Recommended music: Tomoyoshi – Cowabunga
It’s #TurtleTuesday, and we’re coming out of our shells to bring you another NECA Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael!
Today, I am reviewing the Musical Mutagen Tour version of Raphael, which is based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ‘Coming Out Of Their Shells’ studio album and concert tour. The tour was held across the United States from 1990 to 1991 and internationally in 1992. This period represents a significant transition in the franchise, shifting from the darker tone of the comics and the first live-action film to a more camp and lighthearted style that characterised Turtles stories for the following two decades.
NECA Toys was unable to secure the rights to the original name. Nevertheless, the current moniker is effective for this San Diego Comic-Con exclusive set and appears to reference The Beatles’ ‘Magical Mystery Tour’ album.
This Raphael figure is outfitted with a denim jacket, knee pads, and leg warmers. The set includes a new pizza accessory and four additional sets of hands, allowing the turtles to hold their instruments or pizza with greater ease. The musical accessories consist of a saxophone and a star-shaped guitar.
While I did not have the chance to see the tour in person or own this VHS as a kid, I definitely had the album on cassette because it was available at the tour’s main sponsor, Pizza Hut. This version of the turtles also features jaw articulation, so they can really belt out the tunes. I’m not sure this feature was entirely necessary, since the mouths of the concert masks didn’t open quite that well. 😛
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