I read my first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic in the autumn of 1987. I was 11 years old at the time, and it was, if memory serves, issue 12 of the original Mirage Studios run—one of Peter Laird’s solo stories.
I mention this because it drives home two important points. First, I am very old. Second, the turtles are only slightly less so.
With 2024 marking the 40th anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this subterranean brotherhood now joins me in middle age. Across the ensuing four decades, the franchise has been a number of things: a gritty underground black-and-white indie, a wildly successful animated series, a beloved (if maddeningly difficult) video game, and, of course, action figures galore. Most importantly, though, it’s been a testament to the undeniable staying power of an interesting idea topped with just the right amount of outright ridiculousness.
While I’ve long assumed that I already own all the TMNT merch any one man needs—shirts and shoes, pristine graphic novel collections, statuettes, and, hell, even a couple of tattoos—TeeTurtle was quick to point out a glaring deficiency.
Their new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reversible plushie collection gives you all four brothers two times over. On one side, Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael are battle-ready with their weapons drawn. But flip them inside out and the lads switch into pizza-scarfing mode.
Each six-inch plush is wonderfully designed with embroidered detailed and character-specific embellishments. Raphael—my personal favorite due in no small part to his adherence to the original Eastman and Laird all-red color scheme—even boasts some literal fiery eyes while in battle mode.
Retailing for $15 a pop via the TeeTurtle website and their Amazon storefront, they certainly won’t break the bank. And with the holidays coming, one would certainly make a solid stocking-stuffer, while all four are sure to please even us old-school heads.
Review materials provided by TeeTurtle. This post contains affiliate links. Palladium Books’ 1985 RPG guidebook Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles & Other Strangeness changed my life.
