Rugrats

Paul Germain

***Rugrats*** is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The show focuses on a group of toddlers most prominently—Tommy, Chuckie, twins Phil and Lil, and Angelica—and their day-to-day lives, usually involving life experiences that become much greater adventures in the imaginations of the main characters.

The series premiered on August 11, 1991, as the second Nicktoon—after *Doug* and before *The Ren & Stimpy Show*. Production was initially halted in 1993 after 65 episodes spanning three seasons, with the last episode airing on May 22, 1994. From 1995 to 1996, the only new episodes broadcast were "A Rugrats Passover" and "A Rugrats Chanukah", two Jewish-themed episodes that received critical acclaim; during this time, after the end of the show's production run, *Rugrats* began to receive a boost in ratings and popularity due to constant reruns on Nickelodeon.

In 1996, Klasky Csupo Animation began producing new episodes, and the show's fourth season began in 1997. As a result of the show's popularity, a series of theatrical films were released over the next five years: *The Rugrats Movie*, which introduced Tommy's younger brother Dil, was released in 1998; *Rugrats in Paris: The Movie,* which introduced Kimi, Kira, and Fifi, was released in 2000; and *Rugrats Go Wild*, a crossover film with another Klasky Csupo series, *The Wild Thornberrys*, was released in 2003. The final TV episode aired on August 1, 2004, bringing the series to a total of 172 episodes over nine seasons. The 13-year run (with the 2-year break) ties *Rugrats* with *King of the Hill* as one of the eighth-longest-running American animated television series. The show is Nickelodeon's third longest-running animated series, behind *SpongeBob SquarePants* and The Fairly OddParents. It is one of the longest running animated series of all time.

*Rugrats* gained over 20 awards during its 13-year run, including four Daytime Emmy Awards, six Kids' Choice Awards, and its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The series became a hit, garnering high ratings, and anchored Nickelodeon as the network's top-rated show from 1995 to 2001. It was Nickelodeon's longest-running cartoon, until *SpongeBob SquarePants* aired its 173rd episode in 2012.

## Premise & setting

Many of the adventures the babies find themselves in take place at Tommy's house; the parents usually rely on Didi, Stu, or Grandpa Lou to babysit the kids while they run errands. Their address is revealed on an invoice in "Tommy's First Birthday" (season one, 1991) as 1258 N. Highland, the original address of Klasky Csupo in Los Angeles. However, an unnamed specific city or state is never mentioned in the show. Several indicators, such as a state flag at a post office, license plate designs on the vehicles, and various trips to the Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, and the beach, place the characters somewhere in southern California. The location is also hinted at during "Little Dude" (season one, 1991) when Didi, who is a teacher, takes Tommy to her class at Eucaipah High School, referencing the city of Yucaipa, California. It has been implied that this ambiguity was done intentionally to help give the impression of seeing the world through the eyes of the babies, who would not understand the concept of location. The DeVilles live next door to the Pickles and, early in the series, the Carmichaels move in across the street.

## Trivia

* On July 21, 2001, Nickelodeon broadcast the made-for-TV special "All Growed Up" to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the series premiere. The special was a pilot for the *Rugrats* sequel series *All Grown Up!*, which aired from 2003 to 2008 as it chronicles the lives of the babies and their parents after they age 10 years. This show started airing on Qubo on October 21, 2019.
* A spin-off series, *Rugrats Pre-School Daze*, aired on TV in 2008 but had only four episodes after Nickelodeon decided to focus on the sequel series. Two direct-to-video specials were released in 2005 and 2006 under the title *Rugrats: Tales from the Crib*. Tie-in media for the series include video games, comics, toys, and various other merchandise.
* A reboot of the series executive produced by the original creative team of Klasky, Csupó and Germain premiered on Paramount+ on May 27, 2021