• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Cool and Collected

Collecting pop culture toys, comics, and collectibles collections

June 28, 2010 By 7 Comments

A Collection a Day #31 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT

A Collection a Day #31 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT, originally uploaded by Cool and Collected.

If you are a child of the 80’s there’s a pretty good chance you had some of these green guys in your toy box. Some of us still have one or two, as you can see in the picture above. I’ve been wanting to do a picture like this for a while, and finally got motivated enough to haul out the boxes from the basement. I didn’t bother with all the vehicles, playsets, and villains for this photo, and left a bunch of other turtles in the dark, but you get the idea.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures were first released in 1988 by Playmates Toys. If you are starting a collection, look for the turtles and villains with soft rubber heads rather than hard plastic. Those are the very first figures that were released. Once they were deemed a success, Playmates started using the more expensive plastic for the heads.

TMNT merchandise has turned up everywhere from fast food meals to clothing to toys. Every few years it seems like the franchise gets a new life with the release of a new toy line, movie, or animated TV series, so the market for collecting TMNT merchandise keeps growing. My kids are starting to watch the cartoons and play with the toys, so it will be interesting to see how collectible these items may become.

Currently, you can buy the action figures in bulk on any given eBay day, but I also find them by the box load at yard sales. Expect to pay $1-3 per figure for the common ones, but maybe $5-10 for the rarer loose figures. Mint on card (MOC) figures can sell for $100+ dollars, but usually go for much less. Keep an eye out for the 1988 April O’Neill figure without any stripes on her pant legs, which is one of the rarest figures out there.

I have collected so many different things that I thought it would be fun to try and photograph a collection a day and see how far I can get.

Filed Under: Other

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Shane says

    January 1, 2011 at 2:23 pm

    If anybody can help me find the value of a TMNT original bean bag it is in mint condition. Or for all I know it might not have no value, if needed I can send pics of it. thanks

    Reply
  2. Shane says

    January 1, 2011 at 2:24 pm

    email is buckin_f@hotmail.com

    Reply
    • miguel says

      December 24, 2012 at 10:28 pm

      i have the same bean bag and in good condition if you find a price email me thanks

      Reply
  3. CHARLES MITH says

    March 20, 2013 at 3:43 pm

    I have over 50 turtle action figures from 1988 thru 1992 sealed unopen. I have over 115 turtle mint condition collection cards,,comic books,pop up storybook,digital watch,yo yo’s,turtle cycle side car,puzzle’s,talking tooth brush set,belts,folders,floating soap dish,bubble bath,floating float dish,coin bank,stickers,x-mas ornaments,Raphael sewer sports football,lunch box,towels,charter member card,offical fan club kit. many other items.mint never open. Need to sell.

    Reply
    • Rafael says

      June 1, 2013 at 3:13 am

      Very interested in most of this TMNT collection please email ASAP to discuss details. writer_unamuno[at]hotmail[dot]com

      Reply
    • mickey says

      May 1, 2015 at 9:24 pm

      Has this been sold?

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Tweets that mention A Collection a Day #31 – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT — Cool & Collected -- Topsy.com says:
    June 28, 2010 at 5:29 pm

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Matt Williams, Cool and Collected. Cool and Collected said: Today's collection: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! http://bit.ly/b0JG9X […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • “Did you say ‘Youts’?”
  • Marx Marvel Tricycles
  • Here there be dragons
  • Vintage Batman Toy Collection
  • Batman Pinbacks

About Cool & Collected

This site is devoted to us crazy few who go to great lengths to acquire items for our collection. Read more.

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Support this site:

If you enjoy reading articles on Cool & Collected, I would greatly appreciate you clicking on this eBay link before you do your shopping. I will get a few pennies from any purchase you make, but those pennies can add up. Thank you for your support!

Footer

Submit a Product for Review

Want to have your product(s) featured on Cool & Collected? This is how you can submit something for review.

Recent Posts

  • “Did you say ‘Youts’?”
  • Marx Marvel Tricycles
  • Here there be dragons
  • Vintage Batman Toy Collection
  • Batman Pinbacks
  • Monkeying Around
  • Current View
  • A drawer filled with Joes
  • It’s all good, man.
  • Feeling Green

Topics

  • Art and Photography
  • Books
  • Collections
  • Comic Books
  • Games
  • Other
  • Pop Culture League
  • Shows & Events
  • Toys
  • TV & Movies

Pages

  • About Cool & Collected
  • Blog
  • Contact Cool & Collected
  • Privacy Policy
  • Submit a Product for Review
  • Tips for starting (and enjoying) a collection

Copyright © 2025 Big Fish Design. All rights reserved.