#dexter'slab

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Charity print fundraiser!

Recently made this piece for SJSU’s Shrunkenheadman Club’s annual print sale fundraiser! This year’s theme is “Saturday SHMorning Toons.”  100% of proceeds will be donated to the Hartman House Foundation's Watersprings Ranch!  Please support and share!  http://shmtoons.storenvy.com/

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Cartoon Network Gifs :D

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Cartoon Cartoons with Eric: Dexter's Laboratory

Created by: Genndy Tartakovsky

Broadcast history: 1996-2003

Dexter's Laboratory isn't only Genndy Tartakovsky's first cartoon, but also the first official Cartoon Cartoon. Genndy has created some of the greatest animated action series of all time, but Dexter's kind of in its own category. Instead of focusing on depth and action, Dexter's Lab was just centered around pure fun. Not only does it work superbly, but the show makes for one of Cartoon Network's greatest creations.

The series centers around the original boy-genius, named Dexter (of course) and the misadventures surrounding his lab. Dexter has it all; incredible gadgets that go beyond scientific belief, his own genetically enhanced monkey, and a pretty high I.Q. level. However, his joy can't last, since his sister Dee Dee is constantly invading his lab and screwing everything up for him. Not to mention he also has to juggle his archenemy, Mandark. The characters, who's personalities seem to be done to death in later years, work pretty well. Dexter's stubborn personality is pretty much what makes up his likability. As energetic and hyper as Dee Dee, she seems to have more common sense than Dexter does. Dexter's ego is so big that if something comes to him, he doesn't think twice about it. But of course, that only makes a character more interesting and admirable. Do I even have to state my favorite character? That award would definitely have to go to Mandark, right down to his laugh. The one thing I will nitpick is that he doesn't really have a set role. Is he smarter than and superior to Dexter? Is he evil or a pathetic villain? Not one trait is ever fully expressed, but hey, it's not like any of those aren't good personalities. 

From what we got with Samurai Jack, Star War: Clone Wars, and Sym-Bionic Titan, Dexter's humor is almost radically different. Well, not radically, but there's a lot of diversity. If anything, I would've guessed that the humor fit closer to The Powerpuff Girls, but it's no surprise that Craig McCraken worked as a director and storyboard artist, which really show with the designs. As for the humor, it was never very flamboyant, and more laid-back. This usually goes one of two way with comedy: ends up being boring, or ends up working well. And Dexter definitely averted boredom. It was sort of like Space Ghost, to a lesser extend. It had some of the deadpan humor, but Dexter didn't always rely on interactions for comedy. Not that it's a bad thing, since the characters work very well on their own.

Dexter's Lab itself has had a large impact on Cartoon Network. For instance, it gave them the idea to start creating more original series instead of sticking to recycled Hanna-Barbera toons. And it did introduce the animation world to Genndy, so you gotta give it credits for that. It also included two segments called Dial M for Monkey and The Justice Friends, but I'll review them separately later on.

The one problem with Dexter is that it did end up declining in quality. After the show's second season, Genndy had left to work on Samurai Jack, thus a new production team was brought in. And yeah, the episodes to come out fell kinda flat. The humor was notably different, Dexter's personality had changed, and everything seemed to be trying a little too hard. Dexter's voice actor Christine Cavanaugh had retired from voice acting in 2001 for personal reasons, so Candi Milo (who portrayed Snap in ChalkZone) became the voice actor for Dexter. While I do find Candi to be a good voice actor, she didn't really fit for Dexter. He became like Stewie Griffin in the later episodes of Family Guy; once a brilliant child and then a bombastic metrosexual 

Decline aside, Dexter's Laboratory was the first show I've ever seen on Cartoon Network, so I definitely hold it close to me. It probably isn't my favorite, but it's top 10 material. Dexter introduced us to some lovable characters and humorous situations, even if continuity barely existed.

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Dexter and Mandark.