FIRE!

My Halloween 2008 Costume. Wheeler the Planeteer:

Awwww Happy Halloween!

I love other peoples children!

My dear friend and co-worker Keith (pictured below) has this little girl (named Noa) who recently underwent dramatic open heart surgery TWICE. I had gotten her this really snuggly teddy bear after her ordeal. Well today was the first time I had seen her since. She leapted into my office with a giant "BOO!"

...dressed like this...

I almost cried :*)

Like My Customs? GO VOTE FOR ME!

Hey gang!

My custom Wolverine Turtle is in the most recent custom contest at The Technodrome

If you like my customs, you should vote for me. Even if you don't vote for me, you should vote for someone :-) But seriously...vote for me. :-)

Mirage To Hire 3rd Grade Class To Produce Promotional Content

Normally I don't post about things that I really have no interest in...but what the hell:

A Press Release From Mirage:

SHELL-EBRATION PLANS BUILD AS MIRAGE STUDIOS and 4KIDS ENTERTAINMENT ADD PARTNERS FOR TMNT 25TH ANNIVERSARY

CRT/tanaka Interactive and Kicking Cow Productions Inc. Join Team to Execute TMNT25 Website and Cross-Country Mobile Tour.

NEW YORK – October 29, 2008 - With approximately two months remaining until the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles kick off their 25th year in 2009, brand owner, Mirage Studios, Inc., and licensing agent 4Kids Entertainment have added two new partners to its TMNT Shell-ebration family. CRT/tanaka Interactive and Kicking Cow Promotions Inc. have come on board to enhance the multi-dimensional plans for 2009, building and executing the TMNT mobile tour and the fan-based www.tmnt25.com web site respectively.

To pay tribute both to the original fans, who are now young adults, and the 25-year history of TMNT, the CRT/tanaka Interactive team will work hand-in-hand with Mirage, 4Kids Entertainment and Peppercom Strategic Communications to build out the existing TMNT25 teaser site and develop a full blown micro-site. The site will include a number of interactive functions from a photo gallery to downloadable wallpapers and a personality test that determines which Turtle character users most identify with. The site will also spotlight 25th anniversary-oriented products and related links to help fans track down these awesome items.
“Our decision to bring CRT/tanaka’ on board for the Shell-ebration was motivated by their expertise and clear knowledge of and enthusiasm for the Turtles,” said Gary Richardson, CEO, Mirage Studios. “CRT/tanaka made a powerful impression with their comic-book inspired proposal and Turtles-inspired video (see below). They brought a great vision, a strong team and a love for all things Turtles to the table.”

Additionally, Kicking Cow Promotions Inc., a full-service event and promotional marketing company will work with Peppercom to manage all elements of the Turtles’ Party Wagon nationwide mobile tour. Kicking Cow’s role will include re-creating the real-life Party Wagon, implementing innovative marketing strategies at each tour stop and managing ongoing fan communications.

“Taking the Turtles on the road in 2009 is a key element of our campaign and something our fans have been clamoring for,” added Richardson. “To execute the mobile tour in true Turtles fashion, we knew we needed a partner that would bring energy, creativity, and a spirit that embodied TMNT, and we found that partner in a Cow. From a buzz building, fan engagement perspective, Kicking Cow has a proven track record of successful tour execution. We look forward to their next big ‘road show,” this one starring the Turtles.”

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles made their world premiere in May 1984 in a comic book created by Peter Laird and Kevin Eastman published and distributed by their company, Mirage Studios. A hugely successful TV series quickly followed, along with three successful theatrical films. In 2003, the Turtles were re-introduced to a new generation through a fresh animated television series, a CGI-animated theatrical movie and new merchandising program. The 25th year of TMNT will provide fans with radical, new multi-experiential opportunities to experience and celebrate this iconic brand.

The promotional video is definately worth watching, as it appears to be created by a 3rd grade class...No seriously...Look
http://www.ninjaturtles.com/html/crt.html

Seriously guys...at some point you have to run out of bad business decisions...and then they'll only be good ones left...right?...RIGHT?!?

Also, have you looked at CRT's Client list?

AeroGrow International
All-Clad Metalcrafters
Amadeus North America
American Physical Therapy Association
AMERIGROUP Corporation
Atkins Nutritionals
Better Business Bureau
Bon Secours Health Systems
Capital One
CB Fleet
Charles Schwab & Co.
Chick-fil-A Kyle Petty Charity Ride
Council for Responsible Nutrition
De’Longhi
Discovery Channel Stores
Girl Scouts of the USA
HoMedics
ITT Night Vision
Longwood University
MAGIC International
Owens & Minor, Inc.
Performance Food Group
Philip Morris USA
Schering-Plough
Sprint
SunTrust Mortgage
Target Stores
VHA Inc.
Wachovia Securities
Wines from Rioja

As you can see, plenty of clients that deal with animated properties...oh wait...

But Hey! They DID do some work for Philip Morris! They market to kids right?

So I Found This Dog...

So a few weeks ago I brought to you the story of this blind cat that I found and turned into the humane society. That cat, by the way, was returned to it's owner! So yay for that!

Anyway, so today I am at my coffee shop, and there is this shiba inu running the hell all over the place. Collar but no tags. Nobody within shouting distance claims the dog, so me and my friend bernie take him down to the vet to see if hes got a chip, as pure breeds tend to do.

So yes, he had a chip...but come to find out the retards that own the dog NEVER REGISTERED THE GODDAMN THING. So anyway, he is at the Humane Society in Pasadena. If he is your dog, his pet ID number is A241256. I am on his last resort list, so if he is going to be destroyed, he comes home with me. I hope he likes dalmatians :-P

Here are some pictures:

Warrior Rahzar With Fur

Last week I emailed Dan Berger in regards to the fabled Warrior Rahzar with fur prototype. I thought you guys would be interested to see the conversation:

Hi Dan,

It's Stephan Reese. I'm not sure weve talked about the topic before, but I am an avid collector of vintage tmnt prototypes and wax sculpts. Recently I was able to add the unreleased versions of both pizzaface and casey jones to my collection (heres some pics: http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Vintage%20Protos/)

Anyway, the reason I'm emailing you is that I would desperately like to add the Warrior Rahzar with Fur Prototype to my collection. Providing you still have it, I'd like to offer you (Price Edited Out) for it. Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

Stephan

His Response:

We've never had one - the pic on the site is taken from a Playmates Toys catalog. Some people believe that it was never released, but I thought I saw one at a Dollar-type close-out store at one point - unfortunately I didn't buy it if I did. My memory is pretty lousy, though, so I could be mistaken and it may have never been released.

Thanks for writing!

Cheers!

Dan Berger

Mirage Studios' Official Web Dude

http://www.ninjaturtles.com

Not the response I was hoping for obviously. But interesting that these may have had an extremely limited release. I however, remain skeptical. Even so, if anyone CAN produce one of these figures, please let me know!

4Kids Rep "Doesn't Know What People Are Freaking Out About"

Continuing my coverage of the cancellation rumor! Again, I would like to point out that this coverage is neither confirming, nor denying the truth of the rumor...Only presenting the facts to all of you so YOU can decide for yourself!

I had asked a 4Kids rep who posts on the drome if we could get some kind of a statement:

"Could you possibly get your team to release an official announcement wither confirming or denying the cancellation rumor? It is causing considerable friction around these parts. Brother against Brother! Dog and Cats, Living Together! MASS HYSTERIA!In all seriousness though. Any announcement, either confirming or denying, would be more comforting then silence."

This was his response:

I don't understand why everyone is freaking out. It is too soon to know. Half of the current season hasn't even aired yet. We are still working on the current season.There is no word either way on the series being canned. It took MONTHS last time to get the go ahead on Back to the Sewer AFTER Fast Forward wrapped.Peter doesn't know, no one knows. As I've stated we are still working on the current season... and that special something. I would wager we don't hear either way until March or April of next year.

As always. Take it for what it's worth. Good News? Outright Lies? You Decide and Comment!

Protech "Star Trek" Cases

If you are like me, you have been looking for decent protective cases for your carded turtle figs for quite some time. Well, thanks to Technodrome User "Spazzy", look no further! He has provided us with photos that show the Protech "Star Trek" cases are a perfect fit for the original carded figs. A simple google search can find you an online retailer for these cases. Thanks Spazzy!

For Those of You Concerned About The Forever War

Good morning friends!

I know a number of you are concerned about the Forever War releases in light of the recent "Doom and Gloom" atmosphere surrounding the 25th anniversary. Well fear not! I got your back!

I had the opportunity this morning to breifly speak with Steve Murphy about The Forever War releases. And the response was simple, yet encouraging:

The Forever War is still on track. The first issue is scheduled for release September 2009. 5 monthly issues in all.

So there you go my little Archie friends! Hope this brings a little sunshine to your stormy turtle world. :-)

Peter Speaks About The Cancellation Rumor

Someone Had to Ask, Might as well be me:

Hey Pete,
I'm sure a large number of us would be interested in your take on the current rumor about the upcoming cancelation of the cartoon...as the rumor is pretty much melting the internet right now :-P

Could I talk you into putting up a post on the subject?"

No, but I'll comment about it here. I suppose there is a possibility that the rumor is true, but I have not heard anything from 4Kids confirming it. If it is true, it's unfortunate, but not the end of the world. -- PL

Take it for what it's worth.

Blah!

Originally Posted by Press Release found at ninjaturtles.com
COSTA MESA, CA –It's a shell-ebration! Everyone's favorite lean, green, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES celebrate the 25th anniversary of their comic book debut in 2009 by incorporating totally radical new retro segments to the merchandising mix and innovative new themed products both supported with in-pack promotions including video games, pilot episodes of animation and other interactive content and entertainment. Action figures based on the new TV show airing on Fox and the CW, and a new segment of the popular Mini-Mutant line including figures and vehicles will be the lines' foundation. On the retro front, Playmates is re-introducing the original awesome 1987 action figure line, twelve figures in all, including the four Turtles, Splinter, Shredder and more. These figures will feature a "tubular" nostalgic 25th anniversary package design with a random assortment of classic TV episodes from the inaugural season. Playmates Toys is the long time master toy licensee for the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES brand; 4Kids Entertainment handles exclusive worldwide merchandising rights; while The Mirage Group continues to nurture and manage the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES property.

So let me get this straight...the only thing that they could think of doing for the 25th anniversary of the toy line that put Playmates on the map...is a re-release of 12 figures that were made by people that probably haven't worked for Playmates in years? Bravo guys...bravo.

The best part is that these figures will probably sell for more in the store than what you can buy the originals for on ebay...Ugh...Why can't their be people who work for Playmates that have a 10th of the passion for their OWN PROPERTY that I do? Way to honor the only reason you aren't still trying to sell shitty talking dolls named Jill that nobody wants to buy.

The begining of the end

The following is 100% lifted from the blog of Vaughn Michael:

Going forward with my coverage of the wonderful TMNT 25th Anniversary
Shellibration, here is the next bit of news from my insider at 4kids as promised
last week.Next Season 4Kids brings you the best season yet as it will return us
to everyone's favorite period of TMNT the 1998- 1999 season of turtles, oh wait
there was no 98- 99 season of the old show. *sarcasm*

"The TMNT cartoon is NOT being renewed for Fall 2009. This looks like
the end of the cartoon, folks (aside from that "special" airing in Spring
2009)."

So there you have it TMNT fans, you better enjoy the show now while it's still around.This fans ultra excited for the funeral er I mean anniversary of my fave green heroes.

So yeah, though this is still rumor status, I give Vaughn the benefit of the doubt in stuff like this. I'd start saying my goodbyes to the series now kids.

But not to worry, I'm sure we will see the turtle franchise reboot a few years down the road.

Neat!

Ok I guess this is non-turtle related post day or something. But I thought this was really really cool.

Robot Band!

There Goes My Childhood :-(

The ending was abrupt: Workers for the company, which shifted its baking and distribution operations to plants in Ohio and Canada in 2006, told workers Friday that operations would cease and cookies would no longer be made as of Monday.

The company cited rising prices for raw materials and fuel, and on Monday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

The company that made Mother's cookies at the end was the Archway & Mother's Cake and Cookie Co. of Battle Creek, Mich. It was owned by Catterton Partners, a private-equity firm in Greenwich, Conn., which in 2005 purchased it from an Italian firm, Parmalat Finanziaria, which was plagued by scandals at home.

In 2006, Mother's Cake & Cookie Co. was uprooted from its plant on 81st Avenue in Oakland and relocated. About 230 employees lost their jobs.

According to industry lore, the company was founded in 1914 by a newspaper vendor, N.M. Wheatley, as a one-person shop. It expanded and moved to the 81st Avenue location in 1949.
Mother's later had a series of corporate owners: a Belgian company, Artal B.V., bought it in 1991; it was owned by Specialty Foods Corp. of Illinois in the late 1990s; in 2000, Specialty sold Mother's and Archway Cookies to Parmalat, which in turn sold the combined business to Catterton for an undisclosed sum.

Catterton said in a statement it "took a number of actions to remedy" the company's financial crisis, "but these actions were not sufficient to overcome the losses and return Mother's Cake & Cookie Co. and Archway Cookies LLC to profitability."

One of those efforts was to seek financing. "But, as you know, the credit environment is very difficult now," said Meaghan Repko, a spokeswoman for the owners, in New York.

The owners did not comply with the federal law that requires a 60-day notification of any layoffs and said that was due to "unforeseeable business circumstances." A business uses that language to seek exemption from the act's 60-day notice requirement.

"Having reviewed the options available, the company believes that this (bankruptcy filing) was the only course of action," said Jeff Granger of Focus Management Group in Tampa, Fla., who is expected to be appointed chief restructuring officer of the company.

Sixty people are out of work at the Battle Creek office, and Battle Creek City Attorney Eileen Wicklund said Wednesday that she had advised workers to explore a lawsuit against the company.

"Any loss of employment is a blow for any community," she said.

The company had many drivers, including 60 in Northern California, represented by the Teamsters Union. One of them, Frank Makely, 59, of Fresno, an employee for the past nine years, called the short-notice dismissal "unimaginable."

"The owners came in to get rid of us, to chew us up and spit us out," he said, alleging their intent was to gain a profit by selling assets and neglecting service of trucks and other expenses.

"This is part of the economic crunch, with the CEOs taking the money out and not putting more money into the company," said Makely. "I'm too old to get a driving job. Who would hire me?"

The company response was to refer a reporter to its statement.

E-mail George Raine at graine@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page C - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle

The Quest

So the other day, Peter posted to his blog about a prototype meeting between Playmates and Mirage regarding the 1st wave launch of the turtles. In that meeting they were shown two prototypes (pictured above). It is instantly clear which version they ultimately chose for the launch. But that left me wondering as to the whereabouts of the unchosen wax sculpt. So I ofcourse have taken it upon myself to find out! I emailed Paula at Playmates and inquired about the piece. Here is a portion of the email I sent:

"The wax sculpt on the left is a proposed version of a series 1 ninja turtle that was never produced. It is my understanding that at this point it was a choice between going stylistically with the figure on the left or on the right, and as you know, the figure on the right was chosen. I however, am extremely interested in the fate of the figure on the left. I'd like to know if it still exists , and if it does, wither or not it could possibly be for sale. There are a number of items in my collection that I consider historically important to both the ninja turtle toy line, and to toys in general. That figure is one such piece. If it still exists, I would desperately like to add it to my collection so that it can be properly cared for, preserved, shared, and enjoyed along with other important pieces I have."

She said she forwarded the inquiry on to the marketing department to fidn out what happened tothe piece. I will keep you posted as the story unfolds. I just hope that poor thing didnt get melted down or disgarded :-(

Here's Hoping.

A Historic Edition!

Copied from my official release on the Technodrome:

My friends. Tonight I present to you the most monumental additions to my collection in the 20 years I've been a Ninja Turtle collector. Weeks ago I announced on my blog that I had secured some very special items, but I did not want to reveal them to you until I had them in hand. Well...today they arrived. Friends, I give you my most prized possessions:

This is an original urithane cast prototype of Pizzaface. He is hand painted, and features the Unreleased "shrunken head" head sculpt. The sculptor, Scott Hensey, has confirmed that this is the only existing example of this version of Pizzaface. Enjoy some pictures, and we will get to the next item.











The next item is even MORE exciting than the Pizzaface cast. This is the Original WAX SCULPT OF CASEY JONES. As if that weren't incredible enough, he also features the unreleased Maskless alternate head. This sculpt has also been confirmed by Scott Hensey as being the only one in the world.













Both of these figures came with certificates of authenticity signed by Scott Hensey. I am so overjoyed that I was able to acquire these figures, and that there is such a wonderful community that I can share this event with. Thank You all for reading!

New Protos

So most of what ends up on the tmnt25 twitter page is useless garbage...or...you know...pictures of me without my notification or permission . But occasionally they dredge up something good from the internets. I have to say, I am in love with this picture. If it is yours, let me know so I can A) Credit you, and B) order a print!

Ever see the Spawn cartoon on HBO?

I know I talk about it all the time..."They should totally make a cartoon based on volume 1 that is in the spirit of the old spawn cartoon!"

However, seeing as how a number of you have never seen it, I thought I'd post a video montage I found on youtube. ***CLIP MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR MINORS***

Click Me

"All in the same picture or it didn't happen!"

So Rose put me up to the challenge of displaying my entire vintage collection in one picture. While I still can't do one picture...I have relocated the entire vintage line into one location. I moved every single non-vintage item out of the kitchen (where I house the bulk of my collection) and moved all the vintage stuff from around the house into the kitchen. The relocation of so many non-vintage toys is going to be a huge pain in the butt (right now its all in a HUGE box)... but I think the finished display is worth it...










For a ton more pictures of individual shelves and such. Go here:
Click Me!

Newest Super Cool Find!

So this came in the mail today. It's the 1992 Playmates Catalog. Now you're probably saying, "Stephan! I have seen these catalogs many times before. What makes this one worthy of being called super cool?"


To which I say, check out the inside cover!



This particular catalog was purchased from Steve Murphy of Mirage studios, and at my pleading, he was kind enough to run around and gather john hancocks for me :-)

Complete Collection Photos

Ok you guys, this is it!

Click on the link, the years will be listed on the left side of the screen. Pick a year, and it will show you every figure and vehicle for that year. Other than by year, the photos are in no particular order.

Also, Ninja Newscaster April is not yet pictured. Mine has gone missing, and rather than spending all the time looking for her, I just ordered another one, which is already on its way.

You may also notice a few figures missing belts or figures that have breaks in them. These flaws were identified at the time of photography, and replacement figures have been ordered.

Enjoy!

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v247/JNCOPosterboy/The%20Collection/Complete%20Vintage%20Action%20Figure-Vehicle%20Collection/

I am TOTALLY Stealing This Guys Idea!

I will post whatever I come up with. If you want to buy this guys stuff, here is the link, but it is expensive: http://ryanmcelhinney.com/ryan2/toy_mirror2.html