In this post, I am taking a look at one of my all-time favourite TV shows, on one of my all-time favourite DVD boxsets. The TV show is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the boxset is the complete Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series boxset: The Party Wagon edition.
Released in 2012 by Lionsgate Family Entertainment, this boxset contains every single episode of the original TMNT cartoon (1987 – 1996). That’s ten seasons, totalling 193 episodes, and runs from the very first episode, Turtle Tracks, all the way through to the very last, Divide and Conquer.
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Turtle Power
Before I go any further, I should tell you this particular boxset was released in the US. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ’87 has been released on DVD in countries outside of the US, but this Party Wagon edition is Region 1 only.
If you live in the UK (like I do) and you wish to purchase one of these boxsets, you will need to track it down online via eBay or possibly Amazon. I bought my copy from Amazon, but this was years back, so you will need to check its current availability and you need to make sure you can play Region 1 DVDs.
OK, so that’s how/where you might be able to purchase this pretty swish-looking boxset, so now let’s talk more about it.
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Let’ get the party started
As you can see from the images in this post, the stand-out feature of this boxset is the Party Wagon casing, so I’m going to start by discussing this aspect of the set. After all, it’s what sold me on this edition and no doubt it is something which has caught your eye too.
The Party Wagon is an iconic vehicle from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon. So understandably, when Lionsgate Family Entertainment was looking for a special way to release this set, the Party Wagon was the number one choice.
Produced in moulded plastic (there’s no flimsy cardboard here), the Party Wagon is a fun, and fairly accurate recreation of the Turtles’ van which measures 8 inches long, 6.5 inches wide, and 6.5 inches tall. It includes a bumper, four moveable wheels, and various TMNT logo stickers.
At the front of the Party Wagon is a set of illustrated stickers which make it appear as if Mikey, Leo, Don and Raph are driving the vehicle, while the rear of the van includes the phrase ‘Heroes in a Half Shell’ – a line from the cartoon’s iconic theme song.
The beauty of this set is the way in which it houses the DVDs. To access the discs, you simply have to hold the Party Wagon at the top and pull up – this will split the van in two and will reveal the goodies inside.
And speaking of goodies, let me remind you there are 193 episodes in this boxset. That is a lot of animated action, and includes all those awesome episodes you remember.
You wanna see Baxter Stockman turned into a human-fly? No problem.
You have a desire to see the origin of the Punk Frogs? Yep, that episode is in here too. As is the one where April is turned into a cat-woman; the one with the robot cops; and the one with the pizza monsters.
Now let’s talk discs!
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The discs
As most seasons contain a different number of episodes, the seasons are divided across a different number of discs. The breakdown is as follows:
- Season One – One disc
- Season Two – One disc
- Season Three – Four discs
- Season Four – Five discs
- Season Five – Three discs
- Season Six – Two discs
- Season Seven – Four discs
- Season Eight – One disc
- Season Nine – One disc
- Season Ten – One disc
As I’ve mentioned before, all of the episodes are included in the set, but please note, there are a couple of episodes that have been put on a different disc to where they should be. The Season Four episodes, Planet of the Turtleoids and Once Upon a Time Machine, are included as ‘bonus’ episodes on Disc 23… and no one but Lionsgate Family Entertainment knows the reason for this.
So, yeah, when I watched this set the first time, I had to jump to Disc 23 briefly for those Season Four episodes, then jump back to Disc 23 when I wanted to watch Season Ten. Not a huge problem, but a bit odd.
The good news is, it doesn’t matter how many times you need to switch back and forth with the discs, because all 23 discs are housed comfortably inside the Party Wagon via a neat little holster. None of the discs touch each other, so they can all be removed with ease and most important of all, without scratching them.
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Turtle-y awesome
As a long-time TMNT fan who grew up watching the 1987 cartoon, I knew I wanted a complete collection of the show as soon as it was available on DVD. Automatically this ruled out buying any TMNT ’87 DVD releases from the UK, as over here only Season One and Two have received a full DVD release, so I looked to the US.
I instantly fell in love with this Region 1 Party Wagon edition. I figured it would look good on my shelf, plus I could finally watch the show from start to finish on DVD, and at a decent price.
Back when I bought this boxset, I paid less than £60, which is amazing for a ten-season set in such fancy casing. The price is now likely to be more, but this is a set which is certainly worth the money (if you can afford it).
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Recap
This Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 complete boxset includes:
- Party Wagon casing
- 23 discs
- 193 episodes
- Measures 8” x 6.5” x 6.5”
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Thanks for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1987 complete DVD boxset. For more cartoon-based posts, be sure to take a look around this blog, or check out the recommended reads below.
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