredder captures Karai again and uses her as bait for a trap that involves the Turtles mutating into snakes and unknowingly eating Splinter up. However, Karai ends up mutated instead, to everyone's horror.

In response to this, Shredder makes a full alliance with the Kraang, who have finally perfected their Mutagen, and help them launch a second invasion on New York, starting with the destruction of the Turtle lair once the Kraang find it, forcing the Turtles to abandon it. The Kraang begin the city's entire population, including Kirby, despite Earth's military and the Turtle's efforts to stop them. Leonardo is gravely wounded after being ambushed by the Foot Clan, and Splinter is seemingly killed during a battle with Shredder. As a result, Turtles, April and Casey are forced to flee the city as the Kraang successfully conquer it.

Season 3

Notes

Although the theme was officially launched in January 2013, the sets have been available at Toys R Us, LEGOLAND, the LEGO Store and Shop At Home since at least December 2012 in U.S.A.
Most of the minifigures have molds that were designed exclusively for them.
The names of the Turtles are all based on artists back years ago.
The theme will be possible discontinued since Mattel and Nickelodeon will expand licensing partnership with MEGA BLOKS in 2016^[2].