Dexter's Laboratory
American animated television series
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dexter's Laboratory[h] is an American animated science fiction television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a science laboratory in his bedroom, which he keeps secret from his unsuspecting parents. Dexter is at constant odds with his older and more extraverted sister Dee Dee, who regularly accesses the laboratory and inadvertently foils his experiments. Mandark, a nefarious boy-genius classmate who lives next-door to Dexter, attempts to undermine him 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 with a superhero alter ego, and the Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.
| Dexter's Laboratory | |
|---|---|
| |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Genndy Tartakovsky |
| Showrunners |
|
| Voices of | |
| Theme music composer |
|
| Opening theme | "Dexter's Laboratory (Main Title)" |
| Ending theme | "Dexter's Laboratory (End Title)"[d] |
| Composers |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 78[e] (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company | |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network[g] |
| Release | April 27, 1996 – June 15, 1998 |
| Release | November 18, 2001 – November 20, 2003 |
| Related | |
| What a Cartoon! | |
Tartakovsky pitched the series to Fred Seibert's 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. The first pilot "Changes" became Cartoon Network's highest-rated What A Cartoon! short, and 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. Dexter's Laboratory was the first original series for the channel under the Cartoon Cartoons moniker. On December 10, 1999, a television film titled Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip aired as the intended series finale. The third season began airing on November 18, 2001, with a fourth season following in 2002. Due to Tartakovsky's departure, Chris Savino served as showrunner, and Cartoon Network Studios produced the series. The fourth season concluded on November 20, 2003, ending the series.
Dexter's Laboratory became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series, which helped increase Cartoon Network's ratings in the late 1990s and early 2000s. It received high viewership in the United States on cable television, becoming Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series in 1996 and 1997. Critics lauded its humor, intelligence, and originality, ranking the series as one of the best cartoons in various lists. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming One Hour or Less) from 1995 to 1998 and won three Annie Awards. The series spawned various merchandise, including albums, books, home video releases, toys, and video games.
Premise
Characters
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 vast 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 an accent of indeterminate origin.
Dexter conceals his lab from his clueless parents, addressed only as Mom (voiced by Kath Soucie) and Dad (voiced by Jeff Bennett). His hyperactive, carefree, older sister Dee Dee (voiced by Allison Moore in seasons 1 and 3; Kat Cressida in seasons 2 and 4) delights in playing haphazardly in the laboratory, wreaking havoc with Dexter's inventions. Though seemingly dim-witted, Dee Dee, a talented ballet dancer, often outsmarts her brother and even provides him helpful advice.
Dexter's nemesis is rival classmate Mandark Astronomonov[4][5][i] (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. Mandark's unrequited love for Dee Dee is shown as a pivotal weakness, notably near the end of the Ego Trip television film.
Recurring segments
Dial M for Monkey
Dial M for Monkey follows Monkey (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker), Dexter's pet laboratory monkey who is secretly a crime-fighting superhero. Monkey's superpowers include super-strength, telekinesis, flight, and super speed. He is joined by his partner Agent Honeydew (voiced by Kath Soucie), Commander General (voiced by Robert Ridgely in season 1, Earl Boen in season 2), and a team of assembled superheroes.
The Justice Friends
The Justice Friends follows Major Glory (voiced by Rob Paulsen), Valhallen (voiced by Tom Kenny), and the Infraggable Krunk (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.
Episodes
Notes
- The second season episode "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!" was created by six-year-old Long Island resident Tyler Samuel Lee, who submitted his idea to Tartakovsky as an audiotape.[6] Lee's recorded narration is used in the episode.[6] Tartakovsky—who often received letters and comments from other fans—praised Lee for "[capturing] the imaginative kid perspective [they're] always striving for."[6] The episode was animated with "crayon-like backgrounds" and "crudely drawn characters" to visualize the imagination of a second grader.[7]
- The second season episode "Rude Removal" was produced but not aired. It involves Dexter creating a "rude removal system" to diminish Dee Dee and Dexter's rudeness that 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 the characters swearing.[8] Rude Removal" became available on Adult Swim's YouTube channel on January 22, 2013.[9]
- "Chicken Scratch" debuted theatrically with The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002 and was later broadcast in season four.[10]
Production
Background
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.[11] Although relatively wealthy and well-connected, his family feared racial persecution due to their Jewish heritage and moved from Russia to Chicago when Tartakovsky was seven.[12] Along with his older brother Alex, Tartakovsky learned English by watching cartoons[12] and taught himself how to draw as a child by copying comic books.[13][14][15]
Tartakovsky initially went to Columbia College Chicago to study advertising and took an animation class as an elective.[15] After he transferred to the California Institute of the Arts in 1990 to study animation full-time, Tartakovsky wrote, directed, animated, and produced two student short films, one of which was a precursor to Dexter's Laboratory's first television pilot "Changes".[16][17] A two-and-a-half-minute pencil test finished as a school assignment,[17][18] the short film was included in a university screening for the producers of Batman: The Animated Series, who were impressed and hired Tartakovsky to move to Spain to work on Batman at a studio in Madrid.[19]
After Batman, Tartakovsky moved back to California to work for Hanna-Barbera on the production team of 2 Stupid Dogs.[19][20] His co-workers on that series, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, and Paul Rudish, had been classmates of his at Cal Arts[21] and went on to collaborate with him on Dexter's Laboratory.[22] Tartakovsky's last job before developing Dexter's Laboratory into a television series was to serve as a sheet timer on The Critic.[23]
Development
During his time on The Critic, 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 expand the concept into a seven-minute storyboard.[24] Unhappy with his position on The Critic, Tartakovsky accepted Huber's proposal.[25] "Changes" was produced as part of Cartoon Network's animation showcase series World Premiere Toons.[24] After "Changes" premiered, Tartakovsky had no expectations that it would lead to an entire series.[26] Dexter's Laboratory became the first of sixteen shorts to earn the vote of approval.[27] After Tartakovsky and his former classmates McCracken and Rudish finished "Changes" and McCracken's short film The Powerpuff Girls for World Premiere Toons, they proceeded to work on the second short film for Dexter's Laboratory titled "The Big Sister".[28]
When Dexter's Laboratory received a series greenlight by former Cartoon Network president Betty Cohen and former television producer Mike Lazzo,[29][30] Tartakovsky became one of the youngest animation directors during the time period at the age of 27.[13] In developing Dexter's Laboratory, he continued the tradition of making "violent cartoons", explaining that "many people like them because they project themselves in the drawings and they laugh," while following the principles of older Hanna-Barbera cartoons.[31] By the time Dexter's Laboratory was renewed for a third season, it was given a new production team at Cartoon Network Studios.[12] As Tartakovsky was immersed in launching his next series Samurai Jack, Chris Savino replaced Tartakovsky as creative director.[12] During the fourth season, Savino was promoted to producer giving him further control of the series, including the budget.[32]
The production process for an episode was unique compared to most animated series.[33] Similar to The Dick Van Dyke Show, the story ideas for the episodes were created during pitch sessions.[33] The stories would be transferred into storyboards with dialogue written, condensing and combining concepts into a story.[33]
Character conception
"It actually started with Dee Dee. I wanted to animate a girl dancing. So, 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. Then I thought if she's into arts, he's into science."
In his second year at CalArts, Tartakovsky animated a tall ballerina and a boxy scientist for a student short film.[15][34][35] Although they were unnamed at the time, the two characters would develop into Dee Dee and Dexter.[23] Early in development, Dee Dee was initially intended to be the protagonist; Dexter and Dee Dee's roles were later switched altogether.[14] To contrast the two characters, Tartakovsky determined that Dee Dee would be artistic while Dexter would be focused on science.[14][15]
The names "Dexter" and "Dee Dee" were found in name books; "Dexter" caught Tartakovsky's attention for sounding scientific while "Dee Dee" appealed to him because of its uniqueness, feeling that it complemented her two pigtails.[23] 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.[23] The title Dexter's Laboratory was settled during the production of "Changes".[23]
The sibling dynamic in Dexter's Laboratory was partially modeled on Tartakovsky's relationship with his older brother, Alex.[14][15] Comparing himself to Dee Dee and Alex, who became a computer engineer, to Dexter,[14][15] Tartakovsky acknowledged that he was most likely a "pest" to his older brother while they were growing up.[14] He also reminisced that as children, he and his brother could each be a "pain in the ass" to the other.[26] 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, paralleling to Dexter attempts to keep Dee Dee away from his inventions.[14][15] 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 stressed that he would "never want" to specify Dexter's exact age.[14]
Dexter was inspired by Tartakovsky's experiences as a child immigrant in Chicago, who would often be mocked by some children for his "very thick accent".[14] Tartakovsky noted that when he was a child, he was less confident than the character.[36] Partially inspired by his accent as a child,[14] Tartakovsky determined that Dexter should have an accent because the character "considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents."[36] While developing Dexter and Dee Dee's parents as stereotypical American parents, Tartakovsky expanded their mother as a germophobe who needed to wear gloves.[14] Tartakovsky's inspiration for The Justice Friends came from reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English.[12] In a 2001 IGN interview, Tartakovsky expressed disappointment with how The Justice Friends turned out, commenting that "it could have been funnier and the characters could have been fleshed out more."[37]
Animation and designs
The simplistic style was influenced by UPA shorts and the animated short film The Dover Boys at Pimento University.[38] Simensky noted 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".[21] Tartakovsky was influenced by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and Japanese anime.[21] McCracken and Rudish assisted with Tartakovsky to design the series' style.[26]
Broadcast
Dexter's Laboratory premiered as a pilot on February 26, 1995, on Cartoon Network as part of What a Cartoon!.[39] The first season premiered on TNT on April 27, 1996, and the following day on Cartoon Network and TBS.[40] By August 1996, Dexter's Laboratory was renewed for a second season,[41] premiering on Cartoon Network on July 16, 1997.[42] The television film Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip premiered on December 10, 1999, on Cartoon Network.[43]
On February 21, 2001, during a press conference in New York City, Cartoon Network announced that it ordered more than 110 episodes of renewed original series, including Dexter's Laboratory.[44] A 12-hour marathon titled "Dexter Goes Global" was broadcast on November 18 in 96 countries and 12 languages.[45] It featured fan-selected episodes of Dexter's Laboratory and culminated by premiering two new episodes of season 3.[45] Dexter's Laboratory concluded on November 20, 2003.[46]
Starting on January 16, 2006, Dexter's Laboratory aired reruns on Boomerang.[47] Cartoon Network has aired reruns in Canada since its launch on July 4, 2012.[48] 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.[49]
Reception
Upon its debut, Dexter's Laboratory was viewed by 12 million people,[30] becoming the highest-rated What a Cartoon! short on Cartoon Network.[50] Throughout the series' run, it was Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series in 1996 and 1997 and developed a large adult audience.[51][52] Cartoon Network viewers voted the series as "Toon of the Year" in 1996.[13] Internationally, it garnered a special mention for best script at the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay animation festival in Italy.[53] From 1998 to 2000, a Dexter balloon was featured in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade alongside other iconic characters, including the titular piglet from Babe whom Cavanaugh voiced.[54] The series was part of Cartoon Network's 20 percent ratings surge during mid-1999.[55]
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 two million homes.[56] 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.[57] As of 2003, Dexter's Laboratory averaged nearly 1.4 million viewers aged two to eleven per episode, tying with Codename: Kids Next Door as the most successful Cartoon Network show for June 2003.[14] Alongside The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory helped increase Cartoon Network’s ratings in the late 1990s and early 2000s.[12]
Critical response
Initial reviews for Dexter's Laboratory received acclaim from critics.[58] 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.[59] Arion Berger of LA Weekly praised the series as "simple, compact, perfectly timed, and pristinely drawn."[60] Louise Leger of The Globe and Mail lauded the "clever dialogue" and commented that "off-the-wall fun ensues, all to the steady patter of sibling bickering."[61] In the lead up to its second season, Dexter's Laboratory was referred as the most imaginative series on Cartoon Network by Nancy McAlister of The Florida Times-Union.[j] 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".[62] Newsday's Diane Wertz called the series "smart" and "culture-conscious".[64]
Critics ranked Dexter's Laboratory as one of the best cartoons in various lists. In 1997, Bill Ward of the Minnesota Star Tribune named Dexter's Laboratory to his Critic's Choice list, recommending it for the "young of all ages".[63] In 2009, Dexter's Laboratory was ranked at number 72 for the IGN's "Best Animated TV Series" list 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."[65] In 2012, Entertainment Weekly ranked Dexter's Laboratory fourth in its list of "10 Best Cartoon Network Shows".[66] In his 2015 book Animation: A World History Volume III: Contemporary Times, Giannalberto Bendazzi called Dexter's Laboratory "visually and verbally innovative".[67] 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.[67]
David Perlmutter wrote in his 2018 book The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows that all three segments of Dexter's Laboratory elevate stereotypical ideas through an approach that contains "verve and originality".[68] He highlighted 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]."[68]
Legacy
Dexter's Laboratory became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series. As affirmed by Giannalberto Bendazzi in Animation: A World History Volume III, Dexter's Laboratory, along with Craig McCracken's The Powerpuff Girls, helped define the style of Cartoon Network, both for being works "in which lines and colour are predominant", and for underlining their graphic aspect through limited animation.[67] Television critic Robert Lloyd stated that both artists were "at the forefront of a second wave of innovative, creator-driven television animation, whose first wave began in the 1990s with the [similarities] of Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures and John Kricfalusi's The Ren & Stimpy Show."[69] Tartakovsky reflected on this period in 2024, saying that he and his colleagues took full advantage of the freedom provided by the still-new Cartoon Network, but that the level of trust on young artists was "pretty much gone".[35]
Vulture referred to the first pilot as "a testament to Tartakovsky's talent and commitment as a filmmaker and a proof of concept for the What a Cartoon! anthology format."[58] Dexter's Laboratory has been subject to scholarly works that include a study on post-9/11 America by Media International Australia[70] and a publication about how Mexican children react to references in the series by Comunicar.[71] In 2023, Tartakovsky stated that he was uninterested in attempting to reboot Dexter's Laboratory due to Cavanaugh's death in 2014, as well as the "overabundance" of recent reboots of cartoons.[72] He later joked in 2025 that he would revive the series if his career declines.[73]
Awards and nominations
Merchandise
Home media
Dexter's Laboratory debuted in home media as a "bonus toon" on the Jonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of One VHS.[88][k] Home media for the series began with the Dexter's Laboratory: Volume 1 VHS in the United Kingdom in 2000[89] and the Dexter's Laboratory: Greatest Adventures VHS in North America in 2001.[90][91] The made-for-television movie Ego Trip was released exclusively on VHS in North America in 2000[92] and in the United Kingdom in 2001.[93]
Madman Entertainment released season one and part of season two on Region 4 DVD in 2008.[94][95] A Region 1 DVD release of season one was released by Warner Home Video on October 12, 2010.[96] As of 2015, Dexter's Laboratory was available on Hulu.[97][98] 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".[99][100] Every episode, except for the television film Ego Trip and the banned "Rude Removal" episode, is available on iTunes.[101] Dexter's Laboratory is available on Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, and Tubi.[102]
| Season | Title | Format | Release dates | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Region 1 | Region 2 | Region 4 | ||||
| 1 | Jonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of One[l] | VHS | March 19, 1996[88] | N/a | N/a | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: Volume 1 | VHS | N/a | March 27, 2000[89] | N/a | ||
| Cartoon Network Halloween 2 - Grossest Halloween Ever[l] | DVD | August 9, 2005[103] | N/a | N/a | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete First Season | DVD | October 12, 2010[96] | N/a | February 13, 2008[94] | ||
| 4 Kid Favorites Cartoon Network: Hall of Fame #1[l] | DVD | March 13, 2012[104] | N/a | N/a | ||
| 4 Kid Favorites Cartoon Network: Hall of Fame #3[l] | DVD | June 23, 2015[105] | N/a | N/a | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | N/a | N/a | October 25, 2017[106] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[99] | N/a | N/a | ||
| 2 | The Powerpuff Girls: Twisted Sister[l] | VHS | April 3, 2001[107] | N/a | N/a | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: Greatest Adventures | VHS | July 3, 2001[90] | N/a | N/a | ||
| The Powerpuff Girls: 'Twas the Fight Before Christmas[l] | DVD | October 7, 2003[108][109] | N/a | November 8, 2005[110] | ||
| VHS | N/a | |||||
| Scooby-Doo and the Toon Tour of Mysteries[l] | DVD | June 2004[111] | N/a | N/a | ||
| Cartoon Network Halloween - Nine Creepy Cartoon Capers[l] | DVD | August 10, 2004[112] | N/a | N/a | ||
| Cartoon Network Christmas - Yuletide Follies[l] | DVD | October 5, 2004[113] | N/a | N/a | ||
| Cartoon Network Christmas 2 - Christmas Rocks[l] | DVD | October 4, 2005[114] | October 18, 2010[115] | N/a | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Season 2; Part 1 | DVD | N/a | N/a | June 11, 2008[95] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | N/a | N/a | October 25, 2017[106] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[99] | N/a | N/a | ||
| Film | Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip | VHS | November 7, 2000[92] | July 23, 2001[93] | N/a | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | N/a | N/a | October 25, 2017[106] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[99] | N/a | N/a | ||
| 3 | Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | N/a | N/a | October 25, 2017[106] | |
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[99] | N/a | N/a | ||
| 4 | The Powerpuff Girls Movie[l] | DVD | November 5, 2002[116][117] | N/a | N/a | |
| VHS | N/a | N/a | ||||
| Dexter's Laboratory: Collected Experiments | DVD | N/a | N/a | October 25, 2017[106] | ||
| Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series | DVD | June 25, 2024[99] | N/a | N/a | ||
Music releases
Three Dexter's Laboratory tracks are featured on Cartoon Network's 1999 compilation album Cartoon Medley.[118] The Musical Time Machine is a soundtrack album released in 1998 through Rhino Records.[119] The Hip-Hop Experiment is a compilation album released on August 20, 2002, on CD and limited-edition green vinyl record through Kid Rhino and Atlantic Records.[120] The music videos for "Dexter (What's My Name?)", "Secrets", and "Back to the Lab" aired in August 2002 on Cartoon Network.[120]
Publications
Books set in Dexter's Laboratory were released by Scholastic and Little Golden Books.
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter's Ink | 2002 | Howie Dewin | ISBN 0-439-38579-2 |
| Dex-Terminator | 2002 | Bobbi J. G. Weiss and David Cody Weiss | ISBN 0-439-38580-6 |
| Dr. Dee Dee & Dexter Hyde | 2002 | Meg Belviso and Pam Pollack | ISBN 0-439-43422-X |
| I Dream of Dexter | 2003 | Meg Belviso and Pam Pollack | ISBN 0-439-43423-8 |
| The Incredible Shrinking Dexter | 2003 | Pam Pollack and Meg Belviso | ISBN 0-439-43424-6 |
| Dexter's Big Switch | 2003 | Meg Belviso and Pamela Pollack | ISBN 0-439-44947-2 |
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Horse of a Different Dexter | 2002 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-38581-4 |
| Knights of the Periodic Table | 2003 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-43425-4 |
| Cootie Wars | 2003 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-44932-4 |
| Brain Power | 2003 | David Cody Weiss and Bobbi J. G. Weiss | ISBN 0-439-44942-1 |
| Zappo Change-O | 2001 | Genndy Tartakovsky, Golden Books | ISBN 0-307-99812-6 |
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dee Dee's Amazing Bones | 2002 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-44175-7 |
| Mixed-Up Magnetism | 2002 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-38582-2 |
| What's the "Matter" with Dee Dee? | 2003 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-47240-7 |
| Little Lab or Horrors | 2003 | Anne Capeci | ISBN 0-439-47242-3 |
| Title | Year | Author | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dexter's Laboratory: Science Fair Showdown! | 2001 | Chip Lovitt (Golden Books) | ISBN 0-307-10775-2 |
| Dexter's Joke Book for Geniuses | 2004 | Howie Dewin (Scholastic) | ISBN 0-439-54582-X |
Characters from Dexter's Laboratory are featured in a 150,000-print magazine called Cartoon Network, published by Burghley Publishing and released in the United Kingdom on August 27, 1998.[121] On February 25, 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties, which included Dexter's Laboratory.[122]
Toys and promotions
Wendy's promoted Dexter's Laboratory with five collectible toys in their kids' meals from mid-October to November 23, 1997.[123][124] Discovery Zone sponsored Cartoon Network's eight-week-long "Dexter's Duplication Summer" in 1998 to promote the series' new schedule.[125][126] NASCAR's 1999 "Wacky Racing Team" vehicle driven by Jerry Nadeau in the Daytona 500 featured Dexter's Laboratory characters on its paint.[127] Subway promoted Dexter's Laboratory from April 1 to May 15, 2002, with four kids' meal toys.[128]
Dairy Queen sold six kids' meal toys during an April 2001 promotion that was financed by a $3 million advertising and marketing budget.[129][130] That month, Perfetti Van Melle and Cartoon Network launched the "Out of Control" promotion, which included on-air marketing and a sweepstakes to win an "Air Dextron" entertainment center.[129] The following April, a promotion featured Dexter's Laboratory-themed Airheads packs and an online sweepstakes.[128] Two board games Race to the Brainergizer and The Incredible Invention Versus Dee Dee were released by Pressman Toy Corporation in 2001.[131]
Video games
Six Dexter's Laboratory video games have been released: Robot Rampage for the Nintendo Game Boy Color,[132] Chess Challenge,[133] and Deesaster Strikes! for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance,[134] Mandark's Lab? for the Sony PlayStation,[135] Dexter's Laboratory: Science Ain't Fair for PC,[136] and Dexter's Laboratory: Security Alert! for mobile phones.[137] 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.[138]
Dexter, Mandark, Dee Dee, Dexter's computer, and Major Glory, as well as items, areas, and inventions are featured in the MMORPG FusionFall.[139][140] Dexter's Laboratory characters are featured in Cartoon Network Racing[141] and Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.[142] Punch Time Explosion features different voice talent for Dexter (Tara Strong instead of Christine Cavanaugh or Candi Milo) and Monkey (Fred Tatasciore instead of Frank Welker). Elements from Dexter's Laboratory are featured in the 2024 Warner Bros. game MultiVersus.[143]
See also
Notes
- 1996–1998
- 2001–2003
- Dial M for Monkey and The Justice Friends segments
- Narration by Mako Iwamatsu;[2] performed by Agostino Castagnola[3]
- The series contains 216 segments.
- Produced under Hanna-Barbera Cartoons for seasons 1–2.
- Early episodes initially premiered on TBS and TNT before airing on Cartoon Network.
- Commonly abbreviated as Dexter's Lab
- Includes What a Cartoon! short Dexter's Laboratory.
- Included on home media as part of a compilation or as a bonus cartoon instead of a feature.
