01-19-2019, 10:40 AM | #161 | ||
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
Quote:
Quote:
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. Last edited by mikey0; 01-19-2019 at 11:47 AM. |
||
01-19-2019, 12:22 PM | #162 |
Mad Scientist
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Cleveland
Posts: 1,618
|
|
01-19-2019, 12:57 PM | #163 |
Jedi Master
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: JLA Satellite Headquarters
Posts: 11,134
|
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.
__________________
Michelangelo: This looks like a job for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Raphael: Sheesh, Mikey this ain't a cartoon! |
01-19-2019, 01:54 PM | #164 |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
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.
|
01-19-2019, 03:47 PM | #165 |
Mad Scientist
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Cleveland
Posts: 1,618
|
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.
|
01-19-2019, 05:14 PM | #166 | |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
Quote:
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. Last edited by mikey0; 01-19-2019 at 05:24 PM. |
|
01-20-2019, 03:38 AM | #167 |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,155
|
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.
|
01-20-2019, 09:12 AM | #168 | |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
Quote:
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. |
|
01-20-2019, 09:31 AM | #169 |
Jedi Master
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: JLA Satellite Headquarters
Posts: 11,134
|
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.
__________________
Michelangelo: This looks like a job for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Raphael: Sheesh, Mikey this ain't a cartoon! |
01-20-2019, 10:09 AM | #170 | |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,155
|
Quote:
|
|
01-20-2019, 10:22 AM | #171 | ||
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
Quote:
Quote:
Here is my source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mir...ch-6940354.amp Last edited by mikey0; 01-20-2019 at 10:28 AM. |
||
01-20-2019, 10:42 AM | #172 |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,155
|
That's a British newspaper. It doesn't even mention Sweden.
|
01-20-2019, 11:03 AM | #173 | |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
Quote:
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. |
|
01-20-2019, 11:17 AM | #174 |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,155
|
Christmas
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 |
01-20-2019, 11:22 AM | #175 | |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
Quote:
|
|
01-20-2019, 12:04 PM | #176 | |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,155
|
Battletoads
Quote:
Last edited by Original TMNT Cartoon Fan; 05-03-2019 at 03:09 PM. |
|
01-20-2019, 12:37 PM | #177 |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
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.
|
01-20-2019, 01:39 PM | #178 | |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,155
|
Quote:
|
|
01-20-2019, 02:46 PM | #179 |
Mad Scientist
Join Date: May 2011
Location: Cleveland
Posts: 1,618
|
|
01-20-2019, 03:14 PM | #180 |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 4,100
|
|
|
|