How much freedom did the OT writers have from Playmates toy promotion?

*CyberCubed* · 12-25-2012, 01:02 PM

Throughout the old show there are some episodes that feature very blatant TMNT toy advertisements, mostly in terms of vehicles like the item Don makes that flings garbage, the flush-o-matic, and those sewer tube things they used to float in the sewers.

Yet despite all this, we know most of those Playmates created mutants didn't even appear in the original toon, so it seems like the OT writers had the freedom not to use them if they didn't want to.

Is it just me, or did the writers of the show not really like the Playmates created characters? They used the Mirage oriented characters like Baxter, Rat King and Leatherhead...as well as ones they created themselves like General Traag, Krang, Bebop/Rocksteady, Slash and new characters like Tempsestra, Shreeka, etc.

The only few times I can remember them using a Playmates created character is for Mona Lisa, Mutagen Man, Muckman Joe/eyeball, and Wingnut/Screwloose. They even just barely gave Ace Duck a cameo, a sign they didn't even want to use him. All who were just one-shot characters. I'm not sure where Mondo Gecko and Merdude were created for first.

It actually seems like they didn't have to do what Playmates wanted, or else most of those characters probably would have appeared.

12-25-2012, 01:02 PM	#1
CyberCubed Overlord Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 43,850	How much freedom did the OT writers have from Playmates toy promotion? Throughout the old show there are some episodes that feature very blatant TMNT toy advertisements, mostly in terms of vehicles like the item Don makes that flings garbage, the flush-o-matic, and those sewer tube things they used to float in the sewers. Yet despite all this, we know most of those Playmates created mutants didn't even appear in the original toon, so it seems like the OT writers had the freedom not to use them if they didn't want to. Is it just me, or did the writers of the show not really like the Playmates created characters? They used the Mirage oriented characters like Baxter, Rat King and Leatherhead...as well as ones they created themselves like General Traag, Krang, Bebop/Rocksteady, Slash and new characters like Tempsestra, Shreeka, etc. The only few times I can remember them using a Playmates created character is for Mona Lisa, Mutagen Man, Muckman Joe/eyeball, and Wingnut/Screwloose. They even just barely gave Ace Duck a cameo, a sign they didn't even want to use him. All who were just one-shot characters. I'm not sure where Mondo Gecko and Merdude were created for first. It actually seems like they didn't have to do what Playmates wanted, or else most of those characters probably would have appeared.