You are CEO of Playmate's TMNT line

[sdp]

You get named CEO of playmates with the sole purpose to make decisions on the TMNT line. TMNT has always been Playmates savior that's been keeping them afloat so it's of outmost importance that you get this right. Sales of the 2012 line were waning so you and viacom decided that a new show would be made to replace it. Rise comes out and you invested a lot of money on the line but the sales were never good and there was no ROI so we're down to negative numbers.
Nickelodeon has no plans to make a new turtles show or movie in the short term (3 years) so you have to figure out how to stay afloat until then. There is absolutely no budget for new molds or anything that would require actual investment since we're not doing well and we spent all out money on Rise. You have plenty of molds from all your decades of TMNT.

You previously played with the idea of re-releasing the entire original line as new again (in the 25th anniversary) but that plan failed since only the turtles sold well so that's not an option. You've tried a few repaints (Classics in mirage colors vintage shredder/splinter mirage colors) and re-releasing the vintage turtles, re-releasing the 2012 main figures but no luck so far. What do you do?

Note: Remember the collector's market is pretty saturated with fierce competition from NECA/S7/Others so your strategy is to do something KIDS will want to pick up and play as your primary audience. And you are Playmates, you can do what you want, repaint Venus de milo and say it's Jennika pissing off a ton of new TMNT fans? Go for it!

[sdp]

I announce a "TMNT Turtle Multiverse line", I invest heavily on the marketing, new artwork, logo etc featuring a mix of turtle artwork from all the different eras. Do a mix up of the best figures that can still pass off in 2020 as new toys, a few favorites that were shortpacked perhaps like Scratch/Quarry to throw a bone to collectors but it would not focus on that since that would shelfwarm hard and kill the line, an example could be something like:

The line launches with 4 turtles from different eras with new/better paint jobs. Vintage Raphael with added colors, 2007 Donatello, 2012 Mikey, Next Mutation Leonardo. Villains would include 2007 Shredder, OOTS movie Krang repainted to make it look better.

Repainting molds when necessary and changing even who the character was supposed to be like say one of the turtle variants could become a Slash figure just with the different paint app. Keep the different mixed as best as possible to also get the money from collectors who need everything while making it a fun transitional line.

[wpugh2424]

So the molds for the whole toyline exist would be my first question

[sdp]

Originally Posted by wpugh2424

So the molds for the whole toyline exist would be my first question

We can assume so since we don't have any info that contradicts it that I'm aware of in fact Playmates has shown that it has plenty of molds. But stuff like say the unreleased mirage turtles from playmates had prototypes but perhaps never got molds made which is the expensive part so perhaps those cannot be reused.

Just some base rules to make the thread fun but imagination is what can make this into a great thread.

[wpugh2424]

Hell I’d even be ok w them doing a preorder system if they would recreate the whole line
Money for them, they have the molds, preorder would allow the right deco and no missing apps, and it would be a sure way to make a profit

[mikey0]

Add more articulation to the original molds and call the line, TMNT Remutations (think MOTU Origins) and sell them at retail stores everywhere (no exclusives).

[wpugh2424]

Well we need to pitch this idea
Where are the Playmates executives
Start listening cause we are trying to get what we want and u can make money

[mikey see]

Originally Posted by mikey0

Add more articulation to the original molds and call the line, TMNT Remutations (think MOTU Origins) and sell them at retail stores everywhere (no exclusives).

Yep.

10 characters!

[garsh]

Originally Posted by mikey0

Add more articulation to the original molds and call the line, TMNT Remutations (think MOTU Origins) and sell them at retail stores everywhere (no exclusives).

That's exactly what I want, but I don't even mind exclusives, especially if they're just strange variants that I probably wouldn't buy anyway. If they did more sensible variants like a set of all four turtles in red masks sold only at Target, I would order it.

I would even be fine with totally new molds faithful to the original sculpts, as long as they're very close to the same size, proportions and colors.

[Leo656]

I think a line like Mattel's DC Universe Classics (and later Multiverse) would be good. Something in 6-inch-ish scale that allows for all the popular characters to be represented in all of their different looks. Given how many disparate versions of TMNT exist now, it makes sense to have a line where everything can be represented over time. And if they can fit in with other popular toy lines scale-wise, that's even better.

Might not even be possible due to various rights issues, but maybe? It'd be cool to see either way. Like each Wave could have a character from each version of TMNT in it, like a Mirage figure, a FW cartoon figure, an Archie figure, a 1990 Movie figure, a 4Kids figure, and a Nick figure, just for example. They could even rotate in stuff from the video games, Next Mutation, etc. from time to time. Stuff like Leatherhead, Hun, and Krang's Android body could be build-a-figures.

Yeah, that all sounds pretty awesome, I think I'd go with that. Works alright with DC and Marvel over the years. Plus I think it's a good way for everyone to see "their" TMNT represented and some of the more obscure characters to also get figures of them done. Again, assuming that Playmates had the "master license" to all the different TMNT universes the way Mattel had for DC.

[sdp]

Well Playmates is definitely not going to be doing anytype of retooling. This thread is more of a "seeing how lazy and unwilling to spend any money on anything new, what would you do as a playmates rep with those restrictions to make something compelling". It's clear they aren't willing to spend money on anything.

[cloud]

So this is one of those fan casting type of thing.
Assuming you aren't sent by Playmates hoping the fans will do all the dirty work for you

My solution is simple. A TMNT evergreen line. Keep everything that's working for Playmates, affordable kids toys that adults will also buy. May not get a movie or cartoon series to help promotions but I think the TMNT brand itself is strong enough the survive. Will start with the Mirage turtles with added joints on the wrist. Then reuse that mold with cloth coat, sculpt fedora for an undercover look. And release Shredder, Splinter, Casey, April in the 5 inch line based on the comics look. Then repaint them for a more cartoon inspired deco. I think this line will be able to keep the Turtles toy line alive at the retail shelf space until the new CGI movie comes out.

You guys keep saying Playmates has lots of molds they can re-use from the vintage line. This is not really true. Yes there are fan demand for re-releases and mostly likely Playmates kept the molds but doesn't mean some molds are not damaged or lost. Remember the Leonardo through the ages set? Safe to assume Playmates no longer has the mold for the movie star Leo's belt.

[mikey0]

Unfortunately, the 90s are never coming back. We need Playmates to re-release Scratch, Hot Spot, Half Court and retool Genghis Frog for a 4 pack, but instead, we will continue to get a few 90s figures here and there with mostly reissues of the stuff from this century. The glory days for Playmates are long gone. A part of me wishes it were still early 1990, so I could purchase the soft head turtles for my cousin from a small business, but those days are in the past.

[The-Shredder]

Rule #1: Don't skimp on paint.

[mikey0]

Rule #0 : Listen to the fans.

[Andrew NDB]

I'd do exactly what they're doing and pay very little attention to the older collectors beyond novelty stuff here and there, sparingly. They're a toy company called "Playmates," for chrissakes, they're not like trying to fool anybody. Their market is 99% the millions of Mommies and Daddies picking up toys for Little Timmy, not the maybe 1,000 angry 30 or 40 year-olds.

[Leo656]

Kids don't care about toys anymore. Kids play with their mommy's iPhone. They don't care about dolls.

The "Collector's Market of 30-somethings" IS the entire toy market, now. Toys aimed "strictly at kids" rot on the shelf. You gotta aim at a wider base, that's just common sense.

Mattel's DC lines were suitable for kids - as in kids could ostensibly play with them without breaking them - and the same is true for their extensive WWE line(s). They're kid-appropriate, BUT kids are most certainly not the ones going for them.

That's the only correct approach. Something a kid could theoretically handle without fear, but aimed at the more discerning adult eye, since they're "really" only going to be for grown-ups anyway.

[frank_one]

I would make a high quality line based on Mirage and spend the rest on hookers. Well, I'm not sure about the latter.

[Galactus]

You're not giving us much to work with if we can only afford pre-existing molds.

Personally I'd go for a whole host of re-releases of every major era of the franchise.

So a release of the original wave of '87 figures. I feel collectors will always cop for these. I'd also have the original artwork on the packaging. Next up would be the release of the movie star figures. Again these are always popular. I actually think the first wave of 2003 figures would be pretty popular. They've never had a re-release and it's been long enough for a nostalgia to kick in for the generation that watched it. They are pretty much the best basic figures Playmates did and would be popular with people wanting to use them for customs. Then round it off with a release of the first wave of 2012 figures.

If all this went well I actually think a release of the few more recognisable variants would be interesting. Like the Wacky Action and disguised turtles from the classic line and say the Toddler Turtles from the '03 line (kids would eat that up) Also the various Super/Metal Mutants and the Cyber Samurai line. These would just look great on the shelf regardless of whether you're aware of the OVA or the Archie books. Then some secondary characters that aren't part of the initial wave. Krang (in his android body), Slash, Metal Head, Baxter Fly, Leatherhead, Groundchuck, Dirtbag, Tokka and Rahzar from the classic line, Fugitoid, Baxter Stockman, Hun, Bishop, Leatherhead, Karai from the '03 line etc.

If we must have something Mirage inspired I'd look into if they still had the molds for the unreleased Mirage which imo looked good. If not repaint and get new belts for the original '87 figures. They're pretty much doing that anyway with Shredder and Splinter might as well go the whole way with that.

[sdp]

Originally Posted by Galactus

You're not giving us much to work with if we can only afford pre-existing molds.

Well I thought of this thread to see if we could come up with something more interesting that Playmates could do without investing a dime which is pretty much what Playmates is doing at the moment. I feel even with all these restrictions we can come up with something more interesting to sell kids than what playmates is doing..