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Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil — A Clean, Well-Built Machine

Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil was Disney XD's first animated original, running 52 episodes across two seasons from 2010 to 2012.

By mitch·2 min read
A clumsy boy in a helmet crashes into the sidewalk during a failed stunt.

Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil ran for two seasons and 52 episodes, but its real distinction is a date. It premiered on February 13, 2010 — exactly one year after Disney XD launched. That made it the fourth original series on the network and the first animated one ever.

Trailer, via tonfabrik_audio_productions.

A Boy Named Clarence Francis Buttowski

The show follows Clarence Francis “Kick” Buttowski, a young boy who wants to be the world’s greatest daredevil. His only real help comes from Gunther, his loyal friend and partner-in-crime. That is the whole engine: one kid, one best friend, one impossible goal.

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Sandro Corsaro created the series, and Disney Television Animation produced it. The premise never pretends to be more than it is.

Charlie Schlatter and the Voice Cast

Charlie Schlatter voices Kick. Matt Jones plays Gunther. Danny Cooksey is Brad Buttowski, Kari Wahlgren is Honey Buttowski, and Brian Stepanek is Harold Buttowski. John DiMaggio voices Mr. Vickle, Eric Christian Olsen is Wade, and Maria Bamford plays Jackie.

That is a deep bench for a kids’ cartoon, and it shows in how little the side characters strain.

Two Segments, 52 Episodes

Each episode splits into two 11-minute segments. Fifty-two episodes were produced across the two seasons.

Season Premiered Episodes
Season 1 February 13, 2010 —
Season 2 April 30, 2011 —
Series finale September 22, 2012 —

The short-segment format is the smartest choice here. An 11-minute story cannot afford filler, so Kick gets one stunt, one obstacle, and out.

Why the Format Holds Up

The 11-minute split is what separates this from the era’s bloated half-hours. A daredevil premise runs on momentum, and the format forces it. Kick and Gunther work because the show never gives Gunther a subplot he cannot carry.

The second season arrived on April 30, 2011, and the series closed on September 22, 2012. Two years, two seasons, no drift into a version of itself that forgot the point.

It is not a landmark. It is a clean, well-built machine, and Disney XD’s first animated original earned that slot.

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