March 1990 was a weird, electric time to be a kid. You couldn’t go ten feet without seeing a green turtle shell. The first live-action movie was hitting theaters, and Turtlemania was basically a fever dream that the whole world was sharing. Right in the middle of it, Burger King decided to do something that felt like magic back then. They released the TMNT Burger King VHS series.
It wasn't a toy. It wasn't a plastic ring or a cheap sticker. It was a literal movie on a tape you could keep.
Honestly, if you were there, you remember the smell of the fries and the crinkle of the paper bag as you reached in for that cardboard slipcase. Burger King didn't just give these away with a Kid’s Meal—you had to buy them separately for a few bucks. It was a massive flex for a fast-food chain. Most kids didn't have a library of movies; they had what their parents taped off the TV or whatever they could beg for at the mall. Suddenly, for the price of a Whopper, you owned an official piece of the 1987 animated series.
What episodes were on the TMNT Burger King VHS?
Burger King didn't just dump random episodes onto these tapes. Well, maybe they did, but they felt special because they were marketed as "never-before-released" on home video at the time. There were four tapes in total. If you wanted the whole set, you had to be the kid who convinced their parents to eat at BK four weeks in a row.
The titles were:
- Sky Turtles (The one where Shredder uses a gravity device).
- Invasion of the Turtle Snatchers (Classic sci-fi parody vibes).
- April Foolish (A lot of Maligna/Maligntore action).
- The Great Boldini (A turtle-powered mystery involving a magician).
Each tape ran about 25 to 30 minutes. It was essentially one full episode of the cartoon. Produced by Family Home Entertainment (FHE), these were the same folks who put out the "official" retail tapes, but these BK versions had their own distinct flavor. The covers were vibrant, featuring that classic late-80s/early-90s art style where the Turtles looked slightly more "extreme" than they did in the actual show.
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The Kid Vid Connection
You can't talk about the TMNT Burger King VHS without mentioning the Burger King Kids Club. This was the era of Kid Vid, the cool guy with the silver shades and the remote control. In the commercials for these tapes, Kid Vid actually interacts with the Turtles.
There’s this hilarious, slightly awkward commercial where Kid Vid is geeking out over them, and Raphael—true to form—gives him some attitude. Kid Vid then uses his remote to "pause" or "fast-forward" the action. It was peak 90s marketing. It made you feel like owning these tapes gave you some kind of power over the TV.
Why collectors still hunt for these today
So, it's 2026. Why do people still care about a low-fidelity tape recorded in SLP mode? (For the uninitiated, SLP stands for Super Long Play, which basically meant the video quality was kinda grainy compared to the high-end retail tapes).
Nostalgia is the big one. But there's also the "variation" factor.
Most people have the standard cardboard slipcase versions. However, finding these in "Like New" condition is getting harder. Most of these tapes were watched 4,000 times by six-year-olds with PB&J on their fingers. The cardboard usually frayed at the edges. The tape itself often got "eaten" by a dusty VCR.
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Current Market Value (Approximate):
- Individual tapes (Good condition): $10 - $20
- Complete set of 4 (Very Good): $60 - $85
- Sealed/Mint copies: These can go for $150+ depending on the specific title.
People often get confused and think these are worth thousands because they saw a "Black Diamond" Disney VHS story on the news. They aren't. They’re affordable relics. That’s what makes them great. You can actually buy them and own a piece of your childhood without taking out a second mortgage.
The "Secret of the Ooze" confusion
There is a common misconception that the Burger King promotion was only for the cartoon. While the 1990 cartoon tapes were the big "buy-it-now" event, Burger King also had a massive tie-in with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze in 1991.
That promotion was more about toys—the ones where the Turtles' shells opened up to store things. If you’re looking for the TMNT Burger King VHS, you’re almost certainly thinking of the 1990 animated episode run. Don't let a seller try to tell you the toys and the tapes were from the same month; they were separate waves of the same turtle-powered marketing machine.
Technical quirks and "SLP" drama
If you find your old tape in the attic and pop it into a VCR today, don't expect 4K. Or even 480p. These tapes were produced cheaply to keep the price point down.
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Because they were recorded in a slower speed (SLP/EP), the tracking can be a nightmare on modern-day VCR-to-HDMI converters. You’ll see those "snowy" lines at the bottom of the screen. Some people claim this adds to the "aesthetic" of watching old media. Others find it unwatchable.
Also, the tapes usually started with a few minutes of Burger King commercials. Watching those ads today is like a time machine. You’ll see ads for the "Cross-fire" board game or the BK Broiler, which basically doesn't exist anymore in that form.
How to preserve your TMNT VHS
If you’ve managed to snag a set or found your childhood copies, don't just leave them in a humid garage. Magnetic tape is fragile.
- Keep them vertical: Stacking VHS tapes flat can cause the internal spools to warp over years.
- Rewind them: It’s better for the tension of the tape to be fully rewound.
- Climate control: Heat is the enemy. It makes the tape sticky, a condition collectors call "sticky-shed syndrome," though it’s less common in these specific FHE tapes than in high-end studio reels.
Basically, treat them like the treasure they were back in 1990.
Actionable Next Steps for Collectors
If you're looking to complete your collection or start one, start by checking local thrift stores or "bulk" VHS lots on eBay rather than searching for the specific title. Often, sellers will list "Lot of 20 kids tapes" and you can spot the iconic green spine of a TMNT Burger King VHS peeking out for a fraction of the price of a dedicated listing.
Always ask the seller if the tape has been tested for "mold." If you see white fuzzy spots through the clear window of the cassette, stay away. That mold can jump from one tape to your VCR and then to your entire collection.
Check the labels on the actual cassette, too. Sometimes kids would swap the "Sky Turtles" tape into the "April Foolish" sleeve. You don't want to get home, get the popcorn ready, and find out you’re watching the wrong episode.