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73-528: Dexter's Laboratory is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network and the first original series for the channel under the Cartoon Cartoons moniker. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a hidden science laboratory in his room, which he keeps secret from his unsuspecting parents. Dexter is at constant odds with his older and more extraverted sister Dee Dee, who regularly accesses

146-420: A television film titled Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip aired as the intended series finale , after which Tartakovsky focused his work on another series for Cartoon Network, Samurai Jack . In November 2000, the series was renewed for two seasons, which began airing on November 18, 2001. Due to Tartakovsky's departure, Chris Savino served as showrunner, and a new team at Cartoon Network Studios produced

219-574: A "rude removal system" to diminish Dee Dee and Dexter's rudeness that instead creates highly rude clones of both siblings. "Rude Removal" was only shown during certain animation festivals and was never aired on television due to characters swearing , even though all swear words are censored . Tartakovsky commented that " standards didn't like it." Linda Simensky, then-vice president of original programming for Cartoon Network, said "I still think it's very funny. It probably would air better late at night." Michelle Klein-Häss of Animation World Network called

292-663: A 12-hour "Dexter Goes Global" marathon in 96 countries and 12 languages. This marathon featured fan-selected episodes of Dexter's Laboratory and culminated by premiering two new episodes of season 3. From 2005 to 2008, Dexter's Laboratory was rerun in segments on The Cartoon Cartoon Show with other Cartoon Cartoons from that era. From 2012 to 2014, it returned in reruns on the revived block, Cartoon Planet . From January 16, 2006, to June 7, 2021, Dexter's Laboratory aired reruns on Boomerang . Cartoon Network has aired reruns in Canada since its launch on July 4, 2012. This launch

365-637: A 2001 IGN interview, Tartakovsky expressed disappointment with how The Justice Friends turned out, saying, "it could have been funnier and the characters could have been fleshed out more." Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory , was born in Moscow , where his father, a dentist , served in the government of the Soviet Union . Although relatively wealthy and well-connected, his family feared racial persecution due to their Jewish heritage and moved from Russia to Chicago when Tartakovsky

438-513: A Dexter balloon was featured in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade alongside other iconic characters, including the titular piglet from Babe whom Christine Cavanaugh voiced. The series was part of Cartoon Network's 20% ratings surge during mid-1999. On July 7, 2000, the series was the network's highest-rated original telecast among households (3.1), kids 2–11 (7.8), and kids 6–11 (8.4), with a delivery of almost 2 million homes. On July 31, 2001, it scored

511-530: A German accent. It's just Eastern European." Tartakovsky later declared Cavanaugh's input for Dexter to be irreplaceable as he acknowledged her legacy. Dexter conceals his lab from his clueless parents, addressed only as Mom (voiced by Kath Soucie ) and Dad (voiced by Jeff Bennett ), who Tartakovsky described as simplified stereotypes of "ideal parents". His hyperactive, carefree, older sister Dee Dee (voiced by Allison Moore in seasons 1 and 3 and by Kat Cressida in seasons 2 and 4) delights in playing haphazardly in

584-518: A child-friendly show, shifted its target group to ages 12 and up, resulting in a darker and more mature storyline. Animated film theatrical series include all early animated series: Animated Weekly (1913), The Newlyweds (1913 — 1915), Travelaughs (1913, 1915 — 1918, 1921 — 1923), Doc Yak (1913 — 1915), Colonel Heeza Liar (1913 — 1917, 1922 — 1924), Kapten Grogg  [ sv ] (1916 — 1922), Les Aventures des Pieds Nickelés (1917 — 1918),

657-554: A hardworking, unspoiled " Midwest kid" who loves food and explained, "I'm not saying he's from Chicago, but there's a reason he's got his own burrito palace, just like I had growing up in Chicago." The sibling dynamic in Dexter's Laboratory was partially modeled on Tartakovsky's relationship with his older brother, Alex. Comparing himself to Dee Dee and Alex, who became a computer engineer , to Dexter, Tartakovsky acknowledged that he

730-659: A little bit of Dee Dee and Dexter in that. He has science and he doesn't want Dee Dee in his lab. My brother is Dexter. I'm Dee Dee." Dexter's nemesis is rival classmate Mandark Astronomonov (voiced by Eddie Deezen ). Like Dexter, Mandark is a boy genius with his own laboratory, but his schemes are generally evil and designed to gain power or downplay or destroy Dexter's accomplishments. In revival seasons, Mandark becomes significantly more evil, becoming Dexter's enemy rather than his rival, and Mandark's laboratory changes from brightly lit with rounded features to gothic-looking, industrial, and angular. Mandark's unrequited love for Dee Dee

803-598: A local station of a television network broadcasts an animated series as a part of its own programming, the time-slot will vary by region. All early animated television series, the first being Crusader Rabbit (1950 — 1959), are comic cartoon series. However, later series include sports ( Speed Racer , Captain Tsubasa , Slam Dunk ), action ( Hajime no Ippo , G.I. Joe ), science fiction ( Mobile Suit Gundam , Tenchi Muyo ), drama ( Neon Genesis Evangelion ), adventure ( Dragon Ball ), martial arts ( Baki

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876-416: A phone call from Larry Huber , who had been a producer on 2 Stupid Dogs . Huber had shown Tartakovsky's unfinished student film to a then-nascent Cartoon Network and wanted Tartakovsky to develop the concept into a seven-minute storyboard . "It actually started with Dee Dee. I wanted to animate a girl dancing. So, I drew this skinny, big-headed girl dancing. When I had finished her, I thought, what would be

949-489: A question that should forever exist. You kind of make your own mind up about it. Tartakovsky, on whether or not there is an in-universe explanation for Dexter's accent., Den of Geek The ages of Dexter and Dee Dee are meant to be nebulous. Although Tartakovsky suggested that Dexter is intended to be about six to eight years old and that Dee Dee is "a couple years older", he stressed that he would "never want" to specify Dexter's exact age. Tartakovsky wrote Dexter as

1022-474: A repeat broadcast on January 1, 2000, at 12:00 AM. On February 21, 2001, Cartoon Network issued a press release stating that Dexter's Laboratory had been revived for a 13-episode third season. The series was given a new production team at Cartoon Network Studios , and Chris Savino took over the role of creative director from Tartakovsky, who at the time was immersed in launching his next series, Samurai Jack . During season four of Dexter's Laboratory , Savino

1095-460: A set time period in "segments", including several such shorts. When advertising is taken into account, the cartoon itself may be only 15 — 20 minutes of the half hour, although Netflix and many other streaming companies do not show commercials. There are also series with a very short episodes lasting approximately five minutes; they have recently become more common in Japanese animation . If

1168-419: A typical American family, Dexter speaks with an accent of indeterminate origin. Christine Cavanaugh described it as "an affectation, [a] kind of accent, we're not quite sure. A small Peter Lorre , but not. Perhaps he's Latino, perhaps he's French. He's a scientist; he knows he needs [a] kind of accent." Genndy Tartakovsky explained, "he's a scientist. All scientists are foreign and have accents...It's not really

1241-743: A voice double for Joan Cusack . She is best known for voicing Dee Dee in seasons 2 and 4 of the Cartoon Network series Dexter's Laboratory , Uta in the F/X series Archer and the Bride in Disneyland and Disney World 's The Haunted Mansion theme parks. She is also noted for being the first woman to do live announcing for ESPN 's coverage of the 2010 NFL draft , as well as announcing for several other shows for ESPN, NBC Sports and Versus . She can also be heard in other attractions throughout

1314-549: Is a fan of the series, stating, "I watch a lot of cartoons because I have kids. I actually watch more cartoons than movies." Shortly after the premiere of its first season, Dexter's Laboratory was hailed as one of the best new series on Cartoon Network by Ted Cox of the Daily Herald . In the lead up to its second season, Dexter's Laboratory was called the most imaginative series on Cartoon Network by Nancy McAlister of The Florida Times-Union . Although McAlister critiqued

1387-821: Is an American actress whose credits include voicing the character Dee Dee on the animated television series Dexter's Laboratory , as well as playing the Bride in The Haunted Mansion at the Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort . She also voiced Bloody Mary in the video game The Wolf Among Us . Cressida guest-starred in several television shows and theatre productions, such as Loco Motives and made her feature film debut in The Long Way Home , before starting her voice acting career in 2000. Cressida has voiced Jessie from Toy Story in various Disney projects, serving as

1460-459: Is not meant to denote any specific nationality, he revealed in a 2012 Reddit AMA that it was partially inspired by "a funny French accent" done by his college roommate. When Candi Milo took over the role of Dexter in season 3, she had trouble replicating Cavanaugh's performance until she met Tartakovsky and realized Cavanaugh was imitating his Russian accent (albeit some exaggeration). Dexter's Laboratory premiered on TNT on April 27, 1996, and

1533-597: Is represented by Cool Water Productions and Talent for Cons, a booking agent for fan conventions such as San Diego Comic-Con . Cressida is also a public speaker. She shared her story about being diagnosed with Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans in 2012 and the subsequent two years of life-threatening surgeries and specialized treatment she went through in order to re-learn how to speak so she could continue her career. She has since spoken to audiences who are amidst their own recoveries from cancer , healing from PTSD and overcoming speech disabilities. Cressida graduated from

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1606-517: Is secretly a crime-fighting superhero . Monkey's superpowers include super-strength, telekinesis, flight, and super speed. He is joined by his partner Agent Honeydew (voiced by Kath Soucie), Commander General (voiced by Robert Ridgely in season 1, Earl Boen in season 2), and a team of assembled superheroes. Dial M for Monkey was created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken , and Paul Rudish . The Justice Friends follows Major Glory (voiced by Rob Paulsen ), Valhallen (voiced by Tom Kenny ), and

1679-499: Is shown as a pivotal weakness, notably near the end of the Ego Trip television film. Every Dexter's Laboratory episode, with the exception of "Last But Not Beast", is divided into different stories or segments, each being 7–12 minutes long. Occasionally, a segment centers on characters other than Dexter and his family. Two segments are shown primarily during season 1: Dial M for Monkey and The Justice Friends . Dial M for Monkey

1752-417: Is the middle segment for six episodes of season 1 , and The Justice Friends takes its place until season 1's end. With rare exception, extra segments do not appear after season 1. Other recurring characters include Puppet Pal Mitch (voiced by Rob Paulsen) and Puppet Pal Clem (voiced by Tom Kenny). Dial M for Monkey follows Monkey (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker ), Dexter's pet laboratory monkey who

1825-463: Is used in the episode, and Tartakovsky (who often received letters and comments from other fans) said that Lee had "a great understanding of the show and genuinely captured the imaginative kid perspective we're always striving for." Composers Thomas Chase, Steve Rucker , and Gary Lionelli provided the musical score for the series. Dexter's Laboratory went on hiatus on June 15, 1998, after two seasons, with season 2 lasting 39 episodes. The series finale

1898-741: The Tom and Jerry cartoon short films released in movie theatres from 1940 to 1967, and many others. Direct-to-video animated series include most Japanese original video animations (OVAs). The first OVA series (and also the first overall OVA) was Dallos (1983 — 1985). Almost all hentai (pornographic) anime series are released as OVAs. Animated web series are designed and produced for streaming services . Examples include Happy Tree Friends (1999 — 2023) and Eddsworld (2003 — present). They can also be released on YouTube , such as Asdfmovie , which debuted in 2008. Kat Cressida Kat Cressida ( / ˈ k r ɛ s ɪ d ə / )

1971-531: The Disney Parks , including The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror , Toy Story Midway Mania! and Epcot Character Spot . She was the first voice actress to narrate for WatchMojo.com and has also made appearances in video games, including Marvel Heroes , Guild Wars 2 , Fallout 4 , Mirror's Edge , Master of Orion , The Elder Scrolls , Star Trek Online , EverQuest , Titan Quest , Dragon Age and World of Warcraft , among others. She

2044-509: The gender stereotyping of Dexter's parents, she acknowledged that she was only applying such scrutiny to the series because Dexter's Laboratory had helped convince her that "viewers should take animated programming seriously". In 1997, Bill Ward of the Star Tribune named Dexter's Laboratory to his Critic's Choice list, recommending it for the "young of all ages". In a 2012 top 10 list by Entertainment Weekly , Dexter's Laboratory

2117-478: The 1990s, more mature content than those of traditional cartoon series began to appear more widely, extending beyond a primary audience of children. These cartoon series included The Simpsons , South Park , Family Guy , Futurama , The Ren & Stimpy Show , Rocko's Modern Life , Beavis and Butt-Head , King of the Hill , and Duckman . Canadian computer-animated series ReBoot , which began as

2190-459: The Grappler ), and other genres. The first animated sitcom was The Flintstones (1960 — 1966), produced by Hanna-Barbera . It was followed by other sitcoms of this studio: Top Cat (1961 — 1962), Jonny Quest (1964 — 1965), The Jetsons (1962 — 1963, 1985, 1987) and Wait Till Your Father Gets Home (1972 — 1974), an adult-oriented animated series in

2263-492: The Infraggable Krunk (voiced by Frank Welker), a trio of superhero roommates residing in an apartment called Muscular Arms. Their adventures deal less with superhero life and more with an inability to agree with each other; it is presented much like a sitcom , including a laugh track . Genndy Tartakovsky's inspiration for The Justice Friends came from reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English. In

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2336-485: The United States with no official reason given (although this has been unofficially attributed to the episode's inclusion of a stereotypical depiction of a homosexual male character). In later broadcasts and on its Season 1 DVD (Region 1), "Barbequor" has been replaced with "Dexter's Lab: A Story", an episode from season 2. " Rude Removal ", a season 2 episode, was produced but not aired. It involves Dexter creating

2409-436: The character "considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents." During one interview, Tartakovsky suggested that viewers should decide for themselves whether or not the character's accent is an affectation, saying that "[n]obody knows" whether the character is "pretending to be a German scientist" or is speaking naturally. Although Tartakovsky noted in a separate interview that Dexter's accent

2482-666: The concept for Cartoon Network. To further contrast the two characters, Tartakovsky determined that Dee Dee would be artistic, while Dexter would be focused on science. In an interview, Tartakovsky said, "Dee Dee came first. She was really the star of the show to me. She was so much fun. Later on, I started on Dexter and he took over." The names Dexter and Dee Dee were both found in name books; "Dexter" caught Tartakovsky's attention for sounding scientific, while "Dee Dee" appealed to him because of its uniqueness and because he felt that it complemented that character's two pigtails . Before settling on these options, Tartakovsky had considered titling

2555-440: The creators make the shows." In August 1995, Turner ordered six half-hour episodes of Dexter's Laboratory , which included two cartoons of one spin-off segment titled Dial M for Monkey . In addition to Tartakovsky, McCracken, Renzetti, and Rudish, directors and writers on Dexter's Laboratory included Seth MacFarlane , Butch Hartman , John McIntyre , Robert Alvarez , and Chris Savino . McCracken served as an art director on

2628-469: The drawings and they laugh," while following the principles of older Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Linda Simensky , who served as senior vice-president of Original Animation for Cartoon Network during the production of Dexter's Laboratory , wrote in 2011 that Dexter was designed "to be more of an icon in some ways"; she continued, "his body was short and squat and his design was simple, with a black outline and relatively little detail... Since Tartakovsky knew he

2701-412: The episode "hilarious" after viewing it at the 1998 World Animation Celebration, although she predicted that it would "never be shown on television". In October 2012, Genndy Tartakovsky was asked about "Rude Removal" during an AMA on Reddit, and he replied "Next time I do a public appearance I'll bring it with me!" Adult Swim later asked fans on Twitter if interest still existed with it, and fan response

2774-665: The following day on Cartoon Network and TBS . It became the first in a brand of Cartoon Network original cartoons, later including Cow and Chicken , I Am Weasel , Johnny Bravo , The Powerpuff Girls , Ed, Edd n Eddy , and Courage the Cowardly Dog , collectively known as Cartoon Cartoons . A second season was ordered, which premiered on Cartoon Network on July 16, 1997. This season includes "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!", an episode created by six-year-old Long Island resident Tyler Samuel Lee, who submitted his idea to Tartakovsky as an audiotape. Lee's recorded narration

2847-683: The highest household rating (2.9) and delivery (2,166,000 homes) for a Cartoon Network telecast for that year. Along with The Powerpuff Girls , Dexter's Laboratory expanded the network's viewership to 72 million, and the series became one of the network's highest-rated original series of 2002. Dexter's Laboratory , particularly its first two original seasons, received critical acclaim and became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series. Betty Cohen , then Cartoon Network's president, called it one of her favorite animated programs, stating, "It shows little guys can be powerful." Rapper Coolio stated in an August 2002 Billboard interview that he

2920-509: The laboratory and inadvertently foils his experiments. Mandark, a nefarious boy-genius classmate who lives next-door to Dexter, attempts to undermine him at every opportunity. Prominently featured in the first and second seasons are other segments focusing on superhero -based characters Monkey, Dexter's pet lab-monkey with a superhero alter ego , and the Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment. Tartakovsky pitched

2993-416: The laboratory, wreaking havoc with Dexter's inventions. Though seemingly dim-witted, Dee Dee, a talented ballet dancer, often outsmarts her brother and even provides him helpful advice. According to Tartakovsky, "Dee Dee is the life, she's the spirit, everything is fun. There's no hardship in life." When Tartakovsky was asked whether he and his brother Alex had a similar sibling relationship, he stated, "There's

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3066-501: The latter went on to create Family Guy for Fox respectively. In 1999, Tartakovsky returned to direct Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip , an hour-long television movie. It was his last Dexter's Laboratory production to be involved with and was intended to be its conclusion. Ego Trip was hand-animated, though character and setting designs were subtly revised. Its plot follows Dexter on a quest through time to discover his future triumphs. It premiered on December 10, 1999, at 7:00 PM with

3139-552: The opposite of her? So, I drew a block. That's Dexter. Then I thought if she's into arts, he's into science." Tartakovsky, Chicago Sun-Times Unhappy with his position on The Critic , Tartakovsky accepted Huber's proposal, and the resulting project, "Changes", was produced as part of Cartoon Network's animation showcase series, World Premiere Toons , debuting on February 26, 1995. Viewers worldwide voted through phone lines, websites, focus groups, and consumer promotions for their favorite short cartoons; Dexter's Laboratory

3212-415: The production team of 2 Stupid Dogs . His co-workers on that series, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti , and Paul Rudish, had been classmates of his at Cal Arts and went on to collaborate with him on Dexter's Laboratory . Tartakovsky's last job before developing Dexter's Laboratory into a television series was to serve as a sheet timer on The Critic . During his time on that series, Tartakovsky received

3285-419: The revision, producer Fred Seibert felt convinced that the concept for Dexter's Laboratory could be successful. Soon afterward, Tartakovsky helped McCracken create his own short film for World Premiere Toons , which would eventually become the basis for The Powerpuff Girls . After finishing McCracken's project, the group proceeded to a second short film for Dexter's Laboratory , titled "The Big Sister". At

3358-427: The screen, to leave space and depth for the action and gags in the lab". Tartakovsky was influenced by Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and Japanese anime . Sam Raimi 's films Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness heavily influenced the series' visual style. Referring to a scene from Army of Darkness featuring the construction of a robotic hand, McCracken explained, "He [Tartakovsky] applied that sequence to

3431-406: The series Dartmouth and Daisy . Explaining why he discarded this idea, Tartakovsky said that "Dartmouth doesn't exactly roll off the tongue" and that the name Daisy was already heavily associated with Disney . The title Dexter's Laboratory was not settled on until around midway through production of the series' pilot episode, "Changes". I really don't like to answer those questions because it's

3504-716: The series and later achieved further success in their careers in animation. Spin-off media include children's books, comic books, DVD and VHS releases, music albums, toys, and video games. Dexter (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh in seasons 1–3; Candi Milo in seasons 3–4) is a bespectacled boy-genius who, behind a bookcase in his bedroom, conceals a secret laboratory , which can be accessed by spoken passwords or hidden switches on his bookshelf. Though highly intelligent, Dexter often fails to achieve his goals when he becomes overexcited and careless. Tartakovsky described Dexter as "a good kid. He's very ambitious. And he's very frustrated that everyone isn't as smart as him." Although he comes from

3577-488: The series on hiatus, Tartakovsky became a supervising producer on colleague Craig McCracken's series, The Powerpuff Girls ; he directed episodes of that series and worked on The Powerpuff Girls Movie . After the movie, McCracken went on to create Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends for Cartoon Network. Both Hartman and MacFarlane left Cartoon Network altogether at this point; the former went on to create The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom for Nickelodeon while

3650-537: The series to Fred Seibert 's animated shorts showcase What a Cartoon! at Hanna-Barbera , basing it on student films he produced at the California Institute of the Arts . Four pilots aired on Cartoon Network and TNT from 1995 to 1996. Viewer approval ratings led to a half-hour series, which consisted of two seasons totaling 52 episodes, airing from April 27, 1996, to June 15, 1998. On December 10, 1999,

3723-679: The series to be a groundbreaking work of pop art , likening its visual style to both street art and the designs of Takashi Murakami . Animated television series Animated television series are presented daily or on certain days of the week during a prescribed time slot , including for example saturday-morning cartoons , prime time cartoons , late night anime , and weekday cartoons ; series broadcast only on weekends. The duration of an episode also varies. Traditionally, they are produced as complete half-hour or nearly half-hour programs; however, many are presented as animated shorts of 10 — 11 minutes, which can be combined for filling

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3796-500: The series. After 26 episodes, the fourth season concluded on November 20, 2003, ending the series. Dexter's Laboratory , particularly its first two seasons, received critical acclaim and became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series. It won three Annie Awards , with nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards , four Golden Reel Awards , and nine other Annie Awards. Animators Craig McCracken , Seth MacFarlane , Butch Hartman , Paul Rudish , and Rob Renzetti worked on

3869-411: The series. Perlmutter described McCracken's role on Dexter's Laboratory as that of Tartakovsky's "effective second-in-command". Tartakovsky's former classmates McCracken and Rudish helped him design "Changes". This pilot was revised to create a second cut, as Tartakovsky felt utterly dissatisfied with the score, the sound effects, and the entire second half, which he chose to redo entirely. After seeing

3942-437: The show all the time, especially when Dexter was building stuff." Dexter's Laboratory originated with one of Genndy Tartakovsky's designs of a ballet dancer . While attending CalArts, Tartakovsky drew a tall, thin girl dancing and decided to pair her with a short and blocky opposite. These two characters would eventually develop into Dee Dee and Dexter respectively, although they went unnamed until Tartakovsky started expanding

4015-1046: The style of All in the Family . The Alvin Show from Ross Bagdasarian Sr. and Beany and Cecil from Bob Clampett are also sitcoms. The 1980s and 1990s were a renaissance of the animated children and adult television series. Various broadcast networks and media companies began creating television channels and formats designed specifically for airing cartoon and anime series. Companies that already had these types of formats in place began to revamp their existing models during this time. Most of this animations were American-based or Japanese anime. Listed below are examples of television networks and channels that include animated programs. American British Japanese Canadian Australian Examples of animation-focused networks and channels are listed below; but some of them aired live-action programs occasionally. American South Korean Canadian Japanese During

4088-408: The time, Tartakovsky was still not anticipating a series greenlight for Dexter's Laboratory . He went on to reminisce that, in those days, he was simply having fun working on short films with his friends. Tartakovsky and McCracken, who had been roommates shortly after college, went on to become regular collaborators on each other's series. Animation historian David Perlmutter noted a symbiosis between

4161-592: The two men, which he felt led to stylistic similarities between Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls . Tartakovsky drew inspiration from his experiences as an immigrant growing up in Chicago. He explained that, like Dexter, he had a "very thick accent" as a child—and even though he lived in a diverse neighborhood, children would tease him for this. Speaking with The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles in 2001, Tartakovsky explained, "When I moved to America, I wanted to fit in and be American...We never tried to be too heavy-handed with Dexter's , but if you look at

4234-476: The underlying themes of the show, it's about a little kid trying to fit in." Tartakovsky noted that when he was a child, he was less confident than the character, telling The New York Times , "The one thing about Dexter, if he doesn't fit in, he'll start his own club. He's not afraid to be an outsider." In developing Dexter's Laboratory , he continued the tradition of making "violent cartoons", explaining that "many people like them because they project themselves in

4307-721: The writing staff, as is Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. In 2023, Tartakovsky said he was uninterested in attempting to reboot Dexter's Laboratory due to Cavanaugh's death in 2014, as well as the "overabundance" of recent reboots of cartoons. Dexter's Laboratory broadcast 78 half-hour episodes over 4 seasons during its 7-year run. Four pilot shorts were produced for What a Cartoon! that aired from 1995 to 1996, and were reconnected into season 1 in later airings. Fifty-two episodes were produced from 1996 to 1998, followed by Ego Trip in 1999. Another 26 episodes were produced and broadcast from 2001 to 2003. "Chicken Scratch" debuted theatrically with The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002, and

4380-475: The youngest animation directors of that era. Speaking with the Los Angeles Times in 2002, Tartakovsky remarked about the network, "With Cartoon Network, they were looking for more undiscovered talent, people that may have had a hard time getting in.[...]It became a great opportunity to do something. And as I got into it, I realized that they were also offering the creative freedom. They were letting

4453-580: Was "overwhelming". "Rude Removal" was finally uploaded on Adult Swim's official YouTube account on January 22, 2013. Dexter's Laboratory was Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series in 1996 and 1997. Cartoon Network viewers voted the series as "Toon of the Year" in 1996. Internationally, it garnered a special mention for best script at the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay animation festival in Italy. From 1998 to 2000,

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4526-469: Was a precursor to Dexter's Laboratory 's television pilot , "Changes". Described as a two-and-a-half-minute pencil test , this short film was included in a university screening for the producers of Batman: The Animated Series , who were impressed and hired Tartakovsky to move to Spain to work on Batman at a studio in Madrid . Later on, Tartakovsky moved back to California to work for Hanna-Barbera on

4599-402: Was commemorated by parent network Teletoon, which aired Cartoon Network-related programming blocks and promotions in weeks leading up to it, including episodes of Dexter's Laboratory . Dexter's Laboratory currently airs in reruns on Checkered Past on Adult Swim . "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor", a season 1 episode from 1996, was removed from rotation sometime after its original premiere in

4672-517: Was developing Dexter for television, he purposely limited the design to a degree, designing the nose and mouth, for instance, in a Hanna-Barbera style to animate easily." This simplistic style was influenced by UPA shorts, as well as by the Merrie Melodies cartoon The Dover Boys at Pimento University . Simensky noted though, that in contrast to those cartoons, Dexter's Laboratory is "staged cinematically, rather than flat and close to

4745-415: Was initially intended to be "Last But Not Beast", which differed from the format of other episodes, in that it was a single 25-minute episode, rather than a collection of shorter segments. By this point, Tartakovsky was exhausted. His focus on the series had cost him two relationships, and he went on to joke that the process of running Dexter's Laboratory was like "giving birth to ten children." After putting

4818-406: Was later broadcast in season four. Dexter's Laboratory premiered on February 26, 1995, on Cartoon Network as part of What a Cartoon! . On October 8, 2000, Cartoon Network aired the "Favorite Dexters" marathon from 12 PM to 7 PM Eastern. On December 31, 2000, Cartoon Network aired its "New Year's Bash" marathon featuring Dexter's Laboratory among other programs. On November 18, 2001, it broadcast

4891-491: Was most likely a "pest" to his older brother while they were growing up. Another time, he reminisced that as kids, he and his brother could each be a "pain in the ass" to the other. To illustrate one of the parallels between his childhood and the series, Tartakovsky noted that Alex had kept him from playing with "intricate" toy soldiers in those days, much like Dexter attempts to keep Dee Dee away from his inventions. Tartakovsky determined that Dexter should have an accent because

4964-492: Was promoted to producer giving him further control of the series, including the budget. Revival episodes featured revised visual designs and sound effects, recast voice actors, and a transition from traditional cel animation, which was used until Ego Trip , to digital ink and paint, which was used permanently beginning with season three's premiere. Christine Cavanaugh voiced Dexter for early episodes of season three, but she retired from voice acting in 2001 for personal reasons. She

5037-528: Was ranked as the fourth best Cartoon Network series. In 2009, Dexter's Laboratory was named 72nd best animated series by IGN , whose editors remarked, "Aimed at and immediately accessible to children, Dexter's Laboratory was part of a new generation of animated series that played on two levels, simultaneously fun for both kids and adults." In his 2015 book Animation: A World History Volume III: Contemporary Times , Giannalberto Bendazzi called Dexter's Laboratory "visually and verbally innovative". He considered

5110-560: Was replaced by Candi Milo. Allison Moore, a college friend of Tartakovsky, was cast as Dee Dee. Moore's role was later recast with Kat Cressida. In season three, Moore briefly returned to voice Dee Dee before Cressida again assumed her role for season four. Character redesigns were handled with the help of one of Dexter's original model designers, Chris Battle, known individually for acting as character designer for Nickelodeon's Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls . Aaron Springer and Chris Reccardi are credited on

5183-519: Was seven. Along with his older brother, Alex, Tartakovsky learned English by watching cartoons and taught himself how to draw as a child by copying comic books , which Alex lost interest in at age 15. Tartakovsky initially went to Columbia College Chicago to study advertising and took an animation class as an elective. After he transferred to the California Institute of the Arts in 1990 to study animation full-time, Tartakovsky wrote, directed, animated, and produced two student short films , one of which

5256-410: Was the first in which people could become showrunners at a young age, saying, "Everybody before us were in their forties, at least, and so [our generation's experience] was a very different way to do something where we had no clue what we were doing and we were just trying to make each other laugh." When Dexter's Laboratory received a series greenlight , Tartakovsky became, at age twenty-seven, one of

5329-442: Was the first of 16 to earn that vote of approval. Mike Lazzo , then-head of programming for Cartoon Network, said in 1996 that it was his favorite of the 48 shorts that had been produced by that point, commenting that he and colleagues "loved the humor in the brother-versus-sister relationship". Even after "Changes" premiered, Tartakovsky had no expectations that it would lead to an entire series. In 2018, he noted that his generation

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