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12-31-2018, 12:09 PM | #1 |
Random Punk
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Southern California
Posts: 32
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Downfall of the original Playmates toy line (80s and 90s kids)
If you were a kid in the late 80s up to the late 90s, I would like to hear your experiences and memories.
Specifically, when did you start to lose interest in TMNT toys and merchandise? What were your thoughts on all the crazy variations of the Turtles, and reissues Playmates kept pumping out? Were you savvy enough as a kid to realize the Turtles were in trouble? Did you go into KB Toys (R.I.P.) at the mall, and see bins of discounted Turtle figures? Did you look at any toys and think, "That looks awful, what the hell were they thinking?" |
12-31-2018, 03:45 PM | #2 |
So tired of this place
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Shell Ri La
Posts: 26,803
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I never felt that way until the 2012 line started bottoming out.
Sure, even OG Playmates made weird decisions, pushed unpopular variants, etc. But the engineering, sculpts, paint, etc. was all on point & bursting with personality. The Kaybee re-releases were a huge plus, for me. I lived near one & got figures at a great discount allll the time. & I like many of the variants, so, it was all gravy. Being born in 1990, I was still able to live through some kind of Turtlemania, but I missed out on a lot of merch. Or well, I didn't, thanks to re-releases. But I never lost interest. I buy less, now, as an adult, but that's more due to budgetary restraints & higher standards for quality than a matter of lacking enthusiasm.
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12-31-2018, 04:02 PM | #3 | |
Random Punk
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Southern California
Posts: 32
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Quote:
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12-31-2018, 07:05 PM | #4 |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 14,003
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I noticed the variants were getting stupid, they were releasing more and more characters that were not appearing on the show. Then with new shows that shows actual action like Batman and X-Men appearing, CBS not showing cartoons anymore on Saturday Mornings and whatnot... I figured TMNT was on its way out.
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"I was down with TMNT once, but then they changed what TMNT was. Now what I was down with is no longer TMNT and what TMNT now is seems weird and scary. And it'll happen to YOU." Check out my blog for Comic Reviews and other things. https://markepicblogofrandomness.blogspot.com/ I also started The AEW Crew, the All Elite Wrestling Fan Club! https://www.facebook.com/groups/637508120044168/ |
12-31-2018, 08:15 PM | #5 |
Jedi Master
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: JLA Satellite Headquarters
Posts: 11,130
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Getting into TMNT is something I did so young it was early enugh I dont remember getting into. My father taught me how to change the chanbel at two and soon I started talking about Beba and Ocksteady. Yes, I spelled it the way I prounced it. I remember getting Michelangelo and Bebop to face each other at age 3. A year later I had the series one set a few series two and Movie Star set. This would be by the end of 1991. I played with figures until 1999 by which time the line was ending with random reissues through KB Toys and I was in middle school. I have the whole '03 line and basics of '12 line MIB. I not feel ant urge to get the Rise line. You may have encouraged me to look at '88-'99 line MIB figures.
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Michelangelo: This looks like a job for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Raphael: Sheesh, Mikey this ain't a cartoon! |
12-31-2018, 08:58 PM | #6 |
Mad Scientist
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 2,444
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Most of the toys in those discount bins were ones that KB had produced specifically to sell that way, they weren't unsold product that had to be sold for a reduced price. Plus the writing was on the wall for the Turtles long before that. As stores such as Walmart and Kmart reduced the amount of space allocated to the line, it was pretty obvious that the line was running its course. KB Toys was one of the few outlets that supported Playmates and the TMNT line to the bitter end. At least in my area, they were the only source of TMNT:the next Mutation toys for the second series.
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12-31-2018, 09:39 PM | #7 | |
Random Punk
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Southern California
Posts: 32
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Quote:
Funny thing, I actually got some of the really rare figures in 1993/1994 when the series was starting to decline at small drug store chains like Rite Aid and Walgreens. Figures like Hotspot and Scratch, who came on the generic card-backs.
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"You fight well, in the old style. But you've caused me enough trouble. Now you face...the Shredder." |
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01-01-2019, 04:21 AM | #8 |
Handsomest Boy in School
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: The Realm of SJW
Posts: 4,642
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I never had much money for toys to begin with, and a lot of the variants didn't seem to fit a lot of my play style when I was a kid. So I passed up on a lot of the special figures like Star Trek and movie monsters.
The one's I did like were the mutating turtles and that figures with hollow shells for carrying around weapons and stuff. Those were awesome. I really wish I took better care of my toys. I really should've jumped on the re-releases. I still have fond memories of the Turtle Van and the Turtle Blimp.
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01-01-2019, 11:01 AM | #9 | |
Random Punk
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Location: Southern California
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Quote:
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01-01-2019, 05:58 PM | #10 |
Foot Elite
Join Date: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,006
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Around 1992 or so, when Playmates started releasing so many Turtle variants, I started losing interest. I enjoyed collecting all of the various mutants much more than variations of characters I already had. Then, they switched the packaging from the awesome "break through the brick wall" packaging, to the "in the palm of the Turtle's hand" packaging, which lost me even more.
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01-02-2019, 08:36 AM | #11 |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,154
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01-02-2019, 10:08 AM | #12 | |
Weed Whacker
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Auburn, WA
Posts: 29,240
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Quote:
I do remember my parents taking me to a swap meet and having me sell all of my toys -- including TMNT -- so that I could buy a SNES, which I wanted.
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01-02-2019, 10:47 AM | #13 | |
Random Punk
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Southern California
Posts: 32
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Quote:
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"You fight well, in the old style. But you've caused me enough trouble. Now you face...the Shredder." |
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01-02-2019, 10:50 AM | #14 |
Weed Whacker
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Auburn, WA
Posts: 29,240
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There used to be these big kiosks in the mall where you could line up and play NES and SNES games and I was oogling Final Fantasy II forever. I just had to have that game, no matter what.
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01-02-2019, 01:30 PM | #15 |
Stone Warrior
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 521
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All the ridiculous versions of the turtles were one of the things that drove me away. I remember one birthday where my grandma got me a punk rock turtle that had a Mohawk. It was so hard to pretend that I was excited to get that. I opened it and then never looked at it again. Also, once I discovered the X-Men comics/cartoon, that completely replaced the TMNT as my priority. I remember seeing so many of those jailhouse cat figures (that are now worth a small fortune) and rolling my eyes at them (if I only knew then what I know now I would have bought them all)! But yea, the X-Men as well as the Trendmasters Godzilla figures made me forget all about the TMNT until the 2003 series started (by which point Marvel had already very foolishly destroyed the X-Men comics, which allowed the TMNT to reclaim their top spot).
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01-02-2019, 02:19 PM | #16 | |
Random Punk
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Southern California
Posts: 32
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Quote:
I had the "jail-house cat" (Scratch) and Hot Spot. Both were purchased at small drug store chains.
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"You fight well, in the old style. But you've caused me enough trouble. Now you face...the Shredder." |
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01-02-2019, 01:43 PM | #17 |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,154
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I don't think it's a good idea to have role-playing games playable in the shopping malls, where children are standing lined-up, waiting to play. Playing through them takes a lot of time.
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01-02-2019, 04:03 PM | #18 |
Jedi Master
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: JLA Satellite Headquarters
Posts: 11,130
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J.C. Penny in had an N64 for kids to take turns to play when it first came out. That was my first experience with the system and was blown away. Little did I realize that was the end of what I knew of video games (side scroll beat 'em ups). Aside from that up to the late 90s' my local Blockbuster Video had at least two game systems and a key game to play. I remember Super Nintendo with Super Mario World and Sega Genesis Sonic 3 being available. Good memories!
I bought anything I could get TMNT figures related. I mean I am 3-12 in the 90s' collecting these so I did not get sets, but bought and received what I could. I did however prefer the main line opposed to the sub sets like Star Trek, Universal, Farm, Warriors, Mutations, etc. When I played I needed basic line figures not side sets. The flipping turtles(what was that set called?) were replacements for the basic turtles if I could not find a turtle. I think the Ninja Turtles line went wild with side sets because of the variant Batman figures and trying to keep up with Kenner. As a kid who played with the figures I did not care for that.
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Michelangelo: This looks like a job for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Raphael: Sheesh, Mikey this ain't a cartoon! |
01-09-2019, 02:49 PM | #19 | |
Overlord
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Sweden
Posts: 10,154
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1993
Quote:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal...992_video_game) |
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01-09-2019, 09:06 PM | #20 | |
Random Punk
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Southern California
Posts: 32
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Quote:
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"You fight well, in the old style. But you've caused me enough trouble. Now you face...the Shredder." |
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