Fred Wolf Series or Original Playmates Toyline

[mikey0]

Which one do you like more? The Fred Wolf cartoon series from 1987 to 1996 or original Playmates toyline from 1988 to 1997? Which one stands out more to you? Do you like them both? Would you please point out what you like and dislike about both?

[neatoman]

Uh... Toyline? I guess? I find the cartoon to be be like a garbage can full of dog turds on a hot day. Some of the toys are neat (why the Fugitoid is gold colored however escapes me) so I guess they win?

[sdp]

I grew up with the toyline, not the cartoon. I did catch the cartoon occasionally but by the time I was a kid it wasn't on that much anymore, that's why I consider my watchthrough as a teen/adult as watching it for the first time without nostalgia.

[mikey0]

The Fred Wolf cartoon seems to get the most attention from 20 to 40 something year olds. Both versions of the Fred Wolf toon (syndicated and CBS SATAM series) were the number one children?s programs for years in the 80s AND 90s, whereas the original Playmates action figures were best sellers for one year (1990). I am starting to think that children of the 80s and very early 90s only had their parents purchase the original action figures because the toy commercials had clips from the Fred Wolf cartoon in them from 1988 to 1991. I think the Fred Wolf TV series is the clear winner in this thread, but I am going to wait to see the poll results.

[garsh]

My intro to turts was the NES game first, then the toys, then the cartoon, and finally comics.

I did like the first few episodes when I finally saw the cartoon, and I kept watching and recording the whole series diligently for its entire run, but I never thought it was very "good". These days I've learned to better appreciate its absurdity.

My collection of the Playmates toys is pretty near complete, but I never did get any of the cartoon figures like Bern, Vernon, Irma and so on.

[mikey0]

A Few Things I Love About the Original Playmates Toyline

- Playmates took almost every cue from Mattel?s Masters of the Universe toyline for the impressive setup.

- Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo all had belts that could hold 2 bos, 2 katanas, 2 nunchucks, and 2 sais.

- The accessory racks

- The realism to the sculpts of the turtles, Splinter, Rocksteady, and Leatherheae.

- Shredder fought shirtless.

- The pose of the Foot Soldier

- Krang was gross looking.

- The brick motif on the front of the packaging and the three illustrations show-casting what the character does.

- Retromutagen Ooze. Every great boys toyline of the mid to late 80s came with slime.

- Bebop and Rocksteady were menacing tough guys.

- The paint applications used for Krang, Baxter Stockman, Genghis Frog, and Ace Duck

- Some of the other anthropomorphic independent characters were a part of the line (Usagi and Panda Khan).

- Fugitoid and Triceraton had new looks from the Mirage comic book versions.

- The accessory packs (Gags, Jokes, and Crazy Weapons)

- The joke-books and posters included with the vehicles.

- The art, in general.



A Few Things I?m on the Fence About When It Comes to the Original Toyline

- An unmasked Casey Jones variant was never produced.

- Pop-up mutant displays. The TMNT toy universe and Fred Wolf cartoon universe do not mix.

- Warrior Rahzar was unproduced.

- Giant Size TMNT. Seriously, Bebop and Rocksteady are the only Giant Size Bad Boys?! Where?s Shredder?! Slam Dunkin Don was made for cryin out loud!!!

- Too many turtle variants. Why couldn?t Playmates just resell the basic TMNT figures? Those were the version that children wanted anyway.

- This toyline was too 90s towards the end. It?s very dated.

- The Technodrome and Sewer Playset should have been larger.

- The generic cards used from 1993 to 1997.

[garsh]

I would pay money just to smell the retromutagen ooze again.

[mikey0]

When I say “action figure”, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If the answer is a 1988 Donatello, then the Fred Wolf cartoon has less value than the vintage TMNT toyline.

[garsh]

Originally Posted by mikey0

When I say “action figure”, what is the first thing that comes to mind? If the answer is a 1988 Donatello, then the Fred Wolf cartoon has less value than the vintage TMNT toyline.

How do you figure?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think Donatello might have been my very first TMNT figure. It was definitely either him or Leonardo.

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by garsh

How do you figure?

I'm not 100% sure, but I think Donatello might have been my very first TMNT figure. It was definitely either him or Leonardo.

The poll on the front page of this website has 50 percent saying their favorite way to enjoy their TMNT fandom is by watching the TV shows and movies. It is possible that those users were thinking of the first live action movie and 2K3 program, but I have seen polls on other sites and users voted for the 1987 TMNT as their favorite versions of the characters.

Anyway, I guess the vintage line is a part of TMNT merchandise on the front page poll. I think that is the problem. MOTU was a toyline before it was a TV series. It is safe to surmise that most people see the vintage line as TMNT merchandise and not its own separate entity.

The toyline is beating the ‘87 FW show for my poll, but the greater population is more familiar with the turtles from the classic TV show and movies than the vintage toyline. In the past, I have heard many complaints about the first wave figures from the vintage toyline and they are all tied to the 1987 cartoon. Some children of the 90s used to draw pupils on their soft head and hard head basic turtles figures. The first ever TMNT cartoon is king.

[garsh]

Okay, but I still don't follow how -- if someone thinks of Donatello when presented with the term "action figure" -- demonstrates whether the cartoon or toys have a greater portion of public mindshare. Why specifically Donatello? How does he, specifically, represent the toys and not the cartoon?

[mikey0]

Originally Posted by garsh

Okay, but I still don't follow how -- if someone thinks of Donatello when presented with the term "action figure" -- demonstrates whether the cartoon or toys have a greater portion of public mindshare. Why specifically Donatello? How does he, specifically, represent the toys and not the cartoon?

I used Donatello as an example because he is one of my favorite figures from the original line. You could substitute any figure for Donatello. The idea is to see if a TMNT figure from the 80s or 90s comes to mind when the term “action figure” is uttered. My belief is that the classic Fred Wolf cartoon is far more popular than any TMNT action figure from 1988 to now [especially the original Playmates toyline]. I think people are familiar with the comic book, FW series, and first movie versions of the TMNT over the action figures, so the figures were merchandise and nothing else.

[mikey0]

In this thread, the original toyline has almost all of the votes, but the 1980s and 90s cartoon is obviously more well known than the action figures.