Dexter's Laboratory
Dexter's Laboratory[e] is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network as the first Cartoon Cartoon. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a hidden science laboratory in his room full of inventions, which he keeps secret from his clueless parents, who are only referred to as "Mom" and "Dad". Dexter is at constant odds with his older and more extroverted sister Dee Dee, who always gains access to the lab and inadvertently foils his experiments. Dexter has a bitter rivalry with his neighbor and classmate Mandark, a nefarious boy-genius who attempts to undermine Dexter at every opportunity. Prominently featured in the first and second seasons are other segments focusing on superhero-based characters Monkey, Dexter's pet lab-monkey/superhero, and the Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.
Dexter's Laboratory
- Genndy Tartakovsky
- Craig McCracken
- Rob Renzetti
- John McIntyre
- Chris Savino
- Robert Alvarez
- Don Judge
- Thomas Chase
- Steve Rucker
- Gary Lionelli
"Dexter's Laboratory (Main Title)"
"Dexter's Laboratory (End Title)"[a]
- Thomas Chase
- Steve Rucker
- Gary Lionelli
United States
English
4
78 (216 segments) (list of episodes)
- Genndy Tartakovsky
- Sherry Gunther
- Larry Huber
- Buzz Potamkin
- Fred Seibert
- Genndy Tartakovsky
- Davis Doi
- Brian A. Miller
- Chris Savino
22 minutes
April 27, 1996 –
June 15, 1998
November 18, 2001 –
November 20, 2003
Tartakovsky pitched the series to Fred Seibert's first animated shorts showcase What a Cartoon! at Hanna-Barbera, basing it on student films he 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 working 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 concluded on November 20, 2003. Due to Tartakovsky's departure, the last two seasons featured Chris Savino as showrunner along with a new production team at Cartoon Network Studios with changes made 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 children's books, comic books, DVD and VHS releases, music albums, toys, and video games.
Merchandise[edit]
Home media[edit]
Dexter's Laboratory first appeared in home media as a "bonus toon" on the Jonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of One VHS[96][k] and later in a limited-run, complete series Dexter's Laboratory DVD contest prize, both of which became available in 1999.[96][97] Dedicated, wide-release home media for the series began with the Dexter's Laboratory: Volume 1 VHS in the United Kingdom in 2000[98] and the Dexter's Laboratory: Greatest Adventures VHS in North America in 2001.[99][100] The made-for-television movie Ego Trip was released exclusively on VHS in North America in 2000[101] and in the United Kingdom in 2001.[102] 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.
Warner Bros. Animation stated in a 2006 interview that they were "in conversations with Cartoon Network" for DVD collections of cartoons, among which was Dexter's Laboratory.[103] Madman Entertainment released season one and part of season two in Region 4 in 2008.[104][105] A Region 1 release of season one was released by Warner Home Video on October 12, 2010.[106] It was third official release of a Cartoon Network series on DVD under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" label.[106] Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series was released on DVD in North America on June 25, 2024, by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and includes all episodes along with the television film Ego Trip except for "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor" and "Rude Removal."[107][108]
Every episode, except for the television film Ego Trip and the banned "Rude Removal" episode, became available on iTunes in 2010.[109] "Rude Removal" later became available on Adult Swim's official YouTube channel on January 22, 2013, but it has been prevented from being released on any home media for its obscenities. Dexter's Laboratory was formerly released on Hulu and is currently on Max and Amazon Prime Video as of January 2023.[110] Cartoon Network Racing, a PlayStation 2 video game, contains the episodes "Dexter's Rival" and "Mandarker" as unlockable extras.