Nickelodeon, through its parent company (now Paramount Skydance), currently owns the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.

Quick Scoop: Who Owns TMNT?

Back in the 1980s, TMNT started as an indie comic created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird under Mirage Studios. Over time, Mirage became the original owner of the franchise and controlled the rights through the huge cartoon, toy, and movie boom.

In 2000, Eastman sold his share to Laird, making Laird the sole owner for a time. Then, on October 21, 2009, Peter Laird sold the franchise rights to Viacom, the media giant that owned Nickelodeon. That deal gave Nickelodeon the global rights to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and from that point on, TMNT became a Nickelodeon property.

Today, the franchise is controlled within the Nickelodeon Group under the larger Paramount corporate umbrella (now referred to as Paramount Skydance Corporation), which oversees the shows, movies, and most official media.

At a glance (ownership timeline)

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Period Owner Notes
1984–2000 Mirage Studios (Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird) Creators co-owned the franchise through their indie studio.
2000–2009 Mirage Studios (Peter Laird as sole owner) Eastman sold his share to Laird in 2000.
2009–present Nickelodeon Group / Paramount Viacom (now Paramount Skydance) bought global TMNT rights; Nickelodeon runs the franchise.
Laird retained only very limited rights to continue a small number of Mirage comics per year after the sale, but the mainstream commercial and media control of TMNT firmly sits with Nickelodeon/Paramount.

So if you’re wondering “who owns Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” right now : it’s Nickelodeon (under Paramount), not Marvel, DC, or the original Mirage team.

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Who owns Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles today? Learn how TMNT moved from Mirage Studios to Viacom and Nickelodeon, and who controls the franchise now, with up‑to‑date ownership details.