Butch Hartman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Hartman at the 2025WonderCon | |
| Born | Elmer Earl Hartman IV (1965-01-10)January 10, 1965 (age 60) Highland Park, Michigan, U.S. |
| Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts (BFA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1984–present |
| Known for | The Fairly OddParents Danny Phantom T.U.F.F. Puppy Bunsen Is a Beast |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
Elmer Earl"Butch" Hartman IV (born January 10, 1965) is an American animator, illustrator, writer, producer, director, and voice actor. He is best known for creating the animated television showsThe Fairly OddParents,Danny Phantom,T.U.F.F. Puppy, andBunsen Is a Beast forNickelodeon. He founded the company Billionfold Inc. in 2003 to produce the shows. Hartman was anexecutive producer onThe Fairly OddParents for its 16-year run.
In February 2018, Hartman announced his departure from Nickelodeon after almost 20 years;[1] this resulted in the end ofBunsen Is a Beast production after one season.[2] In 2021, he returned to the studio to produceThe Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, a live-actionFairly OddParents sequel which premiered onParamount+ the following year and aired for one season. In 2023, his first non-secular animated program,The Garden, premiered on the Christian streaming servicePure Flix.
Hartman was born inHighland Park, Michigan.[3] He received the nickname Butch as a young boy and continued to use it as an adult. Hartman spent his childhood inRoseville, Michigan, and his teenage years inNew Baltimore, Michigan.[4] He graduated fromAnchor Bay High School in New Baltimore in 1983[4] and subsequently attended theCalifornia Institute of the Arts inValencia, California.[5] He graduated in 1987 with aBachelor of Fine Arts degree.[6] As a young student, he appeared onThe Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour, winning nearly $3,000.[7]
While attendingCalArts, Hartman interned as anin-between animator on theDon Bluth filmAn American Tail. Before graduating, he was a contestant on theMatch Game-Hollywood Squares Hour for three episodes, and shortly after graduating, he was hired as a character designer and storyboard artist for the 1986–1987My Little Pony.[8] As he had no previous experience with storyboards, he was soon fired.[9] Afterwards, he found work withRuby-Spears, where he worked onIt's Punky Brewster andDink, the Little Dinosaur. He was also a member of the video reference crew for theDisney filmPocahontas.[10]
In the early 1990s, he was hired as an artist in the model department atHanna-Barbera and was eventually contacted by studio presidentFred Seibert to create the shortsPfish and Chip andGramps for his animated incubator seriesWhat a Cartoon!. Eventually, he became a writer, director and storyboard artist for several earlyCartoon Network shows, includingDexter's Laboratory,Johnny Bravo,Cow and Chicken, andI Am Weasel. After his contract with Hanna-Barbera expired, he went to work with Seibert at his newfoundFrederator studio, on his successor incubator series,Oh Yeah! Cartoons, forNickelodeon.[11]
During his time working at Hanna-Barbera, he became acquainted with futureFamily Guy creatorSeth MacFarlane. The two would later make the shortZoomates together for Oh Yeah! Cartoons. The characterDr. Elmer Hartman inFamily Guy was named after Hartman. He also voiced various characters in the show's first season.[12]
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His biggest success came in December 1997, when he createdThe Fairly OddParents. The series originally started as shorts on the anthology showOh Yeah! Cartoons. Eventually, Nickelodeon decided to pick the shorts up as a full series. Premiering in 2001, the adapted series became a huge hit, second only in the ratings toSpongeBob SquarePants (and it briefly even passedSpongeBob's ratings).[13][14] Following the thirdThe Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius crossoverThe Jimmy-Timmy Power Hour 3: The Jerkinators, the series ceased production in 2006, but it was announced on Hartman's forum on February 2, 2007, that 20 more episodes would be produced; the 6th season ofFairly OddParents began on February 18, 2008, starting with the one-hour specialFairly OddBaby. From May 1, 2009, to May 3, 2009, the three-part season 6 finale specialWishology aired.[15] A tenth season was eventually ordered in 2015 before the show quietly ended production a year later.[16]The Fairly OddParents is Nickelodeon's second-longest-running animated show behindSpongeBob.[17]
Due to the success ofThe Fairly OddParents, Hartman was asked to create another show for Nickelodeon; Hartman says the President of Nickelodeon asked him if he had an idea, and before he could say the title, he was given the green light. The show would later becomeDanny Phantom.[18] Hartman founded his own production company,Billionfold Inc., to produce the show in 2003, which he also used to produce his other projects.Danny Phantom ended production in early 2007 and amassed acult following since its original run.[19][20][21][22]
Around 2008–2009, Hartman began production of his third show for Nickelodeon,T.U.F.F. Puppy, which premiered in 2010 alongside theJimmy Neutron spin-offPlanet Sheen.[23] The show ended five years later on Nickelodeon's spinoff network,Nicktoons.
His final show,Bunsen Is a Beast, aired on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons from January 16, 2017, to February 10, 2018. On February 8, 2018, Hartman announced on his Twitter and YouTube accounts that he had left Nickelodeon as of February 2 after a 20-year run.[1][2]
In 2015, Hartman launched a "kid-safe [online] network of live shows and cartoons" called The Noog Network.[24][25]
In October 2017, Hartman launched the podcastSpeech Bubble, on which he talks about pop culture. Several voice actors have appeared on the podcast, includingRob Paulsen,Tara Strong,Jerry Trainor,Grey Griffin, andVic Mignogna. After initially posting excerpts on his primary YouTube channel, the podcast videos were later moved to their dedicated YouTube channel, now including full episodes.[26][27]
In June 2018, Hartman started aKickstarter campaign for OAXIS Entertainment, a "family-friendly"streaming service. A number of online personalities since alleged that OAXIS was planned to be a Christian-themed network. Hartman, however, asserted that, while faith would continue to be a part of his personal life,"Oaxis Entertainment is not faith-based".[28] As of 2025, Hartman has yet to give any updates on OAXIS.
On June 22, 2019, Hartman released the animated web seriesHobbyKids Adventures. This series, produced by PocketWatch Inc., was created for theYouTube channel HobbyKidsTV.[29] On 13 July, Hartman released a book,Mad Hustle, which details the ins and outs of pitching and selling a show in Hollywood.[30]
In 2019, Hartman created the Christian animated web seriesThe Garden, which he co-produced with his wife Julieann. Hartman has planned at least two seasons of the series and will launch a subscription-based app forThe Garden in late 2022. Hartman's further plans for the property include creating aVBS curriculum for churches and illustrating a children's Bible published byThomas Nelson, titledThe Garden Children's Bible, which stars the characters fromThe Garden and was scheduled to release in 2023.[31][32][33] The series premiered onPure Flix on January 1, 2023.[34]
In February 2021, Hartman was accused ofplagiarism when he published his commissioned artwork ofAttack on Titan character Mikasa Ackerman, in which similarities were noted to a 2018 artwork of a Japanese artist.[35]
Hartman was credited as an executive producer onThe Fairly OddParents revival series,The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder[36][37] andThe Fairly OddParents: A New Wish.
As of 2025, Hartman lives inBell Canyon, California, with his wife, Julieann, and daughters, Carly and Sophia Hartman.[38] He also has three younger brothers.[39] Hartman is an openly devoutborn-again Christian[40] andyoung-Earth creationist,[41] converting in 2000 after hearing a sermon byFrederick K. C. Price.[42][dead YouTube link]
In 2005, Hartman, along with his wife, co-founded Hartman House, a non-profit organization which supports those in developing nations, as well as poverty-stricken areas in the United States.[43] By 2017, Hartman House had built two homes for families inGuatemala, fed nearly 7,200 families withThanksgiving meals in the U.S., and funded aid projects for orphanages inUganda andHaiti.[44][45] At Hartman House events, Hartman usually draws and autographs items related to his work for children.[46]
| † | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | An American Tail | In between artist | |
| 1992 | California Hot Wax | Eddie | Credited as "Shiloh Pettibone" |
| 1994 | Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights | Character designer | |
| 1995 | Pocahontas | Video reference cast | |
| 1997 | Annabelle's Wish | Storyboard artist Direct-to-video | |
| 1998 | Adventures in Odyssey: Baby Daze | Storyboard artist | |
| Adventures in Odyssey: A Stranger Among Us | |||
| 2006 | Doogal | Writer and Voice Director | |
| 2011 | A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! | Writer | Writer and executive producer |
| 2012 | A Fairly Odd Christmas | Christmas Caroler, GingerFred, GingerEd, GingerNed and GingerJed | |
| 2014 | A Fairly Odd Summer | Crazy Guy | |
| 2025 | A Garden Cartoon Movie: The Greatest Thing Ever! | Creator/director/executive producer/story editor/writer[47] | |
| The Christmas King! A Garden Cartoon Movie | Delivery Man / Mr. Toothacher / Cuckoo Charlie / Various Animals | Creator/director/executive producer/story editor/writer/voice actor[48] |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour | Contestant | |
| 1985 | Body Language | Contestant | |
| 1985–1986 | It's Punky Brewster | Models | |
| 1987 | Growing Pains | Robert Jordan | Episode: "Michaelgate" |
| 1988 | Just the Ten of Us | Rod Grossman | Episode: "Close Encounters" |
| Police Academy | Models | ||
| 1988–1989 | Days of Our Lives | Henry Jake | 7 episodes |
| 1989 | Dink, the Little Dinosaur | Storyboard artist | |
| 1990 | Piggsburg Pigs! | Key model designer | |
| 1990–1991 | Generations | Sean Masters | 16 episodes |
| 1991–1993 | Tom & Jerry Kids | Character designer | |
| 1993 | Droopy, Master Detective | Designer | |
| 1995 | What a Cartoon! | Creator: "Pfish & Chip", & "Gramps"; writer/director "Hillbilly Blue" | |
| 1996–1999 | Jumanji | Storyboard artist: 3 episodes | |
| 1996–1997 | Dexter's Laboratory | Storyboard artist/background designer/layout artist | |
| 1996–1998 | The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper | Storyboard artist | |
| 1996 | Timon & Pumbaa | Storyboard artist: "Beast of Eden", 1 episode, credited as Elmer Hartman | |
| 1997–1999 | Johnny Bravo | Storyboard artist/writer: story/director | |
| 1997 | Cow & Chicken | Models/storyboard artist | |
| 1997 | I Am Weasel | Models/storyboard artist | |
| 1997 | 101 Dalmatians: The Series | Character/storyboard design | |
| 1997 | The Weird Al Show | Pizza delivery guy | Episode: "Bad Influence" |
| 1998–2002 | Oh Yeah! Cartoons | Creator: "The Fairly OddParents" and "Dan Danger"; director/producer: "Terry and Chris"; director/storyboard artist: "Zoomates" | |
| 1999–2002 | Family Guy | Jonathan Weed (pilot pitch only) / Additional voices | 8 episodes |
| 1999 | The New Woody Woodpecker Show | Storyboard artist: "Temper, Temper", 1 episode | |
| 2001–2017 | The Fairly OddParents | Dr. Rip Studwell / Additional voices | Creator/story/writer/director/storyboard artist/voice actor/theme music composer/executive producer |
| 2002 | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius | Writer: "See Jimmy Run" | |
| 2004–2007 | Danny Phantom | Football Announcer 1 (episode: "What You Want") | Creator/story/writer/storyboard artist/voice actor/director/theme music composer/executive producer |
| 2010–2015 | T.U.F.F. Puppy | Agent Weaselman / Agent Rodentski / Escape Goat / TV Voice | Creator/story/music composer/voice actor/executive producer/writer/storyboard artist/director |
| 2010, 2013 | Big Time Rush | Himself | Episode: Guest animator on "Big Time Christmas" "Big Time Cartoon" |
| 2014-2020 | Eliab Gets Grounded | Creator/writer/storyboard artist/executive producer/theme music composer | |
| 2017–2018 | Bunsen Is a Beast | Fido / Beast Ball / Pete / Memory Pete / Kitten | Creator/writer/storyboard artist/executive producer/theme music composer |
| 2022 | The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder | Executive producer[49][50] | |
| 2024 | The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish | Executive producer |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Fairly Odd Phantom | Internet short that reunites characters from all Butch Hartman shows created for Nickelodeon[51] | |
| 2019–2020 | HobbyKids Adventures | SlobbySnake (episode: "The Drawing Board") | Creator/executive producer/director/writer/designs/voice actor |
| 2019, 2023–present | The Garden | Mr. Toothacher / Cuckoo Charlie / Employee #101 / Various Animals | Creator/story/writer/storyboard artist/director/executive producer/story editor/voice actor[52][53] |
| 2024 | The Big Blue Book | Oven Mitt | Executive producer/director/writer/lyrics by/background designer/set designer[54] |
| Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Butch Hartman: Sketchbook 1: Stuff I've drawn or am drawn to. | CreateSpace | 978-1975613396 | Author and illustrator | [55] |
| 3 O'Clock Club Vol. 1: School's Out... of Control! | ROAR Comics | 978-1941302583 | Co-author withJordan B. Gorfinkel | [56] | |
| 2018 | Vision: Possible! | CreateSpace | 978-1727377453 | Co-author with Julieann Hartman | [57] |
| 2020 | Hannah and the Beanstalk: A True Story of Faith | Harrison House Publishers | 978-1680315011 | Illustrator | [58] |
| Mad Hustle: How to pitch & sell shows in Hollywood | CreateSpace | 979-8639551123 | Author | [59] | |
| 2023 | The Garden Children's Bible | Thomas Nelson | 978-0785241812 | Illustrator | [33] |
He was cast as Kocoum, but the actor providing reference for John Smith had to leave the project early and Butch filled in for the remainder of the shoot.
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