50 Fun Facts About Dexter's Laboratory

Who created Dexter's Laboratory?

He built it from two student films made at CalArts; McCracken, his classmate, went on to create The Powerpuff Girls.

What is the name of Dexter's older sister?

She was nearly called Daisy, but the creator felt that name belonged to Disney.

Where does Dexter keep his secret laboratory?

His unsuspecting parents never find out; Mom is a germophobe who wears gloves.

What was the title of the first Dexter's Laboratory pilot, aired in 1995?

It premiered on February 26, 1995, and was based on a pencil test Tartakovsky made as a student.

The show was the first original series under which CN programming banner?

Four pilots aired on Cartoon Network and TNT between 1995 and 1996 before the half-hour series was ordered.

How many episodes did the series total when it ended in 2003?

The first two seasons made 52; the revival added 26 more across seasons three and four.

Who ran the revived seasons after the creator left to launch Samurai Jack?

He was promoted to producer by season four, gaining control of the budget.

Which 1999 television film was intended to be the series finale?

It was the first Cartoon Network TV movie ever produced and the creator's directorial debut.

Who voiced Dexter for the first three seasons?

She also voiced Chuckie in Rugrats and the pig in Babe before retiring in 2001.

Who took over the voice of Dexter in the later seasons?

The switch came after the original actress retired from voice work in 2001.

What is Dexter's pet monkey secretly?

His segment, Dial M for Monkey, pairs him with Agent Honeydew.

Who is Monkey's partner in Dial M for Monkey?

She is voiced by Kath Soucie, who also voices Dexter's Mom.

Which trio of roommate superheroes has its own segment on the show?

Major Glory, Valhallen and the Infraggable Krunk parody Captain America, Thor and the Hulk.

Which Justice Friend wields an electric guitar and talks in Shakespearean-surfer speak?

He is voiced by Tom Kenny, later the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants.

What colour is the Infraggable Krunk?

He is a monster with the intelligence of a child, a parody of the Hulk, voiced by Frank Welker.

Which season-two episode was never broadcast because the characters swear?

Rude clones of the siblings were shown only at festivals until Adult Swim put it on YouTube in 2013.

Which Dial M for Monkey episode was pulled over the Silver Spooner and a drunk Krunk?

The Silver Surfer spoof was seen as a gay stereotype; the episode was swapped for "Dexter's Lab: A Story".

"Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!" was based on an idea submitted by a fan of what age?

Tyler Samuel Lee's audiotape narration was used in the episode, drawn with crayon-like backgrounds.

Which episode debuted in cinemas alongside The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002?

It was later broadcast as a season-four episode in November 2003.

In which city was the show's creator born?

His family moved to the US when he was seven; he learned English by watching cartoons.

At which art school did the creator make the student films that became the series?

Classmates Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti and Paul Rudish later worked on the show with him.

Which superhero cartoon hired the creator to work in Madrid after seeing his student film?

The 1991–92 pencil test "Changes" impressed the producers at a university screening.

On which Hanna-Barbera show did the creator work with McCracken, Renzetti and Rudish?

The four were allowed to work in a trailer in the studio parking lot, where his best-known ideas began.

What was the creator's last job before the series, on The Critic?

He was unhappy there and accepted Larry Huber's offer to expand his student film into a seven-minute storyboard.

How old was the creator when the series was greenlit, among the youngest directors then?

Cartoon Network president Betty Cohen and producer Mike Lazzo gave the go-ahead.

On which network did the first season premiere on April 27, 1996?

Cartoon Network and TBS aired it the following day.

What were the two main characters nearly named before Dexter and Dee Dee were chosen?

"Dartmouth doesn't exactly roll off the tongue," the creator said, and Daisy belonged to Disney.

Which character was originally intended to be the protagonist?

She began as a tall ballerina in a student film; the siblings' roles were later switched.

Why does Dexter speak with an accent, according to his creator?

It also echoes the creator's own thick accent as a child immigrant mocked in Chicago.

The sibling rivalry was modelled on the creator's relationship with whom?

Alex became a computer engineer and once kept Genndy away from his "intricate" toy soldiers.

Roughly how old is Dexter meant to be, per his creator?

He refused to specify an exact age; Dee Dee is "a couple years older".

What did the creator read while learning English that inspired the superhero roommates?

The creator later said the segment "could have been funnier and the characters could have been fleshed out more."

Which Warner Bros. short set at a college influenced the show's simple style?

UPA shorts, Hanna-Barbera, Warner cartoons and Japanese animation were the other influences.

What Nielsen rating did the show earn on its debut, delivering 12 million viewers?

That made "Changes" the highest-rated What a Cartoon! short on the channel.

What did Cartoon Network viewers vote the show in 1996?

It was the channel's highest-rated original series in both 1996 and 1997.

From 1998 to 2000 Dexter appeared as a balloon in which event?

He floated alongside the piglet from Babe, whose voice was also supplied by Dexter's actress.

How many Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Animated Program did the show get?

The nominations ran from 1995 to 1998; the show also won three Annie Awards.

Which creator of The Fairly OddParents said he took cues from Dexter's simple designs?

He cited the show's bold colours and simple shapes in a 2021 interview.

Why has the creator ruled out a Dexter's Laboratory reboot?

Christine Cavanaugh died in 2014; he also cited the "overabundance" of cartoon reboots.

What invention does Mandark try to steal at the start of Ego Trip?

Dexter thwarts him, then heads into the future to learn how "cool" he becomes.

In Ego Trip, who actually saves the future by pressing the right button?

The four Dexters are furious and build robots to destroy "The One Who Saved the Future", creating a causal loop.

In Ego Trip's far future, what has Mandark been reduced to?

In that utopia Dexter is revered as an omnipotent leader but is too senile to remember how he saved the world.

Ego Trip was the last installment animated using what technique?

It also marked one of the final performances by Dexter's original voice before her retirement.

Dexter's original voice actress won a 2000 Annie Award for which production?

She was born in Layton, Utah, and retired from voice acting in 2001 to spend time with family.

Besides Dexter, which Rugrats character did Dexter's original voice actress play?

Nancy Cartwright, her co-star on The Critic, took over Chuckie after she retired.

Which 1999 NASCAR Daytona 500 car carried Dexter's Laboratory characters on its paint?

Jerry Nadeau drove it; Wendy's, Subway and Dairy Queen all ran kids' meal promotions for the show.

The Hip-Hop Experiment album of 2002 was pressed on vinyl of what colour?

Its videos for "Dexter (What's My Name?)", "Secrets" and "Back to the Lab" aired on Cartoon Network.

How many countries aired the 12-hour "Dexter Goes Global" marathon in November 2001?

It ran in twelve languages and ended with the first two episodes of season three.

Which 2024 Warner Bros. fighting game features elements from Dexter's Laboratory?

The characters had earlier appeared in Cartoon Network Racing and Punch Time Explosion.

Dexter's Mom is characterised as what kind of person?

The parents are only ever addressed as Mom and Dad, voiced by Kath Soucie and Jeff Bennett.