The previous record for the largest gathering of Ninja Turtles was set at Rutgers University in 2008 with 786 people. The record was broken on March 17, 2012, with 836 people dressed up as Ninja Turtles in front of "Shell Shock". Nickelodeon Universe also hosted the event Be A Part of Turtles History at Nickelodeon Universe! to conduct the Guinness World Record for the Largest Gathering of Ninja Turtles. On March 17, 2012, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock officially opened at Nickelodeon Universe. The ride was then closed and re-opened two hours later. The ride at that time was holding 11 passengers (two children and 9 adults). On March 16, 2012, at around 2:30 pm, the ride froze in operation, taking ride operators over 10 minutes to get passengers down. The ride continued to occasionally freeze in air throughout the first week of operation. The ride passengers included four children and 8 adults. It took ride developers about 15–20 minutes until they were able unfreeze the ride, bringing all passengers safely down. The ride held 12 people, all of which were okay. On March 16, 2012, around 1:00 pm, the ride malfunctioned, causing it to freeze in the air.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock replaced Tak Attack that closed on November 14, 2011, to make room.
Then on January 20, 2012, Nickelodeon Universe announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shell Shock for the 2012 season that is expected to open in March 2012. On July 25, 2011, Park Thoughts had an interview with the marketing director of Nickelodeon Universe, and they confirmed that a new major attraction in the works for the 2012 season.