Sunday, December 20, 2020

Completed Set: 1989-90 Topps Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Series 1

Have you ever wondered why some story ideas turn into smash hits while others don't? 

The story itself has to be a good one, of course. But there must be other factors, too, like having a connection in the industry, or presenting the idea to the right person when they're having a good day. And part of it might simply be a matter of timing. (Who knows if that same story idea would have taken off had it launched a year earlier, or a year later?)

Oh. And a catchy theme song helps.





So can a good-looking line of toys, and an arcade cabinet that has four joysticks, one for each turtle, so you and three of your friends can fight Shredder and his goons together.

And if you're a card collector, a set of trading cards might seal the deal.





I was a middle-schooler when the Turtles took off, so I was just a little too old to really be swept up by the phenomenon. But it sure was a phenomenon. 

For those around my age, it's safe to say it was the biggest thing since The Transformers. If you're from previous generations, I can imagine it was as big as Jonny Quest, Speed Racer, or the Super Friends. And for those of you a little younger, think Dragonball Z or Power Rangers.





So why did I, a kid who wasn't really into the Turtles, decide to put this set together after all this time? As is often the case, it stems from a moment of nostalgia. A few months ago I found some of these cards in an old box, and they brought back the following memory.

One weekend during that era of turtle-mania, dad and I went to a trading card show at a big banquet hall/catering hall called Leonard's. We started to browse around the many, many tables together, and soon realized it would be a long journey.





So, we devised a plan to split up in order to cover more ground, agreeing to meet back up at a designated location an hour later in order to share our findings. Looking back now, maybe we should have fueled up with some pizza first thing that morning.




I arrived at the meeting spot first, and waited for dad. Just a few minutes later I saw him walking toward me with a big grin on his face. He reached into a bag and pulled out a sealed wax box of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles trading cards he'd purchased for less than 10 dollars. 48 packs of Turtle Power for such a small price? This was our kinda card show.




I think we put together more than one complete set from those packs. I gave one of them to my younger brother, who was just a toddler at the time. Fast-forward about 30 years and he's still got it, but I couldn't tell you where the other set went. So, I thought it would be fun to put one together to replace it.

Thankfully, one of the nice things about oddball sets from the time is that quantities are plentiful, so you have a good chance of finding a trading partner who'd be more than happy to send you a stack (to help get rid of some of their clutter, if for no other reason). And so after just a few trades, I've got the whole set again. You could say I'm savoring it.





The illustrations on these cards are taken directly from the animated show that got its official start in October of 1988. There are 88 cards in series 1, and each card advances the story of the Turtles. 




Good points scored for the design here. Note the turtle-inspired borders on the front, and how the card number on the bottom left (inside a turtle shell) ties into that theme. The text box across the bottom—white letters on a red background—stands out nicely.

I also like how the back of the card provides a detailed description of what you're seeing on the front. 






There's also some good action captured in this set. 




As well as some clear shots of the major players.




In each wax pack you'd get 5 cards, 1 sticker, and 1 stick of bubble gum. There are 11 different stickers. Here's an example.




Flip over the stickers and you'll find a puzzle piece. Put 'em together, and this image will be revealed.




And there you have it. 88 cards and 11 stickers, for a total of 99 pieces of cowabunga goodness. (That's the perfect number to fill some 9-pocket pages, by the way.)

This is by far the goofiest set of cards I've ever completed, but for the dose of nostalgia it was completely worth it.

Were any of you readers swept up in Turtle-mania back then? Did you have a favorite character? 

Share some stories in the comment section, and thanks for reading.

 

GIVEAWAY REMINDER: The Nine Pockets two-year giveaway is next Sunday. Tune in and choose a prize!

16 comments:

  1. I was right at the right age for them and most of my 1989 was spent playing with turtles. I turned 5 in October of that year. Then in November 1990 my brother introduced me to GI Joe and I don't think I ever touched the Turtles again.
    I do have the factory set Topps issued of series 1 and about half of the pack issued cards. I only ever got one or two packs of series 2, with the black border.

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    1. Thanks for sharing that story, Billy! G.I. Joe was another phenomenon, for sure. I can understand how that franchise surpassed the Turtles for you.

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  2. I didn't think I watched a lot of the cartoons... but I know the words to their theme song, so I must have. The set itself features a solid design... and I grabbed one for my collection a few years ago. As for my favorite character... I like Leonardo. It has nothing to do with his personality. I just like blue and swords.

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    1. Right? That theme song has got to be one of the tops of the '80s. Good choice of favorite Turtle, too. I was partial to Donatello, because he seemed the most philosophical. And he fought with only a bo staff, which was the least "weapony" of the weapons the Turtles used. Got to be a tough Turtle to choose that one.

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  3. I was a big TMNT fan back in the day - had the video game, action figures, and a t-shirt or two. And I completely forgot about these cards until a few months ago when I cleaned out my mom's crawl space and found some. Seeing a big chunk of the set here brings back great memories. Turtle power! :D

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    1. Glad this post brought back some great memories for you, Chris! Turtle Power, indeed.

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  4. I have a bunch of these somewhere. If it's only 88 cards I should see if I have a full set. I loved the cartoons back around 1989/1990 or so.

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    1. It was pretty easy to enjoy the cartoon, wasn't it? If you check your cards and don't have the full set, let me know. I might be able to help you out.

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  5. Never saw a single episode. I understand the nostalgia factor though. I've been picking up tv and movie cards for the 70s binder.

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    1. Big nostalgia factor for sure, Julie. Maybe you'll post some of your '70s TV and movie card acquisitions on your blog? Topps and Donruss sure produced a lot of them back then.

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  6. I wasn’t a huge fan as I was way more into GIJoe and Nintendo, but played the heck out of the video game for sure. So cool, and so inexpensive to relive some great memories! Awesome post.

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    1. Right? I think that's the best part. The cards were so easy to acquire and were affordable (unlike those original Pokémon cards, for example). Also, chalk up another point for G.I. Joe nostalgia.

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  7. Like you I was just a bit too old for TMNT (turned 12 in 1988 when it debuted, just after I had stopped playing with toys) so I never collected the cards or had any of the toys, but I do remember watching the cartoon sometimes.

    That is a really cool story about your dad finding that box at the show, then you sharing them with your little brother.

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the story, Sean! Maybe my brother and I will watch an episode of the Turtles one of these days, just for fun.

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  8. I was the prime age for TMNT fandom, and probably contributed to a number of the shareholders retirement funds over at Playmates, as I had quite a few of the toys, as well as other TMNT related paraphernalia.

    And I hate to be that guy, but do have to mention that Jonny Quest wasn't anywhere near the cash cow that some of the properties that you mentioned were. It wasn't even the most popular cartoon on at the time of it's original run, hence it's only being on for one season.

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    1. Hopefully you've still got some of those toys, Jon! Even if not, I hope this post brought back a lot of good memories for you.

      And you're right about Jonny Quest. I guess in my mind the show should have been as successful as all the others. You can check off all the boxes: Action, adventure, good characters, fantastic theme song. I wonder why the show didn't reach higher ground.

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