August 2020

Posted: 17 August 2020

Watched newer episodes (Passover episode and onward) in sequence from 9 December 2019 – 24 February 2020

Rugrats, one of three of the original Nicktoons to air in 1991, played a major role in my childhood. These notable babies inspired some of the games I played and the color palette of the artwork was very appealing to me. When the newer episodes started airing in 1997, I was just happy to see new episodes. Later on, I began to realize that these new episodes and the changes that came with them were not all welcomed by everyone. Having watched these episodes recently made me realize that Rugrats became a different show with a different direction than the “classic 65” episodes. The show had its high points during the remainder of its run though it lasted way too long and should have ended before it became too stale.

Old Crew, Where Are You?

Comparing the difference between the feel of the old and new episodes, they have a different feel to them. The old series had simple story lines and inconsistent art styles. The newer episodes were more colorful, had faster-paced stories, and more uniform artwork (thanks to the use of computers). The older episodes remind me of my earlier childhood with the “tinker toy music,” the “washed out” artwork, and the dialogue style used. I feel like I’m in my comfy place when I think of all of that. The newer episodes just don’t have that.

All the magic went away when Paul Germain and his team left the show. The “magical” talent of those team members was dispersed through many later projects including “Hey Arnold” (Craig Bartlett, Steve Viksten, Joe Ansolabehere), “Aaah! Real Monsters” (co-creator Peter Gaffney), and the notorious “Disney’s Recess” (“Created by Paul and Joe,” they also stole

themselves a composer, Denis M. Hannigan). If I want to see more of that “classic 65” charm of the old Rugrats, I’ll just watch more Recess.

New Characters, More Changes

During this second half of the series, two notable, new characters were introduced, Dil and Kimi. I was happy to see Rugrats spawning movies and I enjoyed them as a child. Later on I began to realize the movies were not the best. However, Dil and Kimi did not cause Rugrats to “jump the shark.” It was the change in writers that made the characters seem not who we remember. It was not the Rugrats I remember from the past.

Also, remember that time when Chuckie got a new voice? Sometime in 2001, Chuckie’s original voice, Christine Cavanaugh, retired from voice acting so she was replaced by Bart Simp—I mean Nancy Cartwright. Comparing their voices is like comparing cinnamon apples (Christine) and caramel apples (Nancy). I love me a nice dish of warm cinnamon apples but cold and sticky caramel apples are just too sweet for me. Can you guess which Chuckie I prefer? If you guessed Christine’s, you’re right! It’s the version of Chuckie I’ve grown to love and she made Chuckie pronounce Tommy as “Tobby.” You won’t get that with Nancy. Her Chuckie is too high-pitched, nasally, and whiny. Sometimes I hardly notice a difference but when I think about it, I just can’t stand hearing it.

Lived Past Its Prime

These newer episodes are OK. They’re not as great as the old episodes. The show did not have to return. The reason it did return was that people were writing to Nickelodeon telling them how much they miss Rugrats. By popular demand (and the prospect of more $$money$$), Rugrats returned. They’re not as memorable as the “Classic 65” but they were just OK. One of the main things that gave Rugrats its shape through the years was the music from Mark Mothersbaugh and his team from the “tink-tink-tink”s to the “bah-bah-bah”s. It’s what made Rugrats, Rugrats. If everything has been said and shown in the Rugrats universe, why must the franchise return in 2021? It’s not necessary. Don’t get me started on “Rugrats Go Wild.” That was unnecessary. Ugh. I may or may not talk about that in a separate post.