Did You Know There's A Cartoon Based In Utica?

Utica has been featured on "The Office." There's all sorts of Utica references in "The Simpsons." But did you know there's a cartoon about our small city?

In the late '90s and early 2000s, central New York natives, Fran and Will Krause created a cartoon called "Utica Cartoon." It actually was a pilot for Cartoon Network, but it got beat out by the show "Codename: Kids Next Door."

"Utica Cartoon" revolves around Dan Bear and Micah Monkey who find a way to enjoy a free hot dog lunch.

"Utica Cartoon was my first professional animation project, and possibly my last chance to produce a traditionally-animated cartoon for television," said creator Will Krause.

"Fran and I left New York City (where we were living in a basement) to go to Providence for the production of Utica Cartoon. Not only was rent cheaper, but we also scored Mike Overbeck and Jesse Schmal at a fire sale price because they were fresh out of school. Hooray!"

The Krauses also created another pilot for Cartoon Network called "Upstate Four." There's no word if that was based in Upstate New York or not.

I remember watching "Codename: Kids Next Door" as a kid, and it's crazy to think it was in the running to be on Cartoon Network when I was a kid. Cartoon Network was on the television in my home for hours, imagine if we watched a Utica-based show instead?