Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Revival Continues At TTPM Holiday Showcase

Toy tie-ins for the current animated and live action versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were on display at the TTPM Holiday Showcase in New York City.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been on a serious upswing since Viacom purchased the rights to the property back in 2009. In addition to several comic book series, their original medium, currently published through IDW, the Ninja Turtles have found renewed success as an animated series on Nickelodeon and as a live-action feature film franchise by Paramount. Both companies are subsidiaries of Viacom. With these successful revitalizations, naturally, comes the toy tie-in merchandise. They were fully on display at last week’s Toys, Tots, Pets & More Holiday Showcase.

Playmates Broadens Line of Ninja Turtles Figures

Playmates was the original producer of TMNT action figures when they first hit shelves in the ’80s and is again with the revitalized brand. While toys and vehicles based on this summer’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows movie sequel will continue to be available for the upcoming holiday season, the company’s animated series offerings have expanded with both current and new product lines.

More from Toys

The preschool-appropriate Half-Shell Heroes action figure line recently released a construction themed expansion. This is an enlightened move by Playmates as it takes its proven line and mashes it up with another favorite of their target audience: construction vehicles. Most parents can attest to many a car ride of pointing out excavators and dump trucks with their preschoolers. Now, kids can enjoy Leo, Ralph, Donnie, and Mikey decked out in construction gear, each with their own construction-related accessory, such as a cement mixer or mini-bulldozer. Larger construction-based vehicles are also available.

Additionally, there is the Hall-Shell Heroes Headquarters playset. Pull on the large Raphael hand to open up the playset and enjoy over 12 different features, including trap doors and a jail cell. The large base also comes with Raphael and Bebop figures.

Among the new product lines is Playmates’ foray into the increasingly popular collectible vinyl figure market. The TMNT Stackable Mystery Figures are non-articulated figures that come in individual mystery boxes. The toy producer opted to add a level of playability to their vinyl figures, which was wise for a line meant for young fans. Each figure can be sturdily stacked atop another to create various double (or even quadruple) team attack combinations. Series 1 includes the four Turtles, Shredder, Kraang, Bebop, Rocksteady, and a chase “Armored Leonardo” variant figure.

Also, new from Playmates is the Talk To Me Mikey Voice Response Turtle. This larger figure has a number of interactive features, including ten voice-activated responses and over 100 phrases. Mikey also has motion sensors, songs and sound effects.

Take Mikey on the Go

Jakks Pacific added the Ninja Turtles to their Xtreme Performance Vehicles (XPV) line of remote controlled toys. Their R/C Skateboarding Mikey has features including sounds and skateboard tricks. Among the tricks are 360s with Mikey can auto-correcting when he wipes out on the board. The latter feature alone increases the playability factor of this R/C toy.

Build Your Own Ninja Turtles

Fans looking for a little more interactivity and control over their Ninja Turtles can enjoy some of the other licensed merchandise that allows one to build one’s own adventure. Longtime building blocks brand, Mega Bloks, has a number of TMNT-themed sets. Among them is the TMNT: Out of the Shadows Battle Truck set, as featured at TTPM. The buildable vehicle features lights and sounds and comes with 3 mini-figures: the movie versions of Michelangelo, Donatello, and a Foot Soldier.

Finally, there is the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Leonardo IncrediBuilds 3D wooden model. The pieces are punched out of a thin wooden sheet and assembled into the Turtles’ leader. The figure is unpainted, so it allows kids to be creative in how they want design the model, if at all. Additional IncrediBuilds models include Captain America’s Shield, an Iron Man bust, the Batmobile featured in Batman and Batman Returns, and various Star Wars ships.

All items featured above are currently available at nationwide outlets as well as major online retailers. Age appropriateness and price points vary, so be sure to consult the individual products before purchasing.

Home/Toys