The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creation site in Dover, New Hampshire was definitely a stop I wanted to make after visiting the Exeter UFO Festival, which also takes place in New Hampshire. Since I was already in the area, it felt like the perfect opportunity to visit another location connected to something I grew up with.
In Dover, there is a sign marking the site where the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were created. It makes for a great photo opportunity, but if you walk a little further down the street behind the sign, about a block or two, there’s another fun detail. Off to the left, you’ll find a decorative manhole cover featuring the Ninja Turtles themselves, which is another great little spot for photos. It’s a small location, but for fans of the series, it’s a very nostalgic stop.
Childhood Nostalgia
Visiting this location was especially meaningful to me because it reminded me of my childhood routine.
On Friday nights, I was sometimes allowed to stay up later than usual because it wasn’t considered a “school night,” meaning I didn’t have school the next morning. My dad and I would often watch The Twilight Zone together late at night. Eventually he would go to bed, but I would still stay up a little longer in my room. If I was lucky, I would sneak in episodes of shows like Dragon Ball Z or Sailor Moon before finally going to sleep. But no matter how late I stayed up on Friday night, I would still wake up early the next morning. Saturday mornings were important, because I had to make sure I finished my bowl of cereal in time to sit down and watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
For a lot of kids growing up in the late 80s and 90s, Saturday morning cartoons were a big deal, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was one of those shows that many of us remember watching every week, so visiting the place where the series was originally created felt like a fun little full-circle moment.
The April O’Neil Outfit
For this visit, I decided to put together a casual cosplay inspired by April O’Neil, the reporter who frequently appears alongside the Ninja Turtles. Because the weather was very warm that day, I knew I couldn’t wear a full jumpsuit like the character normally does. Instead, I looked for something that would resemble the outfit while still being comfortable. After searching around on Amazon, I ended up typing in “yellow shorts jumpsuit”, which led me to a piece that worked surprisingly well. The jumpsuit outfit originally came with a very thin brown belt, but I wanted something that looked a little closer to the character’s design. I searched again and eventually found a white waist belt, which helped complete the look. Between the jumpsuit and the belt, that was really all I needed. I already owned a pair of bright white sneakers, which matched the outfit nicely.
Editing the Hair Color
One detail people might notice in the photos is the orange hair, which is associated with April O’Neil. In reality, I didn’t have an orange wig available at the time, and it wasn’t something I could easily get at the last minute. Instead, I decided to take the photos with my natural hair and then use an editing app to adjust the hair color afterward. This is something worth mentioning because in cosplay, you don’t always need every single piece physically present. Sometimes simple editing can help bring the look together for photography purposes. When I showed the photos to people later, several of them actually thought I had dyed my hair.
Casual Cosplay
This outfit also falls into something I like to call casual cosplay. Casual cosplay is when your outfit references a character but still looks normal enough to wear out in public. Someone might see the outfit and simply think you’re dressed nicely for the day, without realizing it’s actually meant to resemble a character. The yellow jumpsuit worked well for that. Walking around town, most people probably just assumed I was wearing a bright, fashionable outfit rather than intentionally dressing as April O’Neil. That’s something I really enjoy about casual cosplay. It allows you to reference a character while still blending into everyday situations.
A Funny Mix-Up
Interestingly enough, when I showed the photos to coworkers later, someone joked that I looked like the Man in the Yellow Hat from Curious George. We all had a good laugh about it. When we looked at the photos again, it wasn’t exactly the same look, but I could understand where the comparison came from. It just goes to show that sometimes when you create a cosplay based on colors or general shapes, people might interpret it as something else entirely. Even though I was clearly going for April O’Neil, someone else saw something completely different.
Final Thoughts
The visit to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creation site ended up being a really fun and nostalgic stop. It connected a lot of different memories — childhood cartoons, late Friday nights watching TV, and the excitement of Saturday morning cartoons. The cosplay itself was also a great example of how simple an outfit can be. All it really took was a yellow jumpsuit, a white belt, white sneakers, and a little hair editing afterward. Sometimes cosplay doesn’t need to be complicated to be fun. And for anyone who grew up watching the Ninja Turtles, visiting this location in Dover, New Hampshire is a small but memorable place worth checking out.