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+ Kappa Mikey is an American animated television series created by Larry Schwarz, which premiered on the Nicktoons Network on February 25, 2006, and premiered on Nickelodeon on August 20, 2006. It is MTV's first global acquisition. In April of 2006, it was picked up for a second season, which is nearing completion, and which is already airing its run as of June 9th. In Canada, the show used to air on the Teletoon channel before being replaced by Cybersix, since they had already shown all of the first season episodes a few times. According to the Teletoon website, the show will return with new episodes in September. − Rugrats is an animated television series that ran on Nickelodeon and it was one of the first three Nicktoons: after Doug and before Ren & Stimpy.

−

Premise
− The show revolves around four toddlers, Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster and 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.

+ Kappa Mikey is marketed as "the first anime to be produced entirely in the United States" (without any overseas animation), according to press releases from MTV, Nicktoons Network, and various other sources, as the term anime in English is generally reserved for animation originally produced for the Japanese market. It uses Japanese animation and culture as inspiration for its concept, rather than being "true" anime. It is produced by Animation Collective in New York City with voiceovers recorded at NYAV Post (sometimes by 4Kids Entertainment in random episodes, mostly like Dan Green), and animated using Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. −

Production
− It was the network's second Nicktoon. 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 in a ceremony on June 28, 2001.

+

Plot
− 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.

+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a teenage actor from Cleveland, Ohio, who embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular anime series, LilyMu, and in doing this, rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest anime star. Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered (similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson). The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). − 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.

+ Each episode starts with the cast filming a LilyMu segment, but the take is ruined (with the exception of the Christmas special), sometimes revealing the conflict that they deal with through the rest of the episode, with a minor subplot running beneath the main plot. After the problem is resolved, the LilyMu segment will be shot again and successfully completed the second time, often changed to incorporate whatever lesson was learned during the main story. −

Characters
−

+ The show has a large comedic overuse of face faults, such as a character's face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller (or super deformed). Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which are one of the show's running gags, but cannot, due to being drawn in an American style. The show is fast-paced, irreverent, and contains a fair amount of gross-out humor, which are signature elements of Western children's entertainment. −

Episodes
−

−

Films
+

Characters
−

+

−

−

+
 * Mikey Simon by Micheal Sintkerniklaas

−

Spinoffs
+
 * Gonard by Sean Schemal

−

+
 * Lily by Anice Moriaty

−

+
 * Mitsuki by Evelyn Lanto

−
 * The Carmichaels was a spin-off planned to see Susie move away from California to Atlanta, where she apparently has relatives.

+
 * Guano by Gary Mack

+
 * Ozu by Stephan Moverly

+
 * Yes Man by Jesse Adams

+

Theme Song
−

Broadcast history
−
 * USA

−
 * Nickelodeon (1991-2005) (Original Run), (2006-2007)

−
 * Nicktoons Network (2002-present) (Reruns)

−
 * Boomerang

+ The Kappa Mikey theme song is called "Hey (x2) Look (x2)" by Beat Crusaders. −
 * UK

−
 * Children's BBC (Including Live & Kicking) (1993-2004)

−
 * Nickelodeon (1994-Present)

−
 * Nicktoons (2002-Present)

−
 * CITV (2005-present)

+

List of episodes
−
 * Australia

−
 * Nickelodeon (1995-Present)

−
 * ABC TV

−
 * ABC2, a digital rerun channel of ABC TV

−
 * ABC Kids, a short lived digital channel containing the Kids programming from ABC TV

−
 * Network Ten

+

−
 * Ireland

−
 * RTÉ Two

−
 * Nickelodeon (1994-Present)

−
 * Nicktoons (2002-Present)

−
 * CITV (2005-present)

−
 * Children's BBC (Including Live & Kicking) (1993-2004)

+

References to American Popular Culture
−
 * YTV

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
 * In Easy Come, Easy Gonard, the countdown clock shown is from the American television series 24.
 * In the episode Sumo of all Fears, the Lilymu episode is almost identical to the climax to the first Spider-Man film.
 * In the episode Lost in Transportation, when Mikey is in the coffee shop with the bikers, he tries to "dance his way out", so he jumps up on the counter and does a dance very similar to the Pee Wee Herman dance. The scene is a reference to "Pee Wee's Big Adventure".
 * Many of the "Kappa Mikey" episodes are parodies of famous movies, books, & more.
 * In the episode Ship of Fools The Videogame has graphics straight from Donkey Kong.
 * Lily's Punchbug's name comes from the children's game "slug-bug" or "punch-buggy", in which one child yells out "slug-bug!" and hits another in the shoulder or arm when they spot a VW Beetle. This is usually played as a car game (that is, played in a vehicle driven by an adult).
 * During the theme song, there is a scene where it shows Mikey dancing in a white, button-up shirt, his underwear, socks, and sunglasses accompanied by a pair of Dobermanns. This is likely a reference to Tom Cruise in Risky Business. The parody is in Mikey Impossible, the title of which is a parody of Mission Impossible, also starring Tom Cruise.
 * The instructor in The Lost Pilot greatly resembles Simon Cowell. Also in the episode, the audition LilyMu has for a new actor is reminiscent to the Idol series. (Pop Idol, American Idol, Australian Idol, etc.)
 * In the episode Big Brozu, Brozu says that he has to "Trump" his younger brother and fire him. This is reference to the reality show The Apprentice in which Donald Trump uses the catchphrase "You're fired" to eliminate contestants on the show.
 * Mikey's Orb in LilyMu appears to be based on the sentinel sphere from the Phantasm movies. It can fly around with no explainable means of propulsion other than having been thrown into the air (although it is possible that its saw blades act as lifting rotors of some sort). It also appears to have a limited intelligence, allowing it to do things like hover, navigate itself to cut multiple targets, and return to Mikey after it has served its purpose.
 * In the episode "Uh oh, Guano" Mikey's horse is named Sea Cookie which is a spoof off of "Seabiscuit" an American movie.
 * In A Christmas Mikey:
 * The title is a parody of the movie "A Christmas Story" (or A Christmas Carol). The story parodies both It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Carol.
 * Mitsuki's performance in the mansion scene is a parody of Gloria Swanson's role as Norma Desmond in Sunset Boulevard. Also in A Christmas Mikey, Mitsuki has a monkey named Professor Bobo, likely a reference to the Mystery Science Theater 3000 character of that name.
 * Lily's career doing voice-over work (to Mikey's and a passerby's disgust) is a meta-reference on the show itself.
 * Guano as a chimney sweep with a British accent may be a reference to the chimney sweeps in Mary Poppins - he is in fact whistling "Chim Chim Cherrie" when he first appears in this role.
 * When Mikey is upset over Ozu not giving him a new contract, Gonard says, "Don't worry, we'll get you that monkey assistant," and he puts on a yellow hat, which is a reference to Curious George.
 * In The Good, The Bad, & The Mikey, at the beginning of the staged fight sequence between Kappa Mikey and Captin Impressive, the beginning to Beat It, a song by Michael Jackson can be heard.
 * In Mikey Likes It(Garbage), when Lily is looking around in the resturant, there are two familiar couples: One is the pirate from Ship of Fools and Vito's wife (with blonde hair), and the other is the balif from The Fugi-Kid with the old lady that sometimes makes a cameo appearance.

+

References to Japanese Popular culture
−
 * Malaysia

−
 * Nickelodeon

−
 * TV3 (199?-2006)

+ −
 * The show features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired off of famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba's from the film Spirited Away. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it.
 * Netherlands

+ −
 * The LilyMu show seems to be based on the classic Japanese Rubber Suit shows such as Super Sentai(the original version of Power Rangers), Kamen Rider(Masked Rider in the US), and Ultraman.
 * Nickelodeon

+ + + + + + + + +
 * The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode Mikey, Kappa, on August 5th.
 * Some of the settings in the show are real locations in Japan, including Ginza, and Yoyogi Park.
 * Sean Schemmel (Gonard) is one of the many English voices of Goku and miscellaneous characters from Dragon Ball, which Gonard's [off-set] design is deliberately spoofing. His character's appearance on the "LilyMu" show is also a spoof of the typical demon-like characters Goku and his friends constantly fight against in Dragon Ball. Gonard's love of food may also be a spoof of Goku's large appetite.
 * The phrase "Oh, Mikey!", which is said several times in the show, seems to be a nod towards the Japanese television show Oh! Mikey, which also has the premise of Americans moving to Japan.
 * In the episode "Battle of the Bands" mostly all the guitars are blue rickenbacker Model 4003 basses, similar to Haruko's bass guitar in FLCL.
 * In the episode "Battle of the Bands" there is a band and cartoon show that obviously reference Japanese band and cartoon stars Ami and Yumi from the band Puffy AmiYumi.
 * In the episode Sumo of all Fears, Mikey wishes to become the greatest yokozuna to get respect from everyone. This is a reference to Naruto, where the main character Naruto Uzumaki wishes to become Hokage for the same purpose as Mikey did.
 * In the episode "Free Squiddy", there is a scene in which the cast, trapped in a giant sticky ball of objects, roll through Tokyo and stick many people into the ball along the way. This scene is based upon Katamari Damacy, and even features a cameo character resembling the Prince of All Cosmos, who is rolling a Katamari ball of his own. Sadly, he also gets stuck to the original ball.
 * In the episode "Saving Face", Mikey goes to the doctor to get his pimple removed. The doctor that preforms the surgery is named Doctor Katashi, which is a reference to the Naruto character Kakashi. This is clear because of the name and the headband over the eye, just like Kakashi's headband.

−

Cultural errors
+ −
 * In the episode Ship of Fools, the video game boxes for the Lily-Mu video game have a rating of "E for Everyone" from North America's Entertainment Software Rating Board rating system rather than a rating from Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization rating system.

−
 * Klasky-Csupo

Premise
− The show originally revolved around a group of toddlers, Thomas (Tommy) Pickles, Charles (Chuckie) Finster, and the twins Phillip (Phil) and Lillian (Lil) DeVille. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. Often, they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At age three years old, Angelica 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. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she isn't manipulative. As a result, Angelica and Susie often clash.

− − In 1998, a new character was introduced. After The Rugrats Movie, in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan (Dil) Pickles is born, he is soon added as a character on the show. As a three month old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later, after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie is released, Kimi Finster is added as a character as Chuckie's step sister.

− −

Characters
−

− −

Production
− Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon. 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. It is the longest lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity. The Rugrats received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony on June 28, 2001.

− − 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 (and, for a period, ABC Television).

− − On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10 year anniversary. The special "Rugrats: All Growed Up" was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, called "Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years". It was narrated by Amanda Bynes.

+ Kappa Mikey is marketed as "the first anime to be produced entirely in the United States", according to press releases from MTV, Nicktoons Network, and various other sources, as the term anime in English is generally reserved for animation originally produced for the Japanese market. It uses Japanese animation and culture as inspiration for its concept, rather than being "true" anime. −

Movies
− In 1998, the first Rugrats film was released, entitled "The Rugrats Movie", which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. In 2000 the second movie, "Rugrats in Paris", was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. In 2003, the third movie, "Rugrats Go Wild!", was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys, characters from another popular Nickelodeon show. A TV movie was also made, in which the babies see the future, into the their young teen years. This spun off into the show All Grown Up, which takes place nine years into the future.

+ On February 16, 2008, during their "Music Week", Nicktoons Network aired their first original television movie: an hour-long Kappa Mikey musical entitled "Kappa Karaoke". Officially, the episode's title is "The Karaoke Episode". −

Episodes
−

+

Title
−

Other projects
+ The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode Mikey, Kappa, on August 5th, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice. −

−

+

Overview
−

Broadcast history
+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular anime series, LilyMu. In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest anime star. −
 * USA

−
 * Nickelodeon (1991-2007)

−
 * Nicktoons Network (2002-present)

+ Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered (similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson). The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, non-sequential cut-aways, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. −
 * UK

−
 * Children's BBC (Including Live & Kicking) (1993-2004)

−
 * Nickelodeon UK (1994-Present)

−
 * Nicktoons (2002-2008)

−
 * CITV (2005-2006)

−
 * Nicktoonsters (2008-Present)

+

Production
−
 * Australia

−
 * Nickelodeon Australia (1995-Present)

−
 * ABC Television

−
 * Network Ten

+ Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced in the past few years in that the property is owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation is not out-sourced, and the episodes are written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, this is Animation Collective's first ever television series, and is produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. Production officially wrapped in September 2007, in order to start production on Speed Racer: The Next Generation and Three Delivery at the same time. −
 * New Zealand

−
 * Nickelodeon NZ (199?-Present)

−
 * TV3 (199?-Present)

+ An early test pilot was made for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Perfect Hair Forever. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. When the deal didn't go through, Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project, and the show was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. −
 * Ireland

−
 * RTÉ Two

+ Voice talents are usually local, and for the most part, the show is recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversees all phases of production, but only has writing credits on the pilot episode, "Mikey Impossible", and "A Christmas Mikey". All the episodes are directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score is composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to "The Recycling Song", Ori and Yori's hits, "Living With Mikey", and the songs in the Karaoke episodes. −
 * Canada

−
 * Treehouse

−
 * YTV

+ It is animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators is assigned to the anime characters, and another group is in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc..., are created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds are modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds are added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds are inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. Final effects and sound editing and added in AfterEffects and Final Cut Pro. The studio produces several episodes at once- it takes about 4 to 6 months for an episode to develop from script to delivery. −
 * Malaysia

−
 * Nickelodeon Malaysia

−
 * TV3 (199?-2006)

+ The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allows animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they don't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller (or super deformed). Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which are one of the show's running gags, but cannot, due to being drawn in an American style. −
 * Netherlands

−
 * Nickelodeon

+

Characters
−
 * Ukraine

+

−
 * ICTV (Ukraine)

+

+ These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba(or her twin, Zeneba) from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the anime Naruto. On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Puffy AmiYumi. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. −

Awards
−

Annie
−
 * 1995 - Nominated - Best Individual Achievement for Writing in the Field of Animation

−

Artios
+

List of episodes
+

−
 * 2000 to 2003 - Nominated - Best Casting for Animated Voice Over, Television

+ {| class="wikitable" −

Daytime Emmy
+ −
 * 1994, 2003 - Won - Outstanding Animated Children's Program

+ ! Seasons −
 * 2004 - Nominated - Outstanding Animated Children's Program

+ ! Episodes + ! First Airdate + ! Last Airdate + + + + + + + + + + +
 * Season 1
 * style="text-align: center; top" | 26
 * February 25, 2006
 * April 28, 2007
 * Season 2
 * style="text-align: center; top" | 26
 * June 6, 2007
 * March 30, 2008
 * }

−

Emmy
+

DVD Release
+ A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under Starz Home Entertainment. It includes the episodes Lost in Transportation, Easy Come, Easy Gonard, and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a music video of 'I'm Alright' from Battle of the Bands, wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-To-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −
 * 1997, 1999 to 2002 - Nominated - Outstanding Children's Program

+ According to the Animation Collective site, a 2nd DVD will be released sometime later in 2008. It will include Season One in its entirety, with DVD extras, and will be considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. −

Genesis
−
 * 1999 - Won - Television - Children's Programming

+

Cultural Errors
−

World Animation Celebration
+ −
 * In the episode Ship of Fools, the video game boxes for the Lily-Mu video game have a rating of "E for Everyone" from North America's Entertainment Software Rating Board rating system rather than an "A for All Ages" rating from Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization rating system.
 * 1999 - Won - Best Director of Animation for a Daytime Series

+ +
 * Raccoons, which appear in the show now and then, specifically in The Phantom of the Soundstage and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, are not found in Japan. They instead have raccoon dogs.
 * Although Halloween is not observed as part of Japanese culture, many Japanese (Especially in the younger generation) celebrate Halloween. This could be the reason for a Halloween special, including a part where children trick-or-treat.

−

Kids' Choice Awards
+

Dancing Sushi Spin-off Series
−
 * 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 - Won - Favorite Cartoon

+ Sometime in 2008, a spin-off mini-series of Kappa Mikey will premiere on Nicktoons Network, called Dancing Sushi, and will focus on the antics of the three main sushi beings that originally appear in the bumpers of the show. . They are given names, and a fourth female sushi will be added to balance out the cast. Twenty-six 1-minute episodes are made, with 3 web-exclusive episodes currently out now. Dancing Sushi Wiki Page −

Games
+

Kappa Karaoke songs
−
 * Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PlayStation)

+ These are the songs that were sang by the characters from Nicktoons Network's first original TV movie, The Karaoke Episode. −
 * Rugrats: Studio Tour (PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt (Nintendo 64)

−
 * Rugrats in Paris - The Movie (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, PC CD Rom, PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica Boredom Busters (PC-CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats: Go Wild (PC-CD Rom, Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: All Growed Up - Older and Bolder (PC-CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats: Castle Capers (Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: Royal Ransom (PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube)

−
 * Rugrats: I Gotta Go Party (Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: The Movie (Game Boy Color)

−
 * Rugrats: Time Travellers (Game Boy Color)

−
 * Rugrats Activity Challenge (PC-CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats Adventure Game (PC-CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats Food Fight (Mobile Phone)

−
 * Rugrats Muchin Land (PC-CD Rom)

−
 * The Rugrats Mystery Adventures (PC-CD Rom)

−
 * Nicktoons Racing (Tommy and Angelica playable)

−
 * Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (Tommy and Angelica are seen, but are not playable characters.)

−
 * SpongeBob SquarePants featuring Nicktoons: Globs of Doom (PlayStation 2, Nintendo DS, Wii)

+ {| class="wikitable" −

Premise
− The show originally revolved around a group of toddlers, Thomas "Tommy" Pickles (whose family moved from Akron, Ohio to their current location in California ), Charles "Chuckie" Finster, and the twins Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. Often, they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator." The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At age three years old, Angelica 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. She is usually very mean to the babies. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she isn't manipulative. As a result, Angelica and Susie often clash.

+ Kappa Mikey is marketed as "the first anime to be produced entirely in the United States", according to press releases from MTV, Nicktoons Network, and various other sources, as the term anime in English is generally reserved for animation originally produced for the Japanese market. It uses Japanese animation and culture as inspiration for its concept, rather than being "true" anime. As a matter of fact, the series is a homage/parody of the Japanese anime genre. − In 1998, a new character was introduced. After The Rugrats Movie, in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan "Dil" Pickles is born, he was soon added as a character on the show. As a four month old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later in 2000, after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was released, Kimi Finster was added as a character. She is Chuckie's stepsister.

+ On February 16, 2008, during their "Music Week", Nicktoons Network aired their first original television movie: an hour-long Kappa Mikey musical entitled "Kappa Karaoke". Officially, the episode's title is The Karaoke Episode. −

Characters
−

−

− The Pickles are a mixed Jewish-Christian family. There are two episodes that reflect the Pickles' Jewish heritage, one episode deals with the Passover holiday and the other with Hanukkah (in addition to episodes about Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, etc.). These episodes have been praised by Jewish groups and are re-run every year on Nick at the appropriate holiday times and can also be purchased on VHS or DVD.

+ The last three episodes have aired after the show was stuck on a hiatus. These episodes were aired in September 2008, and declared the season (series) finale after the 20th of September. −

Production
− Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon. 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. It is the longest lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity. The Rugrats received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony on June 28, 2001.

+

Title
− The show airs in the UK on CBBC, CITV, Nicktoons, Nickelodeon UK and Nicktoonsters as well as in Canada on YTV. In Australia, it can be seen on Nickelodeon Australia (and, for a period, ABC Television).

+ The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode Mikey, Kappa, on August 5th, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice.

+

Overview
− On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10 year anniversary. The special/TV movie, "Rugrats: All Growed Up" was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, entitled Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years. It was narrated by Amanda Bynes.

+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular anime series, LilyMu. In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest anime star.

+ Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered (similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson). The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, incongruity, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. − The show ended in 2004 then afterwards, two fairy tale themed direct-to-video films based on the original series under the title, "Rugrats: Tales from the Crib" were planned and then released separately in 2005 and in 2006.

+

Production
−

Theatrical films
− In 1998, the first Rugrats film was released, entitled The Rugrats Movie, which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. In 2000 the second movie, Rugrats in Paris, was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. In 2003, the third movie, Rugrats Go Wild, was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.

+ Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced at the turn of the century, in that the property was owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation was not out-sourced, and the episodes were written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, this was Animation Collective's first ever television series, and was produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. −

Reception
− In a 1995 interview Steven Spielberg referred to Rugrats as one of several shows that are the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time." It was named the 92nd best animated series by IGN.

+ An early test pilot was made for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Perfect Hair Forever and the humor was also more adult. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. When the deal didn't go through, Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project, and the show was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. −

Episodes
−

+ Voice talents were usually local, and for the most part, the show was recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversaw all phases of production, but only had writing credits on the pilot episode, Mikey Impossible, and A Christmas Mikey. All the episodes were directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score was composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to The Recycling Song, Ori and Yori's hits, Living With Mikey, How Did We Get Here?, and the songs in The Karaoke Episode. −

Other projects
−

−

+ It was animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators was assigned to the anime characters, and another group was in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc..., were created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds were modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds were added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds were inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. −

DVD Release
− Nickelodeon and Amazon.com have 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 will be making the discs, cover art, and disc art itself. The first and second seasons of Rugrats are on sale.

+ The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allowed animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they didn't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller (or super deformed). Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which was one of the show's running gags, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style. −

Broadcast history
−
 * 🇺🇸 USA

−
 * Nickelodeon (1991-2007)

−
 * Nicktoons Network (2002-present)

+

Characters
−
 * UK

+

−
 * Children's BBC (Including Live & Kicking) (1993-2004)

−
 * Nickelodeon (1994-2009)

−
 * Nicktoons (2002-2008)

−
 * CITV (2005-2006)

−
 * Nicktoonsters (August 2008-July 2009)

+

+ These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba (or her twin, Zeneba) from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the anime Naruto (the person standing next to him could be a character that's supposed to resemble Sakura Haruno, also from Naruto, note the clothing). On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (which was running on Cartoon Network at the time). Also in the final scene of the episode entitled 'Reality Bites' there is a person in the crowd that looks like a persocom from the anime Chobits. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. −
 * 🇦🇺 Australia

−
 * Nickelodeon Australia (1995-Present)

−
 * ABC Television

−
 * Network Ten

+

List of episodes
−
 * New Zealand

+

−
 * Nickelodeon NZ (199?-Present)

−
 * TV3 (199?-Present)

+

+

DVD Release
−
 * 🇮🇪 Ireland

+ A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under Starz Home Entertainment. It includes the episodes Lost in Transportation, Easy Come, Easy Gonard, and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a music video of 'I'm Alright' from Battle of the Bands, wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-To-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −
 * RTÉ Two (199? - Present)

+ In 2008, the Animation Collective site advertised a 2nd DVD that was scheduled be released sometime later that year. However, that announcement has been erased, leaving the exact release date to be unknown. It would've included Season One in its entirety, with DVD extras, and would've been considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. No further announcement has been made as the status of this DVD. −
 * 🇨🇦 Canada

−
 * YTV

+

Cultural Errors
−
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia

+ −
 * Being made in, and for, the United States, every character speaks English, and most do not have Japanese accents except for Ozu and Yes Man.
 * Nickelodeon South East Asia

+ −
 * Americanized creative liberties with Japan abound in generally every minor detail, even though Japanese characters are used in signage, and the Tokyo cityscape looks accurate.
 * TV3 (1992-1994)

+ −
 * The top, or near-top, of Mt. Fuji is not covered in snow or ice, and no characters are clothed in winter outerwear while climbing it in the episode The Bracemaster.
 * MetroVision (1996-1998)

+ −
 * Raccoons, which appear in the show now and then, specifically in The Phantom of the Soundstage and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, are not found in Japan. However, Japanese raccoon dogs, or tanukis, do exist in Japan and may instead be the creatures depicted, which would be consistent with the mischievous nature of these creatures in Japanese folklore. In The Masked Tanuki, Guano's costume resembles a raccoon, even though it is named after the former.
 * NTV7 (2001-2004)

+

Dancing Sushi Spin-off Series
−
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands

−
 * Nickelodeon

+ A spin-off mini-series of Kappa Mikey was made for Nicktoons Network, called Dancing Sushi, and focused on the antics of the three main sushi beings that originally appeared in the bumpers of the show. . They are given names, and a fourth female sushi named Meep was added to balance out the cast. Twenty-six 1-minute episodes were made, with 3 web-exclusive episodes currently out now. The series is currently running on networks outside the United States, with no announcement for when this series will run in the United States. −
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine

−
 * ICTV (Ukraine)

+

The Karaoke Episode songs
−
 * 🇮🇹 Italy

+ These are the songs that were sang by the characters from Nicktoons Network's first original TV movie, The Karaoke Episode. They were all written by John Angier. −
 * Italia 1

+ {| class="wikitable" −
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico'

−
 * Nickelodeon Latin America 1996 - 2006

−
 * XHGC-TV Canal 5 (1997 - 2001), repeats episodes sometimes.

− −

Awards
−


 * }

−

Video games
+

Premise
− The show originally revolved around a group of toddlers, Thomas "Tommy" Pickles (whose family moved from Akron, Ohio to their current location in California ), Charles "Chuckie" Finster, and the twins Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. Often, they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator." The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At age three years old, Angelica 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. She is usually very mean to the babies. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she isn't manipulative. As a result, Angelica and Susie often clash.

+ The last three episodes have aired after the show was stuck on a hiatus. These episodes were aired in September 2008, and declared the season (series) finale after the 20th of September. − In 1998, a new character was introduced. After The Rugrats Movie, in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan "Dil" Pickles is born, he was soon added as a character on the show. As a four month old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later in 2000, after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was released, Kimi Finster was added as a character. She is Chuckie's stepsister.

−

Characters
+

Title
+ The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode Mikey, Kappa, on August 5th, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice. −

−

− The Pickles are a mixed Jewish-Christian family. There are two episodes that reflect the Pickles' Jewish heritage, one episode deals with the Passover holiday and the other with Hanukkah (in addition to episodes about Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, etc.). These episodes have been praised by Jewish groups and are re-run every year on Nick at the appropriate holiday times and can also be purchased on VHS or DVD.

−

Production
+

Overview
+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular anime series, LilyMu. In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest anime star. − Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon. 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. It is the longest lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity. The Rugrats received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony on June 28, 2001.

+ Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered (similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson). The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, incongruity, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. − The show airs in the UK on CBBC, CITV, Nicktoons, Nickelodeon UK and Nicktoonsters as well as in Canada on YTV. In Australia, it can be seen on Nickelodeon Australia (and, for a period, ABC Television).

+

Production
− On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10 year anniversary. The special/TV movie, "Rugrats: All Growed Up" was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, entitled Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years. It was narrated by Amanda Bynes.

+ Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced at the turn of the century, in that the property was owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation was not out-sourced, and the episodes were written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, this was Animation Collective's first ever television series, and was produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. − The show ended in 2004 then afterwards, two fairy tale themed direct-to-video films based on the original series under the title, "Rugrats: Tales from the Crib" were planned and then released separately in 2005 and in 2006.

+ An early test pilot was made for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Perfect Hair Forever and the humor was also more adult. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. When the deal didn't go through, Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project, and the show was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. −

Theatrical films
− In 1998, the first Rugrats film was released, entitled The Rugrats Movie, which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. In 2000 the second movie, Rugrats in Paris, was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. In 2003, the third movie, Rugrats Go Wild, was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.

+ Voice talents were usually local, and for the most part, the show was recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversaw all phases of production, but only had writing credits on the pilot episode, Mikey Impossible, and A Christmas Mikey. All the episodes were directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score was composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to The Recycling Song, Ori and Yori's hits, Living With Mikey, How Did We Get Here?, and the songs in The Karaoke Episode. −

Reception
− In a 1995 interview Steven Spielberg referred to Rugrats as one of several shows that are the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time." It was named the 92nd best animated series by IGN.

+ It was animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators was assigned to the anime characters, and another group was in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc..., were created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds were modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds were added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds were inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. −

Episodes
−

+ The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allowed animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they didn't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller (or super deformed). Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which was one of the show's running gags, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style. −

Other projects
+ −

+

Characters
−

+

−

DVD Release
+ These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba (or her twin, Zeneba) from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the anime Naruto (the person standing next to him could be a character that's supposed to resemble Sakura Haruno, also from Naruto, note the clothing). On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (which was running on Cartoon Network at the time). Also in the final scene of the episode entitled 'Reality Bites' there is a person in the crowd that looks like a persocom from the anime Chobits. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. − Nickelodeon and Amazon.com have 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 will be making the discs, cover art, and disc art itself. The first and second seasons of Rugrats are on sale.

−

Broadcast history
+

List of episodes
+

−
 * 🇺🇸 USA

−
 * Nickelodeon (1991-2007)

−
 * Nicktoons Network (2002-present)

+

+

DVD Release
−
 * UK

+ A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under Starz Home Entertainment. It includes the episodes Lost in Transportation, Easy Come, Easy Gonard, and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a music video of 'I'm Alright' from Battle of the Bands, wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-To-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −
 * Children's BBC (Including Live & Kicking and Smile) (1993-2004)

−
 * Nickelodeon (1994-2009)

−
 * Nicktoons (2002-2008, September 2009-present)

−
 * CITV (2005-2006)

−
 * Nicktoonsters (August 2008-July 2009)

+ In 2008, the Animation Collective site advertised a 2nd DVD that was scheduled be released sometime later that year. However, that announcement has been erased, leaving the exact release date to be unknown. It would've included Season One in its entirety, with DVD extras, and would've been considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. No further announcement has been made as the status of this DVD. It is presumingly cancelled as of 2009. −
 * 🇦🇷 Argentina

−
 * The Big Channel

−
 * Magic Kids

−
 * Nickelodeon

−
 * Canal 9

+

Cultural Errors
−
 * 🇦🇺 Australia

+ −
 * Being made in, and for, the United States, every character speaks English, and most do not have Japanese accents except for Ozu and Yes Man.
 * Nickelodeon Australia (1995-present)

+ −
 * Americanized creative liberties with Japan abound in generally every minor detail, even though Japanese characters are used in signage, and the Tokyo cityscape looks accurate.
 * ABC Television

+ −
 * The top, or near-top, of Mt. Fuji is not covered in snow or ice, and no characters are clothed in winter outerwear while climbing it in the episode The Bracemaster.
 * Network Ten

+
 * Raccoons, which appear in the show now and then, specifically in The Phantom of the Soundstage and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, are not found in Japan. However, Japanese raccoon dogs, or tanukis, do exist in Japan and may instead be the creatures depicted, which would be consistent with the mischievous nature of these creatures in Japanese folklore. In The Masked Tanuki, Guano's costume resembles a raccoon, even though it is named after the former.

+

Dancing Sushi Spin-off Series
−
 * 🇵🇭 Philippines

−
 * TV5

−
 * Nickelodeon South East Asia

−
 * Studio 23

+ A spin-off mini-series of Kappa Mikey was made for Nicktoons Network, called Dancing Sushi, and focused on the antics of the three main sushi beings that originally appeared in the bumpers of the show. . They are given names, and a fourth female sushi named Meep was added to balance out the cast. Twenty-six 1-minute episodes were made, with 3 web-exclusive episodes currently out now. The series is currently running on networks outside the United States, with no announcement for when this series will run in the United States. −
 * 🇮🇪 Ireland

−
 * RTÉ Two (199?-present)

+

The Karaoke Episode songs
−
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia

+ These are the songs that were sang by the characters from Nicktoons Network's first original TV movie, The Karaoke Episode. They were all written by John Angier. −
 * Nickelodeon South East Asia

−
 * TV3 (1992-1994)

−
 * MetroVision (1996-1998)

−
 * NTV7 (2001-2004)

+ {| class="wikitable" −
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands

−
 * Nickelodeon

− −
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine

−
 * ICTV (Ukraine)

− −
 * 🇮🇹 Italy

−
 * Italia 1

− −
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico'

−
 * Nickelodeon Latin America 1996 - 2006

−
 * XHGC-TV Canal 5 (1997 - 2001), repeats episodes sometimes.

− −

Awards
−


 * }

−

Video games
+

Premise
− The show originally revolved around a group of children, including infant Thomas "Tommy" Pickles (whose family moved from Akron, Ohio to their current location in California ), toddler Charles "Chuckie" Finster, and the twin-infants Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. Often, they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator." The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At age three years old, Angelica 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. She is usually very mean to the babies. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she isn't manipulative. As a result, Angelica and Susie often clash.

+ The last three episodes have aired after the show was stuck on a hiatus. These episodes were aired in September 2008, and declared the season (series) finale after September 20. − In 1998, a new character was introduced. After The Rugrats Movie, in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan "Dil" Pickles is born, he was soon added as a character on the show. As a four month old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later in 2000, after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was released, Kimi Finster was added as a character. She is Chuckie's stepsister.

−

Characters
+

Title
+ The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode Mikey, Kappa, on August 5th, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice. −

−

− The Pickles are a mixed Jewish-Christian family. There are two episodes that reflect the Pickles' Jewish heritage, one episode deals with the Passover holiday and the other with Hanukkah (in addition to episodes about Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, etc.). These episodes have been praised by Jewish groups and are re-run every year on Nick at the appropriate holiday times and can also be purchased on VHS or DVD.

−

Production
+

Overview
+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular anime series, LilyMu. In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest anime star. − Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon. The series was in production from 1991 to 2004. It aired in Nickelodeon's Snick block from 1997-2000. It is the longest lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity. The Rugrats received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony on June 28, 2001.

+ Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered (similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson). The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, incongruity, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. − The show airs in the UK on CBBC, CITV, Nicktoons, Nickelodeon UK and Nicktoonsters as well as in Canada on YTV. In Australia, it can be seen on Nickelodeon Australia (and, for a period, ABC Television).

+

Production
− On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10 year anniversary. The special/TV movie, Rugrats: All Growed Up was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, entitled Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years. It was narrated by Amanda Bynes.

+ Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced at the turn of the century, in that the property was owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation was not out-sourced, and the episodes were written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, this was Animation Collective's first ever television series, and was produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. Production for the two seasons wrapped in September of 2007.

+ Schwarz conceived the premise in 2000, when he was running Rumpus toys, a toy design company, in New York City, but they folded before any storyboarding could commence. They resurfaced years later as Animation Collective, and produced an early test pilot for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Perfect Hair Forever and the humor was also more adult. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. When the deal didn't go through, Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project, and the show was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. − The show ended in 2004. Two fairy-tale themed direct-to-video films based on the original series under the title, Rugrats: Tales from the Crib were planned and then released separately in 2005 and in 2006. On August 11, 2011 the Rugrats will be celebrating its 20 year anniversary to celebrate its 20th birthday.

+ Voice talents were usually local, and for the most part, the show was recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversaw all phases of production, but only had writing credits on the pilot episode, Mikey Impossible, and A Christmas Mikey. All the episodes were directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score was composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to The Recycling Song, Ori and Yori's hits, Living With Mikey, How Did We Get Here?, and the songs in The Karaoke Episode. −

Theatrical films
− In 1998, the first Rugrats film was released, entitled The Rugrats Movie, which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. In 2000 the second movie, Rugrats in Paris, was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. In 2003, the third movie, Rugrats Go Wild, was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.

+ It was animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators was assigned to the anime characters, and another group was in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc..., were created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds were modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds were added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds were inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. −

Reception
− In a 1995 interview, Steven Spielberg referred to Rugrats as one of several shows that are the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time." It was named the 92nd best animated series by IGN.

+ The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allowed animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they didn't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller (or super deformed). Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which was one of the show's running gags, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style. −

Episodes
−

+

Characters
−

Other projects
− +

−

−

DVD release
+ These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba (or her twin, Zeneba) from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the anime Naruto (the person standing next to him could be a character that's supposed to resemble Sakura Haruno, also from Naruto, note the clothing). On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (which was running on Cartoon Network at the time). Also in the final scene of the episode entitled 'Reality Bites' there is a person in the crowd that looks like a persocom from the anime Chobits. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. − Nickelodeon and Amazon.com have 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 will be making the discs, cover art, and disc art itself. The first and second seasons of Rugrats are on sale.

+

List of episodes
−

Broadcast history
+

−
 * 🇺🇸 USA

−
 * Nickelodeon (1991–2007)

−
 * Nicktoons Network (2002–present)

+

+

Home media
−
 * UK

+ A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under Starz Home Entertainment. It includes the episodes Lost in Transportation, Easy Come, Easy Gonard, and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a music video of 'I'm Alright' from Battle of the Bands, wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-To-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −
 * Children's BBC (Including Live & Kicking and Smile) (1993–2004)

−
 * Nickelodeon (1994–2009)

−
 * Nicktoons (2002–2008, September 2009–present)

−
 * CITV (2005–2006)

−
 * Nicktoonsters (August 2008-July 2009)

+ In 2008, the Animation Collective site advertised a 2nd DVD that was scheduled be released sometime later that year. However, that announcement has been erased, leaving the exact release date to be unknown. It would've included Season One in its entirety, with DVD extras, and would've been considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. No further announcement has been made as the status of this DVD. It is presumingly cancelled as of 2009. −
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey

−
 * CNBC-E

−
 * Nickelodeon Turkey

−
 * TRT

+

Cultural errors
−
 * 🇦🇷 Argentina

+

−
 * The Big Channel

+ −
 * Being made in, and for, the United States, every character speaks English, and most do not have Japanese accents except for Ozu and Yes Man.
 * Magic Kids

+ −
 * Americanized creative liberties with Japan abound in generally every minor detail, even though Japanese characters are used in signage, and the Tokyo cityscape looks accurate.
 * Nickelodeon

+ −
 * The top, or near-top, of Mt. Fuji is not covered in snow or ice, and no characters are clothed in winter outerwear while climbing it in the episode The Bracemaster.
 * Canal 9

+ −
 * Raccoons, which appear in the show now and then, specifically in The Phantom of the Soundstage and The Man Who Would Be Mikey, are not found in Japan. However, Japanese raccoon dogs, or tanukis, do exist in Japan and may instead be the creatures depicted, which would be consistent with the mischievous nature of these creatures in Japanese folklore. In The Masked Tanuki, Guano's costume resembles a raccoon, even though it is named after the former.
 * 🇦🇺 Australia

+ −
 * The show can't seem to decide whether Mikey can read Japanese or not. In The Switch, Mikey sews a few pages of Mitsuki's diary into a quilt. This means that either they write in English, or Mikey learned to read kanji, which is highly unlikely, since the episode The Lost Pilot states that he can't read kanji when he looks at the menu.
 * Nickelodeon Australia (1995–present)

−
 * ABC Television

−
 * Network Ten

+

Dancing Sushi
−
 * New Zealand

+ A spin-off mini-series of Kappa Mikey was made for Nicktoons Network, called Dancing Sushi, and focused on the antics of the three main sushi beings that originally appeared in the bumpers of the show. . They are given names, and a fourth female sushi named Meep was added to balance out the cast. Twenty-six 1-minute episodes were made, with 3 web-exclusive episodes currently out now. The series is currently running on networks outside the United States, with no announcement for when this series will run in the United States. −
 * Nickelodeon NZ (199?-present)

−
 * TV2 (2003–present)

+

The Karaoke Episode songs
−
 * 🇵🇭 Philippines

+ These are the songs that were sang by the characters from Nicktoons Network's first original TV movie, The Karaoke Episode. They were all written by John Angier. −
 * TV5

−
 * Nickelodeon South East Asia

−
 * Studio 23

+ {| class="wikitable" −
 * 🇮🇪 Ireland

−
 * RTÉ Two (199?-present)

− −
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia

−
 * Nickelodeon South East Asia

−
 * TV3 (1992–1994)

−
 * MetroVision (1996–1998)

−
 * NTV7 (2001–2004)

− −
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands

−
 * Nickelodeon

− −
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine

−
 * ICTV (Ukraine)

− −
 * 🇮🇹 Italy

−
 * Italia 1

− −
 * 🇲🇽 Mexico

−
 * Nickelodeon Latin America 1996 - 2006

−
 * XHGC-TV Canal 5 (1997–2001), repeats episodes sometimes.

− −

Awards
−

−

− −
 * }

Video games
−
 * Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Studio Tour (PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt (Nintendo 64)

−
 * Rugrats in Paris - The Movie (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, PC CD Rom, PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica Boredom Busters (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats: Go Wild (PC CD Rom, Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: All Growed Up - Older and Bolder (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats: Castle Capers (Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: Royal Ransom (PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube)

−
 * Rugrats: I Gotta Go Party (Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: The Movie (Game Boy Color)

−
 * Rugrats: Time Travelers (Game Boy Color)

−
 * Rugrats Activity Challenge (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats Adventure Game (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats Food Fight (Mobile Phone)

−
 * Rugrats Muchin Land (PC CD Rom)

−
 * The Rugrats Mystery Adventures (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue (PlayStation) (Tommy & Angelica appear as guest characters)

−
 * Nicktoons Racing (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows, Arcade) (Tommy and Angelica playable)

−
 * Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance) (Tommy and Angelica are seen, but are not playable characters.)

−
 * Nicktoons: The Videogame (possibly)

− −

Premise
− The show originally revolved around a group of children (three boys and one girl), including infant Thomas "Tommy" Pickles, toddler Charles "Chuckie" Finster, and the twin-infants Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. Often, they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator." The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At three years old, Angelica 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. She is usually very mean to the babies. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she isn't manipulative. As a result, Angelica and Susie often clash.

+

Plot
− In 1998, a new character was introduced. After The Rugrats Movie, in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan "Dil" Pickles is born, he was soon added as a character on the show. As a four month old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later in 2000, after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was released, Kimi Finster was added as a character. She is Chuckie's stepsister.

+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular live-action series, LilyMu, which is presented as an "anime". In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest star in anime history.

+ Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered, similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson. The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, incongruity, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. −

Characters
−

−

− The Pickles are a mixed Jewish-Christian family. There are two episodes that reflect the Pickles' Jewish heritage, one episode deals with the Passover holiday and the other with Hanukkah (in addition to episodes about Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, etc.). These episodes have been praised by Jewish groups and are re-run every year on Nick at the appropriate holiday times and can also be purchased on VHS or DVD.

Production
+ The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode "Mikey, Kappa", on August 5th, 2007, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice. − Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon, debuting on the same day as Doug (which premiered before it) and The Ren and Stimpy Show (which debuted after). The first run of the series was produced from 1991 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 1994 and 1995, only two Jewish-themed specials were produced, and the rest of the series aired in reruns. New episode production resumed in 1997, and the show aired in Nickelodeon's Snick block from 1997-2000. In terms of years on air, it is the longest lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity, and did not cease production of new episodes until 2004. In terms of number of episodes, it is still in first, but by 2011 it will be surpassed by SpongeBob SquarePants, which will have 178 episodes by the end of its ninth season, barring a Rugrats revival or a SpongeBob cancellation. The Rugrats received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in a ceremony on June 28, 2001.

+ Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced at the turn of the century, in that the property was owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation was not out-sourced, and the episodes were written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, the series became Animation Collective's first television series. The series was produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. Production for the two seasons wrapped in September 2007. − The show airs in the UK on CBBC, CITV, Nicktoons, Nickelodeon UK and Nicktoonsters as well as in Canada on YTV. In Australia, it can be seen on Nickelodeon Australia (and, for a period, ABC Television).

+ Schwarz conceived the series in 2000, when he was running Rumpus toys, a toy design company in New York City, but they folded before any storyboarding could commence. They resurfaced years later as Animation Collective, and produced an early test pilot for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Adult Swim series Perfect Hair Forever, and the humor was also more adult-oriented. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. MTV declined the deal, and Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project. The series was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. Voice talents were usually local, and its audio was recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversaw all phases of production, but only had writing credits on the pilot episode, "Mikey Impossible", and "A Christmas Mikey". All the episodes were directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score was composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to "The Recycling Song", "Ori and Yori's Hits", "Living With Mikey", "How Did We Get Here?", and the songs in "The Karaoke Episode". − On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10 year anniversary. The special/TV movie, Rugrats: All Growed Up was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, entitled Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years. It was narrated by Amanda Bynes.

+ The series was animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators was assigned to the anime characters, and another group was in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc., were created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds were modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds were added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds were inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allowed animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they didn't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller. Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which was one of the show's running gags, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style. − The show ended in 2004. Two fairy-tale themed direct-to-video films based on the original series under the title, Rugrats: Tales from the Crib were planned and then released separately in 2005 and in 2006.

+

Characters
− Individual episodes are now available for purchase on Amazon Video On Demand for 99 cents per episode and on the PlayStation Store for $1.99 for two episodes.

+

− −

Theatrical films
− In 1998, the first Rugrats film was released, entitled The Rugrats Movie, which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. In 2000 the second movie, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. In 2003, the third movie, Rugrats Go Wild, was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys.

− −

Reception
− In a 1995 interview, Steven Spielberg referred to Rugrats as one of several shows that are the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time." It was named the 92nd best animated series by IGN. Jewish and Christian religion groups have given Rugrats high praises for their special holiday episodes. Rugrats were also considered a strongpoint in Nickelodeon's rise in the 1990s.

− −

Episodes
−

− −

Other projects
−

−

− −

DVD releases
+ These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba, or her twin, Zeneba, from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the magna/anime franchise Naruto. The person standing next to him could be a character that s supposed to resemble Sakura Haruno, also from Naruto, note the clothing. On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, which was running on Cartoon Network at the time. Also in the final scene of the episode "Reality Bites", there is a person in the crowd that was designed like a persocom from the anime Chobits. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. − Nickelodeon and Amazon.com have 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 will be making the discs, cover art, and disc art itself. The complete first and second seasons of Rugrats are on sale.

+

Episodes
−

Broadcast history
+

−

−
 * 🇺🇸 USA

−
 * Nickelodeon (1991–2007)

−
 * Nicktoons Network (2002–present)

+ {| class="wikitable" −
 * 🇨🇦 Canada

−
 * Nickelodeon (2009–present)

−
 * YTV (first-run)

− −
 * UK

−
 * Children's BBC (Including Live & Kicking and Smile) (1993–2004)

−
 * Nickelodeon (1994–2009)

−
 * Nicktoons (2002–2008, September 2009–present)

−
 * CITV (2005–2006)

−
 * Nicktoonsters (August 2008-July 2009)

− −
 * 🇦🇺 Australia

−
 * Nickelodeon (January 1995–present)

−
 * ABC Television (December 1991–present)

−
 * Network Ten (1999–2002)

− −
 * 🇪🇸 Spain

−
 * La 2

− −
 * 🇹🇷 Turkey

−
 * CNBC-E

−
 * Nickelodeon Turkey

−
 * TRT

− −
 * 🇦🇷 Argentina

−
 * The Big Channel

−
 * Magic Kids

−
 * Nickelodeon

−
 * Canal 9

− −
 * New Zealand

−
 * Nickelodeon NZ (199?-present)

−
 * TV2 (2003–present)

− −
 * 🇵🇭 Philippines

−
 * TV5

−
 * Nickelodeon South East Asia

−
 * Studio 23

− −
 * 🇮🇱 Israel

−
 * Channel 1 (1995)

−
 * Channel 2 (2000)

−
 * Nickelodeon Israel (2003–2008)

− −
 * 🇮🇪 Ireland

−
 * RTÉ Two (199?-present)

− −
 * 🇲🇾 Malaysia

−
 * Nickelodeon South East Asia

−
 * TV3 (1992–1994)

−
 * MetroVision (1996–1998)

−
 * NTV7 (2001–2004)

− −
 * 🇳🇱 Netherlands

−
 * Nickelodeon

− −
 * 🇺🇦 Ukraine

−
 * ICTV (Ukraine)

− −
 * 🇮🇹 Italy

−
 * Italia 1

− −
 * 🇲🇽, 🇨🇴, 🇻🇪, 🇦🇷, Latin America

−
 * Nickelodeon Latin America 1996 - 2006

−
 * XHGC-TV Canal 5 (1997–2001), repeats episodes sometimes.

− −
 * 🇵🇰 Pakistan

−
 * Nickelodeon (Pakistan) (2006–present)

− −
 * 🇸🇪 Sweden

−
 * Nickelodeon (Sweden)

− −
 * 🇯🇵 Japan

−
 * Nickelodeon (Japan) (1998–2008)

− −
 * 🇬🇷 Greece

−
 * Channel 9

− −
 * 🇫🇷 France

−
 * Nickelodeon (France) (2005–2008)

−
 * Nicktoons (France) (2003–2005)

− −
 * 🇭🇷 Croatia

−
 * Nickelodeon (Croatia) (1997–2008)

− −
 * 🇨🇳 China

−
 * Nickelodeon (China)

− −
 * 🇷🇺 Russia

−
 * Nickelodeon (CIS)

−
 * Nickelodeon on TNT

− −
 * 🇿🇦 South Africa

−
 * Nickelodeon (Africa) (1999–present)

− −
 * 🇦🇪 Arabia

−
 * Nickelodeon (Arab World) (2008–2010)

− −
 * 🇧🇷 Brazil

−
 * Nickelodeon (Brazil)

− −
 * 🇮🇳 India

−
 * Nick (India)

− −

Awards
−

−


 * }

−

Video games
+

Home media
+ A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under the Starz Home Entertainment brand, and includes the episodes "Lost in Transportation", "Easy Come, Easy Gonard", and "The Man Who Would Be Mikey", all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a fictional music video of "I'm Alright" taken from "Battle of the Bands", wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-to-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −
 * Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Studio Tour (PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt (Nintendo 64)

−
 * Rugrats in Paris - The Movie (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PC CD Rom, PlayStation)

−
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica (PlayStation, Game Boy Color)

−
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica Boredom Busters (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats: Go Wild (PC CD Rom, Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: All Growed Up - Older and Bolder (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats: Castle Capers (Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: Royal Ransom (PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube)

−
 * Rugrats: I Gotta Go Party (Game Boy Advance)

−
 * Rugrats: The Movie (Game Boy, Game Boy Color)

−
 * Rugrats: Time Travelers (Game Boy Color)

−
 * Rugrats Activity Challenge (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats Adventure Game (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rugrats Food Fight (Mobile Phone)

−
 * Rugrats Muchin Land (PC CD Rom)

−
 * The Rugrats Mystery Adventures (PC CD Rom)

−
 * Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue (PlayStation) (Tommy & Angelica appear as guest characters)

−
 * Nicktoons Racing (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows, Arcade) (Tommy and Angelica playable)

−
 * Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance) (Tommy and Angelica are seen, but are not playable characters.)

+ In 2008, the Animation Collective site advertised a second DVD that was scheduled be released sometime later that year. However, the announcement was removed from the website, leaving the exact release date to be unknown. The DVD was intended to include the first season in its entirety, with DVD extras, and would have been considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. No further announcement has been made as the status of this DVD. As of 2009, this release is shelved. −

Characters
+

Plot
+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular live-action series, LilyMu, which is presented as an "anime". In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest star in anime history. −

−

− The show originally revolved around four children (three boys and one girl) and a dog. The fearless brave leader Thomas "Tommy" Pickles (whose family moved from Akron, Ohio to their current location in California), the cautious toddler Charles "Chuckie" Finster who reluctantly agreed to venture out into the open, unsafe areas of the house, the twin-infants Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille who were ready for a new challenge, and Spike, Tommy's dog. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. A running gag in the show is that they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator" in "The Trial" episode. The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At three years old, Angelica 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. She is usually very mean to the babies. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she is not manipulative. As a result of this, as well as being favored by the babies, she often clashes with Angelica.

− − After The Rugrats Movie (1998), in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan "Dil" Pickles is born, he was soon added as a character on the show. As a 1 year old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) was released, Kimi Finster was added as a character. She is Chuckie's stepsister.

− − Leaving the safety of their own playpen, the children would explore their surroundings and try to make sense out of what the adults are doing. The babies often manage to get away with meandering off and going on escapades, for the reason that Tommy’s daddy, Stu, is more often than not trying to create toys downstairs in the basement. Tommy's mother, Didi, is normally reading the most modern good-parenting guide too actively to take any kind of notice, and his paternal grandfather, Lou, is customarily sleeping in front of the television, oblivious to their antics. While most of the time, the babies are in their playpen, they always manage to get out using a plastic screwdriver Tommy keeps in his diaper (unbeknownst to any of the adults). When they create any kind of mess or visible damage, they are almost never seen as the instigators, due to them being babies. If an older person is in the vicinity of the mess (usually Angelica), that individual is held accountable. The most treacherous escapade the babies embarked occured in The Rugrats Movie where they got lost in the forest going against a man-eating wolf and a pack of circus monkeys determined to steal their baby food.

− − The Pickles are a mixed Jewish-Christian family. There are two episodes that reflect the Pickles' Jewish heritage, one episode deals with the Passover holiday and the other with Hanukkah (in addition to episodes about Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, etc.).

− −

Origins
− Rugrats was formed by the then husband-and-wife duo of Gabor Csupo 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, Csupo, and Germain were also animating The Simpsons at the time, which they would continue to do until 1992. 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. With the comedic stimulation branching from the antics of Klasky and Csupo's infant children, the 6$1/2$–minute pilot episode, "Tommy Pickles & the Great White Thing" (never to be aired), went into production.

− − Peter Chung, along with Klasky and Csupo, co-designed the characters and directed the series pilot, "Tommy Pickles And The Great White Thing," as well as the opening sequence. 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, 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. Arlene Klasky, one of the show's creators initially did not like Angelica Pickles. Klasky also protested Angelica's actions in episodes like "Barbecue Story" (where she threw Tommy's ball over the fence).

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

− − After the episode "The Trial," Klasky complained that the Rugrats were starting to act too old for their age. Csupo 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, naturally, into the show. In 1993, shortly before Nick premiered the last of the original 65, production of new episodes ceased, and most of the Rugrats writing team left Klasky-Csupo. After the first run days were over, Nick had enough episodes to show every day, and did just that in 1994, scheduling the show in the early evening, when both kids and parents will be watching. After 3 years of repeats, the show went back into production. However, the tensions between Klasky-Csupo and their former writers still existed.

+ Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered, similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson. The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, incongruity, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. − 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."

Production
+ The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode "Mikey, Kappa", on August 5th, 2007, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice. − Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon, debuting on the same day as Doug (which premiered before it) and The Ren and Stimpy Show (which debuted after). The first run of the series was produced from 1991 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 were aired, and the rest of the series aired in reruns. Production on new episodes began 1997, and the show aired in Nickelodeon's Snick block from 1997 to 2000. As of 2011, it is the longest-lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity, and did not cease production of new episodes until 2004. In terms of number of episodes, it is still in first, but by 2011 it will be surpassed by SpongeBob SquarePants, which will have 178 episodes by the end of its eighth season, barring a Rugrats revival or a SpongeBob cancellation; SpongeBob will reach Rugrats in terms of years on air in 2013.

+ Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced at the turn of the century, in that the property was owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation was not out-sourced, and the episodes were written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, the series became Animation Collective's first television series. The series was produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. Production for the two seasons wrapped in September 2007. − On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The special/TV movie, Rugrats: All Growed Up was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, entitled "Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years." It was narrated by Amanda Bynes. Nickelodeon approved of its ratings and popularity so much (about 70% of viewers with cable tuned in), they eventually commissioned a full series, All Grown Up, which ran from 2003 to 2008.

+ Schwarz conceived the series in 2000, when he was running Rumpus toys, a toy design company in New York City, but they folded before any storyboarding could commence. They resurfaced years later as Animation Collective, and produced an early test pilot for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Adult Swim series Perfect Hair Forever, and the humor was also more adult-oriented. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. MTV declined the deal, and Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project. The series was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. Voice talents were usually local, and its audio was recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversaw all phases of production, but only had writing credits on the pilot episode, "Mikey Impossible", and "A Christmas Mikey". All the episodes were directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score was composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to "The Recycling Song", "Ori and Yori's Hits", "Living With Mikey", "How Did We Get Here?", and the songs in "The Karaoke Episode". − Rugrats ended on June 8, 2004, along with fellow Nicktoon, Hey Arnold. After the run, two fairy-tale 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 in 2006.

+ The series was animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators was assigned to the anime characters, and another group was in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc., were created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds were modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds were added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds were inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allowed animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they didn't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller. Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which was one of the show's running gags, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style. −

Voice actors
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Characters
− 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 after 2001 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, however as she is legally blind, in order to do the voice, the producers had to interpret the scripts into Braille, so she could read them by sensing the bumps with her fingers. Susie was primarily voiced by Cree Summer, though in two episodes where she could not be in attendance E.G. Daily filled in. Other regular voice actors included Melanie Chartoff as Didi Pickles, Jack Riley as Stu Pickles, Tress MacNeille as Charlotte Pickles, and Michael Bell as Drew Pickles and Chaz Finster. David Doyle provided the voice of Grandpa Lou Pickles until his death in 1997, where Joe Alaskey took over till 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.

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Writing style
− With Rugrats it usually took a few months to make an episode, for the story has to get written, and then approved. The next process consisted of voice recording, storyboarding, pre-eliminating animation, overseas production & delivery, 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 it was, primarily divided into two eleven-minute episodes. After the second movie, during season 7, 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.

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Episodes
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Other projects
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DVD releases
+ These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba, or her twin, Zeneba, from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the magna/anime franchise Naruto. The person standing next to him could be a character that s supposed to resemble Sakura Haruno, also from Naruto, note the clothing. On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, which was running on Cartoon Network at the time. Also in the final scene of the episode "Reality Bites", there is a person in the crowd that was designed like a persocom from the anime Chobits. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. − Nickelodeon and Amazon.com have 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 complete first and second seasons of Rugrats were released on June 2, 2009 along with The Fairly OddParents first and second seasons.

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Nick Picks DVDs
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Episodes
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− These 2 Rugrats episodes were released on the Nick Picks DVDs.

+ {| class="wikitable" −
 * Nick Picks Volume 1: Finsterella

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 * Nick Picks Volume 2: All Growed Up

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Reception and achievements
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Critical reception
− − Since its debut in 1991, Rugrats generally received positive reviews from critics and fans. In a 1995 interview, Steven Spielberg referred to the show as one of several shows that are the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time." It was named the 92nd-best animated series by IGN. Rugrats was also considered a strong point in Nickelodeon's rise in the 1990s. 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". According to Nickelodeon producers, this show made them the number-one channel in the 1990s. 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 (The) Cosby (Show) kids."

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Popularity, appeal, and controversy
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− − When Rugrats débuted in 1991, it was not as hugely popular as it would later become. When production went on a hiatus from 1994, Nick began showing Rugrats repeats everyday. More and more people began to take notice of the show, with ratings and popularity for Rugrats and Nick rising. From 1995 to 2000, it was the highest-rated show on Nickelodeon and the highest rated kids' show. The show experienced a wide diverse audience consisting of kids, teenagers and adults alike. Rugrats was successful in receiving an average of 26.7 million viewers every week: 14.7 million kids (2-11), 3.2 million teens (12-17), and 8.8 million adults (18 and over). In addition, Rugrats was seen internationally in over 76 countries. It was the only one of the three original Nicktoons that continued in the 2000s, and had its own spin-off. It is the most successful of the three original Nicktoons. While the other Nicktoons were popular during their run, Doug would later slip out of Nick's hands and into Disney's; and Ren and Stimpy would crash and burn in a creative rights dispute (only to return several years later in a much raunchier version on another network). During its run, Rugrats was enjoyed by a number of famous stars including Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Amanda Bynes, Aaron Carter, Ray Romano, Nivea and Bow Wow.

− − With 172 episodes produced over the course of nearly 13 years, Rugrats remains the longest-running Nicktoon to date. SpongeBob SquarePants will surpass both benchmarks when it airs its 173rd episode on February 27, 2012.

− − Rugrats was one of very few shows that pictured observant, identifiably Jewish families. Jewish and Christian religion 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 the Pickles grandparents, who purportedly looked like Nazi caricatures.

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Awards and nominations
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Honors
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Home media
+ A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under the Starz Home Entertainment brand, and includes the episodes "Lost in Transportation", "Easy Come, Easy Gonard", and "The Man Who Would Be Mikey", all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a fictional music video of "I'm Alright" taken from "Battle of the Bands", wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-to-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −

− 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 (and to date, only) series to receive a star. It was placed at 6600 W. Hollywood Bl., near Cherokee Ave. outside a toy and costume shop.

+ In 2008, the Animation Collective site advertised a second DVD that was scheduled be released sometime later that year. However, the announcement was removed from the website, leaving the exact release date to be unknown. The DVD was intended to include the first season in its entirety, with DVD extras, and would have been considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. No further announcement has been made as the status of this DVD. As of 2009, this release is shelved. − 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 #35. Three other Nicktoons—SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and Ren and Stimpy—also placed on the list.

+ The soundtrack for "Kappa Karaoke" is available as a downloadable album on iTunes. − 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 #699.

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Trivia
− Angelica Pickles placed 7th in TV Guide's list of “Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time” in 2002.

+
 * The voice of Gonard (Sean Schemmel) is also the same actor who voiced Goku from the Dragon Ball Z series. If one listens closely they can hear that Gonard sounds very similar to Goku in terms of voice.

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Rugrats in other media
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Films
− In 1998, The Rugrats Movie was released, which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. It grossed in worldwide results, $140,894,675, making it a very large box office success, considering its modest $24 million budget. Not only was the movie a commercial success, the film earned mixed to positive reviews from critics. As of 2011, it remains the highest grossing Rugrats film to date. In 2000 a sequel, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. While it received a positive reception, it did not gross as high as the first film.

− In 2003, Rugrats Go Wild was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. It is the lowest grossing Rugrats film to date.

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Comics
− From 1998 to 2003, Nick produced a Rugrats comic strip, which was distributed through Creator's 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 '98, 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 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's 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.

− − Finally, Nick produced a special, 50 page comic magazine retelling of the film Rugrats In Paris, edited by Pittarese and Roman, with script by Scott Gray, pencils by Scott Roberts, and inks by Adam DeKraker.

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Video games
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 * Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PlayStation)

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 * Rugrats: Studio Tour (PlayStation)

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 * Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt (Nintendo 64)

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 * Rugrats in Paris - The Movie (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PC CD Rom, PlayStation)

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 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica (PlayStation, Game Boy Color)

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 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica Boredom Busters (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats: Go Wild (PC CD Rom, Game Boy Advance)

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 * Rugrats: All Growed Up - Older and Bolder (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats: Castle Capers (Game Boy Advance)

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 * Rugrats: Royal Ransom (PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube)

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 * Rugrats: I Gotta Go Party (Game Boy Advance)

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 * Rugrats: Time Travelers (Game Boy Color)

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 * Rugrats Activity Challenge (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats Adventure Game (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats Food Fight (Mobile Phone)

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 * Rugrats Munchin Land (PC CD Rom)

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 * The Rugrats Movie (Game Boy Color)

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 * The Rugrats Mystery Adventures (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue (PlayStation) (Tommy & Angelica appear as guest characters)

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 * Nickelodeon Party Blast (Gamecube), Xbox (Tommy and Angelica are playable)

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 * Nicktoons Racing (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows, Arcade) (Tommy and Angelica playable)

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 * Nicktoons Basketball (PC CD Rom) (Tommy appears in All Grown Up! appearance)

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 * Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance) (Tommy and Angelica are seen, but are not playable characters.)

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Live performances
− − 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. Many songs were included in the play, including the theme song. The music was met with a rather mixed reception, which applause was tepid at best. However, the dancing was much better received. In addition, as soon as a character approached the stage to engage the crowd, the response from the kids was wild. Chuckie's pleas help from the audience to stop Angelica's megalomaniacal march toward world domination elicited much excitement and response. Overall, despite the criticism, the show was well received. The show had two 40-minute acts, with a 20-minute intermission (or a commercial break).

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Merchandise
− − 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, pens, pencils, markers, cookie jars, key rings, action figures, and bubblegum.

− The show also managed to spawn a popular merchandise line at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, EBay, Hot Topic, JCPenney, Toys "R" Us, Mattel, Barnes & Noble and Basic Fun, just to name a few.

− − 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.

− Rugrats made fast-food appearances as well with the most appearances being on

− Burger King. Their first fast food appearance was in 1994, when the Hardee's fast food chain offered a collection of Nicktoons toys as premiums that were included with kids' meals at Hardee's. All 4 Nicktoons at that time were featured—Ren & Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Doug and Rugrats. Other food items that feature Rugrats were Fruit Snacks, Macaroni and Cheese, Bubble Gum and Campbell's Rugrats Pasta with Chicken and Broth.

− − 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 & toothbrush, and entry blanks to subscribe to Rugrats Comic Adventures, Nick Magazine and the Kids Club. From 1998 till 2003, "Rugrats" based-products included watches and various toys.

Characters
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Plot
+ The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular live-action series, LilyMu, which is presented as an "anime". In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest star in anime history. −

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− The show originally revolved around four children (three boys and one girl) and a dog. The fearless brave leader Thomas "Tommy" Pickles (whose family moved from Akron, Ohio to their current location in California), the cautious toddler Charles "Chuckie" Finster who reluctantly agreed to venture out into the open, unsafe areas of the house, the twin-infants Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille who were ready for a new challenge, and Spike, Tommy's dog. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. A running gag in the show is that they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator" in "The Trial" episode. The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At three years old, Angelica 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. She is usually very mean to the babies. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she is not manipulative. As a result of this, as well as being favored by the babies, she often clashes with Angelica.

− − After The Rugrats Movie (1998), in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan "Dil" Pickles is born, he was soon added as a character on the show. As a 1 year old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) was released, Kimi Finster was added as a character. She is Chuckie's stepsister.

− − Leaving the safety of their own playpen, the children would explore their surroundings and try to make sense out of what the adults are doing. The babies often manage to get away with meandering off and going on escapades, for the reason that Tommy’s daddy, Stu, is more often than not trying to create toys downstairs in the basement. Tommy's mother, Didi, is normally reading the most modern good-parenting guide too actively to take any kind of notice, and his paternal grandfather, Lou, is customarily sleeping in front of the television, oblivious to their antics. While most of the time, the babies are in their playpen, they always manage to get out using a plastic screwdriver Tommy keeps in his diaper (unbeknownst to any of the adults). When they create any kind of mess or visible damage, they are almost never seen as the instigators, due to them being babies. If an older person is in the vicinity of the mess (usually Angelica), that individual is held accountable. The most treacherous escapade the babies embarked occured in The Rugrats Movie where they got lost in the forest going against a man-eating wolf and a pack of circus monkeys determined to steal their baby food.

− − The Pickles are a mixed Jewish-Christian family. There are two episodes that reflect the Pickles' Jewish heritage, one episode deals with the Passover holiday and the other with Hanukkah (in addition to episodes about Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, etc.).

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Origins
− Rugrats was formed by the then husband-and-wife duo of Gabor Csupo 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, Csupo, and Germain were also animating The Simpsons at the time, which they would continue to do until 1992. 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. With the comedic stimulation branching from the antics of Klasky and Csupo's infant children, the 6$1/2$–minute pilot episode, "Tommy Pickles & the Great White Thing" (never to be aired), went into production.

− − Peter Chung, along with Klasky and Csupo, co-designed the characters and directed the series pilot, "Tommy Pickles And The Great White Thing," as well as the opening sequence. 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, 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. Arlene Klasky, one of the show's creators initially did not like Angelica Pickles. Klasky also protested Angelica's actions in episodes like "Barbecue Story" (where she threw Tommy's ball over the fence).

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

− − After the episode "The Trial," Klasky complained that the Rugrats were starting to act too old for their age. Csupo 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, naturally, into the show. In 1993, shortly before Nick premiered the last of the original 65, production of new episodes ceased, and most of the Rugrats writing team left Klasky-Csupo. After the first run days were over, Nick had enough episodes to show every day, and did just that in 1994, scheduling the show in the early evening, when both kids and parents will be watching. After 3 years of repeats, the show went back into production. However, the tensions between Klasky-Csupo and their former writers still existed.

+ Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered, similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson. The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, incongruity, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. − 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."

Production
+ The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode "Mikey, Kappa", on August 5th, 2007, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice. − Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon, debuting on the same day as Doug (which premiered before it) and The Ren and Stimpy Show (which debuted after). The first run of the series was produced from 1991 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 were aired, and the rest of the series aired in reruns. Production on new episodes began 1997, and the show aired in Nickelodeon's Snick block from 1997 to 2000. As of 2011, it is the longest-lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity, and did not cease production of new episodes until 2004. In terms of number of episodes, it is still in first, but by 2011 it will be surpassed by SpongeBob SquarePants, which will have 178 episodes by the end of its eighth season, barring a Rugrats revival or a SpongeBob cancellation; SpongeBob will reach Rugrats in terms of years on air in 2013.

+ Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced at the turn of the century, in that the property was owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation was not out-sourced, and the episodes were written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, the series became Animation Collective's first television series. The series was produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. Production for the two seasons wrapped in September 2007. − On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The special/TV movie, Rugrats: All Growed Up was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, entitled "Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years." It was narrated by Amanda Bynes. Nickelodeon approved of its ratings and popularity so much (about 70% of viewers with cable tuned in), they eventually commissioned a full series, All Grown Up, which ran from 2003 to 2008.

+ Schwarz conceived the series in 2000, when he was running Rumpus toys, a toy design company in New York City, but they folded before any storyboarding could commence. They resurfaced years later as Animation Collective, and produced an early test pilot for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Adult Swim series Perfect Hair Forever, and the humor was also more adult-oriented. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. MTV declined the deal, and Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project. The series was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. Voice talents were usually local, and its audio was recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversaw all phases of production, but only had writing credits on the pilot episode, "Mikey Impossible", and "A Christmas Mikey". All the episodes were directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score was composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to "The Recycling Song", "Ori and Yori's Hits", "Living With Mikey", "How Did We Get Here?", and the songs in "The Karaoke Episode". − Rugrats ended on June 8, 2004, along with fellow Nicktoon, Hey Arnold. After the run, two fairy-tale 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 in 2006.

+ The series was animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators was assigned to the anime characters, and another group was in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc., were created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds were modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds were added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds were inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allowed animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they didn't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller. Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which was one of the show's running gags, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style. −

Voice actors
+

Characters
− 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 after 2001 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, however as she is legally blind, in order to do the voice, the producers had to interpret the scripts into Braille, so she could read them by sensing the bumps with her fingers. Susie was primarily voiced by Cree Summer, though in two episodes where she could not be in attendance E.G. Daily filled in. Other regular voice actors included Melanie Chartoff as Didi Pickles, Jack Riley as Stu Pickles, Tress MacNeille as Charlotte Pickles, and Michael Bell as Drew Pickles and Chaz Finster. David Doyle provided the voice of Grandpa Lou Pickles until his death in 1997, where Joe Alaskey took over till 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.

+

− −

Writing style
− With Rugrats it usually took a few months to make an episode, for the story has to get written, and then approved. The next process consisted of voice recording, storyboarding, pre-eliminating animation, overseas production & delivery, 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 it was, primarily divided into two eleven-minute episodes. After the second movie, during season 7, 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.

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Episodes
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Other projects
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DVD releases
+ These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba, or her twin, Zeneba, from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the magna/anime franchise Naruto. The person standing next to him could be a character that s supposed to resemble Sakura Haruno, also from Naruto, note the clothing. On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, which was running on Cartoon Network at the time. Also in the final scene of the episode "Reality Bites", there is a person in the crowd that was designed like a persocom from the anime Chobits. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. − Nickelodeon and Amazon.com have 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 complete first and second seasons of Rugrats were released on June 2, 2009 along with The Fairly OddParents first and second seasons.

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Nick Picks DVDs
+

Episodes
+

− These 2 Rugrats episodes were released on the Nick Picks DVDs.

+ {| class="wikitable" −
 * Nick Picks Volume 1: Finsterella

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 * Nick Picks Volume 2: All Growed Up

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Reception and achievements
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Critical reception
− − Since its debut in 1991, Rugrats generally received positive reviews from critics and fans. In a 1995 interview, Steven Spielberg referred to the show as one of several shows that are the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time." It was named the 92nd-best animated series by IGN. Rugrats was also considered a strong point in Nickelodeon's rise in the 1990s. 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". According to Nickelodeon producers, this show made them the number-one channel in the 1990s. 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 (The) Cosby (Show) kids."

− −

Popularity, appeal, and controversy
−

− − When Rugrats débuted in 1991, it was not as hugely popular as it would later become. When production went on a hiatus from 1994, Nick began showing Rugrats repeats everyday. More and more people began to take notice of the show, with ratings and popularity for Rugrats and Nick rising. From 1995 to 2000, it was the highest-rated show on Nickelodeon and the highest rated kids' show. The show experienced a wide diverse audience consisting of kids, teenagers and adults alike. Rugrats was successful in receiving an average of 26.7 million viewers every week: 14.7 million kids (2-11), 3.2 million teens (12-17), and 8.8 million adults (18 and over). In addition, Rugrats was seen internationally in over 76 countries. It was the only one of the three original Nicktoons that continued in the 2000s, and had its own spin-off. It is the most successful of the three original Nicktoons. While the other Nicktoons were popular during their run, Doug would later slip out of Nick's hands and into Disney's; and Ren and Stimpy would crash and burn in a creative rights dispute (only to return several years later in a much raunchier version on another network). During its run, Rugrats was enjoyed by a number of famous stars including Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Amanda Bynes, Aaron Carter, Ray Romano, Nivea and Bow Wow.

− − With 172 episodes produced over the course of nearly 13 years, Rugrats remains the longest-running Nicktoon to date. SpongeBob SquarePants will surpass both benchmarks when it airs its 173rd episode on February 27, 2012.

− − Rugrats was one of very few shows that pictured observant, identifiably Jewish families. Jewish and Christian religion 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 the Pickles grandparents, who purportedly looked like Nazi caricatures.

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Awards and nominations
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 * }

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Honors
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Home media
+ A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under the Starz Home Entertainment brand, and includes the episodes "Lost in Transportation", "Easy Come, Easy Gonard", and "The Man Who Would Be Mikey", all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a fictional music video of "I'm Alright" taken from "Battle of the Bands", wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-to-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −

− 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 (and to date, only) series to receive a star. It was placed at 6600 W. Hollywood Bl., near Cherokee Ave. outside a toy and costume shop.

+ In 2008, the Animation Collective site advertised a second DVD that was scheduled be released sometime later that year. However, the announcement was removed from the website, leaving the exact release date to be unknown. The DVD was intended to include the first season in its entirety, with DVD extras, and would have been considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. No further announcement has been made as the status of this DVD. As of 2009, this release is shelved. − 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 #35. Three other Nicktoons—SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and Ren and Stimpy—also placed on the list.

+ Season 1 (Episodes 1 - 13) was released on DVD on September 12th, 2007, and Season 1 (Episodes 14-26) was released on DVD on March 12th, 2008 by Anchor Bay Entertainment in Australia. − 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 #699.

+ The soundtrack for "Kappa Karaoke" is available as a downloadable album on iTunes. − Angelica Pickles placed 7th in TV Guide's list of “Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time” in 2002.

+

Trivia
−

Rugrats in other media
+ −
 * The voice of Gonard (Sean Schemmel) is also the same actor who voiced Goku from the Dragon Ball Z series. If one listens closely they can hear that Gonard sounds very similar to Goku in terms of voice.

Films
− In 1998, The Rugrats Movie was released, which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. It grossed in worldwide results, $140,894,675, making it a very large box office success, considering its modest $24 million budget. Not only was the movie a commercial success, the film earned mixed to positive reviews from critics. As of 2011, it remains the highest grossing Rugrats film to date. In 2000 a sequel, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. While it received a positive reception, it did not gross as high as the first film.

− In 2003, Rugrats Go Wild was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. It is the lowest grossing Rugrats film to date.

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Comics
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Video games
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 * Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PlayStation)

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 * Rugrats: Studio Tour (PlayStation)

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 * Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt (Nintendo 64)

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 * Rugrats in Paris - The Movie (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PC CD Rom, PlayStation)

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 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica (PlayStation, Game Boy Color)

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 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica Boredom Busters (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats: Go Wild (PC CD Rom, Game Boy Advance)

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 * Rugrats: All Growed Up - Older and Bolder (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats: Castle Capers (Game Boy Advance)

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 * Rugrats: Royal Ransom (PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube)

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 * Rugrats: I Gotta Go Party (Game Boy Advance)

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 * Rugrats: Time Travelers (Game Boy Color)

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 * Rugrats Activity Challenge (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats Adventure Game (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rugrats Food Fight (Mobile Phone)

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 * Rugrats Munchin Land (PC CD Rom)

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 * The Rugrats Movie (Game Boy Color)

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 * The Rugrats Mystery Adventures (PC CD Rom)

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 * Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue (PlayStation) (Tommy & Angelica appear as guest characters)

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 * Nickelodeon Party Blast (Gamecube), Xbox (Tommy and Angelica are playable)

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 * Nicktoons Racing (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows, Arcade) (Tommy and Angelica playable)

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 * Nicktoons Basketball (PC CD Rom) (Tommy appears in All Grown Up! appearance)

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 * Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance) (Tommy and Angelica are seen, but are not playable characters.)

− −

Live performances
− − 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. Many songs were included in the play, including the theme song. The music was met with a rather mixed reception, which applause was tepid at best. However, the dancing was much better received. In addition, as soon as a character approached the stage to engage the crowd, the response from the kids was wild. Chuckie's pleas help from the audience to stop Angelica's megalomaniacal march toward world domination elicited much excitement and response. Overall, despite the criticism, the show was well received. The show had two 40-minute acts, with a 20-minute intermission (or a commercial break).

− −

Merchandise
− − 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, pens, pencils, markers, cookie jars, key rings, action figures, and bubblegum.

− The show also managed to spawn a popular merchandise line at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, EBay, Hot Topic, JCPenney, Toys "R" Us, Mattel, Barnes & Noble and Basic Fun, just to name a few.

− − 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.

− Rugrats made fast-food appearances as well with the most appearances being on

− Burger King. Their first fast food appearance was in 1994, when the Hardee's fast food chain offered a collection of Nicktoons toys as premiums that were included with kids' meals at Hardee's. All 4 Nicktoons at that time were featured—Ren & Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Doug and Rugrats. Other food items that feature Rugrats were Fruit Snacks, Macaroni and Cheese, Bubble Gum and Campbell's Rugrats Pasta with Chicken and Broth.

− − 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 & toothbrush, and entry blanks to subscribe to Rugrats Comic Adventures, Nick Magazine and the Kids Club. From 1998 till 2003, "Rugrats" based-products included watches and various toys.

Characters
+

Plot
+	The series centers around Mikey Simon, a 19-year-old actor who just graduated from high school and is from Cleveland, Ohio. He embarks to Japan after winning a scratch-off card contest to star in the country's formerly popular live-action series, LilyMu, which is presented as an "anime". In doing this, he rockets the show back to the top of the ratings, and becomes Japan's biggest star in anime history. −

−	−	The show originally revolved around four children (three boys and one girl) and a dog. The fearless brave leader Thomas "Tommy" Pickles (whose family moved from Akron, Ohio to their current location in California), the cautious toddler Charles "Chuckie" Finster who reluctantly agreed to venture out into the open, unsafe areas of the house, the twin-infants Phillip "Phil" and Lillian "Lil" DeVille who were ready for a new challenge, and Spike, Tommy's dog. The toddlers are able to communicate with each other through baby speak, although viewers can understand them, because it is 'translated'. A running gag in the show is that they mispronounce words or use poor grammar and their speaking is full of malapropisms. An example of this is using the word "poopetrator" instead of "perpetrator" in "The Trial" episode. The group is often reluctantly joined by Tommy's cousin, Angelica Pickles. At three years old, Angelica 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. She is usually very mean to the babies. Susie Carmichael, who lives across the street from the Pickles, is also able to communicate on the same level as Angelica, though she is not manipulative. As a result of this, as well as being favored by the babies, she often clashes with Angelica. −		 −	After The Rugrats Movie (1998), in which Tommy's baby brother Dylan "Dil" Pickles is born, he was soon added as a character on the show. As a 1 year old baby, Dil is not able to communicate with anyone. Later after Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000) was released, Kimi Finster was added as a character. She is Chuckie's stepsister. −		 −	Leaving the safety of their own playpen, the children would explore their surroundings and try to make sense out of what the adults are doing. The babies often manage to get away with meandering off and going on escapades, for the reason that Tommy’s daddy, Stu, is more often than not trying to create toys downstairs in the basement. Tommy's mother, Didi, is normally reading the most modern good-parenting guide too actively to take any kind of notice, and his paternal grandfather, Lou, is customarily sleeping in front of the television, oblivious to their antics. While most of the time, the babies are in their playpen, they always manage to get out using a plastic screwdriver Tommy keeps in his diaper (unbeknownst to any of the adults). When they create any kind of mess or visible damage, they are almost never seen as the instigators, due to them being babies. If an older person is in the vicinity of the mess (usually Angelica), that individual is held accountable. The most treacherous escapade the babies embarked occured in The Rugrats Movie where they got lost in the forest going against a man-eating wolf and a pack of circus monkeys determined to steal their baby food. −		 −	The Pickles are a mixed Jewish-Christian family. There are two episodes that reflect the Pickles' Jewish heritage, one episode deals with the Passover holiday and the other with Hanukkah (in addition to episodes about Christmas, Easter, Kwanzaa, etc.). −		 −

Origins
−	Rugrats was formed by the then husband-and-wife duo of Gabor Csupo 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, Csupo, and Germain were also animating The Simpsons at the time, which they would continue to do until 1992. 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. With the comedic stimulation branching from the antics of Klasky and Csupo's infant children, the 6$1/2$–minute pilot episode, "Tommy Pickles & the Great White Thing" (never to be aired), went into production. −		 −	Peter Chung, along with Klasky and Csupo, co-designed the characters and directed the series pilot, "Tommy Pickles And The Great White Thing," as well as the opening sequence. 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, 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. Arlene Klasky, one of the show's creators initially did not like Angelica Pickles. Klasky also protested Angelica's actions in episodes like "Barbecue Story" (where she threw Tommy's ball over the fence). −		 −	In a New Yorker article, Klasky said, "I think she's a bully. I never liked Angelica." Klasky never fully approved of her character development. Her bullying caused Arlene to disdain her. Angelica started to become a problem for the some of the Rugrats staff. In some instances, her voice, Cheryl Chase, had trouble portraying a mean Angelica. To help Chase out, Steve Viksen, one of the writers, would mention that Angelica was the series's J.R. Ewing. −		 −	After the episode "The Trial," Klasky complained that the Rugrats were starting to act too old for their age. Csupo 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, naturally, into the show. In 1993, shortly before Nick premiered the last of the original 65, production of new episodes ceased, and most of the Rugrats writing team left Klasky-Csupo. After the first run days were over, Nick had enough episodes to show every day, and did just that in 1994, scheduling the show in the early evening, when both kids and parents will be watching. After 3 years of repeats, the show went back into production. However, the tensions between Klasky-Csupo and their former writers still existed. +	Segments of LilyMu are seen at the beginning and end of each episode, but the show focuses primarily on the actors' and producers' lives off-set and Mikey's adjustments to the new world he has entered, similar in concept to The Famous Jett Jackson. The humor comes from the fact that because Mikey is an American, he actually stands out visually from the other cast members, similar to the mix of styles in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. While most characters on the show are drawn in an anime-inspired style (thin outlines, big, detailed eyes, small mouths, and all ten fingers), Mikey (and all other American characters) is drawn in a retro-inspired American cartoon manner (thicker outlines, single black dot pupil eyes, a larger mouth, and only eight fingers). The humor is delivered in a rapid pace, and also consists of light satire, incongruity, slapstick, character quirks, and a fair amount of gross-out humor. −	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."

Production
+	The show's title is a variation on the word kappamaki, a type of sushi. It is suggested that it was the inspiration for naming the title character Mikey, and uses the prefix kappa. Like Mikey, who is a 'fish out of water' in Japan, the kappa creature itself is a water demon who can live on land. The kappas first appeared on this show in the episode "Mikey, Kappa", on August 5th, 2007, where the origin of the title was explained. Mikey also shares his name with the actor who supplies his voice. −	Rugrats was Nickelodeon's second Nicktoon, debuting on the same day as Doug (which premiered before it) and The Ren and Stimpy Show (which debuted after). The first run of the series was produced from 1991 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 were aired, and the rest of the series aired in reruns. Production on new episodes began 1997, and the show aired in Nickelodeon's Snick block from 1997 to 2000. As of 2011, it is the longest-lasting Nicktoon to date, at over fourteen years longevity, and did not cease production of new episodes until 2004. In terms of number of episodes, it is still in first, but by 2011 it will be surpassed by SpongeBob SquarePants, which will have 178 episodes by the end of its eighth season, barring a Rugrats revival or a SpongeBob cancellation; SpongeBob will reach Rugrats in terms of years on air in 2013. +	Kappa Mikey is different from other cartoons produced at the turn of the century, in that the property was owned by the studio instead of an agency, the animation was not out-sourced, and the episodes were written by a full-time staff. After producing Internet-based projects and television spots, the series became Animation Collective's first television series. The series was produced in New York City starting from the summer of 2005. Production for the two seasons wrapped in September 2007. −	On August 11, 2001, Rugrats celebrated its 10-year anniversary. The special/TV movie, Rugrats: All Growed Up was produced for the occasion. After the show, a special retrospective lookback aired, entitled "Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years." It was narrated by Amanda Bynes. Nickelodeon approved of its ratings and popularity so much (about 70% of viewers with cable tuned in), they eventually commissioned a full series, All Grown Up, which ran from 2003 to 2008. +	Schwarz conceived the series in 2000, when he was running Rumpus toys, a toy design company in New York City, but they folded before any storyboarding could commence. They resurfaced years later as Animation Collective, and produced an early test pilot for a pitch to MTV Networks, where the character designs and backgrounds resembled more like those found in Adult Swim series Perfect Hair Forever, and the humor was also more adult-oriented. Much of the current cast was voicing their characters even this early in production. MTV declined the deal, and Nickelodeon eventually picked up the project. The series was tweaked heavily in order to be aimed at a younger audience. Voice talents were usually local, and its audio was recorded at Manhattan-based NYAV Post, which Michael Sinterniklaas owns. Larry Schwarz, along with the other executive producers, oversaw all phases of production, but only had writing credits on the pilot episode, "Mikey Impossible", and "A Christmas Mikey". All the episodes were directed by Sergei Aniskov. The instrumental score was composed by John Angier, who also wrote the lyrics to "The Recycling Song", "Ori and Yori's Hits", "Living With Mikey", "How Did We Get Here?", and the songs in "The Karaoke Episode". −	Rugrats ended on June 8, 2004, along with fellow Nicktoon, Hey Arnold. After the run, two fairy-tale 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 in 2006. +	The series was animated in Adobe Flash, with some moments of CGI rendered in Maya. To further emphasize the contrast in animation styles, one group of animators was assigned to the anime characters, and another group was in charge of Mikey and the other American characters. The vehicles on LilyMu and around Tokyo, as well as the weapons, the Gonard balloon, Pirate King's ship, the Karaoke Genie Machine, etc., were created in Maya and exported into Flash using the Toon Filter. The backgrounds were modeled in Maya, and texture, details, and clouds were added in Photoshop. Some of the backgrounds were inspired by actual locations in Tokyo. The show's anime-style characters perform with large comedic overuses of face faults, such as a face and/or body turning into an exaggerated general appearance, or becoming much smaller. This allowed animators to have more control over how a character looks and acts than on many other Flash shows, and they didn't always have to be on-model. The show uses clichés common to anime, including the sweat drop, lines over the eyes or no eyes at all, big heads, flaming eyes, bodies becoming smaller. Sometimes Mikey will try to do these things, which was one of the show's running gags, but cannot due to being drawn in an American style. −

Voice actors
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Characters
−	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 after 2001 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, however as she is legally blind, in order to do the voice, the producers had to interpret the scripts into Braille, so she could read them by sensing the bumps with her fingers. Susie was primarily voiced by Cree Summer, though in two episodes where she could not be in attendance E.G. Daily filled in. Other regular voice actors included Melanie Chartoff as Didi Pickles, Jack Riley as Stu Pickles, Tress MacNeille as Charlotte Pickles, and Michael Bell as Drew Pickles and Chaz Finster. David Doyle provided the voice of Grandpa Lou Pickles until his death in 1997, where Joe Alaskey took over till 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. +

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Writing style
−	With Rugrats it usually took a few months to make an episode, for the story has to get written, and then approved. The next process consisted of voice recording, storyboarding, pre-eliminating animation, overseas production & delivery, 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 it was, primarily divided into two eleven-minute episodes. After the second movie, during season 7, 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. −		 −

Episodes
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Other projects
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DVD releases
+	These characters are modeled on cartoon stereotypes, to varying extents. The show also features secondary characters and extras, mostly in crowd scenes, whose designs are directly inspired by famous anime characters, but who are different enough to avoid copyright infringements. Sometimes this is done to spoof the films and television programs intentionally, such as the character Masaka Masako, whose appearance spoofs Yubaba, or her twin, Zeneba, from the film Spirited Away, or Takashi Katashi, who shares a similar appearance and name with Kakashi Hatake from the manga/anime franchise Naruto. The person standing next to him could be a character that s supposed to resemble Sakura Haruno, also from Naruto, note the clothing. On another episode there is an anime version of Ami and Yumi from the TV series, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, which was running on Cartoon Network at the time. Also in the final scene of the episode "Reality Bites", there is a person in the crowd that was designed like a persocom from the anime Chobits. Other times, it is done to continue the show's original concept, without any intention behind it. −	Nickelodeon and Amazon.com have 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 complete first and second seasons of Rugrats were released on June 2, 2009 along with The Fairly OddParents first and second seasons. −

Nick Picks DVDs
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Episodes
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−	These 2 Rugrats episodes were released on the Nick Picks DVDs. +	{| class="wikitable" −	−	−		 −
 * Nick Picks Volume 1: Finsterella
 * Nick Picks Volume 2: All Growed Up

Reception and achievements
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Critical reception
−		 −	Since its debut in 1991, Rugrats generally received positive reviews from critics and fans. In a 1995 interview, Steven Spielberg referred to the show as one of several shows that are the best children's programming at the time. Spielberg described Rugrats as "sort of a TV Peanuts of our time." It was named the 92nd-best animated series by IGN. Rugrats was also considered a strong point in Nickelodeon's rise in the 1990s. 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". According to Nickelodeon producers, this show made them the number-one channel in the 1990s. 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 (The) Cosby (Show) kids." −		 −

Popularity, appeal, and controversy
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−		 −	When Rugrats débuted in 1991, it was not as hugely popular as it would later become. When production went on a hiatus from 1994, Nick began showing Rugrats repeats everyday. More and more people began to take notice of the show, with ratings and popularity for Rugrats and Nick rising. From 1995 to 2000, it was the highest-rated show on Nickelodeon and the highest rated kids' show. The show experienced a wide diverse audience consisting of kids, teenagers and adults alike. Rugrats was successful in receiving an average of 26.7 million viewers every week: 14.7 million kids (2-11), 3.2 million teens (12-17), and 8.8 million adults (18 and over). In addition, Rugrats was seen internationally in over 76 countries. It was the only one of the three original Nicktoons that continued in the 2000s, and had its own spin-off. It is the most successful of the three original Nicktoons. While the other Nicktoons were popular during their run, Doug would later slip out of Nick's hands and into Disney's; and Ren and Stimpy would crash and burn in a creative rights dispute (only to return several years later in a much raunchier version on another network). During its run, Rugrats was enjoyed by a number of famous stars including Alexa Vega, Daryl Sabara, Amanda Bynes, Aaron Carter, Ray Romano, Nivea and Bow Wow. −		 −	With 172 episodes produced over the course of nearly 13 years, Rugrats remains the longest-running Nicktoon to date. SpongeBob SquarePants will surpass both benchmarks when it airs its 173rd episode on February 27, 2012. −		 −	Rugrats was one of very few shows that pictured observant, identifiably Jewish families. Jewish and Christian religion 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 the Pickles grandparents, who purportedly looked like Nazi caricatures. −		 −

Awards and nominations
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 * }

Honors
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Home media
+	A Kappa Mikey DVD was released on September 18, 2007 under the Starz Home Entertainment brand, and includes the episodes "Lost in Transportation", "Easy Come, Easy Gonard", and "The Man Who Would Be Mikey", all from the first season, as well as bonus material, including a fictional music video of "I'm Alright" taken from "Battle of the Bands", wallpaper, an interactive game parodying Hollywood Squares, and a How-to-Draw-Mikey tutorial. −	−	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 (and to date, only) series to receive a star. It was placed at 6600 W. Hollywood Bl., near Cherokee Ave. outside a toy and costume shop. +	In 2008, the Animation Collective site advertised a second DVD that was scheduled be released sometime later that year. However, the announcement was removed from the website, leaving the exact release date to be unknown. The DVD was intended to include the first season in its entirety, with DVD extras, and would have been considered more of an "official" volume than the last one. No further announcement has been made as the status of this DVD. As of 2009, this release is shelved. −	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 #35. Three other Nicktoons—SpongeBob SquarePants, Invader Zim, and Ren and Stimpy—also placed on the list. +	Season 1 (Episodes 1 - 13) was released on DVD on September 12th, 2007, and Season 1 (Episodes 14-26) was released on DVD on March 12th, 2008 by Anchor Bay Entertainment in Australia. −	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 #699. +	The soundtrack for "Kappa Karaoke" is available as a downloadable album on iTunes. −	Angelica Pickles placed 7th in TV Guide's list of “Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time” in 2002. +

Rugrats in other media
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Films
−	In 1998, The Rugrats Movie was released, which introduced baby Dil, Tommy's little brother, onto the show. It grossed in worldwide results, $140,894,675, making it a very large box office success, considering its modest $24 million budget. Not only was the movie a commercial success, the film earned mixed to positive reviews from critics. As of 2011, it remains the highest grossing Rugrats film to date. In 2000 a sequel, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, was released, with two new characters introduced, Kimi and Kira. Kimi would become Chuckie's sister and Kira would become his new mother, after marrying his father. While it received a positive reception, it did not gross as high as the first film. −	In 2003, Rugrats Go Wild was released. It was a crossover between the Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. It is the lowest grossing Rugrats film to date. −		 −

Comics
−	From 1998 to 2003, Nick produced a Rugrats comic strip, which was distributed through Creator's 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 '98, 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 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's 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. −		 −	Finally, Nick produced a special, 50 page comic magazine retelling of the film Rugrats In Paris, edited by Pittarese and Roman, with script by Scott Gray, pencils by Scott Roberts, and inks by Adam DeKraker. −		 −

Video games
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 * Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PlayStation)
 * Rugrats: Studio Tour (PlayStation)
 * Rugrats: Scavenger Hunt (Nintendo 64)
 * Rugrats in Paris - The Movie (Nintendo 64, Game Boy Color, PC CD Rom, PlayStation)
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica (PlayStation, Game Boy Color)
 * Rugrats: Totally Angelica Boredom Busters (PC CD Rom)
 * Rugrats: Go Wild (PC CD Rom, Game Boy Advance)
 * Rugrats: All Growed Up - Older and Bolder (PC CD Rom)
 * Rugrats: Castle Capers (Game Boy Advance)
 * Rugrats: Royal Ransom (PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube)
 * Rugrats: I Gotta Go Party (Game Boy Advance)
 * Rugrats: Time Travelers (Game Boy Color)
 * Rugrats Activity Challenge (PC CD Rom)
 * Rugrats Adventure Game (PC CD Rom)
 * Rugrats Food Fight (Mobile Phone)
 * Rugrats Munchin Land (PC CD Rom)
 * The Rugrats Movie (Game Boy Color)
 * The Rugrats Mystery Adventures (PC CD Rom)
 * Rocket Power: Team Rocket Rescue (PlayStation) (Tommy & Angelica appear as guest characters)
 * Nickelodeon Party Blast (Gamecube), Xbox (Tommy and Angelica are playable)
 * Nicktoons Racing (PlayStation, Game Boy Advance, Game Boy Color, Microsoft Windows, Arcade) (Tommy and Angelica playable)
 * Nicktoons Basketball (PC CD Rom) (Tommy appears in All Grown Up! appearance)
 * Nicktoons: Attack of the Toybots (Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Advance) (Tommy and Angelica are seen, but are not playable characters.)

Live performances
−		 −	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. Many songs were included in the play, including the theme song. The music was met with a rather mixed reception, which applause was tepid at best. However, the dancing was much better received. In addition, as soon as a character approached the stage to engage the crowd, the response from the kids was wild. Chuckie's pleas help from the audience to stop Angelica's megalomaniacal march toward world domination elicited much excitement and response. Overall, despite the criticism, the show was well received. The show had two 40-minute acts, with a 20-minute intermission (or a commercial break). −		 −

Merchandise
−		 −	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,  pens, pencils, markers, cookie jars, key rings,  action figures,  and bubblegum. −	The show also managed to spawn a popular merchandise line at Wal-Mart, K-Mart, Target, EBay, Hot Topic, JCPenney, Toys "R" Us, Mattel, Barnes & Noble and Basic Fun, just to name a few. −		 −	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. −	Rugrats made fast-food appearances as well with the most appearances being on − Burger King. Their first fast food appearance was in 1994, when the Hardee's fast food chain offered a collection of Nicktoons toys as premiums that were included with kids' meals at Hardee's. All 4 Nicktoons at that time were featured—Ren & Stimpy, Rocko’s Modern Life, Doug and Rugrats. Other food items that feature Rugrats were Fruit Snacks, Macaroni and Cheese, Bubble Gum and Campbell's Rugrats Pasta with Chicken and Broth. −		 −	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 & toothbrush, and entry blanks to subscribe to Rugrats Comic Adventures, Nick Magazine and the Kids Club. From 1998 till 2003, "Rugrats" based-products included watches and various toys.