The first time I ever heard of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I had to laugh, and  thought of course, a little boy thought that one up! You know, kind of like Axe Cop. Well, the story of the actual origin of TMNT is told in an article by Rob Lammle at mental floss, along with all the steps they went through to be comic book, TV, and movie stars. Link