Butch Hartman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Butch Hartman
Hartman at the 2025 WonderCon
Born	Elmer Earl Hartman IV (1965-01-10) January 10, 1965 (age 60) Highland Park, Michigan, U.S.
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Animator illustrator writer producer director voice actor
Years active	1984–present
Known for	The Fairly OddParents Danny Phantom T.U.F.F. Puppy Bunsen Is a Beast
Spouse(s)	Julieann Hartman ​ (m. 1992)​
Children	2

Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV, born on January 10, 1965, is a talented American animator, writer, and producer. He is famous for creating several popular animated TV shows for Nickelodeon. These include The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, T.U.F.F. Puppy, and Bunsen Is a Beast. In 2003, he started his own company, Billionfold Inc., to help produce these shows.

Butch Hartman worked at Nickelodeon for nearly 20 years. He left the studio in February 2018, which led to the end of Bunsen Is a Beast. However, he returned in 2021 to work on The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, a live-action sequel that premiered on Paramount+. In 2023, his animated show The Garden, which has Christian themes, began airing on the streaming service Pure Flix.

Early Life and Education

Butch Hartman was born in Highland Park, Michigan. He got the nickname "Butch" when he was very young and has used it ever since. He grew up in Michigan, spending his childhood in Roseville and his teenage years in New Baltimore.

After graduating from Anchor Bay High School in 1983, Hartman went to the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1987.

Animation Career Highlights

Starting in Animation

While studying at CalArts, Hartman gained early experience as an "in-between animator" for the movie An American Tail. After graduating, he worked as a character designer and storyboard artist for various animated series. He also worked for studios like Ruby-Spears and was part of the video reference team for the Disney film Pocahontas.

In the early 1990s, Hartman joined Hanna-Barbera, a famous animation studio. There, he created short cartoons like "Pfish and Chip" and "Gramps" for the What a Cartoon! series. He also became a writer, director, and storyboard artist for early Cartoon Network shows such as Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and Cow and Chicken. Later, he moved to Frederator Studios to work on Oh Yeah! Cartoons for Nickelodeon.

Success at Nickelodeon

Hartman at a Fairly OddParents panel during Comic-Con 2009

Butch Hartman's biggest success began in 1997 when he created The Fairly OddParents. This show started as short cartoons on Oh Yeah! Cartoons. Nickelodeon decided to turn these shorts into a full series, which premiered in 2001. The Fairly OddParents quickly became a huge hit, becoming one of Nickelodeon's most popular shows. It is the second-longest-running animated show on Nickelodeon, right after SpongeBob SquarePants.

Because The Fairly OddParents was so successful, Nickelodeon asked Hartman to create another show. This led to Danny Phantom, which started production in 2003. Hartman founded his company, Billionfold Inc., to produce Danny Phantom and his other projects. Danny Phantom was very popular and gained a strong fan base.

Around 2008, Hartman began working on his third Nickelodeon show, T.U.F.F. Puppy, which premiered in 2010. This series ran for three seasons. His final show for Nickelodeon was Bunsen Is a Beast, which aired from 2017 to 2018.

Other Creative Projects

In 2015, Butch Hartman launched "The Noog Network," an online platform featuring live shows and cartoons for kids. He also started a podcast called Speech Bubble in 2017, where he discusses pop culture with various voice actors.

In 2019, Hartman released an animated web series called HobbyKids Adventures for the YouTube channel HobbyKidsTV. He also published a book called Mad Hustle, which shares tips on how to pitch and sell TV shows in Hollywood.

Hartman also created The Garden, a Christian animated web series, with his wife Julieann. This series premiered on Pure Flix in 2023. He has plans for more seasons and even a children's Bible based on the characters from The Garden. In 2021, there was a discussion about one of his commissioned artworks having similarities to another artist's work.

Butch Hartman has continued to be involved with The Fairly OddParents franchise. He was an executive producer for the revival series, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder and The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish.

Personal Life and Charity Work

As of 2025, Butch Hartman lives in Bell Canyon, California, with his wife, Julieann, and their two daughters, Carly and Sophia. He is a Christian.

In 2005, Hartman and his wife co-founded Hartman House, a non-profit organization. This organization helps people in developing countries and in areas of the United States affected by poverty. By 2017, Hartman House had built homes for families in Guatemala, provided Thanksgiving meals to thousands of families in the U.S., and supported orphanages in Uganda and Haiti. At Hartman House events, Butch Hartman often draws and signs items for children.

Filmography

Film Projects

Television Projects

Internet Projects

Written Works

See also

In Spanish: Butch Hartman para niños