DIC Entertainment

DIC Enterprises is a defunct animation production company that specializes in cartoons. Although the company first launched in 1971, its first highly successful animated series wasn't launched until 1983 when Inspector Gadget debuted in syndication, a show that has a cult following among children of all ages and around the world, airing for two seasons from 1983 to 1985, although television broadcasts are restricted to airing the 1983 season.

In September 1983, DIC made their mark in history when The Littles debuted on ABC, which was the first DIC production to be broadcast on a major U.S. broadcast network. Many productions by DIC were based on video games, comic strips, recording acts, and popular toys - the latter two during their peak in popularity.

Aside from the aforementioned properties, other successful properties included series based on comic strips and comic books (Dennis the Menace, Heathcliff and the Catillac Cats, etc.), recording acts (Kidd Video, New Kids on the Block, etc.), famous people during their peak in popualarity (Hulk Hogan's Rock N' Wrestling, Wish Kid with Macaulay Culkin - in the wake of the success of the 1990 movie Home Alone, etc.), popular merchandise during its peak in popularity (The Get Along Gang, Sailor Moon, etc.), and video games (The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Sonic the Hedgehog, etc.). There were some original properties as well, such as the aforementioned Inspector Gadget, Kissyfur, and Wild West C.O.W.-Boys of Moo Mesa.

In 1988, after five seasons, DIC took over production of the cartoon series Alvin and the Chipmunks (retitled The Chipmunks), which was previously produced by Ruby-Spears. It could be inferred that the reason for the series being bought out by DIC is due to ratings decline which in turn resulted in lower revenues. The Chipmunks ran for three more seasons on NBC.

In December 2008, DIC Entertainment folded and its properties were acquired by Cookie Jar Entertainment, then Cookie Jar itself got acquired by DHX Media in 2012.

Notes/Trivia

 * In a segment on Dennis the Menace, Dennis was apparently humming the theme song from Inspector Gadget. In several other episodes like Wilson The Menace, Fishing For Trouble, A Couple Of Coo-Coos, and Wilson For Mayor, Mr. Wilson hums it. In Up Up and Away (From Here) and A Moving Experience, Mrs. Wilson hums it. In The Big Candied Apple, the captain of a ferry hums it. In Charmed I'm Sure, Margaret hums it.
 * In Big Baby, the theme tune to The Littles plays when Dennis agrees to look after Sylvester. The theme plays on Mr. Wilson's TV in Dennis The Businessman.The theme also plays on the radio in The Martians Are Coming.
 * There are some Ghostbusters references on Dennis the Menace, whereas DiC produced the 1986 Ghostbusters cartoon series, The Real Ghostbusters. The episode Ghostblusters is a pun on the franchise, and Dennis The Genius featured a ghost resembling Slimer.