EK Doodles is a flash animated television series created by Shion Kaji. The show is distributed by Cartoon Network Studios. The series became infamous for its self-aware and surreal humor that satirizes a large range of subject matter.
EK Doodles premiered in both the United States on August 24, 2018 on Cartoon Network. It received positive reviews from critics, praising it's animation, story, tone, and voice acting. It is also the oldest ongoing Cartoon Network animated series.
Premise[]
The series is about twin sisters Emma and Kate Kaji, who live with their older brother and parents in DoodleTown. They go to DoodleTown Elementary, where they meet their friends, who consist of many of the show's supporting characters.
Production[]
Creator Shion Kaji came up with the idea to create an animated television series based on his childhood drawings. He began conceptualising the series in November 2015, with him finishing his show bible by July 2016. Throughout the next three months, he pitched his show to Nickelodeon, Disney Channel and Netflix, however they refused to greenlight the series. He then pitched the series to Cartoon Network in October, and on November 20, 2016, the show was officially greenlit and pre-production started shortly after.
A trailer for the show was released by Cartoon Network on March 19, 2018, and initial reactions to the trailer were positive. The show premired on August 24, 2018 in the United States, and the show released in most countries throughout 2019. The show was renewed for a second season in September of 2018, followed by a third season in January 2020 and a fourth in May 2021.
The show's animation is provided by Mercury Filmworks, an independent Canadian animation studio. Due to the simplistic art style, high amount of animators, and quick writing, episodes of EK Doodles take around 2-4 months to make, with about 25 produced at the same time. A combined total of 12 minutes of animation are completed every week.
Characters[]
Main[]
- Emma Kaji (voiced by Kimiko Glenn) - a confident, sharp-tongued, insensetive, idiotic and dramatic 8-year-old girl, and the twin sister of Kate, who is actually older than her by 69 seconds. Her bratty actions often get on other's nerves, although in later seasons this is toned down, making her more of a "jerk with a heart of gold".
- Kate Kaji (voiced by Tara Strong) - an intelligent, unpopular, nerdy, caring, sensetive and short-tempered 8-year-old girl, and the twin sister of Emma, who is actually younger than her by 69 seconds.
- Gus Gator (voiced by Grey Griffin) - an alligator who attends DoodleTown Elementary. He is homeless and often comes to the twins' house to eat food and "live like everyone else". He is Kate and especially Emma's best friend, who primarily serves as a third wheel to the twins' misadventures.
Supporting[]
- Combo Panda (voiced by Tom Kenny) - a panda who attends DoodleTown Elementary. He is a gamer, known for being stupid, unhygienic, having a tendency to make "jokes" and one-off catchphrases. He sometimes serves as a fourth wheel to the twins and Gus.
- Ryan Kaji (voiced by Alex Hirsch) - Emma and Kate's 12-year-old brother who often plays peacemaker whenever Emma and Kate argue. He is caring and protective of the two and tries his best to help. He often plays video games in his spare time, so Emma and Kate are often unsupervised.
- Loann Kaji (voiced by Grey Griffin) - Emma, Kate and Ryan's mother. She is a bossy, over-stressed, hot-tempered workaholic, who can be sweet. She shows affection for and is protective of her family. Loann is occasionally vindictive, while also resourceful and inventive.
- Shion Kaji (voiced by himself) - Emma, Kate and Ryan's father. He spends most of his time sleeping, watching TV, and playing video games. He is "the laziest person in DoodleTown". He has a large appetite and is a voracious eater. Shion cares deeply for his family despite his lethargy. He is naive and frequently gets called "dumb". He is shown exhibiting childish behaviour, such as believing in ghosts and Santa Claus. He enjoys pulling pranks and laughing at people, but ironically hates it when others prank or laugh at him. He is named after the show's creator.
- Alpha Lexa (voiced by Grey Griffin) - a cat who attends DoodleTown Elementary. Gus has a crush on her.
- Peck Penguin (voiced by Kimiko Glenn) - a penguin who attends DoodleTown Elementary. He is a nerdy bookworm and a neighbour to Emma and Kate's family who seems to be in a relationship with Kate, often flirting with each other, much to Emma and Gus' annoyance.
- Big Gil (voiced by Alex Hirsch) - the school bully at DoodleTown Elementary. He often bullies the other students, especially Combo. His bullying often gets him in trouble, and only wants to be a bully to hide his embarrasing secrets and be seen as a threat.
- Moe Monster (voiced by Alex Hirsch) - a student at DoodleTown Elementary. He is an alien who is also a foreign-exchange student due to formerly living in Moetopia. He is extremely hyperactive, often calling everything "cwazy".
Episodes[]
- Main article: List of EK Doodles episodes
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 52 | August 24, 2018 | August 6, 2019 | |
| 2 | 52 | August 13, 2019 | August 25, 2020 | |
| 3 | 52 | September 1, 2020 | September 14, 2021 | |
| 4 | 52 | October 1, 2021 | October 28, 2022 | |
| 5 | 52 | November 11, 2022 | December 15, 2023 | |
| 6 | 52 | December 25, 2023 | February 3, 2025 | |
Reception[]
Reviews for the show were positive. On the show's IMDB page, it has a rating of 8.4/10. Common Sense Media described the show as a "cute, highly stylized series [that] thrills the senses with its strange characters, funny situations, and lots of lowbrow humor".
Other media[]
Film[]
The EK Doodles Movie was revealed on November 24, 2023. The film will release in over 2,000 theaters in the US and UK on August 16, 2024. Production on the film started in early-2023, and ended in April 2024.
Merchandise[]
The show is known for its excessive merchandising, deemed some of the biggest for a television show since the decline of ratings. By 2020, Warner Bros. Consumer Products deemed EK Doodles their flagship brand, given the success of the show's merchandise. The International Licensing Industry Merchandisers Association (LIMA) named it License of the Year at their 2021 awards ceremony. The array of products was so extensive in 2022 that, according to Fox News, even people without cable technology could recognize Emma and Kate. The franchise made nearly $7 billion in retail sales by 2022, according to Cartoon Network.
Beginning in 2019, Just Play made EK Doodles stuffed animals, playsets, and action figures, aimed primarily at children ages 6–11, though they have also made a lot of collectors' items aimed at older fans. Shion Kaji was initially involved in the conception of these toys. From August 21 to October 1, 2020, Subway promoted the series with four toys in their kids' meals. A set of six kids' meal toys was available as part of an April 2021 Mcdonalds promotion, which also included a sweepstakes offering complete season DVDs of the series. Carl's Jr. and Hardee's released six EK Doodles toys in July 2022. On February 10, 2023, Burger King began a four-week promotion featuring EK Doodles toys as well as special codes that when redemmed on the official EK Doodles website, could unlock unseen episodes of the show.
Video games[]
A hybrid video game titled "EK Doodles: The Game" released on the Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, XBox One and XBox Series X on November 18, 2022, to critical acclaim. The game recieved positive reviews for it's excessive content and faithfulness to the original series. The game is a platformer. Emma and Kate will also appear as playable characters in the upcoming 2024 fighting game Multiversus.