Article: Banking on a worm, Playmates moves into videogames. (Playmates Interactive Entertainment)

In 1988, Playmates Toys VP of marketing Richard Sallis watched as Teenage Mutant Turtles went from underground comic-book cult favorites to a full-fledged phenomenon. Playmates manufactured Turtles action figures, reaping hundreds of millions of dollars in the process.

Sallis, now president of the company, is waiting to see whether another quirky character will go from zero to hero.

Earthworm Jim, featuring a character Playmates calls an "annelid with an attitude," will be released on Super NES and Sega Genesis Oct. 27. It's the first videogame from Playmates, which has been producing toys since 1975.

According to Sallis, the company, wanting to ...

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