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Old 02-11-2019, 10:48 AM   #1
akamcfly
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TMNT Costumes (1988)

Hi,

I have seen the type of costumes of the link in Youtube videos, in the back of the TMNT cereal boxes and pictures... I was wondering if anyone would know what their original packaging was and the year of production "it's supposed to be 1988". All I've seen on eBay are loose.

https://www.collectors.com/action-it...81197538800975

Thanks!
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Old 02-11-2019, 11:50 AM   #2
SilverNinja
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Hi there! They were called "Turtle Battle Fun Set" and were released in 1988.

Here's a couple of links that show the packaging:

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...-fun-414969099

https://www.etsy.com/listing/6153247...teenage-mutant
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Old 02-11-2019, 12:11 PM   #3
Leo656
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Yeah, I had three of those, the Leo, Mike, and Raph ones. I got them for Christmas one year. Pretty cool.

As I recall, the Donatello one wasn't released until quite a bit later, possibly over a year later. In my area, the first three were no longer on shelves anymore by the time the Donatello set came out. I have no data to support it but I imagine that set sold the least. The enthusiasm had waned a bit by then, and only being able to purchase that set by itself was probably a deterrent. Most kids I knew had at least two sets, if not all three of the initial wave, but by the time the Donnie set came out we were a bit "too old" for it.

I always kick myself for not picking it up just for the sake of completion. But again, it wasn't a big priority by the time it actually came out. I'm not sure why it was delayed but I'm sure there is a story there.
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Old 02-11-2019, 12:53 PM   #4
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Gosh I remember those, I remember me and all my friends getting together and dressing up to make the 4! I was always Raphael of course because he was my favorite. Donatello was actually the hardest to find in my area at the time, I remember my Grandpa calling around for what seemed like 3 weeks to find one. I did end up having all 4 and was one of my favorite go to play items as a kid!
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Old 02-11-2019, 02:49 PM   #5
I Crave Pizza No More
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leo656 View Post
As I recall, the Donatello one wasn't released until quite a bit later, possibly over a year later.
You're not thinking of the Tokka set by chance, are you?
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Old 02-11-2019, 03:32 PM   #6
akamcfly
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Thanks @SilverNinja & @Leo656! I wish we had so much merchandising here in Spain...
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Old 02-11-2019, 08:05 PM   #7
mikey0
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Quote:
Originally Posted by I Crave Pizza No More View Post
You're not thinking of the Tokka set by chance, are you?
No, I don’t believe he was. The Donatello Battle Fun Set was made in 1989 and released in late ‘89 or early 1990.
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Old 02-11-2019, 08:09 PM   #8
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I still have all of the ones they made, mib. I particularly like tokka and the 2 movie 3 ones they made.

Funny story, my first exposure to tmnt was the Mike battle fun set during show-n-tell during preschool. After seeing that I was hooked and never looked back.

Last edited by Shogun26; 02-11-2019 at 09:24 PM.
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Old 02-11-2019, 08:40 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikey0 View Post
No, I don’t believe he was. The Donatello Battle Fun Set was made in 1989 and released in late ‘89 or early 1990.
You're correct, at least mostly. The dates may be a bit off but it wouldn't be by more than a year.

I'm personally fuzzy on the exact dates, but the Donatello set was NOT available at any stores in NJ until well over a year after the other three sets, by which point the other three sets were no longer available. 1989-1990 sounds about right, but it could have been 1990/91.

I *believe* I received the other three for Christmas 1990 (it definitely wasn't any year before); afterwards, I went to several stores for months looking for a Donatello set, which was not available or even advertised.

Again, I'm not sure why that set was delayed to the point that it only came out after the others were "retired", but there must have been a reason. To my knowledge, at no point were all four sets available for purchase at the same time, unless a small number of unsold Leo/Mikey/Raph sets were still hanging around at Toys-R-Us, K-Mart, Myers, etc.

I've never even seen a Tokka set, and was not aware they existed. Thanks! You do indeed learn something new every day.
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