Answer: Mutant Animals

1984 saw the release of the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a comic book pastiching other popular comic books of the day. The comic was one part mutant, one part teenager, one part anthropomorphic animals, and one part fast and furious ninja fighting.

The popularity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles took everyone, including creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, by surprise. The first issue was a runaway success and the demand for subsequent issues was enormous. Other comic companies rushed to capitalize on the popularity of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by releasing their own pastiches; this time, however, they were pastiching a pastiche.

The mid-1980s saw a flurry of titles that were clear descendants of the original pastiche started by Eastman and Laird. Among them were titles like Pre-Teen Dirty-Gene Kung Fu Kangaroos, Karate Kreatures, Adolescent Radioactive Black Belt Hamsters, and Cold Blooded Chameleon Commandos. Although the initial releases of these pastiche comics sold very well, reader interest quickly died down and the only title to survive the whirlwind of teenage mutant pastiches was the original one: good old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.