Butch Hartman

The creator who drew Timmy Turner, Cosmo, and Wanda in about fifteen minutes.

Butch Hartman is the creator of The Fairly OddParents, the American animated television series for Nickelodeon. Prior to creating the show, Hartman worked at Cartoon Network on Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo. In December 1997, Fred Seibert contacted Hartman to pitch ideas for Oh Yeah! Cartoons.

Hartman initially declined, but after production on the first season of Johnny Bravo was completed, he decided to create his own series. He started by drawing a picture of a little boy who would become Timmy Turner, originally naming him after his brother Mike Hartman. After a fight with that brother, Hartman changed the name to Timmy. Hartman wanted Timmy to be able to go anywhere and originally considered giving him science powers, but decided against it due to Dexter's Laboratory.

Instead, he gave Timmy a magic friend, drawing Venus (later renamed Wanda) first, then Cosmo. After coming up with the premise in about fifteen minutes, Hartman pitched it to Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network, both of which turned it down. He then successfully pitched it to Seibert at Nickelodeon for Oh Yeah! Cartoons.

Quick Facts

Role: Creator
Affiliation: Nickelodeon
First appearance: The Fairly OddParents (Pilot/1998)
Status: Left Nickelodeon in February 2018

Lore & Background

Butch Hartman created The Fairly OddParents as a seven-minute short film for Oh Yeah! Cartoons, making nine seven-minute short films total that aired on Nickelodeon from September 4, 1998, to March 23, 2001. Due to their popularity, the shorts were greenlit to become a half-hour series, which premiered on March 30, 2001. The show's original run continued through season 8 in 2009, and it was later revived for seasons 9 and 10, which aired from 2013 to September 16, 2016, with production quietly ending that same year.

Remaining episodes aired on Nicktoons from January 18, 2017 through July 26, 2017. Hartman left Nickelodeon seven months later in February 2018. The show totals 172 episodes across ten seasons. While in early development, the series was titled The Fairy GodParents and then briefly changed to Oh My GodParents.

Bill Burnett came up with the title The Fairly OddParents, which they stuck with. Hartman originally named the main character Mike after his brother Mike Hartman, but after a fight that day, he renamed him Timmy.

Reader's Guide

Butch Hartman's journey began at Cartoon Network on Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo. In December 1997, Fred Seibert contacted him to pitch ideas for Oh Yeah! Cartoons for Nickelodeon. Hartman initially declined, but after completing the first season of Johnny Bravo, he decided to create his own series.

He drew a picture of a little boy who would become Timmy Turner, originally naming him Mike after his brother, but after a fight that day, he named him after his other brother Timmy Hartman. After coming up with the premise in about fifteen minutes, he pitched it to Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network, both of which turned it down. He then went back to Seibert at Nickelodeon and successfully pitched it for Oh Yeah! Cartoons.

The series was originally titled The Fairy GodParents, then briefly Oh My GodParents, before Bill Burnett came up with the final title The Fairly OddParents. Hartman made ten seven-minute short films for Oh Yeah! Cartoons, which aired from September 4, 1998, to March 23, 2001. Due to their success, Nickelodeon picked up the series alongside ChalkZone and My Life as a Teenage Robot. In January 2000, Nickelodeon ordered seven 23-minute episodes. Hartman left Nickelodeon in February 2018.