'TUFF Puppy' Butch Hartman Interview: 'I Want Charlie Sheen Character'

From Digital Spy:

'TUFF Puppy' Butch Hartman interview: 'I want Charlie Sheen character'

TUFF Puppy is the latest zany Nickelodeon animation that is hoping to match the success and crossover appeal of SpongeBob SquarePants. At the show's helm is animation guru and voiceover star Butch Hartman.

A regular voice guest on Family Guy and a pal of Seth MacFarlane, we caught up with Butch to find out what he was hoping to bring to the world of kids' TV.

Can you tell us a little bit about TUFF Puppy?
"TUFF Puppy came on in the US in October 2010 and it's already the number two cartoon on the whole of cable. It's only behind SpongeBob. It's about a secret agent dog who fights crime for the TUFF agency.

Our lead character Dudley Puppy is voiced by Jerry Trainor from iCarly and his character has the powers of every single dog. But he's a complete moron. Seriously he's a complete moron. Whenever there's a criminal to catch he begins to scratch his ear or whatever it is that dogs begin to do.

"Our main criminal is a rat called Verminious Snaptrap. He's very camp and usually starts by saying something like, 'ooh I want to do something very evil today!' We have some very funny episodes where Snaptrap ends up dating Dudley Puppy's mum. The whole episode is based around the idea that Dudley could have Snaptrap as a dad."

As a voiceover expert, what were your reasons for picking Jerry Trainor to voice Dudley?
"Jerry is very funny. We auditioned literally dozens and dozens of people. I was even going to do the voice at one point. Jerry auditioned for the part and was very, very funny. He was the first person to make us laugh in an audition."

How did you first get into animation?
"I started out being a cartoonist at school, but I went to CalArts to study. I was working on My Little Pony in the '80s, but I got fired because I couldn't draw the ponies well enough. It was a horrible show."

Did you always want to be a cartoonist?
"I grew up wanting to work for Walt Disney Studios, but funnily to this day, I haven't. I always wanted to, but I also wanted to make my own stuff. I didn't want to be the guy working on a show, because then one day you may be out of a job."

You've famously worked on Family Guy. Do you find it hard to resist voicing characters on your own shows?
"I have done some voices for Family Guy. I do sometimes make suggestions and start speaking to the actors in the voices of their characters, which can be unnerving for them I think. I sometimes sneak them in there. I just love the sound of my own voice. But I don't think mine is as funny as other people's. I think a lot of guys think they can do voice acting, but when you hear the pros and they are so great... that's a little intimidating."

Who are your favourite comics?
"Oh boy, the list is so long. I used to love Eddie Murphy. I loved George Carlin, I love Steve Martin. Those are my old school ones. I love Steve Carell. I love Ricky Gervais. I love Extras and the original Office. Will Ferrell as well is absolutely hilarious. The only cartoons I get a big kick out of are SpongeBob and The Simpsons."

Do you ever base characters on people you know or celebrities?
"We're actually thinking about doing a character in TUFF Puppy called Charlie Sheep. You know, 'winning... baaa... winning'. We sometimes base characters on people. The only problem doing something like that is that it can date the show. If we did a Lindsay Lohan character, it would really date the show."

Animation is a lot more high-tech these days. Do you miss the old pad and pencil techniques?
"I thought I would miss it. I had a computer in here for three years, this incredible electronic tablet and I just sat there looking at it. I'd draw and look at it, draw and look at it. People kept saying, 'it will make your life easier'. I kept saying, 'no, I don't want to learn'. But then I was out of town one time for four weeks. I sat and learnt it and now I love it. I can do more on it. I can do vast more amounts of work. I used colour with markers and then you'd run out of ink and you could never get the colour right. The nice thing to know though is that if all the power goes out in the world, I can still pick up a pen and draw if I want to."

TUFF Puppy airs weekdays at 3pm and 5pm on Nickelodeon and Nick.co.uk

JAKKS Pacific To Launch Brand New "Winx Club" Toy Line Worldwide Autumn 2011

From MarketWatch:

JAKKS Pacific(R) Welcomes Funtastic as Its Exclusive Australian Distributor for Winx Club Toy Line

MALIBU, Calif., Sep 28, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- JAKKS Pacific, Inc. (JAKK -0.56%) spreads the magic of Nickelodeon's animated action and fantasy series, Winx Club, to Australia through an exclusive agreement with Funtastic Limited to market and distribute the Winx Club toy line.

JAKKS' Winx Club product line is scheduled to launch in the U.S., Australia, North America, Latin America and the UK in Fall 2012 to coincide with the premiere of the brand new CG episodes of Winx Club on Nickelodeon and will span multiple categories, including dolls, playsets, role play, dress-up and Halloween costumes.

"The agreement with Funtastic for the Winx Club product line strengthens our international presence in the girls toy aisle," said Stephen Berman, President and CEO, JAKKS Pacific, Inc. "We are looking forward to introducing to the Australian market our comprehensive line of Winx Club products that bring positive messages of girl empowerment, friendship, adventure, magic and fashion that Winx Club epitomizes."

Stewart Downs, Chief Executive Officer, Funtastic Limited, added, "We are looking forward to bringing the magic of JAKKS' Winx Club product line to young girls in Australia, and we are thrilled to have been chosen as their distribution partner for this innovative girls' brand."

Winx Club is an animated modern fantasy adventure series that follows six best friends -- Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna and Aisha -- enrolled in Alfea College, the finest fairy school in all the realms. When trouble arises, the Winx girls transform into beautiful fairies who use their unique magical powers to fight villains and save the world from evil. Winx Club first debuted in Italy six years ago and quickly became a hit that has generated an international franchise of toys, books, clothing, and DVDs, as well as a CG-animated feature film.

The Winx Club began airing on Nickelodeon in the U.S. in June 2011 and in Australia in September 2011 with four specials premiering monthly through the fall, followed by a weekly series of Winx Club seasons three and four. Culled from the first two seasons of the Italian hit series from Rainbow S.p.A., the four specials include state-of-the-art visual effects and feature the voices of some of Nick's biggest stars, including: Keke Palmer (True Jackson, VP) as Aisha; Elizabeth Gillies (Victorious) as Daphne; Ariana Grande (Victorious) as Diaspro; and Matt Shively (True Jackson, VP) as Skye; as well as Molly Quinn (Castle) as Bloom. Cymphonique Miller (How to Rock) performs the show's theme song, "Winx You're Magic Now." Winx Club is a co-production with Rainbow S.p.A. and Nickelodeon.

About Funtastic Limited

Funtastic Limited (asx:FUN) supplies retailers and customers across Australia, and the world, with an array of leading products for kids of all ages.

As one of Australia's leading distributors of toys, sporting, confectionery and nursery products, Funtastic is proud to partner with JAKKS Pacific, Inc. on brands including Cabbage Patch Kids(R), Real Construction(TM) and Spy Net(TM).

For more information visit www.funtastic.com.au .

About Nickelodeon

Nickelodeon, now in its 32nd year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 16 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com . Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (VIA -0.09%) (VIA.B +0.12%).

You can read the full JAKKS Pacific press release article here on the MarketWatch website.