:Dexter's Laboratory

File:Dexter and Dee Dee.png

Dexter (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh in seasons 1–3; Candi Milo in seasons 3–4) is a bespectacled boy-genius who, behind a bookcase in his bedroom, conceals a secret laboratory, which can be accessed by spoken passwords or hidden switches on his bookshelf. Though highly intelligent, Dexter often fails to achieve his goals when he becomes overexcited and careless. Tartakovsky described Dexter as "a good kid. He's very ambitious. And he's very frustrated that everyone isn't as smart as him." Although he comes from a typical American family, Dexter speaks with an accent of indeterminate origin. Christine Cavanaugh described it as "an affectation, [a] kind of accent, we're not quite sure. A small Peter Lorre, but not. Perhaps he's Latino, perhaps he's French. He's a scientist; he knows he needs [a] kind of accent."{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Scott |date=July 20, 1996 |title=Out of the Mouth of 'Babe' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1996/07/21/out-of-the-mouth-of-babe/de4c5788-1184-422c-a172-78e30c9b811d/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240623163609/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1996/07/21/out-of-the-mouth-of-babe/de4c5788-1184-422c-a172-78e30c9b811d/ |archive-date=June 23, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |department=TV Week |page=Y06}} Genndy Tartakovsky explained, "he's a scientist. All scientists are foreign and have accents...It's not really a German accent. It's just Eastern European."{{Cite web |last=Woulfe |first=Molly |date=June 24, 2003 |title=Meet 'Dexter's' Dad: Chicago-Bred Animator Draws from His Imagination |url=https://www.nwitimes.com/lifestyles/meet-dexter-s-dad/article_962576aa-a2ab-5e76-9a16-444b5c4813d0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128210722/https://www.nwitimes.com/lifestyles/meet-dexter-s-dad/article_962576aa-a2ab-5e76-9a16-444b5c4813d0.html |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |access-date=November 28, 2018 |website=The Times of Northwest Indiana |publisher=Lee Enterprises}} Tartakovsky later declared Cavanaugh's input for Dexter to be irreplaceable as he acknowledged her legacy.

Dexter conceals his lab from his clueless parents, addressed only as Mom (voiced by Kath Soucie) and Dad (voiced by Jeff Bennett), who Tartakovsky described as simplified stereotypes of "ideal parents". His hyperactive, carefree, older sister Dee Dee (voiced by Allison Moore in seasons 1 and 3 and by Kat Cressida in seasons 2 and 4) delights in playing haphazardly in the laboratory, wreaking havoc with Dexter's inventions. Though seemingly dim-witted, Dee Dee, a talented ballet dancer, often outsmarts her brother and even provides him helpful advice. According to Tartakovsky, "Dee Dee is the life, she's the spirit, everything is fun. There's no hardship in life." When Tartakovsky was asked whether he and his brother Alex had a similar sibling relationship, he stated, "There's a little bit of Dee Dee and Dexter in that. He has science and he doesn't want Dee Dee in his lab. My brother is Dexter. I'm Dee Dee."

Dexter's nemesis is rival classmate Mandark Astronomonov{{efn|Mandark's first name is revealed to be Susan in "A Boy Named Sue", but he is otherwise referred to as Mandark.{{Cite episode |title=A Boy Named Sue |series=Dexter's Laboratory |network=Cartoon Network |date=March 29, 2002 |season=3 |number=6a}}}}{{Cite episode |title=Dexter's Rival |series=Dexter's Laboratory |network=Cartoon Network |date=May 12, 1996 |season=1 |number=3a}} (voiced by Eddie Deezen). Like Dexter, Mandark is a boy genius with his own laboratory, but his schemes are generally evil and designed to gain power or downplay or destroy Dexter's accomplishments. In revival seasons, Mandark becomes significantly more evil, becoming Dexter's enemy rather than his rival, and Mandark's laboratory changes from brightly lit with rounded features to gothic-looking, industrial, and angular. Mandark's unrequited love for Dee Dee is shown as a pivotal weakness, notably near the end of the Ego Trip television film.

Every Dexter's Laboratory episode, with the exception of "Last But Not Beast", is divided into different stories or segments, each being 7–12 minutes long. Occasionally, a segment centers on characters other than Dexter and his family. Two segments are shown primarily during season 1: Dial M for Monkey and The Justice Friends.{{Cite news |last=Boedecker |first=Hal |date=July 14, 1997 |title=Cartoon Network Zany Relief |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j4c1AAAAIBAJ&pg=1308,7322907 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301141548/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j4c1AAAAIBAJ&sjid=dqYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1308,7322907 |archive-date=March 1, 2017 |access-date=January 22, 2013 |work=Reading Eagle |page=B6 |via=Google News}} Dial M for Monkey is the middle segment for six episodes of season 1, and The Justice Friends takes its place until season 1's end. With rare exception, extra segments do not appear after season 1. Other recurring characters include Puppet Pal Mitch (voiced by Rob Paulsen) and Puppet Pal Clem (voiced by Tom Kenny).

Dial M for Monkey follows Monkey (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker), Dexter's pet laboratory monkey who is secretly a crime-fighting superhero. Monkey's superpowers include super-strength, telekinesis, flight, and super speed. He is joined by his partner Agent Honeydew (voiced by Kath Soucie), Commander General (voiced by Robert Ridgely in season 1, Earl Boen in season 2), and a team of assembled superheroes. Dial M for Monkey was created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, and Paul Rudish.{{Cite press release |title=Emmy-Nominated "Dexter's Laboratory" to Be Expanded into Series Airing on Turner Entertainment Networks in April 1996 |date=August 29, 1995 |publisher=Business Wire}}

The Justice Friends follows Major Glory (voiced by Rob Paulsen), Valhallen (voiced by Tom Kenny), and the Infraggable Krunk (voiced by Frank Welker), a trio of superhero roommates residing in an apartment called Muscular Arms. Their adventures deal less with superhero life and more with an inability to agree with each other; it is presented much like a sitcom, including a laugh track.{{Cite web |last=Dominguez |first=Noah |date=February 11, 2020 |title=How Dexter's Laboratory Perfected the Superhero Parody |url=https://www.cbr.com/dexters-lab-justice-friends-dial-m-for-monkey-retrospective/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200212152216/https://www.cbr.com/dexters-lab-justice-friends-dial-m-for-monkey-retrospective/ |archive-date=February 12, 2020 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |website=Comic Book Resources |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Jasper |first=Gavin |date=November 21, 2020 |title=The Justice Friends from Dexter's Laboratory Deserve a Revival |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-justice-friends-from-dexters-laboratory-deserve-a-revival/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929005418/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/the-justice-friends-from-dexters-laboratory-deserve-a-revival/ |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |access-date=December 14, 2020 |website=Den of Geek |language=en-US}} Genndy Tartakovsky's inspiration for The Justice Friends came from reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English. In a 2001 IGN interview, Tartakovsky expressed disappointment with how The Justice Friends turned out, saying, "it could have been funnier and the characters could have been fleshed out more."{{Cite web |last=Plume |first=Kenneth |date=November 28, 2001 |title=10 Questions: Genndy Tartakovsky |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/28/10-questions-genndy-tartakovsky |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107162829/https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/11/28/10-questions-genndy-tartakovsky |archive-date=November 7, 2012 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}}

File:Genndy Tartakovsky.jpg at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2012]]

Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of Dexter's Laboratory, was born in Moscow, where his father, a dentist, served in the government of the Soviet Union.{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}} Although relatively wealthy and well-connected, his family feared racial persecution due to their Jewish heritage and moved from Russia to Chicago when Tartakovsky was seven. Along with his older brother, Alex, Tartakovsky learned English by watching cartoons and taught himself how to draw as a child by copying comic books.{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}}{{Cite news |last=Davenport |first=Misha |date=November 24, 2002 |title='Dexter' Creator Draws on His Youth |url=http://www.suntimes.com:80/output/television/sho-sunday-nowplay24.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20021201044019/http://www.suntimes.com/output/television/sho-sunday-nowplay24.html |archive-date=December 1, 2002 |access-date=July 24, 2019 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |department=Television |publisher=Wrapports}}

Tartakovsky initially went to Columbia College Chicago to study advertising and took an animation class as an elective. After he transferred to the California Institute of the Arts in 1990 to study animation full-time, Tartakovsky wrote, directed, animated, and produced two student short films, one of which was a precursor to Dexter's Laboratory's television pilot, "Changes".{{Cite magazine |last=People Staff |date=March 3, 1997 |title=In Toon with Tots |url=https://people.com/archive/in-toon-with-tots-vol-47-no-8/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181128075237/https://people.com/archive/in-toon-with-tots-vol-47-no-8/ |archive-date=November 28, 2018 |access-date=November 27, 2018 |magazine=People |volume=47 |issue=8 |issn=0093-7673}}{{Cite web |title=Animator Profile: Genndy Tartakovsky |url=http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/ap/gtartakovsky.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619095331/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/ap/gtartakovsky.html |archive-date=June 19, 2009 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=CartoonNetwork.com}}{{sfn|Manley|2008|p=136}} A two-and-a-half-minute pencil test,{{sfn|Manley|2008|p=136}}{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} this short film was included in a university screening for the producers of Batman: The Animated Series, who were impressed and hired Tartakovsky to move to Spain to work on Batman at a studio in Madrid.{{sfn|Manley|2008|p=136}}{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}}

After Batman, Tartakovsky moved back to California to work for Hanna-Barbera on the production team of 2 Stupid Dogs.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}}{{sfn|Manley|2008|p=138}}{{Cite news |last=Jubera |first=Drew |date=August 12, 2001 |title=Watching TV: Is 'Samurai' One for the Ages? |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-atlanta-journal-is-samurai-one-for/161511715/ |work=The Atlanta Journal-Constitution |department=Arts |location=Burbank, California |page=L12 |via=Newspapers.com}}{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}} His co-workers on that series, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, and Paul Rudish, had been classmates of his at Cal Arts{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}} and went on to collaborate with him on Dexter's Laboratory.{{Cite news |title=Dexter's Laboratory Credits |url=https://www.nytimes.com/tv/show/154958/Dexter-s-Laboratory/credits |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206114629/https://www.nytimes.com/tv/show/154958/Dexter-s-Laboratory/credits |archive-date=February 6, 2015 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite web |last=Seibert |first=Fred |author-link=Fred Seibert |date=November 3, 2004 |title=Original Premiere >My Life As a Teenage Robot |url=http://frederatorstudios.blogspot.com/2004/11/original-premiere-my-life-as-teenage.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304071239/http://frederatorstudios.blogspot.com/2004/11/original-premiere-my-life-as-teenage.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=Frederator Blogs |publisher=Frederator Studios |orig-year=June 23, 2003}} Tartakovsky's last job before developing Dexter's Laboratory into a television series was to serve as a sheet timer on The Critic. During his time on that series, Tartakovsky received a phone call from Larry Huber, who had been a producer on 2 Stupid Dogs. Huber had shown Tartakovsky's unfinished student film to a then-nascent Cartoon Network and wanted Tartakovsky to develop the concept into a seven-minute storyboard.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}}{{sfn|Manley|2008|p=138}}

{{Quote box |align=right |width=24em |style=max-width:40%

|quote="It actually started with Dee Dee. I wanted to animate a girl dancing. So, I drew this skinny, big-headed girl dancing. When I had finished her, I thought, what would be the opposite of her? So, I drew a block. That's Dexter. Then I thought if she's into arts, he's into science."

|author=Tartakovsky

|source=Chicago Sun-Times

}}

Unhappy with his position on The Critic, Tartakovsky accepted Huber's proposal,{{sfn|Manley|2008|p=138}} and the resulting project, "Changes", was produced as part of Cartoon Network's animation showcase series, World Premiere Toons, debuting on February 26, 1995.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}}{{sfn|Manley|2008|p=138}}{{Cite news |last=Moore |first=Scott |date=February 26, 1995 |title=Creative World Premiere Toons' |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1995/02/26/creative-world-premiere-toons/d5f8f962-ea0b-4840-a9dc-e12b163886ae/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723135706/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/tv/1995/02/26/creative-world-premiere-toons/d5f8f962-ea0b-4840-a9dc-e12b163886ae/ |archive-date=July 23, 2020 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |newspaper=The Washington Post}} Viewers worldwide voted through phone lines, websites, focus groups, and consumer promotions for their favorite short cartoons; Dexter's Laboratory was the first of 16 to earn that vote of approval. Mike Lazzo, then-head of programming for Cartoon Network, said in 1996 that it was his favorite of the 48 shorts that had been produced by that point, commenting that he and colleagues "loved the humor in the brother-versus-sister relationship".{{Cite news |last=Mifflin |first=Lawrie |date=April 24, 1996 |title=TV Notes; A Cartoon Winner |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/24/arts/tv-notes-a-cartoon-winner.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103131538/https://www.nytimes.com/1996/04/24/arts/tv-notes-a-cartoon-winner.html |archive-date=November 3, 2018 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |work=The New York Times |page=18}}

Even after "Changes" premiered, Tartakovsky had no expectations that it would lead to an entire series.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} In 2018, he noted that his generation was the first in which people could become showrunners at a young age, saying, "Everybody before us were in their forties, at least, and so [our generation's experience] was a very different way to do something where we had no clue what we were doing and we were just trying to make each other laugh."{{Cite web |last=Sokol |first=Tony |author-link=Tony Sokol |date=June 29, 2018 |title=Hotel Transylvania Director Genndy Tartakovsky Tells Tales Outside the Lab |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/274603/hotel-transylvania-director-genndy-tartakovsky-tells-tales-outside-the-lab |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130030428/https://www.denofgeek.com/us/movies/hotel-transylvania-3-summer-vacation/274603/hotel-transylvania-director-genndy-tartakovsky-tells-tales-outside-the-lab |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=Den of Geek}} When Dexter's Laboratory received a series greenlight, Tartakovsky became, at age twenty-seven, one of the youngest animation directors of that era.{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}} Speaking with the Los Angeles Times in 2002, Tartakovsky remarked about the network, "With Cartoon Network, they were looking for more undiscovered talent, people that may have had a hard time getting in.[...]It became a great opportunity to do something. And as I got into it, I realized that they were also offering the creative freedom. They were letting the creators make the shows."{{Cite news |last=Littlejohn |first=Janice Rhoshalle |date=December 2, 2002 |title=Niche Networks Break the Mold |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-dec-02-et-littlejohn2-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211001005316/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2002-dec-02-et-littlejohn2-story.html |archive-date=October 1, 2021 |access-date=2021-09-30 |work=Los Angeles Times}}

In August 1995, Turner ordered six half-hour episodes of Dexter's Laboratory, which included two cartoons of one spin-off segment titled Dial M for Monkey. In addition to Tartakovsky, McCracken, Renzetti, and Rudish,{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} directors and writers on Dexter's Laboratory included Seth MacFarlane,{{Cite web |last=Bartlett |first=James |date=March 12, 2007 |title=Seth MacFarlane – He's the "Family Guy" |url=https://greatreporter.com/2007/03/12/seth-macfarlane-he-s-family-guy/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522134407/https://greatreporter.com/2007/03/12/seth-macfarlane-he-s-family-guy/ |archive-date=May 22, 2022 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=GreatReporter.com}} Butch Hartman,{{Cite web |last=Basile |first=Nancy |year=2007 |title=Not Just Cartoons: Nicktoons! An Interview with Butch Hartman |url=http://animatedtv.about.com/od/spongebobsquarepants/a/nicktoonsbook.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312065254/http://animatedtv.about.com/od/spongebobsquarepants/a/nicktoonsbook.htm |archive-date=March 12, 2012 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=About.com}} John McIntyre,{{Citation |title=Dexter's Laboratory |asin=B00004L8LF |asin-tld=ca |mode=cs1}} Robert Alvarez,{{Cite web |last=Drosu |first=Alexandra |date=January 17, 2018 |title=Striking Gold |url=https://keyframemagazine.org/2018/01/17/striking-gold/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003210046/https://keyframemagazine.org/2018/01/17/striking-gold/ |archive-date=October 3, 2023 |access-date=2024-06-29 |website=KeyframeMagazine.org}} and Chris Savino.{{Cite web |last=Roffman |first=Marisa |date=July 11, 2010 |title=Comic-Con 2010: Sunday's Schedule Released |url=https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2010/07/11/comic-con-2010-sundays-schedule-released/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100713205801/https://www.givememyremote.com/remote/2010/07/11/comic-con-2010-sundays-schedule-released/ |archive-date=July 13, 2010 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=GiveMeMyRemote.com}} McCracken served as an art director on the series. Perlmutter described McCracken's role on Dexter's Laboratory as that of Tartakovsky's "effective second-in-command".{{sfn|Perlmutter|2014|p=269}}

File:Craig McCracken 1.jpg, Tartakovsky's classmate at CalArts, helped him develop Dexter's Laboratory while McCracken worked on his own series, The Powerpuff Girls.]]

Tartakovsky's former classmates McCracken and Rudish helped him design "Changes". This pilot was revised to create a second cut, as Tartakovsky felt utterly dissatisfied with the score, the sound effects, and the entire second half, which he chose to redo entirely.{{Cite web |last=Maher |first=John |date=February 8, 2017 |title=The Secret Hustle of the First 'Dexter's Laboratory' Short |url=https://dotandline.net/the-secret-hustle-of-the-first-dexters-laboratory-short/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215234314/https://dotandline.net/the-secret-hustle-of-the-first-dexters-laboratory-short/ |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=The Dot and Line}} After seeing the revision, producer Fred Seibert felt convinced that the concept for Dexter's Laboratory could be successful. Soon afterward, Tartakovsky helped McCracken create his own short film for World Premiere Toons, which would eventually become the basis for The Powerpuff Girls.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} After finishing McCracken's project, the group proceeded to work on a second short film for Dexter's Laboratory, titled "The Big Sister".{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}}{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}} At the time, Tartakovsky was still not anticipating a series greenlight for Dexter's Laboratory. He went on to reminisce that, in those days, he was simply having fun working on short films with his friends.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} Tartakovsky and McCracken, who had been roommates shortly after college,{{Cite web |last=Fritz |first=Steve |date=January 15, 2009 |title=Animated Shorts: Craig McCracken Talks Powerpuff Girls |url=https://www.newsarama.com/1954-animated-shorts-craig-mccracken-talks-powerpuff-girls.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130030416/https://www.newsarama.com/1954-animated-shorts-craig-mccracken-talks-powerpuff-girls.html |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=Newsarama}} went on to become regular collaborators on each other's series.{{sfn|Perlmutter|2014|p=269}} Animation historian David Perlmutter noted a symbiosis between the two men, which he felt led to stylistic similarities between Dexter's Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls.{{sfn|Perlmutter|2014|p=269}}

Tartakovsky drew inspiration from his experiences as an immigrant growing up in Chicago. He explained that, like Dexter, he had a "very thick accent" as a child—and even though he lived in a diverse neighborhood, children would tease him for this. Speaking with The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles in 2001, Tartakovsky explained, "When I moved to America, I wanted to fit in and be American...We never tried to be too heavy-handed with Dexter's, but if you look at the underlying themes of the show, it's about a little kid trying to fit in."{{Cite news |last=Aushenker |first=Michael |date=August 2, 2001 |title=The Way of the Samurai |url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/4663/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224131911/https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/4663/ |archive-date=February 24, 2017 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |work=The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles}} Tartakovsky noted that when he was a child, he was less confident than the character, telling The New York Times, "The one thing about Dexter, if he doesn't fit in, he'll start his own club. He's not afraid to be an outsider." In developing Dexter's Laboratory, he continued the tradition of making "violent cartoons", explaining that "many people like them because they project themselves in the drawings and they laugh," while following the principles of older Hanna-Barbera cartoons.{{Cite web |last=Chaina |first=Patricia |date=March 4, 2000 |title=Entrevista al Creador de "El Laboratorio de Dexter" |trans-title=Interview with the Creator of "Dexter's Laboratory" |url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/2000/00-03/00-03-04/pag29.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215124411/https://www.pagina12.com.ar/2000/00-03/00-03-04/pag29.htm |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |access-date=February 15, 2024 |website=Página 12 |language=es |trans-work=Page/12}}

Linda Simensky, who served as senior vice-president of Original Animation for Cartoon Network during the production of Dexter's Laboratory, wrote in 2011 that Dexter was designed "to be more of an icon in some ways"; she continued, "his body was short and squat and his design was simple, with a black outline and relatively little detail... Since Tartakovsky knew he was developing Dexter for television, he purposely limited the design to a degree, designing the nose and mouth, for instance, in a Hanna-Barbera style to animate easily."{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}}

This simplistic style was influenced by UPA shorts, as well as by the Merrie Melodies cartoon The Dover Boys at Pimento University.{{sfn|Simensky|2011|p=287}} Simensky noted though, that in contrast to those cartoons, Dexter's Laboratory is "staged cinematically, rather than flat and close to the screen, to leave space and depth for the action and gags in the lab".{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}} Tartakovsky was influenced by Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and Japanese anime.{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}} Sam Raimi's films Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness heavily influenced the series' visual style. Referring to a scene from Army of Darkness featuring the construction of a robotic hand, McCracken explained, "He [Tartakovsky] applied that sequence to the show all the time, especially when Dexter was building stuff."{{Cite web |last=Motamayor |first=Rafael |date=May 3, 2021 |title=How Dexter's Laboratory Changed American Cartoons Forever |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-dexters-laboratory-changed-american-cartoons |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903130915/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-dexters-laboratory-changed-american-cartoons |archive-date=September 3, 2021 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=Syfy Wire}}

File:Christine Cavanaugh.jpg provided the voice of Dexter for the first two seasons and part of the third season.]]

Dexter's Laboratory has its origins in a drawing of a tall, thin girl dancing next to a short and blocky boy that Tartakovsky made while at CalArts.{{Cite magazine |last=Wilkinson |first=Alec |author-link=Alec Wilkinson |date=May 27, 2002 |title=Moody Toons |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/05/27/moody-toons |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109112138/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2002/05/27/moody-toons |archive-date=November 9, 2018 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |magazine=The New Yorker |page=76 |issn=0028-792X}} These two characters would eventually develop into Dee Dee and Dexter respectively, although they went unnamed until Tartakovsky started expanding the concept for Cartoon Network.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} To further contrast the two characters, Tartakovsky determined that Dee Dee would be artistic, while Dexter would be focused on science. In an interview, Tartakovsky said, "Dee Dee came first. She was really the star of the show to me. She was so much fun. Later on, I started on Dexter and he took over."

The names Dexter and Dee Dee were both found in name books; "Dexter" caught Tartakovsky's attention for sounding scientific, while "Dee Dee" appealed to him because of its uniqueness and because he felt that it complemented that character's two pigtails. Before settling on these options, Tartakovsky had considered titling the series Dartmouth and Daisy. Explaining why he discarded this idea, Tartakovsky said that "Dartmouth doesn't exactly roll off the tongue" and that the name Daisy was already heavily associated with Disney. The title Dexter's Laboratory was not settled on until around midway through production of the series' pilot episode, "Changes".{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}}

{{Quote box |align=right |width=24em |style=max-width:40%

|quote=I really don't like to answer those questions because it's a question that should forever exist. You kind of make your own mind up about it.

|author=Tartakovsky, on whether or not there is an in-universe explanation for Dexter's accent.

|source=Den of Geek

}}

The ages of Dexter and Dee Dee are meant to be nebulous. Although Tartakovsky suggested that Dexter is intended to be about six to eight years old and that Dee Dee is "a couple years older", he stressed that he would "never want" to specify Dexter's exact age. Tartakovsky wrote Dexter as a hardworking, unspoiled "Midwest kid" who loves food and explained, "I'm not saying he's from Chicago, but there's a reason he's got his own burrito palace, just like I had growing up in Chicago."

The sibling dynamic in Dexter's Laboratory was partially modeled on Tartakovsky's relationship with his older brother, Alex.{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}} Comparing himself to Dee Dee and Alex, who became a computer engineer, to Dexter, Tartakovsky acknowledged that he was most likely a "pest" to his older brother while they were growing up. Another time, he reminisced that as kids, he and his brother could each be a "pain in the ass" to the other.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} To illustrate one of the parallels between his childhood and the series, Tartakovsky noted that Alex had kept him from playing with "intricate" toy soldiers in those days, much like Dexter attempts to keep Dee Dee away from his inventions.

Tartakovsky determined that Dexter should have an accent because the character "considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents."{{Cite news |last=Adams |first=Thelma |author-link=Thelma Adams |date=August 19, 2001 |title=The Way We Live Now: Questions for Genndy Tartakovsky; The Big Draw |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/19/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-questions-for-genndy-tartakovsky-the-big-draw.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002205134/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/19/magazine/the-way-we-live-now-questions-for-genndy-tartakovsky-the-big-draw.html |archive-date=October 2, 2013 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |work=The New York Times}} During one interview, Tartakovsky suggested that viewers should decide for themselves whether or not the character's accent is an affectation, saying that "[n]obody knows" whether the character is "pretending to be a German scientist" or is speaking naturally. Although Tartakovsky noted in a separate interview that Dexter's accent is not meant to denote any specific nationality, he revealed in a 2012 Reddit AMA that it was partially inspired by "a funny French accent" done by his college roommate.{{Cite web |last=Tartakovsky |first=Genndy |author-link=Genndy Tartakovsky |date=October 2, 2012 |title=I Am Genndy Tartakovsky, the Director of Hotel Transylvania. AMA. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/10l1an/i_am_genndy_tartakovsky_the_director_of_hotel/c6gkoyt/?context=3 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190313201031/https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/10l1an/i_am_genndy_tartakovsky_the_director_of_hotel/c6gkoyt/?context=3 |archive-date=March 13, 2019 |access-date=December 5, 2018 |website=Reddit}}{{efn|Tartakovsky's roommate at CalArts was Dexter's Laboratory collaborator Rob Renzetti,{{sfn|Perlmutter|2014|p=322}} whom he first met through his brother, Alex.{{Cite web |last=Mallory |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Mallory |date=August 30, 2012 |title=Tartakovsky and the Road to Transylvania |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2012/08/tartakovsky-and-the-road-to-transylvania/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707061712/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2012/08/tartakovsky-and-the-road-to-transylvania/ |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |access-date=December 5, 2018 |website=Animation Magazine}}}} When Candi Milo took over the role of Dexter in season 3, she had trouble replicating Cavanaugh's performance until she met Tartakovsky and realized Cavanaugh was imitating his Russian accent (albeit some exaggeration).{{Cite AV media |last1=Verité Entertainment |title=Candi Milo - Talking Voices (Part 1) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IyI_XgKmug |via=YouTube |date=September 30, 2019 |access-date=14 October 2024}}

File:SRM headshot.jpg composed music for the series with Thomas Chase and Gary Lionelli.]]

Dexter's Laboratory premiered on TNT on April 27, 1996, and the following day on Cartoon Network and TBS.{{Cite news |last=Beller |first=Miles |date=April 25, 1996 |title=TV Review; 'Dexter's Laboratory' |work=The Hollywood Reporter |publisher=BPI Entertainment News Wire}} It became the first in a brand of Cartoon Network original cartoons, later including Cow and Chicken, I Am Weasel, Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Ed, Edd n Eddy, and Courage the Cowardly Dog, collectively known as Cartoon Cartoons. A second season was ordered, which premiered on Cartoon Network on July 16, 1997. This season includes "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!", an episode created by six-year-old Long Island resident Tyler Samuel Lee, who submitted his idea to Tartakovsky as an audiotape. Lee's recorded narration is used in the episode, and Tartakovsky (who often received letters and comments from other fans) said that Lee had "a great understanding of the show and genuinely captured the imaginative kid perspective we're always striving for."{{Cite news |last=Price |first=Michael H. |date=May 5, 1998 |title=Tyler Samuel Lee |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/117329705/tyler-samuel-lee/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230701015612/https://www.newspapers.com/article/117329705/tyler-samuel-lee/ |archive-date=July 1, 2023 |access-date=January 27, 2023 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |location=Fort Worth, Texas |page=78 |via=Newspapers.com}} Composers Thomas Chase, Steve Rucker, and Gary Lionelli provided the musical score for the series.

Dexter's Laboratory went on hiatus on June 15, 1998, after two seasons, with season 2 lasting 39 episodes.{{Cite book |last1=Brooks |first1=Tim |author-link=Tim Brooks (historian) |title=The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946–Present |last2=Marsh |first2=Earle |date=October 16, 2007 |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=978-0-345-49773-4 |edition=9th |location=New York City |pages=350–351}} The series finale was initially intended to be "Last But Not Beast", which differed from the format of other episodes, in that it was a single 25-minute episode, rather than a collection of shorter segments. By this point, Tartakovsky was exhausted. His focus on the series had cost him two relationships, and he went on to joke that the process of running Dexter's Laboratory was like "giving birth to ten children." After putting the series on hiatus, Tartakovsky became a supervising producer on colleague Craig McCracken's series, The Powerpuff Girls; he directed episodes of that series and worked on The Powerpuff Girls Movie.{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}}{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}}{{sfn|Perlmutter|2014|p=269}} After the movie, McCracken went on to create Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends for Cartoon Network. Both Hartman and MacFarlane left Cartoon Network altogether at this point; the former went on to create The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom for Nickelodeon while the latter went on to create Family Guy for Fox respectively.

In 1999, Tartakovsky returned to direct Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip, an hour-long television movie.{{Cite magazine |last=Bernardin |first=Marc |author-link=Marc Bernardin |date=November 24, 2000 |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip Review |url=http://www.ew.com/article/2000/11/24/dexters-laboratory-ego-trip |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206161222/https://ew.com/article/2000/11/24/dexters-laboratory-ego-trip/ |archive-date=February 6, 2015 |access-date=January 22, 2013 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly |issn=1049-0434}} It was his last Dexter's Laboratory production to be involved with and was intended to be its conclusion. Ego Trip was hand-animated, though character and setting designs were subtly revised. Its plot follows Dexter on a quest through time to discover his future triumphs. It premiered on December 10, 1999, at 7:00 PM with a repeat broadcast on January 1, 2000, at 12:00 AM.{{Cite web |last=DeMott |first=Rick |date=December 1, 1999 |title=Cartoon Network to Air Dexter's Lab Special |url=https://www.awn.com/news/cartoon-network-air-dexters-lab-special |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140203123045/https://www.awn.com/news/cartoon-network-air-dexters-lab-special |archive-date=February 3, 2014 |access-date=April 22, 2013 |website=Animation World Network}}

On February 21, 2001, Cartoon Network issued a press release stating that Dexter's Laboratory had been revived for a 13-episode third season.{{Cite news |date=February 21, 2001 |title=Cartoon Network Announces New Programming and Online Initiatives for 2001–2002 Television Season |url=http://oceania.digitalmedianet.com/article/Cartoon-Network-Announces-New-Programming-and-Online-Initiatives-For-2001-2002-Television-Season-720 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304044324/http://oceania.digitalmedianet.com/article/Cartoon-Network-Announces-New-Programming-and-Online-Initiatives-For-2001-2002-Television-Season-720 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=November 16, 2013 |publisher=Digital Media Online |agency=Business Wire}} The series was given a new production team at Cartoon Network Studios, and Chris Savino took over the role of creative director from Tartakovsky, who at the time was immersed in launching his next series, Samurai Jack. During season four of Dexter's Laboratory, Savino was promoted to producer giving him further control of the series, including the budget.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007|p=157}} Revival episodes featured revised visual designs and sound effects, recast voice actors, and a transition from traditional cel animation, which was used until Ego Trip, to digital ink and paint, which was used permanently beginning with season three's premiere.

Christine Cavanaugh voiced Dexter for early episodes of season three, but she retired from voice acting in 2001 for personal reasons. She was replaced by Candi Milo. Allison Moore, a college friend of Tartakovsky, was cast as Dee Dee. Moore's role was later recast with Kat Cressida.{{Cite AV media |url=http://techjives.net/onvoxshow/?p=190 |title=Episode 013 – Guest: Kat Cressida (Voice of Dee Dee from Dexter's Lab Amongst Many Other Things!) – On Vox |date=February 28, 2011 |last=Elk |first=Amy |last2=Pope |first2=Chris |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015153045/http://techjives.net/onvoxshow/?p=190 |archive-date=October 15, 2018 |website=TechJives.net}} In season three, Moore briefly returned to voice Dee Dee before Cressida again assumed her role for season four. Character redesigns were handled with the help of one of Dexter's original model designers, Chris Battle, known individually for acting as character designer for Nickelodeon's Aaahh!!! Real Monsters and Cartoon Network's The Powerpuff Girls. Aaron Springer and Chris Reccardi are credited on the writing staff, as is Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane.{{Cite web |last=Humphries |first=Chris |date=March 3, 2021 |title=10 Shows You Didn't Realize Were by Seth MacFarlane |url=https://whatculture.com/tv/10-shows-you-didn-t-realize-were-by-seth-macfarlane |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427042301/https://whatculture.com/tv/10-shows-you-didn-t-realize-were-by-seth-macfarlane |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=WhatCulture |language=en}}

In 2023, Tartakovsky said he was uninterested in attempting to reboot Dexter's Laboratory due to Cavanaugh's death in 2014, as well as the "overabundance" of recent reboots of cartoons.{{Cite web |last=John-Day |first=Michael |date=April 25, 2023 |title=Dexter's Laboratory Creator Addresses the Chances of a Revival Series |url=https://www.cbr.com/dexter-laboratory-revival-chances/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230427042258/https://www.cbr.com/dexter-laboratory-revival-chances/ |archive-date=April 27, 2023 |access-date=April 27, 2023 |website=Comic Book Resources |language=en}}

{{Main|List of Dexter's Laboratory episodes{{!}}List of Dexter's Laboratory episodes}}

{{:List of Dexter's Laboratory episodes}}

Dexter's Laboratory broadcast 78 half-hour episodes over 4 seasons during its 7-year run. Four pilot shorts were produced for What a Cartoon! that aired from 1995 to 1996, and were reconnected into season 1 in later airings. Fifty-two episodes were produced from 1996 to 1998, followed by Ego Trip in 1999.

Another 26 episodes were produced and broadcast from 2001 to 2003. "Chicken Scratch" debuted theatrically with The Powerpuff Girls Movie in 2002, and was later broadcast in season four.{{Cite news |last=Vice |first=Jeff |date=July 3, 2002 |title='Powerpuff Girls' Packs a Mean Punch |url=https://www.deseret.com/2002/7/3/19664168/powerpuff-girls-packs-a-mean-punch/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707070550/https://www.deseret.com/2002/7/3/19664168/powerpuff-girls-packs-a-mean-punch/ |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |access-date=January 24, 2013 |work=Deseret News}}

Dexter's Laboratory premiered on February 26, 1995, on Cartoon Network as part of What a Cartoon!. On October 8, 2000, Cartoon Network aired the "Favorite Dexters" marathon from 12 PM to 7 PM Eastern.{{Cite web |title=Cartoon Network TV |url=http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20001007080239/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv/index.html |archive-date=2000-10-07 |website=CartoonNetwork.com}} On December 31, 2000, Cartoon Network aired its "New Year's Bash" marathon featuring Dexter's Laboratory among other programs.{{Cite news |date=December 21, 2000 |title=Television Highlights for the Week of Dec. 31-Jan. 6 |work=The Philadelphia Inquirer}} On November 18, 2001, it broadcast a 12-hour "Dexter Goes Global" marathon in 96 countries and 12 languages.{{Cite news |last=Godfrey |first=Leigh |date=November 6, 2001 |title=Dexter Goes Global in Worldwide Marathon |url=http://www.awn.com/news/dexter-goes-global-worldwide-marathon |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160104083045/http://www.awn.com/news/dexter-goes-global-worldwide-marathon |archive-date=January 4, 2016 |access-date=June 5, 2013 |publisher=Animation World Network}} This marathon featured fan-selected episodes of Dexter's Laboratory and culminated by premiering two new episodes of season 3.

From 2005 to 2008, Dexter's Laboratory was rerun in segments on The Cartoon Cartoon Show with other Cartoon Cartoons from that era. From 2012 to 2014, it returned in reruns on the revived block, Cartoon Planet.

From January 16, 2006, to June 7, 2021, Dexter's Laboratory aired reruns on Boomerang.{{Cite journal |last=Ball |first=Ryan |date=January 12, 2006 |title=Dexter's Laboratory Joins Boomerang |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2006/01/dexters-laboratory-joins-boomerang/ |journal=Animation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707065345/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2006/01/dexters-laboratory-joins-boomerang/ |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |access-date=June 5, 2013}}{{Cite web |date=June 23, 2016 |title=Boomerang Schedule |url=http://schedule.adultswim.com/servlet/BoomerangServlet?action=selectBMDay&theDate=6/27/16&timeZone=EST |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160623004810/http://schedule.adultswim.com/servlet/BoomerangServlet?action=selectBMDay&theDate=6%2F27%2F16&timeZone=EST |archive-date=June 23, 2016 |website=AdultSwim.com}}

Cartoon Network has aired reruns in Canada since its launch on July 4, 2012.{{Cite journal |last=Milligan |first=Mercedes |date=June 21, 2012 |title=Cartoon Network/Adult Swim Go Canuck |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2012/06/cartoon-networkadult-swim-go-canuck/ |journal=Animation Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707065600/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2012/06/cartoon-networkadult-swim-go-canuck/ |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |access-date=June 5, 2013}} This launch was commemorated by parent network Teletoon, which aired Cartoon Network-related programming blocks and promotions in weeks leading up to it, including episodes of Dexter's Laboratory.{{Cite journal |last=Zahed |first=Ramin |date=May 4, 2012 |title=Teletoon Promotes Cartoon Network Launch in Canada |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/teletoon-promotes-cartoon-network-launch-in-canada/ |journal=Animation Magazine |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180907062249/http://www.animationmagazine.net/tv/teletoon-promotes-cartoon-network-launch-in-canada/ |archive-date=September 7, 2018 |access-date=June 5, 2013}}

Dexter's Laboratory currently airs in reruns on Checkered Past on Adult Swim.

"Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor", a season 1 episode from 1996, was removed from rotation sometime after its original premiere in the United States with no official reason given (although this has been unofficially attributed to the episode's inclusion of a stereotypical depiction of a homosexual male character).{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Anderson |date=August 14, 2010 |title=Dial M for Monkey – The Banned Episode |url=https://www.gawkerarchives.com/5612599%2Fdial-m-for-monkey---the-banned-episode |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707072244/https://www.gawkerarchives.com/5612599%2Fdial-m-for-monkey---the-banned-episode |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |access-date=August 10, 2013 |website=Gawker}}{{Cite web |last=Belonksy |first=Andrew |date=June 12, 2008 |title=Banned "Anti-Gay" Toon Exhumed! |url=https://www.queerty.com/banned-anti-gay-toon-exhumed-20080612 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180828085858/https://www.queerty.com/banned-anti-gay-toon-exhumed-20080612 |archive-date=August 28, 2018 |access-date=August 10, 2013 |website=Queerty}} In later broadcasts and on its Season 1 DVD (Region 1), "Barbequor" has been replaced with "Dexter's Lab: A Story", an episode from season 2.{{Cite web |last=Lacey |first=Gord |date=October 29, 2010 |title=Dexter's Laboratory — Season 1 Review |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/reviews/Dexters-Laboratory-Season-1/10187 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029200111/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/reviews/Dexters-Laboratory-Season-1/10187 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |access-date=January 20, 2013 |website=TVShowsOnDVD.com}}

"Rude Removal", a season 2 episode, was produced but not aired. It involves Dexter creating a "rude removal system" to diminish Dee Dee and Dexter's rudeness that instead creates highly rude clones of both siblings. "Rude Removal" was only shown during certain animation festivals and was never aired on television due to characters swearing, even though all swear words are censored.{{Cite news |last=Pierce |first=Scott D. |date=July 27, 1998 |title=Lost Cartoon? |url=http://www.deseretnews.com/article/643555/Conan-cant-shake-off-rocky-start-as-host.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001034138/https://www.deseretnews.com/article/643555/Conan-cant-shake-off-rocky-start-as-host.html |archive-date=October 1, 2018 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |work=Deseret News}} Tartakovsky commented that "standards didn't like it."{{Cite web |last=Seibert |first=Fred |author-link=Fred Seibert |date=October 26, 2010 |title=Bad Dexter! |url=http://archives.frederatorblogs.com/frederator_studios/2010/10/26/banned-dexter/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816234003/http://archives.frederatorblogs.com/frederator_studios/2010/10/26/banned-dexter/ |archive-date=August 16, 2017 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=Frederator Blogs |publisher=Frederator Studios}} Linda Simensky, then-vice president of original programming for Cartoon Network, said "I still think it's very funny. It probably would air better late at night." Michelle Klein-Häss of Animation World Network called the episode "hilarious" after viewing it at the 1998 World Animation Celebration, although she predicted that it would "never be shown on television".{{Cite magazine |last=Klein-Häss |first=Michelle |date=March 1998 |title=Thinking About the World Animation Celebration '98 |url=https://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.12/2.12pages/2.12hasswac.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181102015002/https://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.12/2.12pages/2.12hasswac.html |archive-date=November 2, 2018 |access-date=November 27, 2018 |magazine=Animation World Magazine |publisher=Animation World Network |volume=2 |issue=12}}

In October 2012, Genndy Tartakovsky was asked about "Rude Removal" during an AMA on Reddit, and he replied "Next time I do a public appearance I'll bring it with me!"{{Cite web |last=Tartakovsky |first=Genndy |date=September 27, 2012 |title=I Am Genndy Tartakovsky, the Director of Hotel Transylvania. AMA. |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/10l1an/i_am_genndy_tartakovsky_the_director_of_hotel/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126014957/https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/10l1an/i_am_genndy_tartakovsky_the_director_of_hotel/ |archive-date=November 26, 2016 |access-date=January 20, 2013 |website=Reddit}} Adult Swim later asked fans on Twitter if interest still existed with it, and fan response was "overwhelming".{{Cite tweet |number=274738945294729216 |user=adultswim |title=Dexter's Lab Fans: Is There Still Interest in Seeing the Lost Unaired Episode? [...] |date=November 30, 2012 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093446/https://twitter.com/adultswim/status/274738945294729216 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}}{{Cite tweet |number=275417904894341121 |user=adultswim |title=Re: #DextersRudeRemoval [...] |date=December 2, 2012 |access-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304093450/https://twitter.com/adultswim/status/275417904894341121 |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live}} "Rude Removal" was finally uploaded on Adult Swim's official YouTube account on January 22, 2013.{{Cite web |last=Tickle |first=Glen |date=January 22, 2013 |title=Adult Swim Releases Banned Dexter's Laboratory Episode |url=https://www.themarysue.com/lost-dexters-laboratory-episode-surfaces/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141129082138/https://www.themarysue.com/lost-dexters-laboratory-episode-surfaces/ |archive-date=November 29, 2014 |access-date=November 12, 2014 |website=The Mary Sue}}

File:Dexter Macy's Parade 1998.jpg from 1998 to 2000.]]

Dexter's Laboratory was Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series in 1996 and 1997.{{Cite journal |last=Bevilacqua |first=Joseph K. |date=September 1998 |title=Tooning in the 1998 Fall Season |url=https://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.6/3.6pages/3.6bevilacqua.html |journal=Animation World Magazine |publisher=Animation World Network |volume=3 |issue=6 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240705101042/https://www.awn.com/mag/issue3.6/3.6pages/3.6bevilacqua.html |archive-date=July 5, 2024 |access-date=May 25, 2012}} Cartoon Network viewers voted the series as "Toon of the Year" in 1996.{{sfn|Lenburg|2006}} Internationally, it garnered a special mention for best script at the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay animation festival in Italy.{{Cite journal |last=Bendazzi |first=Giannalberto |author-link=Giannalberto Bendazzi |date=May 1997 |title=Cartoons on the Bay |url=https://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.2/articles/bendazzicartoons2.2.html |journal=Animation World Magazine |publisher=Animation World Network |volume=2 |issue=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023054926/https://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.2/articles/bendazzicartoons2.2.html |archive-date=October 23, 2013 |access-date=June 5, 2013}} From 1998 to 2000, a Dexter balloon was featured in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade alongside other iconic characters, including the titular piglet from Babe whom Christine Cavanaugh voiced.{{Cite web |last=Connors |first=Anthony |date=November 29, 1998 |title=Then & Now a November March |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/november-march-article-1.816799 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181103131357/http://www.nydailynews.com/november-march-article-1.816799 |archive-date=November 3, 2018 |access-date=May 26, 2012 |website=New York Daily News |location=New York City}}{{Cite web |date=November 14, 2005 |title=Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Morphs into Marketing Tool |url=http://www.chiefmarketer.com/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-morphs-into-marketing-tool/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151130005525/http://www.chiefmarketer.com/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-morphs-into-marketing-tool/ |archive-date=November 30, 2015 |access-date=March 20, 2014 |website=ChiefMarketer.com |publisher=Access Intelligence}} The series was part of Cartoon Network's 20% ratings surge during mid-1999.{{Cite web |last=Furman |first=Phyllis |date=November 8, 1999 |title=Popular Shows on Cartoon Put a Nick in Rival's Edge |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19991115/2995265/popular-shows-on-cartoon-put-a-nick-in-rivals-edge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913184853/http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19991115&slug=2995265 |archive-date=September 13, 2018 |access-date=May 25, 2012 |website=The Seattle Times |url-status=live |location=New York City}} On July 7, 2000, the series was the network's highest-rated original telecast among households (3.1), kids 2–11 (7.8), and kids 6–11 (8.4), with a delivery of almost 2 million homes.{{Cite press release |title=The Summer of Cartoon Network Continues: Dexter's Laboratory Becomes Network's Highest-Rated Original Telecast Ever in Households, Kids |date=July 11, 2000 |publisher=Warner Media Group |url=https://www.warnermediagroup.com/newsroom/press-releases/2000/07/11/the-summer-of-cartoon-network-continues-dexter-s-labratory |last1=Goldberg |first1=Laurie |access-date=June 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109073904/https://www.warnermediagroup.com/newsroom/press-releases/2000/07/11/the-summer-of-cartoon-network-continues-dexter-s-labratory |archive-date=November 9, 2018}} On July 31, 2001, it scored the highest household rating (2.9) and delivery (2,166,000 homes) for a Cartoon Network telecast for that year.{{Cite press release |title=Cartoon Network Originals Chart Record Summer Ratings |date=August 28, 2001 |publisher=Warner Media Group |url=https://www.warnermediagroup.com/newsroom/press-releases/2001/08/28/cartoon-network-originals-chart-record-summer-ratings |last1=Swaney |first1=Joseph |last2=Purcell |first2=Courtenay |access-date=May 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181109074106/https://www.warnermediagroup.com/newsroom/press-releases/2001/08/28/cartoon-network-originals-chart-record-summer-ratings |archive-date=November 9, 2018}} Along with The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter's Laboratory expanded the network's viewership to 72 million, and the series became one of the network's highest-rated original series of 2002.{{Cite press release |title=BAM! Entertainment Expands Its Cartoon Network(TM) Portfolio |date=November 6, 2002 |publisher=BAM! Entertainment |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bam-entertainment-expands-its-cartoon-networktm-portfolio-76675907.html |access-date=May 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029195528/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bam-entertainment-expands-its-cartoon-networktm-portfolio-76675907.html |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |place=San Jose, California |agency=PR Newswire}}

Dexter's Laboratory, particularly its first two original seasons, received critical acclaim and became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series. Betty Cohen, then Cartoon Network's president, called it one of her favorite animated programs, stating, "It shows little guys can be powerful." Rapper Coolio stated in an August 2002 Billboard interview that he is a fan of the series, stating, "I watch a lot of cartoons because I have kids. I actually watch more cartoons than movies."{{Cite magazine |last=Hay |first=Carla |date=August 3, 2002 |title=TV Themes and 'Dexter' |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwEAAAAMBAJ&q=dexter's+laboratory&pg=PA12 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929005434/https://books.google.com/books?id=AwwEAAAAMBAJ&q=dexter%27s+laboratory&pg=PA12 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |access-date=May 26, 2012 |magazine=Billboard |page=12 |via=Google Books |volume=114 |issue=31 |issn=0006-2510}}

Shortly after the premiere of its first season, Dexter's Laboratory was hailed as one of the best new series on Cartoon Network by Ted Cox of the Daily Herald.{{Cite news |last=Cox |first=Ted |date=June 14, 1996 |title=Check Out Disney Channel's 'Hunchback' for Free |work=Daily Herald}} In the lead up to its second season, Dexter's Laboratory was called the most imaginative series on Cartoon Network by Nancy McAlister of The Florida Times-Union.{{efn|Writing in 1997, McAlister mistakenly claimed that Dexter's Laboratory was about to start its third season; the series was actually about to start its second season, which would mark its third year on television.}} Although McAlister critiqued the gender stereotyping of Dexter's parents, she acknowledged that she was only applying such scrutiny to the series because Dexter's Laboratory had helped convince her that "viewers should take animated programming seriously".{{Cite news |last=McAlister |first=Nancy |date=July 14, 1997 |title=Network's Animated Series Not Just for Kids |work=The Florida Times-Union}}

In 1997, Bill Ward of the Star Tribune named Dexter's Laboratory to his Critic's Choice list, recommending it for the "young of all ages".{{Cite news |last=Ward |first=Bill |date=July 16, 1997 |title=Critic's Choice |work=Star Tribune}} In 2012, Entertainment Weekly ranked Dexter's Laboratory fourth in its list of "10 Best Cartoon Network Shows".{{Cite web |date=October 1, 2012 |title=10 Best Cartoon Network Shows: We Rank 'Em! |url=http://www.ew.com/gallery/10-best-cartoon-network-shows-we-rank-em/579314_4-dexters-laboratory |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151123194051/http://www.ew.com/gallery/10-best-cartoon-network-shows-we-rank-em/579314_4-dexters-laboratory |archive-date=November 23, 2015 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |magazine=Entertainment Weekly}} In 2009, Dexter's Laboratory was named 72nd best animated series by IGN, whose editors remarked, "Aimed at and immediately accessible to children, Dexter's Laboratory was part of a new generation of animated series that played on two levels, simultaneously fun for both kids and adults."{{Cite web |date=January 23, 2009 |title=72. Dexter's Laboratory |url=http://www.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/72.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009020114/http://www.ign.com/top/animated-tv-series/72.html |archive-date=October 9, 2015 |access-date=June 30, 2011 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} In his 2015 book Animation: A World History Volume III: Contemporary Times, Giannalberto Bendazzi called Dexter's Laboratory "visually and verbally innovative".{{Cite book |last=Bendazzi |first=Giannalberto |title=Animation: A World History Volume III: Contemporary Times |publisher=CRC Press |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-317-51988-1 |location=Boca Raton |pages=8–9 |chapter=North America}} He considered the series to be a groundbreaking work of pop art, likening its visual style to both street art and the designs of Takashi Murakami.

David Perlmutter wrote in his 2018 book, The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows, that all three segments of Dexter's Laboratory (the main scenario, along with Dial M for Monkey and The Justice Friends) elevate stereotypical ideas through an approach that contains "verve and originality".{{sfn|Perlmutter|2018|p=153}} Perlmutter called the series more "complex" than it first seems.{{sfn|Perlmutter|2018|p=153}} He praised the staging of action sequences throughout the series and wrote that Dexter's Laboratory is "much more effective (and funny) than it would have been under a director less committed to the project [than Tartakovsky]."{{sfn|Perlmutter|2018|p=153}}

As affirmed by Giannalberto Bendazzi in Animation: A World History Volume III, Dexter's Laboratory, along with Craig McCracken's The Powerpuff Girls, helped define the style of Cartoon Network, both for being works "in which lines and colour are predominant", and for underlining their graphic aspect through limited animation. Television critic Robert Lloyd claimed that both artists were "at the forefront of a second wave of innovative, creator-driven television animation, whose first wave began in the 1990s with the likes of Ralph Bakshi's Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures and John Kricfalusi's The Ren & Stimpy Show."{{Cite web |last=Lloyd |first=Robert |date=February 2, 2020 |title=At Netflix, 'Powerpuff Girls' Creator Savors Freedom: 'We Can Do This Now?' |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-02-02/powerpuff-girls-craig-mccracken-kid-cosmic-netfix |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905160842/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-02-02/powerpuff-girls-craig-mccracken-kid-cosmic-netfix |archive-date=September 5, 2021 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=Los Angeles Times}} Tartakovsky reflected on this period in 2024, saying that he and his colleagues took full advantage of the freedom provided by the still-new Cartoon Network, but that the level of trust on young artists was "pretty much gone" 30 years later.{{Cite web |last=Zahed |first=Ramin |date=June 19, 2024 |title=Genndy Tartakovsky Looks Back at the Magic of 'Dexter's Lab' and the Cartoon Boom of the '90s (Exclusive) |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/06/genndy-tartakovsky-looks-back-at-the-magic-of-dexters-lab-and-the-cartoon-boom-of-the-90s-exclusive/ |access-date=July 19, 2024 |website=Animation Magazine}}

The show has been credited for kick-starting the channel's ascent and launching Tartakovsky's career, which later gave way to Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars.{{Cite web |last=Blumenfeld |first=Zach |date=April 16, 2016 |title=How Dexter's Laboratory Kickstarted Cartoon Network's Ascent |url=https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-dexters-laboratory-kickstarted-cartoon-networks-ascent/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929005420/https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/how-dexters-laboratory-kickstarted-cartoon-networks-ascent/ |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=Den of Geek}} To this, Gizmodo contributor Beth Elderkin added: "Since then, he's become a staple in children's and adult animation, responsible for everything from the Hotel Transylvania series to the powerful (and ultra-violent) Primal."{{Cite web |last=Elderkin |first=Beth |date=October 29, 2020 |title=Genndy Tartakovsky's Unicorn: Warriors Eternal Is Heading to HBO Max |url=https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/10/genndy-tartakovskys-unicorn-warriors-eternal-is-heading-to-hbo-max/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102195510/https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2020/10/genndy-tartakovskys-unicorn-warriors-eternal-is-heading-to-hbo-max/ |archive-date=November 2, 2020 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=Gizmodo}} Vulture called the first pilot episode "a testament to Tartakovsky's talent and commitment as a filmmaker and a proof of concept for the What a Cartoon! anthology format."{{Cite web |last1=Vilas-Boas |first1=Eric |last2=Meher |first2=John |date=October 5, 2020 |title=The 100 Most Influential Sequences in Animation History |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/most-influential-best-scenes-animation-history.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201005205951/https://www.vulture.com/article/most-influential-best-scenes-animation-history.html |archive-date=October 5, 2020 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=Vulture}} For a while, the show's simplistic look was adopted by other American cartoons; in a 2021 interview with Syfy Wire, animator Butch Hartman said, "When I started making Fairly OddParents, I took cues from what Genndy did in terms of simplifying the designs and using bold colors and simple shapes."

Dexter's Laboratory has been subject to scholarly works that include a study on post-9/11 America by Media International Australia{{Cite journal |last=Stockwell |first=Steve |date=November 2004 |title=Dealing with World Domination: Lessons from The Powerpuff Girls and Friends |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1329878x0411300105 |journal=Media International Australia |publisher=Sage Publishing |volume=113 |issue=1 |pages=23–29 |doi=10.1177/1329878x0411300105 |via=Sagepub.com}} and a publication about how Mexican children react to references in the series by Comunicar.{{Cite journal |title=Niños Mexicanos y Dibujos Animados Norteamericanos: Referencias Extranjeras en Series Animadas |trans-title=Mexican Children and American Cartoons: Foreign References in Animation |url=https://www.scipedia.com/public/Cornelio_2015a |url-status=live |publisher=Media Education Research Journal |issue=45 |pages=125–132 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240707091439/https://www.scipedia.com/public/Cornelio_2015a |archive-date=July 7, 2024 |access-date=July 7, 2024 |via=Scipedia.com |journal=Comunicar|date=2015 |doi=10.3916/C45-2015-13 |last1=Cornelio-Marí |first1=Elia-Margarita |volume=23 |hdl=11573/852381 |hdl-access=free }}

Dexter's Laboratory first appeared in home media as a "bonus toon" on the Jonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of One VHS{{Citation |title=Jonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of One [VHS] |asin=6303953328 |mode=cs1}}{{efn|Includes What a Cartoon! short Dexter's Laboratory.}} and later in a limited-run, complete series Dexter's Laboratory DVD contest prize, both of which became available in 1999. Dedicated, wide-release home media for the series began with the Dexter's Laboratory: Volume 1 VHS in the United Kingdom in 2000{{Citation |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Volume 1 [VHS] |asin=B00004L8LF |asin-tld=co.uk |mode=cs1}} and the Dexter's Laboratory: Greatest Adventures VHS in North America in 2001.{{Citation |title=Dexter's Laboratory — Greatest Adventures [VHS] (1996) |asin=B00005BCN4 |mode=cs1}}{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory "Dexter's Greatest Adventures" |url=http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/shop/dexter/vid/vhs/WHV12DXT99NAH1793.01.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010908160005/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/shop/dexter/vid/vhs/WHV12DXT99NAH1793.01.html |archive-date=September 8, 2001 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=CartoonNetwork.com}} The made-for-television movie Ego Trip was released exclusively on VHS in North America in 2000{{Citation |title=Dexter's Laboratory — Ego Trip [VHS] (1996) |isbn=1560396474 |mode=cs1}} and in the United Kingdom in 2001.{{Citation |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Dexter's Ego [VHS] |asin=B000059RK5 |asin-tld=co.uk |mode=cs1}} Episodes from the series have been included as extra content in other Cartoon Network series' home media releases or as part of Cartoon Network's compilation DVDs. Cartoon Network Racing, a PlayStation 2 video game, contains the episodes "Dexter's Rival" and "Mandarker" as unlockable extras.

Warner Bros. Animation stated in a 2006 interview that they were "in conversations with Cartoon Network" for DVD collections of cartoons, among which was Dexter's Laboratory.{{Cite web |last=Lacey |first=Gord |date=June 6, 2006 |title=Home Theatre Forum Warner Bros Chat Transcript — Part 2 |url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Site-News/5803 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100822134831/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Site-News/5803 |archive-date=August 22, 2010 |access-date=August 16, 2010 |website=TVShowsOnDVD.com}} Madman Entertainment released season 1 and part of season 2 in Region 4 in 2008. A Region 1 release of season 1 was released by Warner Home Video on October 12, 2010. It was the third official release of a Cartoon Network series on DVD under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" label.{{Cite web |last=Lambert |first=David |date=June 30, 2010 |title=Dexter's Laboratory — Enter Dexter's Lab at Long Last...Season 1 DVDs Announced! |url=http://tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dexters-Laboratory-Season-1/13993 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100702021749/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Dexters-Laboratory-Season-1/13993 |archive-date=July 2, 2010 |access-date=June 6, 2010 |website=TVShowsOnDVD.com}} Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series was released on DVD in North America on June 25, 2024, by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and includes all episodes along with the television film Ego Trip except for "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor" and "Rude Removal."{{Citation |title=Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series |asin=B0D2KLZ865}}{{Cite web |last=Milligan |first=Mercedes |date=May 9, 2024 |title='Dexter's Laboratory' Complete Series Coming to DVD for the First Time |url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/05/dexters-laboratory-complete-series-coming-to-dvd-for-the-first-time/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240629062627/https://www.animationmagazine.net/2024/05/dexters-laboratory-complete-series-coming-to-dvd-for-the-first-time/ |archive-date=June 29, 2024 |access-date=June 24, 2024 |website=Animation Magazine}}

Every episode, except for the television film Ego Trip and the banned "Rude Removal" episode, became available on iTunes in 2010.{{Cite web |date=April 28, 1996 |title=Dexter's Laboratory, Season 1 |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/dexters-laboratory-season-1/id337363281 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715231656/http://itunes.apple.com/us/tv-season/dexters-laboratory-season-1/id337363281 |archive-date=July 15, 2011 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |publisher=iTunes Store}} "Rude Removal" later became available on Adult Swim's official YouTube channel on January 22, 2013.{{Cite web |last=Adams |first=Erik |date=January 22, 2013 |title=Watch a Lost Episode of Dexter's Laboratory Chockfull of Bleeped Cursing |url=https://www.avclub.com/article/watch-a-lost-episode-of-idexters-laboratory-ichock-91472 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140219220915/http://www.avclub.com/article/watch-a-lost-episode-of-idexters-laboratory-ichock-91472 |archive-date=February 19, 2014 |access-date=February 12, 2014 |work=The A.V. Club |publisher=Onion, Inc.}} Dexter's Laboratory was available on Netflix from 2010{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory 1996 |url=http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Dexter-s-Laboratory-Season-1/70144363 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013004638/http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Dexter-s-Laboratory-Season-1/70144363 |archive-date=October 13, 2010 |access-date=December 16, 2013 |website=Netflix}} until March 30, 2015,{{Cite web |last=Hayne |first=Tim |date=February 24, 2015 |title=Here's What's Leaving Netflix in March 2015 |url=https://www.moviefone.com/news/leaving-netflix-march-2015/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326052651/https://www.moviefone.com/news/leaving-netflix-march-2015/ |archive-date=March 26, 2023 |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=Moviefone}} and on Hulu beginning on May 1, 2015.{{Cite web |last=Plaugic |first=Lizzie |date=April 23, 2015 |title=Hulu Snags Cartoon Network and Adult Swim Shows in Exclusive Deal |url=https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/23/8484309/hulu-cartoon-network-adult-swim-stream |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150424065005/https://www.theverge.com/2015/4/23/8484309/hulu-cartoon-network-adult-swim-stream |archive-date=April 24, 2015 |access-date=December 7, 2024 |website=The Verge}}{{Cite web |last=Holme |first=Lisa |date=April 23, 2015 |title=Wubbalubbadubdub! Master Shake, the Crystal Gems, and the Land of Ooo: Your Animated Favorites and More, Coming Soon to Hulu |url=http://blog.hulu.com/2015/04/23/turner-hulu/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150425051609/http://blog.hulu.com/2015/04/23/turner-hulu/ |archive-date=April 25, 2015 |website=Hulu}} HBO Max carried the series from May 2020{{Cite web |last=Sandler |first=Scott |date=January 1, 2024 |title='Ed, Edd, n Eddy' and 'Dexter's Laboratory' Arrive on Prime Video with More Content Than HBO Max Ever Had |url=https://www.cultureslate.com/news/ed-edd-n-eddy-and-dexters-laboratory-arrive-on-prime-video-with-more-content-than-hbo-max-ever-had |access-date=December 7, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230101183320/https://www.cultureslate.com/news/ed-edd-n-eddy-and-dexters-laboratory-arrive-on-prime-video-with-more-content-than-hbo-max-ever-had |archive-date=January 1, 2023 |website=CultureSlate.com}} until May 10, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Weir |first=Melanie |date=May 11, 2023 |title=Cartoon Network Fans Livid As HBO Pulls More Shows with No Warning |url=https://insidethemagic.net/2023/05/hbo-pulls-cartoon-network-shows-mw1/ |access-date=December 7, 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230511194750/https://insidethemagic.net/2023/05/hbo-pulls-cartoon-network-shows-mw1/ |archive-date=May 11, 2023 |website=InsideTheMagic.net}} Amazon Prime Video began streaming the series on December 30, 2022.

Dexter's Laboratory has spawned two music albums: The Musical Time Machine and The Hip-Hop Experiment. Three Dexter's Laboratory tracks are featured on Cartoon Network's 1999 compilation album Cartoon Medley.{{Cite web |date=July 6, 1999 |title=Various – Cartoon Medley |url=http://www.discogs.com/Various-Cartoon-Medley/release/1449465 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205034719/http://www.discogs.com/Various-Cartoon-Medley/release/1449465 |archive-date=December 5, 2013 |access-date=December 28, 2012 |publisher=Discogs}}

The Musical Time Machine is a soundtrack album released on May 19, 1998, on CD and cassette through Atlantic Records. It contains five songs taken from the series and one track exclusive to the album. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, writing, "It won't win any new fans, but those that love the show will get a kick out of this disc."{{Cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen |title=Dexter's Laboratory [Original TV Soundtrack] |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/dexters-laboratory-original-tv-soundtrack-mw0000036491 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617010431/http://www.allmusic.com/album/dexters-laboratory-original-tv-soundtrack-mw0000036491 |archive-date=2012-06-17 |access-date=2012-12-16 |website=AllMusic |publisher=Rovi Corporation}}

The Hip-Hop Experiment is a compilation album released on August 20, 2002, on CD and limited-edition green vinyl record through Kid Rhino and Atlantic Records. It features various hip-hop music artists and released alongside three music videos for "Back to the Lab" by Prince Paul, "Dexter (What's His Name?)" by Coolio, and "Secrets" by will.i.am. A fourth music video by They Might Be Giants for "Dee Dee and Dexter" was produced by Klasky Csupo.{{Cite web |date=February 1, 2010 |title=Dexter's Lab Promo Clip |url=http://www.theymightbegiants.com/news/dexters-lab-promo-clip/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731142349/http://www.theymightbegiants.com/news/dexters-lab-promo-clip/ |archive-date=July 31, 2013 |access-date=June 26, 2012 |website=TheyMightBeGiants.com}} Upon Cartoon Network's request for the artist to write an original song for Dexter's Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment, rapper Coolio, who provided the track "Dexter (What's His Name?)", stated, "I didn't really know what I wanted to do at first, but I knew I wanted it to be positive and lively."

Books set in Dexter's Laboratory were released by Scholastic and Little Golden Books.

Characters from Dexter's Laboratory are featured in a 150,000-print magazine called Cartoon Network, published by Burghley Publishing and released in the United Kingdom on August 27, 1998.{{Cite news |last=Rushe |first=Dominic |date=August 9, 1998 |title=Cartoon TV Launches Own Comic |work=The Sunday Times |department=Business |publisher=News UK}}

DC Comics printed four comic book volumes featuring Dexter's Laboratory. Characters from the series first appear in Cartoon Network Presents, a 24-issue volume showcasing Cartoon Network's premiere animated programming, which was produced from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, DC gave Dexter's Laboratory its own 34-issue comic volume, which ran until 2003. DC's Cartoon Cartoons comic book, which ran from 2001 to 2004, frequently includes Dexter's Laboratory stories. This was superseded by Cartoon Network Block Party, which ran from 2004 to 2009.

On February 25, 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties, which included Dexter's Laboratory.{{Cite web |last=Sunu |first=Steve |date=February 25, 2013 |title=IDW to Publish Cartoon Network Comics |url=https://www.cbr.com/idw-to-publish-cartoon-network-comics/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181113095205/https://www.cbr.com/idw-to-publish-cartoon-network-comics/ |archive-date=November 13, 2018 |access-date=February 26, 2013 |website=Comic Book Resources}} Its first issue was released on April 30, 2014.{{Cite web |last=Sims |first=Chris |date=January 16, 2014 |title=Dexter Meets The Powerpuff Girls, but Only on Derek Charm's Amazing 'Dexter's Laboratory' #1 Cover |url=https://comicsalliance.com/dexters-laboratory-1-idw-variant-cover-derek-charm-powerpuff-girls/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140320061049/http://comicsalliance.com/dexters-laboratory-1-idw-variant-cover-derek-charm-powerpuff-girls/ |archive-date=March 20, 2014 |access-date=March 20, 2014 |website=ComicsAlliance}}

Wendy's promoted Dexter's Laboratory with five collectible toys in their kids' meals from mid-October to November 23, 1997.{{Cite magazine |date=October 13, 1997 |title=Wendy's Cooking Up Promo Scheme in the Cartoon 'Lab' |department=News Roundup |magazine=Brandweek |location=Atlanta |volume=38 |issue=38 |issn=1064-4318}}{{Cite journal |date=November 1, 1997 |title=News Briefs |url=http://kidscreen.com/1997/11/01/19916-19971101/ |url-status=live |journal=Kidscreen |publisher=Brunico Communications |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203004119/http://kidscreen.com/1997/11/01/19916-19971101/ |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=November 15, 2013}} Discovery Zone sponsored Cartoon Network's eight-week-long "Dexter's Duplication Summer" in 1998 to promote the series' new schedule.{{Cite journal |last=Fitzgerald |first=Kate |date=May 11, 1998 |title=Cartoon Network to Concoct Dexter's Lab in Winner's Room |url=http://adage.com/article/news/cartoon-network-concoct-dexter-s-lab-winner-s-room/65881/ |url-status=live |journal=Advertising Age |volume=69 |issue=19 |page=40 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610211111/http://adage.com/article/news/cartoon-network-concoct-dexter-s-lab-winner-s-room/65881/ |archive-date=June 10, 2015 |access-date=November 6, 2013}}{{Cite book |last=Stabile |first=Carol |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wd_cAAAAQBAJ&q=%22Dexter%27s+Laboratory%22+%22last+but+not+beast%22 |title=Prime Time Animation: Television Animation and American Culture |date=September 13, 2013 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-136-48164-2 |location=Abingdon |page=101 |chapter=Synergy Nirvana: Brand Equity, Television Animation, and Cartoon Network |access-date=October 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929005357/https://books.google.com/books?id=wd_cAAAAQBAJ&q=%22Dexter%27s+Laboratory%22+%22last+but+not+beast%22 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |url-status=live |via=Google Books}} NASCAR's 1999 "Wacky Racing Team" vehicle driven by Jerry Nadeau in the Daytona 500 featured Dexter's Laboratory characters on its paint.{{Cite magazine |last=Ebenkamp |first=Becky |date=February 15, 1999 |title=Cow and Chicken Joins Taco Bell Promo Menu |magazine=Brandweek |page=53 |volume=40 |issue=7 |issn=1064-4318}}{{Cite tweet |number=1810497742113853546 |user=NascarPaint |title=Jerry Nadeau - Cartoon Network Wacky Racing / Dexter's Laboratory (Ford) 1999 Daytona 500 (Daytona International Speedway) #NASCAR |date=July 8, 2024}} A Subway promotion supported by Publicis & Hal Riney of Chicago lasted from August 23 to October 3, 1999, called "Dexter's Super Computer Giveaway", in which a computer, monitor, games, software, and an exclusive set of Dexter's Laboratory DVDs were given out as prizes.{{Cite press release |title=Subway(R) Restaurants Media Menu. |date=July 12, 1999 |publisher=PR Newswire |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/SUBWAY%28R%29+Restaurants+Media+Menu.-a055127016 |via=The Free Library |access-date=January 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170110194832/https://www.thefreelibrary.com/SUBWAY(R)+Restaurants+Media+Menu.-a055127016 |archive-date=January 10, 2017}} Subway promoted Dexter's Laboratory once again from April 1 to May 15, 2002, with four kids' meal toys.{{Cite journal |last1=Beirne |first1=Mike |last2=Sperber |first2=Bob |date=February 4, 2002 |title=Subway, Air Heads Get Results from Dexter's Lab |journal=Brandweek |volume=43 |issue=5 |page=5 |issn=1064-4318}}

Dairy Queen sold six kids' meal toys during an April 2001 promotion that was financed by a $3 million advertising and marketing budget.{{Cite magazine |date=March 20, 2001 |title=Dairy Queen |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Dairy+Queen.-a072467312 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130808232914/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Dairy+Queen.-a072467312 |archive-date=August 8, 2013 |access-date=August 8, 2013 |magazine=Ice Cream Reporter |via=The Free Library}} That month, Perfetti Van Melle and Cartoon Network launched the "Out of Control" promotion, which included on-air marketing and a sweepstakes to win an "Air Dextron" entertainment center.{{Cite journal |last=Beirne |first=Mike |date=April 16, 2001 |title=Dexter's Lab Pulls in Edgy Marketing |journal=Brandweek |volume=42 |issue=16 |page=6 |issn=1064-4318}} The following April, a similar promotion featured Dexter's Laboratory-themed Airheads packs and an online sweepstakes. Trendmasters released a series of Dexter's Laboratory figures and playsets in 2001.{{Cite web |title=Trendmasters- Dexter's Lab Figures Released |url=http://www.figures.com/databases/action.cgi?setup_file=fignews2.setup&category=actionfigures&topic=56&show_article=55 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111092425/http://www.figures.com/databases/action.cgi?setup_file=fignews2.setup&category=actionfigures&topic=56&show_article=55 |archive-date=November 11, 2013 |access-date=December 17, 2012 |website=Figures.com}}{{Cite web |title=Trendmaster Toy Update |url=http://www.figures.com/databases/action.cgi?setup_file=fignews2.setup&category=actionfigures&topic=56&show_article=54 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131111094156/http://www.figures.com/databases/action.cgi?setup_file=fignews2.setup&category=actionfigures&topic=56&show_article=54 |archive-date=November 11, 2013 |access-date=December 17, 2012 |website=Figures.com}} Race to the Brainergizer and The Incredible Invention Versus Dee Dee, two board games, were released by Pressman Toy Corporation in 2001.{{Cite magazine |last=Gerardi |first=Dave |date=February 2001 |title=Dexter's Lab Notes |magazine=Playthings |publisher=Sandow Media |volume=99 |issue=2}}

Burger King sponsored Dexter's Laboratory toys beginning in September 2003 with kids' meals during a larger promotion featuring online games, Cartoon Orbit codes, and new episodes.{{Cite press release |title=Burger King(R) Restaurants' 'Experiment in Fun' Produces Dexter's Laboratory(TM) Kids Meal Program |date=August 28, 2003 |publisher=PR Newswire |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BURGER+KING(R)+Restaurants'+'Experiment+In+Fun'+Produces+Dexter's...-a0106992387 |via=The Free Library |access-date=May 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130203223911/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/BURGER+KING(R)+Restaurants'+'Experiment+In+Fun'+Produces+Dexter's...-a0106992387 |archive-date=February 3, 2013 |place=Miami}} Kellogg's cereal boxes in the United Kingdom gave away the characters of Dexter and Dee Dee were as part of the Cartoon Network Wobble Heads in 2003.{{Cite web |title=2003 Cartoon Network Wobble Heads Issued with Kelloggs Frosties |url=http://cerealoffers.com/Kelloggs/Frosties/2000/Cartoon_Network_Wobble_Heads/cartoon_network_wobble_heads.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190622001621/http://cerealoffers.com/Kelloggs/Frosties/2000/Cartoon_Network_Wobble_Heads/cartoon_network_wobble_heads.html |archive-date=June 22, 2019 |access-date=August 21, 2019 |website=CerealOffers.com}} A trading card series was published by Artbox Entertainment.{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory(TM) Trading Cards Series One |url=http://www.artboxent.com/DextersLab.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020602092134/http://www.artboxent.com/DextersLab.htm |archive-date=June 2, 2002 |access-date=March 12, 2022 |website=ArtboxEnt.com}}

Six Dexter's Laboratory video games have been released: Robot Rampage for the Nintendo Game Boy Color,{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Robot Rampage |url=https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-robot-rampage |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706021856/https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-robot-rampage |archive-date=July 6, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} Chess Challenge{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Chess Challenge |url=https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-chess-challenge |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706021707/http://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-chess-challenge |archive-date=July 6, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} and Deesaster Strikes! for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance,{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Deesaster Strikes |url=https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-deesaster-strikes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705233819/http://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-deesaster-strikes |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} Mandark's Lab? for the Sony PlayStation,{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Mandarks Laboratory |url=https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-mandarks-laboratory |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705233934/http://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-mandarks-laboratory |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} Dexter's Laboratory: Science Ain't Fair for PC,{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Science Ain't Fair |url=https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-science-aint-fair |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705233216/http://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-science-aint-fair |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} and Dexter's Laboratory: Security Alert! for mobile phones.{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Security Alert! |url=https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-security-alert |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705220933/http://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory-security-alert |archive-date=July 5, 2018 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}}

Similar to Battle Chess, Chess Challenge is a chess video game that triggers battle animations each time an overtaking move occurs. Each capture is accompanied by the sequences set in Dexter's home depicting the piece's defeat. Those scenes are set in Dexter's home with magic attacks and Dee Dee's toys having an appearance. The completion of the puzzles will unlock certain game modes, including a two-player mode.{{Cite web |last=Nix |first=Marc |date=May 22, 2002 |title=E3 2002: Dexter's Laboratory Chess Challenge |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/22/e3-2002-dexters-laboratory-chess-challenge |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307113123/http://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/22/e3-2002-dexters-laboratory-chess-challenge |archive-date=March 7, 2014 |access-date=January 16, 2020 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}}{{Cite web |date=January 9, 2003 |title=Dexter's Laboratory: Chess Challenge |url=https://www.pcmag.com/archive/dexters-laboratory-chess-challenge-35509 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210929005420/https://www.pcmag.com/archive/dexters-laboratory-chess-challenge-35509 |archive-date=September 29, 2021 |access-date=January 16, 2020 |website=Personal Computer Magazine}}

A Dexter's Laboratory combat-style action video game on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube was set to be developed by n-Space, published by BAM! Entertainment, and distributed in Europe by Acclaim Entertainment for a 2004 release, but it was canceled.{{Cite press release |title=Acclaim Entertainment, Ltd. and BAM! Entertainment, Ltd. Forge International Product Distribution Agreement. |date=July 23, 2003 |publisher=Acclaim Entertainment |location=Glen Cove, New York |url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/acclaim-entertainment-ltd-and-bam-entertainment-ltd-forge-international-product-distribution-agreement-70819482.html |access-date=November 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160129051922/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/acclaim-entertainment-ltd-and-bam-entertainment-ltd-forge-international-product-distribution-agreement-70819482.html |archive-date=January 29, 2016 |agency=PR Newswire}}{{Cite web |title=Dexter's Laboratory |url=https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909031806/https://www.ign.com/games/dexters-laboratory |archive-date=September 9, 2023 |access-date=November 2, 2015 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} On February 15, 2005, Midway Games announced plans to develop and produce a new Dexter's Laboratory video game for multiple consoles, but it was never published.{{Cite press release |title=Midway and Cartoon Network Sign Three Multi-Territory Publishing Agreements for Games Based on Three Top-Rated Kids' Properties |date=February 15, 2005 |publisher=Business Wire |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Midway+and+Cartoon+Network+Sign+Three+Multi-Territory+Publishing...-a0128652413 |via=The Free Library |access-date=November 17, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140319132222/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Midway+and+Cartoon+Network+Sign+Three+Multi-Territory+Publishing...-a0128652413 |archive-date=March 19, 2014 |place=Chicago}}

Dexter, Mandark, Dee Dee, Dexter's computer, and Major Glory, as well as items, areas, and inventions are featured in the MMORPG FusionFall.{{Cite web |title=Quick Start Guide: Getting Started |url=http://fusionfall.cartoonnetwork.com/game/gameguide.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608024909/http://fusionfall.cartoonnetwork.com/game/gameguide.php |archive-date=June 8, 2011 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=CartoonNetwork.com |publisher=Turner Broadcasting System}}{{Cite web |title=Graduation: Mt. Neverest |url=http://fusionfall.cartoonnetwork.com/community/event-game-guide-details.php?id=504 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526035450/http://fusionfall.cartoonnetwork.com/community/event-game-guide-details.php?id=504 |archive-date=May 26, 2011 |access-date=May 31, 2011 |website=CartoonNetwork.com |publisher=Turner Broadcasting System}} Dexter's Laboratory characters are featured in Cartoon Network Racing{{Cite web |last=Thomas |first=Lucas M. |date=January 11, 2007 |title=Cartoon Network Racing Review |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/11/cartoon-network-racing-review-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230329173711/https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/01/11/cartoon-network-racing-review-2 |archive-date=March 29, 2023 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=IGN |publisher=News Corporation}} and Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion.{{Cite web |last=MTVGeek |date=November 23, 2011 |title='Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion XL' Review — The Only Game Where You Can Beat Up Captain Planet with Dexter |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/h6sxli/cartoon-network-punch-time-explosion-xl-review-the-only-game-where-you-can-beat-up-captain-planet-with-dexter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230909032344/https://www.mtv.com/news/h6sxli/cartoon-network-punch-time-explosion-xl-review-the-only-game-where-you-can-beat-up-captain-planet-with-dexter |archive-date=September 9, 2023 |access-date=January 15, 2013 |website=MTV.com}} Punch Time Explosion features different voice talent for Dexter (Tara Strong instead of Christine Cavanaugh or Candi Milo) and Monkey (Fred Tatasciore instead of Frank Welker). Elements from Dexter's Laboratory are featured in the 2024 Warner Bros. game MultiVersus.{{Cite magazine |date=July 2024 |title=Warner Bros. Games Launches MultiVersus |magazine=Gaming World News |publisher=Worldwide Videotex |volume=35 |issue=7 |page=1}}

• List of fictional scientists and engineers
• List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
• List of Hanna-Barbera characters

{{Clear}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book |last=Lenburg |first=Jeff |url=https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinanimate0000lenb/page/332 |title=Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators |publisher=Applause Theatre & Cinema Books |year=2006 |isbn=978-1-55783-671-7 |location=New York City |pages=[https://archive.org/details/whoswhoinanimate0000lenb/page/332 332–333] |chapter=Genndy Tartakovsky |access-date=May 31, 2011 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVShFCjVzvIC&q=tartakovsky%20calarts&pg=PA332 |via=Google Books}}
• {{Cite book |last=Manley |first=Mike |title=Best of Draw! Volume 1 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |year=2008 |isbn=978-1-893905-41-2 |location=Raleigh, North Carolina |chapter=Animation: An Interview with Genndy Tartakovsky}}
• {{Cite book |last=Neuwirth |first=Allan |author-link=Allan Neuwirth |title=Makin' Toons: Inside the Most Popular Animated TV Shows and Movies |publisher=Skyhorse Publishing |year=2007 |isbn=978-1-62153-197-5 |location=New York City |chapter=From Russia, with Glove: Genndy Tartakovsky's Dexter's Lab Explodes}}
• {{Cite book |last=Perlmutter |first=David |title=America Toons In: A History of Television Animation |publisher=McFarland & Company |year=2014 |isbn=978-0-7864-7650-3 |location=Jefferson, North Carolina |chapter=Songs of Innocence and Experience (1990–1999)}}
• {{Cite book |last=Perlmutter |first=David |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/the-encyclopedia-of-american-animated-television-shows-perlmutter-david-z-lib.org/page/153/mode/2up |title=The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-5381-0374-6 |location=Lanham, Maryland |chapter=A-Z Entries |pages=153–154 |via=Archive.org}}
• {{Cite book |last=Simensky |first=Linda |author-link=Linda Simensky |title=Funny Pictures: Animation and Comedy in Studio-Era Hollywood |publisher=University of California Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-520-95012-2 |editor-last=Goldmark |editor-first=Daniel |location=Berkeley, California |pages=272–91 |chapter=The Revival of the Studio-Era Cartoon in the 1990s |editor-last2=Keil |editor-first2=Charlie}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikiquote|Dexter's Laboratory}}

• {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/20051216114348/http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/dexter/}} (archive)
• {{Official website|https://www.cartoonnetwork.co.uk/show/dexters-laboratory|Official UK website}}
• {{Official website|https://web.archive.org/web/19991012022727/http://cartoonnetwork.com/doc/dexter/index.html|Dexter's Laboratory at Cartoon Network's Department of Cartoons}} (archive)
• {{IMDb title}}
• {{Toonopedia|dexter.htm}}

{{Dexter's Laboratory}}

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{{Genndy Tartakovsky}}

{{Former Cartoon Network original programming}}

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Category:1990s American animated comedy television series

Category:1990s American children's comedy television series

Category:1990s American comic science fiction television series

Category:1996 American animated television series debuts

Category:2000s American animated comedy television series

Category:2000s American children's comedy television series

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Category:American children's animated science fantasy television series

Category:American television series revived after cancellation

Category:Animated television series about children

Category:Animated television series about siblings

Category:Annie Award–winning television shows

Category:Cartoon Cartoons

Category:Cartoon Network original programming

Category:Television series by Cartoon Network Studios

Category:Television series by Rough Draft Studios

Category:Elementary school television series

Category:American English-language television shows

Category:Television shows set in laboratories

Category:Television series about geniuses

Category:Television series by Hanna-Barbera

Category:Best Animated Short Subject Annie Award winners

Category:Television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky

Category:Television shows adapted into comics