Can you believe it has been 30 years since the first live-action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie hit theaters? Many expected the movie to be a quiet flop that ninja kicked into theaters before cartwheeling out after just one weekend. But a surprising thing happened. The movie was a huge hit, and a big screen franchise was born. Now, go back to where it all began with one of the co-creators of this legendary comic series that spun off into TV shows, movies, books, toys, video games, food and just about anything else you can imagine.

Co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Kevin Eastman has announced this weekend that he wants to watch the first movie with you all hunkered in the bunker. Here's what the man had to say for himself.

"Grab yerself some pizza and a drink and fire up whatever version of the TMNT 1990 Movie you have and lets meet on Monday, March 30th for a party, LIVE on Facebook to Shellebrate the 30th Anniversary of the release of the 1990 TMNT Movie. Lets have fun together, enjoying things we all love while maintaining good social distancing practices."

The #WatchTMNTWithMe event sounds pretty exciting. Kevin Eastman has some interesting things planned throughout the rest of 2020 to celebrate the movie, the first of three in a trilogy. He recently shined the spotlight on Mark Martin's 1990 parody book Green-Grey Sponge-Suit Sushi Turtles. He is showing off art from the book on his homepage.

"I LOVE - LOVE - LOVE this book! Mark Martin, a dear friend, super-funny guy and UBER talented artist did this parody back in 1990 when we were releasing the very first TMNT movie. What better way to start the 30th anniversary celebration of the first movie than to have another look (or first-time look) at this awesome, hilarious classic."

"Over the next few days, Team Eastman will be making these galleries available to you for FREE viewing and pdf download. The images below will link to pages for you to access the original book, shorts from Turtle Soup (and original art from both!), Mark's original toy designs and, finally, a brand new, never-before-seen 7-page comic Mid-Life Burnout Sushi Turtles... Tell all of your friends!  Enjoy!!"

You can check out the art at Kevin Eastman Studios. Last week, Kevin Eastman sent out an inspiring letter to finds in this time of turmoil. He had this to say.

"From all of us here at Kevin Eastman Studios to all our Dear Friends around the world...We hope this message finds you and your loved ones as safe as possible - our thoughts and most heartfelt well wishes be with you. At our end we are happy to report that our Team and families remain healthy - we thank you for all your notes of concern and kind words. As we'll not get the chance to get back out on the road and see you all in person for a while, we are digging deep into our archives and rolling out a load of FREE digital downloads and other hidden treasures for anyone who drops by the site."

"Stay tuned for these additions. For all our current Fan Club members during these troubled times, we are extending your existing memberships by an extra three months as a small thank you for all your awesome support over the years. We remain open for business via our website. We appreciate you so very much, keep in touch, but most of all, stay safe out there! Cheers!"

So, hurry to the local store and pick up some frozen pizza if you can find some, hurry back, hunker down, and enjoy the classic original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It's going to be a pizza party.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Stream - Kevin Eastman