During the 4 seasons run of Phineas and Ferb, the animated sitcom was one of Disney Channel’s most successful animated franchises. Its two protagonists were long regarded as one of television’s most hilarious and mischievous animated characters. Phineas and Ferb originally aired from August 17, 2007, to June 12, 2015.
It didn’t come as a huge surprise to true Phineas and Ferb fans when Disney Channel announced in January 2023 that it was ordering 2 new seasons of the show almost a decade later. With the long-awaited season 4 scheduled to premiere in 2024, Phineas and Ferb is unarguably one of the year’s biggest comeback shows. To help joggle the memory, here are XX facts about the Phineas and Ferb TV show you probably didn’t know about.
1. Phineas and Ferb Creators Previously Worked On Other Popular Animated Shows
Dan Povenmire and Jeff “Swampy” Marsh are Phineas and Ferb’s creators and showrunners. Phineas and Ferb is the first film and television project that Povenmire and Marsh ever created. However, they have a solid background in animations, voice acting, and writing. Povenmire worked as part of the art crew (storyboard conforming/artist) in 61 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles episodes from 1990 to 1991. He joined The Simpsons production crew in 1992 as a storyboard artist and character layout artist.
It was while working on The Simpsons that Povenmire met Jeff Marsh. Marsh, who had been working on The Simpsons two years earlier, shared a desk opposite Povenmire. The duo worked together as writers on Rocko’s Modern Life and later on King of the Hill. Between 2000 and 2007, Dan Povenmire worked as a storyboard artist and director on Family Guy. He also has similar credits in SpongeBob SquarePants from 2001 to 2004.
2. Phineas Was Conceived As A Drawing On A Piece Of Butcher’s Paper
After bonding over shared comedy ideas and interests, Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh became close friends. While working on Nickelodeon’s Rocko’s Modern Life, the duo decided they needed to start their own series but didn’t know how to proceed. Phineas and Ferb was officially conceived by Povenmire on a fateful evening while he was eating dinner at a South Pasadena Wild Thyme restaurant. He sketched out a triangle-head-shaped kid on the restaurant’s butcher paper.
The character immediately struck Povenmire as someone who could play a lead in their future show. After dinner, he rang Marsh to inform him of the drawing and character. They decided to have a two-character lead show, and later Ferb was best. For Povenmire, it was easy to name his triangle-headed drawing “Phineas,” as he believed it resembled the name. They named Ferb after one of Povenmire’s friends who loved and owned a large collection of tools.
3. Phineas and Ferb Are In A Blended Family For A Unique Reason
While it may seem normal today, having two lead characters in a children’s animated series or film in the 1990s or early 2000s was rare. Interestingly, this was what prompted Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh to create Phineas and Ferb as step-brothers. At the time, animated families followed the conventional brother, sister, or cousin dynamic.
Also, since art imitates life, it was easy for Marsh to think of a blended family because he was raised in one. Marsh was also not interested in using Phineas and Ferb to explain the dynamics of a blended family. This is why there’s little to no background story about Phineas, Candace’s father, and Ferb’s mother. The premise is simple: Phineas and Ferb are step-brothers in a blended family who are close.
4. It Took 16 Years Of Pitching Before Phineas and Ferb Was Picked Up
Getting their lead characters and the premise for the show was only the first step to a long wait before their dream would be actualized. Dan Povenmire and Jeff Marsh spent the first few months and years getting turned down because networks didn’t believe the show’s premise would work for a children’s audience. Povenmire and Marsh reportedly drifted apart at some point, especially after Marsh moved to London.
However, despite working on other top shows like SpongeBob SquarePants and Family Guy, Povenmire believed Phineas and Ferb deserved a shot at television. Povenmire always carried the Phineas and Ferb portfolio with him and never missed an opportunity to pitch it. After 16 years of unsuccessfully pitching Phineas and Ferb, Disney finally decided to try it. The network first requested an 11-minute run for the pilot, which later expanded to 26 episodes.
5. Phineas and Ferb’s Main Voice Cast Were Already Known Actors
For a show that took 16 years to pick up, one would have expected the creators to opt for lesser-known or new voice actors. Contrary to such expectations, Dan Povenmire believed known actors would help make the characters endearing. These were already established actors, but their voices may have been less popular.
14-year-old Vincent Martella was cast as the voice for Phineas. Martella’s voice may not have been famous, but he was already known for playing Greg Wuliger on Everybody Hates Chris. Although the character is known to speak less, English actor Thomas Brodie-Sangster was originally cast to voice Ferb. Brodie-Sangster began his career as a child actor and was known for his performances in Love Actually (2003) and Nanny McPhee (2005). Disney child star Ashley Tisdale from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and High School Musical was cast to voice Phineas older sister, Candace.
6. The Creators Choose A Platypus For Its Uniqueness
Unless they were fans of wildlife, chances are that Phineas and Ferb introduced the Platypus to millions of children worldwide. Much like their decision to use a blended family, including a Platypus as a pet animal was done because it was underused. Also, using a Platypus gave the creators freedom to “make stuff up.” In the end, it worked well, especially with Platypus Perry’s subplot introducing him as a secret agent for the Organization Without a Cool Acronym (O.W.C.A). With an understanding of Phineas and Ferb‘s background, it is easy to appreciate Phineas and Ferb characters and the voice cast behind them.
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