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Leader Dog (TV series)

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Leader Dog
GenreScience Fiction
Comedy
Created byLarry Schwarz
Written byNick Mallis
Directed bySergei Anskov
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes13
Production
Executive producersLarry Schwarz
Sergei Anskov
AnimatorDargian Moriaty
Running time3 minutes
Production companyAnimation Collective
Original release
NetworkNicktoons
ReleaseApril 18, 2004 (2004-04-18) –
2008 (2008)

Leader Dog is a flash-animated science-fiction comedy series created by Larry Schwarz (who is best known for Kappa Mikey), and his production company, Animation Collective.

The series premiered on the Nicktoons channel on April 18, 2004 (along with other series, Tortellini Western), with reruns airing on Nicktoons Network until 2008. 13 episodes were produced.

Premise

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The series centers around a spunky junkyard dog from Earth who is mistakenly abducted by aliens from Planet Zmed. The aliens, named Dave and Blark, are sent by their King Adrian to find Earth's "leader" – the one everyone follows. When they see a dog being chased by many dogcatchers, they wrongly conclude that this dog must be Earth's most important leader because so many people are "following" him. They beam him up and he becomes the "Leader Dog" of Planet Zmed.

Development

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The animation was used via Flash, and the majority of the characters are voiced by animators. Schwarz wanted to base the animation on Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

Like many Nicktoons short series, Leader Dog has fallen into obscurity due to its sporadic air times and general lack of exposure. Schwarz mentioned that he wanted to inspire animators and have an impact on animation themselves.[1]

Schwarz stated:

“We really wanted to create something totally original, yet familiar–the kind of shows we grew up with and watched on Saturday mornings. We wanted to tell funny stories with memorable characters–the kind that will become classics,”

The series was also directed by Sergei Aniskov.[2]

Characters

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  • Leader: The main character, a spunky and clever dog, who accidentally becomes the leader of Planet Zmed.
  • King Adrian: The king of Planet Zmed, who really likes Leader and enjoys his unique ways.
  • Prince Guz: King Adrian's son, who’s a spoiled young prince who does not like Leader at all, and often tries to take over Leader's position.
  • Dave and Blark: Two alien explorers who found Leader. Dave is usually serious, while Blark is more funny and cheerful. They are the ones who brought Leader to Planet Zmed.

Episodes

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Episode Number (#) Title Air date
1 Eau de Toilet April 18, 2004
2 The Postman Never Rings Twice 2004
3 Nobody's Drool
4 Who Buried the Bone?
5 Fetch Lives
6 Worst in Show
7 A Poop By Any Other Name
8 Life's an Itch
9 TV or Not TV?
10 Planet of the Chimps
11 Howl-O-Ween
12 Play Dead
13 Dog Food
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References

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  1. ^ "Nicktoons Serves Up Traditional Style Toons Leader Dog & Tortellini Western". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2025-07-23.
  2. ^ Ball, Ryan (2004-04-14). "Nicktoons Runs with Leader Dog, Tortellini Western". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-23.