Playmates' final TMNT run goes out with a retro crossover

Playmates Toys is marking its 60th anniversary even as its long run with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles draws to a close. The company, which financed the first season of the original 1987 cartoon and has been part of every major iteration since, lost the TMNT license after nearly 40 years; it runs out on Dec.

31, 2026 and shifts to Mattel. Before the license ends, Playmates is planning a slate of releases that lean into nostalgia. The standout is a TMNT x G.I. Joe crossover produced with Hasbro, an obvious fit given both properties’ 1980s roots. As Playmates’ VP of boys marketing Pat Linden put it, "The figures have more of a Turtle-vibe to them, but the vehicles have more of a GI Joe vibe to them, but they have Turtle elements incorporated into them.

For instance, with the copter, we've added the Turtle shell texture to it." Other releases include a reissue of the 1991 Turtle Tank and a four-pack of classic Turtles in military gear, which brings back the 1988 Turtle Trooper parachute.

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