Last but not least, we have to talk about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles toys. You can’t celebrate the impact of this franchise without talking about the action figures from it. There were hardly any warm-blooded American children without at least a few of the TMNT toys. It wasn’t hard to come by them, they were everywhere. And there were so many to choose from! One of the most brilliant things about the toys was how many different characters there were. Playmates Toys, the company behind this phenomenon, released a slew of different toys, meaning that no child could ever rest, they always wanted more. And the workmanship on each figure was cutting edge for the time. The toys had multiple points of articulation and accessories as well. Then there were the countless bad guys, the vehicles, the play sets, the alternative versions of each character…you can see just how much variety there truly was. Parents were shilling out dollar after dollar for these bad boys and kids couldn’t get enough. I remember having backpacks filled solely with TMNT toys and I still had only touched the tip of the iceberg.

Playmates knew exactly what they were doing and it’ll come as no surprise to know that they were the company that kickstarted the cartoon series listed above. They knew that they had a hit on their hands but they wanted a TV show to really sell the property to children. And, boy, did it work. Once the series hit, the toys became a sellout sensation and would be a massive smash for years. TMNT toys are still made to this day but nothing will come close to these early model action figures. They were the cream of the crop when it came to toys and every child in America couldn’t wait to get their grubby little mitts on more of them.