Lack of Nostalgia for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?

[ctc]

>I suspect that the TMNT and Power rangers nostalgia is less because the toys came out after toy investing was common.

That’s a good point. TMNT was the fist line I remember “collectors” going nuts for.... and many clamoring for a 1st release April O’Niel with a different coloured stripe or something. It bothered me ‘cos I wanted an Usagi Yojimbo figure, and he was one of the rare ones.

>loved the little mini comics that came with the MOTU figs.

Yeah, THAT got dealt with in a hurry. Even as a kid I was.... disappointed.... by the cartoon. In the comic she was a feral caveman guy who accidentally found a weapons cache of the Ancients, and Skeletor was the vanguard of a RACE of skeketon-headed dudes.

Even way back when, had I met the CARTOON He-Man it would have been tough to resist the urge to melvin him.

Don C.

[MIB41]

I think Turtles have never truly left the marketplace. Being that I was a child of the 60's and 70's, the 80's toy market and cartoons were truly a generation after my prime interest (save for Spiderman and his Amazing Friends). That being said, I can vividly recall buying the Turtles, He-Man, and ThunderCats for my brother's little kids through the mid and late 80's. It seemed to be a short lived fad that would die out. That came true for He-Man and Cats, but Turtles seem to hit a nerve with each new generation of kids, so it always remained viable as a toy. It sort of became like Mr. Potato Head. You played with it as kid, but you understood, you would pass it on to the next generation since it's true appeal was for the very young.

[Tothiro]

He-man appealed to many because of the huge Conan/fantasy film movie era that was rampant then.

I didn't have much Conanesque exposure growing up, but loved the little mini comics that came with the MOTU figs. Once they introduced the whole "eternia prince blah-blah" idea in the franchise I rejected the company storyline. I missed the hulk mentality loincloth guy that wandered the hills wrestling six legged bears.

Now that I think about it, that sounds like a great beer or aftershave commercial.

I also picked up the NECA TMNT four... because frankly, I was introduced to TMNT via the playmates launch, but only ever loved the early eastman/laird comics and was really happy to see good sculpts of them. They had the same kind of "That is ridiculous! I think I love it..." charm that bear wrasslin' He-Man did for me.

Pizza Turtles and Power Rangers are just trying too hard to be liked by the kids at school. Feh.

[BOTZWANA]

Born in 72 here...I ALWAYS hated Power Rangers and TMNT. Totally corny and not worth my time.

[tay666]

Well, speaking as a father who had a son that went through the TMNT and PR phases I think I can say, they are still too young yet.
My son is 23 now, with a fiance and a place of his own. Has no disposable income, what little extra he does have goes to video games.
He still like the turtles, but not much interest with PR anymore.
PR was more of a phase for him.
Turtles were different. He and his friends would play Turtles like me and my friends played cowboys-and-indians at that age. He still likes them a lot, and has the movies on DVD. And for his age group, it's cool to still like the turtles.
I'd say they will 'hit' sometime in the next 5-10 years. When his age group starts to have more time and money to spend on nostalgia.
Thier own kids will be teens, and not around as much. Won't be playing with thier toys anymore.
And when that time comes, I have all his old turtles and power rangers sitting in the basement waiting for him.
Not because I ever thought they would be worth a ton of money. (because, lets face it, they were everywhere. And everyone probably saved them)
But because I figured some day he would want them back, and I didn't want him to have to spend a ton of cash to get them again for himself.

Much like the giant box of beenie babies I still have stored in the closet. The collection that both my son and my daughter shared.

[mazinz]

I'm just amazed at the backflips they are doing with the back stories to try and make them semi-sensical for an adult collector.

At the end of the day, the toy still centres around a muscle bound guy named "He-Man" and a bad guy named "Skelator" who has a face for a skull, no matter how you try and dress up that legacy!

That is why I could never fully get into the cartoon. Though Filmation had some nice stuff, I knew it was still younger kid catered in terms of violence or what they would show/do. Filmation would never do anything too crazy in one extreme or the other. Had Marvel or another studio created it, it might have been different. He-man appealed to many because of the huge Conan/fantasy film movie era that was rampant then. This is why it fell in nicely with the Transformer/joe gang. The comics that came with the figures were more "adult themed" (so to speak) and the toys came out way before the toon came around. I think that played a huge role as well. If the cartoon was made before the toys, it would make a good case in that the he-man line might fall into the category of your original question about the Turtle's toyline

[samurainoir]

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.

I'm just amazed at the backflips they are doing with the back stories to try and make them semi-sensical for an adult collector.

At the end of the day, the toy still centres around a muscle bound guy named "He-Man" and a bad guy named "Skelator" who has a face for a skull, no matter how you try and dress up that legacy!

[mazinz]

Turtles seems like something kids pass through. Most boys like it, but it's not their favorite thing.

Transformers and GI Joe always seemed more "adult" than most cartoons of the time. And the Marvel comics certainly were. That may be part of their appeal to us as adults.

Chris

Yes exactly what I was thinking, but fumbled up in my posting

[The Toyroom]

My little cousin had all of the freakin' Turtles back in the day....used to haul a bunch of 'em around in a duffle bag whenever he'd come to visit.

[Earth 2 Chris]

I had just stopped playing with toys a year or so before the first TMNT hit. I did watch the cartoon (which was a little edgier in it's first few years), and I saw the movies, but by then I was dating!

Turtles seems like something kids pass through. Most boys like it, but it's not their favorite thing.

Transformers and GI Joe always seemed more "adult" than most cartoons of the time. And the Marvel comics certainly were. That may be part of their appeal to us as adults.

Chris

[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)

[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???

[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.

[starsky]

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

[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.