Experiments

The experiments, also referred to as Stitch's cousins, are genetically engineered creatures created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba in his lab at "Galaxy Defense Industries", with the assistance of Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel who funded the projects with "shady" business deals. Prior to the events of Lilo & Stitch, every experiment created was dehydrated into a small orb called an "experiment pod" and stored in a special container for transport. In Stitch! The Movie, the container was accidentally opened and the pods rained down on the island of Kauai. The experiments within the pods are reactivated upon contact in water, a point of concern because many of the experiments are dangerous and Kauai hosts one of the wettest spots on Earth.

Upon encountering each experiment, Stitch's human friend and partner Lilo gives the experiment a name just as she gave Stitch his name. The two then attempt to rehabilitate the experiments and find a purpose for them on Earth that suits their specific abilities, referred to as the "one true place" they belong.

Stitch, inspired by Hawaiian terminology, refers to the other experiments as his "cousins" and considers them all a part of his ohana, or "extended family". All of Jumba's original 626 experiments have their names and numbers listed alongside the credits in Leroy & Stitch.

Experiment Biology
Due to different experiments' original purposes, most experiments each have a unique appearance, powers and weaknesses. Though all experiments have unique capabilities and functions, most of them have some abilities in common. For one thing, most seem capable of scaling walls like a gecko (as Stitch frequently does); many are able to grow and retract an extra pair of arms and they all seem to be immune to aging, as the experiments remain the same while Lilo and the rest of humanity age 20 years in "Skip".

It is also shown that some experiments' powers (such as Mr. Stenchy (254)'s cuteness, and Checkers (029)'s hypnotic effect) do not affect other experiments, possibly so that these powers do not prevent other experiments from carrying out their primary functions.

It is also shown that when an experiment is dehydrated, they will deactivate and turn into a small orb called an experiment pod. If an experiment pod gets wet, the experiment will be reactivated and released. According to Jumba, a home food dehydrator is the only known method of deactivating an experiment a second time.

Creation
Upon each experiment's creation, their molecules must be charged. If an experiment's molecules are not fully charged, about a year after their creation, they will suffer glitches, during which they will experience seizures and temporarily revert to their original programming. If the molecular charging process is not completed, these glitches will eventually burn out the experiment's circuits, killing them.

Experiment series
The first digit of the experiment numbers reflect what series of experiment they belong to. The official series of experiments, as stated by Jess Winfield, one of the executive producers, are as follows:
 * 0-Series: Jumba's test batch, including many household helpers.
 * 1-Series: Civic disturbances.
 * 2-Series: Technological and scientific.
 * 3-Series: Psychological.
 * 4-Series: Military.
 * 5-Series: Elemental manipulators.
 * 6-Series: Battlefield or doomsday experiments with galactic implications and world-ending properties.

For the most part, the colors of the experiment pods correspond to the series numbers; however, some of the pods are colored incorrectly.

Continuity errors

 * Several experiments have been given multiple numbers, such as Bonnie and Clyde, who are called 349 and 350 in their episode but called 149 and 150 in the end credits of Leroy & Stitch.
 * Many of the experiments that appear in the background during the Aloha Stadium battle in Leroy & Stitch are duplicates or recolors and slight edits of existing experiments. They may not be canon experiments, but were put in as screen fillers to make it appear that all 626 experiments were actually there. Experiment 604, Houdini, appears five times in the frame, while Experiment 520, Cannonball, appears eight times; twice recolored, twice re-edited and four times copied, Experiment 540, Phoon is also seen twice in the scene both in normal and mutated form.