Paramount Makes 1987 ‘Ninja Turtles’ the New Face of the Franchise Despite ‘Mutant Mayhem’ Success

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is becoming much more than a movie and television franchise.

Over the past few years, Paramount has continued expanding the brand through animated projects, toys, video games, comics, and theatrical films. Now, the studio is taking the Ninja Turtles into an entirely new space: themed restaurants.

A First for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Franchise

Per The Hollywood Reporter, the first official Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pizzeria has opened in Santa Monica, California, marking the beginning of a larger rollout planned by Paramount.

The restaurant is the realization of a long-running dream for restaurateur Andy Nguyen, who partnered with Paramount to bring the concept to life.

Located on Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, the pizzeria officially opened on June 20.

Nguyen celebrated the launch with a post on X (formerly Twitter), saying:

“New York pizza. LA energy. And we’ve been pouring everything into this. The first-ever official TMNT Pizzeria opens in Santa Monica on June 20th at 11AM — We’ve put our best into every slice detail of this experience. The first 100 supporters through the door get a special gift”

New York pizza. LA energy. And we’ve been pouring everything into this.

The first-ever official TMNT Pizzeria opens in Santa Monica on June 20th at 11AM — We’ve put our best into every slice detail of this experience. The first 100 supporters through the door get a special gift pic.twitter.com/xlnmLOEXmQ

— Andy Nguyen (@AndyTheNguyen) June 11, 2026

Related: Universal Studios GB Could Host TMNT Themed Area Modeled Off 1987 Cartoon 

The launch follows reports from Variety last year that Paramount intended to open TMNT-themed pizzerias in multiple international locations, including Monterrey, Mexico, and São Paulo, Brazil.

What makes the new restaurant particularly notable is its creative inspiration. Rather than drawing from one of the franchise’s recent iterations, such as the box-office hit Mutant Mayhem (2023), the pizzeria is heavily influenced by the beloved 1987 animated series that helped launch the Turtles into mainstream popularity.

Paramount’s President of Global Products and Experiences, Josh Silverman, described the original cartoon as a key creative foundation for the brand, pointing to what the company calls “new-stalgia”—experiences that feel nostalgic to adults while remaining fresh for younger audiences.

The restaurant expansion comes as Paramount continues developing additional TMNT projects, including an untitled live-action reboot currently scheduled for 2028.

For a franchise built around four pizza-loving turtles, opening a real-world pizzeria may seem like an obvious move. The surprising part is that it took nearly 40 years to happen.

Would you visit an official TMNT pizzeria? Let us know in the comments below!