Remember all the great and innovative toy lines that Playmates created for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in the late 80’s and early 90’s? They did everything from sports and military themed turtles to Star Trek and Universal Studios Monster sets. Some of the toys were even creative enough to feature interesting items, such as a line that found the boys throwing pizzas at their enemies. Well, what would you say if I told you that they are about to bring some of those good old days back with their newest line for the Nickelodeon TMNT show?
Yes, it would appear that this much beloved toy company is looking to past success for new ideas. The next set of toys
being released will include four new Mutagen Ooze turtle figures, featuring packs on their back that can be filled with ooze to launch at their enemies. This hearkens back to some of the toys made in the 90’s, which featured similar capabilities. Another line that is due around the same time is the Flinger set, which features Leonardo and Michelangelo flinging pizzas at their enemies, much like the Pizza Tossin’ Turtles set from Playmates back in the day. In this set, the figures of Raphael and Donatello don’t throw pizzas, but they do have a cool weapon flinging action.
To put it simply, this latest group of toys is made not just for the newer fans of the series, but also for the parents who have fond memories of the creative and imaginative TMNT play things they had when they were younger. Considering how unimpressive similar toy lines have been in the past decade or so, it truly is a joy to see a return to a higher standard of play. Sure, maybe some of those original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys weren’t the most structurally sound, but at least they were something new and different. Let’s hope that this latest line means good things for the years to come, with even more fun and creative shellraising action on the horizon.
Also set for release are the first incarnation of Baxter Stockman, Snakeweed and a slew of new vehicles for the turtles. Look for this latest line of TMNT toys to hit store shelves sometime in late January/Early February of 2013.
