TMNT – 1988

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1988

Independent comic creators, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird released their new comic, The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in 1984. The series proved very successful, and caught the attention of the Playmates Toy Company. Playmates agreed to a Turtles toy line, but insisted an animated series be created as well. The new animated show debuted on December 14, 1987, with toys following in the summer of 1988. Playmates released ten figures in 1988, along with five vehicles and some accessory packs.

For more information about Playmate’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line from 1988, see bottom of the page for a complete summary.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1988): Figures

The first wave of figures for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line contained 10 figures in total, with 6 good guys, and 4 bad guys for them to battle.

April O’Neil

Market Value:
Carded $85 – $125
Loose $20 – $40

April O’Neil
Accessories: Camcorder, Gun, Microphone, Computer, Ninja Star
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Easily found on the secondary market
Notes: If you have a team full of turtles and a rat, then it’s probably a good idea to have a human in the mix to do all the things that are required in normal everyday life. April is a news broadcaster, who also happens to be a huge supporter of our favorite heroes.

Bebop

Market Value:
Carded $150 – $225
Loose $25 – $45

Bebop
Accessories: Shell Drill, Garbage Can Lid Shield, Knife, Weapon Rack
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Fighting mutated turtles is a tough job, and Shredder can’t do it all by himself, so loyal subjects are important. Bebop is a mutated wild hog that fights on the side of Shredder and his band of bad guys.

Donatello

Market Value:
Carded $125 – $175
Loose $30 – $50

Donatello
Accessories: Bo Staff, Turtle Daggers, Ninja Stars, Kama, Weapon Rack
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Donatello is a quarter of the most famous band of mutated turtles ever created. He is described as the “turtles’ creative genius” and is without a doubt the group’s idea guy…… turtle. Donatello’s weapon of choice is his Bo Staff and his identifiable color is purple, which is on his eye mask and accessory pieces.

Foot Soldier

Market Value:
Carded $100 – $150
Loose $25 – $45

Foot Soldier
Accessories: Shell Biter, Electro Shock Mace, Knife, Weapon Rack
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: The backbone of any good (or bad) army are the everyday joe’s and the Foot Soldiers are the mindless wave of bad guys that are dedicated to Shredder and the Foot Clan. They will stop at nothing to defeat our favorite Turtle heroes.

Leonardo

Market Value:
Carded $125 – $175
Loose $30 – $50

Leonardo
Accessories: Katana Blades, Turtle Daggers, Ninja Stars, Kama, Weapon rack
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Leonardo is a quarter of the most famous band of mutated turtles ever created. He is described as the “battle commander for the turtles” and acts as the group leader at times. Leonardo’s weapon of choice are his Katana Blades and his identifiable color is blue, which is on his eye mask and accessory pieces.

Michaelangelo

Market Value:
Carded $125 – $175
Loose $30 – $50

Michelangelo
Accessories: Nunchukus, Turtle Daggers, Ninja Stars, Kama, Weapon Rack
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Michelangelo is a quarter of the most famous band of mutated turtles ever created. He is described as the “wild and crazy turtle” and loves to party. Michelangelo ‘s weapon of choice are his beloved Nunchukus (as he calls them) and his identifiable color is orange, which is on his eye mask and accessory pieces.

Raphael

Market Value:
Carded $125 – $175
Loose $30 – $50

Raphael
Accessories: Sai, Turtle Daggers, Ninja Stars, Kama, Weapon Rack
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Raphael is a quarter of the most famous band of mutated turtles ever created. He is described as the “witty voice of the turtles” and is always up for a sarcastic joke or two. Raphael’s weapon of choice is his deadly Sai blade and his identifiable color is red, which is on his eye mask and accessory pieces.

Rocksteady

Market Value:
Carded $150 – $225
Loose $25 – $45

Rocksteady
Accessories: Retro Mutogen Gun, Manhole Cover Shield, Knife
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Shredder can’t do it all by himself, so he needs someone to depend on every once in a while. Enter Rocksteady, who acts as Shredder’s right hand man (or Rhino). Rocksteady is another mutated member of Shredder’s army who used to be a fun loving rhinoceros, but now fights on the side of the evil Foot Clan.

Shredder

Market Value:
Carded $100 – $150
Loose $25 – $45

Shredder
Accessories: Sword, Ninja Stars, Daggers, Kama, Weapon Rack
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Every good guy or team of good guys need a arch-enemy, and Shredder is exactly that. The leader of the evil Foot Clan, Shredder was trained by Splinter before he mutated into his rat form. Now he is determined to defeat his former master and his new pupils at all costs.

Splinter

Market Value:
Carded $100 – $150
Loose $25 – $45

Splinter
Accessories: Ninja Bow, Sword Cane, Ninja Stars
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find
Notes: Master Splinter is the loyal and wise leader of the good guys and mentor to our favorite turtles. Splinter is a cross between Mr. Miyagi, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Gandalf, who now happens to mentor four mutated teenage turtles in desperate need of guidance. Splinter used to be the human ninja master of Shredder long ago.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1988): Exclusive Figures

Playmates did not release any exclusive items for the TMNT line in 1988.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1988): Accessories

Playmates released three accessory sets that were labeled as the Gags, Jokes, and Crazy Weapons line.

Disappearing Ink

Market Value:
Carded $60 – $80
Loose $15 – $25

Disappearing Ink
Accessories: Retromutogen Squirter, Garbage Can Shield, Pizza Flyer, Sewer Slingshot, City Communicator
Years Released: 1988
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but getting tougher each year
Notes: The Disappearing Ink accessory pack included a retromutogen squirter, along with various “crazy weapons” fresh from the best sewer humor.

Razzer

Market Value:
Carded $60 – $80
Loose $15 – $25

Razzer
Accessories: Turtle Call Razzer, Eggs, Shield, Sewer Cover Flyer, Sewer Stopper, Gas Mask, Sewer Searchlight
Years Released: 1988
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but getting tougher each year
Notes: The Razzer accessory pack included a turtle call razzer, along with various “crazy weapons” and mutant turtle eggs.

Squirting Ring

Market Value:
Carded $60 – $80
Loose $15 – $25

Squirting Ring
Accessories: Turtle Squirt Ring, Sewer Cover Shield, Pie Flyer, Boom Box Radar, Sewer pipe Bazooka
Years Released: 1988
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but getting tougher each year
Notes: The Squirting Ring accessory pack included a turtle squirt ring, along with various “crazy weapons” fresh from the best sewer humor.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1988): Playsets

Playmates did not release any large scale playsets for the TMNT line in 1988.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1988): Vehicles

Playmates released five different vehicles as part of their first wave in 1988.

Cheapskate

Market Value:
Boxed $70 – $90
Loose $15 – $30

Cheapskate
Accessories: Muck Blower, Engine, Exhaust Pipes, Sewer Cover Shield, Searchlight
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but getting tougher each year
Notes: The Cheapskate is described as a “radical, street-legal skateboard”. It included a front kicking action to knock down the bad guys, along with a searchlight and a sewer cover.

Knucklehead

Market Value:
Boxed $70 – $90
Loose $15 – $30

Knucklehead
Accessories: Cockpit, Grab-Lock Foot Claw, Control Reel Crank, Foot Strength Line
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but getting tougher each year
Notes: The bad guys need vehicles too! The Knucklehead is described as an “attack ‘n grab foot machine”. It included a feature that would allow you grab the turtles and take them as prisoners.

Party Wagon

Market Value:
Boxed $150 – $225
Loose $40 – $65

Party Wagon
Accessories: Visor, Machine Guns, Radar Blaster, Flip Top, Side Mirrors, Spoiler, Foot Tenderizer, Bombs, Slider
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find in package
Notes: The turtle party wagon or mutant attack van, whichever your prefer. This was the turtle’s favorite mode of transportation and had all kinds of gadgets and accessories for maximum playability.

Turtle Blimp

Market Value:
Boxed $300 – $400
Loose $85 – $125

Turtle Blimp
Accessories: Detachable Glider, Turtle Trigger, Wacko Bombs, Canopy Cockpit, Control Stick, Machine Guns, Infrared Scope, Torpedoes, Blaster & Turret
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: tough to find on secondary market
Notes: Mutant madness from the clouds, the Turtle Blimp was an large inflatable that could inflate up to 30″ long. Of course, a patch kit was included to repair those holes and leaks. There were pegs on the bottom of the blimp that allowed it to carry all four turtles.

Turtle Trooper

Market Value:
Boxed $50 – $75
Loose $15 – $25

Turtle Trooper
Accessories: Turtle Parachute, Backpack, Helmet and Visor, Speed Fins, Blasters, Turtle Control Handles, Turtle Pennant
Years Released: 1988, 1989
Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but getting tougher each year
Notes: The Turtle Trooper was a parachute for the good guys that could actually open up to 22″ wide. All you needed was a turtle to strap the backpack onto and let it fly, or float. The fins could transform into anti-foot blasters.

When you think of iconic toy lines for each generation, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles clearly stand out as one of the biggest thing to happen to toys in the late 80’s and 90’s era, but our favorite fun loving turtles had quite the journey to becoming the modern classic toy line that we all know and love. In 1984, independent comic writers, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird decided to publish a comic under their newly created Mirage Studios brand that featured their latest creations. The comic was called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the first issue was released in May of that year. The comic was printed in a very limited run, but was so successful that multiple prints soon followed. The comic series was doing so well, that it caught the attention of a small toy company called Playmates Toys. Playmates was the only company that expressed any interest in the brand at the time and agreed to create a toy line based on the comic characters, but insisted that an animated series be created in conjunction with the toys. The new animated series debuted on December 14, 1987 with a 5 part mini-series (which is known as Season 1). Playmates made good on their word by cranking out new toys that made their debut in the summer of 1988. The regular animated series also began their official run on October 1, 1988. The animated series and toy line went on to become massive hits and proved so successful that Playmates initially struggled to even keep up with the incredible demand for new toys, but eventually found their rhythm and the rest is history.

Playmates gave us ten initial core characters in 1988, which would all come to shape the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe for years to come. For the good guys, we of course had to have the stars of the show, the turtles themselves. We got our first look at the iconic TMNT action figures of Michaelangelo, Raphael, Donatello and Leonardo in 1988, along with their master and mentor, Splinter and trusted friend and ally, April O’Neil. Every great toy line has to have bad guys to fight, so the first wave of figures saw the introduction of Foot Clan thugs, Rocksteady, and Bebop, along with the mindless Foot Soldiers, and of course the big bad guy himself, Shredder. In addition to some fantastic new figures, we also got five great looking vehicles for the figures, along with some accessory packs. The first wave didn’t see a ton of new products, but a kid could definitely not have a proper TMNT adventure without these initial figures.

The packaging for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle line was just like the characters themselves, attention grabbing and kind of all over the place. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle logo sat at the top of the card, just above the series catch phrase, “Heroes in a Half Shell”. There were multiple pictures of each character in three of the packaging corners with the figure itself in a bright, easy to see bubble on the center/right side. Overall, the packaging card was very busy looking but it definitely works for these pizza eating and fun loving ninja turtles and friends.