The crew at Playmates Toys is rolling into the North American International Toy Fair with an expanded portfolio this year, moving well-beyond the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles offerings that they're known for, and into the realm of DreamWorks Television Animation's Voltron Legendary Defender and Cartoon Network's refreshed Ben 10, Look for photos and details soon, but check out an initial overview of what will be shown at the Playmates Toys booth, #2469, at Toy Fair from February 18-21, 2017.

Last year, one big story out of New York Toy Fair was that for the very first time, Playmobil would be issuing toys based on famous pop culture licenses. Promised to debut in 2017, this was exciting news on its own, but another component of the launch was revealed to be a collaboration with Funko on some larger figures presented in 6" scale. Today, Funko x Playmobil is a reality, and the first wave of 6" collectible figures is available for pre-order through my ally, Entertainment Earth! The first twelve figures are spread over five pop culture licenses including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Back to the Future, Ghostbusters, Doctor Who and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory... and one of them is an Entertainment Earth Exclusive TMNT Black and White Raphael!

After being so into the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles myself back when the original cartoon series aired in the late 80s, and the subsequent movies hit screens, I'm regularly reminded at how awesome it is to have two little girls that are so into Ninja Turtles nearly 30 years later. The TMNT resurgence shows no signs of stopping, with the hit animated series on Nickelodeon bringing new adventure on a regular basis, and Paramount Pictures' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows keeping the live-action adventure alive. Since the beginning, the folks at Playmates Toys have been releasing a fantastic assortment of action figures, vehicles, and playsets, and at the pinnacle of each collection has been the Ninja Turtles Sewer Lair. Like their go-to vehicle (whether it be a Party Wagon, Shellraiser or the recent "Turtle Tactical Truck"), their home base has gone through many evolutions, the latest of which is a reworked version of their Sewer Lair Playset, this one themed for Out of the Shadows. 

When it comes to play kitchens, The Step2 Company has been the go-to source for fun and innovated models for years. This year they upped the game, releasing the modern Grand Luxe Kitchen to the assortment, but they've also done something completely different... and it's inspired by the sewers of New York City. The TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Pizza Kitchen is the kind of pizzeria that Michelangelo, Leonardo, Donatello and Raphael would consider totally rad! There's a pizza oven, a "pop" (or "soda," depending on where you live) machine, electronic stove top burner, mini-fridge and more - along with all the accessories a kid could possibly need to serve up some TMNT-style pie. As a featured pick in my 2016 Holiday Wish Guide here on THE ROCK FATHER Magazine, I've teamed up with my friends at Step2 to give you a shot at winning one!

After being unveiled at New York Comic-Con last month, the first-ever collaboration between WWE and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles has hit the streets! The TMNT Ninja Superstars line of action figures from Playmates Toys is available exclusively at Walmart as of this week, a wave of four figures that feature Mikey, Leo, Raph and Donnie decked-out in full ring garb in tribute to their favorite WWE Superstars.

Part of #TMNTweek 2016 on THE ROCK FATHER Magazine! Check out TheRockFather.com/TMNT for more.

When you think of the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, certain elements tend to stand out more than others, and one of those things is Pizza! Ask any kid to tell you what a Ninja Turtle eats, and it's pretty much guaranteed that they'll only be able to give you one answer. Over the years, there have been many cross-promotional TMNT pizza tie-ins, with a Domino's driver appearing in the 1990 film, a mention of Pizza Hut in the 2014 film, and even frozen pizzas sold on the East Coast by Ellio's that were TMNT-branded. First-released last fall as a tie-in for the hit Nickelodeon TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES series, Wicked Cool Toys' Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pizza Oven lets kids made their own, personal, snack-sized pizzas pretty-much from scratch!