Vanilla Ice Shares the Nostalgic Memento He Took From the Set of 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II' (Exclusive)

Virginia ChamleeMon, March 9, 2026 at 1:53 PM UTC

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Vanilla Ice, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 - Secret Of The Ooze - 1999. Vanilla Ice aka Rob Van Winkle attends the documentaries of 'Ice Ice, Baby Hip Hop's 1st Global #1" screening during the 37th Annual Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival at Savor Cinema on November 09, 2022 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.Credit: Golden Harvest/Kobal/Shutterstock; Johnny Louis/Getty -

Rob Van Winkle is recounting the Ninja Turtles memorabilia he took with him from the 1991 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze

Speaking to PEOPLE, Vanilla Ice recounts making the film

The rapper will release a new music video and production of the "Ninja Rap" (which he performed in the film) to coincide with the anniversary of the sequel, which will hit theaters for a re-release March 13-19

Vanilla Ice is still celebrating Turtlemania, 35 years after he performed "Ninja Rap" in the 1991 film, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze.

Speaking to PEOPLE in a recent exclusive interview, Rob Van Winkle (better known by his stage name, "Vanilla Ice") says that one room in his Palm Beach, Florida home is themed almost entirely after the Ninja Turtles. And among his memorabilia are some pieces he took home from the film.

"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. 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," says 58-year-old Van Winkle, who shot to fame with the 1990 hit "Ice Ice Baby."

Van Winkle adds that he has his set chair from the film, as well as the original script and other turtles-themed merch (like the original Playmates Toys Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Technodrome playset, originally released in 1990, and a highly regarded item for collectors.)

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the OozeCredit: New Line Cinema

The rapper-turned-construction contractor says he's been a fan of the Ninja Turtles since well before he appeared in The Secret of the Ooze.

"When they asked me to do the Secret of the Ooze, I was like, 'Man, I would've paid you,'" he says with a laugh. "And they paid me. It's like, 'What?' "

He continues: "It was the greatest thing ever. Still is my greatest accomplishment next to my kids. I love it because it keeps me young. I'm the oldest teenager in town."

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Van Winkle still performs his hits as part of the I Love The 90s Tour and also works as a real estate investor, home flipper, and television personality on the DIY Network series The Vanilla Ice Project. His current project is the transformation of a historic 1920s-era Masonic Lodge in Lake Worth Beach, Florida, into a brewery, museum, and events venue.

But even all these years later, the father of four daughters still fans out over the turtles and will release a new production and music video of the "Ninja Rap" (which he performed in the film) to coincide with the anniversary of the sequel, which will hit theaters nationwide for a re-release March 13-19 (and is in select locations all the way through March 26).

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the OozeCredit: New Line Cinema

Van Winkle says he still remembers his first day on set of the film, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself performing the the song "Ninja Rap" in a nightclub, while the turtles engage in a fight scene.

"I was just a kid. I was only probably 20, maybe just turned 20," he says, adding that he still remembers seeing the actors in their costumes on set. "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. We did the Ninja Rap, which became an anthem for the movie and it's just been a big part of my life. Even on the I Love The 90s Tour, I bring the Turtles out with me on stage."

His daughters — who range in age from 7 to 28 — are also fans, he adds.

"So I have four kids and they're all girls and they're all Ninja Turtle fans. And my seven-year-old right now is infected with it even more than anything," he says. "So we're going to the movie, we're going to get the popcorn. She's going to experience it like I did back in the '90s, and we're going to go have a really good time with Mommy and everybody. And my wife, kids, everybody, we're going to go be teenagers for the night."

Speaking to PEOPLE, he says, "I got to be my actual age on Monday because I do construction. But on the weekends, I'm dancing around like a teenager. And that's what we should do, man. It keeps you young. So forever Ninja Turtles, keeping you young. Shout out Raphael."

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”