Nickelodeon Greenlights Third Season of Newest Animated Hit, T.U.F.F. Puppy

BURBANK, Calif., July 29, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon, the number-one kids' brand and largest producer of television animation in the world, has picked up a third season of T.U.F.F. Puppy, the newest hit animated series from Nicktoon hit-maker Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents), it was announced today by Brown Johnson, President, Animation, Nickelodeon and MTVN Kids and Family Group.  The network is adding 20 episodes to the series, bringing the total number to 60.  T.U.F.F. Puppy, starring iCarly's Jerry Trainor as Dudley, currently ranks as the number-two animated program with kids 2-11, only behind SpongeBob SquarePants.

"Currently our second highest rated animated series, T.U.F.F. Puppy has been a huge success on Saturday mornings right out of the gate, which is no surprise coming from the incredibly talented Butch Hartman, the only creator at Nick with three shows under his belt -- The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom and now T.U.F.F. Puppy," said Johnson.  "The show is laugh-out-loud funny in no small part due to iCarly's Jerry Trainor, who brings his incredible comedic sensibility to the role."

"I am truly thrilled to be able to make a brand-new litter of T.U.F.F. Puppy episodes," said Butch Hartman.  "I love working on the show and I'm looking forward to expanding the world of Dudley Puppy with more villains, more gadgets, and even some surprises from Dudley and Kitty's past."

A hit since its October 2010 premiere, T.U.F.F. Puppy ranks as the number-two animated program on television with kids 2-11 (behind only SpongeBob SquarePants) year to date.  The series currently averages 3.6 million total viewers (source: Nielsen Media Research, Live + 7 Day data 12/27/10-6/19/11, Live + Same Day data thru 7/3/11).

T.U.F.F. Puppy will be launching internationally on Nickelodeon Australia later this month with all other international channels premiering the series in August.

T.U.F.F. Puppy follows Dudley Puppy (voiced by iCarly's Jerry Trainor), a gung-ho, dim-witted dog who finds himself accidentally thrust into the role of secret agent when he's recruited by the super-secret, crime-fighting organization, T.U.F.F. (Turbo Undercover Fighting Force).  He partners with Kitty Katswell, a feline superspy who is an amazing kung-fu and weapons expert.  Naturally, they don't get along, but together they protect their hometown of Petropolis and the rest of the world against the evil animal organization, D.O.O.M. (Diabolical Order of Mayhem).

In addition to Trainor as Dudley, the T.U.F.F. Puppy cast features Grey DeLisle (The Fairly OddParents) as Kitty Katswell, Jeff Bennett (The Penguins of Madagascar) as Keswick, Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents) as Chief and Matthew Taylor (Open Season) as Snaptrap. 

Butch Hartman began his animation career as an assistant animator on An American Tail.  He directed cartoons and created his own shorts for What a Cartoon!, and also wrote and directed episodes of Dexter's Laboratory, Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo.  Hartman joined Nickelodeon in 1998 where he created and produced several cartoon shorts for the Oh Yeah! Cartoons series, including the Emmy Award-winning The Fairly OddParents, which is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year with a live-action/CG animated movie A Fairly Odd Movie, Grow Up Timmy Turner! that premiered on July 9.  Hartman also created Nickelodeon's Danny Phantom and is the only creator in Nickelodeon's history who has had three hit animated shows on the network.

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 www.nickpress.com. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B).

SOURCE Nickelodeon