Alex Kirwan

Alex Kirwan, born smack in the middle of a Minnesota winter on December 20, 1977, is basically one of those animation wizards who helped shape a whole generation’s Saturday mornings. The guy’s got this creative spark that’s all over shows like My Life as a Teenage Robot—yeah, that one with the robot girl, Jenny, fighting off random villains and just trying to fit in. Kirwan didn’t just help develop the look, he totally nailed that retro-futuristic vibe, making it pop with wild colors and slick design touches that still hold up. He’s not just a one-hit wonder, either. His fingerprints are all over Wander Over Yonder, the trippy, hilarious space adventure show that cranked up the weirdness and heart, thanks in no small part to Kirwan’s direction. That series took risks, and you can tell Kirwan likes to push boundaries rather than play it safe. Before all that, he got his start on Oh Yeah! Cartoons, which was this kind of creative playground for fresh ideas. That show launched a ton of new talent and gave Kirwan a space to experiment and just go wild with character designs and visual storytelling. Honestly, if you’ve ever fallen down a Nickelodeon or Cartoon Network rabbit hole, you’ve probably run into Kirwan’s work without even realizing it. He’s the kind of behind-the-scenes legend that keeps animation fresh, weird, and actually fun to watch. Not bad for a kid from Duluth, right?