1. Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan Downey, are executive producers of the series Sweet Tooth, choosing the story because they wanted a "great co-viewing experience for parents and kids."
2. The pilot was shot over a year before the rest of the series, and the show creators were worried that Christian Convery, who plays Gus, would obviously age between episodes — luckily, this hasn't been the case.
3. Christian, 11, trained in parkour to prepare for the role and did a lot of his own stunts.
4. He also read the comics by Jeff Lemire, which the show is based on, several times over.
5. And he did a lot of research into deers and how they move and react to ensure authenticity in his performance.
6. There are nods to Lemire's other works in the show — the Essex County Zoo is named after the Essex County graphic novel, and Gideon Place is named for Gideon Falls.
Hey @JeffLemire, am i going crazy or is this references to your other works? (Essex County and Gideon Falls) #SweetTooth
7. Gus is named after Lemire's son — Lemire wrote the comic when his wife was pregnant with the real Gus.
8. Nonso Anozie, who plays Tommy Jepperd, said he had to really fight for the role because so many people wanted it.
9. Anozie had five combat lessons to prepare for the role and did his own fight scenes in the show.
10. The bulk of the series was filmed during the pandemic in 2020, and so some scenes hit all too close to home for those involved. "On set, you could hear a pin drop,” executive producer Amanda Burrell said of filming certain pandemic-heavy scenes.
11. All the baby hybrids are real puppets, inspired by the work of Jim Henson.
12. And Bobby is an animatronic puppet who was controlled by multiple puppeteers.
13. Gus's deer ears were also controlled by a puppeteer, who had to work closely with Christian to ensure that the movements happened in sync with his facial expressions.
14. Costume designer Amanda Neale spent seven weeks trying to find the perfect plaid shirt for Gus, as an homage to the one the character wears in the comics.
15. The show creators hired climate change consultants to ensure that the near-future world of Sweet Tooth felt as realistic as possible.
16. Bear doesn't exist in the comics, but the show creators introduced her because they wanted a teen girl protagonist to complement Gus and Jepperd.
17. The show was filmed entirely in New Zealand, and the Animal Army headquarters were staged at a real amusement park called Rainbow's End.
18. Finally, orange is used throughout the series not only to balance out the colors of the natural world but also as a symbol of hope.
