>>5409307I don't know if they had an official name ever, but oh my gosh. Way back in early middle school some of my friends made up an entire game with these guys, complete with an illustrated guide and multi-page word document. I have no idea how they decided on it all, but there was a list of rarity, higher-powered ninjas, etc. It was pretty intense.
We faithfully bought and hoarded these things and played the game for a while, but the hype didn't last for much longer than a month or so. I still have a shit-ton of these guys as a result. I wonder where they are now... Maybe I should go digging!