Playmates losing TMNT license December 31, 2026

[jestergoblin]

Press release from Playmates:

Non-renewal of a Major License from 2027

This announcement is made by Playmates Toys Limited (the “Company”, together with its subsidiaries, the “Group”) pursuant to Rule 13.09(2)(a) of the Rules Governing the Listing of Securities on The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited (the “Listing Rules”) and the Inside Information Provisions (as defined under the Listing Rules) under Part XIVA of the Securities and Future Ordinance (Chapter 571 of the Laws of Hong Kong).

The board of directors of the Company (the “Board”) wishes to inform the shareholders of the Company (the “Shareholders”) and potential investors about the latest business development of the Group.

Pursuant to the existing License Agreement (the “License Agreement”) entered into between Viacom Media Networks (the “Licensor”) as the licensor and Playmates International Company Limited (“PICL”), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Group, as the licensee, PICL was granted the right to design, manufacture, distribute and sell the products of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the “Licensed Products”). Negotiations between the parties regarding the renewal of the License Agreement had been ongoing since October 2025, but PICL has recently been formally notified by the Licensor that the License Agreement will not be renewed upon expiry on 31 December 2026. As a result,
the rights of PICL to sell the Licensed Products shall cease on 31 December 2026, while the right to dispose its inventories of the Licensed Products will cease 90 days thereafter pursuant to the License Agreement.

Based on the information of the Company, the revenue from sales of the Licensed Products represented approximately 8%, 13%, 77%, 47% and 36% of the consolidated revenue of the Group for the year ended 31 December 2021, 31 December 2022, 31 December 2023, 31 December 2024 and for the six months ended 30 June 2025 respectively.

The Board will assess the impact of the non-renewal of the License Agreement on the financial performance of the Group and will update the Shareholders as and when appropriate.

Following the expiry of the License Agreement, the Group will continue, where
appropriate, to identify and evaluate potential licensing opportunities that align with its strategic considerations, and will continue its efforts to develop and manage its existing product lines, including but not limited to Power Rangers, MonsterVerse and Winx.

Shareholders and potential investors should exercise caution when dealing in the shares of the Company.

https://doc.irasia.com/listco/hk/playmatestoys/announcement/a328968-e_ptl2025announcement.pdf

[TurtlePower96]

Just heard about this. Kinda shocking, to be honest. At the end of next year, they’ll be at 38 years with the license.

Whatever you think of the more recent output, that’s still one hell of an incredible run.

Curious to see who gets the license next.

[Dask]

Was Super7 purposely holding out information for this moment...?

[Andrew NDB]

Further grim tidings for Mutant Mayhem sequels. Now no toy lines for them?

[teemu]

Was Super7 purposely holding out information for this moment...?

Yes...TMNT ultimate Classics continues.....stay tuned :lol:

[Autbot_Benz]

Man end of an era to be sure. That’s great for adult collector companies

[BlueKatana]

Further grim tidings for Mutant Mayhem sequels. Now no toy lines for them?

Or they sadly may cancel the movie altogether, Paramount wanted to Sonic-ify the license, so they announced a new movie and cancelled Tales. Had MM2 stuck to its original release date, it absolutely would’ve been covered by this license.

You have to applaud Playmates for keeping their lines affordable. I hope they pump out whatever they can especially for the retro line before it’s over.

[Zachatello00]

Wow. I’m not even sure how to process this…

[ToTheNines]

Further grim tidings for Mutant Mayhem sequels. Now no toy lines for them?

I think that’s unlikely. Surely Paramount will have a DEAL in place with someone else ready to take effect on January 2nd 2027. So even if MM2 keeps that September release date, that’s 9 whole months to crap something out.

[IMJ]

That is huge news....

[sdp]

Well everyone and their mother has a license to make the figures, so in a way it doesn't really matter. I think between the dozens and dozens of lines surely one that fits the needs of every TMNT fan already exists.
On the other hand, playmates figures had a certain style that I'll miss. Not to mention they are one of the few toy companies that can make decent fun toys to play with and accessories/playsets to go along with them at an affordable price. It's a bit sad, same that we now won't see re-releases of the original turtles anymore, sure it's been done to death by now but the fact that it'll never happen again is a bit sad.

[CyberCubed]

I haven't bought any toys in like 15 years, but even then this news hit me pretty hard. I grew up with the Playmates toys in the 80's and 90's, had all the mutants and all the bad guys. Still love the old figures. Also bought every major character in their 2k3 line. I stopped after the first wave of Nick 2012 figures.

This really is a big deal given Playmates had been with TMNT for almost 40 years. Feels like the end of an era.

[DonnieLaForge]

Welp now I *really* wish I'd bought Turbo-Cammy and Crabapult!

But yeah this is big news. Playmates literally invented TMNT toys. And at this point Playmates is very nearly the only TMNT I'm still collecting. I can definitively state that this means that I will finally retire from it. I will not be following to a new line.

Crazy. Thank goodness we got the retro blitzkrieg that we did over these last few years and I really do hope we get some good classic reissues in the final stretch. Scratch, Hotspot, come home to daddy and be our final loyalty reward!

However I'm not personally optimistic they'll deliver much now that the writing is on the wall. In the past Playmates seems to either be all in, or phoning it in, and this feels like it might swing them back to the phone...

[sdp]

Yeah, I hope that we get some good figures from playmates in 2026. What are your realistic wishlists?

-One Final re-release of the original turtles, make them gold, transparent, black light figures I don't know something interesting to make it worth getting.
-One more original take not based on anything basic turtles + shredder figure

I guess that's about it, first one is somewhat realistic, second one I don't see them doing it but it'd be the most interesting one. But knowing playmates they won't treat 2026 any different we'll just see the re-issues line continued and some repaints of the MM toyline. I guess they could do a "history of the TMNT" like they've done in the past with Leo or whatever from the different toylines they've made which they've done in the past.

[RaphaelinSTL]

Insane end of an era. But all things considered, it may have been more of a blow, too, if so many other companies weren't already doing so much with the license now ... NECA, Mondo, McFarlane, Super7 (kinda, they seem to be slowing down).

Moreso, it's like the history with the franchise since they were there at the beginning, and I just wonder who is going to fill that void for smaller kid figures at the smaller price point. Playmates never really found a way to nail the collector market, but seemed to be doing well ... "okay" for themselves with Mutant Mayhem stuff.

[IMJ]

Going back to re-release old figures using old molds from the 80's and 90's is cash-grab creative bankruptcy.

It is huge news given how long Playmates has been associated with the I.P., but quite frankly they deserve to lose the license. The last semi-decent toys they pumped out were from the 2007 movie. The 2012 stuff has a certain degree of charm, but they were more akin to hollow-plastic rotocast statues that you'd pull out of a gumball machine.

[d_osborn]

It is huge news given how long Playmates has been associated with the I.P., but quite frankly they deserve to lose the license.
Same. I thought they were for-sure going to lose the license after the Viacom buyout.

[italianice388]

My favorite TMNT releases lately have been the original line re-releases. Seeing Scaletail on store shelves in original packaging was unreal.

I hope Playmates CRAMS their final year with original run re-releases. I really wanted to see the Mini Mutants come back out.

And, once this year is over, hopefully Viacom will be able to have access to the molds to reproduce the original figures themselves. To lose those forever would be a tragedy.

[mikey0]

My favorite TMNT releases lately have been the original line re-releases. Seeing Scaletail on store shelves in original packaging was unreal.

I hope Playmates CRAMS their final year with original run re-releases. I really wanted to see the Mini Mutants come back out.

And, once this year is over, hopefully Viacom will be able to have access to the molds to reproduce the original figures themselves. To lose those forever would be a tragedy.

Next year would be perfect for a Mini Mutant Tokka Technodrome Playset re-issue.

I, for one, cannot wait to see the new Tokka and Rahzar on the TotTMNT cards. Go Ninja! Go Ninja! Go!

[Andrew NDB]

I remember the last time I got a new Playmates TMNT figure... when I was like 7 years-old.

[Dask]

Aside from the Godzilla x TMNT, Playmates has lost much of its appeal.

The origins-style line has potential, but the rate is slow, much slower than even Super7.

Not releasing the two remaining brothers from the high school Mutant Mayhem line was in bad taste, yet they release everything else.

Great that they re-released Technodrome, Party Wagon, Blimp and Module (my fave from back in the day) for those that care. But the Channel 6 News Van is where it is at.

I don't collect vintage, but I do collect vintage-upscale, so I am hoping for some news from Super7, but it is unclear to me who has the rights to the toy designs, Playmates, Varner or Viacom.

[IMJ]

The origins-style line has potential.

Yup. See, had they embraced that more? They'd have a minor, ongoing "win" on their hands.

[Autbot_Benz]

I mean to be fair NECA has been smoking playmates in everything turtle related.

[darthsmozers]

My favorite TMNT releases lately have been the original line re-releases. Seeing Scaletail on store shelves in original packaging was unreal.

I hope Playmates CRAMS their final year with original run re-releases. I really wanted to see the Mini Mutants come back out.

And, once this year is over, hopefully Viacom will be able to have access to the molds to reproduce the original figures themselves. To lose those forever would be a tragedy.

Losing those molds entirely is what I’m afraid of.

[Daytona]

The original TMNT toys are absolute all-time classics but I see no reason to weep now. They only stepped up when forced to and by then it was absolutely too late. I would like to buy one of the original turtles for nostalgia sake if they’re not already too rare and expensive.

[CyberCubed]

The thing is, Playmates is the only reason the original TMNT cartoon exists, and then the cartoon paved the way to the original live-action movies, Archie TMNT, etc. Without Playmates, none of this would exist, and it was just be the Mirage comics.

Watch the documentaries on the Turtle doc and others where the only reason the cartoon deal went through was because of Playmates. They are the reason modern TMNT exists.

[sdp]

Playmates is everything I love about TMNT basically, but at the same time it was Playmates from the 90s that I love.

I read the Press Release, to me it sounds like they were negotiating but once Skydance came into the picture they likely raised the price and messed negotiations up for Playmates and are asking for much more.

Let's take a look at the recent Playmates and TMNT toylines:
Mutant Mayhem didn't seem to sell too well, Tales is likely doing worse
Rise was an absolute bomb
Before that the 2012 series started well but didn't do as well towards the end
Out of the Shadows Toyline was another bomb

The re-issues seem to have been doing well and/or decent enough
any special/limited editions they did also seemed to do well
The Classics line which includes their odd crossovers with stuff like strangerthings/street fighter also seemd to do fine

Unsure how Remastered seemed to do but it seems they were leaning more towards gimmicky stuff since its what sold like say Godzilla x TMNT.

So yeah I doubt they were making money hand over fist. Unsure how the whole sublicensing to other companies was working for them, if they got any money for it or if other companies had difficulty working with Playmates or perhaps they had nothing to do with it.

But counting how many bombs they've had I'm sure they weren't willing to pay premium price for the license which Skydance might think they have now that they are the new owners.

[Otter]

I haven't bought a Playmates figure since Usagi. :lol:

Wait... Does that mean that Super7 could release their Ultimates version in 2027? Wasn't it rumoured that Playmates were somehow preventing that?

[mikey0]

Wait... Does that mean that Super7 could release their Ultimates version in 2027? Wasn't it rumoured that Playmates were somehow preventing that?

It’s why Remastered exists.

[Otter]

Yeah... pass.

I was excited to see what Super7 (specifically the Four Horsemen) were going to do with the figure. It would've been more than just a remake with updated articulation.

[Dask]

Seth Rogan killed Playmates....and April

Paramount Killed The Last Ronin.

[IMJ]

Seth Rogan killed Playmates....and April

Paramount Killed The Last Ronin.

:lol::lol:
Oh my God that is terrific....

OMG, :lol: I didn't even consider that framing at all....

[Wildcat]

I wasn’t shocked when I saw this...not that I expected it. I was just a little surprised. Someone else will definitely keep TMNT going though. I mean outside of the more expensive collector brands.

I’ve been wanting to get the First Sketch Turtles (the round colored ones). They were only $25 for all of them on Amazon Prime day last year. Insanely cheap but I couldn’t get them at the time.

Last Playmates Turtle I got must be Classics Mikey. The line that was modeled to be more cartoon accurate. I still have him on display too. It’s quite nice imo. I had planned to get the rest but never got around to it.

[ToTheNines]

I know some people are saddened by this, and I certainly have warm memories of the original and the 2k3 line, but Playmates can honestly suck my dick. Good riddance.

They’re the reason for a lot of the dumber aspect of the cartoons. They didn’t really stick out in the FW show as bad, but there’s plenty of facepalm moments of product placement in 4kids and 2012 that dragged them down.

They also sh*t all over the 1990 movie when they saw the first cut and caused a lot of drama behind the scenes, didn’t really help out financially. I wish they would have really stuck it to Playmates and just went with red masks lol.

I also think Playmates had a hand in making the PD turtles being big, disgusting and busy as possible, design-wise. They wanted them to starkly contrast the clean/small 2012 turtles on the toy shelves.

And yeah, don’t get me started on MM/“Tales”.


https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQbCEKANr-LwCKiCFOnjqjJhjFZiJCYb8-IYxlJwgYZl1KP2qZUB9uzAUs&s=10

[Andrew NDB]

The thing is, Playmates is the only reason the original TMNT cartoon exists

Presumably SURGE would have continued to play hardball with every other toy company and eventually they still would have struck a deal with SOMEBODY. Maybe not as great of a deal or maybe an even better one but who knows.

[Otter]

Pixel Dan just proposed a terrible thought, what if one of the big two outbid Playmates for the line?

Mattel basically shut down my interest in MotU once they skittled Super7's Classics to bring out Origins and later Masterverse.

If NECA were to stop their Mirage and Archie lines I can't see I'd pick up any other Turtles figures. And I can't imagine Hasbro or Mattel doing comparable work on either of those comics lines (though it might give NECA a reason to lean into an Usagi Yojimbo line).

[ToTheNines]

Pixel Dan just proposed a terrible thought, what if one of the big two outbid Playmates for the line?

Mattel basically shut down my interest in MotU once they skittled Super7's Classics to bring out Origins and later Masterverse.

If NECA were to stop their Mirage and Archie lines I can't see I'd pick up any other Turtles figures. And I can't imagine Hasbro or Mattel doing comparable work on either of those comics lines (though it might give NECA a reason to lean into an Usagi Yojimbo line).

I don’t collect toys at all outside of TMNT, so I’m talking out of my ass here, but I do own the entire TMNT/MMPR crossover line and they’re pretty nice figures for a reasonable enough price.

[DonnieLaForge]

Frankly I'm disappointed by literally every toy company right now. Perhaps for slightly different reasons when it comes to each. I think that my mid-adulthood return to early-childhood has all but played out. The fact that this partnership is dying as it reached roughly the same age I have reached, when I too am taking stock and saying "it is time for this to end", is maybe not all that surprising.

This development seems to be bringing many folks out of the woodwork with opinions that fascinate me. I have always felt there is room for all tiers of TMNT toys/collectibles, especially since the companies realized this themselves over the past couple decades. The undeniable things that were nice about Playmates - the price, of course, but also they have always been "good old fashioned hunting". Frustratingly fun, you had to put in leg work to catch 'em all - right up until today. Other toy companies artificially limit their pipelines/quantities to give that same experience but Playmates just did it naturally, the old fashioned way.

Playmates has at times been: great; meh; total crap - in cycles. The 2012 line went on long enough to span the full gamut. I dunno if those hating on MM/Tales are hating the whole incarnation, or the toys, or what...but either way that hate feels misguided because I would say Playmates is back to "great" right now and the movie/show are darn good too.

Kinda funny now to think that among the last thing they produced were hilarious bootlegs, parody of parody of themselves. TMNT has gone postmodern, so we cannot be surprised that the foundations are beginning to crumble!

[mikey0]

I hope Playmates continues to pump out reissues collectors want in 2026. Antrax, Wyrm, and Usagi are a start, but we need blue stripe April, no stripe April, orange and blue April (w [for those that missed out] and w/o PRESS sign), Ace Duck, Metalhead, Scratch, Mona Lisa, and a Metallic Foot Soldier. Time to get serious, Playmates!

[KaraiLover09]

Wow... I always associated Playmates toys with the turtles. From the FW, the 2K3, 2012, that CGI movie and now Mutant Mayhem.

I wonder if they're still doing 2026 to release a few more waves of Mutant Mayhem whenever they release the second movie? It would be weird if some other company took over for Mutant Mayhem figures for the sequel.

[sdp]

I wonder if they're still doing 2026 to release a few more waves of Mutant Mayhem whenever they release the second movie? It would be weird if some other company took over for Mutant Mayhem figures for the sequel.

They have the license until the end of the year, it's clear they won't be making figures for the 2027 sequel. Whether they continue the MM line this year or not it's up to them and sales, as well as anything they do. I would think they'd try to do as many rereleases as they can since it's relatively cheap, and people would buy them, and of course they're going to release stuff they had already been working for a while the money is already spent. Unless sales are bad they'll try to maximize their last year in the market with the IP.

It happens plenty of times when a new company takes over for a sequel series or movie. Jurassic World was Hasbro (who had the license because they bought Kenner) and Jurassic World 2 was Mattel. Mattel actually did a great job better than Hasbro did for JW1. It just sucks rereleases are only "inspired by" and not the actual molds of the original toylines because it's a different company.

[ToTheNines]

People keep talking about the “master toy license”. Does this matter? Isn’t it possible that Skydance just wants to cut out the middleman and deal with NECA/Super7/Mezco/etc. directly?

That might be a win-win for everyone, us included. All the premium stuff can keep coming out and they can hire Mattel or Hasbro to put out dreck for the cartoons and baby movies.

I might be talking out of my ass but I think I’m on to something. It’s not like every random piece of licensed TMNT merch has to go through Playmates, why would toys be any different?

[Zachatello00]

Pixel Dan just proposed a terrible thought, what if one of the big two outbid Playmates for the line?

After watching that video, I began wondering who the mystery bidder might be. I doubt it would be NECA. Their interests seem to lie more in adult collectibles than overall toylines for kids.

I could see Mattel doing it. They've flirted with the TMNT with their MOTU crossover toys. Might be fun to have a "grayskull-esque" Technodrome from those guys.

I could see it being Hasbro. They handled the MMPR/TMNT figures, which were fun, although I'm not sure how well they sold overall. But given the fact that Hasbro is already licensing Power Rangers to Playmates, this seems unlikely. Although, it'd be cool if they did take the license and allow Playmates to continue to release TMNT products alongside Rangers.

I could see it being Macfarlane, as they've started doing the IDW figures, and with them losing the DC license to Mattel, they need a firm "anchor". Spawn is awesome, but just doesn't have the household name that Batman or Superman, or even the TMNT have.

Personally, as much as I love Hasbro figures (Marvel Legends, Star Wars Black, Lightning Collection, etc.) somehow Macfarlane seems the most likely, and after seeing Leo today at Gamestop, I think I'd be okay with that.

[strawberryfields]

If playmates loses the license, will it be legal to release reissues of playmates designs? Does this mean the end of 80's and 90's reissues altogether?

[Prowler]

I haven't bought a TMNT toy in 13 years, so this will not affect me, but it is quite a change since Playmates has been making TMNT toys since 1988 already.

I've honestly thought they had already stopped many years ago since I remember when the 2012 toon was about to come out there was a strong rumour circulating the forums that Playmates might not be the toy company to make the Nick series toyline. So it was wither a baseless rumour or playmates and Nick reached an agreement eventually.

So... who will make TMNT action figures from now on? Mattel?

[DonnieLaForge]

Firstly didn't Hasbro announce they were trying to get out of kiddie toys and go harder into games? I wouldn't bet the farm on that timeline.

Secondly - the thing about Playmates was they could and did release lots of things like re-issues, classics, remasters, etc, based on prior TMNT incarnations, in parallel to the current TV media incarnation product.

Could another company do this? Yes. But not based on the Playmates OG designs, because I would bet hard those are copyright Playmates and since they departed significantly in most cases from the FW toon that won't carry over with the license.

Will another company bother to make cheap affordable kiddie product that reaches back into the past and not just the present? Perhaps - but it will be a bunch of "style guide" nonsense like all those Funrise offerings.

[sdp]

Lanard is the only company besides playmates that makes fun, cheap "kids toys"to actually play with. They're small and don't get any big licenses but they understand the kid market at least.

Jada toys makes some great figures that balance price/quality really well but they're too small to make an actual TMNT toyline. Those are really only the two companies that I'd like to see their own take, and even then I don't care too much since we have more than enough great TMNT figures now.

We've had so many types of turtles from so many companies the last 15 years it doesn't matter that much. We've already seen what most big companies have done with TMNT. I mean at this point it's easier to list which company hasn't made a TMNT figure a shot.


People keep talking about the “master toy license”. Does this matter? Isn’t it possible that Skydance just wants to cut out the middleman and deal with NECA/Super7/Mezco/etc. directly?

That might be a win-win for everyone, us included. All the premium stuff can keep coming out and they can hire Mattel or Hasbro to put out dreck for the cartoons and baby movies.

I might be talking out of my ass but I think I’m on to something. It’s not like every random piece of licensed TMNT merch has to go through Playmates, why would toys be any different?

Everyone is talking out of their ass since no one knows what the contract Playmates was really like. In my last job I got to talk to someone who worked in the toy industry for one of the big companies a couple of times. Most of what you see people discussing in forums from 'people who seem to know' is all BS. Basically master licenses as they existed stopped mattering in the 2010s and licensors just license differently since then. IP owners realized they could just sell the license to more people in different ways and make more money and stopped giving stranglehold on the IP for whoever had the license. There's a reason TMNT figures exploded in that decade, it's not "Playmates becoming benevolent and sharing for a cut of the profits".

Things will definitely change who knows if it'll be better or worse. The only thing for sure is we won't have re-issues of any previous molds again after 2026.

[teemu]

I hope Super7 can continue their Ultimates classic line. I still want

Traag
Pizza Face
Usagi
Scale Tail
Dirtbag
Groundchuck
Monty Moose
Killer Bee
Needle nose

[Dask]

Lanard is the only company besides playmates that makes fun, cheap "kids toys"to actually play with. They're small and don't get any big licenses but they understand the kid market at least.

Jada toys makes some great figures that balance price/quality really well but they're too small to make an actual TMNT toyline. Those are really only the two companies that I'd like to see their own take, and even then I don't care too much since we have more than enough great TMNT figures now.

We've had so many types of turtles from so many companies the last 15 years it doesn't matter that much. We've already seen what most big companies have done with TMNT. I mean at this point it's easier to list which company hasn't made a TMNT figure a shot.




Everyone is talking out of their ass since no one knows what the contract Playmates was really like. In my last job I got to talk to someone who worked in the toy industry for one of the big companies a couple of times. Most of what you see people discussing in forums from 'people who seem to know' is all BS. Basically master licenses as they existed stopped mattering in the 2010s and licensors just license differently since then. IP owners realized they could just sell the license to more people in different ways and make more money and stopped giving stranglehold on the IP for whoever had the license. There's a reason TMNT figures exploded in that decade, it's not "Playmates becoming benevolent and sharing for a cut of the profits".

Things will definitely change who knows if it'll be better or worse. The only thing for sure is we won't have re-issues of any previous molds again after 2026.

Jada is overrated in my opinion. Like when I see the Street Fighter line from Storm Collectibles and Jada, I can instantly tell that they aren't up to snuff. But people love them probably because they can't afford the Storm Collectibles.

Jada TMNT would just look like JoyToys but missing half the details and at a larger scale. I don't know if this 'remixed' look would help with either vintage designs or even the show.

Aside from obvious 'proven' winners like NECA or Super7, Mcfarlane would likely be the best bet for the future of the TMNT license, as they no longer have their DC or Batman related stuff and need to fill that void.

The page puncher's TMNT line is not the best representation of what McFarlane can do, but I don't think toon or even toy fidelity would be their strong point. Their figures will likely have that remastered 'New Eternia' look, and all things considered they could probably nail the Mirage designs.

Now, if I had my way, the dream TMNT line would be completely toon based designs (e.g. FW, 2K3 etc.) by Mondo at 1/12 scale and priced reasonably (not something Mondo can do).

[IMJ]

Jada is overrated in my opinion. Like when I see the Street Fighter line from Storm Collectibles and Jada, I can instantly tell that they aren't up to snuff. But people love them probably because they can't afford the Storm Collectibles.

Jada TMNT would just look like JoyToys but missing half the details and at a larger scale. I don't know if this 'remixed' look would help with either vintage designs or even the show.

Aside from obvious 'proven' winners like NECA or Super7, Mcfarlane would likely be the best bet for the future of the TMNT license, as they no longer have their DC or Batman related stuff and need to fill that void.

The page puncher's TMNT line is not the best representation of what McFarlane can do, but I don't think toon or even toy fidelity would be their strong point. Their figures will likely have that remastered 'New Eternia' look, and all things considered they could probably nail the Mirage designs.

Now, if I had my way, the dream TMNT line would be completely toon based designs (e.g. FW, 2K3 etc.) by Mondo at 1/12 scale and priced reasonably (not something Mondo can do).

Really?
Wow...

Honestly I love the Jada SFII stuff. It's just as good as Marvel Legends, but with better joints. Honestly I'd put the Jada SFII stuff inbetween Hasbro and Mattel. Mattel figures always feel like quality but Hasbro innovates more.

[Dask]

Really?
Wow...

Honestly I love the Jada SFII stuff. It's just as good as Marvel Legends, but with better joints. Honestly I'd put the Jada SFII stuff inbetween Hasbro and Mattel. Mattel figures always feel like quality but Hasbro innovates more.

Yeah, it's better than ReSaurus Street Fighter, which is what I used to have, but compared to the budget Street Fighter Alpha line from Storm Collectibles, it's a bit lacking.

I do agree with your placement, between Hasbro and Mattel, but I don't think they can pull off TMNT without hitting the vague in-between area. It won't look as cheap as BST AXN though.

[darthsmozers]

If playmates loses the license, will it be legal to release reissues of playmates designs? Does this mean the end of 80's and 90's reissues altogether?

This is my worry. Because I’ll shamelessly by every reissue, no matter the paint job :lol:

[Wes]

The page puncher's TMNT line is not the best representation of what McFarlane can do

FMI -- what do you think is the best representation of what McFarlane can do? His 5" Avatar the Last Airbender line was cute (despite the lacking articulation), and I admittedly kinda liked the MK11 line, but I can't call anything coming out of McFarlane these days *good*. He explicitly hates articulation and thinks it makes figures suck, so he has no incentive to really try to make it work -- he's basically making preposed figures and articulating them in the laziest of ways and then going "See??" when the articulation does indeed make the figures worse. Those hideous joints and his whole approach need to go.

(I also thought the BST AXN joints looked horrible, but at least they didn't feel like they were doing it out of spite.)

I'm very sad Playmates is losing the license, because all but the very worst Playmates figures are still kinda fun to mess with. I opened High School Raph alongside a few NECA figures, and guess which one I ended up playing with most (and which one I was least afraid of breaking).

[Dask]

FMI -- what do you think is the best representation of what McFarlane can do? His 5" Avatar the Last Airbender line was cute (despite the lacking articulation), and I admittedly kinda liked the MK11 line, but I can't call anything coming out of McFarlane these days *good*. He explicitly hates articulation and thinks it makes figures suck, so he has no incentive to really try to make it work -- he's basically making preposed figures and articulating them in the laziest of ways and then going "See??" when the articulation does indeed make the figures worse. Those hideous joints and his whole approach need to go.

(I also thought the BST AXN joints looked horrible, but at least they didn't feel like they were doing it out of spite.)

I'm very sad Playmates is losing the license, because all but the very worst Playmates figures are still kinda fun to mess with. I opened High School Raph alongside a few NECA figures, and guess which one I ended up playing with most (and which one I was least afraid of breaking).

As far as McFarlane is concerned, I don't think he has a premier line as he scatters his properties far and wide. Likely the "Movie Maniacs" one which inspired NECA to make their own version, and then diluted spinoffs like "Toony Terrors".

MK11 is pretty decent but not consistent, I have their Kotal Kahn.

I would say his Avatar line is pretty solid, not the Airbender one, the other Avatar...the blue aliens one with the blacklit accents.

His DC and Batman properties are solid (his Batman Returns figures are getting high praise and while not Mafex level, still unmatched for the price), but you have to realize that he pumps out 150 figures every year from that line alone, so there are some obvious hit or misses, or sculpts that lack likeness here and there.

His "Page Punchers" line/subline is considered budget and it is unfortunate McFarlane started the turtles on that.

Mcfarlane has never been good with articulation, just a half notch better than NECA which is mostly inspired by them. McFarlane and Super7 management both have this anti-articulation stance which is not based on rationality or aesthetics but likely simply cost-based factors. and What McFarlane does really well, is budget vehicles. So if they ever released a TMNT Party Wagon, it would not cost $250 (like Neca) or $450 (like Super7) but closer to the $80-$120 range, with lesser vehicles being $20-30 (cheap skates, motor cycles etc.)

Aside from some of the core IDW figures/Comic Con variants (Turtles, Jennika, Shredder etc), most of the BST AXN stuff looks cheap and flimsy, including the rest of the IDW stuff too (e.g. Rat King etc.)

[Zachatello00]

After reading through the exact wording of the original press release, it appears to me that what will expire is the "current license agreement". Am I right in thinking that just means that Playmates will no longer be the "master licensee"? And if so, as others have pointed out that that means so much less today than it did 40 years ago when Playmates got started, could that mean some sort of deal could still be reached between Viacom and Playmates (assuming the interest were still there) allowing them to become just one of the many who make TMNT products? I mean, as it is, you can walk into Walmart or Target right now and buy TMNT figures from a variety of different brands. It's strange to think that Playmates couldn't get in on that action. Could they truly be the only ones not able to make TMNT figures going forward?

[darthsmozers]

After reading through the exact wording of the original press release, it appears to me that what will expire is the "current license agreement". Am I right in thinking that just means that Playmates will no longer be the "master licensee"? And if so, as others have pointed out that that means so much less today than it did 40 years ago when Playmates got started, could that mean some sort of deal could still be reached between Viacom and Playmates (assuming the interest were still there) allowing them to become just one of the many who make TMNT products? I mean, as it is, you can walk into Walmart or Target right now and buy TMNT figures from a variety of different brands. It's strange to think that Playmates couldn't get in on that action. Could they truly be the only ones not able to make TMNT figures going forward?

Right! Like keep pumping out classic rereleases :D

[Zachatello00]

I mean, honestly that’s about all I’m truly interested in. I have to admit I haven’t picked up anything “new” from Playmates in years. But whereas companies like Super7 and NECA have been more focused on adult collectibles, I would argue that Playmates doing the rereleases is right up that alley. Sure they’re cheaper kids toys, but they’re kids toys for adults. I don’t see the kiddos grabbing the rereleases off the shelves. Even if this is all Playmates did, I’d be 100% okay with that.

[darthsmozers]

I mean, honestly that’s about all I’m truly interested in. I have to admit I haven’t picked up anything “new” from Playmates in years. But whereas companies like Super7 and NECA have been more focused on adult collectibles, I would argue that Playmates doing the rereleases is right up that alley. Sure they’re cheaper kids toys, but they’re kids toys for adults. I don’t see the kiddos grabbing the rereleases off the shelves. Even if this is all Playmates did, I’d be 100% okay with that.

Same! Shamelessly 100% agree.

[TigerClaw]

While NECA is about the collectables, They are releasing figures that Playmates never thought of putting out over the years.

NECA has those figures from other versions of TMNT, and Playmates never bother to do that stuff. So there is a huge demand for figures of characters from other TMNT incarnations.

After Playmates, Whose its going to be? Some company out there is gonna jump at the chance at producing new TMNT figures in the coming years. Especially with a sequel to Mutant Mayhem. and new live action TMNT movies in the future. Somebody has to step in.

[jestergoblin]

Last night's GeekDadLife had Blake Wright on to talk about TMNT.

9cwlIeSLFXg

At the 20 minute mark:


I will give you the quote from my Playmates insider, because I emailed somebody right away when I saw this. What I got back was this, when I said could there be a pitch thing happening here? The quote I got back was:

"Unfortunately, we're past that whole process and we're out. Time to move onto better things. You never know what the future may hold."

Also, I'd bet money on Mattel getting the license. Paramount's new president of global products and experiences is Mattel's old CFO, Josh Silverman.

[TigerClaw]

Last night's GeekDadLife had Blake Wright on to talk about TMNT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cwlIeSLFXg

At the 20 minute mark:



Also, I'd bet money on Mattel getting the license. Paramount's new president of global products and experiences is Mattel's old CFO, Josh Silverman.
It would be a huge get for Mattel if they get the license. Will it be better? Who knows.

[teemu]

GIJOE TMNT crossover incoming!

[Zachatello00]

Wow, kinda seems like however you slice it, Playmates is indeed out. Sad stuff after 40 years. Although I'll admit, just like the one guy in the video, I started out sad to hear the news at the 20 minute mark, but now I'm kind of excited to think about what Mattel might do for us.

Is it weird that I want that April O'Neil Barbie?

[DonnieLaForge]

Well, if it goes to Mattel, there is one cause for excitement. If nothing else I'd buy the AF out of a Polly Pocket crossover.

[Roseangelo]

Playmates is/was a stagnant company full of old white guys recycling the same concepts over and over again, or just pandering to whatever trash projects Nickelodeon threw at them. Good riddance.

[italianice388]

Playmates is/was a stagnant company full of old white guys recycling the same concepts over and over again, or just pandering to whatever trash projects Nickelodeon threw at them. Good riddance.

you say "white guys" as if that's inherently bad. not sure what race has to do with this at all.

and, for the record, playmates is hq'd in hong kong. so...

[Roseangelo]

you say "white guys" as if that's inherently bad. not sure what race has to do with this at all.

and, for the record, playmates is hq'd in hong kong. so...

The TMNT team has been the same group of guys in California since the 80s, with no added ideas or diversity.

[CyberCubed]

God white people ruin everything.

[mikey0]

GIJOE TMNT crossover incoming!

April 2026! Can’t wait!

[teemu]

April 2026! Can’t wait!

I may get a couple of them. I like SE and shipwreck with Destro/CC and dreadknocks

[mikey0]

I may get a couple of them. I like SE and shipwreck with Destro/CC and dreadknocks

Shipwreck Mikey would display great with Midshipman Mike.

Also, there will be a few ToTTMNT figures this year too. Looking forward to the Tales Tokka and Rahzar for the 35th Anniversary of SotO.

[Wes]

I'm hoping all this really means is that Playmates is losing the *master* license but can still continue to make stuff. These Joe/TMNT crossover figs look hella cool, and I'm really liking the look of the Godzilla crossovers as well (though I think the designs could be more inspired). Bootleg Turtles are hilarious. As long as they can keep making wacky inexpensive things for me, damnit. :tanime:

[Bruz]

Playmates needs to rerelease Scratch, Hot Spot, Half Court, Sumo Raphael, Tyranno Shredder, etc. Give us the good **** before they peace out.