When we first heard of Turtles Forever, we were in TMNT heaven. Then crushed, when it was taken away. But then happy again when it was brought back as a TV movie. Unfortunately, many folks missed the airing, and with no specific talk of a DVD or theatrical release, the special was thought to be lost. But, ah, the joy of the internet! Thanks to awesome video sites, and the caring upload of loyal fans, Turtles Forever now lives online, in an unedited director’s cut format. So now, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles actually are “forever”, as you can watch the entire special right here on ToonBarn! Check it out (more… )

Every Monday, Nintendo offers gaming fans new and retro titles to purchase on their Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. Today’s adventure in the U.S. is one of the greatest Sonic creations of all time; Sonic & Knuckles. For years, the game was subtitled by fans as “Sonic 4″, but everyone now knows that the true Sonic 4 will be available summer 2010. Sonic & Knuckles was originally on the Genesis, and used this cool “lock-on” cartridge allowing you to connect the older Sonic games, opening new content. Today’s downloadable game features some recreated emulation, and Sega brilliance, so that if you’ve also downloaded Sonic 1, Sonic 2, or Sonic 3 to the virtual console, you can connect them in virtual land. All for just 800 Wii Points. Take a look at the game in action (more… )

Does the name “Bernie Madoff” ring a bell? He’s not exactly on every cartoon fan’s mind, so we’d understand if not. As a quick sum up, he’s the guy in all the trouble lately because he ran illegal “Ponzi schemes”, stealing millions of dollars from unsuspecting folks. To retrieve some of that money, the government has been auctioning off his belongings, including his luxury penthouse apartment on the Upper East Side of NYC’s Manhattan. Here’s the toon connection: the new owner is none other than the CEO of 4Kids Al Kahn. That explains the sudden influx of “bad dubs, new duds” emails we’ve been getting lately! The New York Post reports the head of 4Kids Entertainment, the man behind Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Cabbage Patch Kids and more, bought the 4,000 square foot home for about $8 million dollars. (more… )

Hachette Collections SNC has just signed a monster of a deal. Er, a dinosaur of a deal? Well, that doesn’t sound right, but it is accurate! The group is now a new publishing licensee for Dinosaur King. The property, licensed into an animated series and trading card game brand by 4Kids Entertainment, will see Hachette take over in various European and African locations, joining a number of other licensees on the property, like Harper Collins. What will all this mean? Lots and lots of new Dinosaur King products! Books, magazines, clothes, and more, all available within the next few months. Until then, check out the show in action! (more… )

There have been a lot of really cool toon-related gifts and outfits over the years, but this might be our very favorite. Or, at the very least, something we’re definitely adding to our last minute Christmas lists! Hot Topic, the neato clothing store filling most local malls, is selling a Michelangelo styled Snuggie. As if that wasn’t enough, 80sTees is selling a Shredder styled hoodie! If you’re a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fan like myself, or someone who just loves being cuddly and stylish, these are absolute must-buys! Check out some larger pics of the items below, and then get to shopping! (more… )

Team Green may be relocating from 4Kids to Nickelodeon in the next year or so, but they have no plans on abandoning the company that has been their action figure home for the past 20 years. How do we know? Because we know everything!!! Well, and also because we’ve gotten word that Playmates Toys has just signed a new global master toy deal for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, pledging that they will continue to making toys based on the TMNT brand, now owned by Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. We’re still waiting to see what plans Nick has in store for the Turtles – maybe we can get some sneak peeks out of an upcoming Playmates line…?

In just another few hours, all of your Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles dreams will be coming true — assuming you ever dreamed about every single version of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Donatello, Splinter, and April joining forces in a single presentation! Turtles Forever airs this morning, bringing together the current TMNT crew with the one from the 80s toon. It also ties in the original villains, like Beebop, Krang, and Rocksteady, the comics-based Mirage version of the turtles, every version you could imagine of the Shredder, and more! The special will air on the CW4Kids this morning, potentially later being released as a DVD under the new Nickelodeon deal. Cowabunga! Check out a special trailer (more… )

We first announced the Turtles Forever project about two months ago on ToonBarn; only weeks before we had to undo our news and announce it’s cancellation. If there was an opposite to “cowabunga” we’d use it there. But in the past few weeks, there has been some major good news for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which includes joining up with Nickelodeon. Now, the good news continues as we learn Turtles Forever is back on track! Only this time, it’s not fit for theaters: Turtles Forever will air on CW4Kids next weekend, on November 21st. Check out the new trailer (more… )