Ninja Turtles Acquired by Nickelodeon

After months of what seem to be paralyzed efforts for the future "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" movie, a big shove forward hit the popular characters as Viacom purchased the intellectual rights.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was purchased by Nickelodeon, a division of Viacom, for $60 million. The price tag was well worth it since the franchise seems to have kept the popularity by so many fans, which seem to be excited about the move.

The Ninja Turtles has been one of the most successful and popular franchises in entertainment since its first appearance on the 1984 comic books and later on television, action figures, video games, and films.

Already there are plans for a 2012 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" film by Paramount pictures, sister company to Nickelodeon, according to Variety. The Ninja Turtles cartoon is currently playing in a Saturday morning cartoon block for "CW4Kids" on the CW network, and will continue playing until Aug.31 of next year.