![tmnt cartoon tmnt cartoon](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6a/bd/f5/6abdf5d431a231c8096d4cc7d546c5b7.jpg)
One day, they were tasked with stopping reporter April O’Neil, who was trying to shine a light on NYC’s criminal underworld. As humans, they did some hired muscle work for Shredder. Named after a style of jazz, and a style of Jamaican music predating reggae, respectively, Bebop and Rocksteady were introduced as human street gang members in New York City. They also made their live action feature film debut in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows. Over the years, the duo of Bebop and Rocksteady would go on to become fan favorite Ninja Turtles characters, and would feature prominently into western pop-culture. Their creation as animation originals mirrors that of Harley Quinn, who made her debut in the animated Batman series, instead of being a comic book native character. The toy company wanted more mutants they could market as action figures, so Laird designed the two new characters with backstories and origins written by David Wise.
![tmnt cartoon tmnt cartoon](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71imlxwVtZL._AC_SL1500_.jpg)
Instead, they were created for the animated cartoon by co-creator Peter Laird in a deal with toymaker Playmates. Rocksteady and Bebop weren’t part of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic books.