The first of the "Cartoon Cartoons" for Cartoon Network, it initially debuted on February 26, 1995, as a seven-minute What a Cartoon! (1995) pilot.
The Justice Friends are based on superheroes from Marvel and DC comic books, which Genndy Tartakovsky read avidly after moving to the United States. The Infraggable Krunk is a parody of the Incredible Hulk, but reversing the Hulk's purple shirt and green skin color scheme. Major Glory is a parody of Captain America and Superman. Valhallan is a parody of Thor. Valhallen's name references both Valhalla, the land where vikings go when they die, and Van Halen, a legendary classic rock band. White Tiger is a parody of Black Panther. Sam-R-I is a parody of Silver Samurai. The living Bullet is parody of Iron Man, Quicksilver and The Flash. Phan Tone is a parody of Vision. Rat Man is a parody of Batman and has a similar origin to him too. Tiki Torch is a parody of the Human Torch. Miss Spell is parody of Scarlet Witch and wears a red outfit just like her. Capital G is a parody of Luke Cage, Black Goliath, Mister Terrific, and Giant Man. Snowman is a parody of Iceman.
The Dexter family's last name is never revealed.
Dexter's accent originated from Genndy Tartakovsky's CalArts roommate, Rob Renzetti, who left voicemails for Tartakovsky in a comedic French accent. Traces of Russian and German accents were added as well.
Plots in Season 3 are based on stories from the Dexter's Laboratory comic book series by DC.