“Go ninja, go ninja, go!” Who would have thought that we’d still be singing those lyrics 35 years after Rob Van Winkle, aka Vanilla Ice, first appeared in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze. On the eve of the film’s anniversary, and as its fans prepare to see it again in movie theatres this week, the 58-year-old rapper is calling the moment his greatest achievement… after his kids, of course.
Most people remember Vanilla Ice for ‘Ice Ice Baby’, but, surprisingly, that doesn’t seem to be the song he is most proud of. Instead that honor goes to being on the set of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.
“It was the greatest thing ever. Still is my greatest accomplishment next to my kids,” Van Winkle told PEOPLE. “I love it because it keeps me young. I’m the oldest teenager in town.”
Vanilla Ice Has a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Room at His Home
Would it surprise you that Vanilla Ice is still one of the biggest TMNT fans of all time? Walk into his Palm Beach, Florida home, and you’ll find an entire room dedicated to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Van Winkle’s collection includes his original set chair from the 1991 film, the movie’s script, and turtle memorabilia that fans would happily trade a lifetime’s worth of pizza for.
One of the standout pieces is the Playmates Toys Technodrome playset released in 1990, which collectors still hunt down today.
He also kept something far more interesting: old film footage from the set that nobody has seen before.
“I do have some things from set from the Ninja Turtles and I actually got a lot of footage that I’ve never released … We’re going to release it. It’s awesome,” Van Winkle said. “But it’s from back in the day, it’s got me over there in the corner practicing with the Turtles and teaching them some dance moves.”
Filming Ninja Rap at Age 20 Became a Defining Moment For Vanilla Ice
Back in 1991, Van Winkle was barely 20 years old when he filmed the nightclub scene where he performs Ninja Rap while the turtles brawl nearby.
“I was just a kid. I was only probably 20, maybe just turned 20,” he recalled. “I was young and just did Ice, Ice Baby a couple years [prior] then Ninja Turtles, so I was so honored to get in there and do that.”
Ninja Rap is the song that is tied to the film forever. Even now, when he performs on the I Love The 90s Tour, the TMNT sometimes join him on stage in costume.
Vanilla Ice Plans to Celebrate the TMNT Re-Release With His Family
It probably comes as no surprise that Vanilla Ice’s daughters love the TMNT too. Van Winkle has four girls, including seven-year-old Priscilla, who recently caught Turtlemania.
“So we’re going to the movie, we’re going to get the popcorn,” he said. “She’s going to experience it like I did back in the ’90s.”
Fans across the globe plan to do the same. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze returns to cinemas from March 13 to March 19 in a restored 4K theatrical presentation. Screenings of the film will also include a featurette with co-creator Kevin Eastman reflecting on the franchise and the 1991 movie.
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