American animator (born 1965)
Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV
(born January 10, 1965) is an American animator, writer, YouTuber, and voice actor. He is best known for creating the animated television series
The Fairly OddParents
,
Danny Phantom
,
T.U.F.F. Puppy
, and
Bunsen Is a Beast
for
Nickelodeon
. He founded the company, Billionfold Inc. in 2003, to produce the shows. Hartman was an
executive producer
on
The Fairly OddParents
for the entirety of its 16-year run.
In February 2018, Hartman announced his departure from Nickelodeon after almost 20 years;
[1]
this resulted in the end of production on
Bunsen Is a Beast
after one season.
[2]
In 2021, he returned to the studio to produce
The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder
, a live-action
Fairly OddParents
reboot which premiered on
Paramount+
the following year and aired for one season. In 2023, his first non-secular animated program,
The Garden
, premiered on the Christian streaming service
Pure Flix
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Hartman was born in
Highland Park, Michigan
.
[3]
He received the nickname Butch as a young boy and continued to use it as an adult. Hartman spent his childhood in
Roseville, Michigan
, and his teenage years in
New Baltimore, Michigan
.
[4]
He graduated from
Anchor Bay High School
in New Baltimore in 1983,
[4]
and subsequently attended the
California Institute of the Arts
in
Valencia
, California.
[5]
He graduated in 1987 with a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree.
[6]
As a young student, he appeared on
The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
;
he won close to $3,000.
[7]
Career
[
edit
]
Early career
[
edit
]
While still attending CalArts, Hartman interned as an
in-between animator
on the
Don Bluth
film
An American Tail
. Before graduating, he was a contestant on the
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
for three episodes and shortly after graduating, he was hired as a character designer and storyboard artist for an unidentified
My Little Pony
animated series. As he had no previous experience with storyboards, he was soon fired.
[8]
Afterwards, he found work with
Ruby-Spears
, where he worked on
It's Punky Brewster
and
Dink, the Little Dinosaur
. He was also a member of the video reference crew for the
Disney
film
Pocahontas
.
In the early 1990s, he was hired as an artist in the model department at
Hanna-Barbera
, and was eventually contacted by studio president
Fred Seibert
to create the shorts
Pfish and Chip
and
Gramps
for his animated incubator series
What a Cartoon!
. Eventually, he became a writer, director and storyboard artist for several of the early
Cartoon Network
shows, including
Dexter's Laboratory
,
Johnny Bravo
,
Cow and Chicken
, and
I Am Weasel
. After his contract with Hanna-Barbera expired, he went to work with Seibert at his newfound
Frederator
studio, on his successor incubator series,
Oh Yeah! Cartoons
for
Nickelodeon
.
[9]
During his time working at Hanna-Barbera, he became acquainted with future
Family Guy
creator
Seth MacFarlane
. The two would later go on to make the short
Zoomates
together for Oh Yeah! Cartoons. The character
Dr. Elmer Hartman
in
Family Guy
was named after Hartman. He also voiced various characters in the show's first seasons.
[10]
Working at Nickelodeon
[
edit
]
His biggest success came in December 1997, when he created
The Fairly OddParents
. The series originally started out as a series of shorts on the anthology show
Oh Yeah! Cartoons
. Eventually, Nickelodeon decided to pick the shorts up as a full series. Premiering in 2001, the adapted series ended up becoming a huge hit, second only in the ratings to
SpongeBob SquarePants
(and it briefly even passed
SpongeBob
'
s ratings).
[11]
[12]
Following the third
The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius
crossover
The Jimmy-Timmy Power Hour 3: The Jerkinators
, the series ceased production in 2006, but it was announced on Hartman's forum on February 2, 2007, that 20 more episodes would be produced; the 6th season of
Fairly OddParents
aired on February 18, 2008, starting with the one-hour special
Fairly OddBaby
. From May 1, 2009, to May 3, 2009, the three-part special
Wishology
aired;
[13]
although that too was originally intended as a series finale, the series was renewed for another season. A tenth season was eventually ordered in 2015.
[14]
The Fairly OddParents
is Nickelodeon's second longest-running animated show behind
SpongeBob
.
[15]
Due to the success of
The Fairly OddParents
, Hartman was asked to create another show for Nickelodeon; Hartman says the President of Nickelodeon asked him if he had an idea, and before he could say the title he was given the greenlight. The show would later become
Danny Phantom
.
[16]
To produce the show, Hartman founded his own production company Billionfold Inc. in 2003, which he also used to produce his other projects.
Danny Phantom
received his furthest critical acclaim throughout his career, with Hartman himself acknowledging it as perhaps the best of his programs while acknowledging its
cult following
.
Danny Phantom
ended production in early 2007.
Around 2008?2009, Hartman began production his third show for Nickelodeon,
T.U.F.F. Puppy
, which premiered in 2010 alongside the
Jimmy Neutron
spin-off
Planet Sheen
.
[18]
The series received mixed to positive reviews and ran for three seasons before being cancelled.
His final show,
Bunsen Is a Beast
, aired on Nickelodeon and
Nicktoons
from January 16, 2017, to February 10, 2018. On February 8, 2018, Hartman announced on his Twitter and YouTube accounts that he had left Nickelodeon as of February 2 after a 20-year run.
[1]
[2]
Other works
[
edit
]
In 2015, Hartman launched a "kid-safe [online] network of live shows and cartoons" called The Noog Network.
[19]
[20]
In October 2017, Hartman launched the podcast
Speech Bubble
, on which he talks about pop culture. Several voice actors have appeared on the podcast, including
Rob Paulsen
,
Tara Strong
,
Jerry Trainor
,
Grey Griffin
, and
Vic Mignogna
. After initially posting excerpts on his primary YouTube channel, the podcast videos were later moved to its own dedicated YouTube channel, now including full episodes.
[21]
[22]
In June 2018, Hartman started a
Kickstarter
campaign for OAXIS Entertainment, a "family-friendly"
streaming service
. After the fundraising goal had been reached, it was revealed that OAXIS was planned to be a Christian-themed network, which was not disclosed during the fundraiser.
[23]
However, Hartman later claimed that, while faith would continue to be a part of his personal life, OAXIS would not be a faith-based service.
[24]
As of 2024, Hartman has yet to give any updates on OAXIS.
On June 22, 2019, Hartman released the animated web series
HobbyKids Adventures
. This series, produced by PocketWatch Inc., was created for
YouTube
channel HobbyKidsTV.
[25]
On 13 July, Hartman released a book,
Mad Hustle
, which details the ins and outs of pitching and selling a show in Hollywood.
[26]
In 2019, Hartman created the Christian animated web series
The Garden
, which he co-produced with his wife Julieann. Hartman has planned at least two seasons of the series and plan to launch a subscription-based app for
The Garden
in late 2022. Hartman's further plans for the property include creating a VBS curriculum for churches and illustrating a children's Bible published by
Thomas Nelson
, titled
The Garden Children's Bible
, which stars the characters from
The Garden
and is scheduled to release in 2023.
[27]
[28]
[29]
The series premiered on
Pure Flix
on January 1, 2023.
[30]
In February 2021, Hartman was accused of
plagiarism
when he published his commissioned artwork of
Attack on Titan
character Mikasa Ackerman, in which similarities were noted to a 2018 artwork of a Japanese artist. The artist confirmed Hartman did not receive permission.
[23]
Return to Nickelodeon
[
edit
]
In February 2021, Hartman was announced to be returning as a producer of
The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder
, a live-action/animated reboot of his original show.
[31]
[32]
The show premiered on March 31, 2022.
[33]
Personal life
[
edit
]
As of 2024, Hartman lives in
Bell Canyon, California
, with his wife, Julieann, and daughters, Carly and Sophia Hartman.
[34]
He also has three younger brothers.
[35]
Hartman is an openly devout
born-again Christian
[36]
and
young-Earth creationist
,
[37]
converting in 2000 after hearing a sermon by
Frederick K. C. Price
.
[38]
In 2005, Hartman, along with his wife, co-founded Hartman House, a non-profit organization which supports those in developing nations, as well as poverty stricken areas in the United States.
[39]
By 2017, Hartman House has built two homes for families in
Guatemala
, fed nearly 7,200 families with
Thanksgiving
meals in the U.S., and funded aid projects for orphanages in
Uganda
and
Haiti
.
[40]
[41]
At Hartman House events, Hartman usually draws and autographs items related to his work for children.
[42]
Filmography
[
edit
]
Film
[
edit
]
Television
[
edit
]
Internet
[
edit
]
Year
|
Title
|
Role
|
Notes
|
2017
|
The Fairly Odd Phantom
|
|
Internet short that reunites characters from all Butch Hartman shows created for Nickelodeon
[45]
|
2019?2020
|
HobbyKids Adventures
|
SlobbySnake (episode: "The Drawing Board")
|
Creator/executive producer/director/writer/designs/voice actor
|
2019
|
The Garden
|
|
Miniseries; Creator/story/writer/storyboard artist/director/executive producer
[46]
|
2023?present
|
The Garden
|
Mr. Toothacher / Cuckoo Charlie / Employee #101 / Various Animals
|
Creator/executive producer/director/story editor/writer/voice actor
[47]
|
2024
|
The Big Blue Book
|
Oven Mitt
|
Executive producer/director/writer/lyrics by/background designer/set designer
[48]
|
Written works
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Hartman, Butch (February 9, 2018).
"Why I Left Nickelodeon"
.
Archived
from the original on April 23, 2020
. Retrieved
February 10,
2018
– via SoundCloud.
- ^
a
b
Hartman, Butch (February 8, 2018).
"Why I Left Nickelodeon"
.
Archived
from the original on February 9, 2018
. Retrieved
February 9,
2018
– via YouTube.
- ^
Walker, Alana (May 16, 2013).
"Animation Domination"
.
Hour Detroit Magazine
. Hour Media.
Archived
from the original on May 3, 2021
. Retrieved
May 3,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Larese, Katelyn (July 10, 2014).
"With Video: Cartoon creator Butch Hartman leaves his mark"
.
The Voice
.
Archived
from the original on August 18, 2019
. Retrieved
December 25,
2016
.
- ^
"
'Fairly OddParents' is not just for kids"
.
The Augusta Chronicle
. February 12, 2004.
Archived
from the original on September 27, 2013
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
"CalArts Alum's 'Fairly OddParents' Nominated for Daytime Emmy"
. May 19, 2014.
Archived
from the original on November 23, 2022
. Retrieved
November 23,
2022
.
- ^
Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour
. January 3, 1984.
NBC
.
- ^
Fletcher, Alex (September 7, 2012).
"TUFF Puppy' Butch Hartman interview: 'I want Charlie Sheen character"
.
Digital Spy
.
Archived
from the original on February 1, 2014
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
Milligan, Mercedes (February 21, 2017).
"Nick Short 'The Fairly Odd Phantom' Is a Butch Hartman Reunion"
.
Animation Magazine
.
Archived
from the original on February 26, 2017
. Retrieved
February 21,
2017
.
- ^
Perlmutter, David (2018).
The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows
. Lanham, Maryland:
Rowman & Littlefield
. p. 190.
ISBN
978-1538103739
.
Archived
from the original on July 18, 2023
. Retrieved
March 27,
2022
.
- ^
Ryan, Suzanne C. (August 19, 2003).
"
'OddParents' soaks up 'SpongeBob' spot"
.
Chicago Tribune
.
Archived
from the original on June 10, 2020
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
"
'Fairly OddParents' is not just for kids"
.
Today
. August 5, 2010.
Archived
from the original on July 12, 2018
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
"Kiss Get Animated in "Fairly Oddparents" Movie "Wishology"
"
.
Rolling Stone
. May 1, 2009.
Archived
from the original on August 31, 2018
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
Grant, Stacey (August 18, 2015).
"
'The Fairly OddParents' Is Getting A New Character -- And A Tenth Season [Exclusive]"
.
MTV News
.
Archived
from the original on October 25, 2017
. Retrieved
November 8,
2017
.
- ^
Venable, Nick (July 29, 2016).
"The Hilarious Number Of Times The Fairly OddParents Has Been Cancelled"
.
CinemaBlend
.
Archived
from the original on August 1, 2016
. Retrieved
July 29,
2016
.
- ^
Ball, Ryan (April 8, 2004).
"Butch Hartman Talks Danny Phantom"
.
Animation Magazine
.
Archived
from the original on March 1, 2014
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
Lloyd, Robert (October 2, 2010).
"Television reviews: 'T.U.F.F. Puppy' and 'Planet Sheen'
"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on November 11, 2012
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
"Animator Butch Hartman Launches the Noog Network | Strange Kids Club"
. Archived from
the original
on April 13, 2016
. Retrieved
March 30,
2016
.
- ^
"Butch Hartman Launches Noog App"
.
Animation Magazine
. July 23, 2015.
Archived
from the original on February 20, 2016
. Retrieved
March 30,
2016
.
- ^
"Speech Bubble by Butch Hartman on Apple Podcasts"
.
Apple Podcasts
.
Archived
from the original on May 1, 2018
. Retrieved
April 30,
2018
.
- ^
"YouTube"
.
Archived
from the original on December 14, 2006
. Retrieved
April 30,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Asarch, Steven (February 22, 2021).
"
'Fairly Odd Parents' creator accused of plagiarizing from Japanese Twitter artist for commissions"
.
Insider
.
Insider Inc.
Archived
from the original on May 3, 2021
. Retrieved
February 23,
2021
.
- ^
Hartman, Butch [@realhartman] (July 25, 2018).
"(no text)"
(
Tweet
)
. Retrieved
November 5,
2020
– via
Twitter
.
- ^
Spangler, Todd (May 13, 2019).
"Pocket.watch Sets Projects With MarMar, The Onyx Family and Other YouTube Creators"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on May 13, 2019
. Retrieved
June 24,
2019
.
- ^
"MAD HUSTLE | Butch Hartman"
.
Madhustle
.
Archived
from the original on May 3, 2021
. Retrieved
July 16,
2020
.
- ^
Milligan, Mercedes (May 25, 2022).
"Butch Hartman Launching Pre-K Bible Toon 'The Garden'
"
.
Animation Magazine
.
Archived
from the original on November 24, 2022
. Retrieved
November 24,
2022
.
- ^
"The Garden website"
.
Archived
from the original on November 24, 2022
. Retrieved
November 24,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
Nelson, Thomas (March 7, 2023).
ICB, The Garden Children's Bible, Hardcover: International Children's Bible
. Thomas Nelson.
ISBN
978-0785241812
.
- ^
Butch Hartman [@butchhartman] (January 1, 2023).
"My new Christian cartoon "THE GARDEN" just dropped on @pureflix TODAY!"
. Retrieved
January 2,
2023
– via
Instagram
.
- ^
White, Peter (February 24, 2021).
"Nickelodeon's
Dora The Explorer
&
The Fairly OddParents
Get Live-Action Series Remakes On Paramount+"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on March 4, 2021
. Retrieved
September 23,
2021
.
- ^
Gelman, Samuel (April 20, 2021).
"Fairly OddParents Live-Action Reboot Gets Summer Filming Date"
.
CBR
.
Archived
from the original on November 21, 2021
. Retrieved
September 23,
2021
.
- ^
Grantham-Philips, Wyatte; Urban, Sasha; Chapman, Wilson (February 23, 2022).
"
'The Fairly Oddparents: Fairly Odder' Gets Paramount Plus Premiere Date (TV News Roundup)"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on April 1, 2022
. Retrieved
April 3,
2022
.
- ^
"About | Vision Possible"
.
Archived
from the original on October 24, 2020
. Retrieved
October 21,
2020
.
- ^
Hartman, Butch (September 1, 2015).
"Fun Facts About My Shows: Fairly Odd Parents, Danny Phantom, & TUFF Puppy!"
.
Archived
from the original on September 2, 2015
. Retrieved
November 8,
2017
– via YouTube.
- ^
Frost, AJ (September 29, 2015).
"Noog Network creates safe online place for kids"
.
Jewish News of Greater Phoenix
.
Archived
from the original on February 9, 2018
. Retrieved
February 9,
2018
.
- ^
Hartman, Julieann; Hartman, Butch (March 28, 2011).
"Where is God"
.
YouTube
. thehart2heart.
Archived
from the original on May 3, 2021
. Retrieved
July 24,
2020
.
- ^
"- YouTube"
.
Archived
from the original on May 3, 2021
. Retrieved
May 3,
2021
.
- ^
White, Stefanie (November 24, 2006).
"Nickelodeon cartoon creator Butch Hartman visits McKinney"
.
McKinney Courier-Gazette Star
.
Archived
from the original on February 19, 2020
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
"Butch Hartman Talks About His New Nickelodeon Show "Bunsen is a Beast"
"
.
- ^
Pompa, Amber (July 28, 2009).
"Singing & sweeping"
.
Herald-Banner
.
Archived
from the original on July 12, 2022
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
"About"
.
Hartman House
.
Archived
from the original on November 9, 2022
. Retrieved
November 11,
2012
.
- ^
White, Peter (February 24, 2021).
"Nickelodeon's
Dora The Explorer
&
The Fairly OddParents
Get Live-Action Series Remakes On Paramount+"
.
Deadline Hollywood
.
Archived
from the original on March 4, 2021
. Retrieved
September 23,
2021
.
- ^
Romano, Nick (February 23, 2022).
"New 'Fairly OddParents' series shows live-action Timmy all grown up"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
February 23,
2022
.
- ^
Brown, Tracy (February 21, 2017).
"
'The Fairly Odd Phantom' brings four cartoons together for one giant Nickelodeon crossover"
.
Los Angeles Times
.
Archived
from the original on February 26, 2021
. Retrieved
March 31,
2021
.
- ^
"Butch Hartman | GospelTruth.TV On Demand"
.
GospelTruth.TV
.
Archived
from the original on July 6, 2020
. Retrieved
July 6,
2020
.
- ^
"You are being redirected..."
www.animationmagazine.net
. Retrieved
October 30,
2023
.
- ^
"THE BIG BLUE BOOK! - YouTube"
.
www.youtube.com
. Retrieved
February 19,
2024
.
- ^
Hartman, Butch (September 20, 2017).
Butch Hartman: Sketchbook 1: Stuff I've drawn or am drawn to
. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
ISBN
978-1975613396
.
- ^
Hartman, Butch;
Gorfinkel, Jordan B.
(October 24, 2017).
3 O'Clock Club Vol. 1: School's Out... of Control!
. Oni Press.
ISBN
978-1941302583
.
- ^
Hartman, Butch; Hartman, Julieann (October 9, 2018).
Vision: Possible!
. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
ISBN
978-1727377453
.
- ^
Terradez, Carlie (May 19, 2020).
Hannah and the Beanstalk: A True Story of Faith
. Harrison House Publishers.
ISBN
978-1680315011
.
- ^
Mad Hustle: How to pitch & sell shows in Hollywood
. July 12, 2020.
Archived
from the original on May 3, 2021
. Retrieved
July 17,
2020
– via Amazon.
External links
[
edit
]
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