Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
TMNT
If you raised children in the United States who spent part of their childhood in the 1990’s, then chances are you know what TMNT means. It stands for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, a wildly popular TV show with its accompanying plastic infinite range of toys. The Turtles are crime fighters, so to go along with the science fiction of their mutation into Ninja fighters there is an array of plastic bad guys for the Turtles to battle. My son was a devoted TMNT fan and birthday and Christmas gifts required no thought beyond, “Does he already have this one?”. There were vehicles and weapons available for purchase everywhere, even in Walgreens.
One morning, Ted and I were at our local Walgreens. We somehow found our way to the toy aisle where Ted immediately focused on a new iteration of the master Bad Guy, Shredder. Except, this version was called “Slicin’ Dicin’ Shredder” with new weapons and arm moves. There he was in his shiny clear plastic wrapper. Ted begged me to get it and I sternly said we were not getting it today, maybe another day, to which Ted sadly replied, “He won’t be here then.”
The next time we visited the Walgreens’ toy aisle Ted was right. No Slicin’ Dicin’ Shredder to be found. Ted was one sad little boy as he said, “I told you so!” Well, that started me on a journey to find that specific toy. This was before internet shopping was all the rage and if Amazon was even a thing then I couldn’t find it anywhere. Fast forward almost 30 years and I had discovered Ebay. Some conversation with Ted sparked a thought in me that I should make up for that sad day at Walgreens by going on Ebay and finding him the proper Shredder figure. This is an example of over the edge mother’s guilt, but I never forgot his forlorn little face that day.
Of course, a long Ebay search uncovered a pristine Slicin’ Dicin’ Shredder still in its original package. I would have saved myself a few dollars if I had just bought it at Walgreens in the first place. Nevertheless, there it was. I bought it and sent it to Ted, now almost 30. He was quite surprised to find this action figure in his mailbox. It was my grandest apology ever. He still has it and it has traveled with him from Boston to Los Angeles.
Now I have two grandsons, ages 5 and 3. And, guess who has emerged in the cartoon and toy world? Yup, the TMNT are back. The boys are wild about the whole concept. So, for Cameron’s fifth birthday, which I happily attended, his mom, my daughter Jackie, did her usual surprise decorating job using TMNT ideas. When Cameron woke up on his birthday and came downstairs, the living room and dining room were decorated for his enjoyment.
The rest of the day involved watching some TMNT cartoons, then re-enacting them all over the house. When presents were opened, more action figures emerged, opened to squeals of joy that only a five year old can produce. All day we heard sounds of Ninjas fighting off bad guys. There was even a birthday cake featuring Cameron’s favorite Turtle named Donatello.
The parents and grandparents who were witnessing this Turtle fest remembered days gone by when Ted was equally as excited when he received a new figure or vehicle. I confessed to my purchase on Ebay and was the recipient of a lot of laughter. The boys fought Bad Guys all evening and a good time was had by all.
Never underestimate a mother’s guilty conscience…