You can find the plaque celebrating the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Central Ave at the intersection of Union St in Dover, NH. The manhole cover is at 28 Union St in Dover, NH.
When I was at the Portsmouth Minicon to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, I knew I had to go to nearby Dover, NH to visit the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles birthplace.
My day started in an exceptionally uncomfortable bed at the Portsmouth, NH Howard Johnson at 6 am. I took my time getting ready for the day, grabbed a continental breakfast, packed up the car, and looked up the location of the Dover, NH plaque in the dedication of where Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird were living when they created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The corner of Union and Central wasn’t far from Portsmouth. About twenty minutes later, I stood at the Creation of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles plaque, dedicated by Dover, NH on November 8, 2023.
“In November 1983, while living in Dover, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird created a cast of weapon-wielding turtles during a late-night drawing session. Amused by the absurdity of the idea, the duo developed the story of four teenage turtle brothers: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo. The one-shot comic, published independently by Mirage Studios on Union Street, debuted in 1984. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles became a full comic series and ultimately an international multimedia franchise.”
The next stop was the manhole cover.
About a quarter mile down Union St is 28 Union St, where you can find the manhole cover marking the address where Eastman and Laird lived when they created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I stood at the manhole cover and thought about my life and how it was so heavily influenced by the art created at this spot.
When you get to the manhole cover, it’s on a normal-looking street surrounded by homes. I was wondering if another turtle fan would show up while I was there. Maybe I was too early, but I figured I’d go to Portsmouth to grab a proper breakfast.
I hopped back in my car and a few miles down the road I realized that I had an action figure of the first turtle that Kevin Eastman drew. I bought it in 2015 and it’s been one of my favorite things in my TMNT collection, and had brought it to the Portsmouth Minicon for Kevin Eastman to sign. I wanted a photo of that figure in that spot, so I turned around and headed back.
When I arrived, a car was pulling up. It was Erick from Warrior Pins! I met Erick at a Patches and Pins expo a few years ago and he’s consistently someone I’m happy to go to events with. Erick’s enthusiasm and positivity is infectious. He’s become a good friend in the community. It absolutely helps that we’re both early risers, which lead to us surreptitiously meeting up at the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Should you visit the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? If you even remotely care about the ninja turtles, yes. Yes, you should.