Diamond Select Toys and The Sewer Den teamed up for the ultimate TMNT fueled event. A select group of social movers and shakers gathered in New York City for a night of cowabunga festivities. There was Turtle Power at every turn - pizza, games, merchandise, toys, original artwork, and more! Join us in this 5-Part series, The Sewer Den's Pizza Party.
Late to the party? See what you missed.
The party was cruising along. We chomped down on pizza pies. A Secret of the Ooze screening had filled the room with movie magic. Comical activities kept us engaged and laughing. The second round of our current game, Sewer Sketch, had just ended. Round 3, the final round, was about to start. Who would emerge victorious?
In case you missed the rules of the game, here's a refresher. If you remember the jist, skip this part.
The Rules.
Sitting back to back, Person One has a colored pencil and Sewer Sketch card. Person Two has a batch of unopened, blind bags from the Diamond Select Toys TMNT Minimates line. Person Two tears open a Minimate blind bag and describes the figure inside to Person One (the drawer), who then sketches the character. Can they draw the TMNT character accurately? We added other stipulations to make the game a little more challenging. Names, animal types, colors & weapon names were not allowed to be used when describing characters.
Sitting back to back, Person One has a colored pencil and Sewer Sketch card. Person Two has a batch of unopened, blind bags from the Diamond Select Toys TMNT Minimates line. Person Two tears open a Minimate blind bag and describes the figure inside to Person One (the drawer), who then sketches the character. Can they draw the TMNT character accurately? We added other stipulations to make the game a little more challenging. Names, animal types, colors & weapon names were not allowed to be used when describing characters.
NOT ACCEPTABLE: "Red bandanna-wearing Turtle with sais."
ACCEPTABLE: "Fork-yielding teenager with a temper."
As if exposing people's artistic skills weren't pressure enough, there was also a timer - which was a 7-minute video that included every version of the TMNT theme song from 1987 until now. Every time one song would end and another began, players would reverse their roles. This forced both team members to draw during their turn. Teams would try to draw as many figures as possible during this 7 minutes. When the timer ran out and all TMNT theme songs were played, players put down their pencils & figures. The team with the most properly drawn figures would win.
Easy peasy, right? Ready for Round 3? Let's play!
Round 3 paired cornrelish & The Sewer Den (Kristy & Jon a.k.a. ME) together. If you've been following along, you'll notice this is my 2nd time playing Sewer Sketch. I also played in the first round. But since Kirsty and I had the most TMNT knowledge in the room, the group wanted to see how two pros handled the game. Challenge accepted! Comfortably seated on the floor with our backs to each other, our team would soon open blind bags from Diamond Select Toys TMNT Minimates Series 3.
Let's see how our 7-minutes of mutant sketches & Minimates goes. The last final round, cue the music, anddddddd GO!
VISION QUEST MICHELANGELO (sketched by Kristy)
In season 3 of the Nickelodeon series, the Turtles go on a vision quest. Like any good superhero, they go through a wardrobe change for the event. Their bright bandannas and classic weapons are replaced with muted garments and new weaponry. Michelangelo gets the serious treatment for his vision quest. His pizza accessories have been swapped for an alternate set of weapons. Side note: I love Michelangelo's body language in Kristy's sketch.
VISION QUEST DONATELLO (sketched by The Sewer Den)
Donatello's attire screams Grimm Reaper, but fear not, he's just a ninja on a vision quest. When I was drawing this guy, Kristy mentioned the words "cosplay" and "staff," so I assumed he was a wizard! Another thing I noticed, the display stands for the Turtles in Minimates Series 3 have changed from sewer lids to Japanese symbols. A nice, subtle touch to distinguish the different sets in your collection.
VISION QUEST RAPHAEL (sketched by Kristy)
Like Tom Hanks in Castaway, Raphael has made fire. This figure is extremely fun for all the pyro possibilities he brings. His blasts of heat are absurd accessories, but I mean that in the best way possible. He can be posed in such menacing, fiery hot positions. Inferno in the halfshell!
VISION QUEST SPLINTER (sketched by The Sewer Den)
This version of the master rat is one of my favorites EVER. Not only is he modeled after a specific episode appearance of the Nickelodeon series, but also reminiscent of a scene in the original TMNT film from 1990. You may recall the spiritual moment when the Turtles gather around a campfire and meditate. A visual of Splinter appears amongst the flames and speaks to his sons. It's a very whimsical and touching moment. It's wonderful to see Diamond Select Toys create a figure that pays homage to a scene from a movie that's over 25 years old. Fans of nostalgia will go nuts for this guy.
BEBOP (sketched by Kristy)
He's your favorite warthog with a purple mohawk, Bebop! Although Diamond Select Toys did a fine job putting him in mini-plastic form, Kristy's adorable sketch might be my favorite rendition of the mutant yet.
IVAN STERANKO (sketched by The Sewer Den)
Before getting mutated, Rocksteady was a bad guy from Russian. I love that Diamond Select Toys is releasing these beloved characters with a less conventional approach. Seeing fan favorites in human form is loads of fun. What isn't fun is my drawing...which makes Ivan look like the Riddler. Those question mark-looking symbols are suppose to be a hammer and sickle. Awful art on my part, dudes.
The 7-minute timer of TMNT theme songs ended and Round 3 of Sewer Sketch was finished. Our team successfully opened and sketched 6 Minimates, falling short of the record. But when you get figures like these guys, who cares? Series 3 of the TMNT Minimates proved to have some of the best yet.
SLASH, VISION QUEST LEONARDO, ROCKSTEADY
(the leftovers - figures we missed!)
There were a few blind bags we didn't get to open or draw during Round 3 that contained some real gems. First up is Slash, who is a total knockout. His design, build & included weapon are all awesome. Fans love this character and he's a Minimate you won't want to miss out on. Moving on, there's Vision Quest Leonardo donning his drab wardrobe. He's got a bow and arrow along with his usual katana sword. The last guy in the lot is Rocksteady. The mutated Russian-rhino is a great companion piece to pair with Bebop.
After much Minimates blind bag opening and sketching, Round 3 was done. Our glorious game of Sewer Sketch had come to a close. A pile of torn open blind bags covered the floor like a carpet of foil.
Here's the final tally:
TEAM 1: The Sewer Den (Jon, me!) & Sommerjam (Jeff) - 7 figures
TEAM 2: Necrotic Doctor (Simon) & Nick - 6 figures
TEAM 3: cornrelish (Kristy) & The Sewer Den (Jon, me!) - 6 figures
Easy peasy, right? Ready for Round 3? Let's play!
Round 3 paired cornrelish & The Sewer Den (Kristy & Jon a.k.a. ME) together. If you've been following along, you'll notice this is my 2nd time playing Sewer Sketch. I also played in the first round. But since Kirsty and I had the most TMNT knowledge in the room, the group wanted to see how two pros handled the game. Challenge accepted! Comfortably seated on the floor with our backs to each other, our team would soon open blind bags from Diamond Select Toys TMNT Minimates Series 3.
Let's see how our 7-minutes of mutant sketches & Minimates goes. The last final round, cue the music, anddddddd GO!
In season 3 of the Nickelodeon series, the Turtles go on a vision quest. Like any good superhero, they go through a wardrobe change for the event. Their bright bandannas and classic weapons are replaced with muted garments and new weaponry. Michelangelo gets the serious treatment for his vision quest. His pizza accessories have been swapped for an alternate set of weapons. Side note: I love Michelangelo's body language in Kristy's sketch.
Donatello's attire screams Grimm Reaper, but fear not, he's just a ninja on a vision quest. When I was drawing this guy, Kristy mentioned the words "cosplay" and "staff," so I assumed he was a wizard! Another thing I noticed, the display stands for the Turtles in Minimates Series 3 have changed from sewer lids to Japanese symbols. A nice, subtle touch to distinguish the different sets in your collection.
Like Tom Hanks in Castaway, Raphael has made fire. This figure is extremely fun for all the pyro possibilities he brings. His blasts of heat are absurd accessories, but I mean that in the best way possible. He can be posed in such menacing, fiery hot positions. Inferno in the halfshell!
This version of the master rat is one of my favorites EVER. Not only is he modeled after a specific episode appearance of the Nickelodeon series, but also reminiscent of a scene in the original TMNT film from 1990. You may recall the spiritual moment when the Turtles gather around a campfire and meditate. A visual of Splinter appears amongst the flames and speaks to his sons. It's a very whimsical and touching moment. It's wonderful to see Diamond Select Toys create a figure that pays homage to a scene from a movie that's over 25 years old. Fans of nostalgia will go nuts for this guy.
He's your favorite warthog with a purple mohawk, Bebop! Although Diamond Select Toys did a fine job putting him in mini-plastic form, Kristy's adorable sketch might be my favorite rendition of the mutant yet.
Before getting mutated, Rocksteady was a bad guy from Russian. I love that Diamond Select Toys is releasing these beloved characters with a less conventional approach. Seeing fan favorites in human form is loads of fun. What isn't fun is my drawing...which makes Ivan look like the Riddler. Those question mark-looking symbols are suppose to be a hammer and sickle. Awful art on my part, dudes.
The 7-minute timer of TMNT theme songs ended and Round 3 of Sewer Sketch was finished. Our team successfully opened and sketched 6 Minimates, falling short of the record. But when you get figures like these guys, who cares? Series 3 of the TMNT Minimates proved to have some of the best yet.
(the leftovers - figures we missed!)
There were a few blind bags we didn't get to open or draw during Round 3 that contained some real gems. First up is Slash, who is a total knockout. His design, build & included weapon are all awesome. Fans love this character and he's a Minimate you won't want to miss out on. Moving on, there's Vision Quest Leonardo donning his drab wardrobe. He's got a bow and arrow along with his usual katana sword. The last guy in the lot is Rocksteady. The mutated Russian-rhino is a great companion piece to pair with Bebop.
After much Minimates blind bag opening and sketching, Round 3 was done. Our glorious game of Sewer Sketch had come to a close. A pile of torn open blind bags covered the floor like a carpet of foil.
Here's the final tally:
TEAM 1: The Sewer Den (Jon, me!) & Sommerjam (Jeff) - 7 figures
TEAM 2: Necrotic Doctor (Simon) & Nick - 6 figures
TEAM 3: cornrelish (Kristy) & The Sewer Den (Jon, me!) - 6 figures
Team 1 took home the crown, by sketching just one more figure than the other teams. So close to victory, yet so far. But at The Sewer Den's Pizza Party, everyone is a winner. Each team got to keep the series of Minimates they opened. All that blind bag tearing wasn't in vain!
The party started dwindling down. The once plentiful pizza had been reduced to a few lonely pieces of crust lying in the box. We had conquered the world that evening. Between a game of cards, cowaBINGO, a film screening, 3 rounds of Sewer Sketch & consuming 4 pizzas, the party was officially over. A classic TMNT episode played in the background as guests gathered their prizes and trickled out the door. High-fives, hugs, and cowabungas were exchanged.
Thanks to those who came to The Sewer Den's Pizza Party. Thanks to those who read about The Sewer Den's Pizza Party. And thanks to Diamond Select Toys for making The Sewer Den's Pizza Party possible. Let's grab another slice again real soon.
The party started dwindling down. The once plentiful pizza had been reduced to a few lonely pieces of crust lying in the box. We had conquered the world that evening. Between a game of cards, cowaBINGO, a film screening, 3 rounds of Sewer Sketch & consuming 4 pizzas, the party was officially over. A classic TMNT episode played in the background as guests gathered their prizes and trickled out the door. High-fives, hugs, and cowabungas were exchanged.
Then, there was one. Just me, sitting alone in my apartment with a smell of pizza still lingering in the air. I gazed around at the aftermath. Our funky sketches and cowaBINGO game boards were scattered around the heap of opened blind bags that still masked the floor. Some see this scene as a mess, but to me, it's a portrait of success. The pizza party was an absolute blast. The remaining clutter was proof of that, and it would stay in its place until morning. Everyone else walked home with prizes. I considered this my trophy, my winning prize of the night.
PREVIOUS ENTRIES
No comments:
Post a Comment
Forgiveness is divine, but never pay full price for late pizza.
Comment here!