Butch Hartman was a huge part of my childhood. While not as big as, say, Genndy Tartakovsky and Craig McCracken, Butch definitely brought the heat when it came to his work. Whether it was The Fairly Oddparents, Dexter’s Lab episodes or Danny Phantom, Hartman was definitely a pioneer at what he did. This is why when Butch announced that he took his leave from Nickelodeon, it somewhat broke my heart.

SOMEWHAT.

Butch Hartman announced via his YouTube channel that he had departed Nickelodeon on February 8, and I was shocked. I grew up with a lot of his work, such as The Fairly Oddparents and Danny Phantom, as well as T.U.F.F. Puppy (I was 23 when the show debuted, so what,) so the surprise definitely hit. However, me being a geek culture journalist, common sense took over and I began to understand Hartman’s decision.

Hartman, in the fourteen-minute video, details how he got started with Nickelodeon, as well as his disappointment over Danny Phantom only airing for three seasons. A lot of the video also discusses how difficult and hectic schedule in the animation industry, as well as the decision to end Bunsen Is A Beast after one season.

Never fear, Butch will be working on some more content, such as Elf Detective, which Hartman states will be anime-inspired, as well as his original kid-friendly application on the Apple iTunes App Store, The Noog Network, as well as his podcast, Speech Bubble, with great content, such as his chat with the voice of Timmy Turner, Tara Strong. Here’s to Butch Hartman making more memories for children for many more years.