TMNT – 1997

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – 1997

Due to declining sales, increased competition, and lack of media outlets, Playmates Toys ended the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toy line in 1997. Playmate’s creative and colorful line lasted ten years, but this iconic series had finally come to a close. With the line ending, Playmates released only three new series in this final wave, Dino Figures, Mutant Masters, and the Stretch Turtles. No new accessories, playsets or vehicles were released for this final wave.

For more information about Playmate’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles final wave from 1997, see bottom of the page for a complete summary.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1997): Basic Figures

With the new focus now being on the themed mini-series figures, Playmates decided to not release any figures as part of a basic assortment for their final wave in 1997.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1997): Dino Figures

The Turtles go way back to the prehistoric days, when dino-turtles freely roamed the Earth and even Shredder was a dinosaur.

Ankyl Leo

Market Value:
Carded $300 – $400
Loose $80 – $120

Ankyl Leo
Accessories: Flatbone Katana, Ankyl Club, Overhand Obsidian-tipped Spear
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: Leonardo goes prehistoric once again with this new Dino Figure version. Watch Ankyl Leo’s Punchin’ Action when you activate the lever on his back.

Pterano Don

Market Value:
Carded $300 – $400
Loose $80 – $120

Pterano Don
Accessories: Dino Horned Knuckle Duster, Jawbone Hatchet, Pterano Bo
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: Donatello goes prehistoric once again with this new Dino Figure version. Watch Pterano Don’s Punchin’ Action when you activate the lever on his back.

Stego Raph

Market Value:
Carded $300 – $400
Loose $80 – $120

Stego Raph
Accessories: 2 x Dragon Claw Sais, Stego Club, Dino Firestick
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: Raphael goes prehistoric once again with this new Dino Figure version. Watch Stego Raph’s Arm Axin’ Action when you activate the lever on his back.

Tricera Mike

Market Value:
Carded $300 – $400
Loose $80 – $120

Tricera Mike
Accessories: Tricera Club, Saber Tooth Sword, Tricera Nunchuks
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Michaelangelo goes prehistoric once again with this new Dino Figure version. Watch Tricera Mike’s Bicep Chop Action when you activate the lever on his back.

Tyranno Shredder

Market Value:
Carded $900 – $1,100
Loose $400 – $600

Tyranno Shredder
Accessories: Mesozoic Mace, Tyranno Axe, Spine Spear
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: This item is rare and will cost you big bucks
Notes: Shredder goes prehistoric once again with this new Dino Figure version. Watch Tyranno Shredder’s Carnofist Action when you activate the lever on his back.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1997): Mutant Masters

The turtles become masters of the elements with this new Mutant Masters series. Each figure comes with new armor matching each of the elements.

Donatello: Water Warrior

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $170
Loose $30 – $50

Donatello: Water Warrior
Accessories: Water Crown, Tsunami Chest Shield, Tidal Back Shield, Wave-Surfin’ Shoulder Wings, Hydrosword
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Donatello is the Water Warrior in this new Mutant Masters elementals series. Don comes with a complete set of Mutant Masters Gear.

Leonardo: Wind Warrior

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $170
Loose $30 – $50

Leonardo: Wind Warrior
Accessories: Storm Crown, Power Shield, Wind Whippin’ Wings, Forearm Armor, Super Storm Sword & Sheath
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Leonardo is the Wind Warrior in this new Mutant Masters elementals series. Leo comes with a complete set of Mutant Masters Gear.

Michaelangelo: Thunder Warrior

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $170
Loose $30 – $50

Michaelangelo: Thunder Warrior
Accessories: Thunder Crown, Thunder-Forged Chest Shield w/ Wings, Thunder Rear Shield, Thunder Bow, Thunderstroke Quiver, 2 x Bolt Arrows
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Michaelangelo is the Thunder Warrior in this new Mutant Masters elementals series. Mike comes with a complete set of Mutant Masters Gear.

Raphael: Fire Warrior

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $170
Loose $30 – $50

Raphael: Fire Warrior
Accessories: Shoulder Guards, Fire Crown, Fire Rear Shield, Fire Chest Shield, 2 x Blazin’ Blades
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Raphael is the Fire Warrior in this new Mutant Masters elementals series. Raph comes with a complete set of Mutant Masters Gear.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1997): Stretch Turtles

In the spirit of famous stretch toys from the past, Playmates released the turtles & Shredder in a new pull & stretch format.

Donatello

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $180
Loose $50 – $75

Donatello
Accessories: Two Big Bad Bo’s
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: Here is stretch Raphael, because every kid loves a toy that you can try your best to break, but it never does.

Leonardo

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $180
Loose $50 – $75

Leonardo
Accessories: Two Katana Sewer Swords
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: Here is stretch Leonardo, complete with his Katana Sewer Swords and ability to stretch to crazy lengths.

Michaelangelo

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $180
Loose $50 – $75

Michaelangelo
Accessories: Two Numskull Numbin’ Nunchukus
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on secondary market
Notes: Here is stretch Michaelangelo, complete with his Nunchukus, and ready for action. A perfect figure to finish off the TMNT liine.

Raphael

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $180
Loose $50 – $75

Raphael
Accessories: Four Sewer Slicin’ Sais
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Here is stretch Raphael, because every kid loves a toy that you can literally try your best to break, but it never does.

Shredder

Market Value:
Carded $140 – $180
Loose $50 – $75

Shredder
Accessories: Shell Smashers
Years Released: 1997
Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market
Notes: Here is stretch Shredder, complete with his Shell Smashers. This was the perfect last Shredder figure to end the TMNT line.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1997): Accessories

Playmates did not release any new accessories or sets for the final wave of TMNT products in 1997.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1997): Playsets

Playmates did not release any new large scale playsets for the final wave of TMNT products in 1997.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1997): Vehicles

Playmates did not release any new vehicles for the final wave of TMNT products in 1997.

All good things must come to an end, and in 1997, it did exactly that for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figure and toy line. After releasing countless creative and colorful new figures since 1988, Playmates finally called it quits after only releasing three new series in 1997. Toy sale numbers had been gradually declining since 1994, but without any media outlets to promote their toy line, interest in the TMNT franchise simply faded away and the turtles time in the spotlight had run its course and officially came to an end. Increased competition from other popular franchises and toy fads, along with the cancellation of the TMNT animated television series and comic book series signaled the end of the line for our favorite pizza loving heroes. Playmates Toys really did give us some amazing figures during the TMNT’s ten year run and came up with many new and exciting ways to showcase their main characters. Their commitment and dedication to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise shined bright during this stretch, and definitely earned the TMNT line a spot as among the most iconic toy lines of the 1990’s.

With the line coming to an end, Playmates once again made the decision to not release any basic assortment figures in 1997. Their focus was once again on the smaller action figure sub-sets. That being said, there were only three new series released in this final wave. The three new series were the Dino Figures, Mutant Masters, and the Stretch Turtles line. No new accessories, playsets or vehicles were released for this final wave in 1997.

Since there was no basic assortment of figures released in 1997, the packaging had changed once again with each of the individual series of figures having different cards to focus on their theme. Most of the packaging still mainly focused on the individual figures with portraits of characters around the figure bubble. Playmates did an excellent job with each of the packaging for the final wave figures, making them colorful and engaging.