Some three decades after my first go-around with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, it’s once again ‘cowabunga time’ as my girls (and our cat) recently discovered, and have fallen in love with, the hard shelled pranksters Leonardo and Michelangelo, Donny and Raph.
My memory, while still holding down the fort at age 37, isn’t 100% perfect, but to my eyes the new TMNT figures are pretty much exact replicas of the toys I had as a young lad. That’s a rarity in toys (see: Strawberry Shortcake.) The Pop-Up Pizza Anchovy Alley Playset
*Note: No pudgy orange tabby cats were injured during the making of this Vine video.
The packaging and storage of the play set is beyond fantastic. The whole thing, from the outside, looks like a pizza box and springs open to this multi-level play area with trap doors, spring-hinged light poles, and stickers to decorate the inside and out of the pizza shop. This $20 set (which really should come with at least one figure) was one of my favorite toys on display at this Spring’s Time To Play showcase in NYC and in real life, when played with by little hands, is even better than I imagined.
After opening the pop-up pizza play set, and their Leo and Mikey figures, my daughters immediately incorporated the turtles into Bear & Mouse’s mashup PlayTown. The boys mingles nicely with LEGO Friends, rode on the backs of some Pony Royale ponies, looked up to a pair of very tall (in relative terms) Barbies, posed for photos in the hallway, and were tucked into bed alongside my 9-year-old daughter. It’s been a whirlwind for the pizza loving ninjas.
Thanks to licensing deals made with LEGO and others, there are a number of diverse ways to interact with the Turtles in 2013. So no matter what your kiddo likes (action figures, board games, cosplay, FUNKO Pop collectibles, construction building sets) there is a TMNT toy for them.
One of the pleasures of being a dad thus far has been sharing some of what made me tick as a young child with my young children. I’ll put them in front of TV shows like Fragile Rock, let them listen to Sinatra and Nat King Cole (the music my father played for me), and play with some of the toy brands that inspired my youthful imagination. Having the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in my life again is allowing me to extend their childhood, and my own. And allowing us to bond over a mutually adored set of characters, and to say “dude” 450% more than usual.
***Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle LEGO Set Giveaway***
Love TMNT? Love LEGO? Then this giveaway for a LEGO Ninja Turtles Stealth Shell in Pursuit 79102
*OWTK received samples of all the TMNT toys mentioned above for review consideration. The opinions express above are honest and unbiased, as always.
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