Dexter's Laboratory

**Dexter's Laboratory** (commonly abbreviated and simplified as **Dexter's Lab**) is an American animated television series created by Russian-American animator Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network.

The entire series was made available at launch.

## Premise

*Dexter's Laboratory* follows Dexter, a boy-genius and inventor with a hidden laboratory in his room, which he keeps secret from his parents. He is in a constant battle with his older sister Dee Dee, who always finds a way to get inside Dexter's lab and inadvertently foil his experiments. Dexter also engages in a bitter rivalry with a fellow boy-genius named Mandark, who is Dexter's neighbor and classmate. Prominently featured in the series' first two seasons are segments featuring superhero-based characters Monkey, Dexter's pet lab-monkey/superhero, and The Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.

## Characters

### Main

* Dexter
* Dee-Dee
* Susan "Mandark" Astronomanov
* Dad
* Mom

### Secondary

* Computer
* Windbear
* Oceanbird
* Mee-Mee
* Lee-Lee
* Koosalagoopagoop
* Douglas E. Mordecai
* Isaías
* Beau
* Monkey
* Agent Honeydew
* Justice Friends
	+ Major Glory
	+ Val Hallen
	+ Krunk

## Cast

### Main

* Christine Cavanaugh (seasons 1-3) as Dexter
	+ Candy Milo replaced Cavanaugh for seasons 3 and 4.
* Allison Moore (seasons 1 and 3) and Kat Cressida (seasons 2 and 4) as Dee-Dee
* Eddie Deezen as Susan "Mandark" Astronomanov
* Jeff Bennett as Dad
* Kath Soucie as Mom

## Production

### Development

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 to the United States when Tartakovsky was seven. Along with his older brother, Alex, Tartakovsky taught himself how to draw as a child by copying comic books.After transferring from Columbia College Chicago to California Institute of the Arts in 1990 to study animation, Tartakovsky wrote, directed, animated, and produced two student short films, one of which 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. Later on, Tartakovsky joined the production team of 2 Stupid Dogs. Several of his co-workers on that series, such as Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Paul Rudish, and Lou Romano, 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 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.

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. "Changes" debuted on February 26, 1995. 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. 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 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 green-light, Tartakovsky became, at age twenty-seven, one of the youngest animation directors of that era.

Tartakovsky's old classmates McCracken and Rudish helped him design "Changes". Soon afterward, Tartakovsky helped McCracken create his own short film for World Premiere Toons/What a Cartoon!, 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 the time, Tartakovsky was still not anticipating a series green-light 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 the two men, which he felt led to stylistic similarities between Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls.

In August 1995, Turner ordered six half-hours 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, and Chris Savino. McCracken also served as an art director on the series. Perlmutter described McCracken's role on Dexter's Laboratory as that of Tartakovsky's "effective second-in-command".

## Appearances in other works

Dexter made a non speaking cameo as an elderly man in the I Am Weasel episode, I Am my Lifetime.

Dexter, Dee Dee, and Monkey all appeared as toys in The Powerpuff Girls episode, Ploys R'Us. Dexter also made cameos in the episodes, Criss Cross Crisis, Powerpuff Bluff, Forced Kin, and Him Diddle Riddle.

Dexter appeared in the Time Squad final episode, Orphan Substitute.

A Dexter balloon was featured in the Codename: Kids Next Door episode, Operation U.N.C.O.O.L.

Dexter, Dee Dee, and Mandark made brief cameos in the Codename: Kids Next Door and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy crossover special, The Grim Adventures of the KND, where they appeared popping out of the Delightful Reaper.

A cardboard cutout of Dexter (facing backwards) was featured in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy episode, Billy and Mandy Moon the Moon.

Dexter and Dee Dee's names appeared on a list in the Steven Universe episode, Say Uncle.

Dexter and Dee Dee appeared as audiences in the Uncle Grandpa episode, Say Uncle.

A Dexter's Laboratory skit was featured in an episode of the Adult Swim series, Robot Chicken.

Dexter and Monkey both appeared in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode, Crossover Nexus. Dexter appeared as one of Ben 10's transformations to defeat Strike, and Monkey appeared both as stone and one of Ben 10's transformations.

Dexter's Laboratory was mentioned in the Craig of the Creek episode, Kelsey the Elder.

Dee Dee was featured in the Adult Swim proof of concept video, Come and Learn with Pibby.

## Home media

The first season of the series was released on DVD in the US in 2010.

All 4 seasons are available on iTunes and Amazon Prime

The series was available on Hulu from 2015 to 2018.

## Reception

*Dexter's Laboratory* was one of Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series for years. Internationally, it garnered a special mention for best script at the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay animation festival in Italy. In 1998 and 1999, 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. The series' July 7, 2000, telecast 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 the highest household rating (2.9) and delivery (2,166,000 homes) for a Cartoon Network telecast for that year. Dexter's Laboratory was one of the network's highest-rated original series of 2002.

## Navigation

- Films: Ben 10: Race Against Time | Foster's Movie: Destination Imagination | Regular Show: The Movie | Steven Universe: The Movie