Klasky Csupo
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Animation |
| Founded | 1982 |
| Founder | Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Arlene Klasky (co-founder), Gábor Csupó (co-founder), Terry Thoren (former CEO) |
| Products | Animated television series, animated films, commercials |
Number of employees | Over 550 |
| Parent | Paramount Global |
Klasky-Csupo, Inc. () is a U.S.-based animation studio located in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1982 by producer Arlene Klasky and Hungarian animator Gábor Csupó, the company grew from a modest apartment setup into a prominent Hollywood animation studio, employing over 550 creative professionals.
During the 1990s and early 2000s, Klasky-Csupo played a significant role in children’s programming, creating renowned series for Nickelodeon such as Rugrats, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, The Wild Thornberrys, Rocket Power, As Told by Ginger, and All Grown Up!. The studio also managed the American dubbing of Poppy Cat. Outside of Nickelodeon, Klasky-Csupo was responsible for animating the initial three seasons of The Simpsons for 20th Century Fox Television and Gracie Films, as well as producing Duckman for USA Network.
Following the conclusion of its collaboration with Nickelodeon in 2008, Klasky-Csupo halted production and entered a period of inactivity. The company resumed operations in 2012. In 2018, it initiated production on a CGI revival of Rugrats, which debuted in 2021 on Paramount+, aligning with the streaming objectives of its parent company, Paramount Global.
Early years (1982–1991)
Founded in 1982 by Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó within their Hollywood apartment, Klasky-Csupo soon relocated to its first studio at 729 Seward Street, Hollywood—previously the Bob Clampett studio. Initially focusing on creating logos, commercials, trailers, TV show title sequences, promos, and idents, the company quickly earned a reputation as an inventive animation house.
By 1988, Klasky-Csupo expanded to a second location at Fountain and Highland Avenues in Hollywood. Over time, it grew to encompass six buildings distinguished by vibrant character murals, exemplifying the studio’s creative branding and corporate identity.
The company’s major breakthrough occurred in 1987 when James L. Brooks of Gracie Films commissioned them to develop the opening sequence for The Tracey Ullman Show. Klasky-Csupo also animated all 48 shorts featuring Matt Groening’s The Simpsons, which eventually led to the launch of a weekly half-hour Fox series. The studio produced every episode during the first three seasons, earning two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Animated Program alongside Gracie Films.
Building on this success, Klasky-Csupo produced the popular music video "Do the Bartman". Animator and colorist Gyorgyi Kovacs Peluce played a key role in establishing the distinctive yellow skin tone and blue hair of The Simpsons characters, contributing to their instantly recognizable visual style.
In 1992, production of The Simpsons was transferred domestically to Film Roman due to Gracie Films’ dissatisfaction with Klasky-Csupo’s management and producer assignments. This change resulted in layoffs affecting roughly 75 members of Klasky-Csupo’s animation staff. The shift reflected strategic realignments in production partnerships that influenced the company’s operational approach and market stance during this timeframe.
Achievements with animated series (1991–2005)
In 1991, Klasky Csupo introduced Rugrats, one of the pioneering "Nicktoons" on Nickelodeon, inspired by the founders’ own children. This was followed by productions such as Duckman (1994–1997) for USA Network and Nickelodeon's Aaahh!!! Real Monsters. Although Rugrats initially concluded due to a 65-episode limit, its strong performance in syndication prompted a revival, positioning the show as a children’s counterpart to The Simpsons.
In 1993, the studio partnered with comedian Lily Tomlin to create two well-received ABC specials centered on the character Edith Ann. Two years later, in 1995, they launched Santo Bugito, CBS’s first Saturday morning animated comedy, distinguished by its Latin-inspired soundtrack and voice talents including Cheech Marin.
That same year marked an expansion into commercial animation through Klasky Csupo Commercials (later renamed Class-Key Chew-Po Commercials), attracting clients like 1-800-COLLECT, Oscar Mayer, and Nickelodeon. In 2001, they established Ka-Chew!, a division dedicated to live-action commercials. Additionally, the company ventured into music production with their labels Tone Casualties and Casual Tonalities.
Following the cancellations of Duckman and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters in 1997, Klasky Csupo produced The Wild Thornberrys for Nickelodeon. Their first feature film, The Rugrats Movie, premiered in 1998 and earned $141 million globally, becoming the first non-Disney animated film to exceed $100 million at the U.S. box office. This success sparked sequels and crossover films including Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, Rugrats Go Wild, and The Wild Thornberrys Movie.
Also in 1998, McDonald’s commissioned The Wacky Adventures of Ronald McDonald, which was distributed on VHS. CEO Terry Thoren orchestrated a move to a new Los Angeles facility following negotiations with Mercedes-Benz.
Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Klasky Csupo produced popular Nickelodeon series such as Rocket Power and As Told by Ginger, along with BBC Two’s adult-oriented show Stressed Eric. The tenth anniversary of Rugrats in 2001 inspired the special All Growed Up, which led to the spin-off series All Grown Up! running from 2003 to 2008. That year also saw Class-Key Chew-Po sign director Chris Prynoski's Titmouse, Inc. for commercial representation.
In 2003, Klasky Csupo collaborated with Titmouse on a music video for They Might Be Giants aired on Cartoon Network. The same year, they began development of an R-rated feature titled The Way the Dead Love, adapting Charles Bukowski’s stories with collaborators including Johnny Depp; however, the project was ultimately shelved.
By 2005, under Ka-Chew!, the company contributed animated shorts for Cartoon Network’s anthology series Sunday Pants.
Decline and inactivity (2006–2008)
The mid-2000s marked the end of Klasky Csupo’s production relationship with Nickelodeon and the conclusion of their partnership. CEO Terry Thoren departed in 2006, after which the company entered a period of inactivity.
That autumn, they announced plans for developing 28 varied animated pilots; however, most remained incomplete by 2010. Gabor Csupo later shared some fragments on YouTube. One pilot titled Chicken Town was acquired by French studio Ellipsanime without Klasky Csupo’s involvement.
In 2007, Paul Demeyer exited to establish Wild Canary Animation, taking several clients from Ka-Chew!, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2008 before being absorbed into 6 Point Media in 2011. The studio’s most recent film release was Immigrants, originally intended as an unaired Spike TV series.
Revival of the Company with New Endeavors (2012–Present)
In 2012, Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo, the original founders, reactivated their company. Partnering with Craig Singer, they developed Ollie Mongo, a digital comic centered on a futuristic skateboarding zombie. By 2015, they introduced the web series RoboSplaat!, starring their robotic-voiced mascot "Splaat," which had initially appeared in their logo. The series debuted in December 2016 alongside an app that was under development. That same year, additional confidential projects were underway.
Nickelodeon hinted at bringing back iconic shows such as Rugrats in 2015; during the 2016 San Diego Comic-Con, Arlene Klasky conveyed her openness to return as executive producer together with co-creators Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain.
In July 2018, Nickelodeon commissioned a 26-episode CGI reboot of Rugrats, with Klasky and Csupo serving as executive producers. This reboot premiered on Paramount+ in May 2021.
In April 2022, Gabor Csupo unveiled an NFT initiative called Cosa Monstra.
RoboSplaat!
RoboSplaat! is an animated web series created by Arlene Klasky for YouTube, featuring Splaat (voiced by Greg Cipes), an ink splat character originally part of the Klasky Csupo logo.
Characters
- Splaat – A purple ink splatter characterized by yellow rectangular eyes and mouth; he sports black sleeves and red sneakers.
- Digital – Splaat’s younger sibling distinguished by red rectangles and blue lips.
- Sergei – Their father figure; depicted as an ink bottle with sea-green eyes.
- Blossom – Their mother; represented by a pair of blue scissors.
- Grandpa – The family patriarch; a grey ink splat wearing glasses and a suit.
Television Series
| Show | Creator(s) | Network(s) | Year(s) | Co-production(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Simpsons | Matt Groening | Fox | 1989–1992 | Gracie Films 20th Television Animation |
Seasons 1–4 exclusively |
| Rugrats | Arlene Klasky Gábor Csupó Paul Germain |
Nickelodeon | 1991–2006 | Nickelodeon Animation Studio | |
| Duckman | Everett Peck | USA Network | 1994–1997 | Reno & Osborn Productions Paramount Television |
Adapted from comics |
| Aaahh!!! Real Monsters | Gábor Csupó Peter Gaffney |
Nickelodeon | 1994–1997 | Nickelodeon Animation Studio | |
| Santo Bugito | Arlene Klasky | CBS | 1995–1996 | ||
| The Wild Thornberrys | Arlene Klasky Gábor Csupó Steve Pepoon David Silverman Stephen Sustarsic |
Nickelodeon | 1998–2004 | Nickelodeon Animation Studio | |
| Stressed Eric | Carl Gorham | BBC Two (UK) NBC (USA season 1) |
1998 | Absolutely Productions BBC Worldwide |
Limited to season 1 |
| Rocket Power | Arlene Klasky Gábor Csupó |
Nickelodeon | 1999–2004 | Nickelodeon Animation Studio | |
| As Told by Ginger | Emily Kapnek | Nickelodeon | 2000–2006 | Nickelodeon Animation Studio | |
| All Grown Up! | Kate Boutilier Eryk Casemiro Monica Piper |
Nickelodeon | 2003–2008 | Spin-off from Rugrats | |
| Rugrats Pre-School Daze | Arlene Klasky Gábor Csupó |
UK (2005) US (2008) |
Nickelodeon Animation Studio | ||
| Poppy Cat | Lara Jones | Nick Jr. UK Sprout/Universal Kids US |
2011–2016 | King Rollo Films Coolabi Productions Cake Entertainment |
|
| Rugrats | Arlene Klasky Gábor Csupó Paul Germain |
Paramount+/Nickelodeon | 2021–present | Nickelodeon Animation Studio | Reboot utilizing CGI animation |
Web series
| Title | Year(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RoboSplaat! | 2012–2022 | Developed by Arlene Klasky; marked the studio's initial web series |
| Dear Splaat | 2016 | A spin-off series derived from RoboSplaat! |
Films
| Title | Year | Directors | Notes | Co-Production | Box Office |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Rugrats Movie | 1998 | Igor Kovalyov & Norton Virgien | First animated feature outside Disney to surpass $100 million in US box office | Nickelodeon Movies & Paramount Pictures | $140.9M |
| Rugrats in Paris: The Movie | 2000 | Stig Bergqvist & Paul Demeyer | $103.3M | ||
| The Wild Thornberrys Movie | 2002 | Cathy Malkasian & Jeff McGrath | Featured the Oscar-nominated song "Father and Daughter" | $60.7M | |
| Rugrats Go Wild | 2003 | John Eng & Norton Virgien | Crossover event combining Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys | $55.4M | |
| Immigrants (L.A. Dolce Vita) | 2008 | Gábor Csupó | Most recent film released by the company | $0.1M |
See also
External links
- Klasky Csupo on the Big Cartoon DataBase
- Nick Animation Podcast, Episode 4: Arlene Klasky (hosted by Hector Navarro). Released June 3, 2016.
- Articles with short description
- Klasky Csupo
- American companies established in 1982
- Mass media companies established in 1982
- American animation studios
- Companies based in Los Angeles
- Entertainment companies established in 1982
- Graphic design studios
- Adult animation studios
- Film production companies of the United States
- Television production companies of the United States
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment