"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" birthplace in Dover enshrined with marker, manhole

DOVER — In November 1983, then-Union Street resident Kevin Eastman decided to amuse his roommate, fellow aspiring comic creator Peter Laird, with a drawing. Eastman, inspired to merge Bruce Lee into animal form, drew a turtle well-versed in martial arts.

The drawing was successful in making Laird laugh, and they expanded the idea to four turtles, which became the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles," each equipped with different weapons.

“We picked it up and we said, ‘This is the dumbest thing we’ve ever seen, but we love it,’” Eastman admits now.

Forty years later, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is an internationally-acclaimed comic and movie franchise. Recognition of its Dover birthplace is now official.

This week, a multiyear effort concluded with the unveiling of a state-designated historical marker and commemorative manhole crowdfunded by a Dover “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” fan. The Wednesday event marked Eastman’s grand return to Dover, and he was joined by Laird’s wife and their family, city leaders and members of the public.

“We feel this is home to us,” Eastman said. “This is where it was created. We’re so proud and so happy to be part of this community.”

At 28 Union St., in an apartment that has since been torn down, Eastman and Laird drew the original comic strip for the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” After borrowing money, they printed the original copies that debuted at a comic book convention in Portsmouth in 1984.

The first 3,000 copies sold out, Eastman told the crowd.

“We lugged them into the house (that was) here. We made furniture out of them,” he added. “We had boxes of books as a coffee table, a couple of boxes as an end table. And then this crazy thing happened: You guys started buying them.”

In 2021, plans went into motion to affirm Dover’s standing of where the comic originated. Resident James Lane approached the city Arts Commission about celebrating the comic’s roots.

Lane, a longtime fan, began a fundraiser to garner financial support for the manhole in the private effort. The city worked with the state Division of Historical Resources and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation to install a historical highway marker at the intersection of Union Street and Central Avenue.

“Three years ago this month, I was walking my dog past here and thinking this specific spot needs to be recognized. I’ve been a “Turtles” fan since the comic book days (and) met Eastman and Laid at an 80s convention,” he said Wednesday. “I love little Easter eggs hidden in neighborhoods about history and this could be one of Dover’s biggest.”

Griffin Hansen, president of the Animation Education Association, and his team work to place markers around the country for “people who have made a significant contribution to the medium of animation.”

“I hope that this just goes to show that great artists can come from anywhere and great ideas can come from anywhere,” said Hansen, who was dressed in a Dover High School Green Wave-colored suit.

Mayor Bob Carrier’s adult son loved the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” as a child and remains a fan to this day, even dressing up as one for Halloween last month.

“To have this dedication in the city of Dover for the originators, that puts us on the map,” Mayor Carrier said.

Laird was unable to attend Wednesday’s event.

This article originally appeared on Fosters Daily Democrat: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" gets Dover NH marker, manhole