Bunsen Is a Beast

Bunsen Is a Beast is an American animated comedy Nickelodeon original series and thirty-ninth major Nicktoon. The show was created by Butch Hartman and was produced by Nickelodeon Animation Studios. The series officially ran on Nickelodeon from January 16th to October 14th of 2017, with the remaining episodes premiering on NickToons through February 9, 2018, making it the shortest-lived of the Nicktoons created by Butch Hartman. It was also Butch's last show for Nickelodeon before departing from the network in 2018.
==Plot==
Bunsen Is a Beast centers around a blue monster named Bunsen, who is the first beast to attend Muckledunk Middle School. Mikey Munroe, his human friend, helps him navigate through school as he feels the pressure to prove that monsters can coexist peacefully without eating or harming others. Episodes typically focus on Bunsen learning how to complete human tasks or discovering a human tradition. Mikey also learns more about the monster world, meeting new creatures whenever he visits Bunsen's home. However, a girl named Amanda Killman believes Bunsen is dangerous and wants to destroy him so that his kind will suffer from extinction. Bunsen and Mikey must outwit Amanda whenever she comes up with a new scheme, occasionally with the help of their friend Darcy.
==Production==
The idea for Bunsen Is a Beast originated in a drawing of a monster facing a boy that Hartman drew in 2009. According to an article published in Variety, he kept the drawing in his office at Nickelodeon until a network executive noticed it and asked him to pitch the concept as a television show. The message that "no matter who you are, you can always find a place to fit in" inspired the show's underlying theme of embracing integration. When asked in an interview with Heidi MacDonald's Comics Beat if the show could be interpreted as a metaphor for "accepting and befriending refugees," Hartman mentioned that the social commentary was "a little bit" intentional. Animation began about a year before the show premiered.
==Characters==
==Voice Cast==
===Main Cast===
*Jeremy Rowley - Bunsen, Jerk Von Handsome, Various characters
*Ben Giroux - Mikey, Bog Beast, Various characters
*Kari Wahlgren - Amanda Killman, Beverly, Sophie Sanders, Various characters
===Recurring Cast and additional voices===
* Carlos Alazraqui - The Do-Not
* Jeff Bennett - Bunsen's Dad, Bob, Uncle Funkle, Big Mikey, Various
* Jennifer Hale - Bunsen's Mom, Various
* Kevin Michael Richardson - Jerry the Beast, Various
* Phil LaMarr - Ken
* Tara Strong - Tooth Fairy, Various
===Special Guest stars===
* Cheri Oteri as Miss Flap
* Jerry Trainor as Commander Cone
* Chris Hardwick as Officer Steve Stevenson
==Episodes==
==Broadcast history==
*Nickelodeon (January 16, 2017-October 14, 2017)
*NickToons (January 16, 2017-December 25, 2018)
*Paramount+ (April 14, 2021-present)
==Reception==
This show received positive reviews. Robert Lloyd of the Los Angeles Times praised the show in his review, likening it to "an early Hanna-Barbera cartoon with the engine of  at his eye-popping extreme" and commending its message about embracing outsiders as "particularly timely."
==Trivia==
*The show was Butch Hartman's first animated series to be animated in the style of Adobe Flash, departing from the usual "traditional animation".
*This is the only Butch Hartman show on Nickelodeon to not have Grey Griffin and Rob Paulsen as cast members.
*Animation services were provided by Elliot Animation in Canada, best known for providing animated content within Canada, such as the Total Drama series, Grojband, etc. They also provided animation services for the last episodes of The Fairly OddParents' tenth season.
==Videos==
"Bunsen Is a Beast" Theme Song (HQ) - Episode Opening Credits - Nick Animation
Bunsen is a Beast How to Release Your Inner Beast Nick
==External links==
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de:Bunsen ist ein Biest
Category:Nicktoons
 
Category:Comedy
Category:Flash-Animated Shows
Category:2010s premieres
Category:Cancelled shows
Category:2010s endings
Category:Short-lived shows