<human>:  When did the ninja turtles first appear?
<bot>: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first appeared in a comic book in 1984. They were created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, and were originally intended to be a parody of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from the popular cartoon series of the same name. The comic book was a huge success, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were soon adapted into a TV show, and then a movie, which became a huge hit.