Your first TMNT toy acquisition...

[Hero]

Here's mine.... Share your stories

My first TMNT haul came around the build up to Christmas 1990. TMNT or should I say TMHT was released in the UK and the series (despite the watering down) was a huge hit. TMHT figures sold out bone dry over the summer and the shelves were bare in stores everywhere.

Christmas was vastly approaching and everyone just had to have the TMHT toys. Toys R Us was the main shopping chain getting in deliveries of the figures but only 3 figures were rashioned per customer.

So for the next few Saturday mornings my mum made sure we were up bright and early so we could get to Toys R Us long before opening time. The reason being was that every Saturday morning up until Christmas there had been queues of people waiting for ages for Toys R Us to open its doors (much like the queue of people waiting to get a Wii or a PS3) and be the first to acquire some TMNT figures.

There would be a desk as you enter the store with 2 boxes worth of toys straight from Bandai. A member of staff and two others would be at the desk to make sure the figures were rashioned out between the hungry customers.

The first couple of attempts, my mum and I were not even shortchanged. All the rashioned figures were bought and given homes. One week I unexpectedly got lucky when one of the boxes on the floor was not being attended to. I managed to grab myself a Rocksteady, a Foot Soldier and Splinter.

This was a hard mission considering my kid sister was ahold of my right hand tugging away like a dog on a leash. She wanted to look at icky girls stuff and was being impatient. After that, the saturday morning hunts had stopped but I managed to get a set of the Turtles on Christmas morning.

I still have my original haul today. I really owe a lot of thanks to my mum who gave up her Saturday morning sleep-ins so I could have some figures of the characters I loved.

===HERO

[TurtleTitanMusician]

It was on my birthday (1998) over in Dallas.  I went to check out Kay-Bee Toys to see what they had.  I was very lucky to find Ninja Turtles; The Next Mutation figures for 1/2 price (after the show was yanked).  I got Raph & Mikey, but failed to find the motorcycle Raph drove on NT;TNM

[Mr._Mutant_Man]

It was one of the original Leonardos back in the 80's. All of my action figures have since been lost to the ages. However, a couple of years ago I did go to a Dave and Busters and win all five of the TMNT figurine pens (the four turtles and Shredder). I ended up pulling the pens out of them and sticking the figurines on the opposite ends of the stands. I'll admit to being tempted to get an April O'Neil to go with them.  But that might lead to yet another collecting habit.

[Michaelangelo]

The first time I got any TMNT toys was on Christmas 1989.  I became a fan just a few months earlier, as did my brother.  So my mom got both of us the full set of TMNT toys that was out at the time, and so much more.  It was also when I got my Michaelangelo and Donatello plushies, bed sheets, Turtle Van and a handful of other items.

Being so many years ago I don't remember a lot more details than that.  Though we do video tape all of our christmas (they started the year I was born since my dad got his first video camera that year... now ya know where I get my habit of video taping everything from ).  So I do have the video somewhere around here of when I got my first TMNT toys.

[Raphael]

1987/88 - the Dark Horse miniatures, which I got while on vacation visiting my brother & his wife. My bro painted the figures for me.

After that would be the first line of action figures, then the suction cup plushies.

[mrpliggins]

christmas eve 1988- I got the Foot Soldier and Knucklehead. The next day, I got 3 of the four Turtles.

[TMNTerminator]

Hey guys...first post here, but frequent poster over on the Drome...

Thought I'd branch out a bit 

Anyways, my first toy was Breakfightin Raph back in '89. I instantly fell in love and shortly after, the rest of the turtles arrived, along with Ace Duck...

The crazy thing is that Breakfightin Raph still works! (though a bit slow)

[Canadian Turtle]

This is what it is all about for me!! I love the memories of those days.

My first TMNT toy I believe was an original Don. It was not to long before my 5th birth day and I was just dying for a TMNT toy so I sat down on my living floor with my dad and he helped me count out change from this big old piggy bank. I remember this pattern he was teaching me in lining up the change in rows to count them out and then rolling them up. So I took my coin rolls up the street in my small town to the Home Hardware which had this great toy section and grabbed my first figure.

Soon after I was taken over to play in the sandbox at my neighbors and brought my TMNT with me which my mom had lovingly initialed the bottom of it's foot so I would come home with mine. Then at my birthday I got TMNT figures from everyone. So then after that was known as the turtle party and the action figure box no matter what went in to it was known as the turtle box.

I still have every turtle I ever had as a kid as well as almost all the other ones that I never had as a kid. My originals from that time are so beat up and well played with that all their arms are screwed in with wood screws or melted bake on with wood burners. Even though they have no collection value, they mean to much to me to ever part with. They will remain proudly on display along side the MOC's and mint condition ones.

[Calypso]

Majority of the TMNT toys or other I wound up getting were gifts.  I still have the Original Cartoon Mikey, Leo and Don - sadly I think Raph got stolen a few years ago.  Plus I have lose the weapons over the years.  I still have everything of the NT:TNM that I received for Christmas back in 1999 - only because Venus, Mikey, Raph, Leo and Don are all still in their packaging.

The other Turtle that was given to me as a gift was an 18th bday pressie from an old friend.  He gave me Mikey and he is still in his package and then there is a plush Raphael and Leonardo that another friend gave - she found them in an old op-shop.  The other TMNT toys I got for myself was a FF series Mikey - still in his package, a large Leonardo plush - I found him during my sisters' school fete and I just had to get him - even if he was missing his bandanna.  The last toy I got, which is really my first TMNT toy, was a Michaelangelo plushie.

It was plain pure luck that I got him.  I was at a Townsville Show and I saw TMNT plush toys in one of the stalls, I was around seven years of age.  Since mum wouldn't let me get a TMNT show bag, I asked if I could have a plush instead.  Mum and Dad both allowed it and we went to see who was available.  I asked if Mikey was there, as I didn't see orange.  There wasn't any, so the man said he'd look out back, just to be sure.  So mum and dad told me to pick another, just in case I couldn't get Mikey.  I was going to get Donny, when the man came out with this smile on his face and holding a Mikey plush.  He said it was the VERY last one in stock.  So naturally, lucky me got Mikey and he still sits on my bed to this very day - even if he is a bit worn for wear and almost falling apart, lol.

[Shredneck]

Summer of 1988, Mom took me to the toy store for my birthday and I got Michaelangelo.  I had wanted a Turtle for a while and was already familiar with them from the TV show.

[Hero]

Seems like a year I started this thread.  I am glad to see it still going

===HERO

[Gobbledygook]

My first figure was probably bought around 1989 1990 and it was the original Leonardo.  Then later my mom bought me some more every here and there when I was good.  I remember being so Jones'd when the Giant TMNT figures came out.  I wanted them soooo bad.  My parents took me to KB's too, and we were going through some financial trouble so I could only have one.  So I picked my favorite, Raphael.  Then later when the toon turtle figures came out my mom bought me the entire set, and I was sooo happy.  I played with those all day and night at my Grandma's house.  I even had Vernon, Erma, April (which was mistaken for a barbie a lot) and Mr. Burne.  Haha.  I was able reenact a channel 6 news broadcast and then have shredder crash and the Turtles save it.

[Buslady]

I'm not sure but I think way back in the olden days the first tmnt I bought was....okay do I have to even really say? LOL!

But Im pretty sure he was the first one since he was (is) my number one the others came later. what i do regret, i had to get rid of a ton of junk..i gave some kids most of my stuff. mom kicked me out and had my stuff in a storage shed, I had to pack as much crap in my vw bus as i could, i figured I'll just buy new ones. yeah right...tmnt was flying thru the roof by the time i went to find more