Codename: Kids Next Door

Codename: Kids Next Door
Title card
Also known as	Kids Next Door KND
Genre	Action-adventure[1]
Created by	Mr. Warburton
Written by	Mr. Warburton Mo Willems (2002–2006) Robert Leighton Tom Eaton Brian Meehl Andy Rheingold (2005–2008) Alison Wilgus Billy Aronson
Directed by	Tom Warburton
Voices of	Benjamin Diskin Lauren Tom Dee Bradley Baker Cree Summer Grey Delisle Tom Kenny Frank Welker Eddie Deezen Candi Milo Gregg Berger Jeff Bennett Jennifer Hale Daran Norris Kevin Michael Richardson Mark Hamill John DiMaggio Rob Paulsen Rachael MacFarlane Tara Strong Jason Harris Tom Kane Maurice LaMarche
Composers	Steve Rucker Thomas Chase Jones
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	6
No. of episodes	78 (regular) 3 (specials) 81 (total) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Tom Warburton Steve Oakes David Starr Richard Winkler Jonathan Paley
Producer	Bruce Knapp
Running time	22 minutes
Production companies	Curious Pictures Hanna-Barbera (Kenny and the Chimp short only) Cartoon Network Studios (pilot only)
Distributor	Warner Bros. Television Distribution
Release
Original network	Cartoon Network
Picture format	NTSC
First shown in	July 20, 2001 (2001-07-20)
Original release	December 6, 2002 (2002-12-06) – January 21, 2008 (2008-01-21)
External links
Website
Production website

Codename: Kids Next Door (also known as Kids Next Door and KND) is an American animated television series created by Tom Warburton (credited as "Mr. Warburton") for Cartoon Network, and the 13th of the network's Cartoon Cartoons. The series follows the adventures of a diverse group of five 10-year-old children who operate from a high-tech treehouse, fighting against adult and teen villains with advanced 2×4 technology. Using their code names (Numbuhs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5), they are Sector V, part of a global organization called the Kids Next Door.^[2]

The series' pilot premiered on Cartoon Network in mid-2001 as part of The Big Pick II, a special broadcast event showcasing 11 promising pilots for different series. The winner of a viewers' poll by Cartoon Network would decide which pilot would be greenlit by the network for a full series.^[3] After winning the poll, the series premiered on December 6, 2002, and ran until January 21, 2008, with six seasons and 78 episodes. Two television films were broadcast: Operation: Z.E.R.O.,^[4][5] which aired in 2006, and Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S., which aired as the series finale in 2008.^[6] A special half-hour crossover episode with fellow Cartoon Network series, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, aired in 2007.

Two video games, Operation S.O.D.A. and Operation V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E., were released based on the series. A handful of other Cartoon Network-branded games featuring the characters were also released. The series has also seen releases on DVD, both as part of Codename: Kids Next Door and as additions to other Cartoon Network compilation DVDs.

Overview[]

From left to right: Numbuh 2, Numbuh 4, Numbuh 3, Numbuh 1, and Numbuh 5

Synopsis[]

The show revolves around a group of five 8-year old kids, using codenames Numbers 1 through 5, who are the main home operatives of what is known as Sector V, which is part of a worldwide espionage-style organization called the Kids Next Door. Their mission is to fight crimes against kids (such as homework and flossing), many of which are willingly committed by "evil" adults, senior citizens, teenagers, and other children. Numbuh 1 is the bald, astute, no-nonsense British-American boy Nigel Uno, leader of Sector V. Numbuh 2 is overweight, intellectual, aviation enthusiastic, pun-cracking German-American boy Hoagie Gilligan Jr. Numbuh 3 is the happy-go-lucky Japanese-American girl Kuki Sanban. Numbuh 4 is the short-tempered and fighting-prone Australian-American boy Wallabee Beatles. Numbuh 5 is the intelligent, laid-back, tomboyish African-American girl Abigail Lincoln.

Following a period of training, every member of the Kids Next Door chooses a number or alphanumeric code (deliberately pronounced and spelled as "Numbuh") and is sent to a "sector" that acts as their home base. The sector headquarters, like some of the organization's bases and facilities, are tree houses, with both treehouse and the tree it's in being of ludicrous proportions, and often suited to their environment. This includes a base constructed beneath the Arctic ice shelf, and a base built into a large pine tree. The main headquarters of the Kids Next Door is a treehouse Moon Base. Kids follow their oath of protecting other kids as well as battling adulthood until the age of 13 when they are "decommissioned", a process of wiping their memories of any past KND activity and warping their minds. Such a practice has inevitably led to the creation of many KND villains who escaped decommissioning (such as Numbuh 5's older sister Cree, formerly known as Numbuh 11, and Chad, formerly known as Numbuh 274 and supreme commander of the Kids Next Door).

The practice of strict decommissioning at age 13 was later on revealed to be subject to exceptions: kids who are deemed exceptional agents are offered the chance to carry on in KND as spies infiltrating the teen organization.^[7] Decommissioning has also proved reversible due to a "re-commissioning" module used four times in the series (once in Operation: E.N.D. and three times in Operation: Z.E.R.O.).^[8][9]

KND agents utilize a vast array of mechanical, electronic gadgets, weapons, and machinery, collectively referred to as 2x4 (two-by-four) technology. The KND's 2x4 technology was originally conceived as being constructed from an assortment of objects, mostly including those that are found in common households; a theme their technology continued to adhere to. However, as the series progressed, the kind of objects their technology was constructed from became bigger, consisting of things such as large vehicles and small buildings. Not only that, but the complexity of their technology, such as their defensive weaponry and means of transportation, advanced to such absurd levels as to be considered science fiction, despite all of it still being constructed from nothing but an assortment of objects. The first organizațion of KND was Nigel Uno(Numbuh 1)-prezident,Mandy-vicepreșident,Monty Uno-president of the Senate,Jennete Mc Kenzie(Numbuh 362)-president of the Chamber of deputaties.After more wars with Benedict and the Wonderfull Children,Monty Uno resigned from the President of the Senate funcțion and was recovered by Houagie Giligan a joker pilot.Mandy wanted to conquer galaxi while KND’s mision was protect her so Mandy was excluded from organization and was recoverd by Fanny Fulbright (Numbuh 86)

Storylines[]

The episodes are titularly presented as the missions of the members of Sector V in the Kids Next Door, denoted as "Operation:" followed by an acronym that can give viewers clues as to what each mission is about. Most episodes are divided into two parts, each a different mission, while some episodes consist of two directly linked parts with one mission. Usually, the episodes have very little continuity with each other, although occasionally an episode will have a reference to at least one earlier episode and/or lead to consequences in later ones. Season Five's "Operation: O.U.T.B.R.E.A.K." is a direct continuation of the episode "Operation: V.I.R.U.S.", and Season Six's "Operation: S.C.I.E.N.C.E." leads into "Operation: A.M.I.S.H." while another pair of Season Six episodes; "Operation: R.E.C.E.S.S." and "Operation: H.A.M.S.T.E.R.", occur simultaneously, the latter showing what sort of thing transpires while the team is away.

Stories in the earlier episodes were often about typical childhood problems but magnified and exaggerated. As the series progressed, a more complex and continuous storyline developed. The final season revolved around a mysterious splinter cell within the KND itself observing Numbuh One for an unknown assignment, which was concluded in the series finale "Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.".

The show frequently contains references to many films and other television series, especially in the later seasons, such as Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Planet of the Apes, Jaws, Jurassic Park, The Lord of the Rings, Godzilla, The Terminator, Spider-Man, Dragon Ball Z, James Bond, Star Trek, Transformers, Harry Potter, Rambo, Alien, The Matrix, X-Men, Predator, RoboCop, Men in Black, Doctor Who, Indiana Jones, and Mission Impossible; with James Bond, Star Trek, and Star Wars being the most prominently referenced in the series.

Production[]

Warburton created a pilot episode, titled "Diseasy Does It", for another planned show, Kenny and the Chimp, which was to be produced by Hanna-Barbera. Among the planned recurring characters for Kenny and the Chimp was a group of rebellious children known as "Those Kids Next Door", who carried out their mischief from a house next to Kenny's home, and frequently caused trouble for him. The plot-line was then changed to focus on the group of kids alone, and later, the kids battling adulthood.^[10] In 2001, the show's pilot episode, "No P in the OOL", which was produced at Cartoon Network Studios, won a Cartoon Network viewer's poll, and as a result, Codename: Kids Next Door was greenlit to become a series, while Kenny and the Chimp was not greenlit by the channel.^[11] The character Professor XXXL, that appeared in "Diseasy Does It", became a recurring character in Codename: Kids Next Door after Kenny and the Chimp was not picked up for a series. Despite this, Kenny and Chimpy did make a cameo in "No P In The OOL".

The show was originally supposed to be titled the Kids Next Door, but "Codename" was added, when the crew discovered that a rival network, mainly the Fox Family Channel (Now Freeform), developed a TV show titled Pigs Next Door.^{[citation needed]} Codename: Kids Next Door was the most popular TV series produced at Curious Pictures, who previously did the work on Sheep in the Big City at Cartoon Network.

Characters[]

Main characters[]

• Numbuh 1/Nigel Uno (voiced by Benjamin Diskin) - the leader and head operative of Sector V
• Numbuh 2/Hogarth Pennywhistle "Hoagie" Gilligan, Jr. (voiced by Benjamin Diskin) - the joke-cracking engineer of Sector V
• Numbuh 3/Kuki Sanban (voiced by Lauren Tom) - the happy-go-lucky tactician and medic of Sector V
• Numbuh 4/Wallabee "Wally" Beatles (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker) - the brash combatant of Sector V
• Numbuh 5/Abigail "Abby" Lincoln (voiced by Cree Summer) - the intelligent, relaxed second-in-command/spy of Sector V

KND Organization[]

• Numbuh 86/Fanny Fulbright (voiced by Jennifer Hale), the Head of Decommissioning and Global Tactical Officer of the KND Organization
• Numbuh 362/Rachel McKenzie (voiced by Rachael MacFarlane), the Supreme Leader of the KND Organization
• Numbuh T/Thomas "Tommy" Gilligan (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), Numbuh 2's little brother

Villains[]

• The Delightful Children from Down the Lane (voiced by Benjamin Diskin, Dee Bradley Baker, and Cree Summer),^[a] five "delightfullized" kids, and Father's children. In “Operation: Z.E.R.O., they are revealed to not only be Numbuh 1's cousins, but also former KND members known as Sector Z, Bruce Number 0.1 David Number 0.2 Ashley Number 0.3 Lenny Number 0.4 Constance/Ojo Number 0.5 “delightfullized” by Father.
• Father/Benedict Uno (voiced by Maurice LaMarche in Father mode and Jeff Bennett in Benedict mode), the arch-nemesis of the KND and the main villain of the series. He is also Nigel's paternal uncle and Mrs. Uno's brother-in-law.
• Mr. Boss (voiced by Jeff Bennett), a corporate executive, and the de facto leader of the KND's standard rogue's gallery
• Cree Lincoln (voiced by Cree Summer), Numbuh 5's older sister, and leader of the Teen Ninjas.
• Knightbrace (voiced by Tom Kenny), an oral health-themed villain who performs painful and unnecessary dental and orthodontic procedures. In his debut episode, Operation T.E.E.T.H., his true identity is Mr. Jelly, the former owner of a candy shop the KND frequently visit. Mr. Jelly always wanted to be a dentist ever since he was a child, but was expelled from dental school for attempting to put braces on babies. He was forced to work in his family's candy store but went insane and became Knightbrace after seeing kid after kid munch on the sweets damaging their teeth. Despite his hatred for sugar products, he does like taffy.
• Stickybeard (voiced by Mark Hamill), a candy-loving pirate.
• The Toiletnator (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), a toilet-themed incompetent villain, being considered the lamest villain by the KND and by other villains to the point where they consider fellow toilet-themed villain Pottymouth superior to him.
• Crazy Old Cat Lady (voiced by Grey DeLisle), an old woman who lives with thousands of black and white cats.
• Gramma Stuffum (voiced by Grey DeLisle), an old lady obsessed with force-feeding her disgusting food to children.
• Mr. John Wink and Mr. Timothy Fibb (voiced by Tom Kenny and Dee Bradley Baker), a pair of villains who use robotic chairs to fight. They were transformed into a buffalo and walrus by unknown ways. In Operation C.O.W.G.I.R.L., both of them used to be members of Cowboys Kids Club, but Timothy and John became villains due to fellow Cowboy Kids Club member, Lasso Lass, going to the prom with Texas Tommy instead of Timothy.
• Henrietta "Heinrich" Von Marzipan (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker while cursed and Candi Milo while uncursed), Numbuh 5's rival, who looks for candy treasures. In the series, she appears to be a boy, but in “Operation: C.A.R.A.M.E.L.”, it is revealed that she is actually female.
• Count Spankulot (voiced by Daran Norris), a vampire who spanks naughty children.
• Ice Cream Men (voiced by Tom Kenny, Dee Bradley Baker, Kevin Michael Richardson, and Daran Norris), men who operate Ice Cream Trucks, and serve mainly as henchmen to the Delightful Children and Father.
• Senior Citizen Squad (voiced by Candi Milo, Tom Kenny, and Dee Bradley Baker), a group of senior citizens led by Numbuh 2's grandmother, Lydia Gilligan, who along with her companions, Sheldon and Maurice, use an anti-aging cream that temporarily turns them into teenagers.

Other characters[]

• Lizzie Devine (voiced by Grey DeLisle), Numbuh 1's girlfriend and then later ex-girlfriend; they broke up at the end of the season 6 episode, "Operation: G.I.R.L.F.R.I.E.N.D.".
• Numbuh 0/Montgomery "Monty" Uno (voiced by Frank Welker in adult mode and Dave Wittenberg in Numbuh 0 mode), Numbuh 1's father.
• Betty Gilligan (voiced by Candi Milo), Numbuh 2's mother.
• Sydney Beetles (voiced by Jeff Bennett), Numbuh 4's father.
• Joey Beetles (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker), Numbuh 4's baby brother.
• Mushi Sanban (voiced by Tara Strong), Numbuh 3's little sister.
• Genki Sanban (voiced by Lauren Tom), Numbuh 3's mother.
• Kani Sanban (voiced by Keone Young), Numbuh 3's father.
• Numbuh 83/Sonia (voiced by Janice Kawaye), The Soda, Snacks, and Treats officer of Sector W
• Numbuh 84/Lee (voiced by Janice Kawaye) The tactical Yo-yo Specialist of Sector W
• Dr. Lincoln (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson), Numbuh 5's Father who is inspired by Cliff Huxtable from The Cosby Show
• Mrs. Lincoln (voiced by Cree Summer), Numbuh 5's mother
• Mrs. Beetles (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Numbuh 4's mother
• Mrs. Uno (voiced by Jennifer Hale), Numbuh 1's mother and Father's sister-in-law.

Episodes[]

There are six seasons, each with 13 episodes (two half-length episodes counting as one), adding up to 78 episodes altogether. There have been two TV movies, the first taking place between the second and third episodes of season 6 (Operation: Z.E.R.O.),^[12][13] and the second at the end of season 6 (Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.), which served as the series finale.

Reception[]

Awards and nominations[]

In 2005, the series won the Best Television Series for Children Award at the Ottawa International Animation Festival for "Operation: A.R.C.H.I.V.E.", which was written by Mr. Warburton and Mo Willems and storyboarded by Guy Moore and Quack Leard.^[14]

The following year, "Operation: L.I.C.O.R.I.C.E." won the Festival's Collideascope Award for Television Animation for Children.^[15]

Broadcast[]

• Cartoon Network (2002–2008; 2009–2014)
• Kids' WB (2004)
• Boomerang (February 2006–August 2006; February 2017–March 2017; January 2, 2018 – May 27, 2019, May 2021 – present)^[16]

Other media[]

Home media[]

Two DVDs in two volumes were released of the series, totaling sixteen episodes by Warner Home Video. The entire series is available on digital purchase in six seasons. On May 30, 2019, the entire series, except for the "Operation: Z.E.R.O." TV movie, was added to the Boomerang streaming service and its VRV channel.

In other series or works[]

On an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy entitled "Sickly Sweet", a scene depicts Grim watching Codename: Kids Next Door. Also, in Billy & Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure, Numbuh Three makes a cameo as Grim's replacement. Numbuh Two also made a cameo in "Billy & Mandy Moon the Moon". Also, in the MAD episode "Taking Nemo / Once Upon a Toon", Numbuh One makes a cameo as one of the cartoon characters who has forgotten his identity. The show was also referenced in the New Boyz song "Tough Kids".^[20] In the 2004 film Sideways, the show is playing on Miles' mother's television set. The Delightful Children from Down the Lane were reviewed on the Orientation Videos for Villains of Villainous "The Lost Cases of the Treehouse". Numbuh Five made a cameo in the OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes episode "Crossover Nexus". In the Craig of the Creek episode "Kelsey the Elder", Barry mentions this show.

Publications[]

Stories featuring the Kids Next Door have been featured in the comic series Cartoon Cartoons, Cartoon Network Block Party, and Cartoon Network Action Pack. The characters are also featured in the books 2x4 Technology Handbook and Sooper Secrets and Boomerang Bloopers, both by Alison Wilgus.

Trading cards[]

A trading card game based on the series was launched by Wizards of the Coast in July 2005.

Video games[]

Two video games were released for the series: Operation: S.O.D.A. in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance and Operation: V.I.D.E.O.G.A.M.E. in 2005 for PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. Several browser games were also released on the Cartoon Network website. The MMORPG style game Operation: B.E.S.T. was playable for a brief time in 2005, but was shut down shortly thereafter.

In Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall, Numbuhs One through Five, and villains Father, Toiletnator, and Stickybeard appear as non-playable characters. KNDefense armor and 2x4 Tech weapons are available for players, Sector V's treehouse can be explored, and KND S.C.A.M.P.E.R.s can be used for transport. In Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion, Father and Numbuh 1 are playable, Sector V Treehouse and the C.O.O.L.-B.U.S. are arenas, and Numbuh 2 and Stickybeard are assisted characters. In the console versions, Toiletnator is a playable character, Numbuh 4 is an assist character, and KND Moonbase is an arena.

Possible sequel and possible spin-off[]

On January 31, 2008, during a Q&A session on LiveJournal, when Tom Warburton was asked if "Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S." was in fact the true finale of Codename: KND, Warburton said that it was not necessarily meant to be the finale, stating that a revival could be made in the future.^[21]

Warburton had unsuccessfully pitched a Galactic: Kids Next Door spin-off several times to Cartoon Network executives,^[22] and at one point he considered to make a TV movie as a pilot for the potential spin-off series.^[21] Following having any response, Warburton eventually decided to create a pitch that would be distributed over the internet pseudonymously in order to try and get the series approved with help from fans. Warburton wrote the script and collaborated with others who had worked on the series to produce an animatic-style pitch.^[23][24] On March 19, 2015, a video was posted on YouTube of what appears to be an animatic of a darker sequel series featuring Numbuh 1 and the Galactic KND, entitled Galactic: Kids Next Door.^[25] On April 1, 2015, a fan-made petition was started on Change.org to make G:KND a real series, which currently has around 3,000 signatures and was also signed by Warburton himself and by voice actor Dee Bradley Baker.^[26] Rat Animation also showed interest in the project.^[27] Warburton later noted that the executives at Cartoon Network had noticed the response but were not interested in a continuation to KND, though he remained confident to get the sequel approved in the future.^[26]

Notes[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Codename: Kids Next Door

• Codename: Kids Next Door at Curious Pictures
• Codename: Kids Next Door at the Big Cartoon DataBase
• Codename: Kids Next Door at IMDb