Mickey Mouse is an cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.
Spider-Ham
Spider-Ham (Peter Porker) is a superhero appearing in Marvel Comics. The character is an anthropomorphic pig and is a parody version of Spider-Man. He was created by Larry Hama, Tom DeFalco, and Mark Armstrong.
KENEDA
Kaneda, the leader of a motorcycle gang in Katsuhiro Otomo’s classic anime feature AKIRA (1988).
Daffy Duck
Daffy Duck was created by Tex Avery for Leon Schlesinger Productions. He has appeared in cartoon series such as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, in which he is usually depicted as a foil for either Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, or Speedy Gonzales.
I recently had the opportunity to tour Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank, CA. Here’s an inside look at the home of SpongeBob (well, his above water home) and the rest of studio’s other iconic characters:
Hanging out In the front lobby.
This sculpture of SpongeBob is made out of pencils. I was drawn to it.
Out in the courtyard SpongeBob is feeling blue (metallic).
These are the actual puppets (made by Screen Novelties) used on the 2017 stop-motion Halloween special “The Legend of Boo-kini Bottom”.
In the archive room, there are original cels, and this pencil illustration of SpongeBob and Patrick done by late creator Stephen Hillenburg.
The studio’s 80-seat screening room is named in Hillenburg’s honor.
I was thrilled to go into the recording booth. This is where Tom Kenny, Bill Fagerbakke and co. have delivered the iconic “SpongeBob” lines over the past 20 years. “Mother of Pearl!”
“SB” is so embraced at Nick HQ that even their security guard sits in an air-conditioned pineapple at one of the gate entrances.
SpongeBob isn’t the only character featured at the studio. Here are “Catdog” and “Legend of Korra” sketches.
“Hey Arnold!” has its own porch display… and shrine.
“What EZZ IT, man?” These are figures of the beloved “Ren and Stimpy” and a Stimpy stone sculpture in the courtyard.
And there’s even an oversized living room set-up for Saturday morning cartoon viewing (objects are larger than they appear).
Much of the four-story Nick building is devoted to animator cubicles and artist’s offices. Visitors and employees are greeted by a pair of giant character tikis.
With shows such as “Loud House” spinoff “The Casagrandes” and “SpongeBob” prequel series “Kamp Koral” in production, Nickelodeon will undoubtably remain a TV animation titan for years to come. I can’t wait for my next visit. It’ll be my (second) best day ever!
Jackson Murphy is an Emmy-winning film critic, content producer, and author, who has also served as Animation Scoop reporter since 2016. He is the creator of the website Lights-Camera-Jackson.com, and has made numerous appearances on television and radio over the past 20 years.
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Checking Out The Art and Design at Nickelodeon Studios
I recently had the opportunity to tour Nickelodeon Animation in Burbank, CA. Here’s an inside look at the home of SpongeBob (well, his above water home) and the rest of studio’s other iconic characters: With shows such as “Loud House” spinoff “The Casagrandes” and “SpongeBob” prequel series “Kamp Koral” in production, Nickelodeon will undoubtably remain […]
