Nerd Armada

New Blog

2011-08-24T21:58:00.000-07:00

So I guess it's time to join the cool kids over at Tumblr.

I'll start posting all my new stuff there and I promise to put things up more regularly. I've been making an effort to carry my sketchbook around at work and doodle more, so I have lots of good stuff to scan in. Go check it out.

And we recorded the pilot today! It went really well! Next step is animatic and artwork. I've got a busy two months ahead, which is good because I need a distraction to keep me occupied until Skyrim comes out.

R.I.P. Cartman

2011-08-23T22:28:00.000-07:00

My red rainbow fish Cartman passed away yesterday. He lived a good long life - nearly 10 years, which is apparently double the life expectancy of his breed. I don't get emotionally attached to fish, but looking at the now empty tank fills me with a little loneliness. His fat ass took up a good chunk of space in there. In fact, he had grown too big for the scooper net so I had to put a Ziploc bag over my hand and grab his slippery corpse. It was the first time I had really touched him other than the occasional finger brush when I would clean the tank. He had an unceremonious burial on the hillside. Some raccoon has probably dug him up by now... blech.

When my wife (then girlfriend) first met him, she asked me what his name was. I didn't really get into a habit of naming my fish, but he was a big red asshole who bullied the other fish and ate all their food, so "Cartman" seemed appropriate.

Cartman, I hope you're out there swimming in the great blue beyond.

Pilot Update

2011-08-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

After a year and a half, Nickelodeon finally gave the go-ahead for my pilot to get animated. Other than a long wait, the process has been really smooth and positive! Having the extra time let me figure out a lot of good stuff about the characters. It's hard to know exactly who they are until you start playing with them. They have a pretty different dynamic than the characters on Chowder.

This is the exciting part of the process. It's all potential. I'm finishing board revisions and casting voices. Next step will be to assemble all the production art, then ship it to the animation studio. By January we should have a fully functioning 11-minute pilot!

Here's a sneak peek at the art.

Piggy VS. the Outdoor Pillow

2011-07-11T23:37:00.001-07:00

Well at least she doesn't eat the stuffing like Batman does.

Work Doodles

2011-06-29T23:36:00.001-07:00

Where's the body?

2011-06-09T23:28:00.000-07:00

I'm getting more used to Sketchbook Pro. This doodle is kind of different for me, but not really. I've drawn lots of surly-looking superhero types over the years. Because I'm lazy and untrained, I can't do much beyond the head. Plus my costumes suck. Hell, all the characters in my first cartoon strip were just disembodied heads and hands. That should've been a sign I needed to work harder.

This is why I always tell aspiring artists to not be like me - draw your ass off and get good at everything. Don't limit yourself to a particular style or theme. Hone those basics and you'll be able to draw anything your mind imagines. I get really frustrated because I often hit the wall of my drawing ability. Luckily I like storytelling more than I like pure drawing. Doodling is a fun outlet, but when I have to do a drawing for real, I get terribly self-comscious about it. That's why I'll probably never be a fine artist. Drawing has always been a way for me to tell a joke or bring a character to life.

Luckily I've been able to work with people who can draw much better than me. It keeps me humble about my skills.

Dacker the Tracker

2011-05-31T23:40:00.000-07:00

You woke up in a pile of dirty clothes and puke. Someone shaved a smiley face in your pubes. Grandma! The last thing you remember about last night was playing strip Mancala with the old bitch. It looks like she slipped you something and ran off with your last twenty credits. But not before she pissed in your mouth. Always with the mouth pissing. At least she's consistent.

Given her head start, she could be anywhere in the Craplands. But it's too dangerous to go out there alone. You learned that the last time.

There are only five people who can find her.

The other four are previously booked.

Looks like it's time to hire Dacker. He charges more than you like and he smells like cabbage farts. But what choice do you have?

Just be prepared - he may find more than what you were looking for.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Doodle

2011-05-30T22:19:00.000-07:00

I dunno what the hell this is. I suppose it's what I get for listening to the new Lady Gaga album while I draw.

Sketchbook Pro

2011-05-15T23:05:00.000-07:00

I just got a copy of Sketchbook Pro on sale on Amazon for $30. So far it seems pretty easy to use but my drawings still look crappy. I like how quickly you can get to drawing and how uncluttered it is.

Drawing on the computer makes me realize I like the drag paper gives. It seems to help me control my line better. The Cintiq screen is just so baby-butt smooth. And jumping from program to program all the time is messing up my macro skills. (My keyboard hand keeps wanting to do all the buttons for Storyboard Pro.) I prefer to board on the computer now for the flexibility and speed, but for drawing and doodling I still prefer a paper sketchpad.

Here's an incredible one I found in Japan. For some reason it jumped out at me... I can't really put my finger on why.

Actually, the FO refers to the paper size. I'll really be sad when I use it up. I should've grabbed a few. Oh yeah, and the paper is nice too. It's thick and textured... hmm, with the context of the name, maybe that's not the best way to describe it.

Batman vs The KONG Bone

2011-04-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

Usually there are only two toys Batman can't destroy: Kong and Nylabones.
Apparently this Kong bone was a little too thin. Too bad. He loved it. LOVED IT TO DEATH!!

Winner: BATMAN!

I saw Sucker Punch.

2011-03-26T20:42:00.000-07:00

This review pretty much sums up how I felt.

PIGGY!

2011-03-24T21:17:00.000-07:00

We've been wanting Batman to have a little buddy so he could get some socialization. So last weekend we adopted a 5 month-old puppy from the pound. She's a Boxer/Pit mix and had her front leg amputated only 3 weeks ago, but she's running around like a champ.

At first we thought we were going to name her Robyn. But the more we thought about it, we really wanted her to be her own dog and not sound like a sidekick. She came with the name Princess, but that wasn't gonna fly. She makes this snorting sound like a grunting pig, and when Danni called her a little piggy, we knew we had her name. Welcome to the family, Piggy! I hope Batman doesn't eat you.

Cutie Patootie

2011-01-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted anything in a while. I've been busy working on a pilot board in addition to the day job. But never mind all that. Let's enjoy my favorite video of 2011 so far!

Batman vs the FRONT WINDOW!

2010-09-27T22:21:00.000-07:00

Everyday, Batman gazes patiently out the tall window next to the front door. He bides his time, waiting for another dog or a jogger to pass by. Then he unleashes what I can only guess are a stream of expletives in dog language. It's pretty explosive. One time he was jumping so hard at the window, he scraped the area next to his right eye, losing a chunk of skin. I didn't figure out how he done this to himself until I found the patch of skin still stuck to the wall!

Winner: FRONT WINDOW!!

... but don't worry. Batman would soon have his revenge.

Chowder Finale

2010-08-06T23:11:00.000-07:00

The last new Chowder episode finally airs this Saturday night! There's an all-day marathon leading up to the 7:30 pm premiere (Pacific). Set your DVRs or be old-fashioned and watch as it airs. I had always wanted to jump the series ahead in time at some point (like Dragonball Z) and follow Chowder as the master chef with an apprentice of his own. This would have been the bridge to that adventure. It's a nice way to wrap up a series that meant a lot to me. And I even got to voice grown-up Chowder.

Thanks to the crew for all their great work, to the voice actors for bringing the characters to life, and to the people at the network who championed the show! But most of all, thanks to the fans for watching! This episode is for you!

Chowder Fan

2010-07-12T23:16:00.001-07:00

These photos were taken by a friend of mine at a bar during the World Cup final. He spotted this Chowder fan by his awesome necklace. Way to represent! Oh and we got nominated for an Emmy. Congrats to the entire crew for all their incredible work. And congrats to the other nominees - they're all talented, good people and any one of them deserve to win.

More Batman adventures coming soon!

Batman vs The Screen Door!

2010-07-01T22:21:00.001-07:00

One afternoon I put him out on the balcony while we did some house cleaning. I figured he'd chill out in the sun for a bit...

You can see the result...

It reminded me of the Kool-Aid man. Here's a clip for those of you too young to remember:

BATMAN VS THE SCREEN DOOR... BATMAN WINS!!
Damn you dog. Damn you. But I did learn how to re-screen a door. It's pretty easy.

Batman vs The TireBiter!

2010-05-23T10:41:00.000-07:00

It was a quick match, lasting barely 30 minutes.

When the dust cleared, only one stood victorious.

Batman says, "Get bit!"

BATMAN VS THE TIRE BITER... BATMAN WINS!

(He was pooping out bits of tire for the next few days.)

Batman vs. The Bed

2010-05-10T22:56:00.001-07:00

This is the first in a series of posts based on my dog and what nefarious home goods he's decided to attack. This particular kerfuffle occurred soon after we moved into our house.

I imagine the encounter must have started exactly like this...

BATMAN VS BED... BATMAN WINS!
(Yes, he dragged the mattress off the box springs and proceeded to shred the sheets and mattress cover. Trust me, that mattress ain't light.)

Justice has prevailed!

As one thing fades away...

2010-04-04T20:26:00.000-07:00

The final regular episode of Chowder premieres this Monday (April 5) at 9 pm Pacific. I don't know if we ever stayed in the same time slot for more than a month during premieres, so it seems fitting to change again right before the last one. It's been a good run of 49 half-hours and I hope people enjoyed it. It's been one of the best experiences I've ever had. Thanks to everyone who watched. Our finale special, Chowder Grows Up, doesn't have an air date yet, but as soon as I find out, I'll post it.

Life at Disney has been fun so far. We're working hard on FishHooks and I'm sure Disney will do everything in their power to make sure kids know about it when it launches.

As for what's next, I've been busy developing something new for Nickelodeon. It's coming along really, really well and I'm very excited. It was kind of daunting at first to start over with a whole new world, but once I left Marzipan City and embraced it, the ideas didn't stop flowing. For now, I'll give this hint:

Whether it actually becomes anything or not, it's a whole lot of fun to work on right now.

Gamgar

2010-02-17T23:24:00.001-08:00

Pfff!

2010-02-11T21:22:00.000-08:00

Bad Invention #18573

2010-01-10T23:39:00.000-08:00

Roadrunner is Tragedy

2009-12-31T18:51:00.001-08:00

I woke up this morning with a very odd thought immediately pressing in my head: why did the Roadrunner cartoons always make me feel a little weird as a child? I lay there and thought about it for a good fifteen minutes at least. Why this random topic was my first thought of the day, I have no idea. I hadn’t been watching any of them recently. But then again cartoons are always swirling around in my head, so this shouldn’t really have been a surprise.

I was one of those kids who watched all the Looney Toons cartoons so often that even at a very young age, I could easily tell the different directors apart. Chuck Jones was one of my favorites. But something about roadrunner rubbed me differently. And I think I figured it out this morning.

Wile E. Coyote never got what he wanted. Never. And yet we as an audience were manipulated into rooting for him. If you look at any good character, he/she has a core emotional or physical need that we can relate to. And with Wile E., his was hunger. Everyone in the world can relate to being hungry, and I think there are very few people that would fault him for wanting to eat. It’s nature.

(Truthfully, though, it always annoyed me how if he had money/credit to order from ACME he could’ve just order some food. I know he explained how delicious roadrunners are in one of the cartoons, but still.)

Some characters deserve their fate. Elmer Fudd never gets the rabbit. But he’s motivated by ego; he’s a huntsman out for sport, with the unfair advantage of firearms. So of course Bugs spars with him and always comes out on top. But Wile E. isn’t motivated by any selfish flaw. He just wants something to eat. That’s the same reason I always felt bad for Pete Puma. But I was okay with Pete losing since I liked Bugs more. Later when they made Wile E. talk, gave him an overinflated ego and pitted him against Bugs, losing felt right. But I’m focusing on the pure Roadrunner cartoons.

I never rooted for the Roadrunner. He’s not a real, relatable character. He’s an unattainable goal. In the Dec/Jan ’09 issue of Written By, author Michael Tolkin said, “The tragic hero is asking for something they shouldn’t be asking for.” So Chuck Jones wrapped up a tragic hero in a cartoon world. He set him in a lonely, unpopulated desert landscape. The only other sign of life we see is the occasional truck that smashes into him. Not only is the coyote at a clear disadvantage against the incredibly fast roadrunner, but no amount of ingenuity will ever help him. And not only does he never achieve his goal, he doesn’t even get any consolation prize. Even the laws of nature are against him. All he ever receives is pain, just because he’s hungry. At the end of each cartoon all we’re left with is a long, lingering shot of Wile E. falling to his death. As a kid, I internalized this feeling, and it was different from the other Looney Tunes.

I’m not usually one to overanalyze cartoons, but I do take them seriously as an art form. And I do spend a lot of time thinking about how cartoons made me feel when I was young, and how I can recreate some of that feeling in the cartoons I make now. I don’t think a lot of artists rationalize the emotional meaning behind their art during the creative process. They just have to get it all out. It’s generally not until you later look at a body of work as a whole that you get a glimpse of the artist’s worldview. Obviously Chunk Jones’ goal was to entertain and make us laugh. But what in his life was he relating to with these stories? What was the emotional drive behind it all that led to a series of decisions that created a starving, lonely, tragic character that never gets any breaks?

So this is the weird conversation in my head I woke up to. Maybe tomorrow I’ll be lucky and just wake up with a boner like usual.

Happy Holidays from Batman!

2009-12-24T17:45:00.001-08:00

Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while. In just two weeks I'll have delivered the very last episode of Chowder and my time at Cartoon Network will be over. It was a good 7+ years that I spent there. And Chowder is doing really well in the ratings, so thanks to all of you who watch. There are still plenty of premieres to go, so keep watching. But starting with the new year, I move on to the house of mouse. Bye bye CN! Like a phoenix, you will rise from the ashes someday!

I've been developing some new show ideas and so far the pitching process has been going very well. It looks like I'll find myself pretty busy over the next year. People have asked me about how the whole pitching process works and I've been thinking of some good pointers. I promise to sit down soon and share them. I'm such a procrastinator...

Japan Super Wonder Get : 100% Orange

2009-10-27T12:08:00.000-07:00

I came across a comic book called "Sunao Sunao" by an artist called 100% Orange. Printed in black and white and crude in execution, I thought it was a reprint from the 60's or 70's. But when I found a book collecting his commercial artwork, I soon realized this was an amazing contemporary artist. I love drawings like these with rough, loose line-work. It's so kinetic and alive. And his sense of design, his use color and shape, and his sense of humor and whimsy make him someone I'm extremely respectful of.

Japan Super Wonder Get : Jansson's Alice in Wonderland

2009-10-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

While in Japan, my favorite part (other than the food) was seeing all the books and toys. We wandered through endless bookstores filled with great comics, illustrations and animation art. The only downside to getting a lot of books is that they're heavy to lug around. I'll post some of the best ones, starting with this:

Alice in Wonderland illustrated by Tove Jansson.

If you're not familiar with her, she's a Finnish author who created the extremely popular Moomintroll series of children's books. Drawn and Quarterly recently put out a collection of her comics.

What I love most about her art is it's both sweet and melancholy. It's imaginative and charming, but not cutesy. And yet there's a feeling of that bleak, overcast, Finnish-ness to all of it.

She approaches this book with such a unique take. Look at how she draws the Mad Hatter looking nothing like the goofy, insane man we always see. He's more like a crazy hermit.

If you want to see all the art, someone has scanned it at this site.

No New Chowder This Week

2009-09-29T14:12:00.000-07:00

We've been pre-empted by Clone Wars. But next week we're back with an all new episode that reveals Shnitzel's mysterious past as a... Yakuza Samurai bodyguard!

And in case anyone wanted a closer look, here's Marmalade from "A Faire to Remember."

We're Off!

2009-08-31T20:24:00.001-07:00

As fires rage nearby here in LA, we're packing for tomorrow's trip to Japan. Once I'm back, perhaps I'll talk about my Tetsujin 28 obsession. Earlier today we dropped the dog off at the kennel. I miss him already. Oh god, I'm one of those people! I know he's going to have fun, but I still feel a little guilty abandoning him. I wish he could understand that we'll be back soon. He's definitely in for a different lifestyle this week.

In the meantime, here's an interview I just did. Thanks to Charles for the thoughtful questions.

The Hot Girl

2009-08-13T21:31:00.001-07:00

I didn't really think there'd be this many upsides to having a show officially cancelled by a network, but I'm feeling happier than I've been in a long time. Since we've only got post-production, my schedule finally eases up. I haven't had a break like this in a long, long time. Now I can relax and do all sorts of fun things like finish Final Fantasy XII since I need something to quell my occasional World of Warcraft tremors. (I've been off WoW since November, but occasionally go into a store and look at the Lich King expansion box lustfully.) I'm also taking a vacation to Japan, a dream of mine since I first saw Akira back in the late 80's.

The other upside is it's like being the hot girl who just got out a bad relationship; your phone starts ringing from everyone else who's been wanting to date you. It's nice to hear from other networks how much they enjoy the show, especially when you don't really hear it from your own. Chowder has opened up a lot of awesome possibilities for me, and creatively I'm feeling more inspired than ever. There are some new ideas I'm working on that will hopefully find a good home somewhere in the next year.

We're still finishing up lots of good episodes. I think you'll see that we hit a really good groove third season. My biggest worry before we were cancelled was what would happen to the crew, but luckily, a large chunk of them got hired over at Disney on a new project. It's funny how many old CN faces I see over there now.

I'll have to talk more about my Japan excitement soon.

My New Favorite Video

2009-08-11T16:20:00.001-07:00

The Ballad of G.I. Joe from Olivia Wilde

Picanahey

2009-08-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

A while back we were working on a one-hour Chowder special. I was a little worried we wouldn't be able to pull off a movie on a tight tv schedule, and I was right. So we shelved it. Maybe with a little more time it could have gotten it there.

The basic story is about Chowder finding an enchanted map that leads to Pie Land, and more importantly to Gravy Jones' lost treasure: the ultimate gravy recipe. Panini and Endive have the other half of the map, and of course only true love can unite the two halves of the map to show the location of the treasure. There was even a big kiss between the two kids in the action-packed finale.

This character was the leader of a group of beach bum rats, the Pie Rats (we love bad puns on this show). He was based off Matthew McConaughey. We were even hoping to get him to to do the voice. Picanahey wants the gravy recipe for himself since he's heard it has amazing tanning properties - his goal in life is to have the best tan in the world. Picanha is a type of Brazilian bbq.

Chowder Expressions

2009-08-05T14:32:00.001-07:00

Here are a few expressions I drew.

Mung Model Note

2009-08-04T13:57:00.000-07:00

Early on we noticed that Mung's eye blink was just his pupil blinking without any eyelid. If he was half-lidded and then blinked, the lid color would flash away for a few frames. So I made this note for the animators. You can still see his original blink in the opening of the show.

Model Note

2009-08-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

This was a note for the animators. In the earlier episodes, his feet move and bend a lot more. We still show leg when we need to stretch him or do extreme poses, but this is for a basic walk.

A Chowder/Grim crossover! In Spanish!

2009-07-29T10:53:00.000-07:00

Comic Con Roundup

2009-07-28T17:11:00.001-07:00

(Pendleton Ward, Thurop van Orman, and me with no beard)

The CN panel and signing went great. While we weren't really allowed to talk about what's been going on here or what our future is, we had a great time connecting with the fans. I saw some familiar faces from past cons and met some awesome people who made incredible Chowder costumes. It was also exciting to see all the enthusiasm for Flapjack and Adventure Time as well. There's still love out there for silly cartoons!

I'm not one to usually go to panels (I like just walking the floor and looking at the people and stuff for sale), but I knew I'd regret it terribly if I didn't see the Mighty Boosh panel. And man, it didn't disappoint. Those guys were a little taken back by the fan love. I think the girl screaming was topped only by the Twilight panel. Plus I got to sit up front in the VIP chairs! Working at CN finally pays off!!

Comicon Time!

2009-07-22T23:45:00.001-07:00

Well it's summer and that means one thing - ANTS!!! We've got them swarming in the house. So I suppose the only thing I can do is head down to San Diego to escape. Lucky for me Comicon is happening this weekend.

If you're down there, be sure to come to the Twilight panel. I hear Robert Pattinson will be on it!!! He's so dreamy!!! Oh and if you can't get in to that, then come to the Cartoon Network comedy cartoon panel. You'll see myself, Thurop VanOrman (creator of Flapjack), and Pendleton Ward (creator of Adventure Time), along with various actors and writers of said shows. It should be fun for all! And there'll be a signing afterwards. But since CN didn't want to pay for a booth this year, they're doing some weird raffle for the signing line. Apparently you have to be there Thursday morning to get tickets to go to the signing since we have limited time and space. I dunno. It's all so confusing.

CN comedy animation panel
Room 6-A
Thursday 4:15
Signing afterwards

**Double check your guidebook to make sure this is all correct!

See you there!

New Time Slot - 7:30

2009-07-13T13:52:00.000-07:00

I just found out that we're in a new time slot beginning this week - 7:30 pm Thursday. So be sure to readjust your schedule! This is our third time change since we began, for those of you keeping count.

Unused Chowder Idea

2009-07-08T13:33:00.001-07:00

Monkey & Parrot

2009-07-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the new CN!

2009-07-01T19:25:00.000-07:00

As I sit here on an empty floor of an empty building looking at all the empty animation offices, I can at least put this on endless loop for some comfort.

The Dinner Theatre

2009-06-23T22:43:00.001-07:00

This week's episode was supposed to be promoted as a special, so I figure at least I could get the word out. It's a half-hour story about the catering company putting on a mystery dinner theater show. Waiting for Guffman was a big inspiration. I love that film so much, probably because I had so many crazy theater friends in high school.

This is one of those episodes where nothing actually happens. I always like those kind of stories - the much ado about nothings. They're harder to write but give you more time for little character bits; like Shntizel standing in line at a bank, or the cast from Evil Con Carne stuck in traffic on their way to a heist. I want to give a big thanks to Bill Reiss for making it turn out so well.

And also a very big thanks to the crew of the show. They've been friends of mine since we worked on Billy & Mandy and it's sad to be laying them all off. Each week there's fewer and fewer of us left. It's rare when you get work with people you really like, and I'm grateful for having that for the last seven years at CN. I hope we all get to work together again soon!

Early Endive & Panini Designs

2009-06-15T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here's some art from the original Chowder pitch I brought to Cartoon Network. Both characters changed pretty radically once the series began. Endive had a physical change, but Panini had a total rethinking. In fact, she was originally named Borlotti (a type of bean.) The first version of her design had pointy ears, but that didn't fit with the rounded, soft feel of the rest of the characters. She also had an outfit where only her face poked through.

In this stage, she was kind of mean and I thought of her as someone who would take advantage of Chowder to her own ends. She seemed like an Angelica from Rugrats. But then I realized I don't like those kind of characters. She needed to be cuter and sweeter. Once I figured out she'd have a crush on him, everything about her made sense. Not being of the age yet where he's into girls, she would cause Chowder plenty of consternation, but in a more fun way. And the new name seemed to suit her better.

Endive's character stayed pretty much the same, but became more of a triangle shape. The long nose was always there and was supposed to represent the way she would look down her nose at everyone. It was great to see her personality evolve naturally over the course of the series, especially when written by William Reiss. Now it's crazy trying to imagine if the two of them had stayed like this.

Jay Bastian

2009-06-03T15:32:00.001-07:00

When I came to CN on the Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, I was lucky to work on a show with a great crew. But the show also had another great element, Jay Bastian. Jay was our executive in Atlanta, and I don’t think there could have been a bigger supporter of the show. Billy and Mandy had a lot of opposition over the years, and I know that Jay stuck his neck out for it again and again. Upon meeting Jay and the rest of the executives in charge of CN’s original series, I was impressed by how much they genuinely loved animation and the people who made it.

Jay was one of the first people I pitched Chowder to. The first thing he said was, “It looks young.” But the next thing he said was, “It’s you, so I’m sure it’ll be awesome (and wrong).” When the time came for Chowder to begin, I was thrilled to find out that Jay would be the executive in charge of the show. He never gave notes for the sake of giving notes to justify his job. His notes were his gut feelings. He didn’t approach his job as an executive – he approached it as a fan of the series. He always pushed us to do better, letting us figure out our own solutions rather than dictating exactly what he wanted. He respected the artists and that’s rare. His list of credits runs far and wide across the last 11 years of CN.

Anyone who knows Jay knows he has three favorite movies: Star Wars, Jaws, and Indiana Jones. Anytime Jay had a story problem in one of our episodes, he’d invariably compare it to one of those movies for reference. Always. Without fail. So here’s a drawing I made for him, merging two of his great loves.

(I probably should've made Truffles into Yoda and Ceviche into R2-D2.)

I’ve been spoiled and it’ll be hard working with anyone else. I hope that Jay and I can work together again sometime soon. And like the Golden Girls said, "Thank you for being a friend."

Watch Chowder Tonight!

2009-06-01T14:01:00.001-07:00

8 pm Eastern, Monday through Thursday.

And if you need more proof that we're not a part of CN's future, take a look at this page.

No mention of Chowder or Flapjack in the summer shows. And you can't say it's just new shows they're promoting, because Clone Wars has been on, Flicks has been on, and Total Drama Action is a sequel to an existing show. There's a sea change afoot and we're getting swept under.

But at least we get to premiere all new episodes until the end of the year! And they're really good ones. We hit a great stride second season. So do enjoy!

Chowder Re-Premieres June 1st!

2009-05-21T13:54:00.000-07:00

We'll be back with all new episodes starting Monday, June 1st. In fact, we're starting with a mini marathon - a new episode premieres every night that week at 8pm (Pacific) through Thursday. Then we'll be part of all new Thursdays every week for quite a while.

In one of the stories we see Mung as a young apprentice and meet his cranky cooking master, Lo Mein.

Chowder Grows Up

2009-05-18T23:22:00.001-07:00

We're working on the last Chowder episode and it's looking to be a really good one. I wanted to make sure know you how everyone's lives ended up, so we're doing a special half-hour story set twenty years in the future. Best of all, you get to meet the kid who becomes Chowder's apprentice! It was actually an idea I had from the very beginning to pull a Dragonball Z, where the series jumps to the future and we follow the next generation.

We don't know if there'll be any more Chowders after this one, so we have to assume this is the end until we hear otherwise. As I was told, CN doesn't cancel shows, they just don't renew them. This summer could change things if ratings are really good. We premiere in June, but I have no idea what week, and I was told there'll be minimal advertising before the re-launch. If we do well, it'll be thanks to the dedicated fans, not the network.

More Chowder Shirts

2009-05-06T17:21:00.000-07:00

First of all, thank you to everyone who donated or bid on the art. It was very successful and everything will mailed out asap. There were a few pieces that didn't get any bids, and we might put those back up.

Here are a couple more of the Chowder shirts available at Hot Topic, modeled by Jay Bastian's enthusiastic children. There are some really nice Flapjack shirts available as well.

Charity Auction

2009-04-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

We've got an art auction up on ebay to help raise money for the Team in Training triathlon I mentioned a few weeks ago. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services.

Both Maxwell Atoms, creator of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and Mr. Warburton, creator of Codename Kids Next Door, graciously donated awesome art. I've put up some original Chowder drawings as well. If you're a fan of any of these shows it wold be worth checking out the auction. And if you can't get the art but can donate a little to help Joanne reach her goal, that would be greatly appreciated as well.

Ebay auction link!

Here's a preview of the artwork.

Hot Topic

2009-04-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Look! Invader Zim Shirts!!!! At Hot Topic!!! Finally!!!!

Oh, and Chowder shirts too. For the ladies only. But don't worry boys, I've been told there'll be Kimchi shirts for you soon.

Chowder Returns This Week!

2009-03-30T17:40:00.001-07:00

Thursday night will premiere a new episode titled "The Party Cruise." Mung just wants to go fishing but ends up on a cruise ship piloted by Reuben. It was boarded by Chris Reccardi and William Reiss.

You might have seen the press releases of the new shows coming to Cartoon Network. There's a big shift in what this network will be next year, and we don't know if we'll still be a part of it. There will be new Chowders airing until the end of the year, but right now we're winding down production. People get laid off starting at the end of next week. We could still be picked up, but it would be hard to reassemble the crew in its current form. If this really is the end, then it's been a good run and we've had a lot of fun. I hope you all continue to enjoy the show.

EDIT: This will be the only week with a new Chowder episode until June. We'll be back soon with lots of goodness.

Batman Adventures : TURDFOOT!

2009-03-17T22:04:00.001-07:00

When I'm out walking my dog, he has a habit of doing the butt scoot when he poops. That's where he slowly walks forward as poops come out, like he's an asphalt machine laying pavement. One day as he was laying his stinky asphalt, he stepped in an older turd left by some other dog. It stuck to his foot like a big turd shoe.

Needless to say he got a good hosing down before he was let back in the house.

Team In Training

2009-03-13T17:53:00.001-07:00

A friend of mine is participating in Team in Training, an organization that raises money for Lukemia and Lymphona research and services. She's been working hard but still needs some donations to meet her goal. I know no one has a ton of money right now, but if each person who reads this, each person who buys a cup of coffee or a smoothie or a donut each day gave $5 (tax-deductible!) her goal could be reached in no time. It's a very worth-while cause. Very few of us get to feel like heroes, but this is actually a way in which you can help save a life, make someone's day a little easier, and make someone's struggle a bit less daunting.

Here's a link to her page.

We're also gathering some original artwork to be auctioned on ebay. I'll post those auctions as soon as they're up.

I hope that you can donate. Whether or not you can, I hope you will pass this information on to others who may be able to.

Thanks to those who've already given. I really do appreciate it.

Chowder DVD Vol.2

2009-03-05T13:59:00.003-08:00

It's out now and has the next 5 half-hours on it! In the original widescreen format, I'm told!

Here are the episodes:
The Wrong Address & The Wrong Customer
Burple Nurples & Shnitzel Makes a Deposit
Gazpacho Stands Up & A Taste of Maripan
The Puckerberry Overlords & The Elemelons
Sniffleball & Mung on the Rocks

New Batman Adventures

2009-02-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

Batman made a full and speedy recovery from his surgery. Since then, he's been settling into life here and mellowing out a bit. The only thing is he's taken his name a little too much to heart. I live in the canyons and Batman, like his 60's TV show namesake, thinks it's fun to scale along the side of steep cliffs. He literally dangles from his leash while I desperately hang on, trying not to fall over the edge.

This is him being a good boy. I did discover that it's hard to get dog slobber out of upholstery.

New Chowder this Week!

2009-02-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

This Thursday night there's a new Chowder and Flapjack, so be sure to tune in at 8pm (Pacific) and see the return of Marzipan's finest, the Marzipan City Police Department. And in the second story, The Shopping Spree, there's a very special surprise!

In April we'll have 4 weeks of new episodes. And then around the end of June, you'll get a new episode every week until the end of the year. So hang on.

EDIT:
The next premiere date keeps changing. It looks like the month of April now. I'll post info as it gets closer.

The Batman Adventures

2009-01-13T20:23:00.001-08:00

Things have been very busy lately. I moved, got a dog, and am doing a freelance Chowder board on top of my executive producer duties. All at once! Remind me never to do this again. I always say I'll never do another board, then months later, I'm craving the chance to write one. This one should be fun, if I can ever finish it: Gazpacho takes the kids scouting and nearly gets them all killed.

So this new dog... I've always loved dogs but haven't had once since I was a kid. I finally have the space for one so I went on Petfinder.com to find a rescue. All I knew was I wanted an older, mellower dog. Nothing too small, but not too big. And I came across BATMAN.

The name instantly caught my eye. Batman is a 60 lb, five-year-old bull terrier/American Staffordshire terrier mix. He came neutered, microchipped, house-trained and crate trained. He's super-sweet and 10x awesome. We love him to pieces.

But he's got jaws like a trash compactor. He can destroy a rawhide bone like nothing I've ever seen.

One week after we got him, he got terribly sick. He was barfing nonstop and spraying diarrhea all over the yard. The worst part was when he exploded stinky butt blood fluid in the laundry room. I felt like I had walked into a scene in Resident Evil.

So after an emergency operation, we discovered he swallowed something he shouldn't have and it got stuck in his intestines. The offending culprits turned out to be a chunk of tennis ball and some rope from a toy. I know what he won't be playing with anymore!

When he came home, he had to wear the dreaded cone for a bit.And like all dogs forced to wear silly hats, it made him miserable. Of course, I probably wasn't helping by saying things like:

Now he's doing a lot better and seems more like his old self. After all, you can't kill the Batman!

More adventures to come...

deviantART Scammer

2009-01-03T15:07:00.000-08:00

December has been an unusually busy month. I'll post about some of it soon. But thanks to the people who tipped me on to this:

There's someone posing as me on devinatART.
http://greenblatt.deviantart.com
This person has uploaded art from this blog and, worst of all, is asking for donations.

DO NOT GIVE.

It's not me. I would never, ever ask for your money. Just enjoy the show we all work so hard on. That's all I'll ever ask from anyone.

And the email they posted (greenblatt@hotmail.com) is not a valid email to reach me at. It's this impostor.

I've written to deviantART and asked them to take the page down. So spread the word.

And the real way you know it's not me... I don't celebrate Christmas. I'm Jewish. So epic fail, dude.

Knishmas!

2008-12-01T18:42:00.000-08:00

The Chowder holiday special Hey, Hey It's Knishmas airs this week, Thursday at 8pm. I'm very proud of how it turned out and I hope everyone out there enjoys it. I think we've made a good, classic holiday story with a weird Chowder twist. One of our color stylists had a book of vintage Christmas wrapping paper and, as you can see, we went bonkers using them as patterns.

And here's the opening city pan, beautifully painted by Joe Bingelli. Enjoy it now before it gets covered up by the titles.

ASIFA Auction

2008-11-20T10:37:00.001-08:00

If you live in NY and like animation, go to the ASIFA art auction tonight. It's hosted by Tom Warburton, creator of Kid's Next Door. Check out all the info at his blog. There's lots of art from Cartoon Network creators and other awesome artists. Here's a doodle I donated. See if you can find the rest of the cast hidden in there:

Chowder Comic

2008-11-18T22:45:00.001-08:00

DC's monthly Cartoon Cartoon comic book featuring different Cartoon Network shows just ran their first Chowder story! I wrote it and, rather than typing it up as a script, scribbled it up as a rough layout. So here are the roughs I submitted, including the cover sketch. The comic should be available in stores now.

Also be sure to watch a new Chowder this Thursday night at 8pm. There'll be no new Chowder next week because of Thanksgiving, but tune in the following Thursday, December 4th, for our big holiday special!

New Chowder Tonight!

2008-11-06T17:55:00.000-08:00

Beginning this week, there will be more than a month of new Chowder premiers! Tonight's episode is one of my favorites, Panini for President/Chowder's Babysitter. The artwork above is from a deleted scene.

And get ready for our big holiday special in mid-December, Hey Hey It's Knishmas! It turned out great. I'll post more about it as we get closer.

Oh, and be sure to grab the Chowder vol 1 DVD! It has the first five produced half-hours on it (10 stories total), each presented in their original wide-screen format. You'll see more picture than was shown on broadcast, plus an animatic for Chowder's Girlfriend.

Chowder Marathon

2008-10-24T14:52:00.001-07:00

Catch a full day of Chowder, this Sunday starting at noon on CN.

Real World Food Counterparts

2008-10-12T23:13:00.001-07:00

I've been asked if all the characters on Chowder are named after food. Yes they are. Usually when I come up with a character for the show, I make a list of foods and try to find the name that seems to fit. And for those of you who were curious, here are the real world equivalents:

MUNG DAAL
Mung Daal is a thick, spicy stew made with the mung bean, sometimes spelled as "moong dal." The bean is used in a variety of Asian cooking. If you've had bean sprouts, then you've eaten mung beans. Originally Mung was going to have an Indian accent, but I decided against it early on.

Here's a picture of the bean.

And here's a picture of the finished daal dish.

ENDIVE
Endive is a type of chicory: a bitter, leafy vegetable. Belgian endive is considered kind of fancy. Combine bitter and fancy and it seemed to fit the character of Endive pretty well.

GAZPACHO
Gazpacho is a cold, uncooked tomato soup, sometimes chunky almost like a salsa. I dunno why it suited the character, but it fit right away.

GORGONZOLA
A veined, Italian bleu cheese. I hate bleu cheese. It's one of the few foods I dislike. So it seemed appropriate to use for a character that didn't get along with Chowder.

Underfist this Weekend!

2008-10-10T10:50:00.001-07:00

Art by Maxwell Atoms.

If you like Billy and Mandy, be sure to watch the spinoff special "Underfist" this Sunday night at 7pm.

It was a real labor of love by Maxwell Atoms. If you look hard enough, you can see his sweat in it. There's even a B&M marathon leading up to it featuring all the Underfist heroes: Fred Fredburger, General Skarr, Hoss Delgado, Jeff the Spider, and Irwin.

Visit Maxwell Atoms' blog for more info.

The Arborians

2008-10-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Well unbeknownst to me, a new episode aired last week. Luckily if you missed it, they've got it up on the CN website.

Watch the full 11 minute episode here! There's a sneak peek at "Underfist" there as well. It airs this Sunday, October 12 at 7 pm. Be sure to watch it!

Arbor was played by Ron Perlman. He was awesome! And the best part was the Nicky Jones (who plays Chowder) was speechless to be in the same room with Hellboy!

Nine more!

2008-10-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Well we got picked up for 9 more half-hours. We're all very excited, but not sure what to make of that number. It's not a full season, but it keeps us going. New Chowders will air this November, right around the election. In fact, we're premiering with an election-themed episode, "Panini for President."

There's a Chowder DVD coming out in November as well. I'll post more info as I know it.

Here's a piece I drew early on for an internal Cartoon Network calendar. The painting he's chewing on is temporary placement art.

Thanks to those who came to the SF talk last week! And thanks to Martine at the Commonwealth Club and Travis at the Apple Store for putting it on.

Oh, and comments have been turned off for a while.

Friday in San Fran

2008-09-25T02:02:00.000-07:00

Live in San Francisco? Have nothing to do Friday night? Then stop by the downtown Apple Store at 7 pm. I'll be giving a talk about Chowder courtesy of the Commonwealth Club. Why the Apple Store? I guess because they agreed to host it. And since Chowder is on itunes, it's sort of cross-promotion.

Location: Apple Store, One Stockton St.
Time: 7 p.m.
Cost: FREE

P.S.
Please keep the comments civil and under control. If it isn't about a post or a question you have, then save it for a forum. And I promise I'll try to answer some frequently asked questions soon.

ComiCon 2008 - The Video

2008-08-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Here's a video with highlights from the Con. You'll even see me and my chest make a little cameo. Plus you'll get peeks at some voice actors and awesome costumes. It's like being there with but with 80% less farts to walk through!

ComiCon 2008

2008-08-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

The con was fun as usual, even thought it was a bit crowded. Nothing in particular stood out to me this year, but I did snag a few good books and t-shirts. There's a really great collection of Jules Feiffer comic strips from the Village Voice that Fantagraphics is putting out. The Chowder signing and panel went very well. Thanks to everyone who showed up! We had a lot of great questions and enthusiastic fans.

Here are some Chowder fans waiting in line. Thanks for the drawing Cammiluna!

Some fan art.

Here's me, Tara Strong (Truffles) and Dwight Schultz (Mung).

And here's a little treat we found...

Never leave the con without some Enchanted Wood!!!

Apprentice Games - the big 20!

2008-07-24T17:11:00.000-07:00

Tonight's Chowder is another epic half-hour story. It marks 20 episodes that have now aired, and the end of our official first production season! There'll be a break before new ones air, so hold tight. We've got some good ones coming. In the meantime, here are some of the new characters debuting tonight.

We get to meet Ceviché, the apprentice to Paté. You may recognize Paté as the guy who sang "I'm not your boyfriend" on stage in "Chowder's Girlfriend." Well we decided to make him a reoccurring character, and he's a Master Dancer! You'll see more of the two of them in future episodes.

Since the story is about Gorgonzola and Chowder, we felt it was time to see who Gorgonzola studied under. So meet Stilton, the Master Candleholder. He's not much of a role model, but he's all poor Gorgonzola has.

See you all at ComiCon! If you're there, be sure to check us out on Sunday - we've got a signing at 10:30-11:30, then a panel at 1pm. Mung, Chowder, and Shnitzel will be at the panel as well!

Banned From the Stand/ Creme Puff Hands

2008-07-17T15:43:00.001-07:00

New Chowder tonight! Only one more after this week, then we'll have aired all of the first 20! Next week's episode is our other half-hour special. More info on that that one soon.

If you're going to the ComiCon next week, be sure to come to the Chowder signing and panel, both on Sunday.

Nick Magazine Biography Comic

2008-07-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

For those who didn't get to see it, here's the full version of that two-page comic from Nickelodeon Magazine that ran a few months ago.

Shnitzel Quits

2008-07-03T15:36:00.001-07:00

Tonight's episode is a special one - our first full half hour story. What happens when Shnitzel has had enough abuse at Mung's and goes to work for the enemy? This picture should give you a clue. I even make a guest appearance as myself. Then tomorrow there'll be an all day marathon of Chowder from 8 am till 8 pm. Have a fun and safe 4th everyone!

Chowder Bowl

2008-06-30T18:48:00.000-07:00

I was just told about this. It was set up at the San Diego Zoo. I have no idea about any other details, but it sure looks cute.

Bluenana / Lead Farfel

2008-06-12T14:23:00.000-07:00

There's a new Chowder on tonight. It's a good one. The first half's got Panini; the second half's got Shnitzel. And hopefully this week not everyone will be watching the Laker game while we air.

Let the New Chowders Begin!!

2008-06-03T23:42:00.000-07:00

I hope you're all ready for new episodes, because starting this Thursday night, you're going to get two whole months of weekly new episodes! Spread the word and help us get good ratings so we can keep making more! We're still at 8pm Pacific/Eastern. And hang around right after for CN's new animated comedy show, Flapjack.

Plus, the network will finally start airing the puppet segments over the credits! (Not on premiere nights, but in repeats.)

And for those who wonder why the new episodes are being billed as "Second Season," I think that's really more of a promotion thing since there's been such a big break from our first run until this one. The real seasons are every 20 half-hours we produce. Currently we're in the middle of season 2 production.

I'm also told that there's work happening on Chowder DVD's. Stay tuned for more.

Chowder News

2008-04-29T18:17:00.000-07:00

Word is officially out that we have our second season pickup. We actually got this a while back, but had to keep mum about it. The network wanted to be able to announce it at the upfronts in April. CN has extended our run to 40 half hours. (The first season was 20, so they gave us 20 more.) We're well into season two and the episodes keep getting funnier and funnier.

It's our monthly new episode premier this Thursday night! In "At Your Service," Mung and Chowder become Endive's servants for the day. This is one of my favorites. Here's a peek at Endive's bathing suit.

In "Chowder & Mr. Fugu," Chowder is forced to spend the day chaperoning the catering company's most valuable customer around town. Mr. Fugu is a balloon man, and his valet, Foie Gras, is a "Lucky Cat." If you listen carefully, you'll notice that Foie Gras is voiced by George Takei.

The good news is that starting soon, there'll be a whole slew of Chowders premiering every week. So be ready!

Chromeo

2008-04-21T20:32:00.001-07:00

Here's a band a friend of mine turned me on to. It's pure 80's fun and they know it. Give in and enjoy.

"Bonafide Lovin" - a nod to the "Money for Nothing" video.

"Needy Girl"

"I am Somebody" - This is actually a DJ Mehdi song featuring Chromeo. 30 points if you know where the vocal sample comes from.

Nickelodeon Magazine

2008-04-07T10:44:00.000-07:00

I did a two page comic for this month's Nickelodeon Magazine. They asked me to write a short biography about my career path and how I got a cartoon show. Here's a little sample:

In a month or two I'll put the full version up.

Guest Voices

2008-04-02T18:16:00.000-07:00

We've been lucky to have some really talented guest voices on the show. This week's episode is no exception. In "The Heavy Sleeper," Tone Loc stars as Chestnut, a tiny fella who lives in the city and collects whatever junk he finds lying around. Tone has the deepest voice of any man I've ever met, and he's super nice as well! We like this character a lot, so be ready to see him in future episodes.

In the second episode, "The Moldy Touch," Jon Polito stars as Funjl, a mischevious mold pixie. I've been a big fan of Jon's work from the Coen bothers' movies, and he was great to work with.

Be sure to watch the new episode this Thursday at 8pm pacific on Cartoon Network.

New Chowder Next Thursday!

2008-03-26T20:15:00.000-07:00

Here's a scene I boarded from next week's episode called "The Heavy Sleeper." Click them to get a better view.

Edit: I was mistaken. It's not this week. It's next week.

More New Chowders

2008-03-11T20:24:00.000-07:00

It'll be a few weeks before another new episode airs, so please be patient. We've got a lot more Chowder coming. I promise.

And yes, there are a few really special Panini and Gorgonzola stories we're working on. One is a full half-hour called "The Apprentice Games." That should give you some idea of what to expect.

New Chowder. New Night. New Time.

2008-03-05T18:37:00.000-08:00

Finally! March 6th, this Thursday night at 8pm Pacific.
This will be our new night from now on. Viva la Thursdays!

Radda Radda Doily

2008-02-26T23:10:00.000-08:00

What more needs to be said. Someone please buy it.

Lightspeed Champion

2008-02-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

This is my new favorite album from Dev Hynes, ex-guitarist of the Test Icicles. It's a bittersweet ride from start to finish.

"Midnight Surprise"
A 9 minute opus of heartache.

"Tell Me What It's Worth"
Watch the signs.

"Galaxy of the Lost"

Happy Valentine's!

2008-02-14T13:25:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone has some love and chocolate today. And what better way to spend this evening than with Chowder and Panini! The two characters (as puppets) will be hosting an evening of cartoons. Check your local listings to be sure.

EDIT: Sorry to get anyone's hopes up abut a new episode. Keep hanging on. The new ones will begin trickling out soon.

Kitty Sneezes Interview

2008-02-07T23:14:00.000-08:00

Here's a fun interview I did for a nice cartoonist named Joe Meyer.

More Puppets

2008-02-07T11:10:00.000-08:00

We deliver every episode to the network with a 30 second skit over the end credits, but sadly they never run them. The network thinks the puppets will turn kids off the show. Luckily, we're still getting to make them. Maybe someday you'll get to see them all. In the meantime, here are some photos to look at.

Chowder Patterns

2008-01-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

I really love seeing all the fan art that's out there. We've printed out a bunch and put them up around the office. So I thought I'd post the actual patterns that we use for Chowder's outfit. Feel free to use them to keep making more great art.

Here's a quick way to apply them with Photoshop:
- select a big chunk of the pattern, then "copy" it
- with the magic wand, select the areas you want to fill in
- paste in the pattern

New Chowder Episodes

2008-01-27T15:10:00.000-08:00

You may have noticed there wasn't a new episode this week even though it had been advertised. I'm sad, too. There may not be any new episodes airing for a little while. I think the network wants to hold them so they can do a longer run of new ones, rather than in short spurts. I can't say much else except to hang on patiently. We've got some really, really good ones coming up.

In the meantime, here's an absolutely incredible Chowder short made by a very talented fan, AnimateEd. Be sure to give him some love. He obviously worked very hard on it.

New Chowder this Week!

2008-01-15T18:45:00.001-08:00

Friday night at 7pm Pacific. Our time slot has officially changed (for some unknown reason, they changed us just 2 months into our run). The first story in this week's show, called The Puckerberry Overlords, was boarded by Billy & Mandy creator Maxwell Atoms! Chowder gets sucked into his own mouth when he eats a super sour fruit and must fight for freedom. It's a bit darker and weirder than the usual stories. I hope you dig it!

In the second story, The Elemelons, we get some special Truffles time. Truffles' temper gets her locked in a cage with some unruly fruit beasts, and the only way out is to discover her softer side. I see a theme in this week's show - being trapped! This half-hour should be the first of 5 new episodes in a row, taking us to our initial run of 13 half-hours. Season 1 was extended to 20 half-hours, so there'll be plenty more to come.

WonderCon

2008-01-11T00:29:00.001-08:00

If anyone is planning to go to Wondercon in San Francisco next month, stop by and say hi. I'll be doing a Chowder signing and panel (along with a sneak peek screening) on Saturday the 23rd. I'll post all the details when I get them.

Shnitzel FAQ

2008-01-01T17:01:00.000-08:00

So to ring in the new year, I thought I'd take a few minutes to answer some questions about Shnitzel.

Q: What is he?
A: He's a big, strong rock monster. His job is to help lift and move stuff, along with other grunt work, around the kitchen.

Q: Why a rock monster?
A: Well, here's a little history on him. Shnitzel originally began as a drawing I did in the late 90's as an exercise to see if I could clean up a character in Adobe Illustrator. I was even going to try and animate him in Flash, so I did alternate pieces of him. Back then he was called "Tapiocaca." He was supposed to be sort of like a big rock tiki monster that was always on fire. I even made a cool logo for him. Well I didn't really do anything with him after that, but I still liked the design. So when I was forming the world of Chowder, he seemed like a good fit. I like to think of him as a living menhir from the Asterix comics.

Q: What're all the lines in his pattern supposed to be?
A: The idea is that he's covered with scratches and grooves from all the abuse he's taken over the years. In the pilot (Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin) his pattern is swirly. But I felt it looked too much like hair, so I changed the lines to straight criss-crosses.

Here's a very early scribble of Shnitzel from 2000. He was a bit stubbier and didn't have his apron yet.

Here's the way to construct him now.

Q: Why does he have ears?
A: To hear things.

Q: Why does he have chest hair?
A: Because he's a MAN, and real men have chest hair.

Q: Why "Radda radda"?
A: It sounded funny. No real reason. Casting for his part was surreal - Hearing dozens upon dozen of actors saying those words then trying to decide just from some gibberish.

Q: Who does his voice?
A: In the pilot, he was voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson. But Kevin was unavailable when we started the series, so John DiMaggio (Bender on Futurama) jumped in and saved us, doing an amazing job.

Q: Will he ever say anything other than "Radda radda"?
A: I'd rather he didn't. It's like asking if Chewbacca will ever speak English. You can pretty much say he won't, but you don't want to rule out any weird alternate universes or anything.

Q: Is it hard to write a character that speaks in gibberish?
A: The key is context. If other characters repeat back what he said then you'll always know what's going on. Like if he says "Radda radda radda," Mung says "No, we can't chuck him in the furnace!" It gets really hard if he's alone and you have no characters to translate for him.

Q: Is he married?
A: Originally in my head he was. He had a wife that we'd never see, like Norm's Vera on Cheers. But it never came up and didn't really give us anything to add to his character. Plus it's more fun to think of him as the swinging bachelor. So he's definitely single.

Q: Will we ever see his private life?
A: I like his life outside of work to remain a mystery. He's the guy that clocks in, does his job, and goes home. He doesn't share a lot of personal info. Occasionally we'll get glimpses. Like in Gazpacho Stands Up when we saw him doing stand up comedy and he was horrified to be caught by Mung and the rest.

Q: Why does he stay with Mung, Truffles, and Chowder if they make his life hard?
A: They're like his family. Your family can drive you crazy, but they still love you. We're making a special half-hour episode right now that answers that very question. Watch for it in about a year.

So that's it. I'll put up some more history and early doodles on the characters soon. Happy new year!

Chowder is in TV Guide this Week

2007-12-20T17:09:00.000-08:00

And they seem to like us! I, however, never won an Emmy.

A Real Life Mung Daal

2007-12-19T17:50:00.000-08:00

Or Papa Smurf... your choice. Yes, he's real. Watch the CNN video.

Urinal Bonanza

2007-12-17T18:33:00.000-08:00

Here's a funny three-minute movie made by a good friend of mine, Kevin Kramer. It's rated PG-13, so all you kids out there better not watch it. Kevin has written a few Chowder outlines and you'll see his name pop up in the credits occasionally, like in last week's Taste of Marzipan episode.

Mahjongg Night

2007-11-28T17:26:00.001-08:00

This Friday night's Chowder episode is a very personal one. I wanted to do this story from the moment I pitched the show. Every Tuesday night since I was a little kid, my mom would gather with four of her friends and play Mahjongg, a Chinese tile game that's sort of like bridge. (Jewish women love it!) Four play at once, one rotates out each hand.

Each week, the ladies gather at a different person's house, and the hostess serves up yummy snacks for the rest. So when it came to our house, my mom would set out goodies that we rarely got to have (candies and such). She made egg salad too, and while I'm told it's awesome, I'm not terribly partial to egg salad. Of course, I'd get a handful of peanut M&M's then be banished from the kitchen as they played. As I laid in bed, I could hear the clacking of the tiles and a stream of expletives as the women yelled at each other for taking their money. They weren't big rollers. I think they usually played for something like 35 cents a game, and a big winner would walk away with $5 for the night.

So when you watch it, think of chubby little me, dozing off to the thoughts of chocolate while the sounds of "You bitch! You took my money!" ring in my ears.

(And yes, Truffles is based on my mom. She doesn't really have the accent, but everyone is actually scared of her. And she's tiny.)

(Some random women having their own Mahjongg night. This is what it looks like for real. Notice the snacks on the table!)

Truffles Chases Shnitzel

2007-11-19T22:19:00.000-08:00

This was shot in Atlanta when they dressed up for Halloween. It's pretty incredible, even if it is just a loop. Yet every time they pass, it just gets funnier to me. I can swear Truffles comes closer and closer to catching him. Benny Hill music and fast forward makes everything better.