History Trivia / InvaderZIM

** During development, Dib's name was originally short for Dibble, before becoming his actual name. [[note]] Most likely because ''dibble'' was already [[WesternAnimation/TopCat an existing character name]] and was also in use by ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' series (which had ended only four months before ''Zim's'' premiere) as a slang term for "awesome", and Nick didn't want a possible double infringement suit on their hands.[[/note]] Jhonen's also stated that his original name was Feebly, though it's hard to tell if that's just one of his usual jokes. Meanwhile, Gaz has always been short for [[PunnyName Gazlene]], though it wouldn't be stated within any official ''Zim'' material until ''Enter the Florpus''.

* WorkingTitle: The title was initially ''Invader: ZIM'' before losing the colon and the over-capitalization.

** Fans assumed that Dib and Gaz's last name was "Membrane", since their dad is Professor Membrane. At the time, WordOfGod said that Membrane was actually the professor's ''first'' name. The comic continuation, however, just makes Dib's surname "Membrane", which the show itself went with as well in the movie Enter the Florpus.

* OneBookAuthor: Dib Membrane is basically Andy Berman's only voice role (alongside a few minor characters in the show). While he has voiced Dib in other media appearances such as the Nicktoons Unite! series and the TV movie Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus, he's never done anything not Zim-related.
* TheOtherDarrin: Creator/BillyWest voiced Zim in the pilot. Vasquez only had him replaced because West was already voicing the [[{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}} main character of another science fiction show at the time.]] Creator/RichardStevenHorvitz would fill in the spot instead when the series started.

** According to the DVDCommentary, "Backseat Drivers from Beyond the Stars" is Vasquez's favorite episode out of the whole series, with him even describing it as "the pinnacle of all that is good and went right with this show."

--->'''Zim:''' Whyyy was there BACON ''IN THE'' '''''SOAP?!'''''
--->'''GIR:''' III made it ''myself!''

** Due the show's proximity to 9/11, some elements (firefighters watching the slow explosion from their fire truck in Walk For Your Lives, vision of destroyed New York in Door to Door) were [[DistancedFromCurrentEvents deemed too offensive to air]]. The explosion was turned green instead of orange, the firefighter gag was removed and a new "horrible future" vision (that was somehow more destructive than the original one) was produced for Door to Door. Jhonen Vasquez said he preferred the new vision to the old one, as it was more violent. Also Nick seriously considered banning "The Girl Who Cried Gnome" from airing at all due to a scene where the rescue workers attempt to rescue a girl from Zim's Gnomes(as Nick thought it could be seen as insensitive to the rescue workers at Ground Zero)but instead they just post-poned it before finally airing it in 2006.
** Nickelodeon objected to the original ending of "Walk of Doom," in which Zim and Gir were dropped off in a ghetto with a banner reading "Welcome To Mexico," feeling that [[UnfortunateImplications it came off as racist]]. Jhonen Vasquez, himself Mexican-American, agreed and it was changed to a vaguely Mexican-looking (but still filthy) town.

* TheOtherMarty: According to writer Eric Trueheart in his book ''THE MEDIUM-SIZED BOOK OF ZIM SCRIPTS: Vol. 1: Waffles 'n' Pigs'', Creator/MarkHamill was the first actor to play Zim in the pilot, before he was redubbed with Creator/BillyWest, who was replaced by Creator/RichardStevenHorvitz for the series.

** During development, Dib's name was originally short for Dibble, before becoming his actual name. [[note]] Most likely because ''dibble'' was already in popular use by ''Literature/TheBabySittersClub'' (which had ended only four months before ''Zim's'' premiere) as a slang term for "awesome", and Nick didn't want a possible infringement suit on their hands.[[/note]] Jhonen's also stated that his original name was Feebly, though it's hard to tell if that's just one of his usual jokes. Meanwhile, Gaz has always been short for [[PunnyName Gazlene]], though it wouldn't be stated within any official ''Zim'' material until ''Enter the Florpus''.

** During development, Dib's name was originally short for Dibble, before becoming his actual name. Jhonen's also stated that his original name was Feebly, though it's hard to tell if that's just one of his usual jokes. Meanwhile, Gaz has always been short for [[PunnyName Gazlene]], though it wouldn't be stated within any official ''Zim'' material until ''Enter the Florpus''.

* TheWikiRule: [[https://zim.fandom.com/wiki/Main_Page Here ya go!]]

** Surprisingly, the Nickelodeon executives actually were (knowingly) very hands-off with the creative process. Character deaths that were originally written were never allowed, though.

* WorkingTitle: The title was initially ''Invader: ZIM'' before losing the colon and the over-capitalization.

!!Trivia tropes with their own pages:
[[index]]
* [[ReferencedBy/InvaderZim Referenced by...]]
* [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/InvaderZim What Could Have Been]]
[[/index]]
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* ActingForTwo: Dib and Dibship are both voiced by Rosearik Rikki Simons.

* IWantYouToMeetAnOldFriendOfMine: Tak, the Hideous New Girl is voiced by Olivia D'Abo, aka Karen Arnold from ''Series/TheWonderYears'', which also starred Andy Bearman (Dib) as Chuck Coleman.

* ReleaseDateChange: Two episode pairings were changed before airing, "Dark Harvest" was originally paired with "Bestest Friend" and "Germs" was originally paired with "NanoZim", but the network execs didn't like the former pairing as they didn't think it was a good idea to put two of the most disturbing episodes of the series together, so the order was switched around.

** According to Jhonen Vasquez, Dib and his family aren't white, but very pale Mexicans, [[WriteWhatYouKnow like himself]]. This would later be reflected ''Enter the Florpus'', where they're given slightly darkened skin tones to better match his own.

** During development, Dib's name was originally short for Dibble, before becoming his actual name. Jhonen's also stated that his original name was Feebly, though it's hard to tell if that's just one of his usual jokes. Meanwhile, Gaz has always been short for [[PunnyName Gazleen]], though it wouldn't be stated within any official ''Zim'' material until ''Enter the Florpus''.

* BeamMeUpScotty: Gaz only threatens to send someone to a nightmare world once (with the full line being "What you need is to give the Game Slave to me, or I will plunge you into a nightmare world from which there is no waking!") However, some fanfics treat it like her catchphrase, having her threatening to "send [someone] to a nightmare world" every time she gets angry.