Dexter's Laboratory
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Dexter's Laboratory (Dexter's Lab for short) is an Annie Award-winning American animated series created by Genndy Tartakovsky about a boy genius named Dexter, who has a secret laboratory hidden behind a bookshelf in his bedroom. His enemy and rival is a boy named Mandark, but he feuds even more often with his older sister Dee Dee, who does not share in his intellectual inheritance.
[edit] 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, he made his first "Dexter" short. On February 20, 1995, Dexter's Laboratory made its first run on the The Cartoon 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.
The current stratus for this show is "Playing on Cartoon Network Video", meaning that it's not on Cartoon Network but on Cartoon Network's Internet Video Site, but in the United States, the show currently airs on Cartoon Network's sister channel, Boomerang at 9:30 P.M and on The Cartoon Cartoon Show on Cartoon Network. It aired on Cartoon Network on June 8, 2008 on the That's Nacho Chip Marathon on 12:30 P.M, and aired again on June 22, 2008 at 1:15pm during the You Big Baby Marathon.
[edit] 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). Other means of lab access are retinal scanners. Dexter is normally in conflict with his ditzy older sister Dee Dee who has an uncanny talent 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 has a Arch nemesis, another boy genius named Susan "Mandark" Astronominov often Mandark. Through fraud or (rarely) coincidence, attempts to take credit for Dexters achivements. Mandark is also secretly in love with Dee Dee.
[edit] Justice Friends
A segment of the show was the Justice Friends. Essentially a parody of the Avengers, the name derives from the Justice League and the SuperFriends.
- Major Glory- a parody of Captain America with some traits of 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".
- Val Halen- a 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
