1981

The following is a list of notable events, series premieres, cancellations and other business ventures for Nickelodeon in the year 1981.
== Notable events ==
* April 12:
** The channel known as Alpha Repertory Television Service, better known as ARTS, became the second late night/early morning channel to air after Nickelodeon went off the air
** Nickelodeon changed its logo to the "Silver Ball" logo which was used until September 30, 1985 (even though the Sign-Off Ident for the "Silver Ball" logo continued until June 1985 when Nickelodeon became 24-hours, and some idents continued until December 1984)
== Shows ==
=== Series premieres ===
* April 5
** Matt and Jenny
** Adventures in Rainbow Country
** Studio See
* April 6: Vegetable Soup
* June 7: Nick's Family Picks
* July 4: Reggie Jackson's World of Sports
* September 1: The Tomorrow People (1973 version)
* December 25: Kids' Writes
=== Series endings ===
* April 4
**Hocus Focus
** Popclips
* August 31: Video Comics
* December 30: First Row Features
== People ==
* Josh Thomson (actor on Kiri & Lou) is born
* Jason Virgil (actor in Dora and the Lost City of Gold) is born
* Shawn Cuddy (supervising producer on Little Bill and Eureeka's Castle) is born
* Erik Steinman (writer on The Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is born
* Alexandra Corte-Real (actress on Blue's Clues) is born
* Diana Bang (actress and writer on The Astronauts and The Troop) is born
* Han-Yee Ling (writer writer on Monster High, The Casagrandes, and Middlemost Post) is born
* Jesenia Ruiz (writer and producer on DORA) is born
* Secunda Wood (actress on Rock, Paper, Scissors, The Loud House, It's Pony, and Blaze and the Monster Machines) is born
* January 11: Kiren Rathod (actress on Middlemost Post) is born
* January 16: Joey Simmrin (actor in Clockstoppers) is born
* January 20: Daniel Cudmore (actor in Playing with Fire and Legends of the Hidden Temple) is born
* January 21: Izabella Miko (actress in The Spiderwick Chronicles) is born
* January 22: Beverley Mitchell (guest voice on Hey Arnold!) is born
* January 25: Alicia Keys (voice actress on The Backyardigans) is born
* January 28: Elijah Wood (guest star on Yo Gabba Gabba!) is born
* January 31: Justin Timberlake (guest star at the 2007, 2024, and 2022 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
* February 1: Lauren Mary Kim (actor in The Last Airbender) is born
* February 3: Alisa Reyes (actress and singer-songwriter on All That) is born
* February 5: Sarah Frost (director and storyboard artist on Rocko's Modern Life, The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is born
* February 9: Tom Hiddleston (guest star at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
* February 10: Stephanie Beatriz (actress, model, singer, and guest star on The Casagrandes) is born
* February 11: Kelly Rowland (singer in Fantasy Football, actress on Taina, and guest star at the 2023 and 2024 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
* February 23: Josh Gad (actor, guest star, and singer on The Tiny Chef Show and Face's Music Party) is born
* March 9: Gloria Shen (writer on The Loud House and The Casagrandes) is born
* March 11: Chad Cosgrave (stunt performer in Snow Day) is born
* March 23: Diego Rieger (actor on PAW Patrol) is born
* March 28: Dan Petronijevic (actor on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Corn & Peg) is born
* March 29: Megan Hilty (voice actress on Robot and Monster, The Penguins of Madagascar, Dora and Friends: Into the City, Shimmer and Shine, and It's Pony) is born
* April 4: Alexandra Ryan (voice actress on The Loud House) is born
* April 10: Laura Bell Bundy (actress on All Grown Up!, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, and Snow Day) is born
* April 24: Julia McIlvaine (actress on KaBlam!) is born
* April 28: Jessica Alba (actress and businesswoman on The Secret World of Alex Mack) is born
* April 30: Kunal Nayyar (actor on Sanjay and Craig) is born
* May 2: Ryan Merchant (singer on Face's Music Party) is born
* May 4: T.J. Stanton (actor on Blue's Clues and Wonder Pets!) is born
* May 6: Will Bladgrove (actor on Go, Diego, Go! and Winx Club) is born
* May 7: Aliyah O'Brien (actress in Monster Trucks) is born
* May 11
**JP Karliak (actor, voice actor, comedian, and writer on The Loud House, Baby Shark's Big Show!, Sanjay and Craig, Rugrats (2021), The Tiny Chef Show, The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, and Rock, Paper, Scissors) is born
**Jeremy Isaiah Earl (actor and director of Fun Size) is born
* May 13: Chevy Woods (rapper and songwriter on Face's Music Party) is born
* May 15: Nee Phillips (actress in Blue's Big City Adventure) is born
* May 16: Athena Karkanis (actress on Mysticons and Corn & Peg) is born
* May 27: Amanda Rynda (director on The Loud House) is born
* May 29: Justin Chon (actor on Just Jordan and guest star and voice actor on The Casagrandes) is born
* June 1: Johnny Pemberton (voice actor on Middlemost Post) is born
* June 3: Nikki M. James (actress and singer on Welcome to the Wayne) is born
* June 4: Jerad Anderson (actor on Just for Kicks) is born
* June 7
** Enzo Fortuny (voice actor on the Mexican dub of Hey Arnold!) is born
** Larisa Oleynik (actress on Erin & Aaron, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, All That (1994), The Secret World of Alex Mack, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and Winx Club) is born
* June 12: Jeremy Howard (actor in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies) is born
* June 14: Audrey Hobert (writer on The Really Loud House) is born
* July 1: Amanda Seales (comedian on My Brother and Me) is born
* July 13: Clé Bennett (actor on Mr. Meaty) is born
* July 28: Willie Green (football player and actor on Noah Knows Best) is born
* July 29
** Emily Bauer (voice actress on Wallykazam!) is born
** Dyana Liu (voice actress on Fanboy & Chum Chum and Pig Goat Banana Cricket) is born
** Kimberly Brooks (voice actress in The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Shuriken School, Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, As Told By Ginger, Rugrats (1991), Rugrats Pre-School Daze, All Grown Up!, The Loud House, Random! Cartoons, Rock, Paper, Scissors, The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, Winx Club, It's Pony, Sanjay and Craig, Pinky Malinky, Shimmer and Shine, Star Trek: Prodigy, Baby Shark's Big Show!, and Big Nate) is born
* August 4: Marques Houston (singer in Good Burger (1997)) is born
* August 6: Leslie Odom Jr. (actor on Blue's Clues & You!) is born
* August 8: Meagan Good (actress on Cousin Skeeter) is born
* August 19
** Nate Burleson (host of NFL Slimetime, guest star on the 2023 Kids' Choice Awards and in Fantasy Football) is born
** Kelly Fullerton (writer on Middlemost Post and Big Nate) is born
* August 20: Ali Liebert (actress in A Fairly Odd Summer) is born
* August 28: Cathy Immordino (actor on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Hotel For Dogs) is born
* August 29: Emily Hampshire (actress on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends) is born
* August 30: Andres Salaff (screenwriter on Harvey Beaks) is born
* September 1: Coyote Peterson (guest star on Unfiltered) is born
* September 4: Beyoncé Knowles (musician and voice actress on Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!) is born
* September 7: Athena Karkanis (actress on Mysticons, Corn & Peg, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Skyland, and Julius Jr.) is born
* September 8: Jonathan Taylor Thomas (actor and director on the Wild Thornberrys) is born
* September 9: Julie Gonzalo (actress on Drake & Josh) is born
* September 10: Stephanie Beatriz (actress on The Casagrandes)
* September 14: BooG!e (actor on iCarly) is born
* September 15: Ben Schwartz (voice actor on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rugrats (2021), Wallykazam!, and Pinky Malinky) is born
* September 22
** Ashley Eckstein (contestant on GUTS and actress on Drake & Josh) is born
** Peter Diseth (actor on The Really Loud House) is born
* September 26: Serena Williams (guest star in PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, actress and producer on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, and guest star at the 2024 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
* October 1: Sheena Shrinivas (writer on The Loud House and Sanjay and Craig) is born
* October 20: Kimberly Barnett (actress on iCarly and Zoey 101) is born
* October 22: Michael Fishman (voice actor on Hey Arnold!) is born
* October 25: Josh Henderson (actor in Yours, Mine & Ours) is born
* October 30: Luis Alberti (actor in Playing with Fire) is born
* November 1: Matt Jones (actor on Sanjay and Craig, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, and Wallykazam!) is born
* November 2: Katharine Isabelle (actress in Snow Day) is born
* November 14: Vanessa Bayer (actress on Wallykazam!) is born
* November 15: Leslie Hall (rap artist and singer on Yo Gabba Gabba!) is born
* November 17: Kyle Massey (actor on Sunny Day) is born
* November 18: Nasim Pedrad (actress, comedian, writer, and singer on Big Nate) is born
* November 26: Natasha Bedingfield (singer and songwriter on The Naked Brothers Band, True Jackson, VP, and Degrassi: The Next Generation) is born
* November 29
**Chiara Francese (actor on Regal Academy) is born
**John Milhiser (actor and comedian on Drama Club) is born
* December 2: Britney Spears (guest star on All That) is born
* December 8: Dov Tiefenbach (actor in Harriet the Spy) is born
* December 14: Matthew Cherry (director on Blue's Clues) is born
* December 25: Ant Blades (creator of It's Pony) is born
* December 30: Stevie Baggs Jr. (actor, producer, and writer on The Really Loud House)
 1981