The series concerns Phineas and Ferb's attempts to avoid boredom by finding something new to do for each day of their summer vacation, often with many other neighborhood children.

Phineas lives in the fictional town of Danville (part of the Tri-State Area), in a large, suburban neighborhood;[17] he comes up with most of his ideas while sitting with Ferb in their backyard.

[18] Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh had conceived the idea of the Phineas and Ferb series while working as layout artists on The Simpsons.

Povenmire, eating dinner with his family at a Wild Thyme restaurant in South Pasadena, California, drew a quick sketch of a "triangle kid.

[22] In their final pitch to the Walt Disney Company, the creators designed a recorded storyboard, featuring a very rough outline of characters.

[25] Young actor Vincent Martella, previously known for The CW series Everybody Hates Chris,[27] was cast for the role of Phineas.

The creators were afraid of him losing it when his voice changed, though he was still able to retain it for the most part even afterward, though the tone is now slightly different from the original sound.

[6] For example, while constructing a shrine of his sister on the face of Mount Rushmore, a park ranger asks him "Aren't you boys a little young to be restoring a national monument?

Discussing Perry, co-creator Povenmire cited the example of his own pet cat, Sprocket, which he claimed led a "secret life" with his neighbors in order to get extra food.

If he thought mom would actually dislike the things they're doing, he would probably stop, but since he's never gotten in trouble for it, he doesn't think of it as getting into trouble.Phineas is portrayed as being a highly intelligent, imaginative, optimistic, and adventurous boy.

Povenmire and Marsh wanted the series to reflect their own childhood memories of going out during the summer and have fun, digging trenches and building tunnels, forts, and tree houses.

He tries to please his sister Candace, carving her face into Mount Rushmore for her birthday in one episode[32] and helping her retrieve a tape detailing his summer adventures even though she intended on using the footage as evidence to "bust" him and Ferb.

[35] Another episode has him throwing an extravaganza for his mother's birthday,[36] and yet another has him (along with Ferb and Candace) recreating their parents' most romantic moment for their wedding anniversary.

[37] He has also been shown helping his grandparents, reenacting his step-grandfather Reginald's daredevil stunt from his youth[38] and setting up a roller derby for a rematch race with his grandmother Betty Jo's old rival.

[3][39] Other episodes, like "Unfair Science Fair," "Oil on Candace," "The Bully Code," and "Voyage To The Bottom of Buford," further explore Phineas's generosity toward all of his friends.

Most notably Candace is constantly frustrated in her efforts to "bust" her brothers throughout the series,[23] and in rare cases, Phineas has unwittingly caused misfortune to others.

[6] In one episode, "Thaddeus and Thor", Phineas says that fun is his only goal in his daily schemes – though Ferb adds that they also do it "for the ladies.

"[8] Susan Stewart, reviewing the show in The New York Times, notes that Phineas and Ferb "work on a heroic scale and are apparently not limited by the laws of nature.

"[45] Jean Yoo, an official press member for Disney Channel, describes him as "a precocious bundle of energy whose tolerance for sitting still is just a little thinner than his patience for the social echelon in which he finds himself."

"[49] The song "Ain't Got Rhythm," which Vincent Martella performed in the voice of Phineas alongside Steve Zahn and Thomas Sangster in the episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together," was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2008 for "Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.

[7] Phineas and his brother Ferb have as well both been referenced in the book Lost and Found: How Churches Are Connecting to Young Adults as examples of how media and television characters can be influential in people's lives.