Heroes in a half shell: Ninja Turtles take on Indianapolis
Since they were introduced to the world in 1984, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have stood for certain obvious, inarguable truths: Pizza is awesome. Crime never pays. Sewers are cool.
But under the surface, the Turtles represent a whole other set of values that make them the perfect centerpieces for the latest exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Namely, teamwork, respect, determination, humor and self-acceptance. So when “Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secrets of the Sewers” opens on Sept. 26, kids and their parents won’t just step into the sewer to slice pizzas; they’ll also work together to solve problems.
For the museum’s associate vice president of exhibits, Charity Counts, the exhibit, “Is a childhood dream come true for me,” she says. With her 5-year-old son now deeply enthralled with the latest incarnation of the Turtles (the Nickelodeon animated show, airing since 2012), a nostalgia alarm went off: Here was a chance to create an inter-generational, interactive exhibit about some truly bodacious dudes.
“You can imagine yourself as Michelangelo. You’re a kid, you’re goofy. You fail sometimes. And it’s all OK. That’s the humor of it: the Turtles aren’t perfect. They’re not experts. They’re not big and tough,” says Counts. “They’re not Superman.”
The Museum approached Nickelodeon with the concept, and the network gave an enthusiastic green light. After running in Indy until April, the exhibit is set to tour the country for upwards of five years.
The Turtles debuted 31 years ago as a satirical comic book — the story of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Donatello, four turtles transformed into bumbling teenagers by radioactive material in the New York sewer, then trained to be ninjas by a man-sized rat with a Buddha-like countenance named Splinter. An animated show, slogans, product tie-ins and a ubiquitous action figure line soon followed. A trio of awesome (at least if you were a child of the 80’s) live-action movies came next, and the Turtles were firmly entrenched in the pop culture canon.
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In 2012, Nickelodeon revived the Turtles, though they’d never really gone away, and introduced the quartet to the latest generation of future ninja-wannabes.
“Secrets of the Sewers” targets whole families. “Parents with kids are our sweet spot,” says Counts. “Young parents remember the turtles; it’s not foreign territory.”
As such, many of the exhibit’s activities are set up to build teamwork.
“The spirit of the Turtles is that they’re ninjas in training. They are learning skills, all the while appreciating each other and what they bring to the team,” says Counts. “It’s great to set families up in an experience where they see themselves as a team, figuring out: who’s the leader? Who’s the funny guy? Who’s the action-packed warrior? Who’s the inventor?”
Families will create a sewer pipe together, build a bridge, take apart and rebuild electrical circuit puzzles, navigate a ‘sewer-level’ rope maze and more.
At the very least, parents can enjoy a convincing, nostalgic trip (remember Bebop and Rocksteady? Of course you do) through impressively constructed New York City streets and sewers, while kids chuck pizzas (relax, they’re Frisbees) at Shredder. And at most, families will learn to work together and function as a team. Either way, it’ll be awesome.
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IF YOU GO
What: ‘Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secrets of the Sewer’
When: Sept. 26 through April 11.
Where: The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, 3000 N. Meridian St.
How much: $18.50-$20.50.
Info: (317) 334-4000, www.childrensmuseum.org.
