OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

About

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes is an American superhero animated television show created by Ian Jones-Quartey. The show is set in the futuristic year of 201X^[3] and centers around KO, a 6-11 year old kid^[4][5] preparing to become the world's greatest hero.

Premise

KO's training begins when he decides to work for Gar's Bodega, a hero supply shop that is owned by Mr. Gar. While working at the store, he meets his co-workers and befriends them: Radicles (or Rad for short), a rude, narcissistic alien and Enid, a levelheaded big sister-like employee. Across the parking lot of the Bodega, lies Boxmore,^[6] owned by Mr. Gar's enemy Lord Boxman. Boxmore is a factory that produces robotic equipment and materials to and for super villains, causing havoc for the protagonists.

History

Lakewood Plaza Turbo

On May 21st, 2013, Ian Jones-Quartey pitched this short to Cartoon Network.^[1] The cartoon focused on KO, Rad, and Enid who are employees of Lakewood Plaza Turbo. After the release of this pilot, it was believed to be a failure due to the lack of information over the past three years, aside from some projects and sketches of the cartoon.^[2] Cartoon Network created an app to help push the development of this cartoon.^[13][15]

Beginning in February of 2016, mini-episodes which were YouTube exclusives, running until May 3, 2017.^[12] They were made in hopes of trying to get the show greenlit (shown below).

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes was greenlit on March 9th, 2017, nearly four years after the original short's premiere.^[14][15] Production of the show involved many people like Hiroyuki Imaishi, co-founder of Studio Trigger who storyboarded the animatic of the main title.^[16]

Crossover Nexus

A crossover episode of the show featuring characters from several other Cartoon Network series will air October 8th, 2018. The episode will feature characters from The Grimm Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Ed, Edd and Eddy, Steven Universe and others (trailer shown below).

Reception

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes has been praised for its unique art style which is heavily influenced by anime. Ian Jones-Quartey's previous work on shows like Adventure Time, Steven Universe, and Bravest Warriors which encouraged him to make the show. The series has earned a rating of 8.2 on IMDb.^[18]

Online Relevance

Fandom

OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes has gained a great online presence since its premiere. As of November 2017, there are roughly 1,500 pieces of art with the tag #ok_ko_lets_be_heroes on Deviantart.^[19] On Tumblr, under the tag ok-ko-lets-be-heroes you can find results of memes, gifs, and fan art for this cartoon.^[20]

Fan Art

GIFs

Search Internet

External References