| Dexter's Laboratory | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Genndy Tartakovsky |
| Showrunners |
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| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme | "Dexter's Laboratory (Main Title)" |
| Ending theme | "Dexter's Laboratory (End Title)"[d] |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 78[e](list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network[g] |
| Release | April 27, 1996 (1996-04-27) – June 15, 1998 (1998-06-15) |
| Release | November 18, 2001 (2001-11-18) – November 20, 2003 (2003-11-20) |
| Related | |
| What a Cartoon! | |
Dexter's Laboratory[h] is an Americananimatedscience fiction television series created byGenndy Tartakovsky forCartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a sciencelaboratory in his bedroom, which he keeps secret from his unsuspecting parents. Dexter is at constant odds with his older and moreextraverted sister Dee Dee, who regularly accesses 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 onsuperhero-based characters Monkey, Dexter's pet lab-monkey with a superheroalter ego, and the Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.
Tartakovsky pitched the series toFred Seibert's animated shorts showcaseWhat a Cartoon! atHanna-Barbera, basing it on student films he produced at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts. Four pilots aired on Cartoon Network andTNT 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.Dexter's Laboratory was the first original series for the channel under theCartoon Cartoons moniker. On December 10, 1999, atelevision film titledDexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip aired as the intendedseries finale, after which Tartakovsky focused his work on another series for Cartoon Network,Samurai Jack.
In February 2001, the series was renewed for two seasons,[4] which began airing on November 18, 2001. Due to Tartakovsky's departure,Chris Savino served as showrunner, and a new team atCartoon Network Studios produced the series. After 26 episodes, the fourth season concluded on November 20, 2003, ending the series.
Dexter's Laboratory became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series. It won threeAnnie Awards, with nominations for fourPrimetime Emmy Awards, fourGolden Reel Awards, and nine other Annie Awards. AnimatorsCraig McCracken,Seth MacFarlane,Butch Hartman,Paul Rudish, andRob Renzetti worked on 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 byChristine 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 vast secretlaboratory, 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."[5] Although he comes from 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 smallPeter Lorre, but not. Perhaps he's Latino, perhaps he's French. He's a scientist; he knows he needs [a] kind of accent."[6]Genndy Tartakovsky explained, "he's a scientist. All scientists are foreign and have accents...It's not really a German accent. It's just Eastern European."[5] Tartakovsky later declared Cavanaugh's input for Dexter to be irreplaceable as he acknowledged her legacy.[7]
Dexter conceals his lab from his clueless parents, addressed only as Mom (voiced byKath Soucie) and Dad (voiced byJeff Bennett), who Tartakovsky described as simplified stereotypes of "ideal parents".[5] His hyperactive, carefree, older sister Dee Dee (voiced by Allison Moore in seasons 1 and 3 and byKat Cressida in seasons 2 and 4) delights in playing haphazardly in 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."[5] When Tartakovsky was asked whether he and his brother Alex had a similar sibling relationship, he stated, "There's 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."[5]
Dexter's nemesis is rival classmate Mandark Astronomonov[i][9][8] (voiced byEddie 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'sunrequited love for Dee Dee is shown as a pivotal weakness, notably near the end of theEgo Trip television film.
EveryDexter'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 andThe Justice Friends.[10]Dial M for Monkey is the middle segment for six episodes of season 1, andThe 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 byFrank Welker), Dexter's pet laboratory monkey who is secretly a crime-fightingsuperhero. 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 byRobert 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, andPaul Rudish.[11]
The Justice Friends follows Major Glory (voiced byRob Paulsen), Valhallen (voiced byTom Kenny), and the Infraggable Krunk (voiced by Frank Welker), a trio of superhero roommates residing in anapartment 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 asitcom, including alaugh track.[12][13] Genndy Tartakovsky's inspiration forThe Justice Friends came from readingMarvel Comics while learning how to speak English.[14] In a 2001IGN interview, Tartakovsky expressed disappointment with howThe Justice Friends turned out, saying, "it could have been funnier and the characters could have been fleshed out more."[15]
Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator ofDexter's Laboratory, was born inMoscow, where his father, adentist, served in thegovernment of the Soviet Union.[16] Although relatively wealthy and well-connected, his family feared racial persecution due to theirJewish heritage and moved from Russia toChicago when Tartakovsky was seven.[14] Along with his older brother, Alex, Tartakovsky learned English by watching cartoons[14] and taught himself how to draw as a child by copyingcomic books.[5][16][17]
Tartakovsky initially went toColumbia College Chicago to study advertising and took an animation class as an elective.[17] After he transferred to theCalifornia Institute of the Arts in 1990 to study animation full-time, Tartakovsky wrote, directed, animated, and produced two studentshort films, one of which was a precursor toDexter's Laboratory'stelevision pilot, "Changes".[18][19][20] A two-and-a-half-minutepencil test,[20][21] this short film was included in a university screening for the producers ofBatman: The Animated Series, who were impressed and hired Tartakovsky to move to Spain to work onBatman at a studio inMadrid.[20][16]
AfterBatman, Tartakovsky moved back to California to work forHanna-Barbera on the production team of2 Stupid Dogs.[21][22][23][16] His co-workers on that series, Craig McCracken,Rob Renzetti, and Paul Rudish, had been classmates of his at Cal Arts[24] and went on to collaborate with him onDexter's Laboratory.[25][26] Tartakovsky's last job before developingDexter's Laboratory into a television series was to serve as asheet timer onThe Critic. During his time on that series, Tartakovsky received a phone call fromLarry Huber, who had been a producer on2 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-minutestoryboard.[21][22]
"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 the opposite of her? So, I drew a block. That's Dexter. Then I thought if she's into arts, he's into science."
Unhappy with his position onThe Critic, Tartakovsky accepted Huber's proposal,[22] and the resulting project, "Changes", was produced as part of Cartoon Network's animation showcase series,World Premiere Toons, debuting on February 26, 1995.[21][22][27] Viewers worldwide voted through phone lines, websites, focus groups, and consumer promotions for their favorite short cartoons;Dexter's Laboratory was the first of 16 to earn that vote of approval.[11]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".[28]
Even after "Changes" premiered, Tartakovsky had no expectations that it would lead to an entire series.[21] In 2018, he noted that his generation was the first in which people could becomeshowrunners 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."[29] WhenDexter's Laboratory received a seriesgreenlight, Tartakovsky became, at age twenty-seven, one of the youngestanimation directors of that era.[16] Speaking with theLos 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 the creators make the shows."[30]
In August 1995, Turner ordered six half-hour episodes ofDexter's Laboratory, which included two cartoons of one spin-off segment titledDial M for Monkey.[11] In addition to Tartakovsky, McCracken, Renzetti, and Rudish,[21] directors and writers onDexter's Laboratory includedSeth MacFarlane,[31]Butch Hartman,[32]John McIntyre,[33]Robert Alvarez,[34] andChris Savino.[35] McCracken served as anart director on the series. Perlmutter described McCracken's role onDexter's Laboratory as that of Tartakovsky's "effective second-in-command".[36]
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.[37] After seeing the revision, producerFred Seibert felt convinced that the concept forDexter's Laboratory could be successful.[37] Soon afterward, Tartakovsky helped McCracken create his own short film forWorld Premiere Toons, which would eventually become the basis forThe Powerpuff Girls.[21] After finishing McCracken's project, the group proceeded to work on a second short film forDexter's Laboratory, titled "The Big Sister".[21][24] At the time, Tartakovsky was still not anticipating a series greenlight forDexter's Laboratory. He went on to reminisce that, in those days, he was simply having fun working on short films with his friends.[21] Tartakovsky and McCracken, who had been roommates shortly after college,[29][38] went on to become regular collaborators on each other's series.[36] Animation historian David Perlmutter noted asymbiosis between the two men, which he felt led to stylistic similarities betweenDexter's Laboratory andThe Powerpuff Girls.[36]
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.[5] Speaking withThe 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 withDexter's, but if you look at the underlying themes of the show, it's about a little kid trying to fit in."[14] Tartakovsky noted that when he was a child, he was less confident than the character, tellingThe 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."[39] In developingDexter's Laboratory, he continued the tradition of making "violent cartoons", explaining that "many people like them because they project themselves in the drawings and they laugh," while following the principles of older Hanna-Barbera cartoons.[40]
Linda Simensky, who served as senior vice-president of Original Animation forCartoon Network during the production ofDexter'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 was developingDexter 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."[24]
This simplistic style was influenced byUPA shorts, as well as byThe Dover Boys at Pimento University.[41] Simensky noted though, that in contrast to those cartoons,Dexter's Laboratory is "staged cinematically, rather than flat and close to the screen, to leave space and depth for the action and gags in the lab".[24] Tartakovsky was influenced byWarner Bros. Cartoons,Hanna-Barbera, and Japaneseanime, while[24]Sam Raimi's filmsEvil Dead II andArmy of Darkness heavily influenced the series' visual style. Referring to a scene fromArmy of Darkness featuring the construction of a robotic hand, McCracken explained, "He [Tartakovsky] applied that sequence to the show all the time, especially when Dexter was building stuff."[42]
Dexter's Laboratory has its origins in a drawing of a tall, thin girl dancing next to a short and blocky boy that Tartakovsky made while at CalArts.[17][43][5] These two characters would eventually develop into Dee Dee and Dexter respectively, although they went unnamed until Tartakovsky started expanding the concept for Cartoon Network.[21] To further contrast the two characters, Tartakovsky determined that Dee Dee would be artistic, while Dexter would be focused on science.[5][17] 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."[5]
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 twopigtails. Before settling on these options, Tartakovsky had considered titling the seriesDartmouth and Daisy. Explaining why he discarded this idea, Tartakovsky said that "Dartmouth doesn't exactly roll off the tongue" and that the nameDaisy was already heavily associated withDisney. The titleDexter's Laboratory was not settled on until around midway through production of the series' pilot episode, "Changes".[21]
I really don't like to answer those questions because it's a question that should forever exist. You kind of make your own mind up about it.
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.[5] Tartakovsky wrote Dexter as 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 ownburrito palace, just like I had growing up in Chicago."[17]
The sibling dynamic inDexter's Laboratory was partially modeled on Tartakovsky's relationship with his older brother, Alex.[5][16][17] Comparing himself to Dee Dee and Alex, who became acomputer engineer, to Dexter,[5][17] Tartakovsky acknowledged that he was most likely a "pest" to his older brother while they were growing up.[5] Another time, he reminisced that as kids, he and his brother could each be a "pain in the ass" to the other.[21] 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.[5][17]
Tartakovsky determined that Dexter should have an accent because the character "considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents."[39] 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.[29] Although Tartakovsky noted in a separate interview that Dexter's accent is not meant to denote any specific nationality,[5] he revealed in a 2012RedditAMA that it was partially inspired by "a funny French accent" done by his college roommate.[44][j] 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).[47]
Dexter's Laboratory premiered onTNT on April 27, 1996, and the following day on Cartoon Network andTBS.[48] It became the first in a brand of Cartoon Network original cartoons, later includingCow and Chicken,I Am Weasel,Johnny Bravo,The Powerpuff Girls,Ed, Edd n Eddy, andCourage the Cowardly Dog, collectively known asCartoon Cartoons.
The first half of the first season aired onTNT a day before Cartoon Network and had "Dial M For Monkey" as the middle segment, while the second half aired exclusively on Cartoon Network and had "The Justice Friends" as the middle segment.
The series also switched animation houses from Fil-Cartoons toRough Draft Korea halfway through the season. Rough Draft would provide animation for the rest of the series.
A second season was ordered, which premiered on Cartoon Network on July 16, 1997.[10] This season mostly did away with the "Dial M For Monkey" and "Justice Friends" segments, with most episodes consisting of three "Dexter's Laboratory" stories. Some episodes contained two 11-minute stories instead of three 7-minute ones.
The second season is three times the length of the other seasons at 39 half-hour episodes, making it the longest season of a Cartoon Network series and one of the longest seasons of any animated series.
The second season includes "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!", an episode created by six-year-oldLong Island resident Tyler Samuel Lee, who submitted his idea to Tartakovsky as an audiotape. Lee's recorded narration 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."[49] Composers Thomas Chase,Steve Rucker, and Gary Lionelli provided the musical score for the series.
Dexter's Laboratory ended its original run on June 15, 1998, after two seasons.[50] The original series finale was "Last But Not Beast", which differed from the format of other episodes, in that it was a single 22-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 runningDexter's Laboratory was like "giving birth to ten children."[23] Following the series' initial end, Tartakovsky became a supervising producer on colleague Craig McCracken's series,The Powerpuff Girls; he directed episodes of that series and worked onThe Powerpuff Girls Movie.[16][21][36] After the movie, McCracken went on to createFoster's Home for Imaginary Friends for Cartoon Network. Both Hartman and MacFarlane left Cartoon Network altogether at this point; the former went on to createThe Fairly OddParents andDanny Phantom forNickelodeon while the latter went on to createFamily Guy forFox respectively.[31][32]
In 1999, Tartakovsky returned to directDexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip, an hour-long television movie.[51] It was his lastDexter'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.[51] It premiered on December 10, 1999, at 7:00 PM with a repeat broadcast on January 1, 2000, at 12:00 AM.[52]
On February 21, 2001, Cartoon Network issued a press release stating thatDexter's Laboratory had been revived for a 13-episode third season.[4] The series was given a new production team atCartoon 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.[14][4] During season four ofDexter's Laboratory, Savino was promoted to producer giving him further control of the series, including the budget.[53] Revival episodes featured revised visual designs and sound effects, recast voice actors, and a transition from traditional cel animation, which was used untilEgo Trip, to digital ink and paint, which was used for the remainder of the series.
The third season has a different episode format from the other seasons, featuring two 9-minute stories with a 3-minute short in between. The season also usesUPA-influenced backgrounds with a limited color palette of mostly yellows and browns. The fourth season returns to the first two seasons' format of three 7-minute stories, and similar backgrounds to the first two seasons, dropping the UPA aesthetic from the third season.
Christine Cavanaugh voiced Dexter for early episodes of season three, but she retired from voice acting in 2001 for personal reasons. She was replaced by Candi Milo.[50] Allison Moore, a college friend of Tartakovsky, was cast as Dee Dee. Moore's role was later recast with Kat Cressida.[54] 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'sAaahh!!! Real Monsters and Cartoon Network'sThe Powerpuff Girls.Aaron Springer andChris Reccardi are credited on the writing staff, as isFamily Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.[55]
In 2023, Tartakovsky said he was uninterested in attempting to rebootDexter's Laboratory due to Cavanaugh's death in 2014, as well as the "overabundance" of recent reboots of cartoons.[7]
| Season | Segments | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | ||||
| Pilots | N/A | 4 | February 26, 1995 (1995-02-26) | April 14, 1996 (1996-04-14) | |
| 1 | 34 | 13 | April 27, 1996 (1996-04-27) | January 1, 1997 (1997-01-01) | |
| 2 | 108 | 39 | July 16, 1997 (1997-07-16) | June 15, 1998 (1998-06-15) | |
| Ego Trip | December 10, 1999 (1999-12-10) | ||||
| 3 | 36 | 13 | November 18, 2001 (2001-11-18) | September 20, 2002 (2002-09-20) | |
| 4 | 38 | 13 | November 22, 2002 (2002-11-22) | November 20, 2003 (2003-11-20) | |
Dexter's Laboratory broadcast 78 half-hour episodes over 4 seasons during its 7-year run. Four pilot shorts were produced forWhat 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 byEgo Trip in 1999.
Another 26 episodes were produced and broadcast from 2001 to 2003. "Chicken Scratch" debuted theatrically withThe Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002, and was later broadcast in season four.[56]
Dexter's Laboratory premiered on February 26, 1995, on Cartoon Network as part ofWhat a Cartoon!.[27] On October 8, 2000, Cartoon Network aired the "Favorite Dexters" marathon from 12 PM to 7 PM Eastern.[57] On December 31, 2000, Cartoon Network aired its "New Year's Bash" marathon featuringDexter's Laboratory among other programs.[58] On November 18, 2001, it broadcast a 12-hour "Dexter Goes Global" marathon in 96 countries and 12 languages.[59] This marathon featured fan-selected episodes ofDexter's Laboratory and culminated by premiering two new episodes of season 3.[59]
From 2005 to 2008,Dexter's Laboratory was rerun in segments onThe 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 onBoomerang.[60][61]
Cartoon Network has aired reruns inCanada since its launch on July 4, 2012.[62] This launch was commemorated by parent network Teletoon, which aired Cartoon Network-related programming blocks and promotions in weeks leading up to it, including episodes ofDexter's Laboratory.[63]
Dexter's Laboratory aired in reruns onCheckered Past onAdult Swim until March 3, 2025.
"Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor", a season 1 episode from 1996, was removed from rotation sometime after its original premiere in 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).[64][65] 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.[66]
"Rude Removal", a season 2 episode, was produced but not aired. It involves Dexter creating 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 charactersswearing, even though all swear words arecensored.[67] Tartakovsky commented that "standards didn't like it."[68] 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."[67] Michelle Klein-Häss ofAnimation World Network called the episode "hilarious" after viewing it at the 1998 World Animation Celebration, although she predicted that it would "never be shown on television".[69]
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!"[70] Adult Swim later asked fans onTwitter if interest still existed with it, and fan response was "overwhelming".[71][72] "Rude Removal" was finally uploaded on Adult Swim's officialYouTube account on January 22, 2013.[73]
Dexter's Laboratory was Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series in 1996 and 1997.[74] Cartoon Network viewers voted the series as "Toon of the Year" in 1996.[16] Internationally, it garnered a special mention for best script at the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay animation festival in Italy.[75] From 1998 to 2000, a Dexter balloon was featured inMacy's Thanksgiving Day Parade alongside other iconic characters, including the titular piglet fromBabe whom Christine Cavanaugh voiced.[76][77] The series was part of Cartoon Network's 20% ratings surge during mid-1999.[78] 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.[79] On July 31, 2001, it scored the highest household rating (2.9) and delivery (2,166,000 homes) for a Cartoon Network telecast for that year.[80] Along withThe Powerpuff Girls,Dexter's Laboratory expanded the network's viewership to 72 million,[14] and the series became one of the network's highest-rated original series of 2002.[81]
Dexter's Laboratory 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."[78] RapperCoolio stated in an August 2002Billboard interview that he is a fan of the series, stating, "I watch a lot of cartoons because I have kids. I actually watch more cartoons than movies."[82]
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 theDaily Herald.[83] In the lead up to its second season,Dexter's Laboratory was called the most imaginative series on Cartoon Network by Nancy McAlister ofThe Florida Times-Union.[k] Although McAlister critiqued thegender stereotyping of Dexter's parents, she acknowledged that she was only applying such scrutiny to the series becauseDexter's Laboratory had helped convince her that "viewers should take animated programming seriously".[84]
In 1997, Bill Ward of theMinnesota Star Tribune namedDexter's Laboratory to his Critic's Choice list, recommending it for the "young of all ages".[85] In 2012,Entertainment Weekly rankedDexter's Laboratory fourth in its list of "10 Best Cartoon Network Shows".[86] In 2009,Dexter's Laboratory was named 72nd best animated series byIGN, 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."[87] In his 2015 bookAnimation: A World History Volume III: Contemporary Times,Giannalberto Bendazzi calledDexter's Laboratory "visually and verbally innovative".[88] He considered the series to be a groundbreaking work ofpop art, likening its visual style to bothstreet art and the designs ofTakashi Murakami.[88]
David Perlmutter wrote in his 2018 book,The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows, that all three segments ofDexter's Laboratory (the main scenario, along withDial M for Monkey andThe Justice Friends) elevate stereotypical ideas through an approach that contains "verve and originality".[89] Perlmutter called the series more "complex" than it first seems.[89] He praised the staging of action sequences throughout the series and wrote thatDexter's Laboratory is "much more effective (and funny) than it would have been under a director less committed to the project [than Tartakovsky]."[89]
As affirmed by Giannalberto Bendazzi inAnimation: A World History Volume III,Dexter's Laboratory, along with Craig McCracken'sThe Powerpuff Girls, helped define the style of Cartoon Network, both for being works "in which lines and colour are predominant", and for underlining their graphic aspect throughlimited animation.[88] Television critic Robert Lloyd claimed that both artists were "at the forefront of a second wave of innovative, creator-driven television animation, whose first wave began in the 1990s with the likes ofRalph Bakshi'sMighty Mouse: The New Adventures andJohn Kricfalusi'sThe Ren & Stimpy Show."[90] Tartakovsky reflected on this period in 2024, saying that he and his colleagues took full advantage of the freedom provided by the still-new Cartoon Network, but that the level of trust on young artists was "pretty much gone" 30 years later.[91]
The show has been credited for kick-starting the channel's ascent and launching Tartakovsky's career, which later gave way toSamurai Jack andStar Wars: Clone Wars.[92] To this,Gizmodo contributor Beth Elderkin added: "Since then, he's become a staple in children's and adult animation, responsible for everything from theHotel Transylvania series to the powerful (and ultra-violent)Primal."[93]Vulture called the first pilot episode "a testament to Tartakovsky's talent and commitment as a filmmaker and a proof of concept for theWhat a Cartoon! anthology format."[94] For a while, the show's simplistic look was adopted by other American cartoons; in a 2021 interview withSyfy Wire, animator Butch Hartman said, "When I started makingFairly OddParents, I took cues from what Genndy did in terms of simplifying the designs and using bold colors and simple shapes."[42]
Dexter's Laboratory has been subject to scholarly works that include a study onpost-9/11 America by Media International Australia[95] and a publication about howMexican children react to references in the series byComunicar.[96]
Dexter's Laboratory first appeared in home media as a "bonus toon" on theJonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of OneVHS[106][l] and later in a limited-run, complete seriesDexter's LaboratoryDVD contest prize, both of which became available in 1999.[106][107] Dedicated, wide-release home media for the series began with theDexter's Laboratory: Volume 1 VHS in the United Kingdom in 2000[108] and theDexter's Laboratory: Greatest Adventures VHS in North America in 2001.[109][110] The made-for-television movieEgo Trip was released exclusively on VHS in North America in 2000[111] and in the United Kingdom in 2001.[112] Episodes from the series have been included as extra content in other Cartoon Network series' home media releases or as part of Cartoon Network's compilation DVDs.Cartoon Network Racing, aPlayStation 2 video game, contains the episodes "Dexter's Rival" and "Mandarker" as unlockable extras.
Warner Bros. Animation stated in a 2006 interview that they were "in conversations with Cartoon Network" for DVD collections of cartoons, among which wasDexter's Laboratory.[113]Madman Entertainment released season 1 and part of season 2 inRegion 4 in 2008.[114][115] A Region 1 release of season 1 was released byWarner Home Video on October 12, 2010.[116] It was the third official release of a Cartoon Network series on DVD under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" label.[116]Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series was released on DVD in North America on June 25, 2024, byWarner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and includes all episodes along with the television filmEgo Trip except for "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor" and "Rude Removal."[117][118]
Every episode, except for the television filmEgo Trip and the banned "Rude Removal" episode, became available oniTunes in 2010.[119] "Rude Removal" later became available on Adult Swim's official YouTube channel on January 22, 2013.[120]Dexter's Laboratory was available onNetflix from 2010[121] until March 30, 2015,[122] and onHulu beginning on May 1, 2015.[123][124]HBO Max carried the series from May 2020[125] until May 10, 2023.[126]Amazon Prime Video began streaming the series on December 30, 2022.[125]
| Season | Title | Format | Release dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| 1 | Jonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of One[m] | VHS | March 19, 1996[106] | — | — | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: Volume 1 | VHS | — | March 27, 2000[108] | — | ||
| Cartoon Network Halloween 2 - Grossest Halloween Ever[m] | DVD | August 9, 2005[127] | — | — | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete First Season | DVD | October 12, 2010[116] | — | February 13, 2008[114] | ||
| 4 Kid Favorites Cartoon Network: Hall of Fame #1[m] | DVD | March 13, 2012[128] | — | — | ||
| 4 Kid Favorites Cartoon Network: Hall of Fame #3[m] | DVD | June 23, 2015[129] | — | — | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | — | — | October 25, 2017[130] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[117] | — | — | ||
| 2 | The Powerpuff Girls: Twisted Sister[m] | VHS | April 3, 2001[131] | — | — | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: Greatest Adventures | VHS | July 3, 2001[109] | — | — | ||
| The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas[m] | DVD | October 7, 2003[132][133] | — | November 8, 2005[134] | ||
| VHS | — | |||||
| Scooby-Doo and the Toon Tour of Mysteries[m] | DVD | June 2004[135] | — | — | ||
| Cartoon Network Halloween - Nine Creepy Cartoon Capers[m] | DVD | August 10, 2004[136] | — | — | ||
| Cartoon Network Christmas - Yuletide Follies[m] | DVD | October 5, 2004[137] | — | — | ||
| Cartoon Network Christmas 2 - Christmas Rocks[m] | DVD | October 4, 2005[138] | October 18, 2010[139] | — | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Season 2; Part 1 | DVD | — | — | June 11, 2008[115] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | — | — | October 25, 2017[130] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[117] | — | — | ||
| Film | Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip | VHS | November 7, 2000[111] | July 23, 2001[112] | — | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | — | — | October 25, 2017[130] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[117] | — | — | ||
| 3 | Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | — | — | October 25, 2017[130] | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[117] | — | — | ||
| 4 | The Powerpuff Girls Movie[m] | DVD | November 5, 2002[140][141] | — | — | |
| VHS | — | — | ||||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | — | — | October 25, 2017[130] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[117] | — | — | ||
Dexter's Laboratory has spawned two music albums:The Musical Time Machine andThe Hip-Hop Experiment. ThreeDexter's Laboratory tracks are featured on Cartoon Network's 1999compilation albumCartoon Medley.[142]
The Musical Time Machine is asoundtrack album released on May 19, 1998, onCD andcassette throughAtlantic Records. It contains five songs taken from the series and one track exclusive to the album.Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic gave the album a positive review, writing, "It won't win any new fans, but those that love the show will get a kick out of this disc."[143]
The Hip-Hop Experiment is a compilation album released on August 20, 2002, on CD and limited-edition greenvinyl record throughKid Rhino and Atlantic Records. It features variouship-hop music artists and released alongside three music videos for "Back to the Lab" byPrince Paul, "Dexter (What's His Name?)" by Coolio, and "Secrets" bywill.i.am. A fourth music video byThey Might Be Giants for "Dee Dee and Dexter" was produced byKlasky Csupo.[144] Upon Cartoon Network's request for the artist to write an original song forDexter's Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment, rapper Coolio, who provided the track "Dexter (What's His Name?)", stated, "I didn't really know what I wanted to do at first, but I knew I wanted it to be positive and lively."[82]
Books set inDexter's Laboratory were released byScholastic andLittle Golden Books.
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter's Ink | 2002 | Howie Dewin | ISBN 0-439-38579-2 |
| Dex-Terminator | 2002 | Bobbi J. G. Weiss and David Cody Weiss | ISBN 0-439-38580-6 |
| Dr. Dee Dee & Dexter Hyde | 2002 | Meg Belviso and Pam Pollack | ISBN 0-439-43422-X |
| I Dream of Dexter | 2003 | Meg Belviso and Pam Pollack | ISBN 0-439-43423-8 |
| The Incredible Shrinking Dexter | 2003 | Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso | ISBN 0-439-43424-6 |
| Dexter's Big Switch | 2003 | Meg Belviso and Pamela Pollack | ISBN 0-439-44947-2 |
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horse of a Different Dexter | 2002 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-38581-4 |
| Knights of the Periodic Table | 2003 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-43425-4 |
| Cootie Wars | 2003 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-44932-4 |
| Brain Power | 2003 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-44942-1 |
| Zappo Change-O | 2001 | Genndy Tartakovsky, Golden Books | ISBN 0-307-99812-6 |
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dee Dee's Amazing Bones | 2002 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-44175-7 |
| Mixed-Up Magnetism | 2002 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-38582-2 |
| What's the "Matter" with Dee Dee? | 2003 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-47240-7 |
| Little Lab or Horrors | 2003 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-47242-3 |
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter's Laboratory: Science Fair Showdown! | 2001 | Chip Lovitt (Golden Books) | ISBN 0-307-10775-2 |
| Dexter's Joke Book for Geniuses | 2004 | Howie Dewin (Scholastic) | ISBN 0-439-54582-X |
Characters fromDexter's Laboratory are featured in a 150,000-print magazine calledCartoon Network, published by Burghley Publishing and released in the United Kingdom on August 27, 1998.[145]
DC Comics printed four comic book volumes featuringDexter's Laboratory. Characters from the series first appear inCartoon Network Presents, a 24-issue volume showcasing Cartoon Network's premiere animated programming, which was produced from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, DC gaveDexter's Laboratory its own 34-issue comic volume, which ran until 2003. DC'sCartoon Cartoons comic book, which ran from 2001 to 2004, frequently includesDexter's Laboratory stories. This was superseded byCartoon Network Block Party, which ran from 2004 to 2009.
On February 25, 2013,IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties, which includedDexter's Laboratory.[146] Its first issue was released on April 30, 2014.[147]
Wendy's promotedDexter's Laboratory with five collectible toys in theirkids' meals from mid-October to November 23, 1997.[148][149]Discovery Zone sponsored Cartoon Network's eight-week-long "Dexter's Duplication Summer" in 1998 to promote the series' new schedule.[150][151]NASCAR's 1999 "Wacky Racing Team" vehicle driven byJerry Nadeau in theDaytona 500 featuredDexter's Laboratory characters on its paint.[152][153] ASubway promotion supported byPublicis & Hal Riney of Chicago lasted from August 23 to October 3, 1999, called "Dexter's Super Computer Giveaway", in which a computer, monitor, games, software, and an exclusive set ofDexter's Laboratory DVDs were awarded as prizes.[107] Subway promotedDexter's Laboratory once again from April 1 to May 15, 2002, with four kids' meal toys.[154]
Dairy Queen sold six kids' meal toys during an April 2001 promotion that was financed by a $3 million advertising and marketing budget.[155][156] That month,Perfetti Van Melle and Cartoon Network launched the "Out of Control" promotion, which included on-air marketing and a sweepstakes to win an "Air Dextron" entertainment center.[155] The following April, a similar promotion featuredDexter's Laboratory-themedAirheads packs and an online sweepstakes.[154]Trendmasters released a series ofDexter's Laboratory figures and playsets in 2001.[157][158]Race to the Brainergizer andThe Incredible Invention Versus Dee Dee, two board games, were released byPressman Toy Corporation in 2001.[159]
Burger King sponsoredDexter's Laboratory toys beginning in September 2003 with kids' meals during a larger promotion featuring online games,Cartoon Orbit codes, and new episodes.[160]Kellogg's cereal boxes in the United Kingdom gave away the characters of Dexter and Dee Dee were as part of the Cartoon Network Wobble Heads in 2003.[161] Atrading card series was published by Artbox Entertainment.[162]
SixDexter's Laboratory video games have been released:Robot Rampage for theNintendoGame Boy Color,[163]Chess Challenge[164] andDeesaster Strikes! for the NintendoGame Boy Advance,[165]Mandark's Lab? for theSonyPlayStation,[166]Dexter's Laboratory: Science Ain't Fair forPC,[167] andDexter's Laboratory: Security Alert! formobile phones.[168]
Similar toBattle Chess,Chess Challenge is achess video game that triggers battle animations each time an overtaking move occurs. Each capture is accompanied by the sequences set in Dexter's home depicting the piece's defeat. Those scenes are set in Dexter's home with magic attacks and Dee Dee's toys having an appearance. The completion of the puzzles will unlock certain game modes, including a two-player mode.[169][170]
ADexter's Laboratory combat-style action video game on PlayStation 2 and NintendoGameCube was set to be developed byn-Space, published byBAM! Entertainment, and distributed in Europe byAcclaim Entertainment for a 2004 release, but it was canceled.[171][172] On February 15, 2005,Midway Games announced plans to develop and produce a newDexter's Laboratory video game for multiple consoles, but it was never published.[173]
Dexter, Mandark, Dee Dee, Dexter's computer, and Major Glory, as well as items, areas, and inventions are featured in theMMORPGFusionFall.[174][175]Dexter's Laboratory characters are featured inCartoon Network Racing[176] andCartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.[177]Punch Time Explosion features different voice talent for Dexter (Tara Strong instead of Christine Cavanaugh or Candi Milo) and Monkey (Fred Tatasciore instead of Frank Welker). Elements fromDexter's Laboratory are featured in the 2024 Warner Bros. gameMultiVersus.[178]
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