My entire childhood was spent worshipping one, and only one, thing. That thing was the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series. Every Christmas would bring a new bunch of TMNT toys, vehicles, video tapes, and underoos, and I like to think that it's because of the original Playmates line that I am the enthusiast toy collector that I am today. So you may not find it that much of a surprise to know when I was wandering the floor of this year's New York Comic Con I stumbled upon a booth showcasing the re-release of the original toys, and pretty much lost my composure (ie hyperventilating and screaming like a girl).

The new line, which is available now in KMarts and Targets nationwide, are created from the original molds that Playmates used back in the early 90's. The figures that are available as of right now are all four turtles (that's Raphael, Leonardo, Donatello, and Michaelangelo to those who don't remember), and their teacher/mentor, Splinter. Each figure comes with a DVD featuring an episode from the original pilot of the old Saturday morning cartoon Ninja Turtles series. The next line, which should be coming out sometime soon this year, will feature more of your favorites, including Bebop, Rocksteady, April O'Neal, and Shredder.

Playmates also had on display the original version of the Turtles' van, but currently it is not available for sale (although they're hoping for it to get picked up by a big toy chain relatively soon). If you're at all interested in getting some of these retro classics, you better run out and get them while you can find them. I can guarantee you they probably won't be available for very long. Check out the photos in the gallery, and pray to god we get to see another printing of the Usagi Yojimbo figure.