Playmates Toys has a lot of product coming to market this year, but it does feel a bit like a time machine.
At Toy Fair 2017 it felt like someone had rubbed a lamp and taken us back in time when we toured the Playmates Toys booth. First up: Ben 10 is back. This popular line was around for several years before it dried up, but with the animated series on the way again we’ll be seeing all new action figures, playsets and role play items. We were also shown a massive playset that is Dune in 2018, but due to how far out it is from production no photography was allowed.
For nearly 30 years, Playmates has been the king of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lines, and that trend doesn’t appear to be going away any time soon. What was amusing – and is by no means the fault of the toy company – was that season 5 of the animated series sees the heroes in a half shell getting involved in a samurai storyline… didn’t this already happen in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III way back in 1993? You know, the sequel without Vanilla Ice in it.
This will also see the Half-Shell heroes line for younger kids going with a safari theme, while the regular Turtles will also dress up like their favorite vintage professional wrestlers.
And finally, we will see the current Netflix Voltron series receive action figures, playsets and role play items. See what I meant about the entire company feeling like a time machine?
There was one new promising doll line in the booth, but, unfortunately, it was a 2018 product and was not allowed to be shot by the press. Hopefully, when we return next year we’ll be able to bring you coverage of it.
For now, Playmates will be bringing you a wide assortment of fun items throughout 2017.