When you have kids, it takes a lot of effort to let them discover their own likes and dislikes without pushing on them your own favorite things. But, you also want that validation of your child (whatever age) loving the same things you loved when you were younger. My Harry Potter books now sit on my son’s shelf, just waiting until he’s old enough for me to read them to him. He has my husband’s 30-year-old pound puppy and I’m still trying to pick out which Care Bear he should cuddle. (Not to mention when he’s a teen, he has to love the Foo Fighters and Smashing Pumpkins. He has to.)
So, it’s great when favorites from our childhood come back around just in time for our kids to enjoy them on their own. I used to watch the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles on Saturday mornings (it ran from 1987-1996) and I saw every movie in the theater. Those pizza-loving, sewer-living turtles kicked butt and made me laugh—such fun. And they’re back, just a little darker and tougher than before. The new series premieres on Nickelodeon later this year.
rendering courtesy of Mall of America
This weekend, Mall of America’s Nickelodeon Universe opens its brand-new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock ride and it sounds, well, pretty tubular. A cantilevered arm rotates around a central tower while riders sitting in one of 12 seats can control their own ride by rotating and teetering their chairs. Bodacious wrapped in radical, right?!
To celebrate the ride’s opening, Mall of America is looking to break the world record for the largest gathering of Ninja Turtles (the current record stands at 786). Starting at 8 a.m., fans who come to participate will get a free ride on Shell Shock as well as a TMNT mask to adorn. Cowabunga dude!
In addition, another new ride opened this month: the Dutchman’s Deck Anchor is two intertwining stainless steel spiral tube slides, which drop riders from 56 or 35 feet in the air. Find the slides by the Flying Dutchman Ghostly Gangplank Adventure Ropes Course, which is based on a character from SpongeBob SquarePants.
So head over to Nick U this weekend. For just $30, you can experience the rides in the seven-acre park all day long.
