HERE WE GO AGAIN!

Well, it looks like Cartoon Network is starting it all over again!

Uh huh... Check the schedule!

We're starting all over from the beginning of KND from 4-5:00pm weekdays, not to mention a 12:00pm bonus half hour!

Which is perfect since I didn't do a recap of first season first time around!

So whaddaya say we recap it now?

First of all, I have to preface everything with this:

The first season of EVERY show, especially if it's your first, is a KA-KA-KA-BILLION things all at once.
You don't know your characters.
You don't know your crew.
You don't know what an 11 minute story is.
You don't know if the network is behind you.
You don't know if you've got what it takes to run a show.
You don't know ANYTHING!

But you charge ahead and do the best you can.

Regardless, I would come home every night, around 9:00pm, sit down on the sofa, and just burst into tears. EVERY night. It only took a couple minutes and then I would be done. Then I'd be laughing about something else. But I NEEDED that cry. It was a RELEASE from the non-stop onslaught of production. A day with 60 different people asking you eleventy billion questions and expecting you to have an answer. And even if you didn't know the right answer... you had to tell them SOMETHING. And that's one of the things I always stress to people who want their own show. Making a decision is one of the most important things you can do. It might not always be the RIGHT decision... but make one. And if it's wrong, FIX IT! Too many people are afraid of screwing up so they just waffle around and nothing gets done. But if you can make more good decisions than bad ones... then you just might be on your way to something great.

So what I'm trying to say is, season one was a crazy, fun, inspiring, horrible, awful, hilarious, wonderful, terror-filled, sooper triple rockin' in the free world time.

But you knew that already.

So what did this sooper brand new show bring to Cartoon Network in it's first season?!

THE CLAM CANNON!
HAIR EATING LICE!
GIANT TURNIPS!
CANDY PIRATES!
RAINBOW MONKEYS!
THE POINT!
and, of course...
THE BOYFRIEND HELMET!

And with this first season came a ton of characters that would become a staple of the series' six seasons:


THE DELIGHTFUL CHILDREN FROM DOWN THE LANE!
GRAMMA STUFFUM!
THE TOILETNATOR!
TOMMY!
PROFESSOR XXXL!
MR. BOSS!
THE COMMON COLD!
STICKYBEARD!
KNIGHTBRACE!
BRADLEY!
COUNT SPANKULOT!
NUMBUH 274!
LIZZIE!


Yeah... it was pretty huge.

So lemme tell you about some of the episodes:


Operation: I SCREAM - This was the first 11 minute episode to go into full scale production and the first to air... and it still holds up as an awesome episode! I told storyboard artist Matt Peters that I wanted to base the chase sequence on the one from Miyazaki's Castle of Cagliostro and he didn't disappoint. I still get the chills when Numbuh One dodges that ice cream cone missile in slow motion!

Operation: CANNON - The voice record for this show taught me that Daran Norris, the voice of Count Spankulot, can make me laugh at his every whim. Hence why I put Count Spankulot in so many episodes.


Operation: NO POWUH - The Toiletnator was supposed to be just a one-off joke... an example of the dumbest, most ridiculous idea for a sooper villain ever. If, this early in the series, you had told me he would be in almost a dozen episodes (or more?) by the time the series was over I would have laughed in your face. Yet I STILL get fan mail from kids telling me how funny they think he is. You can blame it on Dee Bradley Baker's brilliant voice acting.

Operation: PIRATE - Keep an eye out for the scene where Numbuh Five is taken captive by Stickybeard... as the KND watch the Sweet Revenge sail away from the Treehouse, Numbuh Three's legs were painted the wrong color so it looks like she's not wearing her leggings!


Operation: ARCTIC - So when I originally pitched this story to the gang, our producer Bruce Knapp brought up the fact that if Numbuh 30C's name stood for 30 Celsius then it didn't make much sense that he was an arctic operative since 30 Celsius is around 86 degrees Farenheit. I stared blankly at him for at least an hour before I realized my mistake... but then shrieked with joy at how perfect it was since Numbuh 30C was a traitor anyway. One of those perfect happy (dumb) accidents!


Operation: LIZZIE - After we had done the board for this episode, Cartoon Network thought Lizzie was a bit too TOO ugly. They figured Numbuh One would have a little more taste than the way we had designed her originally. So we had to redesign her to the way you all know and love (or hate) her.


Operation: OFFICE - The episode that started the Rainbow Monkey madness! Originally, they were supposed to be Rainbow Puppies, but CN legal found that that name was already taken. Same for Rainbow Kitties. And, like, ten other Rainbow (insert cute animal here). But can you believe... can you BELIEVE, that no one had copyrighted Rainbow MONKEYS?!?

Also... did you know that Ed Asner originally recorded for the part of Mr. Boss?



Operation: FLY - This was the first of the so-called 'ART' episodes. Mr. Willems and I loved the idea of doing one show a season that was something totally different from your standard narrative episode. So for the first one we decided to do an episode with NO dialogue. We'd just use music and mime to define what the characters are thinking. And it worked BEAUTIFULLY thanks to the storyboarding of Guy Moore and the music of Steve Rucker! Big BIG ups to Cartoon Network for letting us go for it, because most network folk would never let you do something like this... especially first season! Later 'art shows' included REPORT, ARCHIVE, FOODFITE, LOVE, and SCIENCE.


Operation: CHAD - Just like the Toiletnator, we never expected Numbuh 274 to become such a huge part of the show. But as we wrote episodes involving the Global KND, we needed someone to run the show and Chad ended up being the man. Did we know that he'd be the best KND operative ever, and then a traitor, and then NOT a traitor? Nope. It just happened organically.

Operation: CAMP - And while we're on that note... I never would have thought Chester and Bradley would end up in so many episodes!

Operation: LICE - Numbuh Three going Rambo suicide-style is hands down one of my favorite moments of season one.


Operation: TOMMY - If you ever have your own show, and do an episode that involves a lot of snot... not SOME snot... I mean, kids practically drowning in boogers... then be prepared to receive a lot of negative reactions, hate mail and bad fan reviews. Not EVERYONE hates this episode, but those that DO go sooper triple mongo crazy in the banana patch over it. And I'm not sure why.

There are still a couple more episodes left out of season one. I'm not sure if they'll show them next week... but I'll definitely dredge up some tidbits about them next!

In the meantime, enjoy this week's episodes. And after you watch 'em, make sure to shout out:

KIDS NEXT DOOR RULE!

MO IN LA!

Perhaps you heard that Mo Willems is on tour to talk about his latest creation, CAT THE CAT? Yup, it's a new series for young kids who aren't quite ready (reading-wise) for Elephant and Piggie. And the books are, of course, DELICIOUS!

So I was, predictably, totally psyched that he was coming to LA for not just one stop, but TWO!

First off was Vroman's Boookstore in Pasadena on Sunday. I'd never been there before and boy was I impressed! For an independent bookstore it is HUGE and has EVERYTHING. Great kids section (with toys), friendly staff, cafe, magazine stand, toys, kids clothes, etc etc...

It also helped that they had my book there:


I assume they had bought 1000 copies of 1000 TIMES NO but were down to their last one.
And that last copy TOTALLY got sold while I was there!
(To, um... a friend who I pointed it out to.)

Anyway... it was a great turnout for Mo and they even brought in a petting zoo to keep the kiddies busy while everyone waited in line for him to sign their books.


His second event in town was at the Barnes and Noble in Santa Monica so me and a couple sooper pals got together with Mo and had lunch beforehand.


Yeah... that's Dan Santat and Bob Boyle. I can't seem to keep away from those guys. We spent about 4 hours at the Border Grill telling stories, cracking jokes and, well... cracking jokes.

Man, it was great having Mo in town!

And do you know what one of the biggest bonuses in the whole universe is for me?

That when Mo Willems comes to my house, he'll read my son a bedtime story on the back porch.


I mean...

Dude.

If you're in Cleveland or Chicago... catch Mr. Willems before his tour is over. Info is right HERE!

THAT'S ALL OF 'EM (almost)

We're getting down to the last days of KND here! And what did Season Six bring to the table?

THE SPINACH INQUISITION!
PLANET OF THE RAINBOW MONKEYS!
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED IN GUATEMALA!
THE 2x4 TECHNOLOGY CONVENTION!
A TANKER OF ILLEGAL SODA!
A TREATY BETWEEN THE KND AND TEENS!
A BREAK UP!
AND THE SPLINTER CELL REVEALED!

And who did we get to meet?

NUMBUH 2x4!
THE AMISH KND!
NUMBUH 10 SPEED!
THE HONOR ROLL WEREWOLVES!
NUMBUH ELEVENTEEN OF SECTOR PHD!
THE POORLY DRESSED!
NUMBUH INFINITY!

So let's get to telling some tales about the making of these episodes, shall we?

Yes, we shall?

Operation: SPINACH - We were always asking the crew to pitch us story ideas, and as I've mentioned before, sometimes all it would take was a couple words to sell me on an idea. Blake Lemons (aka the BEST worst assistant EVER) pitched 3 words: 'The Spinach Inquisition'--- and I dove on it. Of course the FIRST thing I thought was-- what if we get Mel Brooks? After all, you can't think of the Spanish Inquisition without thinking of THIS.

Soooooooooo I did a bit of research and called his production company. A woman answered the phone and it went kinda like this:

ME: Hi, I'm the creator of a show on Cartoon Network called Codename: Kids Next Door and we're doing an episo-
WOMAN: Mel's very busy and doesn't help people get shows.
ME: No, I already HAVE a show and-
WOMAN: Is it on the air?
ME: Ye-
WOMAN: What's it called?
ME: Codename: Ki-
WOMAN: I've never heard of it.
ME: It's-
WOMAN: Do you have money?
Me: Um, yes. But I don't know-
WOMAN: Mel's very busy.
ME: I understand but-
WOMAN: Look! I don't have time for this. I'm busy, Mel's busy. I can't be bothering him about things like this. I can't! He's in New York shooting The Producers and he's very busy. He can't just-
ME: Excuse me, miss... you're YELLING at me.
WOMAN: What do you want?
ME: Nothing. Thanks.
(I hang up)

So no Mel Brooks. I've never heard anything but NICE things about him personally, but WOW that woman working for him was a nasty one. Maybe her dog died that day (or committed suicide).

So we did a song of our own, with lyrics by me and Mr. Rheingold, perfectly cheesy Broadway music by Steve Rucker, wonderful storyboarding by Kim Arndt, and beautifully timed out by Karen Villareal! Here it is, but the sync is a bit off as youtube vidoes tend to be:



Operation: MESSAGE and CRIME - These were both stories that started out as a comic in DC's Cartoon Network Action Pack and graduated to full-on TV episodes! Kinda like 'I'm Just a Bill'!


Operation: TRICYCLE - I think the KND's Bicycle Hub might be one of my favorite treehouses of all time. I named it after a bicycle shop that used to be across the street from my apartment on East 3rd Street in Manhattan... I think it's in Soho now.

Operation: GIRLFRIEND - Lizzie was ALWAYS one of the most polarizing characters of the show. Either you LOVED her, or you HATED her with all your soul. And it split pretty much right down the middle. I got tons of fan mail DEMANDING that Numbuh One dump Lizzie. And I got just as many threatening my life should Nigel and Lizzie ever break up. But no one ever told me not to have Lizzie dump Numbuh One!
Part of the story came from Guy Moore and Quack Leard -- They wanted an episode where the Treehouse computer fell in love with Numbuh One. So I took it one better and had it be the last straw that sends Lizzie packing. The break up sequence is beautiful... Grey DeLisle and Ben Diskin know how to slather the emotion on toast-- and I ate it up!


Operation: AMISH - We had mentioned Dr. Time Space and the Continuums in a couple episodes before, but who would have thunk that storyboard genius Jesse Schmal actually played Dr. Time Space?


Operation: SCIENCE - This might have been one of the most fun episodes to make. A series of commercials for assorted 2x4 tech gear? Sign me up! We came up with a ton of great ones. Some made it in, like Alison Wilgus' CHEEK TAZER. Some didn't, like this live action commercial:

We start with a close up of a live action boy (Ricky). Sad music plays as he somberly intones, “I had a HUGE spelling test on Thursday but I stayed up late playing video games instead of studying. There was no way I could go to school!”
We cross dissolve to another boy (Carl) as he says quietly, “I tried telling my Dad I was ALLERGIC to lima beans and that I’d puke if he made me eat them. I rolled around on the floor and made gross sounds but he just wasn’t buying it.”
We cross dissolve to a girl (Diane) as she whimpers, “After mistakenly sitting in her seat at the cafeteria Jamie Fatanzaro said she was gonna beat me up and run my pants up the flagpole after school! I HAD to find a way to get out early!” She leans in and says seriously, “And then a friend told me about Barf-Ex.”
We cut back to the Ricky as he says, “My Sector Leader told me to try something called Barf-Ex.”
We cut to Carl as he says, “I said, Barf-Ex? What’s that?”
We cut to a shot of a hand holding up an enormous blue pill with nails, screws and mushrooms sticking out of it as a soothing announcer croons, “Developed in the KND Deep Sea Science Lab, Barf-Ex is the enormous and hard to swallow pill that’ll get you out of ANYTHING!”
We cut back to Ricky as he says, “After just one Barf-Ex, I started puking uncontrollably! I thought I was going to DIE!”
We cut to Diane. “The STOMACH PAIN was HORRIBLE! I would have been better off getting beat up by Jamie Fatanzaro!”
We cut to Carl. “Sure, I didn’t have to eat my lima beans, but I was in the hospital for 17 weeks! Once I got out I went to my Sector Leader and told him to keep his stupid Barf-Ex!”
We cut to a split screen of the three kids as they all angrily growl, “THANKS A LOT, BARF-EX!”
Cut to a serene beach scene during sunset. The Barf-Ex logo dissolves on as the announcer says pleasantly, “Barf-Ex. We’re really sorry.”
The announcer then adds a disclaimer at a million MPH: Caution: People who need to breath should not use Barf-Ex. Side effects include uncontrollable vomiting, internal organ failure, unbelievable pain, blindness, extended hospitalization, and near death experiences.”
We immediately truck out to the judges as Numbuh 2x4 bellows, “THAT’S HORRIBLE! YOU GUYS HAVE TO STOP MAKING THAT STUFF IMMEDIATELY!” “We did,” mutters 71.562 (Operation: FERAL) sheepishly, “But we had already finished the commercial and didn’t have time to make anything else.” He suddenly cheers up and says, “But did you see Sector C’s new Smoke Tarts! They’re AWESOME!” He points OS and we zip pan to a new commercial:


Operation: PARTY - I've always been a big fan of a band called The Upper Crust. They dress in powdered wigs and play loud AC/DCish songs like Let Them Eat Rock. What's not to love?
So when we were trying to think of a band to play at the Delightful Children's house, I figured they'd be PERFECT. The DCFDTL would THINK they'd be a nice quiet chamber quartet... but instead they got an earful. As an added bonus, the band was awesome to work with and was even kind enough to play at the KND rap party! LONG LIVE ROQUE!


Operation: CARAMEL - I always wondered what had happened to Heinrich in Guatemala, but I never would have expected he was really a...

Oh, I'm not gonna give it a away. Some folks might now have seen that episode!

Operation: TREATY - My phone rang one afternoon and an excited voice blurted out, "What if Numbuh 274 never REALLY betrayed the KND? What if he was always working behind the scenes to help them, but then never gets the credit for it?"
Yup... even from the grave Mo Willems could sell me a story. Brilliant.

And there ya go! They'll even be airing Kenny and the Chimp/CAKED/No P in the OOL on Friday, too! Which reminds me, I never did a post about the first season, so I'll go back and reminisce on that for ya soon!

For the schedule, just head on over HERE!

A big KND salute to all of you watching and hopefully next week we'll talk about INTERVIEWS and the GRIM ADVENTURES OF THE KND!

Oh, and don't forget to watch the sooper gihoogic KND movie Operation: ZERO on Tuesday at 9am! I'll post some awesome tidbits about that movie soon!

THE HOME STRETCH!

Yeah, we're finishing up season five of Codename: Kids Next Door on Cartoon Network this week (4:00-5:00pm, Tues through Fri!), and then dipping our toes into the water of season six! So what does that mean? It means we're gonna see:

MAFIA CLOWNS!
SOOPER VILLAIN BOWLING!
A HOUSE FULL OF LAVA!
THE SOOPER HUGEST GAME OF TAG EVER!
A RETIREMENT HOME FOR RAINBOW MONKEYS!
THE BILL OF NO RIGHTS FOR KIDS!

And these episodes had plenty of new characters showing their faces:


HENRIETTA VON MARZIPAN!
BLACK JOHN LICORICE!
SECTOR E (LONDON)
THE ROWDY HOOLIGANS FROM ACROSS THE SQUARE!
THE SINISTER FELINES FROM ATOP THE LITTERBOX!
PRINCIPAL SAUERBRATEN!
and...
OMG...
The first appearance of...
THOSE SHADOWY FIGURES WATCHING NUMBUH ONE!

Now let's see... what can I tells ya about this batch of shows...
How about this:


Operation: LICORICE -- This episode won the 'Best Television Show For Children' at the 2006 Ottawa Animation Festival (and Operation: ARCHIVE won the year before!). We actually tried to get Geoffrey Rush to play Black John Licorice but he wanted around eleventy hundred thousand dollars. Still, Marc Graue kicked crazy pirate butt instead! And check out those gorgeous journal pages that Guy Moore drew and Alison Wilgus colored!


Operation: HAMSTER -- This was our love note to the old Tom and Jerry cartoons. I made a point of trying not to have 'black out gags' in KND but this episode HAD to have them.


Operation: RECESS -- Did you know that a lot of schools are cutting back on recess? I didn't either. But that's what the folks at Cartoon Network told me. And since they were planning a big network initiative to save recess, they specifically asked us to come up with an episode that revolved around it. I don't think they planned on having someone yell, "THIS SALAD DRESSING TASTES LIKE BOOGIES!" in the show... but what did they expect from weirdos like us?


Operation: SPANKENSTINE -- This was originally a Thanksgiving special with Detective Hoagie being hooked on 'the sauce' (cranberry sauce) and Spankenstine's power being transferred to every oven in town to create an army of undead, spanking turkeys. IT WAS SO THANKSGIVINGLY AWESOME! It was also the first story CN killed AFTER it was already written. They thought it felt more like a Halloween episode than a Thanksgiving show. I was TOTALLY bummed because I reeeeeally loved the show and had been slaving away on it for weeks! So I left work early and went to see the movie SIDEWAYS. Which didn't help much since it was a movie about a writer being rejected. BUT BUT BUT... did you know that the KND are in that movie? Kind of. When the stars are sneaking out of mom's house, you can hear Numbuh Three on the TV and SEE a portion of her hand in the corner. I think it was Operation: NO POWUH.
Later, I went back into the story, shortened it up, changed the cranberry sauce to chocolate sauce and got it approved.


OPERATION: IT -- After 5 non-stop seasons of running the KND I was feeling burnt, fried, battered and grilled. So I wrote an episode about it with Numbuh 362 playing the part of my brain. Aside from the therapy it provided, we got a great episode out of my exhaustion. Definitely in my top ten!

Operation: HOT-STUFF -- My father brought me up thinking that if I ever touched the thermostat there'd be a nuclear holocaust. Hence this episode.

Operation: ENGLAND -- Any similarities between Tennis Boy and the skit below is purely coincidental.



So there ya go! Grab some snacks-n-soda and curl up with these awesome episodes! For the full schedule head right on over HERE!

And yeesh... it was tough finding good pics from these episodes on the interwebs!
Someone put some good screenshots up somewhere, wouldja?!

THE ANNIES!

Back in NYC, ASIFA-EAST has it's long-running annual film festival that I've attended almost every year for the past 20 years! It's a who's who of NYC animation and a wonderful night to catch up with old friends. And what's really great is that since most of the films are so short, you get to actually watch all the winners (which can be bad if you're feeling sleepy).

But now that I'm in LA, I get to go to ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD's Annie Awards, a gala black tie event celebrating the best in animated films from the past year. Feature films and TV shows are the stars here, so you don't get to watch any of the winners. But it's still quite the show.

This was my first time going. Perhaps I would have gone sooner if Codename: Kids Next Door had ever been nominated for something, but unfortunately it never was. It's always been a bit of an LA-centric event.

Regardless, it's fun getting dressed up... and not to brag or nothin', but me and the Mrs. looked pretty rockin'. I'd show you pictures to prove it... but the camera I brought was acting all weird.

Good thing I managed to steal some pics from fellow facebook friends, like this one of our host for the evening.


Yeah, I know. You're saying,

"Whoa whoa whoa... William Shatner?!"

Yup.

Mr. Shatner took over the hosting duties from Mr. Tom Kenny (aka voice of Spongebob) and did a pretty great job. He was a bit mumbly, as Shatners tend to be, but was very personable and quick on his feet with a gag. Good fun, really. Check out the opening film:



Fun, no?

It's a VERY Hollywood night... just like the awards shows you see on TV, with (animation) celebrities presenting each award, video montages, lifetime achievement awards, 'I can't believe I'm up here' speeches and all the trimmings.

And I loved it!
(Especially when the voice actors who play King Julian and Skipper from The Penguins of Madagascar were presenting)

Still, I gotta say that I kinda missed the independent feeling of NYC animation events. It's so BIG out here, and the ASIFA-EAST festival is filled with all these films that come from individuals or small studios, all of whom pretty much know each other. There's something to be said for that. Something LOUD that doesn't get heard out here because everyone's working on a big, awesomely cool project.
(not that I don't loooooove big, awesomely cool projects)

Still... when Tim Burton wins a lifetime achievement award, I'm all ears. He couldn't make it to the event... but he did accept the award via this:


Too cool.

We didn't go for the sooper VIP tickets that included the reception afterwards, so me and my lovely wife adjourned to the nearby W Hotel for some refreshment.

But WHO was there in the lobby but this guy:


OMG PETE DOCTER!!!
Director of Pixar's UP, winner of the Annie for Best Feature Film!

So I tooooooootally had to introduce myself and gush like a nerdy fanboy.

If only had I had my sketchbook so I could have begged him for a drawing!

Anyway... a great night! Thanks ASIFA-HOLLYWOOD!

LIL BIT OF SEASON FOUR, LOTS OF FIVE!

And so Cartoon Network carries on with it's weekly onslaught of Codename: Kids Next Door every weekday from 4:00-5:00pm.

Have you been watching? I hope so... because who knows when you'll get to see every episode in order like this again!

And for those of you keeping score... we're heading into season five this week. And for me, the biggest, craziest, most implausible thing that happened this season was the departure of Numbuh 9, Numbuh 9, Numbuh 9...

aka Mr. Mo Willems.


See, whilst he was head writing the wrongs of KND he was secretly planning his escape.
At night, in his secret laboratory, he was working on picture books. He wrote, sketched, painted and plotted. But he couldn't get an agent. Not for a while.

But eventually someone signed him up. Someone who saw the sooper powers this guy had. So finally... Mo has an agent. And together they made the rounds to sell some books!

But they couldn't sell one. Not for a looooooooooooooooooooong time.

Until FINALLY the sooper big boss of Hyperion looked at 'Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus' and knew... he just KNEW... that THIS was going to be huge.
Was he right?


Yer darn skippy he was right! Mo was one of only a few select authors to get a Caldecott honor (the Oscar of picture books) for his very first book.

From there Mo launched into children's book sooper mega-stardom. Like, SERIOUS mega-stardom. And I got a front row seat to watch that star take off like a rocket.

Unfortunately, that star was heading in the OPPOSITE direction of me and the KND.
So one day... when I told Mo we got greenlit to a 5th and 6th season... he told me he was leaving. I think I said something like,

"Uuuuuuuuuuh..."

I don't think it really sank in until, literally, the day before he left. It was easy to fall into the day to day craziness of production and forget that I had to replace the guy that helped shape the KND from the moment the show went to series. Sure, I was interviewing new writers... but maybe a piece of me thought Mo might not go?

But he did.

And I was sad.

So I looked around and talked to a lot of writers and eventually I chose Mr. Andy Rheingold. I had known Andy for years but never worked with him. But I always liked the guy... and thought he might have something new to bring to KND.

And he did... a more loose, oddball style. Not as tight and structured as Mo, but more open to different paths. We'd go to break stories, and just when we'd be ready to give up on a premise, Andy would say, "Okay, this is stupid, but what if..."

And that's when Andy would crack it wide open.

No, he wasn't Mo. But Mo wasn't Andy either.
And there's nothing like a fresh take on things after 4 seasons of non-stop writing.

Thus came the insanity of season 5...

WEDGIESAURUS REX!
A GIANT RUBBER DUCKY!
THE 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS ATTACK!
MOOSICLES!
and of course...
COOJATISNAL OCTO OOGIE TERTA INFECTO EPI STREPTACAUCUS!
(aka C.O.O.T.I.E.S.)

And new characters?


NUMBUH 19th CENTURY!
ELFA STRIKE!
THE DODGEBALL WIZARD!
NUMBUH ONE LOVE!
JERRY RASSIC!



But enough already... lemme toss some KND trivia your way.

Operation: ELECTIONS - Please note the many KND production staff who had cameos in this episode:

Gracie Lu = Grace Lu (aka Numbuhless) Defender of the Color Department
Pauly Marcus = Marcus Pauls, Maniacal KND Production Manager
Kimmy Arno = Kim Arndt, Smashing Storyboard Artist
Scotty Vincent = Scott Vincent, Sooper Powered Script Supervisor
Jesse Smalls = Jesse Schmal, Storyboard Warrior

Operation: DODGEBALL - It's no secret that I'm a sooper quadruple mega Pete Townshend fan. So after a little research, I contacted his personal assistant to see if he'd be interested in doing some music for the episode. It went kind of like this:

Me - What I'd really like to do is re-write the lyrics to Pinball Wizard so it's Dodgeball Wizard and-
Asst - Pete never allows his lyrics to be altered.
Me - Um... alright, so what if we do a whole new song and then-
Asst - Pete doesn't have time to do original music for TV.
Me - Okay, what if he does a voice on the show.
Asst - Pete doesn't do voices on shows.
Me: What about the Simpsons? The Who were on th-
Asst: That was his brother Simon.
Me: Oh... really? Then what if... um.
(long pause)
Me: Can I have an autographed picture?
Asst: Absolutely.

YAY!

Operation VIRUS/OUTBREAK - This was the first time we deliberately combo'ed two episodes to work together. When Cree breaks into the KND Undersea Lab in VIRUS she unleashes the patient that starts up the whole mess in OUTBREAK. Yet both episodes totally work on their own.


And it's BG's like the above that made me jump up and down in the design and color department.


Operation: NAUGHTY -- I've loved the X-Men since 7th grade... so it was only a matter of time before KND paid homage. So instead of Wolverine, Santa's got an elf named Wintergreen with a skeleton made of Peppermintium?! The 12 Days of Christmas of attack? Some #3/#4-ness?! Man, I love this one:



Also of note in this episode, the Faculty Four were originally the Secretary Squad-- a team that was very upset that Secretary's day never got much attention. But CN thought that kids wouldn't understand office jokes. Hence the change to school gags
Sorry Secretary's day.

Operation: DUCKY - To be honest, I think I was just looking for an excuse to have Maurice LaMarche do his William Shatner impression.


Operation: CAKED FIVE - After reading Marvel Comics THE ULTIMATES, I was totally inspired by the idea of Captain America as a man out of time. Someone who died long ago and suddenly finds himself in a different world. Hence Numbuh 19th Century. And please please please give huge props to the opening scene of this episode-- That mega long truck-in to the mansion was beautifully done by the Curious Pictures CGI team. Too bad it was accidentally omitted when it premiered. UGH!

And there it is! Hope these episodes make you say UH-HUH!

Check the full schedule over HERE!

JUST DOODLIN'...

... while watchin' LOST.