Dexter's Laboratory

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***Dexter's Laboratory*** (commonly abbreviated as ***Dexter's Lab***) is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. It follows Dexter, a boy-genius and inventor with a hidden laboratory in his room, which he keeps secret from his parents. He is at constant odds with his older sister Dee Dee, who always gains access to Dexter's lab and inadvertently foils his experiments. Dexter has a bitter rivalry with Mandark, a fellow boy-genius who is his neighbor and classmate. Segments featuring superhero-based characters Monkey, Dexter's pet lab-monkey/superhero, and the Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment, are prominently featured in the first two seasons.

Tartakovsky pitched the series to Fred Seibert's first animated shorts showcase *What a Cartoon!* at Hanna-Barbera, basing it on student films Tartakovsky 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, a television film titled *Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip* aired as the intended series finale, and Tartakovsky left to begin work on *Samurai Jack*.

In November 2000, the series was renewed for two seasons containing 26 total episodes, which began airing on November 18, 2001, and ended on November 20, 2003. Due to Tartakovsky's departure, the new seasons were run under Chris Savino and a new production team at Cartoon Network Studios with various changes to the visual art style and character designs.

*Dexter's Laboratory* won three Annie Awards, with nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Reel Awards, and nine other Annie Awards. The series is notable for helping launch the careers of animators Craig McCracken, Seth MacFarlane, Butch Hartman, Paul Rudish, and Rob Renzetti. Spin-off media include comic books, DVD and VHS releases, music albums, collectible toys, and video games.

## Contents

* 1Premise
	+ 1.1Recurring segments
		- 1.1.1*Dial M for Monkey*
		- 1.1.2*The Justice Friends*
		- 1.1.3Mini-segments
* 2Production
	+ 2.1Conception
	+ 2.2Original run
	+ 2.3Revival
* 3Episodes
* 4Broadcast
	+ 4.1Controversial episodes
* 5Reception
	+ 5.1Critical reception
	+ 5.2Awards and nominations
* 6Merchandise
	+ 6.1Home media
	+ 6.2Music releases
	+ 6.3Publications
	+ 6.4Toys and promotions
	+ 6.5Video games
* 7See also
* 8Footnotes
* 9References
* 10Bibliography
* 11External links

## Premise[edit]

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. Although he comes from a typical American family, Dexter speaks with a thick 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."[1] 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."[2]

Dexter conceals his lab from his clueless parents, addressed only as Mom (voiced by Kath Soucie) and Dad (voiced by Jeff Bennett), who never take notice of it. His hyperactive, good-hearted, 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 the lab, wreaking havoc with Dexter's inventions. Though seemingly dim-witted, Dee Dee can outsmart her brother and even give him helpful advice. For his part, Dexter, though annoyed by his intrusive sibling, feels a reluctant affection for her and will come to her defense if she is imperiled.

Dexter's nemesis is rival classmate Susan (first name revealed in later seasons) "Mandark" Astronomonov[3][4] (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. Dexter's inventions are objectively better than his, and Mandark tries to compensate for this by stealing Dexter's plans. Mandark's weakness is his unrequited love for Dee Dee.

### Recurring segments[edit]

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 one: *Dial M for Monkey* and *The Justice Friends*.[5] *Dial M for Monkey* is the middle segment for six episodes of season one, and *The Justice Friends* takes its place until season one's end.

#### *Dial M for Monkey*[edit]

*Dial M for Monkey* shorts feature Dexter's pet laboratory monkey named Monkey (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker), who Dexter believes is an ordinary monkey and nothing more. However, Monkey secretly has superpowers and fights evil as a superhero named Monkey. Monkey is joined by his partner Agent Honeydew (voiced by Kath Soucie) of Global Security, 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.[6] Monkey's superpowers include super strength, telekinesis, flight, and super speed, among others.

#### *The Justice Friends*[edit]

*The Justice Friends* consists of Major Glory (a spoof of Captain America, voiced by Rob Paulsen) of whom Dexter himself is revealed to be a fan of delighting whenever he can get Major Glory action-figures, Valhallen (a spoof of Thor, voiced by Tom Kenny), and the Infraggable Krunk (a spoof of the Incredible Hulk, 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.[7][8] Genndy Tartakovsky's inspiration for *The Justice Friends* came from reading Marvel Comics when learning how to speak English.[9] Tartakovsky stated in a 2001 IGN interview that he was disappointed with how *The Justice Friends* turned out, saying, "it could have been funnier and the characters could have been fleshed out more."[10]

#### Mini-segments[edit]

Between the three main segments in seasons one and two are brief mini-segments, which often feature only Dexter and Dee Dee. Other characters that star in these include "The Puppet Pals", two live-action puppets named Puppet Pal Clem (Rob Paulsen) and Puppet Pal Mitch (Tom Kenny).

## Production[edit]

*Dexter's Laboratory* creator Genndy Tartakovsky at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2012.

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.[2][11][12]

After transferring from Columbia College Chicago to the 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".[13][14][15] Described as a two-and-a-half-minute pencil test,[15][16] this short film was included in a university screening for the producers of *Batman: The Animated Series*, who were impressed and hired Tartakovsky.[15]

Later on, Tartakovsky joined the production team of *2 Stupid Dogs*.[16][17][18] 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[19] and went on to collaborate with him on *Dexter's Laboratory*.[20][21][22] 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.[16][17]

Unhappy with his position on *The Critic*, Tartakovsky accepted Huber's proposal,[17] and the resulting project, "Changes", was produced as part of Cartoon Network's animation showcase series, *World Premiere Toons*.[16][17][23] "Changes" debuted on February 26, 1995.[23] 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.[6] 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".[24]

Even after "Changes" premiered, Tartakovsky had no expectations that it would lead to an entire series.[16] 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."[25] When *Dexter's Laboratory* received a series green-light, Tartakovsky became, at age twenty-seven, one of the youngest animation directors of that era.[11]

Tartakovsky's former 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*.[16] After finishing McCracken's project, the group proceeded to a second short film for *Dexter's Laboratory*, titled "The Big Sister".[16][19] 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.[16] Tartakovsky and McCracken, who had been roommates shortly after college,[25][26] went on to become regular collaborators on each other's series.[27] 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*.[27]

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*.[6] In addition to Tartakovsky, McCracken, Renzetti, and Rudish,[16] directors and writers on *Dexter's Laboratory* included Seth MacFarlane,[28] Butch Hartman,[29] John McIntyre,[30] and Chris Savino.[31] 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".[27]

### Conception[edit]

*Dexter's Laboratory* originated with one of Genndy Tartakovsky's designs of a ballet dancer.[12][32] While attending CalArts, Tartakovsky drew a tall, thin girl dancing and decided to pair her with a short and blocky opposite.[2][12] 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.[16] To further contrast the two characters, Tartakovsky determined that Dee Dee would be artistic, while Dexter would be focused on science.[2][12] 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."[2]

It actually started with Dee Dee...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.

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 ponytails. Before settling on these options, Tartakovsky had considered titling 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".[16]

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 also stressed that he would "never want" to specify Dexter's exact age.[2] 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 own burrito palace, just like I had growing up in Chicago."[12]

The sibling dynamic in *Dexter's Laboratory* was partially modeled on Tartakovsky's relationship with his older brother, Alex.[2][11][12] Comparing himself to Dee Dee and Alex, who became a computer engineer, to Dexter,[2][12] Tartakovsky acknowledged that he was most likely a "pest" to his older brother while they were growing up.[2] Another time, he reminisced that as kids, he and his brother could each be a "pain in the ass" to the other.[16] 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.[2][12]

Tartakovsky determined that Dexter should have an accent because the character "considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents."[33] 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.[25] Although Tartakovsky noted in a separate interview that Dexter's accent is not meant to denote any specific nationality,[2] he revealed in a 2012 Reddit AMA that it was partially inspired by "a funny French accent" done by his college roommate.[34][a]

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.

Tartakovsky also 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, some kids teased him for this.[2] 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 the underlying themes of the show, it's about a little kid trying to fit in."[9] 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."[33]

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 was developing *Dexter* for television, he purposely limited the design to some degree, designing the nose and mouth, for instance, in a Hanna-Barbera style to animate easily."[19] This simplistic style was influenced by UPA shorts, as well as by the *Merrie Melodies* cartoon *The Dover Boys*.[37] 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".[19] Tartakovsky was also influenced by Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and Japanese anime.[19]

### Original run[edit]

*Dexter's Laboratory* premiered on TNT on April 27, 1996, and the following day on Cartoon Network and TBS.[38] 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.[5]

*Dexter's Laboratory* went on hiatus in 1998 after two seasons, with season two lasting 39 episodes.[39] The series finale 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."[18] After putting the series on hiatus, Tartakovsky became a supervising producer on colleague Craig McCracken's series, *The Powerpuff Girls*; he also directed various episodes of that series and worked on *The Powerpuff Girls Movie.*[11][16][27] After the movie, McCracken would later go on to create *Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends*, also for Cartoon Network. Both Hartman and MacFarlane left Cartoon Network altogether at this point; they moved on to create *The Fairly OddParents* and *Family Guy*, respectively.[28][29] Rob Renzetti would later go on to create *My Life as a Teenage Robot* for Nickelodeon.

In 1999, Tartakovsky returned to direct *Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip*, an hour-long television movie.[40] 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.[40]

### Revival[edit]

On February 21, 2001, Cartoon Network issued a press release stating that *Dexter's Laboratory* had been revived for a 13-episode third season.[41] The series was given a new production team at Cartoon Network Studios, and Chris Savino, who later went on to create *The Loud House* for Nickelodeon in 2016, took over the role of creative director from Tartakovsky, who at the time was immersed in launching his next series, *Samurai Jack*.[9][41] During season four of *Dexter's Laboratory*, Savino was promoted to producer giving him further control of the series, including the budget.[42] Revival episodes featured revised visual designs and sound effects, recast voice actors, continuity shakeups, 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 was replaced by Candi Milo.[39] Allison Moore, a college friend of Tartakovsky, was cast as Dee Dee. Moore's role was later recast with Kat Cressida.[43] In season three, Moore briefly returned to voice Dee Dee before Cressida again assumed her role for season four. The character designs were handled by Chris Battle, known individually for acting as character designer for Nickelodeon's *Aaahh!!! Real Monsters* and Cartoon Network's *The Powerpuff Girls*. Some of the new writing staff included Aaron Springer and Chris Reccardi.

## Episodes[edit]

Main article: List of Dexter's Laboratory episodes

*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 one 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 was later broadcast in season four.[44]

## Broadcast[edit]

On December 31, 2000, Cartoon Network aired its "New Year's Bash" marathon featuring *Dexter's Laboratory* among other programs.[45] On November 16, 2001, it broadcast a 12-hour "Dexter Goes Global" marathon in 96 countries and 12 languages.[46] This marathon featured fan-selected episodes of *Dexter's Laboratory* and culminated by premiering two new episodes of season 3.[46]

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 January 4, 2015, *Dexter's Laboratory* aired reruns on Boomerang.[47][48] Occasionally reruns of the series still occur.

Cartoon Network has aired reruns in Canada since its launch on July 4, 2012.[49] 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 of *Dexter's Laboratory*.[50]

### Controversial episodes[edit]

"Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor", a season 1 episode from 1996, was removed from rotation after being broadcast in the United States. It features a character named the Silver Spooner (a spoof of Silver Surfer), which was perceived by Cartoon Network to be a stereotype of gay men. Second, Krunk appears to become drunk, has a hangover, and vomits off-camera.[51][52] 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 two.[53]

"Rude Removal", a season 2 episode from 1997, was produced but not aired. It involves Dexter creating a "rude removal system" to diminish Dee Dee and Dexter's rudeness; however, it 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 were censored.[54] Tartakovsky commented that "standards didn't like it."[55] 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."[54] Michelle Klein-Häss of *Animation 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".[56] 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!".[57] Adult Swim later asked fans on Twitter if interest still existed with it, and fan response was "overwhelming".[58][59] "Rude Removal" was finally uploaded on Adult Swim's official YouTube account on January 22, 2013.[60]

## Reception[edit]

*Dexter's Laboratory* was one of Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series for years.[61] Internationally, it garnered a special mention for best script at the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay animation festival in Italy.[62] 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.[63][64] The series was part of Cartoon Network's 20% ratings surge during mid-1999.[65] 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.[66] 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.[67] *Dexter's Laboratory* was one of the network's highest-rated original series of 2002.[68]

### Critical reception[edit]

One of Cartoon Network president Betty Cohen's favorite animated shows was *Dexter's Laboratory*.[65] Rapper Coolio has said that he is a fan and was happy to do a song for its soundtrack at Cartoon Network's request, stating, "I watch a lot of cartoons because I have kids. I actually watch more cartoons than movies."[69]

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*.[70] 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*.[b] Although McAlister critiqued 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".[71]

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".[72] In a 2012 top 10 list by *Entertainment Weekly*, *Dexter's Laboratory* was ranked as the fourth best Cartoon Network series.[73] 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."[74] In his 2015 book *Animation: A World History Volume III: Contemporary Times*, Giannalberto Bendazzi called *Dexter's Laboratory* "visually and verbally innovative".[75] He considered the series to be a groundbreaking work of pop art, likening its visual style to both street art and the designs of Takashi Murakami.[75] David Perlmutter wrote in his 2018 book, *The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows*, that all three segments of *Dexter's Laboratory* (the main scenario, along with *Dial M for Monkey* and *The Justice Friends*) elevate stereotypical ideas through an approach that contains "verve and originality".[76] Perlmutter called the series more "complex" than it first seems.[76] He praised the staging of action sequences throughout the series and wrote that *Dexter's Laboratory* is "much more effective (and funny) than it would have been under a director less committed to the project [than Tartakovsky]."[76]

## Merchandise[edit]

### Home media[edit]

*Dexter's Laboratory* first appeared in home media on three VHS tapes in the early 2000s. Episodes had not been officially released before this, except for a complete series DVD contest prize.

Warner Bros. stated in a 2006 interview that they were "...in conversations with Cartoon Network" for DVD collections of cartoons, among which was *Dexter's Laboratory*.[83] Madman Entertainment released season one and part of season two in Region 4 in 2008.[84][85] A Region 1 release of season one was released by Warner Home Video on October 12, 2010.[86] It was third in an official release of Cartoon Cartoons on DVD under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" label.[86]

Every episode, except *Ego Trip* and "Rude Removal", went on iTunes in 2010.[87] *Dexter's Laboratory* was formerly released on Hulu and is currently on HBO Max as of May 2020.[88] *Cartoon Network Racing* on PlayStation 2 contains "Dexter's Rival" and "Mandarker" as unlockable extras.

### Music releases[edit]

*Dexter's Laboratory* has spawned two music albums, *The Musical Time Machine* and *The Hip-Hop Experiment*, three hip hop music videos, and a fourth music video by They Might Be Giants for "Dee Dee and Dexter", which features Japanese-style animation produced by Klasky Csupo, who was best known for producing various animated shows for Nickelodeon, such as *Rugrats*, *Aaahh!!! Real Monsters*, *The Wild Thornberrys*, *Rocket Power*, and *As Told by Ginger*.[110] Three *Dexter's Laboratory* tracks were featured on Cartoon Network's compilation album *Cartoon Medley*.[111]

### Publications[edit]

Books set in *Dexter's Laboratory* were released by Scholastic and Golden Books. These books were:

Under "Dexter's Laboratory":

#*Dexter's Ink* (2002) by Howie Dewin (ISBN 0-439-38579-2)
#*Dex-Terminator* (2002) by Bobbi J. G. Weiss and David Cody Weiss (ISBN 0-439-38580-6)
#*Dr. Dee Dee & Dexter Hyde* (2002) by Meg Belviso and Pam Pollack (ISBN 0-439-43422-X)
#*I Dream of Dexter* (2003) by Meg Belviso and Pam Pollack (ISBN 0-439-43423-8)
#*The Incredible Shrinking Dexter* (2003) by Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso (ISBN 0-439-43424-6)
#*Dexter's Big Switch* (2003) by Meg Belviso and Pamela Pollack (ISBN 0-439-44947-2)
*Horse of a Different Dexter* (2002) by David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss (ISBN 0-439-38581-4)
*Knights of the Periodic Table* (2003) by David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss (ISBN 0-439-43425-4)
*Cootie Wars* (2003) by David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss (ISBN 0-439-44932-4)
*Brain Power* (2003) by David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss (ISBN 0-439-44942-1)
*Zappo Change-O* (2001, by Golden Books) by Genndy Tartakovsky (ISBN 0-307-99812-6)
Five of these were unnumbered, at least on their covers.

Under "Dexter's Laboratory Science Log":

#*Dee Dee's Amazing Bones* (2002) by Anne Capeci (ISBN 0-439-44175-7)
#*Mixed-Up Magnetism* (2002) by Anne Capeci (ISBN 0-439-38582-2)
#*What's the "Matter" with Dee Dee?* (2003) by Anne Capeci (ISBN 0-439-47240-7)
#*Little Lab or Horrors* (2003) by Anne Capeci (ISBN 0-439-47242-3)
Publication details and book covers are on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database.

Related books, which are not storybooks are:

*Dexter's Laboratory: Science Fair Showdown!* (2001, Golden Books) by Chip Lovitt, a collection of science fair projects. (ISBN 0-307-10775-2)
Delta Education's Project Energy, Eye Spy and Balancing Act from 2003
*Dexter's Joke Book for Geniuses*, (2004, Scholastic) by Howie Dewin (ISBN 0-439-54582-X )
Characters from *Dexter's Laboratory* appeared in a 150,000-print magazine called *Cartoon Network*, published by Burghley Publishing and released in the United Kingdom on August 27, 1998.[112]

DC Comics printed four comic book volumes featuring *Dexter's Laboratory*. It first appeared in *Cartoon Network Presents*, a 24-issue volume showcasing Cartoon Network's premiere animated programming, which was produced from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, DC gave *Dexter's Laboratory* its own 34-issue comic volume, which ran until 2003. DC ran a *Cartoon Cartoons* comic book from 2001 to 2004 that frequently contained *Dexter's Laboratory* stories. This was superseded by *Cartoon Network Block Party*, which ran from 2004 to 2009.

In February 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties. *Dexter's Laboratory* was one title announced to be published.[113] Its first issue was released in April 2014.[114]

### Toys and promotions[edit]

In November 1997, Wendy's promoted *Dexter's Laboratory* with six collectible toys called "Dexter's Lab Creation", "Dexter's Green Test Tube Straw", "Dexter's Grabber", "Dexter's Purple Spark Maker", "Dexter's Pen Stand", and "Dexter's Yellow Noisemaker" in their kids' meals.[115] A Subway promotion supported by Publicis & 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 of *Dexter's Laboratory* DVDs were given out as prizes.[89][116] Discovery Zone sponsored Cartoon Network's eight-week-long "Dexter's Duplication Summer" in 1998 to promote the series' new schedule.[117][118] Trendmasters released a series of *Dexter's Lab* figures and playsets in 2001.[119][120] Six kids' meal toys were sold during an April 2001 Dairy Queen promotion.[121] That month, Cartoon Network and Perfetti Van Melle launched the "Out of Control" promotion, which included on-air marketing and a sweepstakes to win an "Air Dextron" entertainment center.[122] The following April, a similar promotion featured *Dexter's Laboratory*-themed AirHeads packs and an online sweepstakes.[123] Subway promoted *Dexter's Laboratory* from April 1 to May 15, 2002, with four kids' meal toys.[123] In September 2003, Burger King sponsored *Dexter's Laboratory* toys with kids' meals during a larger promotion featuring online games, Cartoon Orbit codes, and new episodes.[124] In the United Kingdom the characters of Dexter and Dee Dee were given away in Kellogg's cereal boxes as part of the Cartoon Network Wobble Heads in 2003[125]

*Race to the Brainergizer* and *The Incredible Invention Versus Dee Dee*, two board games, were released by Pressman Toy Corporation in 2001.[126]

### Video games[edit]

Six *Dexter's Laboratory* video games have been released: *Robot Rampage* for the Nintendo Game Boy Color,[127] *Chess Challenge*[128] and *Deesaster Strikes!* for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance,[129] *Mandark's Lab?* for the Sony PlayStation,[130] *Dexter's Laboratory: Science Ain't Fair* for PC,[131] and *Dexter's Laboratory: Security Alert!* for mobile phones.[132]

Similar to *Battle Chess*, *Chess Challenge* is a chess 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.[133][134]

A *Dexter's Laboratory* combat-style action video game on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube was set to be developed by n-Space, published by BAM! Entertainment, and distributed in Europe by Acclaim Entertainment for a 2004 release, but it was canceled.[135][136] On February 15, 2005, Midway Games announced plans to develop and produce a new *Dexter's Laboratory* video game for multiple consoles, but it was never published.[137]

Dexter, Mandark, Dee Dee, Dexter's computer, and Major Glory, as well as items, areas, and inventions were featured in the MMORPG *FusionFall*.[138][139] *Dexter's Laboratory* characters were featured in *Cartoon Network Racing*[140] and *Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion*.[141] *Punch Time Explosion* featured different voice talent for Dexter (Tara Strong instead of Christine Cavanaugh or Candi Milo) and Monkey (Fred Tatasciore instead of Frank Welker).

## See also[edit]

* List of fictional scientists and engineers
* List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
* List of Hanna-Barbera characters

## Footnotes[edit]

1. **^** Tartakovsky's roommate at CalArts was *Dexter's Laboratory* collaborator Rob Renzetti,[35] whom he first met through his brother, Alex.[36]
2. **^** Writing in 1997, McAlister mistakenly claimed that *Dexter's Laboratory* was about to start its third season;[71] the series was actually about to start its second season,[72] which would mark its third year on television.[23]

## External links[edit]

* Official website (Requires Adobe Flash Player) (archive)
* Official UK website
* *Dexter's Laboratory* at Cartoon Network's Department of Cartoons (archive)
* *Dexter's Laboratory* at IMDb
* *Dexter's Laboratory* at the Big Cartoon DataBase

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