10/6/08

WAL-MART MYSTERY SOLVED

As many of you may know I've been trying to get to the bottom of the TMNT disappearance across the country at Wal-Mart stores.
Well today official news was sent to me by a reliable source who knows someone who works at 4kids concerning this very topic.
If you thought my last bit of news concerning Playmates Toys was bad well you either better brace yourself or stop reading now.

"Things are not good in turtle land, sorry to report. But Wal-Mart has decided to drop TMNT from ALL its stores beginning in the Spring!"

So there you have it folks, what I suspected all along was true and now we have official conformation on the matter. And I have a sinking suspicion that this is only the first of the stores to do away with TMNT.
Could the turtles second ending be coming around the bend soon? This does not bode well for the 25th anniversary.

61 comments:

The S said...

Not as heartbreaking as I suspected, especially since I haven't set foot in a store since they were still producing pre-FF figures. Still, it's a bad sign of things to come....

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

Oye, this wangs chung, but I think I know exactly why Wal-mart isn't carrying them anymore. All the freaking Turtle variants that Playmates continues to produce (and nothing else...douche bags.) are freakin' peg warmers. Wal-mart is in the business of making money, and why keep a toy line around that only supplies endless variations on the same four flipping characters. Heck, maybe if more businesses follow Wally World's lead, Playmates may get it's act together and MAKE OTHER CHARACTERS!

The S said...

I've decided to use my newfound position as a man of God to pray for Playmates to take their heads out of their asses.

Vaughn Michael said...

I'd rather pray they just go under so the next time TMNT returns we won't have to deal with these pushy morons making shit toys.

roseangelo said...

Oh goodie. My wish for everything TMNT to go belly-up is one step closer to coming true.

Vaughn Michael said...

I don't want everything to go but I do see where you're coming from with that.
In a perfect world NECA would have the master toy license for TMNT.

roseangelo said...

You should have figured out by now what I've been saying since the deal was first announced: NECA is not the savior of TMNT toys.

It's Fall, so where are our Foot Soldiers and Shredder and April? Hmmm?

Vaughn Michael said...

Rose I'm quite aware of that I said in a perfect world in which we do not live in they would be.
Those figures are indeed on the way there is allot going on with them at the moment including issues with overseas customs.
My comic shop guy swear he saw them listed in this months issue of Previews, but I haven't gone back to check as I only buy tales of TMNT and the store is over and hour away.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

And just in time for the 25th Anniversary Shell-abration! Way to go Playmates! You're the best!

roseangelo said...

Mirage and Peppercom share equal blame for the disappointment that will be the 25th anniversary "Shell-abration."

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

Does anyone on the business end of TMNT care about the franchise or it's fans anymore?

roseangelo said...

Poor Jester is in denial. Me thinks you've known the answer to that question has been "No" for a very long time, but have been unwilling to accept it.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

Too true. Damn it Eastman, why did you leave....oh wait...he green lit NT:TNM. Never mind!

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...
This post has been removed by the author.
~ tOkKa said...

-->> ..thanks for the heads up , Vaughn.

i'll cross post on Mikes 4 ya.

>v<

roseangelo said...

Both Kevin and Peter greenlit NT:TNM together. Granted, Kevin was behind it much more than Peter ever was, but they both had to sign on the dotted line.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

True, but I didn't want to jump on the "If only Kevin was still at the reins" bandwagon.

roseangelo said...

Yeah, I'll agree that that tangent has been hashed more than enough. It didn't happen, it isn't gonna happen, no need to dwell on it. But it does annoy me that so many people assume that if Kevin were in charge it'd all be nothing but Bodycount. Your comment kinda came off similarly, except with NT:TNM in the place of Bodycount. I don't know what Kevin would or wouldn't give us, but all Peter gives us is dinosaurs, motorcycles, aliens, and robots, and I know I'm more than tired of that.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

They are Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I feel they will never be complete until they return to that, but like that's gonna happen.

roseangelo said...

Exactly.

Vaughn Michael said...

It's not going to until they both grow up and stop bitching back at forth at each other through interviews like they're x lovers or something.
It's getting out of hand, I mean seriously what's so horrible in this short ass life we live that they could hate each other that much.
Seriously they both need to grow a set and grow up.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

If you are reading this...Kevin, Pete, please, cut the "I'm right he's a douche." "NO! I'm right and He's a douche!" crap and just, for the sake of the fanbase and the freaking 25th anniversary let by-gones be by-gones and work together to make the TMNT awesome again, because we fans are seriously getting the shaft.

roseangelo said...

Of course that's what needs to happen. But it's never gonna happen. Ever. We need to get used to that truth.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

And that truth is nothing is going to change and the TMNT are going to fade away for another 10 years...:(

Vaughn Michael said...

Rose is right but there's nothing wrong at all with wishing.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

I wish I was back in 1990...

roseangelo said...

It's ok, Jester. The best thing that can happen for them right now is to disappear for 10 years or so.

~ tOkKa said...

-->> CHEER UP ALL OF YOU .. YOU SOUND WORSE THAN ME AFTER A SUICIDAL BINGE OF OVERDOSING ON XANAX AND DRINKING WARM 40 !!

!!

I HAVE RECENTLY ALLIED MYSELF WITH LOKI AND THE "NOI TAI DAR SHAW OF PREVENTATAIVE ANALS " I AND IAM O REPORT RECENT ISSUES OF NEGATIVITY AND SOUL SUCKING TO MY LOCAL DEMON WARD 2515.666 !! !!

NOW YOU DON'T WANT ME TO DO THAT.. !! SO STOP IT OR I'LL HAVE TO TAKE UP OMNIPOTENTISM WHICH IS THE PRACTICE OF DEVOURING ONLY SOULS IN YOUR DIET AND NOT SOYLENT GREEN !!
!!

>[+]


>v<

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

Sorry, Tokka but I've already bought the tight pants and t-shirts, gotten a bad hair cut that covers my left eye, and have begun cutting myself while listening to whiny music.

roseangelo said...

I've bought an entirely black wardrobe, with just a dash of pink to show that I still have a hint of a feminine side.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

Well...I bought a pony!


Beat that!

Vaughn Michael said...

I bought a Unicorn.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

Blast! Foiled again!

Wait...is that the last unicorn?

roseangelo said...

Dragon here.

Vaughn Michael said...

I bought a Fin Fang Foom here, ok I'm a liar I can't aford that sucker lol

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

Indeed that's what over $100 in action figures to build him? :P

~ tOkKa said...

-->> o god ponies are so f7cking hot ~~ **



.. o wait .. >v<

Vaughn Michael said...

Indeed Jester, I want a damn foom figure so bad, need to just come across some extra money lol
and Tokka um no.:P

The S said...

Am I the only one that would rather that the lone smart employee at Playmates stage a coup and overtake the repressive regime, than to just burn the village to the ground? I know most of you don't shive a git, but I don't want the Turtles to disappear again and have kids not know who they are for another 10 years....

roseangelo said...

What are you talking about? Playmates has no lone smart employees.

~ tOkKa said...

-->> .. ho boi

>v<

The S said...

I'd like to know how you found time to get to personally know every carbon-based lifeform employed at a toy company.

And by the way, I meant oppressive, not repressive. Stupid lack of sleep.

roseangelo said...

The only person at Playmates who gave a crap about the TMNT quit last year. His replacement brought us Music Turtles.

Kevin "Jester" McGill said...

*wonders if Playmates is hiring....I love the TMNT and Toys....:D

roseangelo said...

Well, I suppose if you enjoy having to find another job in the near future Playmates might be an ok place to spend a few months.

Christy said...

I'm new to this blog and like it a lot, but my journalistic instincts tell me to wait until a few more reputable sources pop up before mourning the loss of the current TMNT brand.

~ tOkKa said...

-->> .. .. good point , Christy.

The only thing is about Vaughn's report tho' as far as this posting.. :: is he got this news straight from the horse's mouth.


But you have a valid statement that i do think needs to be kept within' the perspective i believe which is starting to get lost.

>v<

Vaughn Michael said...

Christy,
Believe me when it comes to this I wouldn't lie about something like this.
Turtles means allot to me and this is the truth.
I'll have another report next week, sadly it's bad news again.
But I'll be posting some fun things as well so keep an eye out for some new Custom figures I'm working on.
Thanks for coming to my blog btw!

Hero_UK said...

TMNT have been dropping from stores everywhere in the UK. It's really bad over here.

Vaughn Michael said...

Not Good Hero!
Thanks for the heads up, I'll some more TMNT news soon and like I said a bunch of customs.
I'm also trying to figure out just when the hell the next NECA figures are coming out.

~ tOkKa said...

-->> ..seems like tho' people are caving in, going into the battle alone trying to figure out what the problem is, and giving up.


Ok, awsesome. >v<

Hero_UK said...

You are not giving up too are you Tokk?

~ tOkKa said...

-->> ..tryin ' to remain cautiously optimistic.

There is a difference between that and totally giving up.

I admit even this stance is incredibly difficult , especially the past few weeks.

The negative upturn i'm reading on these things issues are filled with such minimal ..

very, very, VERY minimal points of hope.

and see i say that and then i get accused of ::

" O ' Tokka, well we just love the TMNT so much yayayayaya.. and we love it more than anyone else in the whole wide world and that's why we are like this. "

.. coulda sworn we were all in this together despite our differences.

But no it's like ..people seem to think that it's total doom and gloom.

Nothing is up, my efforts are are just retarded cuz i'm crazy.

And well .. . - -

everyone seems like they wanna give up, and give up now ..


and yeh it is tempting for me to say, ok fine..


i'll do it to.

But .. no i haven't ' GIVEN UP ' .. but it ain't easy.

And it's getting harder.

>v<

Vaughn Michael said...

You say you're going into battle Dave but do you know exactly who you are going into battle against?

Is it the Fanbase or the out of touch leaders of corperations that are destroying your favorite brand.
Something to think about and chew on buddy.

roseangelo said...

Along the same lines, the concept of "giving up" really doesn't apply here. There is no actual battle being fought. But if you MUST insist on "doing something," I would say you should demand accountability from Gary Richardson and explanations from Peter Laird for why he let things get the way they are.

~ tOkKa said...

-->> .Little bit of all that, Trident Winter fresh.

..know a # of things i'm goin' to battle against.

A recent decision i'd made , fairly profound and prolonged this battle. A choice between solving all my problems and well : ' Sticiking it out. '

What i thought was a correct decision i am not having second thoughts.

And in the wind of making that decision there does seem a a relative darker tide within' the fan base and very foolish decisions on many HIGHER corp- levels.

Yep .


And Rose has an excellent point there.

>v<

Hero_UK said...

At the end of the day anything behind the curtain can happen and here's hoping somebody at Mirage grows a set and sorts something out for the better.

"Giving Up" does'nt have to apply to just a battle, but other stuff too. Tokk mate, I would'nt worry about other peoples enjoyment or lack of for TMNT and concentrate on yourself and what gets you jolly.

Rose, darlin. I hope to catch up with you soon. Hope the package got to you.

I must say, this has become the new Murphy blog since comments have been turned off. Fair play to Vaughn for all the work put in because it really shows.

I've been through worse crap during bad periods of Transformers fandom. After all I did work and co-organise one of the Botcons (Europe) :)

The S said...

Hey, I'm willing to knock some sense in ANYONE's head if it'll get a ball rolling to better things. I don't care if I've got to knock over fans or CEOs, I get what I want if I really want it.

Vaughn Michael said...

ok who's up for storming the castles of Mirage and playmates? haha

Hero_UK said...

You know I would be :D

The S said...

Let me finish polishing my weapons and I'm ready!