Origins (1998–2001) A postcard for The Fairly OddParents segment on Nickelodeon's Oh Yeah! Cartoons
Creator/Producer Butch Hartman originally created The Fairly OddParents as a seven-minute entitled Fairy Godparents, one of 39 short cartoons in the first season of 's . Butch Hartman made six more short films for the show in season 3. Nickelodeon agreed to a six episode order (consisting of two 11-minute stories) of "The Fairly Oddparents", which began airing on March 30, 2001, in the half-hour after .
Unlike the half-hour series, the animation in the shorts is not as smooth, and the designs are notably different (including Timmy's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Turner, who are only seen from the neck down with their faces hidden in the and appear to be more intelligent than they appeared to be in the proceeding series, yet still easily duped by Vicky's abhorrent actions). Other notable differences include the voices like Timmy Turner, who was voiced by instead of Tara Strong. Cosmo is significantly more intelligent than he appears to be in the proceeding series. Wanda is shown to be less intelligent and less of a nag. Vicky is much less evil than in the current series. She also calls Timmy by his name as opposed to the more often used "twerp".
Originally, Hartman wanted Timmy to wear a blue hat, but since he ran out of blue ink, he decided to make it pink. Wanda was originally going to be named "Venus", but instead named her Wanda. Her middle name was and still is "Venus."
Original run (2001–06) The title card of the show (Season 9).
The Fairly OddParents was immediately popular, greatly increasing its lead-in rating from Invader Zim. In fact, no matter what time slot Nickelodeon placed the show in, Nick's ratings soared. The series attracted a wider than anticipated audience, appealing to all ages, a feat only matched by SpongeBob SquarePants. Other than SpongeBob, it was later Nickelodeon's highest rated show. Early 2002 and 2003 was the first peak of popularity for The Fairly OddParents. Its ratings skyrocketed, and it briefly passed SpongeBob SquarePants. The series appeared in a $50 travel card during summer 2006 and again in summer 2007.
A theatrical movie film was planned for release by and , but it was eventually dropped because of a management change at Paramount, although the script was written. Hartman stated on his website that he would like to release the film on DVD one day, but there were not definitive plans to do so.
On January 24, 2006, Butch Hartman announced on his forum that had ceased production of the show. "The Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 3: The Jerkinators" was intended to be the fifth season finale and in production order, airing on July 21, 2006. However, Nickelodeon broadcast the episode "Timmy the Barbarian/No Substitute for Crazy" after "The Jerkinators" as the fifth season finale, on November 25 of that year.
Revival and tenth anniversary (2007–11)Main article:
Hartman announced on his forum on February 2, 2007, that Nick granted Fairly OddParents twenty more episode slots, making sure the show resumed production.
After a one-year hiatus, announced on TV that they would begin the broadcast of a called as the beginning of at least 20 episodes of Season 6, and to carry the show to at least the year 2011. A huge hit, Fairly OddBaby aired on February 18, 2008, becoming the top entertainment program across broadcast and basic cable TV for the year among kids.
Movie sequels and future (2012–present)
On March 14, 2012, the series was renewed for a ninth season with new episodes that were scheduled to broadcast that year. Additionally, the second live action film, , aired in November 2012. The ninth season premiered the same day as the 2013 Kids Choice Awards. The new season introduces the new main character, Timmy's fairy dog, Sparky. Season nine is also the first season to be formatted in and . In 2013, it was announced there would be a third installment called with Drake Bell and Daniella Monet reprising their respective roles. The movie premiered on August 2, 2014.
New episodes were confirmed by Fred Seibert on April 11, 2015. On August 17, 2015, a tenth season was officially announced, and introduced another new character named Chloe Carmichael, Timmy's new neighbor who also has Cosmo and Wanda as her fairy godparents. The season premiered on January 15th, 2016.
