Bunsen Is a Beast is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It revolves around a small eccentric monster named Bunsen who begins attending a middle school that previously only admitted humans. In spite of prejudice against beasts, Bunsen befriends a human boy named Mikey Munroe and his homeschooled companion, Darcy. Together, Bunsen and his friends attempt to navigate through school life while outsmarting a student named Amanda who wants to rid society of Bunsen's kind.
The show is based on a drawing of a monster and a boy that Hartman created in 2009.[1] He originally considered writing a picture book featuring the characters, but decided against going forward with the idea until an executive from Nickelodeon saw the drawing and encouraged him to develop the concept into a television program. Prominent themes highlighted in the series include the positive aspects of social integration and the celebration of different cultures. Bunsen Is a Beast was Hartman's fourth and final animated series produced for Nickelodeon before his departure with the network before moving to Sony Pictures Animation to plan any direct-to-video sequels, after The Fairly OddParents (2001–2017), Danny Phantom (2004–2007), and T.U.F.F. Puppy (2010–2015).
The first season, consisting of twenty-six episodes, was ordered by Nickelodeon in December 2015.[2] The series had two runs on two different networks; Nickelodeon from January 16 to November 20, 2017, then Nicktoons from December 18, 2017 to February 9, 2018.[3][4]
