Mr. Pickles

The series was pitched to Adult Swim by creators Will Carsola and Dave Stewart, who also operate together under the name 'Day by Day', among several other show ideas.

According to Carsola, the concept originated from a 'write-off' session where he and Stewart present rough scribbled ideas to each other purely for amusement, occasionally finding one that sticks.

At the 2014 San Diego Comic-Con, the creators explained the idea was originally based on Lassie, but evolved into 'more of its own thing' over time.

The show's setting is roughly based on Richmond, Virginia, where creators Carsola and Stewart started their entertainment careers before moving to Los Angeles.

Brooke Shields was cast after she looked at the creators' previous work for Funny or Die and requested the script for Mr. Pickles; the creators were initially unsure about her interest in the project.

Brooke Shields recorded her lines in a booth in New York City while creators Will Carsola and Dave Stewart supervised remotely via Skype.

The character of Mr. Pickles was inspired by Dave Stewart's own female Australian Cattle Dog, whom he jokingly nicknamed 'Ms. Pickles' due to their similarities.

Animation director Mike L. Mayfield filmed Stewart's dog playing around, and animators used this footage as a reference for the movements of the Mr. Pickles character.

The pilot episode was released online in July 2013 as part of a KFC-sponsored voting presentation for in-development Adult Swim shows, but it lost to Stoopid Buddy Stoodios' Übermansion, a series that was ironically rejected by the network.

After being posted on YouTube on March 10, 2014, the pilot went viral, surpassing 700,000 views within about a month.