Downfall of the original Playmates toy line (80s and 90s kids)

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

Of course. Most films, books, music and comics released during the first half of 1990 were produced during 1989.

The first half of 1990 was the best part of the 1990s period. The year 1990, as a whole, was the ultimate early 1990s year out of all of them.

Originally Posted by I Crave Pizza No More

I think there were enough "basic" turtles that came out along the way: movie stars, toon TMNT and, to a lesser extent, storage shell figures.

I was always a bit frustrated that Shredder wasn't ever done right. The best looking version was Slice N Dice, but when playing as kids we used Super Shredder as the main bad guy. Splinter wasn't ever really done well either, and so we ended up using the fuzzy movie version more than anything.

The basic Bebop and Rocksteady held up well, and so I felt fine with how they were as figures. Same goes for the Foot Soldiers, though the mutating foot soldier figure was pretty good because it wasn't as bulky and goofy looking as the other mutating figures were.

The original April figure is pretty bad. The orange and yellow one released a little later was better, and then the yellow/purple one released in '93 was probably the best version we got.

Honestly, given how many figures came out, I think the overall quality was pretty good until Playmates started releasing mostly/only deluxe variations of the turtles, starting with Cyber Samurai and Metal Mutants, but really picking up steam with the Street Fighter rips offs, Pizza Tossin guys, Super Mutants, Savage Dragon, Coil Force, Mutant Force, etc. And I'm not knocking the Super Mutants or Savage Dragon figures as toys, but those felt really out of place and by then the line had basically died and we were only getting deluxe variants of turtles.

I liked how the 1991 Raphael with Storage Shell looked mint on card when I first saw it at Rite Aid in the fall to autumn seasons of 1991, but the head sculpts for the Storage Shell figures are radically goofy. The belts of the Storage Shell variants being the same colors as the bandanas made me appreciate the Wacky Action turtles toys from 1989 and 1990. The Movie Star Turtles and Toon Turtles are in a class of its own. I would not ever think to display the turtle variants of those three aforementioned sub-lines with my favorite mutant characters of the basic waves before them like Usagi Yojimbo, Panda Khan, Fugitoid, or Krang. The 1990 Disguised Turtles or 1989 to 1990 Wacky Action turtles variants would be more worthy of being on my shelf with allies like Casey Jones, April, and Splinter and foes like Shredder, Krang, and the Rat King.

I wish Slice ‘N Dice Shredder had a pose similar to the 1988 wave one Shredder. Though, in early 1991, I thought it was pretty neat to see the company Kid Care make a plastic bust of Slice ‘N Dice Shredder for the Slimey Green Ooze Bubble Bath topper. I never cared for the Super Shredder, Tokka, or Rhazar toys. Secret of the Ooze characters should not have been mixed in with the newly made basic wave good and evil mutant and robotic characters for the original toy line. That was another mistake Playmates Toys made with the 1988 Playmates toy line from 1991 to 1997. I would have followed the outline I had for the original toy line in 1989 like Playmates somewhat did for the 1990 lineups.

I always felt like the 1988 Rocksteady toy fit in perfectly with the first and second wave Turtles toys. To my surprise, children of the very late 80s and Bush 41 1990s wanted the first wave Foot Soldier over Rocksteady. The 1988 Foot Soldier and Bebop figures were the first cartoony characters in the original Playmates line. I prefer the 1988 April and Splinter toys to Bebop and the Foot Soldier every day of the week. The 1991 and 1992 versions of April with the hot orange and purple colors were awful in my book. The first and second (with the blue stripe) editions of April sold from 1988 to very early 1991 looked more as if they belonged to a boy’s toy line than the latter ones. Believe it or not, toy store employees apparently bought as many 1991 April O’ Neils with the orange and blue press signs that they could find, thinking they would go for as much as the April toys sold from 1988 to very early 1991 at flea markets and thrift shops. The buzz surrounding the original Turtles toy line was pretty much gone when 5th Anniversary April with the purple pockets was on the pegs though.

As you brought up already, the waning toy line went further downhill after the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers arrived in stores. The 1993 Ninja Action sub-line would be the absolute beginning of the end of me collecting turtle variants if I purchased every sub-line since 1990. Black Belt Boxer Mike gave consumers the chance to see a Michelangelo toy with double belt straps like the first wave Donatello and Leonardo toys, so I will give Playmates Toys a thumbs up for that. Unfortunately, children of the 90s never got a Raphael with a double strap belt (detachable or plastered on) like how he appeared on several merchandise items. The original Playmates toy line really evolved into an animal of a different nature after 1993. Many adult toy collectors and observers of the original toy line (like myself) do not care for the most of the 1993 to 1997 basic wave toys and sub-line variants. The early 1993 generic carded basic wave and reissued toy lines made in 1992 only resonates with me because those with the last toys to be seen at nationwide Family Dollar stores. As much as I have not ever favored the Scratch wave, Playmates Toys should have stopped there at the latest.

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Originally Posted by mikey0

As much as I have not ever favored the Scratch wave, Playmates Toys should have stopped there at the latest.

Again, reflecting on my childhood, I disagree entirely. There were plenty of post-1993 figures that I played with tons and still have on display today.

[MikeandRaph87]

While I believe the quality dropped with the packaging redesign there were some pretty cool figures. I did like the Coil Force, Toon Talking, and Mutating subsets.

I went to a Toy and Hobby Show today where a took a few pictures. I will post them if I can figure out how to download them into a thread on this website. There were Head Droping, Storage Shell and some non 1st wave original line figures. A dealer also had Secret of The Ooze Cowabunga Classics line set and both sets of WWE crossover figures.

[mikey0]

I’ve found through research that there are many shellheads that proudly display the post-1993 toys on their shelves. Some shellheads even prefer certain turtle variants to the 1988 first wave turtle figures. I’m not going to lie, I rather liked seeing the 1989 and 1990 Wacky Action turtles with a few of the basic wave mutant allies and foes in catalogs and store flyers in the very late 80s and early 1990s. The 1991 Talkin’ Turtles,1993 Toon Turtles, and 1992 Mutations sub-lines left a bad taste in the mouths of a lot adult collectors and sellers in that late ‘91 to mid ‘94 era, but the Talkin’ Turtles Quip Strips Accessory Packs and Toon Shredder were both pretty neat. The original Playmates toy line could have done without the 1991 Storage Shell, 1992 Head Droppin’, and 1996 Coil Force sub-lines though. Playmates Toys took too many risks with the original 1988 toy line and that is what killed the appeal of the toy line to most everybody.

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Originally Posted by mikey0

Playmates Toys took too many risks with the original 1988 toy line and that is what killed the appeal of the toy line to most everybody.

I still maintain that you're incorrect about this. Think about it this way: It was 1988 when the toys launched, and I was 6. When the entire franchise, toys included, began fading significantly it was, let's say, 1994 and I was 12. In short, kids who grew up with the turtles began to outgrow them and became interested in other things. That, and Playmates had produced so much stuff so quickly, that yes, they were running thin on ideas. This whole notion that TMNT was dying/dead by 1991, however, is simply not true, and the sheer volume of stuff released post-1990 attests to that.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by I Crave Pizza No More

This whole notion that TMNT was dying/dead by 1991, however, is simply not true, and the sheer volume of stuff released post-1990 attests to that.

I would not say it dying or dead by 1991, but it was clearly on its way out in the fall of 1991. Playmates Toys sold 300 million Turtles toys in 1991 and the Turtles stayed on many toy lists in America until 1994 or 1995. If I were a time traveling toy collector, my fascination with the original toy line would have ended after the first half of 1991 (at the latest). The then new toys like Pizzaface, April with the orange and yellow press pass, and Wacky Action TMNT vehicles were barely cutting it for me. I liked the dark atmosphere to the cards of the 1988 and 1989 toys. The brighter bricks, exploding brick wall in lighter colors, and yellow new sign on the 1990 basic wave and Disguised Turtles sub-line(?) just about did it for me. Placing the word new on the 1981 Mattel Masters of the Universe line was fine, but it did not work for the original Playmates Turtles line.

Had I been a toy collector, I would have switched back to being a Kenner collector (minus their Terminator 2 Judgement Day stuff) in the fall of 1991. I like the 1991 Kenner The Real Ghostbusters Ecto Glow figures better than any of the basic wave and turtle variant sub-lines of 1991. As someone pointed out to me, you could almost make the 1986 ghostbusters figures appear like how the ghost versions of them did in the episode Citizen Ghost with the Ecto Glow masks. The glow in the dark mini ghost PVCs included with the figures was one of Kenner’s best ideas for their 1986 Real Ghostbusters toy line. I really wish Playmates Toys could have given us better turtle variants like Don, the Undercover Turtle from 1991 to the end of the original toy line.

I’m sorry to say it, but even with the Fright Features and Super Features sub-lines, the 1986 Kenner The Real Ghostbusters toy line had the original 1988 Playmates Turtles line beat. I cannot overlook all of the weird choices for the original Playmates line. Playmates Toys was doing great last in 1989 with the original Turtles line. Playmates started slipping in 1990 and it was over for the original line completely in 1991. While the original Playmates toy line was one of the longest running toy lines in all of history, it’s not the greatest in the eyes of most toy collectors, sellers, and casual observers regardless of how much shellheads want it to be. The popularity of the cartoon and first live-action movie (especially the latter) did the original Playmates line in.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by mikey0

Playmates Toys sold 300 million Turtles toys in 1991 and the Turtles stayed on many toy lists in America until 1994 or 1995.

I consider 1989, 1990 and 1991 to be the Turtlemania peak years. During 1992 and early-1993, the interest was declining but the franchise was still popular.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

I consider 1989, 1990 and 1991 to be the Turtlemania peak years. During 1992 and early-1993, the interest was declining but the franchise was still popular.

There was only one year of Turtlemania. That would be the year 1990 when the first live-action film was in theaters.

The Turtles were a fad in 1989, craze in 1990, and the interest in them started declining in 1991. The franchise was still somewhat well-known to boys in 1992 and early-1993, but I would not say the Turtles were popular.

[MikeandRaph87]

I think it is safe to say Ninja Turtles hit its peak in 1990 however how popular it was and how long the dash of Turtlemania was is up to imdividual opinion. Let us leave it at that. I will return later and try to post pictures from my phone from the Toy and Hobby Show I attended this weekend.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by mikey0

There was only one year of Turtlemania. That would be the year 1990 when the first live-action film was in theaters.

The Turtles were a fad in 1989, craze in 1990, and the interest in them started declining in 1991. The franchise was still somewhat well-known to boys in 1992 and early-1993, but I would not say the Turtles were popular.

Here in Sweden, the Ninja Turtles were a fad in 1990 (launched in August), peaking in 1991 and still doing well during 1992 and early-1993. So in many countries, the earliest toys were new during the early-1990's, and did very iwell.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by MikeandRaph87

I think it is safe to say Ninja Turtles hit its peak in 1990 however how popular it was and how long the dash of Turtlemania was is up to imdividual opinion. Let us leave it at that. I will return later and try to post pictures from my phone from the Toy and Hobby Show I attended this weekend.

So, individuals would not be able to see the differences between 1990 and the years 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1993 if there were a DeLorean for them that went back in time?

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

Here in Sweden, the Ninja Turtles were a fad in 1990 (launched in August), peaking in 1991 and still doing well during 1992 and early-1993. So in many countries, the earliest toys were new during the early-1990's, and did very iwell.

In Sweden, the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles peaked in 1990 and they were bumped down a few spots in the years afterward by the Gameboy, Thunderbirds Tracy Island playset, and Barbie dolls in the years 1991 to 1993.

Here is my source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mir...ch-6940354.amp

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by mikey0

In Sweden, the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles peaked in 1990 and they were bumped down a few spots in the years afterward by the Gameboy, Thunderbirds Tracy Island playset, and Barbie dolls in the years 1991 to 1993.

That's a British newspaper. It doesn't even mention Sweden.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

That's a British newspaper. It doesn't even mention Sweden.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were a 1990 phenomenon and not a post-1990 sensation in most places all over the world (if not all of them).

Everything Turtles screams 1990. The Turtles were not 80s or the 90s we all know and some of us loathe, but solidly a 1990 thing.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

I made a thread about different toys dominating different Christmas and holiday seasons, if anyone is interested:

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=60914

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

I made a thread about different toys dominating different Christmas and holiday seasons, if anyone is interested:

http://forums.thetechnodrome.com/showthread.php?t=60914

Number three on the 1989 best-selling Christmas toy list is not number one on the 1990 best-selling Christmas toy list.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by colincollects85

I preferred the basic line-up too, over all else. If my 4 Turtles were in a scenario where they were going to assault the Technodrome, I couldn't very well have Michelangelo dressed up like a Mexican Bandito or Donatello dressed like a Firefighter. It just doesn't work and feels retarded.

When N64 came out, I did remember demos set up everywhere. This is how Goldeneye got so much hype. It was a sad day for the side-scroller beat 'em up games. I love those. Countless hours playing Final Fight and Battletoads.

I used to believe the Battletoads would become a threat to the TMNT, as it was often compared to it...

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan

I used to belive the Battletoads would become a threat to the TMNT, as it was often compared to it...

The news of Super Nintendo being released in North America was a much larger threat to all things Turtles and Turtle knock-offs towards the end of the 1990 to 1991 academic year.

[Original TMNT Cartoon Fan]

Originally Posted by mikey0

The news of Super Nintendo being released in North America was a much larger threat to all things Turtles and Turtle knock-offs towards the end of the 1990 to 1991 academic year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTsyGbUvts

[I Crave Pizza No More]

Originally Posted by mikey0

The franchise was still somewhat well-known to boys in 1992 and early-1993, but I would not say the Turtles were popular.

Just because they weren't as popular does not mean they weren't popular. Toy aisles were still dominated by the TMNT at the time.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by I Crave Pizza No More

Just because they weren't as popular does not mean they weren't popular. Toy aisles were still dominated by the TMNT at the time.

There were not entire toy aisles dominated by TMNT products in 1992 and 1993 like there were in the year 1990.