Boba Fett (Return of the Jedi Ver.) - Kotobukiya - ARTFX+ 1/10 Scale Vinyl Model Kit (2012)
Star Wars Collectible News, Photos, and Reviews

Teenage Mutant Ninja.... Star Wars?

A few hours ago Geeks_Antiques posted some fascinating concept sketches of Playmates Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Star Wars action figures on Instagram. This was used in a pitch by Playmates in order to get a license from Lucasfilm. Playmates never got the license, but it’s fascinating to see what Playmates came up with back then. So click through for some Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Wars!

Teenage Ninja Mutant Star Wars Concept Art

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Star Wars Concept Art

While I think that having Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Star Wars action figures is kind of a wacky idea, it’s also fun. Playmates put a lot of thought behind their pitch back then and some of the figures come with a few short notes that explain what you see. So here is the concept art for the action figures.

Let’s begin with Darth “Shredder” Vader:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Wars Concept Art

Darth “Shredder” Vader (click for full version)

He even comes with his own asthma spray! How thoughtful!

Next up is Luke (Leonardo?) Skywalker and R2-D2:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Wars Concept Art

Luke “Leonardo” Skywalker and R-2D2 (click for full version)

So the lightsaber blade looks like “pizza”… makes sense! Don’t overlook that Yoda on the back! The bandana suggests it might be “Donatello” Yoda.

And apparently some hero characters had patches with the names of people they like (or love?) on their sleeves.

Here’s a slightly different version of that concept, “Luke” in his Bespin fatigues, instead of the X-Wing flight suit. The lightsaber looks normal now, maybe Lucasfilm didn’t like pizza sabers or Playmates decided to offer different versions of the saber:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Wars Concept Art

Luke “Leonardo” Skywalker and R 2-D2 (click for full version)

And then there’s Leia “April” Organa…

Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Wars Concept Art

Leia “April” Organa (click for full version)

“April” Leia has a Han patch on her sleeve, poor “Leonardo” Luke!

The final concept shown is Chewie and C-3PO from Empire Strikes Back!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Wars Concept Art

“Michelangelo” Chewbacca and “Donatello” C-3PO (click for full version)

Chewie comes with his own snacks! Also, combs are very important to keep the fur tidy! But “galactic flea powder”???

Here’s a somewhat better version without the notes:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Wars Concept Art

“Michelangelo” Chewbacca and “Donatello” C-3PO (click for full version)

And while the idea is maybe a bit wacky, I think the figures could have been fun. But it’s also apparent why Lucasfilm maybe had little interest in Turtle Wars figures, they are very far removed from the original characters.

And while Playmates didn’t get the Star Wars license, they did make Star Trek versions of their Ninja Turtles, but with much fewer details than the Star Wars versions would have had:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Star Trek Figures

Beam me up again!

Do you think a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Star Wars line today could be a success? I suppose there are still plenty of adult Ninja Turtle collectors out there. The question is if Star Wars collectors would be interested in them? Would you have bought the figures back then? Would you buy such a line now?

You can find the original post with the concept art on Instagram in a post by user geeks_antique.

Related Links

-Click HERE to return to the home page-

Channels

 

Follow Us

JTA Info

Affiliates

Hasbro

Gentle Giant

Sideshow Collectibles

Hot Toys

LEGO

Mattel

Disney

Disney Store

Acme Archives

Hallmark

Trading Cards

Store Reports

Research Droids Reviews

Visual Guides

Books & Novels

Convention News

Movie & TV News

Rants & Raves

Special Reports

       Facebook

       Instagram

       Pinterest

       Youtube

       RSS

Home

Contact

News Archives

Site Search

Image Use Policy

Disclosure Policy

Privacy Policy

RDR Index

Visual Guide Index

Bantha Skull

Collector's Cantina

Jedi News

Star Wars Figuren

Star Wars New Zealand

Star Wars is a Copyright and Trademark of LucasFilm LTD. This site is intended for informational purposes only, and is not in anyway associated with LFL. All Visual Guides, images, and content are the property of JediTempleArchives.com, © 2004-2019 and may not be reused without permission. Please do not direct link to any of the content on this web site.