New Guinness World Record Set For Most People Dressed as Ninja Turtles!

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Yesterday, in celebration of the grand opening of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shell Shock ride at Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, 836 TMNT fans successful set the Guinness World Record for the most people dressed as Ninja Turtles in one place!

I will have a full report of the event, along with a bunch of pictures and some video, coming up later this week (after I get my shell back to California). But, I will say in short that the event was a blast, and the ride is reallyreally fun! It was tough to get the cars to do a complete 360, but very rewarding when you succeeded - It really was kinda like ninja training!

For now, here's the official group photo of the event. I left it huge so you can play Where's Waldo if you're in the crowd or know someone who was. Cowabunga, Dudes!

TMNT: Shell Shock Grand Opening Event Today!

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Keep track of event goings-ons by following @NinjaPizza on Twitter!

Guide to WonderCon 2012

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WonderCon, the little sister convention to Comic-Con International, is being held this weekend, March 16-18, at the Anaheim Convention Center. This is a (supposedly) temporary relocation from the usual digs at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. (I sure hope so!)

The only TMNT-related information I have for the convention comes from IDW:

March 17, 12:00-3:00pm - On Saturday, the IDW booth will be hosting a signing with TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman.

All weekend - The IDW booth will be selling the limited edition black & white variant cover of TMNT: The Ultimate Edition, Vol. 1.

I was hoping to make it to this even though it's not in my backyard this year, but things didn't work out and then something else came up. Happy conventioning to anyone who is going!

New TMNT Movie Officially Scheduled for December 2013

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Deadline.com is reporting tonight that the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, which has been in development for several years now, has an official release date scheduled for Christmas 2013.

And with all signs pointing at the movie moving forward into production, Jonathan Liebesman has been named director. Just a month ago he was rumored to be in talks for the job.

The movie is said to be a live action-CGI combo, although there are no specifics are mentioned on exactly how the Turtles themselves will be realized.

Shout! Factory Acquires DVD Rights for "Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation"

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Last year, Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation appeared on Netflix streaming as part of a distribution acquisition that included most all of the titles in Saban's library. This was the first time The Next Mutation had appeared in the United States in any format in well over 10 years.

Now, in a DVD distribution deal that consists mostly of Power Rangers episodes, Shout! Factory has picked up the rights for The Next Mutation. This doesn't guarantee that the series will be released on DVD, but it is an important step in making it happen. Here's hoping!

TMNT: Shell Shock Ready to Fly

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It looks like the final touches are finally in place, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shell Shock is ready to go on March 17, 2012. If you're in the area, you definitely want to attend the big event, including a chance to get in the Guinness Book of World Records! And Ninja Pizza will be there, live Tweeting the event! I may even sneak in a few videos. ^_^

A video of the attraction on one of its early test flights appeared on YouTube over the weekend. If you look closely, you can see the giant Turtles figures in the lower right of the screen.

Additionally, readers Sonia and Brian have both been kind enough to submit "in progress" pictures of the ride being built. Check out a few of them below, and the rest on Facebook.

The ride controls are designed as a pizza cart.

Riders beware!

INFESTATION 2: TMNT #1 - Variant Cover Guide

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While this issue is scheduled to be released today, you may want to check with your local comic shop before you make the drive. Due to a distribution problem, only part of the country will be getting their IDW titles today. Shops that don't get them this week will get them next week.

That said, here's a preview for everyone!

Cover A

Cover B

Cover A: Menton J. Matthews III.
Regular cover; distributed in a 4:1 ratio with cover B.

Cover B: Livio Ramondelli.
Regular cover; distributed in a 1:4 ratio with cover A.

Cover C

Cover C: Mark Torres.
Retailer incentive cover; 1 copy sent to retailers for every 10 copies ordered.

Character Profiles for Nickelodeon's New TMNT CGI Series

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Note: These pictures were removed by Nickelodeon. I'll have them back on the site as soon as I'm able to.

Among the pages discovered during the brief window of time that the upcoming website for the new Nickelodeon TMNT CGI series was viewable (as described yesterday) was a series of character profiles for all of the main characters. Screen caps of all of these profiles are below.

One note about about Shredder's profile is that it mentions that he has an adopted daughter named Miwa. This is interesting because we learned at last year's Fan Preview Event that Splinter, as the Human Hamato Yoshi, had a daughter that was left behind in Japan when he fled to New York. Could Hamato Yoshi's daughter be Shredder's adopted daughter, Miwa?

New Pictures Emerge as Website Launch Nears

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Note: These pictures were removed by Nickelodeon. However, they are still on dozens of other websites, so I'll be putting them back up soon. If Nickelodeon has a problem with this, I ask that they please e-mail me.

Some savvy TMNT fans over at The Technodrome have noticed signs of activity at the URL http://www.nick.com/tmnt, including some elements of what looks to be a website close to ready to launch. These pictures reveal the best look yet at the CGI designs for Splinter, April, the Shredder, and the Kraang, in addition to the Turtles themselves.
Just a handful of the discovered pictures are below; you can view more over on Facebook.
(Note: Facebook followers get these sorts of updates first!)

IDW Donatello #1 - Variant Cover Guide

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Happy leap day! Your prize for this extra day in the year is a new TMNT comic book! Woohoo!

You can jump start your trip to the comic shop by reading a preview. (Just don't read it as you're driving to the comic shop!)

Note: This issue takes place between issues #6 & #7.

Cover A

Cover C

Cover A: David Petersen (color).
Regular cover; distributed in a 4:1 ratio with cover B.

Cover C: David Petersen (black & white).
Retailer incentive cover; 1 copy sent to retailers for every 10 copies ordered.

Cover B

Cover D

Cover B: Valerio Schiti.
Regular cover; distributed in a 1:4 ratio with cover A.

Cover D: Peter Laird.
Retailer incentive cover; 1 copy sent to retailers for every 25 copies ordered.

TMNT: Shell Shock Grand Opening Party March 17 at Nickelodeon Universe

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Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, has announced their plans for the grand opening of their new thrill ride, TMNT: Shell Shock. The plan is to break the Guinness World Record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Ninja Turtles! (The current record is 748 people, set at Rutgers University on April 10, 2008.)

This is a great opportunity for fans to have fun and be a part of TMNT history! As you wait for the ride to open, check out these pictures of the ride being built (and even more pictures on Facebook).

Check out all the details below!

Concept art for the new ride.

Event details:

March 17
Registration: 8 a.m.
Event Start: 9 a.m.
West Entrance of Nickelodeon Universe

Celebrate the grand opening of our new ride, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles “Shell Shock!”

Help us break the World Record for the Largest Gathering of Ninja Turtles and ride Shell Shock for FREE*! Come as you are or show your Turtle Power by dressing like Mikey, Donnie, Raph or Leo. All participants will receive a Turtles t-shirt and mask while supplies last.

All participants must be in costume or wearing the provided t-shirt and mask by 9 a.m. to participate in the World Record attempt.

*All participants will receive a Nickelodeon Universe 6-point pass. Must be 48” tall to ride Shell Shock.

IDW TMNT #7 Variant Cover Guide

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TMNT #7 is in comic shops today - Go get it!

Here's a preview!

Cover A

Cover B

Cover A: Dan Duncan.
Regular cover; distributed in a 4:1 ratio with cover B.

Cover B: Kevin Eastman.
Regular cover; distributed in a 1:4 ratio with cover A.

Cover C

Cover C: Mark Torres.
Retailer incentive cover; 1 copy sent to retailers for every 10 copies ordered.

IDW Announces TMNT Color Classics Series

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If you don't have enough copies of the original TMNT comic books yet, particularly issue #1, you're in luck. IDW has released their list of May solicitations, and among them is what they're calling TMNT Color Classics #1. This is Vol. 1 #1 of the original comics as a single "floppy" issue, and in brand new color.

The implication seems to be that IDW will be releasing all of the issues featured in the Ultimate Edition hardcovers as these color single issues.

And if your head is spinning trying to keep track of everything that IDW is up to, I've compiled a "cheat sheet" that can now be found at the "Comics" link at the top of the website.

Ultimate Collection Vol. 2 Cover Revealed

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After a series of delays, the cover art for Vol. 2 of IDW's Ultimate Collection hardcover books, which reprint the original Eastman & Laird TMNT comics, has been revealed. Once again this is a brand new piece by Kevin Eastman, and if you line it up next to Vol. 1 you'll see it continues the collage of scenes and characters that was started with that volume.

The publication date for Vol. 2, which has been sliding back regularly, is currently listed on Amazon.com as being March 27, 2012. Pre-ordering right now via Amazon will save you 42% off the cover price!

Sneak Peek of TMNT Shell Shock Ride

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As has been announced, Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN, will next month be opening a brand new thrill ride, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shell Shock. The ride is currently under construction and Ninja Pizza reader Sonia sent in some photos of of the progress.

Nickelodeon Universe and the Mall of America are planning a grand opening for the ride that is sure to be an amazing event fans won't want to miss! Stay tuned to Ninja Pizza for more details coming soon.

A couple shots of the ride from above. You can see the sewer entrance and the post that will eventually hold the ride itself.

The sewer entrance from ground level and the "Antonio's Pizza" logo on the opposite side of the sewer arch entrance (not an actual restaurant as I first thought).

Some close-ups of the interior of the sewer entrance.

Thanks for sending these in, Sonia!

Activision to Develop New TMNT Video Game Titles?

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Among the new photos from Toy Fair posted yesterday by ToyArk.com was the above photo of a sign hanging in the booth. This sign indicates that key licensees working with Nickelodeon on the TMNT property are IDW and Activision. IDW, of course, is publishing a slew of TMNT comic book titles, both new and old. Activision, however, has not officially been connected to the TMNT property.

While it is not a surprise to see Activision, who is partnered with Nickelodeon to turn many of their series into video games, connected to the TMNT, this is the first sign we've seen that something may already be in the works.

Ubisoft had previously held the TMNT license until losing it last June.