The newest edition of Funko Friday delves into one of my favorite properties as a kid, and still today, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The foursome of mutated, crime-fighting turtles has stood the test of time, having been depicted in comic books, several cartoon series, two movie franchises (one of which is still in the works), and tons of great action figures. The four baby turtles were accidentally mutated by an ooze, raised and taught the ways of the ninja by a mutated rat in the sewers, developed an uncompromising love of pizza, and battled the Foot Clan, the Shredder and many other villains on the streets of New York. My favorite of the four, ever since I was a tot, was always Raphael. When your age hasn’t yet hit double digits, you make simple connections when it comes to making choices like that. Raphael’s name obviously also started with an ‘R’, and he wore red, which was my favorite color. I dressed up as Raphael for Halloween several years in a row when I was young, the costume comprised of his red mask, a foam turtle shell for my back, and plastic versions of his weapon of choice, the sai.

I appreciated him even more when I became a moody teenager, as he was always at least moderately pissed off all the time. You can see that evidenced in Funko’s creation, as he’s gritting his teeth and looking to kick some Foot Clan butt. The Raphael Pop! doll comes complete with dual sais, which didn’t ever seem to really get used in the movies aside from blocking attacks. Funko has released an entire series of TMNT Pop! dolls, including the other three turtles (Leonardo, Donatello and Michaelangelo), the Shredder, Splinter, April O’Neil, Bebop, Rocksteady, and a Foot Clan soldier. The four turtles, Shredder and Splinter are based on the classic cartoon series, which April, Bebop, Rocksteady, and the Foot soldier are based on the recent Nickelodeon cartoon. Stay tuned for another entry in my Funko Friday series!