During the 80’s and 90’s, we saw some of the most unique and interesting toys of all time. Throughout the era, Playmates developed a lot of memorable Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles merchandise, including several items based on the success of other toy lines.
One example of this came in the form of their Mini Mutants line, which attempted to re-create the success of Mighty Max for the TMNT. It wasn’t necessarily surprising to see toy companies borrowing successful ideas in this manner, and it would appear that Playmates has no problem with re-visiting this old strategy, as they are apparently releasing a modern interpretation of these tiny action figures.
That’s right, Playmates is reviving their Mini Mutants line with their Micro Mutants toys. One of their first big sets in this line will be Raph’s Train & Battle Playset. Much like their larger Leonardo playset from a few years ago, this set is designed to look like Raphael.
Other sets look like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles if they had never been mutated, coming in at about the size of an actual turtle; their shells open up to reveal the play area. Additional offerings include Hot Wheel sized vehicles that the tiny action figures can ride. Each set comes with 2-3 small figures that you can play with, including both villains and our heroes in a half shell.
Believe it or not, the Micro Mutants line is already hitting store shelves. This is typical of Playmates Toys, as they don’t usually spend much time hyping up a release, preferring instead to just get the product on the market and see how the fans react.
As a Millennial who spent a lot of time playing with toys like this when I was younger, I’m definitely excited to see these little action figures making a comeback. That being said, we’ll just have to wait and see if modern youth are as interested in this concept as we once were. Here’s hoping the Micro Mutants prove to be a successful endeavor for Playmates!