One of the wonderful side benefits of being in a visual medium is the partial archive that we’re able to compile over time, with special emphasis on Natasha Allegri’s Bee and PuppyCat, Butch Hartman’s The Fairly OddParents, and Pendleton Ward’s Bravest Warriors and Adventure Time. And in a digitized world, paper ephemera has become more and more rare. Over the past several years Frederator has been compiling themed books from our cartoon and channel repositories to share with our hardcore fans.
A couple of notes of note: Most of the books in the library are full color and printed at Amazon’s on-demand service. There’s no economies of scale, as in traditional printing, so you’ll find certain of the pricing pretty expensive. When available, I’ve also included links to downloadable PDFs for a quick advance read.
Original Cartoons, Vol.1: The Frederator Studios Postcards 1998-2005
Our first book is a collection of our first five full size, limited edition postcards featuring all the Oh Yeah! Cartoons, including the world’s first look at images from Butch Hartman’s The Fairly OddParents, Bill Burnett’s & Larry Huber’s ChalkZone, and Rob Renzetti’s My Life as a Teenage Robot. Plus a look at the Hanna-Barbera/Cartoon Network posters from What A Cartoon! including Dexter’s Laboratory, Cow & Chicken, Johnny Bravo and The Powerpuff Girls; an AWN interview with moi, and an essay by graphic design historian Steven Heller.
Original Cartoons, Volume 2: The Frederator Studios Postcards 2006 - 2010
Series 6 through 9 include all the Random! Cartoons cards, with the world’s first looks at Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time and Eric Robles’ Fanboy (but without Chum Chum). And an entire series of beautiful Frederator series title cards.
The MLaaTR Sketchbook: By the artists from My Life as a Teenage Robot
I like this book so much I can’t believe we haven’t made one for every Frederator series. Creator Rob Renzetti and Art Director Alex Kirwan oversaw a crew of dozens of world class artists at My Life as a Teenage Robot. We curated their best pencil sketches into this compendium that should be on every aspiring artist’s bookshelf.
I’ve been collecting posters for a long time, and producing original ones for almost as long. This poster archive book features our (almost) annual Frederator New Years set, and promotional posters from some our best shows. And there’s the added bonus of a handful of fan art posters for Adventure Time.
Frederator executive Eric Homan was getting such a kick from the first sets of Adventure Timestoryboards that he started collecting the best at our Flickr archive. He selected the very best and the very funniest into this Wit and Wisdom.
Frederator loves title cards. We’re one of the only cartoon studios in the 21st century still using them for almost every episode we’ve ever produced. So why not show off our best from The Fairly OddParents, ChalkZone, My Life as a Teenage Robot and Adventure Time? And more!
The Declaration of Cartoon Independents: The Channel Frederator Network & Cartoon Hangover: Selected Postcards 2008-2015
As Frederator dropped its own media channels like Channel Frederator and Cartoon Hangover, our postcard collections told stories about our fans as much as about our cartoons and their creators. More than 120 full color postcard illustrations our online animation network.
Over the past 10 years, Channel Frederator’s become the world’s biggest
animation network, built, film by film, by thousands of animators
across the globe. Each of the creators completely controls their own
channel, makes all their own decisions. There are no filters, no
gatekeepers, no barriers to the expressions of these intrepid souls.
Just the raw, direct, and often sophisticated moving picture expressions
of the characters they love, the worlds they inhabit, and the stories
they tell.
Original Cartoon Shorts: From Frederator Studios: Selected Postcards 1998-2015
Short cartoons have been the lifeblood of animation for almost 100
years, and the talent that creates them have been Frederator’s vital
spark for over two decades. And for almost as long, the studio has been
releasing limited edition postcards honoring their creators, like Butch
Hartman’s The Fairly OddParents, Natasha Allegri’s Bee &
PuppyCat, and Pendleton Ward’s Adventure Time and Bravest Warriors.
The Best of Frederator. Adventure Time (Cartoon Network), Castlevania (Netflix), The Fairly OddParents (Nickelodeon), Bravest Warriors (Cartoon Hangover) and Bee and PuppyCat (Cartoon Hangover) are only a
few shows featured in this “best of,” with 513 color illustrations and
246 pages. Together we stand for independent artists. Frederator loves
you!
Kate and Jennifer are award-winning, multidimensional filmmakers who bonded over being the food table hoverers at networking events. Others may schmooze; Kate + Jen sandwich. Their passion for food - and for their friendship - shines through in their short “Welcome to Doozy,” our 6th GO! Cartoon. I sat down with these very impressive ladies to discuss the bureaucracy behind imaginary friends, the importance of representation, and karaoke tea-time.
Sooo, how’d you two meet? Kate:We met in film school at NYU, where we were in the same Masters program. Jen: Kate took classes in animation - but I have no animation background, and, sadly, can barely draw…
What brought you together as collaborators? Jen: We were paired in the same production group our first week of school, and became good friends. Kate: We’ve since collaborated on each other’s class exercises, thesis films, and various arty things.
Partners in movie-making! What brought you to Frederator as a team? Kate: I’ve always had an interest in animation. I love Adventure Time and Bee and PuppyCat. So when Natasha Allegri posted on her blog about GO! Cartoons, I told Jen we should ‘go’ for it. Jen:We had - still have! - the concept for a full series prepared, so we actually pitched the show bible first and then reverse-engineered that into the short.
How did “Doozy” change throughout your development process? Jen: A lot, actually. Lou is a Kitsune fox demon now - she started out as an eyeball with cowboy boots! But the concept was always 2 girlfriends, a la Broad City, having misadventures. Kate:A little origin story: Ex (who has always been a rabbit) recently retired from being an imaginary friend. The Bureau of Imaginary Friends handles the re-adjustment of retired IF’s back into the imaginary world. So this is the story of Ex re-assimilating: finding a roommate in Lou, getting a job, and developing a crush on her coworker Skeletim. Jen:Skeletim stayed really consistent since the pitch - Eric (Homan, our VP of Development) always really liked him. We joke that Eric only stuck with us because of Skeletim.
How much are Ex and Lou based on you two, and who’s who? Kate: It’s a bit of a mix… Jen:But I’d say I’m more Ex, almost by default - just because Kate is so much more like Lou. Kate: I AM the mischievous one. Jen:And I’m the more… straight-laced one? I guess that’s the way to put it. Although! Kate is the one who does martial arts, like Ex.
What themes recur in your work? Kate: There’s always hopefulness in mine. I’m interested in outsiders, and finding whimsy and humor, even when things look bleak. I enjoy working in mediums where I can create wonderment. Like right now: I’m learning magic! Jen: I care a lot about representation and grounding stories in the realities of human relationships. The feature film that I’m developing now is inspired by my relationship with my sister. And with “Doozy”: it’s very specific to Kate and my identities as Asian Americans. Kate: Like incorporating the bento box, and the influence of Japanese anime and manga, of which we’re both fans. We were definitely inspired by Hayao Miyazaki’s way with food.
❀ A happy lil side note: one of the most popular Youtube comments on the short reads ‘A lot of people won’t know what a bento is but thanks to you, now they do!’ ❀
Jen: And we were conscious of the fact that most buddy comedies are about male friendships. We wanted to show girls being silly together and represent female friendship as it really is. Kate: That’s why Broad City was such an inspiration and even a motivator for “Doozy”. We were like ‘Ok, people do want to watch this.’
I read recently that Broad City’s viewership is split almost evenly male/female - it’s actually something like 55/45, with more men watching than women. Kate: What? That’s awesome. Jen: It just goes to show that it all comes down to good comedy and strong characters. I’m actually about to have a baby boy which has made me think about the types of stories that I’ll read to him as he grows up. I’ve been thinking of some of my favorite YA books with female protagonists like Anne of Green Gables and A Wrinkle in Time… it’s important to me that he’s able to identify and empathize with female characters. The only reason that boys “wouldn’t be able to” as people say, is if they learn socially that they shouldn’t.
What are some cool things we’ll get to see if “Welcome to Doozy” gets a series? Jen: Well, let’s just say there are some nefarious happenings in Ex’s office…
Gasp! Not Mrs. Hugs! Kate: Nah, not Mrs. Hugs. She’s a true office drone, doesn’t know what’s really up. Jen: We’d also backtrack, to show how Ex and Lou came to be friends and roommates. Kate: And we’d get to introduce their pet popsicle, who lives in the freezer. Jen: And we’d get to see Lou working her job at a run-down mini golf course. She schemes and ~magics~ to keep it afloat. Kate: There’s an underlying mystery, and it’d be a lot of them screwing up while trying to investigate it.
What sorta stuff do you guys like to do together - any wild adventures? Kate: Actually, yes. We try to take a road trip together every year. So far we’ve done the Badlands, the Southwest, the Midwest, the South and New Orleans. Jen: Admittedly, the Midwest was probably the most boring… not to knock where I’m from. But here’s a story: when we were in Nashville - the biggest music town - we quickly realized that karaoke is different there and that everyone getting onstage was a pro or semi-pro country singer. And then Kate got up - Kate: I didn’t know any better. Jen: And sang an Amy Winehouse/Mark Ronson cover amid all this country music. Truly the new kids in town. And the audience TOTALLY ate it up! They loved it. Kate: We karaoke together a lot. Sometimes we rent a room for just the two of us… during the middle of the day… one might call us enthusiasts.
What cartoons do you guys like? Jen: Well, Kate and I have wildly different tastes. But we both love Adventure Time and Rick and Morty. Kate: And we share 90s cartoons, like Dexter’s Lab, Daria, and Invader Zim - Jen: But Kate likes things like Ren & Stimpy - which is too grotesque for me…
What about your favorite Studio Ghibli film? Jen: Spirited Away. Kate: My Neighbor Totoro.
Last up: what are you working on now, and what’s your favorite thing you’ve made in the past? Kate: Favorite film I’ve made is “So You’ve Grown Attached” - “Doozy” inherited elements from it, like the imaginary friends, and the name ‘Ex’. Jen: I’m really focused on getting my feature financed right now, which we want to shoot this summer.
Oo-ooh! What’s it about, and who’s the star? Jen: The film is called You and Me Bothand we have Constance Wu from Fresh Off the Boat as one of the stars (me = !!). It’s a drama with comedic notes about two sisters, one a struggling heroin addict, who take a road trip to find their birth mother. While it touches on some heavy topics like loss and addiction, it’s ultimately a love story between sisters… so if anyone is looking to finance a film, hit me up! As far as favorite work… I don’t know… Kate: What about “Saeng-Il”? (“Birthday” in Korean) Jen: Okay, “Saeng-Il” then.
And Kate, what are you working on?
Kate: Eeeerrrrrr…. Jen: C’mon! Your feature! Kate: Okay, yeah, I’m working on a feature too. It’s a drama-comedy about a teen delinquent who teams up with a struggling party magician to battle her inner demons, strained home life, and avoid reform school. If anyone happens to know anyone who knows Catherine O’Hara - I’ve got a part for her.
You heard it here first, folks. Let’s snag financing for “You and Me Both” and Catherine O’Hara as Kate’s lead.
Thanks for taking the time, Kate and Jen! Great chatting with you, and best of luck on all of your projects. Can’t wait to see ‘em on the big screen (and also, little screens).
- Cooper
With their short hitting the one-year mark (and 668,000 views), here’s a bump for Cooper’s interview with Kate and Jen.
“Nebulous” is like if UberEats went intergalactic while maintaining its terrible employee treatment protocols. But who minds getting swallowed by both a sun and a big greasy space worm in the span of 5 minutes if your job lets you road trip with your best buddies, amirite?! We fired a couple questions off to Brent Sievers, the mind behind the detox sprouts (and the voice behind precious bb EG), and he hit us back with some answers.
1. What brought you to animation?
I just sort of stumbled my way into making cartoons. I thought the idea of drawing an entire film by yourself seemed cool in college so I ran with it. Turns out it’s super cool!
2. What would you be if you weren’t an animator?
I like to think there’s an alternate reality where I became an investment banker.
3. Did you ever want to work in a studio, or did you always want to be independent?
I’ve learned there are advantages to each. At the end of the day though, I try to keep my career aspirations flexible as long as I’m making stuff I’m proud of.
4. What were your favorite aspects of your program at RISD?
I appreciate that RISD’s animation/film program focuses on making the best film possible vs training you to excel at one part of the animation process. Especially since I believe that what most people care about is just the idea and execution of a film vs how nice it is to look at.
5. Does your upbringing in the PNW influence your work very much?
I keep drawing pine trees as the default background in a lot of my shorts cause I’m lazy. Though I’ve been transitioning to palm trees since I moved to LA.
6. How would you describe your films?
Usually torturing inanimate objects.
7. Where did your idea for “Nebulous” come from?
Nebulous came out of these long night drives I’d go on with my high school buddies. The friend that drove also used to deliver sandwiches.
8. How much did the idea for “Nebulous” change from pitch to final product?
“Nebulous” went through about 5 different variations with roughly the same characters. The first couple included a version where they were street performers on a pier, and one where they played a collectible Yu-Gi-Oh!-like card game.
9. Which of your films is your favorite and why?
Honestly, it’s always the one I’m making next. If I dwell on past successes it makes me not want to make anything new.
10. What are your favorite cartoons?
I really need to watch more cartoons. Like everyone I’m into Rick and Morty, but beyond that there’s a French series called A Town Called Panic that always blows my mind. Netflix’s TrollHunters was fun too.
11. Which artists / writers / animators are the biggest influences upon you?
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![The Declaration of Cartoon Independents [front cover]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/710380199babdccddec2ffd05583085c/52d288d042dd4bd7-b6/s540x810/c30a2e7995e637d9f19fcd36daa6b2a60afc4a3d.jpg)
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![Best Of Frederator: 4th edition [front cover]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/38f041d9b0dca17ea7669e8a384a7a70/52d288d042dd4bd7-d5/s540x810/3f8b5fc6fe51cf83da0e7b1e8c209e00a6718cb6.jpg)
