May 30th, 2024 
Lauren Ashton 
Today, reboots and spin-offs are everywhere. Studios seem to be interested in using existing IP when producing content, no matter how long it’s been since the original came out. Among all the reboots and spinoffs, some stories are better suited for a comeback than others. In this discussion, Ashleigh Crystal Hairston and I explore how the new Fairly Odd Parents captures the fun of the original while adding fresh, heartfelt elements that resonate with today’s kids. We also discussed the effort, creativity, and collaboration that went into the making of this project.
Lauren Ashton:
I grew up watching the original Fairly Odd Parents. Maybe you did, too!
Ashleigh Crystal Hairston:
I was very familiar with the show. I didn’t necessarily grow up with it. More of Looney Tunes, Ren and Stimpy, kind of, and Rugrats. You know, that kid!
LA:
Oh, very cool. That’s all good stuff, too. Also because you’re a part of Looney Tunes as well, as the voice of Babs Bunny!
ACH:
Yeah!
LA:
So the, like, mid-2000s, right? That was a really great time for children/family entertainment, especially in animation. Some super great stuff was made, I think. When I think of that time period, I think of the Fairly Odd Parents, definitely. Jimmy Neutron, SpongeBob. That was such a great time.
ACH:
Yes.
LA:
How does it feel now, in 2024, to not only be a part of the reboot of something so iconic but to also be the new central character?
ACH:
It feels amazing. Like I said, I didn’t necessarily grow up with Fairly Odd Parents. But I was very familiar. I was already kind of in high school when it came out. But I have such a deep passion for cartoons and animation. And I was a huge fan of Cosmo and Wanda and Timmy. And the song, too- you are so right, it did definitely, like, speak to that time period! Yeah, so it feels amazing to bring it back to for today’s kids and, you know, relate it to now. We’re taking a series that has such a strong and recognizable format and structure, so you can totally apply it to this new iteration. It was like, “could we keep going with new ideas and more Godkids?” And what would those things look like in the future? It’’s been really easy to actually adapt it for today’s generation.
LA:
Wonderful! I can see that just by looking at the character designs- especially Hazel. The essence of that character has this very, spunky, fun, kid energy, which I think is what we liked so much about the original, right? So it’s cool to bring that back in a new way to a new audience. Aside from being the central voice talent, what is it like to serve from the producer side as well?
ACH:
It’s my first time getting to sort of marry all of my talents and gifts and abilities into one project. It was a lot of work. And most days were very challenging, but I got through it. But it’s been so fun! Since I get to voice Hazel as a character, I was able to put a lot of my own personal experiences into her story and into her character. As a writer, I got to put my 10-year-old self into Hazel- she is, like you said, a very fun, sweet, quirky, passionate kid…a little, you know, quirky weirdo like myself! I used to collect rocks like her. I was obsessed with french fries- it was my favorite food, just like her. I talked to my rocks and I used to name them. And that’s something that we put into Hazel’s character as well. It’s been really fun as a writer and as a story editor as well. Being in the writer’s room, doing all of the revisions alongside Lindsey Katai, my co-story editor. Being a producer alongside David Stone and Daniel Abramovich- it was a lot, but it was so much fun and I’d do it all over again.
LA:
I can imagine it was a lot, but I think that’s so great that you not only lent your voice to this character but that you were also able to give it more life through, like you said, your own personal experience. Do you feel like there’s an intersection between writing and voice acting and producing- all these different layers of storytelling- that has informed your choices while playing Hazel?
ACH:
Yes. I think I can attribute that to this: I moved to Los Angeles in 2012. And I would say I immediately jumped into sketch comedy and improv, and I started performing at different theaters around town. So for maybe six years leading up to getting this job, I had been really hustling and grinding- you know, performing in shows, doing rehearsals every week, attending writers meetings… it was just such a “go, go go!” aggressive, artist’s lifestyle. I definitely applied that to this job where it was like, “okay, you have to be on stage in five minutes,” or “you have to turn in this revision,” or “you’re getting rewrites, and you have to go on stage immediately after”. You know, I feel like I had a lot of rehearsal time leading up to this job, and I don’t know how I would have done it otherwise! Meetings were literally back-to-back every day, and for writing, we’d have deadlines- writing deadlines that we’d have to turn in every week. I attribute being able to do it all to my background in improv, because you kind of just have to be spontaneous with it- you have to be able to go with the flow. I’d be going from meeting to meeting to meeting, and then I’d have to hop in the car and be on a meeting in the car, hop into the voiceover booth, hop out of the voiceover booth, get on the computer to direct someone else alongside Meredith Layne, our voice director. A lot of muscles being utilized in one job. It’s like you got a kind of a machine brain, or like you’re playing that one instrument (I forget what it’s called) but it’s like a drum and organ and a flute? It’s like a one-person band situation: there’s a little one-person band inside my head.
LA:
That’s a great way to put it! And that’s super impressive and inspiring. Bravo to you. I feel like a lot of people don’t realize just how much work goes into making a show. And you’ve been working on this for quite a while. How does it feel to be to be finished with it?
ACH:
It feels great! I do miss it a lot. I’m still going in to record and do ADR stuff. So it’s still present and happening. I’m anxious to get back into it- fingers crossed for a renewal or more seasons! But yeah, I want to do it again. I’m excited! But I’m also working on other projects as well now, so The Fairly Odd Parents is kind of a distant fond memory.
LA:
So we were talking about that period in the early to mid-2000s, and how it’s sort of an iconic time for animated television. There’s got to be nostalgia for many people when seeing a show like this come out again because it was so popular years ago. And now we’re in this world of lots of reboots, right? And with social media and Instagram, TikTok- we’ve got a lot of saturation, a lot of content. How do you feel that this iteration differs from the original and stands out from other reboots that we’re seeing?
ACH:
I feel like in this iteration, we’re still following the Fairly Oddparents by asking that big question: “What would wish fulfillment look like for a kid? What if they had unlimited wishes?” And we’re still asking that question, but we’re just applying it to today’s generation of kids who have modern technology at their fingertips, closer relationships with their parents, and a greater awareness of the world around them. And I feel like they have such a strong emotional intelligence. So we wanted to make a show for kids who are dealing with all of that today- kids who care about the world. Timmy, for example: his problems were more external. He was dealing with checked-out parents and an evil babysitter, whereas Hazel is dealing with more internal struggles: self-identity and confidence as she’s having to move to a new city. She’s having to be without her big brother for the first time, who was her anchor, and she’s having to make new friends. And this is a kid who really cares about the world. She cares about the people around her. We like to say that Timmy didn’t really care about a lot of things, and his wishes were informed by that! Hazel cares a lot about everything, so that is what inspires her wish-making. I’m really excited for kids to maybe see themselves in that character. Because we really tried to do a great job at taking today’s generation of kids and asking, “how we can we have them represented in Hazel”?
LA:
Oh, totally. Timmy’s wishes, for lack of a better word, were kind of surface-level- but he was also a kid, and it was fun! I’m looking forward to seeing how Hazel’s internal life comes through in this in this new story.
ACH:
It’s still going to be very zany and fun and wacky- very similar to the original Fairly Oddparents. But I think this iteration has a little more heart. There’s a little more emotional growth over time. The characters: I think, you’ll really connect with them. It’s gonna be really sweet.
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