70 Fun Facts About 2000s Cartoons

SpongeBob SquarePants was created by Stephen Hillenburg, who before animation worked as what?

Many of the show's ideas came from The Intertidal Zone, an educational comic about sea life he drew in the 1980s.

Hillenburg's original name for SpongeBob was dropped because it was already trademarked by what kind of product?

He kept "Sponge" in the new name so nobody would mistake the character for a "cheese man"; Tom Kenny supplied "SquarePants".

Squidward Tentacles lives in a house shaped like what?

Despite the name, he is an octopus, not a squid, and he is Bikini Bottom's most reluctant clarinet player.

SpongeBob's home town sits beneath which real-life Pacific location?

Voice actor Tom Kenny denied in 2015 that the characters are nuclear-test mutants; Plankton's voice actor Mr. Lawrence said in 2024 that the theory is true.

Which pirate, played by a real actor, hosts SpongeBob's special episodes alongside his parrot Potty?

He is president of a fictional SpongeBob fan club and is played by Tom Kenny, who also voices SpongeBob himself.

Avatar: The Last Airbender divided its three seasons into "books" named after which elements?

Aang is an airbender already, so the books track the three elements he still has to master.

Avatar's creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, met as students where?

They met at a Halloween party in 1995; Konietzko later worked on Invader Zim before pitching Avatar to Nickelodeon.

The four-part Avatar finale "Sozin's Comet" drew about how many viewers on first airing?

That was 195 percent above Nickelodeon's mid-July 2007 average and the most-watched programme among under-14s that week.

Who voiced Aang in Avatar's 2003 pilot before being replaced by Zach Tyler Eisen?

In the pilot Katara was still called Kya, and the episode was directed by Dave Filoni, later of The Clone Wars.

The Fairly OddParents began as shorts on which Nickelodeon animation showcase?

Butch Hartman had been working on Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo at Cartoon Network before Fred Seibert lured him over.

Which brother's name did Butch Hartman originally intend for Timmy Turner before falling out with him?

Hartman also considered giving Timmy science powers before deciding that was too close to Dexter's Laboratory.

Timmy Turner's crazed teacher, obsessed with proving fairies exist, is called Mr. ___

Carlos Alazraqui voices him; Vicky the babysitter was the show's original main villain.

Danny Phantom premiered on April 3, 2004, immediately after which event?

Butch Hartman's second Nick series ran 53 episodes across three seasons before ending in August 2007.

Danny Phantom's hometown is called what?

His parents Jack and Maddie are ghost hunters, and the accident with their Ghost Portal is what makes him half-ghost.

Jimmy Neutron was the first Nickelodeon cartoon to be animated how?

It was also the network's first series based on one of its own films, and it won two Annie Awards.

Jimmy Neutron lives in the fictional town of Retroville in which state?

His friend Sheen later got his own spin-off, Planet Sheen, after crash-landing on the planet Zeenu.

The Neutron and Turner crossover specials were released under what title?

There were three of them; the second and third were subtitled "When Nerds Collide!" and "The Jerkinators!".

Invader Zim was created by which comic-book writer and cartoonist?

Nickelodeon wanted a show for older kids; Zim was the first thing Vasquez pitched, and it went "from pitch to series without hardly any waiting".

In Invader Zim, the Irken Empire's social hierarchy is based solely on what?

That is why the empire's leaders are called the Almighty Tallest, a title jointly held by a red one and a purple one.

Which streaming service premiered the 2019 Invader Zim film Enter the Florpus?

Nickelodeon had cancelled the series before its second season was finished, leaving several episodes incomplete.

Danny Antonucci pitched Ed, Edd n Eddy to Nickelodeon first. Why did he walk away?

Cartoon Network agreed to his terms, and the show went on to reach 31 million households in 120 countries.

The three Eds share a suburban cul-de-sac in the fictional town of ___

Apart from the kids and the Kanker Sisters, no other characters appeared until Santa Claus flew over in a Christmas special.

The made-for-TV movie that finally gave the three Eds their finale in 2009 was called what?

It had aired in Scandinavia, Australia and Southeast Asia a year before the US premiere.

Genndy Tartakovsky created Samurai Jack after finishing which earlier Cartoon Network series?

Jack's nemesis Aku was voiced by Mako until the actor's death; Greg Baldwin took over for the 2017 revival.

How many years passed between Samurai Jack's fourth season ending and its fifth starting?

The revival gave the story an ending at last, and the series won eight Primetime Emmys in total.

Codename: Kids Next Door earned its series order by winning what?

Its pilot was one of 11 shown in Cartoon Network's Big Pick II event in 2001; the series then ran 81 episodes.

In Codename: Kids Next Door, Numbuh 3 is which character?

Voiced by Lauren Tom, she is Sector V's happy-go-lucky medic; Numbuh 5 famously refers to herself in the third person.

Which Star Wars actor voices the candy-loving pirate Stickybeard in Codename: Kids Next Door?

His ship, the Sweet Revenge, travels by air, land and sea; he and Numbuh 5 are rivals over sugar.

Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was Cartoon Network's first series animated mainly with what?

Craig McCracken and Lauren Faust conceived it after adopting shelter dogs, which gave them the idea of abandoned imaginary friends.

In Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, how old is Mac, the boy who created Bloo?

He visits Foster's every day, and turns hyperactive after eating sugar.

Foster's Home business manager Mr. Herriman is an imaginary friend of what kind?

He was imagined by Madame Foster herself and dresses in a tailcoat, top hat and monocle.

The theme song of Teen Titans (2003) was performed by which Japanese band?

There were English and Japanese versions; the English lyrics were used for serious episodes, the Japanese for sillier ones.

Who voiced the villain Slade in Teen Titans?

Season two adapted the classic "Judas Contract" storyline, in which Slade recruits the new Titan Terra.

Which alien princess in Teen Titans comes from the planet Tamaran?

Hynden Walch voiced her; Raven, by contrast, hails from the parallel world Azarath.

In the original Ben 10, the alien device Ben finds on his summer road trip is called the ___

His grandfather Max's RV is nicknamed the Rustbucket, and Ben himself was voiced by Tara Strong.

Ben 10 was created by a writers' collective known by what name?

The show won an Emmy for individual achievement in animation and spawned Alien Force, Ultimate Alien, Omniverse and a 2016 reboot.

How did Billy and Mandy win the Grim Reaper as their "best friend forever"?

The wager was to save Billy's pet hamster; the show began life as one half of Grim & Evil, paired with Evil Con Carne.

Chowder, the title character of the 2007 Cartoon Network series, is an apprentice in what trade?

His master Mung Daal claims to have cooked for at least 386 years and celebrated 450 years of marriage to Truffles.

In The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Flapjack was raised by Bubbie, who is what?

Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles live inside her mouth in Stormalong Harbor, and creator Thurop Van Orman voices Flapjack himself.

Kim Possible's sidekick Ron Stoppable keeps which unusual pet in his pocket?

Rufus is voiced by Nancy Cartwright, better known as the voice of Bart Simpson.

Kim Possible's arch-nemesis Dr. Drakken was born under what name?

John DiMaggio, the voice of Bender in Futurama, plays him; his sidekick Shego is the far more competent of the pair.

Which was the first original animated series made exclusively for Disney Channel?

It premiered in September 2001 as part of Zoog Disney; Kim Possible followed as the second in 2002.

Penny Proud's grandmother, a wrestling-loving fan of Tae Bo, is known as what?

Jo Marie Payton voices her, and her poodle Puff is tormented by the twins BeBe and CeCe.

Phineas and Ferb's creators say they pitched the show for how many years before Disney bought it?

Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh dreamed it up while working together on The Simpsons and Rocko's Modern Life.

Perry the Platypus works for a secret agency whose initials stand for what?

His nemesis Dr. Doofenshmirtz even pitched an invention on a 2013 Shark Tank crossover.

Which Disney executive request followed the first-season number "Gitchee, Gitchee Goo"?

Almost every Phineas and Ferb episode since "Flop Starz" has had an original song as a result.

Jake Long, the American Dragon, protects the magical creatures of which metropolis?

Dante Basco, who also voices Zuko in Avatar, plays Jake; his grandfather runs an electronics shop on Canal Street.

Static Shock, which premiered on Kids' WB in 2000, is noted as the first TV series centred on what?

Virgil Hawkins gains his powers from the "Big Bang" mutagen gas; co-creator Dwayne McDuffie went on to write for Justice League.

In Xiaolin Showdown, Omi is the Xiaolin Dragon of which element?

Tara Strong voices him; Raimundo, the Dragon of Wind, hails from Rio de Janeiro and is voiced by Tom Kenny.

In Jackie Chan Adventures, Captain Black heads a secret law-enforcement organisation with what codename?

Jackie's niece Jade and his Uncle join him; Uncle claims to have belonged to the Seven Little Fortunes, Chan's real-life opera troupe.

American Dad! premiered on February 6, 2005, directly after which broadcast?

Seth MacFarlane and Matt Weitzman said their frustration with the Bush administration inspired the show.

How did the talking goldfish Klaus in American Dad! come to think like a man?

Dee Bradley Baker voices Klaus and, later, Rogu, Roger's ex-tumour son.

Family Guy was cancelled after its third season in 2002. What persuaded Fox to bring it back in 2004?

Adult Swim reruns had become the block's top-rated show; new episodes resumed on May 1, 2005 with "North by North Quahog".

Family Guy's Quahog is a fictional city in which state?

MacFarlane lived in Providence while studying at RISD; Peter's ancestor Griffin Peterson supposedly founded the town.

After Fox cancelled Futurama, it was revived in 2007 in what form?

Comedy Central then cut the films into 16 half-hour episodes and ordered new seasons in 2009.

Turanga Leela grew up believing she was an alien but is really what?

She was raised in the Cookieville Minimum Security Orphanarium and captains the Planet Express Ship.

Which villain did Tartakovsky's 2003 Star Wars: Clone Wars introduce ahead of Revenge of the Sith?

George Lucas first pitched him as "a ruthless, totally capable Jedi killer"; the early episodes ran only two to three minutes each.

Totally Spies!, a fixture of Cartoon Network afternoons in the 2000s, was produced in which country?

Sam, Clover and Alex work for WOOHP out of Beverly Hills; the creators were inspired by the girl-group boom in pop music.

As Told by Ginger (2000-06) was unusual for a kids' cartoon because its characters did what?

Ginger Foutley went from middle school to high school over 60 episodes, earning three Primetime Emmy nominations.

In ChalkZone, what is the name of the wisecracking superhero sidekick Rudy Tabootie once drew?

The show began as a 1998 short on Oh Yeah! Cartoons before running for 40 episodes from 2002.

By what name does the robot heroine XJ-9 prefer to be called in My Life as a Teenage Robot?

Set in Tremorton, the show was cancelled in 2005 and its finished third season only aired later on Nicktoons.

In El Tigre, Manny Rivera is the son of the hero White Pantera and the grandson of which villain?

The Flash-animated Nickelodeon series won five Daytime Emmys and two Annie Awards.

What kind of animal is Lazlo, the Bean Scout hero of Camp Lazlo?

Creator Joe Murray gave it a gentler version of the humour from his earlier show Rocko's Modern Life.

In My Gym Partner's a Monkey, why is the human Adam Lyon sent to a school for zoo animals?

At Charles Darwin Middle School he is paired in gym with Jake Spidermonkey; the show won an Emmy in 2007.

Which OutKast member created and voiced the music teacher Sunny Bridges in a 2006 Cartoon Network series?

Sunny Bridges teaches at Atlanta's Westley School of the Performing Arts; the series has never been rerun.

What is the name of Johnny Test's talking dog?

Johnny's genius twin sisters Susan and Mary use him as a guinea pig for their experiments in the town of Porkbelly.

Total Drama Island premiered in 2007 in which country, a year before reaching Cartoon Network?

Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch's reality-show parody debuted on Teletoon with 26 episodes and a special finale.

All Grown Up! (2003) followed the teenage lives of characters from which earlier Nicktoon?

It grew out of the 10th-anniversary special "All Growed Up" and ran for 55 episodes with much of the original cast.

Courage the Cowardly Dog lives with Muriel and Eustace in the town of Nowhere, in which state?

The 1996 pilot short "The Chicken from Outer Space" was nominated for an Oscar, losing to Wallace & Gromit.

In Megas XLR, slacker mechanic Coop replaces the giant robot's head with what?

He and Jamie find the future mecha in a Jersey City junkyard; the pilot won a viewer vote in 2002 to become a series.