Live with the Cast and Producers of 'Phineas and Ferb'

Photo: Frederick M. Brown/Getty

Thank goodness for "Phineas & Ferb." The Disney Channel cartoon rivals adult-oriented primetime toons like "Family Guy" for clever asides and witty references. (As a matter of fact, one of the "Phineas" creators even spent time on "Family Guy" before setting out to recreate that vibe, without the raunch.)

"Phineas & Ferb" is easily the most-viewed TV series in our household -- by virtue of the fact that it seems to be perpetually on in our home. (I believe we have about 13 episodes on Tivo at the moment.) It's a show that my kids can appreciate, but I honestly think more of the jokes are geared toward adults.

And that's by design. Creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh spent 16 years trying to turn "Phineas & Ferb" into reality -- were looking to create an evergreen series that targeted several generations.

The concept -- two stepbrothers creating mini-adventures each and every day of summer vacation -- has proved to be fertile ground. Just last week the boys built a truck stop diner on top of the family RV. They’ve milked cows on the moon. They’ve built a biodome. They’ve opened the trendiest restaurant in town. They’ve built a teleporter, discovered the lost city of Atlantis, traveled inside their sister’s stomach, traveled back in time to the Jurassic Age and circled the globe after being inspired by Clay Aiken and Chaka Khan.

It all began with episode one in 2007, when the boys built a rollercoaster in the back yard. Four years later, it’s not just the biggest thing to ever come out of Danville and the Tri-State area – yes, even bigger than Love Handel and one-hit wonder Lindana. "Phineas and Ferb" is a huge Emmy-winning success for Disney. Just two weeks ago the Disney Channel Original Movie "Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension" attracted the best ratings of any basic cable movie this year.

I had the opportunity to moderate a panel this past Saturday at the Paley Center's 2011 Paley Fest: Family Edition, featuring Povenmire and Marsh, as well as voice stars Vincent Martella (Phineas), Ashley Tisdale (Candace), Dee Bradley Baker (Perry the Platypus), Alyson Stoner (Isabella), and Mitchel Musso (Jeremy).

Among the tidbits:

-- I mentioned how the bumbling Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz may be the most-rounded cartoon villain ever. He's divorced and trying to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, leading to some (yes, really) touching moments. The producers noted that they battled Disney to actually say the word "divorced" on the show -- execs were worried that it might depress kids whose parents were actually divorced. But the producers believed the opposite: "Phineas & Ferb" is all about blended families and the reality of today's parental units.

-- A theatrical "Phineas & Ferb" movie, including live-action elements, is in the works and still on track to be released in 2013.

-- The busy cast rarely sees each other, and records in their own city on their own time. Events like this one and Comic-Con represent some of the few moments where they've actually been in the same room together.

-- When asked about their favorite episode, many of them go back to the one that started it all: "Rollercoaster."

-- The mouth movement that Perry the Platypus makes when he speaks is based on how actor Dee Bradley Baker contorts his mouth when actually making that sound.

-- Why a platypus? Because there hadn't been one before. The creators shared advice they learned from DreamWorks: When "Shrek" first hit, the studio realized that it could own the phrase "ogre." Everyone knew the word "ogre," but no one could really picture what one looked like. Enter Shrek. Now, when people think "ogre," a picture of Shrek comes to mind. DreamWorks now owns that mental space. Povenmire and Marsh hope they're doing the same with the platypus. Now, when you think "platypus," doesn't Perry come into view?

Whatever Happened To... "Parky," the L.A. Parks and Recreation Kangaroo?

Neatocoolville, who runs one of the, well, neatest and coolest Flickr sites around, recently posted this pic of "Parky" the Kangaroo, who reminds litterbugs to pick up their trash and keep their parks clean.

"Parky" actually originated in Los Angeles. Cartoonist Lloyd Hutchinson created "Parky" in 1952 -- and originally suggested the name "Trashy" for his creation. (Damn it when cooler, if not pretty uncreative, minds prevail!) Hutchinson decribes the history of "Parky" in a comment on Neatocoolville's page:

In 1952, the Los Angeles Department of Parks and Recreation sponsored a cleanup campaign and announced a cartoon contest to select a character to represent the City of Los Angeles.

My cartoon was chosen as the winner, out of 450 entries. Parky decals were soon seen on every trash can on beaches and parks throughout Los Angeles. They were also placed on every Water and Power truck, and on each city vehicle. Also, every letter which passed through the LA Terminal Annex postal facility bore the Parky imprimatur. Parky's image was soon distributed to many other states, as well as to Canada and other foreign countries.

Parky's name, of course, was derived from the Department of Recreation and Parks. (My original name for Parky was "Trashy", believe it or not!) Parky was considered a public service creation, and my only compensation (besides a 3 day trip to Mammoth Lakes with my new wife) was a small honorarium for two posters depicting Parky using his familiar cleanup stick. Later, the City of Los Angeles announced a Parky song competition, which was won by a local couple. The song was recorded by Wilbur Hatch and the NBC orchestra, and sung by the prominent performer, Johnny Green.

Parky signs still exist, I remember seeing one somewhere a few years ago, but can't remember where. Long live Parky!

Retro Friday: Saturday Morning Edition

Whatever happened to the Saturday morning animated series based on popular bubblegum bands? (I guess the bigger question remains, "What ever happened to Saturday morning?" The answer: Cable killed it.)

Here, for your enjoyment, two entries from the early 1990s: The "New Kids on the Block" series (above) and the M.C. Hammer-themed "Hammerman" (below). Ahh, those were the days -- and continuing a tradition that reached back to the animated Beatles, Jackson 5 and Osmonds series.

Who would be ripe for a Saturday morning animated series these days? I suppose we'd be seeing a cartoon version of Miley Cyrus; maybe "L'il Kanye"?



Since we're talking about Saturday morning, I can't resist one more clip, for the sheer creepiness of it. Check out this old McDonalds ad, featuring Willard Scott as an early incarnation of Ronald McDonald. Here, Ronald keeps pointing out how the kid in spot shouldn't talk to strangers or accept gifts -- and then plies him with hamburgers!

Celebrating 'Toons with Nick

Now in its fourth year, the Nicktoons Animation Festival seeks to honor the best animated shorts (10 minutes or less) around (or at least, entered). Every night at 10 p.m., the Nicktoons channel screens a short; on Aug. 31, the best ones will be compiled and telecast, along with the grand prize winning short (which comes with a $10,000 prize).

This weekend, the festival set up shop at the Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank... and on Saturday, we brought Evan along to the fest's annual Kids' Day.

The high-energy event included DJs and dancers, as well as surprisingly gourmet-style finger foods (including and excellent mac and cheese, a citrus-spiked chicken sandwich and quite tasty hamburger sliders), a booth where kids learned about the animation process; another in which Nick animators drew popular characters for the kids; and others where kids could decorate their own character.


Animators draw several of the more popular characters; Blogger Toddler settled on a Dora the Explorer sketch


Character is led away


Spongebob, made completely of Legos


Fountain in front of the studios; don't forget, Nickelodeon's love affair with everything colored slime originated with "You Can't Do That on Television"