Rugrats

Rugrats was formed by the then-husband-and-wife duo of Gábor Csupó and Arlene Klasky, along with Paul Germain in 1989. Klasky Csupo had a major animation firm at the time which also provided services for commercials and music videos. Klasky, Csupó, and Germain were also animating The Simpsons for Matt Groening at the time, which they would continue to do until 1992 when the show's producer James L. Brooks and his company Gracie Films switched domestic production to Film Roman. The trio decided to create their own series in reaction to a proclamation by the children's cable network Nickelodeon that they were to launch their own line of animated shows, which would be later called "Nicktoons". The network's Vice President of Animation Vanessa Coffey approached them to create a pilot for their new series. With the comedic stimulation branching from the antics of Klasky and Csupó's infant children and also pulling inspiration from the Beatles, the 6​¹⁄₂–minute pilot episode, "Tommy Pickles and the Great White Thing" (never to be aired), was released on DVD by Paramount Home Entertainment in 2001.

Peter Chung, along with Klasky and Csupó, co-designed the characters and directed the series pilot, "Tommy Pickles and the Great White Thing", as well as the opening sequence. In a Decider article, Chung said, "He [Gábor] wanted the babies to be 'strange' instead of 'cute.'"[16] The production was completed in 1990 and they submitted it to Nickelodeon, who tested it with an audience of children. The feedback for the pilot episode was primarily positive. With that, Coffey and the network's then-president Geraldine Laybourne, approved of and bought the series and the series went into production. Chuckie and Angelica were added as characters.

Paul Germain felt that the series needed a bully. Angelica was based on a bully in Germain's childhood, who was a girl. In addition to that, it was Germain who decided that Angelica would be a spoiled brat. Klasky initially did not like Angelica Pickles and also protested the character's actions in episodes like "Barbecue Story", where she throws Tommy's ball over the fence.

In a New Yorker article, Klasky said, "I think she's a bully. I never liked Angelica."[2] She never fully approved of Angelica's character development. Her bullying caused Klasky to disdain her. Angelica started to become a problem for some of the Rugrats staff. In some instances, her voice actress, Cheryl Chase, had problems portraying a mean Angelica. To help Chase out, Steve Viksten, one of the writers, would mention that Angelica was the series' J. R. Ewing.

After the episode "The Trial", Klasky complained that the Rugrats were starting to act too old for their age. Csupó often acted as a mediator in arguments between Klasky and the writers, with the writers often winning. Some of the offscreen tensions ultimately found their way into the scripts and into the show. In 1994, before Nick premiered the last of the original 65, production of new episodes went on hiatus, and most of the Rugrats writing team (including Germain) left Klasky-Csupo.[17] After the first-run days were over, Nickelodeon had enough episodes to show every day, and did just that, scheduling the show in the early evening, when both kids and parents would be watching, among multiple other times in the day; in 1996, Rugrats episodes had aired 655 times over the course of the calendar year, and despite (or perhaps because of) the saturation it remained one of cable television's most-watched series that year.[18] The show resumed production in 1996. However, the tensions between Klasky-Csupo and their former writers still existed.

After The Rugrats Movie and seeing the "new" Angelica in the film, Klasky changed her tune: "I think she's great for the show; I love Angelica."[19]

Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon, debuting on the same day as Doug (which premiered before it) and The Ren & Stimpy Show (which debuted after). The first run of the series was produced from 1990 to 1993 before production went on a hiatus (episodes that had not yet been released at that point continued to be released through 1994). Between 1995 and 1996, only two Jewish-themed specials premiered, and the rest of the series aired in reruns. Production on new episodes restarted in 1996 and the show aired in Nickelodeon's SNICK block from 1997 to 2001. From 1994 until 2012, Rugrats was the longest-running Nickelodeon animated series, with 172 episodes produced across its 13-year run. It was surpassed in 2012 by SpongeBob SquarePants with the episode "Squiditis/Demolition Doofus" that year.[20]

On July 21, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10th anniversary; the special/TV movie "All Growed Up" was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective look-back aired, entitled "Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years". It was narrated by Amanda Bynes. Nickelodeon approved of its ratings and popularity so much, they eventually commissioned a full series, All Grown Up, which ran from 2003 to 2008.

Rugrats ended in 2004, along with fellow Nicktoons Hey Arnold!, The Wild Thornberrys, and Rocket Power. After the run, two fairytale-themed direct-to-video films based on the original series, under the title Rugrats: Tales from the Crib, were produced and then released separately in 2005 and 2006.

When production was put on hiatus the series was put on reruns both on Nick Jr. (the block) and regular Nickelodeon. As of 2013, Rugrats was also on Nick Jr.'s nighttime block NickMom for a brief time, before subsequently airing on the main Nick Jr. channel on July 11, 2014.

Through its full run, Rugrats occupied several main voice actors. E. G. Daily provided the voice of Tommy Pickles, except in the unaired pilot where Tami Holbrook provided the voice; Christine Cavanaugh was the original voice of Chuckie Finster, but left the show for personal reasons and was subsequently replaced by Nancy Cartwright in 2002. The fraternal twins, Phil and Lil (as well as their mother, Betty) were voiced by Kath Soucie; Dil Pickles and Timmy McNulty were voiced by Tara Strong. Cheryl Chase initially auditioned for the role of Tommy, but was passed up. When the show came to series, she was brought on board to be cast as the voice of Angelica Pickles. Dionne Quan was the voice of Kimi Finster. Susie was primarily voiced by Cree Summer, though in two episodes where she could not be in attendance E. G. Daily filled in.[21] Other regular voice actors included Melanie Chartoff as Didi Pickles, Jack Riley was the voice of Stu Pickles, Tress MacNeille as Charlotte Pickles, and Michael Bell as Drew Pickles and Chas Finster, Julia Kato as Kira Finster, David Doyle provided the voice of Grandpa Lou Pickles until his death in 1997,[22] when Joe Alaskey took over until the end of the series. In 2000, Debbie Reynolds joined the cast as Lulu Pickles, Lou's second wife, and remained until the series' end.

Episodes took up to a year in advance to produce. First, the story had to get written and then approved. The next phase consisted of voice recording, storyboarding, pre-eliminating animation, overseas production, overseas delivery, followed by editing and polishing. All of that had to happen even before Klasky-Csupo sent the master tapes to Nick. In addition, fine animation took time to make. During the first six seasons of Rugrats, shows were primarily divided into two eleven-minute episodes. After the second movie, during season seven, Rugrats made a change with a different format that consisted of three episodes per show, though it returned to its original two-episode-per-show format in the final two seasons.[23]

Nickelodeon and Amazon.com struck a deal to produce DVDs of new and old Nickelodeon shows, through the CreateSpace service. Using a concept similar to print on demand, Amazon made the discs, cover art, and disc art itself. The first and second seasons of Rugrats were released on June 2, 2009, along with the first and second seasons of The Fairly OddParents (although the Rugrats Season 2 was released in a "Best of" collection).[24] Season 3 and 4 were released on September 23, 2011, through the CreateSpace program.[25] Season 5 was released shortly after on October 4.[26] On October 6, 2011, the complete Seasons 6–8 were released through CreateSpace, and Season 9 was released in a "Best of" collection.[27] Amazon re-released seasons 2 & 9 as complete seasons on May 9, 2014.[28] As of February 2017, the Amazon.com releases have been discontinued.[29] In May 2017, Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Media Distribution released Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD.[30] In February 2018, Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Media Distribution released Seasons 3 and 4 on DVD.[31] As of November 2020, there have been no announcements for future seasons on DVD from Paramount Home Media Distribution.

In Australia, all seasons have been released by Beyond Home Entertainment.

As of July 30, 2020, all seasons of the show are available on Hulu and CBS All Access.[35]

Since its debut in 1991, Rugrats has generally received positive reviews from critics and fans. In a 1995 interview, Steven Spielberg (who, at the time, was producing several competing animated series for Warner Bros.) referred to the show as one of several shows that were the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time".[36] It was named the 92nd-best animated series by IGN.[37] Rugrats was also considered a strong point in Nickelodeon's rise in the 1990s.[38][39][40][41] In a press release celebrating the show's 10th anniversary, Cyma Zarghami stated, "During the past decade, Rugrats has evolved from a ratings powerhouse, being the number one children's show on TV, to pop icon status. It has secured a place in the hearts of both kids and adults, who see it from their own point of view".[42] According to Nickelodeon producers, this show made them the number-one cable channel in the 1990s.[43] Jeff Jarvis reviewed Rugrats and stated, "When The Simpsons was a segment on The Tracey Ullman Show, it was just a belch joke with hip pretensions. As a series, it grew flesh and guts. It was my favorite cartoon. until I discovered Nickelodeon's Rugrats, a sardonic, sly, kid's eye view of the world that skewers thirty-something parents and Cosby kids."[44] In 2017, James Charisma of Paste (magazine) ranked the show's opening sequence #11 on a list of The 75 Best TV Title Sequences of All Time.[45]

Rugrats was noteworthy among contemporary children's television for depicting observant, identifiable Jewish families.[46] Jewish, Christian and Muslim religious groups gave the show high praises for their special holiday episodes. Nonetheless, at one point the Anti-Defamation League and The Washington Post editorial page castigated the series for its depiction of Tommy Pickles' maternal grandparents, accusing their character designs of resembling Nazi-era depictions of Jews.[46]

The Rugrats received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony on June 28, 2001, commemorating the show's 10th anniversary.

On June 28, 2001, in commemoration of their tenth anniversary, Rugrats received a star on the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame, making it Nickelodeon's first series to receive a star. It was placed at 6600 W. Hollywood Blvd., near Cherokee Ave., outside a toy and costume shop.[50]

In the October 2001 issue of Wizard Magazine, a leading magazine for comic book fans, they released the results of the "100 Greatest Toons ever", as selected by their readers; Rugrats ranked at No. 35. Three other Nicktoons—SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and Ren and Stimpy—also placed on the list.[51]

In a list of TV Land's "The 2000 Best Things About Television", ranking the all-time TV shows, channels, commercials, people, catch phrases, etc., Rugrats is ranked No. 699.[52]

Angelica Pickles placed seventh in TV Guide's list of "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" in 2002.[53]

On September 24, 2013, in honor of their 60th anniversary, Rugrats earned a spot on TV Guide's "60 Greatest Cartoons of All Time" list.[54]

From 1998 to 2003, Nick produced a Rugrats comic strip, which was distributed through Creators Syndicate. Initially written by show-writer Scott Gray and drawn by comic book artist Steve Crespo, with Rob Armstrong as editor. Will Blyberg came on board shortly after as inker. By the end of 1998, Lee Nordling, who had joined as a contributing gag writer, took over as editor. Nordling hired extra writers, including Gordon Kent, Scott Roberts, Chuck Kim, J. Torres, Marc Bilgrey, and John Zakour, as well as new artists including Gary Fields, Tim Harkins, Vince Giaranno, and Scott Roberts. Stu Chaifetz colored the Sunday strips. The Rugrats strip started out in many papers, but as often happens with spin-off strips, soon slowed down. It is still seen in some papers in re-runs. Two paperback collections were published by Andrews McMeel It's a Jungle-Gym Out There and A Baby's Work Is Never Done.

During this time, Nickelodeon also published 30 issues of an all Rugrats comic magazine. Most of these were edited by Frank Pittarese and Dave Roman, and featured stories and art by the comic strip creators and others. The last nine issues featured cover art by Scott Roberts, who wrote and drew many of the stories. Other writers included Roman, Chris Duffy, Patrick M. O'Connell, Joyce Mann, and Jim Spivey. Other artists included Joe Staton and Ernie Colón. The magazine also included short stories, many by Pittarese, and games, as well as reprints from an earlier, UK produced Rugrats comic.

Nick produced a special, 50-page comic magazine retelling of the film Rugrats in Paris, edited by Pittarese and Roman, written by Scott Gray, pencils by Scott Roberts, and inks by Adam DeKraker.

On October 18, 2017, Boom! Studios began publishing a new Rugrats comic book series.[70]

Nineteen video games based on the series have been released. Notably, Rugrats: Search for Reptar became one of the bestselling PlayStation games. Tommy and Angelica appear as guest characters in Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue. They appear again as playable characters in Nickelodeon Party Blast and Nicktoons Racing. Tommy later appears in Nicktoons Basketball in his All Grown Up! form. Rugrats characters make non-playable appearances in Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots and Nicktoons MLB. Tommy, Angelica, and Reptar are playable characters in the official mobile game Nickelodeon Super Brawl Universe. Tommy, Angelica, and Reptar appear as playable characters in Nickelodeon Kart Racers. These same characters, along with Chuckie, are playable in Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix.

Rugrats – A Live Adventure was a show about Angelica's constant attempts to scare Chuckie. To help Chuckie combat his wide range of fears, Tommy invents a magic wand called the "People-ator" to make Chuckie brave. Angelica, however, wants Chuckie to stay scared, so she steals Tommy's wand. The Rugrats try to get it back but to no avail. Angelica becomes Princess of the World. Eventually, Chuckie becomes brave thanks to the help of Susie, Mr. Flashlight and the audience.[71] Many songs were included in the play, including the theme song. Despite some criticism, the show was well received.[72] The show had two 40-minute acts, with a 20-minute intermission (or a commercial break).

Merchandise that was based on Rugrats varied from video games, toothpaste, Kellogg's cereal to slippers, puzzles, pajamas, jewelry, wrapping paper, Fruit Snacks, Inflatable balls, watches, pencils, markers, cookie jars, key rings, action figures, My First Uno games, and bubblegum. The show also managed to spawn a popular merchandise line at Walmart, Kmart, Target, eBay, Hot Topic, J. C. Penney, Toys "R" Us, Mattel, Barnes & Noble, and Basic Fun.[73] By March 1999, the franchise had generated an estimated $1.4 billion in merchandise sales.[74]

The Rugrats had their own cereal made by Post called Reptar Crunch Cereal. The Rugrats and Reptar were predominantly featured on the front, there's a board game on the back and a special $3 rebate for Runaway Reptar on the side. This cereal was released for a limited time only, sold at US supermarkets 8/1/99 to 9/15/99 only, and not all supermarkets carried the cereal. To memorialize the movie, Rugrats in Paris, another Rugrats-based cereal came out in October 2000. Simply called the Rugrats in Paris Cereal, it has a similar appearance to Trix; it's a sweetened, multi-grain cereal with small-round bits in plain, red, purple and green. Small Eiffel Towers could also be seen.[75] In 2017, entertainment retail store chain FYE began selling Reptar Cereal, as well as Reptar Bars, both based on fictional products within the show. Reptar Cereal is very similar to Froot Loops, and Reptar Bars are chocolate bars filled with green frosting, a reference to the show in which the bars would turn the tongues of whoever ate it green.

Rugrats made fast-food appearances as well, with the most appearances being on Burger King. In 1994, the Hardee's fast-food chain offered a collection of Nicktoons toys as premiums that were included with kids' meals at their restaurants. All 4 Nicktoons at that time were featured — Doug, Rugrats, Ren & Stimpy, and Rocko's Modern Life. Other food items that feature Rugrats were Fruit Snacks, Macaroni and Cheese, Bubble Gum and Campbell's Rugrats Pasta with Chicken and Broth.[76]

In their first tie-in with Burger King, 5 Rugrats toys were offered with their Kids Club meals, a different one with each meal. Each toy came with a 12-page (including covers) miniature version of Nickelodeon Magazine, which featured the toy's instructions, word search, picture puzzle, "Say What?", a scrambled word puzzle, a coupon for Oral-B Rugrats toothpaste and toothbrush, and entry blanks to subscribe to Rugrats Comic Adventures, Nick Magazine, and the Kids Club. From 1998 until 2004, Rugrats based-products included watches and various toys.[77]

In 2012, co-creator Arlene Klasky stated that, if Nickelodeon asked Klasky Csupo to, she would be more than happy to produce new episodes of Rugrats and bring it back for a tenth season.

On September 2, 2015, it was announced on Variety that Nickelodeon may "seek to experiment with retooled versions of classics" that could include Rugrats.[78] The following day, The Independent announced that "Rugrats could soon be back on our screens too".[79] In July 2016, it was revealed that Nickelodeon was in talks with Klasky Csupo and Paul Germain about a possible revival of the series.[80][81][82]

On August 4, 2016, Arlene Klasky stated that she would be willing to work on a revival of the series, along with co-creators Gabor Csupó and Paul Germain.[83]

On August 8, 2016, two of Rugrats' three creators stated that they agreed there was definitely a way to bring the baby adventures of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, and Angelica back – although they differ on how. Co-creator Paul Germain says it's a possibility if Nickelodeon is so inclined. "It's completely up to them, but I think it could be interesting," he told EW. The hitch here is Germain, who was largely the creative voice of Rugrats once it went to series, left after the original order of 65 episodes. "A lot of the direction that they took the show in after I left in 1993 – the second 65 episodes and then the All Grown Up! series – I thought those episodes were poor. I thought they lost the spirit of it. I think the way to go for a reboot would be to take it back to where it was. I don't know if we could really do that, but that's what I would like to see. I think it's possible." Arlene Klasky, who co-created the show with Gabor Csupó and Germain, but left showrunning to the latter, said a revival is something she and Csupo "think about, 100 percent." But Klasky and Germain would disagree on one of the first fundamental questions that would face Rugrats, just as it faces every reboot: whether the show should acknowledge the passing of time and, in the case of this show, how technology has seeped its way into child-rearing. Germain says he'd rather keep a Rugrats reboot as a time capsule. "One of the things I think might be fun would be to just make the show a retro '90s show," he says. "I think that'd be cool. Cell phones can be interesting, but technology has a funny way of making it very difficult to write around because people are always in constant communication with each other in a way that works against drama. It takes a really fun writers' obstacle away and makes it too easy."[84]

In October 2016, a Nickelodeon senior vice president stated that Rugrats was one of many fan-favorite franchises being considered for a revival. "Nickelodeon is going to look at the rich library they have, and not just Rugrats," Michael Sammaciccia said, in response to a fan question.[85]

On July 16, 2018, it was announced that Nickelodeon had given a series order to a 26-episode revival of the series, executive produced by Klasky, Csupó, and Germain. It was further announced that Paramount Pictures had greenlit a live-action/CGI hybrid feature film which was last set for a January 29, 2021 release date.[56] Originally, it had been set for a November 13, 2020 release, and then was pushed back, with Clifford the Big Red Dog taking its old slot.[67][68] But on November 12, 2019, the live-action/CGI hybrid film was removed from Paramount's release schedule.[56] On May 14, 2020, it was announced that the revival series was delayed until 2021.[86]