Are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures becoming more collectable?

After first appearing on television screens in 1987 the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) have become one of the icons of children’s television for those that grew up in the ‘80s and ‘90s. With their well-known catchphrases ‘cowabunga dude’ and ‘turtle power’, the heroes in a half shell dominated the action figure scene throughout the 1990s as toy maker Playmates released dozens of different characters and vehicles inspired by the original cartoon and the later live action films.

The first line of toys was released in 1988 and were fairly basic figures of the Turtles (Donatello, Leonardo, Michaelangelo and Raphael), along with their master Splinter, news reporter pal April O’Neil and enemies Shredder, Rocksteady, Bebop and a Foot Soldier. To be honest, if you’ve previously seen these models at toy fairs over the past few years, you’ve probably overlooked them in favour of more well-established TV and film collectables, such as Star Wars or Batman. However, if the December auction at Aston’s is anything to go by, now could be the time to give the Turtles a second look!

The reason is that the sale contained a whole host of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles items and all exceeded their top estimate. Just like those who grew up with Star Wars are now willing to pay big bucks to get mint models, the same could be happening with TMNT.

Aston’s first lot was six Playmates TMNT vehicles, including the Pizza Thrower, Footcruiser, Sewer Dragster, Psycho Cycle, Turtle Party Wagon and Turtlecopter. Estimated at £50 to £70, the radical rides sold for £190. This selection was quickly followed by two more items (Turtle Blimp and Sewer Playset), which realised £95 – slightly over the top estimate.

However, it’s the next collection that’s likely to turn heads! A mix of 13 vehicles and weapons, including the Sewer Army Tube, Footski, Knucklehead, Turtle Cycle, among others, were also estimated at £50 to £70 but sold for a whopping £360… more than five times the top estimate!

But it didn’t stop there as 24 unboxed action figures sold for £130 (estimate £40 to £60) and a further selection of 22 unboxed figures sold for the same amount. So, if you’ve got some Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles gathering dust in the loft, perhaps now is the time to let them out their shell.

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