Iconic Origins: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cover art

Iconic Origins: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Iconic Origins: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

By: Paramount Pictures
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 Before the billion-dollar empire, before the Saturday morning cartoons and pizza-shouting action figures, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were just a joke. A dumb sketch made by two broke artists with zero expectations. This is the wild, funny, and unexpectedly emotional true story of how a scrappy indie comic became a global phenomenon - and how it nearly destroyed the friendship that created it. Hosted by Ben De Almeida, this eight-part series follows the rise, reinvention, and ripple effects of a franchise that mutated far beyond anyone’s control.Copyright 2025 by Paramount Audio, a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. Sound recording copyright 2025 by Paramount Audio, a division of Paramount Pictures Corporation. Art Social Sciences
Episodes
  • 05. First Movie. Last Straw.

    05. First Movie. Last Straw.
    Nov 6 2025
    Before it became a box office smash, the first Ninja Turtles movie was a giant red flag. Studios passed. Toy execs panicked. No one knew if guys in rubber suits could carry a film or if anyone would show up to watch. But Kevin and Peter pushed forward, determined to make something darker, weirder, and truer to the original comic. This is the story of how a movie everyone expected to fail… didn’t. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    38 mins
  • 04. A TV Show To Promote a Toy Line

    04. A TV Show To Promote a Toy Line
    Oct 30 2025
    One minute the Turtles were gritty, underground comic book vigilantes. The next, they were shouting Cowabunga and riding filing cabinets like surfboards. As a toy company races to turn them into kid-friendly icons, Kevin and Peter watch their creation mutate into something they barely recognize. The show is loud, colorful, wildly successful - and for the guys who started it all, kind of a gut punch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    42 mins
  • 03. Toying With The Idea

    03. Toying With The Idea
    Oct 23 2025
    A guy in a green suit and rented car shows up with a wild idea: let’s turn these violent, black-and-white ninja comics into action figures for kids. What could possibly go wrong? Spoiler: everything. This is the moment the Turtles stop being a comic and start becoming a brand. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    39 mins
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