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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will welcome families to NYC this summer – Metro US

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will welcome families to NYC this summer

Step aside, pizza rat, because there are four other pizza-loving — and crime fighting — New Yorkers taking the city by storm.

NYC & Company — the city’s official destination marketing organization — announced Wednesday, along with Nickelodeon, that the beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have become the newest Official NYC Family Ambassadors.

RELATED:NYC to see record-breaking 59.7 million visitors in 2016

As part of a yearlong campaign, the crime-fighting foursome will highlight the Big Apple as being a family-friendly destination through campaigns across the city and also throughout the country.

“We’re excited to enlist the help of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, four dynamic and adventurous New Yorkers, to welcome family travelers to NYC,” said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company. “Known by visitors from around the world, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the perfect guides to help families discover the vibrancy and excitement throughout the five boroughs.”

Nickelodeon’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” is currently in its fourth season and can be seen in over 170 countries. The series follows the four brothers Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo who are trained by Master Splinter, who teaches them how to battle evil in the city’s sewers.

As part of the campaign, the crime-fighting turtles will help families find exciting things to do and see across the five boroughs. NYC & Company has also launched ads featuring the turtles in various locations in each borough.

Along with the ads, the campaign will be promoted in Boston, Chicago and 23 shopping malls in the country; through social media using the hashtag #nycgofamily; television commercials running in city taxicabs; and more.

Since the launch of the Family Ambassador program in 2009 — which has seen ambassadors such as Dora the Explorer and Curious George in previous years — vistitation by families in the city has grown by 32.6 percent.

RELATED:NYC reaches a record-high population of over 8.5 million

Last year, New York City welcomed about 17.5 million families and this year the number is expected to grow to about 17.7 million.

“As native New Yorkers, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are the perfect choice to encourage visitors from around the globe to find their own adventures in the city that never sleeps,” said Pam Kaufman, chief marketing officer and president of consumer products for Nickelodeon. “We are proud to continue our longstanding partnership with NYC & Company, which leverages our beloved characters to showcase the best of what New York City has to offer for kids and families.”