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 N.I.N.J.A. Mites

Name of Toy Line: N.I.N.J.A. Mites
Production Company: Panosh Group, Inc
Distributor: unknown
Years of Production: 1986



Countries/Regions Available: USA
Size/Scale: 1.5"
Figure Trade Markings: © '86 / PANOSH
Approximate # of Figures: 48 unique sculpts

Details:

Who could resist "Nasty Indestructible Ninjas Jumping About?" That's right, yet another 80's toy line with an incredibly cheesy creative acronym for a title name. It's especially creative when one of the words in the acronym is the acronym, haha. Yes, those nasty, indestructible, jumping ninjas are really N.I.N.J.A. Mites! Alas, it seems that Vegemite is one "mite" that no longer has the market cornered when it comes to "nasty."


Vegemite

However, my guess is that when it comes to "mite" the creators of NINJA Mites had a different kind of mite in mind: The lovable, hugable, microscopic Arachnida.


Mite

And for those already confused with all this talk of mites, this entry will be concerned with NINJA Mites!


NINJA Mite #39

Okay, let's get down to business. Honestly, we don't know too much about this minifig line. Information is hard to come by, but we really wanted to document these critters here at Toypedia as they do have a certain appeal.

All the packaging we've seen for NINJA Mites refers to them as being part of the "Sunray Set" or "Sunray Series." We've never seen a different set/series. The figures belonging to this series come in three basic colors: Black, red, and yellow. All three colors come with minor, white paint applications that are, frankly, not super high quality. The paint apps, however, glow in the dark which adds a touch of fun.

The black and red colored figures appear to be common whereas the yellow figures are apparently harder to come by. There are 48 unique sculpts in the Sunray Set. Unfortunately, we're not sure if all 48 sculpts can be found in all three colors. (If a Toypedia reader can confirm this one way or another, please let us know!)

The plastic is hard, light, and brittle. The sculpting details are mediocre, but one of the charms of this line is the plethora of sculpt shapes. No two figures look alike which is more than can be said for many other minifig lines.

Let's take a look at some pics!


Black NINJA Mites


Yellow NINJA Mites


Red NINJA Mite

NINJA Mites of the Sunray Set were available in at least two forms of packaging: 30-pack boxes and 5-pack cards. First the card:


5-Pack



And now the box.


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Here's a crude closeup of the checklist on the back of the box. Perhaps it can serve as a poor man's checklist until a better one can be had.


Click to enlarge

Sculpts from The NINJA Mites line, like several other 80's toylines, were used for the expansive bootlegged toylines Exogini and Cosmix. When these figures turn up, it often creates confusion. Simply recall that true NINJA Mites are black, red, and yellow and have paint apps. Toypedia entries for Exogini and Cosmix and the NINJA Mite sculpts therein will be forthcoming.

NINJA Mites: A toyline not without it's flaws, but highly collectible. Please don't hesitate to contact us with any additional information or corrections. Until next time.

(Note that most of the images used in this entry were borrowed from a member of the LittleRubberGuys forum. We asked for permission to use these images... but have unfortunately forgotten the individual's name. If you know it, please contact us.)

Related Websites:

Italian NINJA Mites Blog

Stunner's Ninja Mites Thread @ the LittleRubberGuys Forum

Stunner76's Collection Thread @ the LittleRubberGuys Forum