Dexter's Laboratory (commonly abbreviated as Dexter's Lab) is the first Cartoon Cartoon, created by Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Samurai Jack, for Cartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, a boy-genius with a secret laboratory filled with his inventions. He constantly battles his sister Dee Dee, who always gains access despite his best efforts to keep her out, as well as his arch-rival and neighbor, Mandark. The series' first two seasons contain additional segments: Dial M for Monkey, which focuses on Dexter's pet lab-monkey-turned-superhero, and The Justice Friends, about a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.
Tartakovsky first pitched the series to Hanna-Barbera's animated shorts showcase World Premiere Toons, basing it on student films he produced while attending the California Institute of the Arts. A pilot aired on Cartoon Network in February 1995, and in August viewer approval ratings convinced the network to order a half-hour series, which premiered on April 28, 1996. By 1999, 52 episodes and a television movie had been produced, and Tartakovsky then left the series to begin work on his other projects, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars. In 2001, the network revived the series under a different production team at Cartoon Network Studios, and after 26 more episodes, the series ended on November 20, 2003.
Dexter's Laboratory received high ratings and became one of Cartoon Network's most popular and successful original series. During its run, the series was nominated for 4 Primetime Emmy Awards, 4 Golden Reel Awards, and 9 Annie Awards, winning 3 additional Annie Awards. The series is notable for helping launch the careers of several cartoonists, such as Craig McCracken (The Powerpuff Girls, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends ,Wander Over Yonder and Kid Cosmic), Seth McFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show), Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and T.U.F.F. Puppy), Chris Savino ( The Loud House ) and Rob Renzetti (My Life as a Teenage Robot). Spin-off media include comic books, DVD and VHS releases, music albums, collectible toys, and video games.
Production[]
Dexter's Laboratory was inspired by one of Genndy Tartakovsky's drawings of a ballerina. After drawing her tall and thin shape, he decided to pair her with a short and blocky opposite, Dexter. In 1991, Tartakovsky made his first "Dexter" short. On February 20, 1995, Dexter's Laboratory made its first run on What a Cartoon! Show. In March 1996, the first season began airing. Directors and writers on the series included Genndy Tartakovsky, Rumen Petkov, Craig McCracken, Seth MacFarlane, Butch Hartman, Rob Renzetti, Paul Rudish, Mark O'Hare, John McIntyre and Chris Savino.
Dexter's Laboratory ended its initial run in 1999, with the series finale being the episode "Last But Not Beast", but re-entered production in 2001. The new episodes, which ran for two more seasons, had a different production team than the originals, since Genndy Tartakovsky was busy working on Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars. The second series featured new character and background designs, alternative storyline and character backgrounds, and different sound effects (which were mostly all classic Hanna-Barbera sound effects). Also, Dexter's voice actress changed from Christine Cavanaugh to Candi Milo.
On November 18, 2001, Cartoon Network aired the 12-hour "Dexter Goes Global" marathon in 96 countries and 12 languages. The marathon featured fan-selected episodes of Dexter's Laboratory and culminated with the premiere of the first two episodes of season 3.
On January 16, 2006, the series began airing in reruns on Cartoon Network's sister channel Boomerang; the occasion was marked by a 12-hour Martin Luther King, Jr. Day marathon.
The show was rerun on Cartoon Network during weekday mornings from November 8, 2010 until March 4, 2011. On March 30, 2012, the series returned to Cartoon Network in the United States in reruns on the revived block, Cartoon Planet. The Canadian version of Cartoon Network airs reruns as well, with the series being featured on the channel's launch on July 4, 2012. The launch was commemorated by parent network Teletoon, which aired Cartoon Network-related programming blocks and promotions in the weeks leading up to the event, including episodes of Dexter's Laboratory.
On January 22, 2013, Adult Swim uploaded the never-aired episode Rude Removal. It has since disappeared from Youtube.
Show Premise[]
The series revolves around a boy genius named Dexter who has a secret laboratory filled with highly advanced equipment that is hidden behind a bookshelf in his bedroom. Access to this seemingly endless laboratory is achieved by speaking various passwords or by activating hidden switches hidden on the bookcase (such as pulling out a specific book). Another mean of lab access is a retinal scanner. Dexter is normally in conflict with his ditzy older sister Dee Dee who has an uncanny talent for gaining access to Dexter's lab despite his best efforts to keep her out. Dee Dee eludes all manner of lab security and once inside, delights in playing in the lab, often destroying many of Dexter's inventions and creations. For reasons left unexplained, Dexter still manages to keep his lab a secret from his clueless, cheerful parents. In the beginning of the series Dee Dee is the only other character who knows about his lab, in several episodes however, he is forced to reveal the lab to his parents, although all of these episodes end with all of his parents memories being wiped. Dexter also has an arch-nemesis, another boy genius named Susan "Mandark" Astronomonov. Mandark often competes with Dexter and tries to outdo him any chance he gets, examples of this include: a school science fair, a soapbox derby, etc. Mandark is also secretly in love with Dee Dee.
Characters[]
Major
- Dexter
- Dee Dee
- Dexter's Mom
- Dexter's Dad
- Susan "Mandark" Astronomov
- Quadraplex T-3000 Computer
Secondary
- Douglas E. Mordecai III
- Mee Mee and Lee Lee
- Oceanbird
- Windbear
- Koosalagoopagoop
- Philips Luzinsky
Minor
- Olga "Lalavava" Astronomov
Cast[]
- Christine Cavanaugh as Dexter (Seasons 1 and 2)
- Allison Moore as Dee Dee (Seasons 1 and 3 only)
- Kath Soucie as Dexter's Mom, Quadraplex T-3000 Computer, and Agent Honeydew
- Jeff Bennett as Dexter's Dad
- Candi Milo as Dexter (Seasons 3 and 4)
- Kat Cressida as Dee Dee (Seasons 2 and 4 only)
- Eddie Deezen as Mandark
- Rob Paulsen as Major Glory
- Tom Kenny as Valhallen
- Frank Welker as Monkey and The Infraggrable Krunk
- Dom DeLuise as Koosalagoopagoop
Recurring Segments[]
Episodes from the first two seasons of Dexter's Laboratory were usually divided into three segments, with each segment being a separate Dexter's Laboratory cartoon. Occasionally, the middle segment centered around characters from the Dexter's Laboratory universe other than Dexter and his family. Two of these segments were shown, primarily during the first season: "Dial M for Monkey" and "The Justice Friends". Dial M for Monkey appeared in the first half of the first season, while The Justice Friends appeared in the second half of the first season. The Dial M for Monkey characters sometimes appear in the Justice Friends segments and vice versa, though Dexter and Dee Dee only appear in the Dial M for Monkey segments.
Mini-segments were played during the first two seasons between the main three segments, which involve Dexter and Dee Dee in various scenarios. There were also several live-action segments featuring "The Puppet Pals", a fictional TV show sometimes seen in the main segments. "The Puppet Pals" are two puppets named Puppet Pal Mitch (voiced by Rob Paulsen) and Puppet Pal Clem (voiced by Tom Kenny), presumably parodies of Ernie and Bert from Sesame Street. These segments involve Puppet Pal Clem telling Puppet Pal Mitch a joke, with the punchline being a pun on the word "bonk". Puppet Pal Mitch would then bonk Puppet Pal Clem on the head with a foam-padded stick.
Dial M for Monkey[]
A segment that airs between two Dexter's Laboratory segments during the first half of the first season. in the segment Dexter's pet lab monkey (voiced by Frank Welker), who was given superpowers through Dexter's experiments (unbeknownst to Dexter), fights crime as a masked superhero. Monkey is joined by his partner Agent Honeydew (voiced by Kath Soucie), the Commander General (voiced originally by Robert Ridgely and later Earl Boen), and sometimes "The Justice Friends". This is a spoof of DC's comic book Dial H for Hero.
- Monkey - Dexter's lab monkey whom he often experiments on, trying to give hime superpowers. Unbeknownst to Dexter his experiments were successful and Monkey takes on the superhero persona of "Monkey".
- Agent Honeydew - Monkey's sidekick and girlfriend, who can ask Monkey for help with her telepathic abilities. She has short black hair with curly bangs and wears a blue S.H.I.E.L.D.-style jumpsuit.
- Commander - parody of Marvel Comics' Nick Fury. He is the head of Global Security whose main duty is to monitor the Earth for any signs of danger. He is never seen outside of a TV monitor, even when at a barbeque in the episode "Barbequor".
The Justice Friends[]
A segment that airs between two Dexter's Laboratory segments during the second half of the first season and one episode of the second season.
The Justice Friends consists of Major Glory, The Infraggable Krunk, and Valhallen, who are all roommates living in an apartment complex called "Muscular Arms". Most of the adventures of The Justice Friends deal with the three trying to balance out their superhero adventures while just trying to keep their composure while living together in the apartment. Most of these adventures play out like a sitcom along with a laugh track, used in a satirical manner. The name derives from the Justice League and the Super Friends.
- Major Glory - parody of Captain America with some traits of Marvel's Superman. Nephew of Uncle Sam.
- Infraggable Krunk - parody of the Incredible Hulk. Color is reversed of Hulk. Krunk is kinder than Hulk, but still speaks in poor English, "You want Krunk smash?" He calls Major Glory "Flagman", similar to Hulk referring to Iron Man as "Metal Man".
- Valhallen - combination of Valhalla and Van Halen. A parody of Thor. Has hard rock/heavy metal powers. Has a "surfer dude" personality.
- White Tiger - parody of Black Panther
- Tiki Torch - parody of Human Torch
- Capital G - parody of Giant Man
- Living Bullet - parody of Iron Man
- Sam-R-I - parody of Silver Samurai
- Phan Tone - parody of the Vision
- Miss Spell - parody of the Scarlet Witch
Episodes[]
- Main article: List of Dexter's Laboratory episodes
| Season: | episodes: | premiere: | finale: |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pilots | February 26th, 1995 | March 25th, 1996 | |
| 1 | 13 | April 28th, 1996 | January 1st, 1997 |
| 2 | 39 | July 16th, 1997 | June 15th, 1998 |
| TV movie | December 10th, 1999 | ||
| 3 | 13 | November 18th, 2001 | September 20th, 2002 |
| 4 | 13 | November 22nd, 2002 | November 20th, 2003 |
| banned episode | February 21st, 1998 | ||
| theatrical short | July 3rd, 2002 | ||
Dexter's Laboratory broadcast 78 half-hour episodes over 4 seasons during its 7-year run. Two pilot shorts were produced for World Premiere Toons that aired in 1995 and 1996 and were subsequently fused into the series' first season. Fifty-two episodes were produced over the original run from 1996 to 1998, which was followed by the TV movie Ego Trip in 1999.
An additional 26 episodes were produced and broadcast from 2001 to 2003. The short "Chicken Scratch" debuted theatrically with The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002 and was later broadcast as a segment in the series' fourth and final season.
Appearances in other projects[]
An elderly Dexter made a non speaking role in the I Am Weasel episode, I Am my Lifetime.
Dexter had various cameos in The Powerpuff Girls. He appearaed in the episodes, Powerpuff Bluff, Ploys R Us, Criss Cross Crisis, and Forced Kin.
Dexter appearaed in the final episode of Time Squad, Orphan Substitute.
A Dexter balloon was featured in the Codename: Kids Next Door episode, Operation U.N.C.O.O.L.
A cardboard cutout of Dexter (facing backwards) appeared in The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy episode, Billy and Mandy Moon the Moon.
Dexter, Dee Dee, and Mandark appeared briefly in the Codename: Kids Next Door and The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy crossover special, The Grim Adventures of the KND, where they appearaed popping out of the Delightful Reaper.
In the Steven Universe episode, Say Uncle, Dexter and Dee Dee's names made appearances in Uncle Grandpa's list,
Dexter and Dee Dee appeared in the Uncle Grandpa episode, Pizza Eve.
Dexter and Monkey were both featured in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode, Crossover Nexus. Dexter appears as one of Ben 10's transformations while Monkey appeared both as stone and one of Ben 10's transformations.
In the Craig of the Creek episode, Kelsey the Elder, Barry mentions the series.
Dexter and Dee Dee made non speaking appearances in the Teen Titans Go! crossover special, Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary.
Home media[]
VHS releases:
- Ego Trip (November 7th, 2000)
- Greatest Adventures (2001)
DVD releases:
- Season 1 (October 12th, 2010)
- The Complete Series (June 25th, 2024)
Another complete series DVD set known as Collected Experiments, was released in Australia on October 2017.
Digital releases:
All 4 seasons are availble on iTunes and Amazon Prime.
Dexter's Lab was available on Netflix along with other CN shows from 2013 to 2015. Later available on Hulu from May 2015 to May 2018.
The series was available on HBO Max from May 27th, 2020 to May 2023.
The TV movie, Ego Trip, was available from December 30th, 2022 to December 30th, 2023.
In other languages[]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Norwegian | Dexters laboratorium | Dexter's laboratory |
| Spanish | El laboratorio de Dexter | The laboratory of Dexter |
Trivia[]
- While the series has four seasons, on pieces of home media like iTunes and Amazon Prime, it says that the series has six seasons. The reason for that is due to Season 2 being three production seasons combined, which makes the show have six seasons in production seasons combined.
- However, the only pieces of home media to have the show's actual number of seasons instead of the number of seasons in Cartoon Network's eyes: Apple TV and the Collected Experiments DVD set from Australia.
- The show's first season is the only one to be released on DVD in the United States on its own, while Seasons 2-4 are only as part of the show's complete series DVD set.
- On April 2023, series creator, Genndy Tartakovsky, made an official confirmation that he is not interested in revisiting the series due to Christine Canavaugh (Dexter's voice actress in the first two seasons), passing away in 2014.
- In 2022, in an interview with Polygon, Genndy Tartakovsky, the show's creator, made a comment on the scarcity of its TV movie, Ego Trip, the comment was: "I don't think people know about it, honestly. Like, as far as the people who run HBO Max and Cartoon Network, I don't think it's been on their radar since we released it".
Gallery[]
External Links[]
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