Doodlez

Lore & Background

The series centers on Dood, a small boy who is a doodle, and Hand, a disembodied hand that uses a pencil to draw objects into Dood's environment. Hand sometimes helps Dood, such as by drawing a booster to help him cheat in a skating race, but often complicates situations or makes them worse. Episodes include scenarios like girl troubles, becoming a werewolf, being stuck in a picture frame, watering a sunflower, and traveling inside a giant beast to retrieve a lollipop. One episode was done entirely on a computer, with Cursor replacing Hand.

Supporting characters include Doodette, a female version of Dood and his love interest; Martini Moose, who appears as a sidekick and knows karate; Cop, who often squashes and handcuffs Dood; Penguin, who appears during winter; and Monster, who eats Dood and his things. Minor characters include Dood 2, an evil twin; Handette, a female Hand; Referee; Tourist; Art vandal; Bull; Cursor; Hot-Dog Salesman; Sound-effects guy; Director; and Beaver.

In 2007, Teletoon announced a Doodlez television series to be released soon, but it never came out. The studio likely cancelled the production, or it may still be in production. An opening for the show was released on KidMango along with some classic shorts, but KidMango no longer shows the shorts.

Reader's Guide

Doodlez is significant as a wordless animated series that relies entirely on visual storytelling and gibberish communication, reminiscent of classic silent cartoons like Duck Amuck. Its premise of a hand drawing the protagonist's environment allows for endless creative and surreal situations. The series aired on Teletoon starting in 2002 and later reached international audiences on Nicktoons and BBC Kids, where it was among the final programs broadcast. Despite a planned television series announced in 2007, no full series was released, leaving only the original shorts. The show's legacy includes its unique character designs and the recurring gag of Dood ending each cartoon angry, with the words 'the end' appearing somewhere on screen. The series is also noted for its one computer-based episode and the introduction of Cursor as a replacement for Hand.

Did You Know?

• Doodlez has no spoken dialogue; characters communicate through gibberish and Dood sometimes has a chipmunk laugh.
• The end of each cartoon always shows the word 'the end' appearing somewhere.
• In 2007, Teletoon announced a Doodlez television series that never came out.

Premise & Format

Doodlez centers on Dood, a small boy who exists as a doodle, navigating a series of slapstick predicaments reminiscent of classic cartoon chaos. His primary ally—or adversary—is Hand, a disembodied appendage wielding a pencil that sketches objects and characters directly onto the screen. Sometimes these drawings save Dood, as when a booster is drawn behind him during a skating race against a rival. More often, they make matters worse. The show operates without any spoken dialogue; characters occasionally exchange gibberish, and Dood punctuates moments with a chipmunk-like laugh. Every short concludes with the words "the end" appearing somewhere on screen, and Dood is typically left in a state of frustration, presumably because the cartoon simply has to stop. The format is deliberately minimal: a pad of paper, a pencil, and escalating absurdity.

Character Ensemble

Beyond the core pairing of Dood and Hand, the series populates its paper world with a rotating cast. Doodette, a female counterpart to Dood, serves as his romantic interest. Martini Moose, a moose who favors bubble baths and karate while perpetually clutching a martini in his hoof, functions as Dood's sidekick. The Cop is a recurring antagonist who squashes Dood, handcuffs him, and tosses him off-screen. A Penguin appears during winter episodes, while a Monster habitually devours Dood and his belongings. In the early episode "Genesis," Dood is split in two by a wire, spawning an evil twin called Dood 2, who later reappears in "Dood.com" after being digitally copied. Handette, a feminine version of Hand, shows up only in a Valentine's Day installment. Other occasional characters include a Tourist who accidentally makes Dood wealthy with a burst of ink, an Art Vandal who adds mustaches to every portrait, a Bull who vanishes into a red sheet and returns demanding coffee, a Hot-Dog Salesman who also deals in ice cream, a Beaver who becomes Dood's foe for one episode, and a Director who barks like a dog in place of speaking.

Production & Broadcast History

Doodlez is a Canadian animated shorts series produced by Cellar Door Productions and animated by Trapeze Animation Studios. It first aired on Teletoon in 2002 and subsequently found audiences on Nicktoons. The show also became one of the final programs broadcast on BBC Kids before the channel's lineup changes. In 2007, Teletoon announced that a full Doodlez television series was in development and would be released soon. However, the project never materialized in the years that followed, leading to speculation that the studio either cancelled production or kept it in an indefinite state of development. An opening sequence for the unproduced series was eventually uploaded to KidMango alongside clips from the original shorts, though the platform later removed the shorts from its catalog. The series is often grouped alongside other pencil-drawn animation works, with a reference linking it to the broader Pencilmation genre.

Range of Situations & Creative Gimmicks

The shorts draw their humor from an endlessly varied menu of scenarios. Dood finds himself in girl troubles, transforms into a werewolf, gets trapped inside a picture frame, tends a sunflower, and even travels inside a giant beast's stomach to retrieve a lollipop. In one skating race, Hand draws a booster behind Dood to help him cheat against a rival. The show also experimented with its own format: in a single episode, Hand and his pencil were replaced by a computer cursor named Cursor, and the entire short was rendered on a computer rather than the usual pad of paper. A Sound-Effects Guy once trailed Dood around, generating appropriate audio cues and foreshadowing upcoming events. In another installment, a Director appeared, holding a clapperboard and barking like a dog instead of speaking, while Dood starred in a movie. A Referee officiated a race between Dood and a character called Guy, and a Bull disappeared into a red sheet only to reappear demanding a cup of coffee.