Loyal Subjects Founder Shows Off New TMNT Action Figures

In an interview with CBR, Loyal Subjects founder Jonathan Cathey discusses the company's newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles action figures.

Between the success of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, IDW's ongoing TMNT series, the continuation of the Last Ronin Universe, and an upcoming Last Ronin video game from THQ Nordic, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's Ninja Turtles are as popular as ever. It's a great time for fans of the franchise and toy designers. This Summer, The Loyal Subjects is releasing several TMNT action figures as part of an ongoing collaboration with IDW Publishing.

CBR spoke with The Loyal Subjects Founder, Jonathan Cathey, at this year's San Diego Comic-Con to discuss the company's latest releases, their plans for the future, and what Cathey thinks makes the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles such a special franchise.

What can you tell me about the exclusives you're releasing this weekend?

Jonathan Cathey: There's some really good stuff. A lot of turtles. We have a small splash from Marvel. They are really limited edition. I think they're runs of 500. Really small runs. We have a splash across different generations at [Teenage Mutant Ninja] Turtles. [We have] '90s Turtles with Tokka and Rahzar, who are inspired by the video game colors. And then we have the IDW Turtles, and that's really the stuff that's causing a lot of buzz right now.

How did you start working with Mateus Santolouco to design your packaging and the IDW figures?

He came from Nickelodeon and a handshake between Nick and IDW. We reached out to Mateus. He's an extraordinarily gracious guy. Very talented. Extraordinarily talented. It's been a nice partnership.

Aside from his work on the packaging, did he have a hand in the designs of the figures?

Yeah. He was part of the review process. We have a very dynamic sculpt team. Lucky for Mateus, he didn't have to pepper on too many notes because the guys that are working on the sculpts are just so dang good. The creatives that work at The Loyal Subjects are top-notch. So we moved through that process fairly seamlessly.

Related: Exclusive: Gavin Smith Channels His Fandom For His Art In IDW's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

There are so many great TMNT toys out there and so many different iterations of the characters. What do you think sets The Loyal Subjects apart?

I think the articulation [and] the playability. It's very "toy attic." [They have] 31 points of articulation. There's a lot of customization and a lot of accessories, with different head portraits [and] hand grips. There's a lot of content in the box. We're bringing this Tamashii Nations- style action figure experience, but they're $21.99, so you're saving about 60 bucks through us, but it has the same bells and whistles [and] the same top quality, [with] really crisp deco, really beautiful sculpts, and they are toy-like. You can play with them and pose them.

What else can you tell us about what the rest of the year has in store for the Loyal Subjects?

We've got we got a lot of turtles. We've got a Raphael with the motorcycle -- this really great figure we're showcasing for SDCC, but we'll have a red motorcycle available at Target and Walmart, which is awesome. We have these great girl properties, like Strawberry Shortcake. We have a figurine release at Five Below, and we're really getting ready for the big fashion doll and plush doll releases coming to mass production in Q1 of January 2024. But from this standpoint, you're gonna see a lot of Turtles, Strawberry Shortcake, and Rainbow Brite. Next year, you're gonna see a lot of Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite and a lot of the IDW Turtle series. We've got our hands around a lot of great things. A lot of good stuff that you'll see at Walmart, Target, Gamestop, Diamond Distribution, Entertainment Earth, Big Bad Toy Store, [and] Costco.

What do you think it is about the Turtles that has allowed them to endure for so long?

Anthropomorphic ninjas, bright colors, silly attitudes -- it's sort of an aspirational thing with a lot with a lot of silly baked in. I think people see some of that in themselves. They're odd, so I think it brings people in that might feel like, "They're the champions for me." Obviously, people like creatures, werewolves, and things that are scary, so that'd be my best guess. You've got to ask Kevin Eastman. He probably knows the story of the magic a little bit better than I do.

But yeah, it's got 40 years of history. [They] keep retelling their story, and people keep wanting to participate in it. We're just a temporary custodian. This property will continue to endure, and right now, we're part of the partnership with it. It's going really well.

Learn more about The Loyal Subjects here.

Dustin is a reviews/interviews editor for CBR, writer, and cartoonist living in Northern Colorado.