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Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label misc. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Michaelangelo Balloon(s)



One of my best pals from High School, Erin, emailed this picture to me.

As I replied to her:
"That is awesome and yet equally disturbing!"

The more I look at it, the more I think that should be rephrased to, "That is awesomely disturbing!"

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Iowa Flooding



Brandon Stearns helps to remove flood-damaged items from his 83-year-old grandmother's home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Iowa's biggest cities were submerged Sunday after swollen rivers forced thousands of residents to flee their homes amid devastating floods in the Midwestern US state.

(AFP/Getty Images/Scott Olson)

Monday, June 9, 2008

NASA TMNT Patch



Let's face it, patches aren't just for Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts. Grown-ups like patches, too. It's not uncommon for small groups and organizations to create custom patches. It's also, oddly, not uncommon for licensed characters to appear on these patches. I have some such patches from Boy Scouts and fire houses that feature Turtles, but this one for NASA is my favorite. It's also the only such patch I've seen that's used art from an official TMNT artist. Anything based on A.C. Farley's work is über-appealing to me!

UPDATE: Here's the official NASA page that explains the patch design: http://mplm.msfc.nasa.gov
The modules are named for significant engineers in Italian history, Rafaello, Leonardo and Donatello. This is the logo for the 3 Italian named modules developed by MPLM team members.  The logo, copyrighted by Mirage Studios, depicts a ninja turtle in an astronaut flight suit.   

A.C. Farley has also posted the artwork on his Facebook page, and had this to add:
They got in touch with Mirage and asked if we would do the patch. I got to do it because I am in love with the space program. They made enameled metal pins, embroidered patches and jackets and other stuff I never even seen.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Random Picture




Just because this is the view I'm constantly looking at while at my computer, and I had my camera handy, here's the top of my PC and the goodies that live there. From left to right there's a bootleg Saint Turtle figure, Yoda candy dish now a pencil (and sonic screwdriver) holder, small-scale unleashed Obi-Wan Kenobi, Mike figure, Mike lamp, small holographic Obi-Wans, and Jersey Devil.

I find the lamp to be a particularly curious item, as it's basically an old bubble bath soakie with a lamp stuck through it. As much as I never thought I needed such an item, my desk is too dark without the secondary light, so I really can't function on my computer without it.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Restored TMNT 1 Leonardo Movie Costume



This is REALLY neat! Over at the Technodrom forums, Bmaga123 posted a link to a movie prop restoration service where on a page featuring examples of their work is an original Leonardo costume from the very first TMNT film! If you hit the link, you can see the amazing before and after. Consider me extremely impressed, both by the restoration work and by the simple existence of the costume in the first place!!

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

BREAKING: Kevin Eastman 100% Bought Out of the TMNT



Just released on ninjaturtles.com, you can click the image on the left to read the full press release. The contents of the release are transcribed at the bottom. The bottom line is this: The TMNT are now 100% owned by Peter Laird.

You may be asking the question, "Didn't Peter already buy out Kevin's share of the TMNT?" Well, that is certainly what Peter has lead everyone to believe ever since the mentioned June 1, 2000 date. It wasn't until just last year that we learned that Kevin still had a financial stake in the franchise due to materials written by Kevin and interviews given.

So what changes now? Nothing, really. The TMNT have been creatively Peter's since June 1, 2000.

What will never change: Kevin Eastman's work on the TMNT is forever and always Kevin Eastman's. The art, the writing, and everything else he did is his work. Peter Laird may have the legal right to do with that what he wants, but changing it will never be the morally right thing to do. And IMO, it is beyond insulting to even attempt to sell these sad and pathetic efforts to the fans.

Northampton, MA (March 12, 2008) - Dear Fans, Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman wish to let you all know that on March 1, 2008, Peter and The Mirage Group completed the buyout of Kevin's entire right, title, interest and income participation in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property and the four Mirage corporations involved in the ownership, management and protection of the TMNT. This latest event finalizes a transaction that began on June 1, 2000, when Peter and The Mirage Group purchased all of Kevin's ownership interest in the TMNT property and the corporations, except for a small continuing income participation.

Commenting on this latest transaction, Peter said, "I want to take this opportunity to once again thank Kevin for working side by side with me in creating the TMNT and moving them from the pages of Mirage's humble comic to the heights of success they achieved in animation, movies, toys, video games and other TMNT products and entertainment. Couldn't have done it without you, dude! It was an amazing and wonderful experience."

Kevin echoed these sentiments by commenting, "When I think back to the old days, two Jack Kirby fanboy artists, the living room studio in Dover, New Hampshire, my first sketch, our first page, the first issue stacked in the living room.. sure we'd never sell a copy.. ahhh, those were the days! Peter and I lived the dream, lost some along the way, but together built a foundation, heck, an empire that lasts and still resonates with kids around the world today. I look back at this gift, this partnership, with only the fondest of memories.. knowing Pete and Mirage will take excellent care of the boys, while I seek other artistic callings."

And this announcement is probably a good place and time for us to jointly thank all you fans for being so great in opening your hearts to our characters and making the Turtles and us a part of your lives. Neither of us could have done it without you. THANKS!

[Kevin Eastman] [Peter Laird]

Monday, March 3, 2008

Official: Blue Bunny Still Sells Ninja Turtles Ice Cream!



After speculating over the weekend that Blue Bunny did, indeed, still sell the Ninja Turtles ice cream that they've been selling since the early 90s (late 80s?), I sent an email to them in search of some confirmation. I received a response today that confirmed it is still sold, but unfortunately you are stuck locating an ice cream man if you want to enjoy it.

Thank you for contacting our Consumer Affairs line in which you inquired about the availability of the BLUE BUNNY Ninja Turtle Face Bars. We truly appreciate hearing from our valued customers.


Unfortunately, the Ninja Turtle Face Bars are Impulse (Ice Cream Trucks, Convenience Stores and in Vending Machines) Items only. They are only sold in single-serve sizes.


They are not available for retail sale through grocery stores. We do not have a list of businesses that sell single-serve items. And, unfortunately, due to the inherent dangers of shipping items on dry ice, we do not have a service to sell directly to the consumer.


We appreciate your interest in our products and taking the time to contact us.


If I can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact me.


June
Consumer Relations Specialist
Wells Dairy, Inc.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Motivational Ice Cream



MoronQueen found this image in a community of random images. Unfortunately, I don't know where it originates from, but it's pretty awesome.

Monday, February 18, 2008

And the Question is...



"Who are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles?" was a question on today's episode of Jeopardy! Teen Tournament.

I can't quote the answer exactly, but it was along the lines of, "These reptiles use nunchucks, sai, swords, and bo staffs as weapons." The category was something that required "Teen" to be in each response. I should have seen it coming and paid more attention...

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Agreeable




Blade Raider at the Technodrome found this ShortPacked comic guaranteed not to start any political debates.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Reinventing the Wheel



I started this blog as a way to put all of the latest TMNT news in a single place so that it would be easily accessible to people without the need for hunting through various forums or scouring other parts of the Web to keep up to date. I still hope to do that to a certain extent, but you've probably noticed I haven't posted in a couple weeks. There are several things that I could have posted, but a recent post by Steve Murphy at the 5th Turtle kinda killed all of my motivation.

One of the hardest parts of being a TMNT fan, especially a long-time fan, is the extreme lack of direct communication with fans that has persisted for years. This isn't to say that the people at Mirage Studios aren't accessible. In fact, due to the small size of the company, they're far more accessible than the majority of companies that are behind giant licensed franchises. But short of e-mailing Dan Berger directly and asking point blank, there's always been a separation between the fans and news on current and future projects.

That changed when Murphy started his 5th Turtle blog. Not only was he providing us with current news, but his interaction with the fans who posted comments showed us that someone at Mirage actually cared about what we thought about things. Both positive and negative opinions were agreed with. We were being heard, and even though our voices still weren't resulting in changes that would give us better things, we felt better about being fans.

But now 4Kids and Imagi, and to a lesser extent, Playmates and NECA, are requiring that Steve Murphy no longer share any images or info with us unless they give explicit permission. There is a certain amount of logic to this request (and it has been greatly debated, but this is not the point of this post), but unfortunately it brings us back to where we once were: With no direct link to information on current or future TMNT projects. What's in store for the TMNT? Who knows... I think I'll go watch some Doctor Who.

4Kids has made it clear that they don't care about TMNT fans over the age of seven. 4Kids earns change on every single piece of TMNT merchandise that is sold. I am done feeding the 4Kids machine. With just a handful of exceptions, I have no intention of buying new TMNT product. Anyone who knows my ridiculous ability to acquire things knows that this is a pretty crazy statement to make. But I mean it. I'll spend my money on eBay on old TMNT stuff. It's impossible for me to ask the same of others, but I do hope that some of you will rethink what you spend your money on. Continuing to hand money over to 4Kids isn't going to convince them that they need to do something more to please us.

With this in mind, how can I continue to pimp every single TMNT item that shows up on a store shelf? Not that I was covering everything anyways, but I was trying to cover everything that I could. I really can't, so I'm going to refocus the purpose of this blog a bit. I'll still pimp a few new items (comics definitely, other things on a per item basis) and new products with specific release dates will still be listed in the list to the left (but they won't necessarily be posted about individually).

I'm going to try to post TMNT Flashbacks more regularly and maybe feature some goofy eBay auctions and other things as I find them. If you have any links or suggestions, or there's something you'd like me to post about, just send me an email and I'll do what I can.

Tuesday, January 8, 2008

TMNT #1 on X-Box Live



Konami's original TMNT arcade game from 1989 came in as 2007's top X-Box LIVE arcade titles in sales!

Major Nelson has the report.

Thanks to tOkKa for the heads-up!

Friday, October 26, 2007

NinjaTurtles.com Updates



Dan (the Man) updated NinjaTurtles.com today with an avalanche of information.

Here are some highlights:
13 new episodes of the TMNT cartoon are now in production for broadcast in the fall of 2008! After months of back-n-forth, all partners agreed on a new direction and the Turtles toon is back on the hot track! We can't reveal any specifics yet, but everyone's favorite Gang Green will be returning to present-day NYC and battling the baddies with their buddies Casey Jones and April O'Neil! This next phase of the show will feature new art direction that will tie the 2003 toon designs into the animated movie style by Imagi!

You can read a little more information on this development at The 5th Turtle.

This holiday season, Hot Topic will unveil boutiques dedicated to the TMNT retro merchandise and apparel. Hot Topic will have some exclusive items that feature artwork of Krang, Bebop and Rocksteady and will be an ideal place to find the retro merch!

Visit HotTopic.com to see what TMNT gear they have currently available.

Kurt Adler will be producing Christmas ornaments that will be available at Wal-Mart this holiday season!

Cowabunga!

Visit NinjaTurtles.com to get the full scoop on these and other news items.

Sunday, July 8, 2007

X-E Revisits the TMNT Magazine



In addition to looking at the magazine, a break is taken to make Fruited Mutant Pizza.

Take a read.

Thanks to sdp for the link.

Monday, July 2, 2007

TMNT in "Lil Formers" Web Comic



Donatello makes a cameo appearance in today's Lil Formers web comic.

Thanks to MikeyLikesIt for the link.

Friday, June 29, 2007

X-E Uncovers the TMNT Pudding Pie Commercial



Don't waste any time asking, "What?" Just go here some awesome nostalgia.

Thanks to Ecto Jedi for the link.