Ninja Turtle Action Figures, and G.I. Joe action figures were the staple of my generation. Sure there were Legos and Cabbage Patch Dolls. The real debate was over which was the better action figure, Ninja Turtles or the ever-popular G.I. Joes?
The secret lies in the plastic. Where Ninja Turtles were made of a pliable, softer plastic that could bend and move in many a ninja way, the G.I. Joe was a harder, tougher, more rugged and road worthy plastic. Not to base a judgment on the icons purely by their genetic makeup; however, there certainly was a place for both of the action figures in separate age groupings.
Since G.I. Joe was obviously first out, everyone got his at an earlier age. Thats good because the tough, rough, edge of the G.I. Joe was just what any 3 or 4 year old boy needed. No matter how many times it was stepped on, sat on, or yes sadly, even flushed down the toilet, the G.I. Joe would take the beating and come back ready to fight again.
Unfortunately the Ninja Turtle wasnt that rough, Leonardos arms would snap off, sometimes to the amusement of cruel little boys, and Michelangelos head could spin off, or worse, crack off, but thats all because the Ninja wasnt for the young and weak of heart, they were for the more civilized, and intelligent 5 to 6 year olds.
Passing judgment on a figurine based primarily on aesthetics is superficial, and very shallow; this essay chooses to outline the important things when it comes to the real action figure, the Implements Of Destruction.
Now people tend to assume that G.I. Joe figures are the more evolved, and better equipped of the two, with their flashy guns and light up backpacks. But did anyone ever really play with the weenie guns that they gave you? No, people really wanted the vehicles and the jets to put them in, why? The answer is that G.I. Joe was just ill equipped when it came to that specific figurines arsenal. The cruddy, fake, bendy plastic just couldnt strike fear into the heart of any Cobra (the G.I. Joes enemy) no matter how good your sputtering, plibbing, or ka-boom sounds were.
Naturally, the Ninja Turtles very cool swords, si, boe, or nun chuck, were just possibly the coolest thing around. Dont deny it, you know you even tried to put them in the hands of the G.I. Joe, but those little munchkin hands just couldnt handle the massive power exhorting from the Ninja weaponry. Every true little ninja out there was screaming high ya waa at the top of their lungs in the back yard.
Now since the Ninja Turtle was a late arrival in the action figure scene, people already had the figurines from Shiva, and He-man, and even the Votron mighty suit, which, sorry Power Rangers, you ripped off. So the ninjas had to make a big splash in the sea of action figures, and the situation was perfect for the insurrection of the green machine.
As a kindergartener a generation inherited the G.I. Joe, from their brothers, cousins, and cool, older friends. Thats the problem though, when any good action figure enthusiast gets the hand-me-down, theres always the scratch, the dent, and yes, even the missing jetpack.
In revolt, that same group of children cried out, we need a hero! Someone that we can all look up too, for teamwork, companionship, and yes even dudicle, tubular awesomeness. The generation needed a theme song, and once those words shot across Saturday morning television When the evil shredder attacks, those turtle boys, dont cut em no slack. The people cried out, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
However No-one will ever down play the absolute awesomeness of the G.I. Joe cartoon, with its huge explosions and immense battle scenes, real men running into what maybe their last day on the battlefield, with courage, might and relentless power.
But that was the magic of the action figure, nothing ever died. It always came back after you picked it out of the Tupper Ware bucket, and it always wanted to play no matter how gruesome your fight scene. Even falling off the couch, the plastic wonder would keep on trucking. Thats something I believe the new generations have lost forever with their virtual death boxes, that sense of innocence and fun.
Never in this paper will there be a judgment made on which plastic icon is better, however I do have say that I did in fact have the Ninja Turtle bed sheets, towels, beach towel and even sweat suit. Thats not to say that people didnt have the G.I. Joe wallpaper and backpacks, but I admit, I am partial to ninjas.
The secret lies in the plastic. Where Ninja Turtles were made of a pliable, softer plastic that could bend and move in many a ninja way, the G.I. Joe was a harder, tougher, more rugged and road worthy plastic. Not to base a judgment on the icons purely by their genetic makeup; however, there certainly was a place for both of the action figures in separate age groupings.
Since G.I. Joe was obviously first out, everyone got his at an earlier age. Thats good because the tough, rough, edge of the G.I. Joe was just what any 3 or 4 year old boy needed. No matter how many times it was stepped on, sat on, or yes sadly, even flushed down the toilet, the G.I. Joe would take the beating and come back ready to fight again.
Unfortunately the Ninja Turtle wasnt that rough, Leonardos arms would snap off, sometimes to the amusement of cruel little boys, and Michelangelos head could spin off, or worse, crack off, but thats all because the Ninja wasnt for the young and weak of heart, they were for the more civilized, and intelligent 5 to 6 year olds.
Passing judgment on a figurine based primarily on aesthetics is superficial, and very shallow; this essay chooses to outline the important things when it comes to the real action figure, the Implements Of Destruction.
Now people tend to assume that G.I. Joe figures are the more evolved, and better equipped of the two, with their flashy guns and light up backpacks. But did anyone ever really play with the weenie guns that they gave you? No, people really wanted the vehicles and the jets to put them in, why? The answer is that G.I. Joe was just ill equipped when it came to that specific figurines arsenal. The cruddy, fake, bendy plastic just couldnt strike fear into the heart of any Cobra (the G.I. Joes enemy) no matter how good your sputtering, plibbing, or ka-boom sounds were.
Naturally, the Ninja Turtles very cool swords, si, boe, or nun chuck, were just possibly the coolest thing around. Dont deny it, you know you even tried to put them in the hands of the G.I. Joe, but those little munchkin hands just couldnt handle the massive power exhorting from the Ninja weaponry. Every true little ninja out there was screaming high ya waa at the top of their lungs in the back yard.
Now since the Ninja Turtle was a late arrival in the action figure scene, people already had the figurines from Shiva, and He-man, and even the Votron mighty suit, which, sorry Power Rangers, you ripped off. So the ninjas had to make a big splash in the sea of action figures, and the situation was perfect for the insurrection of the green machine.
As a kindergartener a generation inherited the G.I. Joe, from their brothers, cousins, and cool, older friends. Thats the problem though, when any good action figure enthusiast gets the hand-me-down, theres always the scratch, the dent, and yes, even the missing jetpack.
In revolt, that same group of children cried out, we need a hero! Someone that we can all look up too, for teamwork, companionship, and yes even dudicle, tubular awesomeness. The generation needed a theme song, and once those words shot across Saturday morning television When the evil shredder attacks, those turtle boys, dont cut em no slack. The people cried out, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
However No-one will ever down play the absolute awesomeness of the G.I. Joe cartoon, with its huge explosions and immense battle scenes, real men running into what maybe their last day on the battlefield, with courage, might and relentless power.
But that was the magic of the action figure, nothing ever died. It always came back after you picked it out of the Tupper Ware bucket, and it always wanted to play no matter how gruesome your fight scene. Even falling off the couch, the plastic wonder would keep on trucking. Thats something I believe the new generations have lost forever with their virtual death boxes, that sense of innocence and fun.
Never in this paper will there be a judgment made on which plastic icon is better, however I do have say that I did in fact have the Ninja Turtle bed sheets, towels, beach towel and even sweat suit. Thats not to say that people didnt have the G.I. Joe wallpaper and backpacks, but I admit, I am partial to ninjas.