Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Belching Mikey
If you were a child of the ’80s or ’90s, then it’s likely that you have some fond memories of a particular gang of Heroes in a Half-Shell. Whether you were more partial to Leonardo or Donatello or preferred the cowabunga -crying Michelangelo to gruff Raphael, there’s no denying that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles had a massive impact on pop culture throughout both decades. TMNT started as a parody of Daredevil from comic book cartoonists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. As Turtlemania took off, the franchise found popularity with kids across comic books, TV shows, movies, and even music. But some of the biggest successes came from their very lucrative toy line, as figures debuted in stores in 1988 . During the toy line’s first four years, TMNT action figures, playsets, vehicles, and accessories brought in more than $1 billion in sales . You might even still have a few of those early TMNT toys still in your parents’ basement, attic, or garage. And if those toys are unopened and still in their original packaging, they may fetch you a hardy chunk of change on resale platforms, as some figures in mint condition sell for thousands of dollars. We rounded up some of the most valuable TMNT toys , according to eBay. Scroll down to peep a few of these collectibles that are great if you’re looking for an instant nostalgia trip (or to make a quick buck). In 1994, Playmates released the TMNT Undercover sub-line , which featured the Turtles posing as spies. Each package came with a turtle wearing a fedora hat, plus some plastic weapon accessories and either a collector’s card or a coin. But what makes these action figures exceptional among fans is that each one came with a cloth trench coat instead of a plastic variant (an Undercover version of Donatello released in 1990 had a plastic one). This attention to detail is worth a lot on the secondary market. If you have one of these TMNT Undercover action figures in mint condition and in its original packaging, you can get upwards of $5200 on eBay. Leonardo tends to be the most expensive out of the four because he was the only one who came with a gold collector coin instead of a card. But Raphael , Michelangelo , and Donatello could fetch you upwards of $2000 if you’re looking to sell. Turtlemania started to die down by the mid-’90s—so to breathe new life into the franchise, Playmates released a new crop of toys based on mutants the audience had never seen before, like a mutant street cat-turned-prisoner named Scratch and Hot Spot , a fire-fighting mutant Dalmatian dog, among others. These characters were basically exclusive to Playmates; they didn’t appear in the cartoon series or comic books (though Scratch did briefly show up in a TMNT video game). But the only way to really experience them was through toys. As these characters weren’t really known to kids through any of the media attached to the franchise, the toys didn’t really take off. They were produced in limited quantities, meaning they’re pretty hard to track down these days. If you do happen to have one, you could rake in a nice chunk of extra dough. Scratch is highly sought-after by most TMNT toy collectors, and even unboxed versions of this figure can sell for about $2200 on the secondary market; boxed versions can generate well over $3000. But even having a Hot Spot or two stashed away should get collectors excited: This unopened action figure we found on eBay in its original packaging netted well over $1100. The Storage Shell Turtles series that hit stores in 1995 was actually a reissue from an earlier toy line that came out between 1990 and 1991. These coveted collectibles featured all four Turtles with built-in, swing-door-like shells on their backs for accessories storage. The Turtles could stash a lot back there, including weapons and, of course, pizza. There was a bit of a discrepancy in the figure design, as there are Raphael and Michelangelo models with black belts instead of color-coordinated ones. If you have the TMNT Black Belt Storage Shell Michelangelo (or Raphael ) in good condition somewhere but otherwise collecting dust, then you could sell it for up to $2000 on eBay, if not more. The Sports Turtles series was one of the most popular TMNT toy lines during the early ’90s. Each oversized, 13-inch turtle action figure got their own sports ’fit, so there was Shell Kickin’ Raph (soccer) and Slap Shot Leo (hockey), along with other fun designs for each character. But the TMNT Slam Dunkin’ Donatello (basketball) is the catch of the bunch, as a mint-condition version in original packaging could net you nearly $2000 on eBay. This “hoop-hammerin’ ” version of Donatello came with a green basketball and a garbage can rim. He also sported a basketball jersey with the No. 23—like Michael Jordan . The thing that separated the TMNT Sumo toy line from the other iterations of the Heroes in a Half-Shell was that Playmates only released two Turtles as sumos: Michelangelo (a.k.a. the “The Foot Poundin’ Belly Boy” on the box packaging) and Raphael (the “Ton o’ Terror Turtle”). Each came with a pair of sumo-style sandals, their main weapon of choice (either nunchucks or sais), an extra weapon (a blade with Raph or a mace for Mikey), and a special collector’s coin. One of them in mint condition and its original packaging could fetch you upwards of $1350 on eBay. Playmates released two sets of Universal Monsters -themed Turtles in the early ’90s. The first series came out in 1993 and reimagines the Turtles as classic monsters from Universal Studios, with Mikey as Frankenstein, Don as Dracula, Raph as The Mummy, and Leo as The Wolfman. The following year, the second series was released, which featured Invisible Man Mikey, Bride of Frankenstein April, Creature from the Black Lagoon Leo, and another—seemingly more mutant—version of Raph. Given the fun crossover nature of this sub-line, these figures are still worth a bundle if they’ve been kept in good condition. A mint condition version of Invisible Man Mikey earned nearly $1500 recently. We also found a listing on eBay that sold five toys from this line overall (including two Bride of Frankenstein Aprils) in their original unopened packaging for $1225. On average, though, most figures sell for around $400 and under , even if they’re in good condition. While he only made an appearance in the comic book series, Shogun Shoate was part of the TMNT Shogun wave of toys that were released in 1994. This mutant T-Rex warrior from feudal Japan had a limited run at toy stores (likely in part due to the Turtles’ waning popularity by this point in the ’90s). As such, the Shogun Shoate action figure is hard to come by and can go for upwards of $1000 on eBay— especially if it’s still factory-sealed and in good condition within the original packaging. Most versions seem to sell for between $750 to $1000, though, if still in the box. Read More About Valuable Collectibles: When someone hears the words "ninja" and "turtles," what usually springs to mind is the silly, comical team of reptilian brothers known worldwide as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . These brothers -- Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo -- came to the minds of creators Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman in 1983. Drawing inspiration from ninja characters they had seen in Frank Miller comics such as Daredevil and Ronin , Laird and Eastman sketched various images of ninja turtles. Soon after the TMNT comics came out, they became a huge success. With the success of the comic came the original animated Saturday morning cartoon in 1987, which gave voices to the characters. Likewise, the success of this TV series led to the first live-action movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , in 1990, a box office smash hit. Since then, there has been a myriad of TMNT movies and TV series that each attempted to capture the massive success of these turtle brothers from the 1980s and 1990s. Some held the audience in rapture, while others could've improved a bit to be more successful. Regardless, these TMNT movies rank among the best and are all worth checking out. In the early 2010s, famous film director and producer Michael Bay was basking in the success of his live-action adaptation of The Transformers cartoon series from the 1980s. Looking to bring his magical touch to yet another much-loved Saturday morning cartoon, Bay decided to give the TMNT another shot on the big screen. Instead of using actors in turtle suits, he used motion-capture technology to bring the turtles to life in this movie. The film was a retelling of the original 1990 movie, where the brothers meet with April O'Neal (played by Megan Fox) and have to defeat the Shredder (played by Tohoru Masamune) and his Foot Clan to save New York City . The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have made huge waves in popular culture. But for every hit, there's always going to be weirder moments. This movie adaptation did hit the mark for some fans, but not so much for others. Viewers could see that Bay was trying to turn the TMNT into more of an action-based film with the storyline and action sequences . It got fans interested, but the way the ninja turtles were designed may have turned off some fans. Everyone is used to the classic look where the face is just a mouth and eyes. Instead, in the 2014 film, it looks almost like the turtles became these very tall hybrids of humans and turtles. Adding nostrils, different-colored eyes, and overly-enhanced muscles to their bodies just made them look too different. Regardless, the movie had great action and a decent story, but the turtles' visual appearance lands this film at the bottom of this list. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2014 reboot of the classic superhero franchise by director Jonathan Liebesman. When Channel 6 reporter April O'Neil begins to track the activity of the elusive and dangerous Foot clan, she stumbles upon four humanoid turtles who fight to protect the city from the shadows. A few years after the success of the 2014 movie, Michael Bay came back to produce a sequel called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows . This film took everything from the original title two years prior and moved the story further . In addition to the TNMT and April O'Neal (again played by Megan Fox), they were joined by Casey Jones (played by Arrow's Stephen Amell). Joining Shredder (played by Brian Tee) are his two mutant henchmen, Bebop (played by Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (played by Stephen Farrelly). The storyline made this movie a little bit better than the first film. The writers and producers returned to the source comics and cartoon series when they added the characters of Bebop, Rocksteady , Casey Jones, Baxter Stockman (played by Tyler Perry), and Krang (voiced by Brad Garrett). Fans were pleased to see these characters show up on the silver screen. But despite that, the film unfortunately did not do as well as the first film at the box office. It could have done better if this film had introduced fewer new characters and simplified the storyline. Ironically, these two films are now experiencing a resurgence in popularity on Netflix. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is the follow-up to the Michael Bay-produced Ninja Turtles reboot. This time, Donatello, Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael have a rematch with Shredder, who has enlisted the help of Rocksteady and Bebop, along with the alien Krang to take down his enemies. The film was released in 2016 and directed by Dave Green. In 1997, production company Saban Entertainment decided to take a shot at creating a similar live-action TV series called Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation . In this Fox Kids adaptation of the comic characters, the producers added a brand-new fifth turtle character: a female named Venus de Milo . Along with Splinter and Venus' mentor Chung I, the series begins with all of them fighting off Shredder and his Foot Clan . The villainy goes further when a new bad guy named Dragon Lord and his soldiers called The Rank, escape an enchanted mirror and try to take over the Earth. Saban Entertainment did try to go in a more progressive direction by creating a new female ninja turtle character . For the first time in the franchise's history, this gave little girls a female turtle character to look up to. But like most fans of long-standing entertainment franchises, this change was not received well. Viewers may have been happier in a story that would have gone deeper into the history of the brothers and Splinter. Similarly, creating the Dragon Lord as a new villain didn't help matters either. Sadly, this all led to Ninja Turtles being just a one-season series that could have lasted longer if some changes were not made to the source material. The "heroes in a half-shell" return to stop the evil Dragon Lord with help from their newest member, Venus De Milo. In the 1990s, film production company New Line Cinema hit gold when it decided to make a live-action movie based on the turtle brothers. Little did they know that this would become such a huge success that it would spawn two sequels. In 1993, they released Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III , the third and final film in this series. In this movie, the Ninja Turtles are given an old mystical scepter by April O'Neal (played by Paige Turco) that they think is just an old lamp. When they try to use it, the scepter sends them and April back in time to feudal Japan . Once there, they discover the tyrannical warlord Norinaga (played by Sab Shimono) and get outwitted by Whit (played by Elias Koteas). The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an incredibly successful franchise that often needs some reinvention to remain relevant in pop culture. This was a good movie to end this particular film trilogy. This original story allowed the turtles to trace their ninja fighting style back to its Japanese roots in feudal times . It was also nice to see the return of Turco and Koteas for a second TMNT film for both of them. But what hindered this movie from being as big a hit as the previous titles was primarily the storyline. This is a situation where reaching too far can hurt a film. The movie could have been even more successful if the producers had kept this film in New York City as a setting and created a storyline, sourcing the comics or original cartoon series. Regardless, seeing the TMNT and the rest of the cast one last time in this film style was a great way to say goodbye and is still worth watching. This first sequel to the original 1990 live-action movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: Secret of the Ooze, details how the turtles became mutants . In this movie, the audience learns about the mutagen (or ooze) that transformed the turtles into the much larger, more human form they are currently in . At this point, the turtles and Splinter are living with April O'Neal while they look for a new place to live. While on a story assignment, April covers a global research company called TGRI. Splinter then reveals the truth that this company is responsible for the mutagen that transformed him and his sons. From there begins the race between the turtles and Shredder to obtain the ooze. What makes this movie so great is how the idea of the mutagen was handled . It was unique to see Shredder obtain some of the ooze and use it to transform his pet snapping turtle and wolf into their mutant forms that he named Tokka and Rahzar, respectively. This becomes the first major battle the turtles encounter on their way to overcoming Shredder's evil plan. Once they find him and the turtles think they defeated him, he uses the ooze on himself, becoming ultra-powerful Super Shredder . Super Shredder goes on a rampage all over the dock they are fighting on, and it falls on him. The storyline and the classic comedic slang used by the turtles throughout the film make this one of the fan-favorites. It follows the titular heroes as they investigate the origins of the mysterious ooze that transformed them into mutants. The turtles, aided by their ally April O'Neil, face new threats from the villainous Shredder and his minions. Released in 1991, this sequel continues the adventures of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael in their fight to protect New York City. In 2012, Nickelodeon Animation Studios decided to take a slightly different direction with a brand-new animated series based on the TMNT . Keeping the same standard title, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , the new show was a computer-animated adventure. The producers also borrowed concepts for the story from earlier TV series but changed things around a bit . In this version, April is a younger girl, and the Foot Clan ninjas are robots with brains in their stomachs called The Kraang. But the turtles are still fighting off Shredder as the evil villain. Another significant change was that Michelangelo's well-known catchphrase of "cowabunga" was changed to "booyakasha." Cowabunga! CBR looks back at all the blatant Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles rip-offs over the years. This revamped version of the cartoon series was an instant hit for Nickelodeon. It lasted five seasons, airing from 2012 to 2017. The new computer animation, more angular features for the characters, and the twist in the story caught the attention of the young viewers . It was almost similar to how popular the original animated series was in the late 1980s. This series even led to the creation of merchandise, including two video games and some LEGO sets . This was definitely the first TMNT animated series of the new millennium that caught the younger generation's attention, but it wouldn't be the last. The heroes in a half-shell made their original animated TV debut in 1987 . Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles blasted onto TV screens with their addicting theme song as part of the Saturday morning lineup and blew the minds of all the young children watching. This series that became one of the best 80s cartoons introduced the world to the four turtle brothers and all the friends they met along the way as they fought evil villains like Shredder and Kraang. It lasted 10 seasons, proving how much of an impact this show had on viewers. This series was a mega blockbuster on Saturday mornings. It became a part of pop culture's zeitgeist in the 1980s and 1990s. This animated series alone created massive amounts of merchandise, from T-shirts to action figures to video games . Every year, kids would ask their parents for TMNT toys as gifts for their birthdays or the holidays. This show even invaded the English language with Michelangelo's "cowabunga" catchphrase being uttered all the time by children in that era. This animated series also became the basis of the storylines of all future TV series and movies. Everything about this original cartoon ranks it among the best of all the TMNT TV series. Four anthropomorphic turtles, trained in ninjutsu by their rat sensei, battle criminal forces in New York City, including a notorious villain known as Shredder. The turtles, who live in the sewers, fight crime while struggling to remain hidden from the public eye. Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available Not available It had been about seven years since The Lean Green Fighting Machines last had a movie released in theaters, so Nickelodeon Movies decided to give it a go. This time, fans saw the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem in 2023. The producers used the latest computer animation to bring this movie to life. The film does another retelling of the turtle brothers as they come out of the sewers for the first time.