Valerie Walsh Valdes

Heeeyyy Arnold fans! You've waited almost 20 years for The Jungle Movie and it's almost here! This week on the podcast, Hector shares the mic with Hey Arnold mastermind Craig Bartlett, voice stars, and the team's creative visionaries to discuss the legacy and highly-anticipated movie starring our football-headed hero, friends and family. It's the deepest of dives into everything you want to know about The Jungle Movie which premieres Thanksgiving weekend!

Everyone loves a theme song! It's the first thing you hear on your favorite toon, and it's a tune you'll never forget. Why are Nickelodeon theme songs so catchy? What makes a good theme song? Hector finds out when he talks toon tunes with some of our iconic Nick creators from CatDog, Invader Zim, Hey Arnold!, Dora the Explorer, TMNT and more in this special musical episode of the podcast. Get ready to start singing along!

Pinky Malinky creators Chris Garbutt and Rikke Asbjoern are the proud parents of the first social media savvy cartoon character on Nickelodeon - who also happens to be a hotdog! Pinky Malinky is an infectiously-positive wiener who lives in the human world, goes to school, sings, dances, inflates like a balloon, and makes hilarious social content with his best buds Babs and JJ. The ingenious creators join Hector and share the inspirations for the series design, music, diversity, and humor.

Beast Boy! Stinkyfly! Craz! Steven Jackson! Tu! Kevin Levin! Chiro! And of course, the amazing Michaelangelo on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Greg Cipes is one of the most successful and soulful voice actors working in cartoons. But as Hector discovers in this epic episode, Greg's passions don't stop there. He teaches meditation, writes music and is devoted to the rescue and welfare of animals. Booyakasha!

Earth. Fire. Air. Water. And a whole lot of elements of awesomeness in this episode with The Legend of Korra cast! Janet Varney (Korra), Seychelle Gabriel (Asami), David Faustino (Mako) and P.J. Byrne (Bolin) join Hector on a deep dive into their auditions, favorite memories and what it was like to star in one of the most inspiring toons of all time.

The Angry Beavers creator Mitch Schauer was more than an expert animator when Nick heard his idea for a cartoon; he was also a self-educated beaver expert! Luckily for future fans, Nick said "yes" to the idea and before long, Norbert and Daggett became the network's most memorable cartoon critters ever. Join Hector as Mitch stops by the studio to share beaver fun facts, career stories, and insights into the creation of these ridiculous broad-tailed rodents.

Dora The Explorer co-creator Valerie Walsh Valdes helped bring to life the world's most popular Latina explorer. As one of the longest running series ever on Nickelodeon, Dora wowed kids and parents in homes and toy aisles across the globe, while always empowering audiences to come along on her adventures. From Dora The Explorer to Go Diego Go! to Dora and Friends, Valerie is one of the few creators who knows what it's like to see a creative vision explode into a worldwide phenomena.

John DiMaggio is the mad voice genius behind some of our favorite cartoon characters ever: Bender from Futurama, Jake from Adventure Time, the Scotsman from Samurai Jack, Penny from Sanjay and Craig, and lately the grumpy Mr. Grouse from The Loud House. Hector holds on tight as the actor, comedian, and producer of the documentary I Know That Voice recounts his career and inspirations, and shows us why he's one of the best of the best.

Welcome To The Wayne's creator Billy Lopez grew up in a big city, in an apartment building, and was obsessed with the mysteries of the strange place he called home. It's no coincidence that Welcome To The Wayne is about three kids who have exactly the same experience! Nick's newest creator (and voice of series star Olly Timbers!) joins Hector in the booth and reveals the musical, literary and brotherly influences behind Nick's new cartoon.

3-2-1...Season 3 of the podcast blasts off with the legendary cast of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Debi Derryberry (Jimmy), Jeff Garcia (Sheen) and voice super-genius Rob Paulsen (Carl) visit the studio and share all the nerdtastic details of this CG-animated classic. Join our super fan host Hector as the actors discuss taking each other and cartoon fans to new dimensions of time, space and hilarity with an Academy Award-nominated film, a series and the spin-off Planet Sheen.