Rugrats is an American animated television series that ran on Nickelodeon and it was one of the first three Nicktoons, beginning in 1991.
| Rugrats | |
|---|---|
| File:Rugrats - intertitle.jpg Rugrats logo | |
| Created by | Arlene Klasky Gabor Csupo Paul Germain |
| Voices of | Elizabeth Daily Christine Cavanaugh Kath Soucie Cheryl Chase Tara Strong Cree Summer Dionne Quan Nancy Cartwright Melanie Chartoff Jack Riley Michael Bell Tress MacNeille David Doyle Joe Alaskey Philip Proctor Julia Kato |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of seasons | 12 |
| No. of episodes | 172 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 minutes approx |
| Original release | |
| Network | Nickelodeon |
| Release | August 11, 1991 – June 8, 2004 |
Characters
Premise
The show revolves around four toddlers, Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, the twins Phillip (Phil) and Lillian (Lil) DeVille, who are able to communicate to each other in baby speak (although viewers can understand them, because it is supposedly 'translated'). Often, they mispronounce words or use poor grammar. Despite the toddlers' inability and lack of desire to communicate with adults, they can understand their parents' speaking, although they often misunderstand what they hear, usually by taking metaphors literally and speaking in malapropisms. Angelica Pickles, at age three, is able to communicate and understand language from both the toddlers and the adults, which she often uses as an advantage when she wants to manipulate either party.
Setting
The Rugrats is set in an seemingly everyday American community. Although it is never specifically stated which state they live in, probably due to the fact that the show is seen through the eyes of naive toddlers. Severals instances do however point out that the show is set somewhere in California. In one episode grandpa is seen driving the children to the museum in which we see his car has California plates. Another episode shows the children at the library which has the state of California flag on the outside. Grandpa also has a bad dream in which he says he isn't moving to California due to the dustbowl. This is contradicted during the Rugrats Movie when Mr. Finster states "I just saw the kids heading north on I-99." That is because I-99 is a route mainly in central Pennsylvania with some exits in New York and Maryland.
Production
It was the network's second Nicktoon. Klasky Csupo was still working on The Simpsons when they started this show. The series was in production from 1991 to 1994, and again from 1996 to 2004. It aired in Nickelodeon's Snick block from 1997-2000 and it also aired on Nick Jr's block. It is the longest lasting Nicktoon to date at thirteen years of longevity. Rugrats received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on June 28, 2001. Also Rugrats and Hey Arnold! hold the record of longest Nicktoons, having one movie and at least 100 episodes.
The show airs in the UK on CITV and Nickelodeon UK as well as in Canada on YTV. In Australia, it can be seen on Nickelodeon Australia.
After the introduction of SpongeBob SquarePants, popularity for Rugrats declined. The Rugrats never had a rival this strong in popularity (many shows were produced during the Rugrats lifetime, but none were as successful as SpongeBob SquarePants). In order to keep its popularity, the studios released several movies and specials, such as the introduction of Dil Pickles and Kimi Finster. Ironically, after these introductions, fans determined that Rugrats jumped the shark.
When Nickelodeon declined to renew any more new episodes of Rugrats and All Grown Up, Klasky-Csupo (the studios responsible for Rugrats) closed down most of its operations. At the time of their cancellation, those series were the only Klasky-Csupo series on the Nickelodeon schedule.
Episodes
Films
- The Rugrats Movie (1998)
- Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000)
- Rugrats Go Wild (2003)
Spinoffs
- All Grown Up!
- Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze
- The Carmichaels was a spin-off planned to see Susie move away from California to Atlanta, where she apparently has relatives. However, it never made it to TV.
See also
External links
