Fanboy and Chum Chum

Rick DeMott has posted his lengthy interview with Eric over on Animation World Network. Thanks, Rick.

Nickelodeon debuted its latest CG series from Frederator Studios, Fanboy and Chum Chum, on Friday, Nov. 6th. Only following the latest SpongeBob special, the series debut posted huge numbers, ranking as the #2 basic cable program of the week. The series began as part of the shorts series, Random Cartoons, which Frederator Studios produces as well.

The series centers on a fearless, comic book-loving 10-year old named Fanboy and his best friend and trusty sidekick, Chum Chum, whose wide-eyed acceptance of the bizarre is the perfect complement to his friend’s hyper imagination. I recently had the opportunity to speak with creator Eric Robles about his first off-the-wall series.

Rick DeMott: What inspired the series?

Eric Robles: What inspired the series for me was just wanting to tell stories about being a kid. Basically, I’m a latchkey kid. I grew up at a 7-11. It was like my home away from home. So I thought what better place to tell stories as a kid and growing up than at a 7-11 where you basically come across every individual you can think of. Back then when I was growing up, 7-11s were the place to be. You had your convenience store. You had your Slushies. You had your videogames. Back then they actually had the videogames inside the 7-11s. You had all the junk food you could get, and all your buddies were there. All the action, the drama, the suspense happened at your local 7-11.

RD: How did the original short on Random Cartoons come about?

Eric Robles: … I got a phone call from [Frederator’s] Fred Seibert and he had heard of some of my work that I had done throughout the years…

To read the rest of Rick’s interview, click here.

– Eric