A New President? Or an Old School President?

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Here's something random that I found by complete accident.

Visit Zazzle.com to pick up this creative celebration of the new President-Elect, Barack Obama, that plays off of the classic TMNT cartoon logo!

Mirage's Fan Reply Postcards

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The previous post on Mirage's unique postage meter stamp brought up a conversation in the comments about the postcards Mirage would send in response to fan mail and/or fan art. Tonight I dug out the postcard I received in response to some fan art I apparently sent (I clearly recall receiving this postcard, but I can't for the life of me recall the art I sent).

The front of the card shows the line art from the cover of TMNT Adventures #18. If you look closely on the back you'll see that same Raphael postage meter stamp (all the blots are from the residue of poster putty I used to hang the postcard on my bedroom door for years). The postmark date is September 17, 1991. Man, that was forever ago!

Did you ever receive this or a similar postcard? Still have it? Send me a scan!

Ryan Brown adds: We gave Murph's girlfriend at the time the task of answering all the TMNTA fan mail. She did a phenomenal job!! We'd print up the postcards using different TMNTA cover art at a local printer and then give them to her to mail out. Murph and I wanted to send something special to the kids who took the time to write in. I'm not sure how many different covers we used for the postcards but I believe we utilized quite a few.

And:
Murph and I loved to read the fan mail. We personally signed and sent the first few but suddenly the amount of mail increased so much that we had to pass it along to someone full time and that dude was a newly arrived Dan Berger. As Dan's workload increased Murph's girl friend stepped in.

The Mirage Studios Postage Meter

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Doing a bit of Fall cleaning today and I came across this old scrap of paper. This is quite the testament to some of the random stuff I'll end up clipping and saving.

The scrap is simply a piece of brown packaging paper with postage affixed. The package, having come from Mirage Studios, also features a stamp with Raphael and the original TMNT comic book logo. I think most all of the mail they sent at this point in time featured the stamp. Mail from Mirage today features no such stamp, probably due to changes in postage machines.

Why the TMNT are Dying and Why I Don't Care

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Hmm... lack of updates recently it would seem. Why? Well, the honest answer is that I've lost all enthusiasm for the TMNT in their current state and form. Unfortunately, that's no exaggeration. My lack of enthusiasm is at a solid 100%. I have totally and completely given up on Mirage Studios and all "partner" companies in their efforts to run the TMNT franchise.

And we now have solid proof that the TMNT are, indeed, in deep poodoo. Friend and fellow TMNT fan VaughnMichael, whom I hold complete trust with, has shared part of an email that states the following:

"Things are not good in turtle land, sorry to report. But Wal-Mart has decided to drop TMNT from ALL its stores beginning in the Spring!"

The implications of not being carried at Walmart go deeper than the simple lack of toys on Walmart shelves and pegs. Walmart is the nation's largest retailer and they have a HUGE influence in the market and trends across the board. Not being carried at Walmart means Playmates probably just lost half of their orders. Can Playmates sustain itself on half the quantity of what few products they're already producing? Not likely. And even if they can, it's not unreasonable to expect other retailers to follow suit with Walmart.

So that brings us into 2009, the big TMNT 25th anniversary "Shell-abration" year, with minimal product to support it. Sounds like an awesome party to me. This problem goes beyond just toys, though. Peter Laird has recently stated that there are no current plans for a TMNT cartoon beyond 2009 and at this point in time the future of TMNT comic books beyond 2009 also remains in question. That means we'll be having a Shell-abration for the past 25 years of TMNT with absolutely no certainty that there'll be another 25 years. Given the amount of money Mirage is supposedly spending to Shell-abrate, it may not be the best investment of money.

There is supposedly a movie company *this* close to inking a deal with Mirage for some sort of "hybrid" movie (I love how Mirage calls it a "hybrid" movie as if they came up with the concept of mixing live action with CGI). I wouldn't count on that happening if there isn't a connected toy deal. And if Playmates can't get TMNT product into Walmart, there isn't likely to be a toy deal. Honestly, no matter what the circumstances are with toys and other related products, that company should just take their money and run away. Run far, far away.

Mirage is a dying company, and it's time to just let it do so instead of putting off the inevitable that much longer. They are a company that is only interested in making the quick and easy buck by signing a deal with a licensor who wants to put TMNT images on their products. They are not interested in actually investing time, effort, or (god forbid) money in creating a foundation with which to support those products.

CEO Gary Richardson has a history of making shading licensing deals and making questionable business decisions. His earnings are apparently directly tied to the income generated by the Mirage Licensing division, so he goes for the quick buck and rejects anything that would involve the actual spending of money, be it printing costs for the books Mirage should be publishing next year but won't be or the cost of more employees so that people might actually be able to focus on delivering on what the fans want to see.

Oh, and speaking of the fans (that is presumably you, dear reader), I hope you have recognized that Mirage and all related companies have been doing nothing but giving you the proverbial finger more than a year now, if not several. It's time to let it die. It's ok. Really.

(There is actually one aspect of this that is not ok at all, but I'll get into that in another post.)

TMNT Display at the Indianapolis Children's Museum

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Fan Goongasnootch recently shot these two videos from the Indianapolis Children's Museum's exhibit on comic books. Both videos showcase how the TMNT are featured in the exhibit - Very cool!

Part 1:


Part 2:

TMNT Manhole Project

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Check out this awesome, homemade TMNT manhole cover that Hans made!

Here's what Hans has to say about it:

My name is Hans and I've been an avid Turtle fan since the 80s. With the 25th Anniversary coming up I'm redecorating one of my bedrooms. I've come up with some great ideas and thought I'd just share one with you and anyone who would be interested if you decided to post it. If you look at the attached file, I made a custom mahole cover out of plywood, woodburning, paint, and plenty of free time. It took a couple days and the pics dont do justice. I'd recommend it as a fun craft project, plus it looks great on display. I only recommend patience and safety with the saw and woodburning!

You can take a look at the progress pictures of the manhole cover here. I think it's just fantastic!

UPDATE: Hans has provided pictures of the finished room!

Michaelangelo Balloon(s)

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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!"

Iowa Flooding

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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)

NASA TMNT Patch

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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.

Random Picture

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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.

Restored TMNT 1 Leonardo Movie Costume

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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!!

BREAKING: Kevin Eastman 100% Bought Out of the TMNT

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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]

Official: Blue Bunny Still Sells Ninja Turtles Ice Cream!

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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.

Motivational Ice Cream

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

And the Question is...

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"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...

Agreeable

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TNI ShortPacked #78

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

Reinventing the Wheel

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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.

TMNT #1 on X-Box Live

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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!

NinjaTurtles.com Updates

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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.

X-E Revisits the TMNT Magazine

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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.