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It has officially been 30 years since the first TMNT cartoon hit the small screen. Image Source: Fred Wolf Films, Viacom.
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Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the TMNT Original Animated Series

by Justin W
written by Justin W

When Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book, they had no way of knowing how popular it would become. Even so, their hit comic wasn’t quite enough to propel this franchise forward. It wasn’t until the first animated series was released in 1987 that our heroes in a half shell became incredibly popular. Thanks to this original animated series, the TMNT quickly became a staple in American households.

According to Wikipedia, the first episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hit the air during the week of December 28th, 1987. IMDb has a slightly different date of December 14th, but it’s entirely possible that they have it wrong. Whatever the case may be, it’s pretty clear that the original animated series first aired in December of 1987. Although some of you might be preparing for the holidays, we recommend setting aside a little time to celebrate this special anniversary as well.

 

As many of you may know, the original animated series started off as a 5-part miniseries. In 1988, the cartoon got picked up for a second season, and the rest is pretty much history. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for a total of ten seasons from 1987-1996. During its run, the classic TMNT series became so popular that it would go on to inspire other iterations of the turtles. One of the most significant inspirations came in the form of the turtle’s masks, which had all previously been the same color in Eastman & Laird’s comic books. After the original animated series became popular, everyone’s favorite multi-colored masks were soon found in both the TMNT movies and video games.

If you were a kid at the time, chances are that you absolutely adored this cartoon. Unfortunately, most adults who go back to watch it now find that the original animated series simply does not hold up. Even if you’re one of the fans who no longer enjoys this version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it’s fair to say that the classic television show was both significant and important to TMNT history. With that in mind, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating the 30th anniversary of the original animated series!

Are you planning to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of this classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon? If so, share your thoughts and plans either in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter.

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NewsToy/Action Figures

Diamond Select Cancels Classic TMNT Minimates Series

by Justin W
written by Justin W

Earlier this year, Diamond Select announced their plans to release a classic TMNT Minimates toy series. These Minimates were going to be based on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon which ran from 1987-1996. Unfortunately, they have since decided not to go through with these plans, announcing the cancellation mere days before the toys were scheduled to ship. According to Diamond Select, there were not enough retail orders to go through with production.

Although this is definitely sad news, it’s not exactly surprising. While nostalgia for the original animated series has lead to a few successful crossovers for Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I’ve noticed that most older fans appear to have little interest in purchasing products based on the cartoon from their youth. As of late, companies like NECA have discovered that licensing the 90’s TMNT movies and video games are often far more profitable. If the fans aren’t rushing to stores to pick up TMNT toys based on the original animated series, why order that product in the first place?

Despite the popularity of this crossover episode, it would appear that toys based on the original animated series aren't selling very well. Image Source: Nickelodeon.

Despite the popularity of this crossover episode, it would appear that toys based on the original animated series aren’t selling very well. Image Source: Nickelodeon.

Thankfully, this isn’t exactly a sign of things to come. Even though nostalgia for the original animated series may have waned, TMNT toys and merchandise still sell very well. With a new animated series on the way, it doesn’t look like our heroes in a half shell will be going away anytime soon. As if that weren’t convincing enough, we’re also getting a new brawler arcade game and prop replicas based on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie! With so many new products and a cartoon coming in 2018, it’s clear that this property is still incredibly strong.

Are you disappointed that the classic TMNT Minimates series has been cancelled? Why do you think retailers aren’t buying these toys? Share your thoughts either in the comments section below or on Facebook/Twitter.

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No, this isn't a shot from the original animated series -- this is the original Bebop & Rocksteady in a modern TMNT crossover! Image Source: Paramount Home Video, Nickelodeon.
NewsTV/Cartoon News

Upcoming Bebop & Rocksteady Episodes Will Include 80’s TMNT Crossover

by Justin W
written by Justin W

When Playmates revealed the TMNT toy lines they had planned for 2017, I was curious about what it all meant. At the time, they unofficially announced that each set would be based around one of the “tales” that would be told during the final season of Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. This was big news, because we still didn’t know exactly what to expect from the upcoming season. Two of the action figures they revealed were Bebop & Rocksteady wearing gear from the original animated series, but they wouldn’t tell us anything else about this design.

Thankfully, we can now safely assume what they were going for with the retro motif. Various screencaps have been surfacing online over the past few days, revealing significant details about the upcoming tale featuring Bebop & Rocksteady. These pictures confirm without a doubt that the episodes in question will serve as yet another crossover into the alternate dimension of the original animated series. Not only will we get to see the original turtles once again, but the original Shredder, Krang, Bebop & Rocksteady will all be making their own appearances as well.

Unfortunately, there is one thing we can confirm for certain: Shredder will not be voiced by his original actor. Sadly, James Avery passed away in 2013 and took his iconic voice with him. Although there will never be another voice quite like his, I’m certain that Kevin Michael Richardson will do an excellent job with the role. Kevin currently voices the 2012 Shredder, and he has now been tasked with taking on the role of 80’s Shredder. If Rob Paulsen can do two voices in one show, I’m sure Richardson is also capable of that feat.

The 80's TMNT are back once again in another crossover event! Image Source: Paramount Home Video, Nickelodeon.

The 80’s TMNT are back once again in another crossover event! Image Source: Paramount Home Video, Nickelodeon.

Cam Clarke, Barry Gordon, Townsend Coleman and Rob Paulsen will once again reprise their roles as the 80’s TMNT. Pat Fraley was also brought in to reprise his role as Krang, so you can rest assured that most of the characters will sound almost exactly the same as they did three decades ago. Although Trans-Dimensional Turtles was definitely awesome, it’s nice to see that they’re giving fans yet another crossover in 2017 – the 30th anniversary of the original animated series.

Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady will hit the air on September 17th, 2017, roughly a week after being released on DVD. That’s right – you can actually see this “tale” of the TMNT ahead of time by purchasing the DVD when it comes out on September 12th! This release includes episodes 15, 16, 17 and 10 from the fifth season. It might seem like an odd pairing, but the tenth episode was actually Lone Rat and Cubs, which was its own individual tale. Episodes 15-17 will serve as an epic three-part crossover featuring the retro turtles and villains alongside their modern counterparts.

Although I am disappointed that Nickelodeon has chosen to break with tradition by releasing these episodes out of order, it’s clear that this release offers some serious value. Not only do you get an episode written by Kevin Eastman, but you also get a three episode crossover event with significant 80’s TMNT heroes and villains. The Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady DVD also includes the Ice Cream Kitty music video, something a lot of fans have been hoping to see for quite some time.

Even in another dimension, Shredder and Krang still plot the destruction of our favorite heroes in a half shell. Image Source: Paramount Home Video, Nickelodeon.

Even in another dimension, Shredder and Krang still plot the destruction of our favorite heroes in a half shell. Image Source: Paramount Home Video, Nickelodeon.

Say what you will about Nickelodeon’s decisions regarding this release, but at least they’re giving you several reasons to pick it up. No matter what you decide to do, it looks like these episodes are going to be a lot of fun. By now, it should be clear that creators Ciro Nieli and Brandon Auman decided to go out with a bang. Finishing up this season with a three-part crossover is the perfect way to show some love and appreciation to the fans, and I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

UPDATE: There have been contradictory reports about when these episodes will air. As of now, we can assume one of two things:

  • 1. Nickelodeon will release these episodes a week earlier than originally scheduled (September 10th instead of September 17th) in order to make room for the monster episodes that will most likely hit the air during October.
  • 2. Nickelodeon will push these episodes to the end of the season, airing them sometime after October.

Whatever they decide to do with the schedule, we’ll do our best to keep you informed.

Will you be picking up the Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady DVD upon release, or are you going to watch these crossover episodes as they air on Nickelodeon? Are you happy to see the show crossing over with the 80’s TMNT once again? Share your thoughts and plans either in the comments below or on facebook/twitter.

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It looks like these turtles are almost ready to come out of the shadows! Image Source: NECA, ToyArk.
NewsToy/Action Figures

NECA Reveals New TMNT Figures Based on the Original Animated Series

by Justin W
written by Justin W

Over the past few days, NECA has been teasing a brand new set of TMNT figures on their Twitter page. Although we haven’t gotten a fantastic look at the new toys, what we have seen looks pretty awesome. Fans of the original animated series will be happy to hear that they have decided to produce some action figures based on the old cartoon.

The first image of these collectibles came in the form of a somewhat blurry and dark profile picture. That being said, you can clearly see some of the more important details of each turtle, and they all look pretty darn good.

Additional teaser images revealed one of the accessories that are already planned for this set – an entire pizza complete with action slice! Okay, so it’s not actually an “action slice,” but it looks like at least one of the turtles will be able to pick up a piece of pizza.

Anybody want a slice of pizza? Image Source: NECA, ToyArk.
Huh, this mold looks pretty familiar as well. But what is that gun for? Image Source: NECA, ToyArk.
That arm looks very familiar. It's almost as if the bad guy behind this image is hungry for Turtle Soup! Image Source: NECA, ToyArk.

As if that weren’t enough, two more teasers featured a mold that looked suspiciously like Shredder and a picture of Shredder’s hand punching through the earlier image of the turtles. It looks like they have plans to give these heroes in a half shell at least one enemy to battle.

The final teaser featured a full look at the turtles from behind. At the very least, this allows us to see the amount of detail that went into creating the shells on their backs. Sure enough, these are some of the finest looking turtle shells we have ever seen on a collectible TMNT action figure.

As you may have noticed, the turtles are clearly attempting to give a slice of pizza to their much bigger brothers. For those who weren’t aware, these are representations of the insanely popular figures NECA made based on the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

They may be a bit smaller than some of the other products NECA has released, but these heroes in a half shell look pretty darn good! Image Source: NECA, ToyArk.

They may be a bit smaller than some of the other products NECA has released, but these heroes in a half shell look pretty darn good! Image Source: NECA, ToyArk.

When it comes to the turtles, it seems like NECA can do no wrong. Every time they make a new set of TMNT action figures, they are some of the finest collectibles we have ever seen. Fans really seem to love the work this company does, and something tells me they’re going to have a lot of fun with this latest set of toys as well.

Chances are that these will be SDCC 2017 exclusives, but they may offer them on their website for a short time. Keep your eyes peeled for more information about these new TMNT figures in the coming months!

Are you already sold on these new TMNT figures from NECA? Do you want to see more before making a decision to buy them? Share your thoughts either in the comments below or on Facebook/Twitter.

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Random House recently released this awesome adult TMNT coloring book. Image Source: Random House.
NewsOther News

New Adult TMNT Coloring Book Hits The Market

by Justin W
written by Justin W

Print out this free page from the adult TMNT coloring book. Image Source: Nickelodeon.

Print out this free page from the adult TMNT coloring book. Image Source: Nickelodeon.

Remember when your biggest challenge was drawing within the lines of a stencil? Crayons were your artistic tool, and you used them to create anything and everything you could imagine. Sometimes you’d even get a coloring book, allowing you to re-create some of your favorite cartoon characters.

If you’ve been aching for a chance to experience that kind of creative endeavor once again, you’ll be happy to know that several different companies have been developing coloring books for older audiences. One of these companies is Random House, and they have worked with Nickelodeon to produce a brand new adult TMNT coloring book!

As you can see, the artwork here is based on the original animated series. Considering that the product is marketed to older Ninja Turtles fans, it makes sense that its design would reflect that. At a price point of about $6-$10, this adult TMNT coloring book is actually quite affordable.

 

"Kickin' It Old School" is now available for purchase at many major retailers. Image Source: Random House.

“Kickin’ It Old School” is now available for purchase at many major retailers. Image Source: Random House.

It might not be as cheap as the coloring books designed for children, but the artwork is a lot more detailed. Thankfully, even if you don’t want to buy the entire book in order to relive some great moments from the past, you can still enjoy some 80’s nostalgia with their free TMNT coloring page!

To promote their new adult TMNT coloring book, Random House has elected to give fans one free page to color. All you have to do is download the page and print it out at home. If you’ve still got some crayons laying around, you might even be able to take advantage of this without spending a dime! The free page they’ve offered is pretty awesome, featuring a pattern of Ninja Turtles, turtle shells and ninja stars.

Adult fans of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles owe it to themselves to find out if they’ve still got the skill to color within the lines! Whether or not you decide to pick up the full book, do yourself a favor and download this free page while it’s available.

Will you be picking up this awesome adult TMNT coloring book? Are you interested in downloading the free TMNT coloring page? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below or via facebook/twitter.

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