Series creator Dave Willis voices both Meatwad and Carl, who interact very frequently. Also, any episode featuring the Mooninites will usually feature Ignignokt (also voiced by Willis) interacting with either or both of them.
Adored by the Network: It had the courtesy of being a Long Runner for almost 15 years, spawning 139 episodes and 11 seasons during its run with numerous different title changes. ATHF would frequently occupy spots on the daily schedule and, before Rick and Morty, was considered to be the highest-viewed original series. The series also holds the distinction as being the only Adult Swim show to be adapted into a theatrical movie. Unfortunately, this got played in reverse around the 11th season. That being said though, the show does still receive frequent reruns, and if it gets taken off, you can guarantee the Aqua Teens will be back on the schedule at some point.
Banned Episode: There was an episode entitled "Boston", which was originally intended as the first episode of the series' fifth season and produced as its creators' response to the Boston bomb scare that [adult swim] caused on January 31, 2007 (with the city itself being a big target of the episode). However, Adult Swim pulled it to avoid further controversy surrounding the events of the bomb scare. The episode has never aired, and has never been released to the public.
The episode "Shake Like Me" was pulled from HBO Max in the wake of George Floyd's murder and the ensuing "Black Lives Matter" protests against police brutality, making the racial humor of the episode seem a little too inappropriate. In September 2020, it was officially banned for good by [adult swim]. However, it remains available on Google Play, and it can also be found on the standalone Volume 6 DVD release. Also, a series of clips that feature most, if not all, of the episode remain viewable on Adult Swim's YouTube channel, and have been compiled into a playlist.
Beam Me Up, Scotty!: Shake never says "You look at him and tell me there's a God!" He actually says "Look at him and tell me there's a God!" without the 'you' at the beginning.
The Cast Showoff: Dave Willis plays in a rock band and often describes himself as 'frustrated musician' and also praises Matt Maiellaro's rocking skills aswell. So whenever we have a scene of some character playing guitar, it's not difficult to guess where the music came from.
Contest Winner Cameo: Adult Swim had a contest for the role of Carl in the live action episode. One of the participants was a girl...who actually wasn't too bad in her impression.
Creator's Favorite Episode: Carey Means (Frylock's voice actor) has stated on multiple occasions that his favorite episode is "Super Birthday Snake".
Creator Killer: After a fashion. After the Boston Bomb Scare (see below), Cartoon Network CEO Jim Samples was forced to step down. He was replaced by Stuart Snyder, who was in turn replaced by Christina Miller.
Cross-Dressing Voices: One episode has The Kids in the Hall alum Scott Thompson guest-voicing exotic dancer (and inept city employee) Dusty Gozongas (credited under the pseudonym of "Veronica Billingsley").
Both creators play both regular and one-shot characters: Dave Willis plays Meatwad, Carl and Ignignokt; Matt Maiellaro plays Err and The Ghost of Christmas Past.
The show's entire crew sing on the chorus for the theme song.
Development Hell: A second film titled "Death Fighter" has been discussed, but almost nothing has been heard of any production (it doesn't help that [adult swim] keeps saying it "isn't happening"). Dave Willis hinted at a mid-2015 release, though after the series was cancelled, it's more than likely been canned.
The Season five episode "Robots Everywhere" was released as a bonus in the Tie-in Video Game Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro Am 2 months before it premiered on TV.
The first four episodes from season six were released on the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Volume Six DVD on December 16, 2008, months prior to their official television debuts.
The series finale, "The Greatest Story Ever Told", was quietly released online on August 26, 2015 as a hidden Easter Egg on the Adult Swim website, before airing on TV on August 30.
Enforced Method Acting: Shake's stilted speech pattern was the result of the directors feeding Dana Snyder his dialogue one line or even a few words at a time instead of having him read directly off a page.
Flip-Flop of God: Master Shake's insides: some say he's pistachio flavored, Dana Synder likes to think it's rotten vanilla. In the Space Ghost episode, it's chocolate.
Lying Creator: In May 2010 at Dragon Con, it was confirmed that Dr. Weird and Steve would be returning as series regulars for season 8 (Aqua Unit Patrol Squad 1). However, they only appeared in one episode, and were neverseen again (outside of a silent cameo in the final season's opening sequence).
No Budget: The show, at least during its early seasons, had a budget of about $60,000 an episode, which is small compared to the $300,000 to $500,000 an episode that most animated shows receive, and each episode was animated in Adobe Photoshop and After Effects over a period of about five weeks.
Out of Holiday Episode: In the season 1 episode "Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future", the titular character breaks into Carl's home claiming he's the Ghost of Christmas Past and comes to show Carl what Christmas was like for him in 1968. Carl reminds the Ghost that it's not Christmas at all, but in fact February. Hilariously enough, the episode actually aired four days after Christmas.
Playing Against Type: "Knapsack!" features anime voice actress Monica Rial in her first and so far only non-anime voice work on broadcast television.
Screwed by the Network: Dave Willis confirms the cancellation of the series was not a decision on their part, and happened rather abruptly.
...at least until the honest-to-Gee-Whiz secret episode "The Greatest Story Ever told" was released online only three days later, which offered a different finale where the events of the previous one are overwritten and the show ends on a meta joke. If it weren't for the fact that the final episode was in 2015, it'd be easy to be confused about whether the show's actually over.
...or rather the final episode WAS in 2015 before the show's revival in 2023 for Season 12.
Unfinished Episode: The banned episode "Boston", which was intended to open the 5th season, was rejected by [adult swim] from being able to air before the creators could finish it, leaving portions of the episode not fully animated.
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