Did You Know That Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Were Created Here In Dover?

According to Wikipedia, Dover was the birthplace of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!  They were created by comic book writers Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird who first published them in 1984 by Mirage Studios, based here in Dover.  Kevin and Peter came up with the idea by drawing a funny cartoon one night of bad TV watching.  Wiki also says that the cartoon premiered in May 1984, at a comic book convention held at the Sheraton Hotel in Portsmouth!

Can you name the four turtles?  Here's a hint:  They were named after famous Italian Renaissance painters:

• Leonardo
• Michaelangelo
• Donatello
• Raphael

Here's the very first episode of the cartoon

How wonderful that an idea that came from watching bad TV turned in to a world wide success!  AND, it happened right here in Dover.  I remember my son watching the cartoon, but that time in re-runs.  His favorite, was Leonardo who was really the leader of the four.