Sheldon Gets Killed!

I can't believe that we're actually killing off Sheldon in the second season. I guess he wasn't doing so well in the ratings so, BOOM! Off he goes.

No, I'm just kidding. I just didn't have any exciting news to report today. We're moving along as usual. We've already shipped 8 episodes (technically 8 stories that make up 4 half-hour episodes) overseas and the ninth one needs to ship this Friday. It's the second part of a two-part Christmas episode. But don't worry, it's not all cutesy and happy... it's packed full of action and danger like a good Christmas episode should be.

We also just recorded the voices for an episode called "Let's Stick Together" yesterday and we pitch an episode to the network tomorrow called "A Place of Her Own." It's a little tough working on many different episodes all at the same time, but somehow we keep them straight. We're also constantly working on new story ideas and there is one idea I keep toying with. Sheldon is standing right next to an open elevator shaft when...

HEY! HOLD YOUR HORSES! Yes, it's still another ten or twelve weeks before the new episodes of Teenage Robot hit the airwaves, but the first episode has come back to us here at Nickelodeon from the animation team in Korea. It doesn't have the music or sound effects yet, but it looks great. Hang in there! 

Draw Jenny and Win Billions!

Okay, so I don't really have billions to give out, although I didn't specifically say billions of WHAT... But I was just wondering if any of you out there have tried to draw XJ9? We come across fan art every once in a while and it's cool to see how other people picture Jenny.

Every few days we get a busload of school kids coming through Nickelodeon on a tour and they let the kids draw Jenny on the walls with special markers. It's wild to walk down the hall and see 26 different Jenny's staring back at you.

Send in your comments if you've got some drawings and we'll see if we can't find a place to post them online.

JENNY, JENNY... WHO CAN I TURN TO? Once again, it's Jenny to the rescue in this illustration from one of our storyboard artist packs. How many weapons is she packing anyway? 

MORE SECOND SEASON SCORCHERS!

Hot off the presses (if we had presses), here are the titles of some of the exciting episodes coming up on the second season of MLAATR!

Victim of Fashion
Mind Over Matter
DAF-y Draftee
Not-So-Great Expectations
He Be Doggin’
Humiliation 101
Robot for All Seasons
Teen Team Time
Sister Sledgehammer
Sleepover Mode
Dance Fever
Let’s Stick Together
Armagedroid
Killgore
Place of Her Own
Robot Wars
Designing Women

Not to single out some episodes at the expense of others, but... ah, what the heck. "Teen Team Time" is the episode featuring the characters pictured below. We just saw Heather's storyboard pitch for "Place of Her Own" today and it was hilarious. I'm also personally looking forward to "Armagedroid" a lot because that's the first one I wrote in house and it really pushes Jenny to the limit. But every episode has something to rave about, so keep checking in and I'll keep raving.

SECOND SEASON EXCLUSIVE!!!! Hot off the design tables of the Teenage Robot staff are new characters from a second season episode entitled "Teen Team Time!" Will Jenny finally fit in among other superpowered teens?!? Tune in this fall to find out! 

Teen Team Member 

Teen Team Member 

Teen Team Member 

WATCH OUT! New Second Season Pix Coming Soon! 

MOVIE NIGHT! So tonight is a big night at Nickelodeon... the second annual "Movie Under the Stars" celebration and barbeque. They've set up a huge outdoor movie screen and everyone who works at Nick (and their families) gets together for a massive picnic and drive-in movie (without the cars). And you thought doing animation for a living was all work and no play! 

Another Day, Another Great Story

This morning we had a storyboard pitch for a new episode called "Killgore!" We've got a great bunch of Teenage Robot storyboard artists, but this one was actually done by a Fairly Oddparents storyboard artist. That's one of the great things about working at Nickelodeon: when one show finishes its episodes, many of the writers and artists do freelance work on other shows. That way everyone stays working and we all get to know each other. That's a good thing, because surprisingly, almost everyone I've met at Nick is pretty darned cool. (That guy with the food in his beard who sleeps under his desk is just the exception that proves the rule.)

CAUTION: ANIMATOR AT WORK Here is a real live Teenage Robot character designer creating characters as we speak! It's our very own TripleXJTrixie hard at work, and she promises to post one of her most recent sketches very soon. Stay tuned! 

Jenny's New Look for 2004! 

Guess who?

Hello Teenage Robot fans!
So, I'm the second crew member to haunt this blog, and I'll give you a hint or two about who I am...I'm a character designer and I have tons of fun coming up with new designs for the show! Right now, we're working on our Holiday episode (stay tuned!), and I've been noodling around with some fun designs for Santa, Mrs. Claus, and some cute elves and reindeer. In the coming days and weeks ahead, I will start posting a few things here and there, giving you a teeny glimpse of how things work around this crazy place! I might even start taking and uploading a picture or two of the studio and what things look like on the inside of Teenage Robot......So stay tuned, and we'll get something rolling pretty soon here, including a whole graphic redesign of this blog! Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Signing off!
xoxoxoxo
TripleXJTrixie

STORYBOARD REVEALED -- Hey, I thought you fans of the show might like to see a glimpse of an upcoming episode. This is a section of a storyboard for a season two show where Jenny is being hunted by the Skyway Patrol. As you can see, it's in a very rough stage at this point, but already you can get a sense of the drama. I can't wait. (Well, actually I can. I have no choice.) 

So many adventures, so little time...

Well, today is a big story conference here at MLAATR. All together, we're doing 13 new episodes this year which means 26 new stories. We've already finished writing 20 of them if you can believe that, with only six slots left to fill. So today we have to sit down and look through all of the ideas we have left to decide which six adventures Jenny will get to experience and which ideas will die a painful death in the circular file beside my desk.

Should Jenny be banished? Get possessed? Get a pet? Save a tree? Start a new wave band and tour the country as XJ9 and the Screaming Sockets? Well, maybe not that last one.

Oops. 

Jenny in Space! Hey, why is everything in space green? 

Jenny in Action! As promised, here are a few pix of our favorite robotic teenage hero. 

A few days ago someone wrote in asking for pictures of Jenny. I thought I'd check online to see what pictures are already out there. Well, if you type "XJ9" into your search engine like I did, you find this guy! Add a couple of custom blue ponytails and it's the spitting image of our own little Jenny Wakeman! 

Ever wondered which robot is the most powerful in all of TV and movie history?

Neither have I, but I was sitting around in my office trying not to do any work and I started to wonder if XJ9 could kick some serious robot butt. She could easily take apart the "Lost in Space" robot and those wimps C3PO and R2D2. I hereby issue a challenge. If you know of a robot who could beat Jenny, post it here.

Until then, XJ9 rules! 

Recording Today!

We're in the recording studio today. The actors and actresses who lend their voices to Jenny, Tuck, Brad, Sheldon, Wakeman and all the other characters go into the recording booth where they each have their own microphone. We sit on the other side of the glass with recording engineers and the director coaches their performance. It's hilarious to hear the voices you know from the cartoon come out of real people.

Whose voice do you think is the funniest?