Experience the first-ever museum exhibit featuring the four heroic ninjas-in-training—Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Leap to the rescue and learn teamwork, collaboration, and problem-solving as you work your way through puzzles, mazes, and obstacles. Explore the sewer-like lair, where good guys win and bad guys lose! Since 1984, these four iconic brothers have rocked it with their talent and teamwork, inspiring generations. Now families can now join these pizza-eating, crime-fighting “Heroes in a Half-Shell” to hone their ninja skills and problem-solving intellects while learning the secrets of the sewer!
About the exhibit
Nickelodeon’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Secrets of the Sewer invites children and their families (and fans of all ages!) to explore their individual and group potential, training as a team both physically and mentally, and then taking on the villains of New York City for an action-packed adventure.
Big Idea
For 30 years, the TMNT have taught generations of fans that being part of a team lets us discover and exercise our own hidden strengths and those of our teammates, helping us to achieve more together than we can on our own.
“Together, there is nothing you cannot accomplish.”—Master Splinter
Messages
- The Turtles’ combination of teamwork, humor, and kick-butt fighting skills have kept them popular with multiple generations of fans.
- Good leaders coordinate individuals’ skills and strengths to overcome challenges as a team.
- Creative thinking lets us experiment, plan, and invent solutions to complex problems.
- The choices we make and the skills we employ can lead to different results.
- Learning from our mistakes—and keeping our sense of humor while we do!—helps us grow into our shells.
- Hard work and self-discipline can prepare us with strategies to meet all facets of the challenge at hand.
- Self-awareness and focus are essential skills for understanding our surroundings, and choosing the best course of action.
Underground Lair
- Join the team and train alongside the Turtles and Master Splinter in their Underground Lair.
- Discover 30 years of TMNT stories and the importance of teamwork, creative thinking, training, and humor!
The Dojo and Splinter’s Room
- In order to create a seamless ninja fighting team, Master Splinter has devoted many hours to training the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT). In the Dojo, Splinter and Raphael show visitors the value of hard work, practice, and knowing your enemy.
Exhibit elements
- Bridge Building Cooperative Activity—Family members work together to connect a series of “islands” in a continuous path using a limited selection of balance beam planks. Only by working together can their family members cross.
- Ninja Weapons Display—For 30 years, the Ninja Turtles’ weapons have remained unchanged. Children and their families learn the facts behind their weapons of choice and how they connect to their individual fighting styles, roles on the team, and real ninja history.
- Virtual Weapons Practice—Inspired by the popular “Fruit Ninja” arcade game, children and adults take a stab at using virtual Ninja Turtle weapons by swiping their hands across a touch screen and “slicing” pizzas as they fall.
- Classic Brain-Teaser Puzzles—Family members hone their intellects with a variety of puzzles such as the classic “Pyramid Stacking” challenge for older ninjas and “Ball Mazes” for the youngest team members.
- Answer the Cheese Phone—Label prompts invite Ninjas-in-Training to answer the call and listen to encouraging messages about discipline and practice from Splinter and the Turtles….and occasionally a confused pizza delivery guy.
- Know Your Enemy—Wall hangings themed like Japanese scrolls display key facts about the Turtles’ key enemies – Shredder, The Kraang, and others.
- The Origin Story Toy Diorama—Throughout the exhibit, miniature dioramas provide a look at the action-packed lives of the Ninja Turtles. In Splinter’s Room, a diorama display shares how the Turtles and Splinter came to be who they are.
Common Area
- Families are encouraged to explore the Turtle’s Lair, discover facts about these teenage crime-fighters, and hone their own individual skills.
Exhibit elements
- Street View Periscope and the tPod—The Turtles’ iconic periscope to the streets allows families views of the Turtles in action on the streets of NYC. Leo has left the Turtles’ tPod laying nearby with his social media homepage up. Innocent passersby can take a look at the funny posts his brothers have made for him (silly photos, quotes, etc).
- TMNT Trivia—Families can grab a seat by the TV and test their knowledge of the Ninja Turtles’ history in an interactive game.
- Explore the Sewer Lair—Children can explore the sewer tunnels and find hidden artwork.
- Family Time Toy Dioramas—Hidden in the walls and columns of the Common Room are miniature scenes featuring the mischievous teenagers and Splinter in comical family situations. What DO the Turtles do all day??
- “Skateboarding” with Michelangelo—Mikey lives to shred on his skateboard—even in the living room when Splinter isn’t watching! Children and adults are encouraged to practice their own shredding skills on balance board skateboards.
- Sewer Pipe Assembly—A free-form construction activity using sewer pipes (PVC) to build shapes, arches, or tunnels to add to the Lair.
- Mikey’s Pizza Grabbing Game—This competitive reaction time game will encourage family team members to go head to head and test their reflexes, as they follow patterned lights and sound effects.
- Which Turtle are YOU?—Encased in the Turtles’ favorite arcade game, “Space Heroes,” families discover a TMNT personality quiz. By answering a variety of questions, they are able to determine which Turtle they most relate to.
Donatello's Workshop and Lab
Donnie is the inventor of the group; his lab is the place to try your hand at creative problem solving, as well as learning from mistakes.
Exhibit elements
- Circuit Board Challenge—Assemble two different circuit board “puzzles,” linking active battery and electrodes together. When completed, one circuit lights up a sign and the other turns a fan.
- Mutagen Management—A “Plinko” style board with movable pieces allows families to work together to create a path for the ooze to safely land in Donnie’s biohazard containment canisters.
- Sewer Map Maze—Rotating tiles on the wall display a sewer map puzzle with multiple possible solutions.
New York City Streets
Put your skills and training to the test in the Streets of NYC. Try working together to stop the villain Shredder and his allies. Calling all Turtles! Once you’re trained and ready, it’s time to hit the mean streets of New York City where villains lurk around every corner.
In the streets of NYC families take on more advanced challenges related to the smaller tasks found in the Sewer Lair.
Guided by other TMNT team members, who may lack amazing mutations but play an important role in crime-fighting—from bat-wielding Casey Jones to ninja-in-training, April O’Neill—families are able to put their new skills into practice.
Exhibit elements
- Back Alley Rope Maze—Families work together to navigate a rope maze without triggering alarms.
- Pizza Shooter Arcade—Using a ninja-powered pizza shooter, families work together to load, aim, and fire pizza disks at targets in the windows of a NYC apartment block.
- Turtle Team Power—Family members’ teamwork skills are put to the test in a computer game where players complete a sequence of commands and tasks to achieve a goal as a team
- Allies and Enemies Dioramas—In a window of the buildings found in the Streets of NYC is a miniature scene featuring the allies and enemies of the Turtles.
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