Northampton to spend $20,000 on Ninja Turtles manhole covers

May 06, 2023

Stay up to speed on all the latest local and national political news.

Cowabunga! Four of the manhole covers in a western Massachusetts city are going to be turned into a public tribute to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Northampton officials are giving a $20,000 grant to the Northampton Vibrance Committee to support the design and manufacture of four custom manhole covers. The grant is part of the city's plan to distribute $4 million from the American Rescue Plan, a COVID-19 pandemic stimulus package.

The city was the original home of Mirage Studios, which created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book series.

The information included with the grant decision indicates the four manhole covers would be located along Main Street.

In the comics and movies, the four turtles — Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo, who were named after Renaissance artists — use manhole covers to access their homes in the sewers of New York City. Plots often involved the turtles battling criminals and evil mutants.

The franchise has also spawned several movies, including an upcoming animated film, "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem." The movie is expected to be released on Aug. 4.