The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have called New York City their home for over three decades, and today they will actively take part in sharing that home with visitors from around the world. New York has long been a tourist destination, but it wasn’t until they created the Family Ambassadors program that we saw characters such as The Muppets and Curious George welcoming guests to the city.
The Ninja Turtles will be the next characters to take this responsibility, as they have officially been named the Family Ambassadors of New York City. The campaign will be launched with the help of Nickelodeon, who will provide artwork and “out-of-home” media for a variety of different tourist destinations all around the city. Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company, had the following to say about this project:
“We’re excited to enlist the help of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, four dynamic and adventurous New Yorkers, to welcome family travelers to NYC.”
Comic style artwork used to introduce the Ninja Turtles as NYC’s latest Family Ambassadors. Source: Viacom, NYCGO
This is a fairly big honor for our heroes in a half shell, and it would appear that they’ve already crafted some hilarious Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic pages to welcome visitors to various areas around the city. NYCGO has worked with Nickelodeon to develop this artwork, and some of it is truly brilliant. I absolutely love the comic about Staten Island in which Michelangelo can be seen getting on Raph’s nerves. I only hope that this isn’t the last we will see of their efforts as Family Ambassadors, because this is shaping up to be a truly special a campaign.
And what better time to make the Ninja Turtles a part of your tourism efforts than this very moment? The TMNT are poised to have an amazing summer this year, as the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows has inspired a boom in the market for everything turtles. With a new game planned for release just ahead of the film, this is shaping up to be a very green summer. If I’m being honest, I fully expect to see several more ties to the TMNT franchise popping up over the next few months. Regardless, these comics are awesome and they actually make me want to visit New York City!
