Lack of Nostalgia for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

[samurainoir]

After hitting the incredibly busy 80's toy show this weekend, I was chatting with my younger brother who is currently nuts for GI Joe RAH, and it occured to me that he was also really into Teenage Mutsnt Ninja Turtles at the same time, yet he shows no nostalgia for the heroes in the half-shell.

So what is it about the Turtles that currently inspires indiference whereas Transformers, GI Joe and Masters of the Universe has such rabid adult collectors?

Is it the fact that the Turtles never really went away in the past 25 years and have been available in some incarnation or another for that duration? Even Transformers had a kind of break when Beast Wars took over, and the less we speak about Sgt Savage, GI Extreme, The Street Fighter years et al, the better.

[rche]

The longevity of the TMNT toy franchise has never ceased to amaze me. It may very well be a reason for lack of nostalgia/collector interest.

[samsallspark]

My kids love the Turtles, but sadly I didn't ever buy any, I do however have the series on dvd as well as the saban ninja turtles live action series.

[BendyZaius]

I have noticed the same thing. I put back a bunch of Turtles stuff I picked up cheap at yard sales and flea markets maybe 5-10 years ago,boxed vehicles and playsets as well as loose figures intending to flip it for 5-10 times my money when they hit. But when I bring any of it to a show there is little interest. Maybe its as simple as, they are really goofy toys. Transformers and Joes are cool even to most adults, Turtles are pretty silly.

[B-Lister]

on the plus side, it's gonna be really easy and really affordable when I finally get around to putting that collection back together.

[jwyblejr]

Seems the same with Power Rangers. They've been around close to 20 years now,right?

[mazinz]

about a year ago I gave 30 plus figures all in the packages to a friend of mine just to get them out of the house.

I think the sillyness and more so to younger kids catering is what hampers that toyline from appreciation like many others. I can almost guarantee if the tv show were like the comic, a collectable fanbase for the toys would have been stronger

[toys2cool]

naw cause Joes never really went away either, Joes were way cooler but I still love the Turtles to

[samurainoir]

about a year ago I gave 30 plus figures all in the packages to a friend of mine just to get them out of the house.

I think the sillyness and more so to younger kids catering is what hampers that toyline from appreciation like many others. I can almost guarantee if the tv show were like the comic, a collectable fanbase for the toys would have been stronger

Which is ironic since I was a teen when the original violent black and white comics hit and it was kind of cool to be able to share that commonality with my little bro' when the cartoons came out that were appropriate for his age.

Ideally the kids that grew up with the cartoon SHOULD have graduated to the edgier Mirage comics if they had done their marketing correctly.

I mean I was all ready to give up on Batman and co, upon hitting puberty and discovering girls, then k-pow... Dark Knight Returns, followed a few years later by the Tim Burton movie.

[samurainoir]

Seems the same with Power Rangers. They've been around close to 20 years now,right?

Power Rangers kids are around college age now and not quite at that point where they have the ridiculous amounts of disposable income that Transformers, GI Joe and Masters of the Universe kids have now. If my brother is any indication, he's at that point where he's established in his post-grad career, but not weighted down with a mortgage and kids... thus his space is filled to the brim with GI Joe RAH.

I know guys in their early twenties that would tear off my right arm for Power Rangers, but they don't necessarily have the spending power as students (or have better things to spend their money on... like Beer).

I saw quite a few Zords or whatever the mechas from Power Rangers are called at the toy show this weekend. I think it's only a matter of a few years before the demand for intact versions those things will go up. Less so for the Power Rangers Action Figures themselves I would imagine, but who knows unless you ask someone who grew up on PR?

[Sandman9580]

I think it's still too early. MOTUC is really popular, but -- speaking as someone who was obsessed with He-man -- that show was very silly and, well... it was awful. I checked it out on DVD about a year ago and was horrified to see what my developing brain had spent so much time being immersed in.

But He-man was big in the early '80s, Ninja turtles was big in the late '80s and into the early '90s. Once more of those kids have money to burn, there will be a tipping point and you'll see more of a resurgence.

[starsky]

i was surprised to see turtles in their original packaging at target and the reissue of their party van at toys r us.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

I think it's a matter of time. The He-Man stuff seems to be having a bit of a revival, and the Turtles hit a few years after that. Thing is, you're starting to see bits of nostalgia for the old cartoon Turtles, so maybe it's perkolating already?

Don C.

[Sandman9580]

i was surprised to see turtles in their original packaging at target and the reissue of their party van at toys r us.

Was this lately???

[jds1911a1]

Was this lately???

Playmates did a straight reissue of several classic turtles in vintage packaging (only changes were the updated trademarks and a anniv reissue decal) last year (or 2008) very much like the 2000 MOTU reissue from kB. UNLIKE MOTU at KB, they peg warmed and my local target.

I suspect that the TMNT and Power rangers nostalgia is less because the toys came out after toy investing was common. unlike Mego, Sw, RAH even superpowers but by the late 80's most kids"saving" their toys (or their parents were hoping for the next toy investment) -and TMNTwas a fad in the maninstream. the eastman and laird comic was a niche but it blossomed into the cartoon and films fast then were everywhere and then the backlash after the corniness of the films (i mean Vanilla Ice and Corey Feldman for pete's sake) made it uncool. Transformers never had that nor did MOTU

I suspect power rangers will have some nostalgia but the PR mania may sour some who lived throught it. The producers are cashing in on already, ABC is running "vintage" PR on saturday mornings and I have seen new toys on the shelves for the original line (Including a fantastic Dragon dagger)