Rugrats (1991–2003) User Reviews

Part One: The Golden Years

[Hancock_the_Superb · 8/10 · 9 July 2002]

I used to love "The Rugrats". Before they became unbearably popular. Before Dil came. Before David Doyle died. Before the movies. Before . .. you get the picture.

Why? Very simple. The initial Rugrats was a great show.

When the show premiered, in 1991, with "Tommy's First Birthday", nobody could've guess how far it would go. It had a simple premise: what life as a baby was like.

As the show began to climb, the jokes and the show itself began to become polished. The animation was horrid - but who cares? If the show's enjoyable, then I won't hate it for a single quality. Besides, the scribbles that made up the animation added to the whimisical feel of the show.

The show was, at first, intellegent, with jokes and plotlines that both kids and adults could relate to. Media references abounded. For example, in "Showdown at Teeter-Totter Gulch", a Stetson-wearing Tommy faces off against the "Junkfood Kid" (played by Nancy Cartwright), recalling "High Noon" and numerous Leone westerns. In "The Booster Shot", Chucky's doctor is named "Dr. Lecter", a reference to the flesh-eating psychiatrist from "The Silence of the Lambs". The episode with Dean (Angelica's love interest) spoofs James Dean in "Rebel Without A Cause". "The Dog Groomer" recalls "The Terminator", "The Mysterious Mr. Fiend" spoofs "Frankenstein", Dr. Lipschitz (Tony Jay) is a Sigmund Freud-esque child psychologist, and numerous others are similarly intellegent.

Also, the characters were well-developed and likeable. At this point, the dialogue was great. Not only the kids, but the adults. The adults were intellegent, had emotions, and were very realisitc. They made many of the jokes, and were interesting, rather than the no-dimensional shells they become.

The show's popularity began to grow in 1992, but it ended abruptly in 1994, when Paul Germaine left the show.

(Continued in Part Two.)

The Golden Years

[simpsonfan-35258 · 7/10 · 16 November 2016]

I used to love "The Rugrats". Before they became unbearably popular. Before Dil came. Before David Doyle died. Before the movies. Before . .. you get the picture.

Why? Very simple. The initial Rugrats was a great show.

When the show premiered, in 1991, with "Tommy's First Birthday", nobody could've guess how far it would go. It had a simple premise: what life as a baby was like.

As the show began to climb, the jokes and the show itself began to become polished. The animation was horrid - but who cares? If the show's enjoyable, then I won't hate it for a single quality. Besides, the scribbles that made up the animation added to the whimisical feel of the show.

The show was, at first, intelligent, with jokes and plot lines that both kids and adults could relate to. Media references abounded. For example, in "Showdown at Teeter-Totter Gulch", a Stetson-wearing Tommy faces off against the "Junkfood Kid" (played by Nancy Cartwright), recalling "High Noon" and numerous Leone westerns. In "The Booster Shot", Chucky's doctor is named "Dr. Lecter", a reference to the flesh-eating psychiatrist from "The Silence of the Lambs". The episode with Dean (Angelica's love interest) spoofs James Dean in "Rebel Without A Cause". "The Dog Groomer" recalls "The Terminator", "The Mysterious Mr. Fiend" spoofs "Frankenstein", Dr. Lipschitz (Tony Jay) is a Sigmund Freud-esque child psychologist, and numerous others are similarly intelligent.

Also, the characters were well-developed and likable. At this point, the dialogue was great. Not only the kids, but the adults. The adults were intelligent, had emotions, and were very realistic. They made many of the jokes, and were interesting, rather than the no-dimensional shells they become.

The show's popularity began to grow in 1992, but it was put on hiatus in 1994, when Paul Germaine left the show.

A reviewer got to do what a reviewer have to do

[fsaenz0125 · 8/10 · 24 June 2018]

Rugrats was one of those cartoons I grew up watching as a kid. Before SpongeBob, Nickelodeon had this show which last for 14 years and it was successful. It was one of the original Nicktoons to be produced. The series follow a group of babies going on adventures by themselves without their parents knowing. As a show itself, its not perfect. I loved the earlier seasons the most especially before the 1998 movie. Come season 6, the quality did became lesser, but it was still good. Seasons 7-9, however, are really boring to watch, since there's recycled stories, and uninspiring writing. It can get repetitive in general, in which most of it have to involved the babies doing something, Angelica try to stop whatever they're doing, etc. Animation wise, it is trippy and art style is unique at the time that it was never on-model. Writing was at its peak during seasons 2-3. Early episodes have its bump, but still had its charm. Seasons 4-6 while weaker in writing still had its Rugrats feel for the most part., even if the latter does become to feel tired. Once you get to the post-Paris movie seasons, the writing fell apart and you'll be disinterested for 70% of the time. The characters are likable for the most part unless we're talking about Angelica and maybe her parents. Voice acting can be obnoxious at times, but they still pull it off during emotional moments. IMO, it's still one of Klasky Csupo's magnum opus. I only recommend seasons 1-6 though and the first movies are classic (avoid the crossover movie with The Wild Thornberrys).

Classic Rugrats Ruled!

[Ginger87 · 10/10 · 13 May 2005]

"Rugrats" was one of my favorite shows when I was little. I watched it when it premiered back in 1991 when I was four with the other two original Nicktoons, "Doug" and "Ren and Stimpy". I watched all three shows but "Rugrats" was my favorite of the three.

The original 65 episodes where classics. They featured real adventures shown from a baby's point of view. My favorite characters were Phil and Lil, they were funny, and Angelica. My favorite episodes of the original 65 were "Together At Last", "Pickles vs. Pickles", "Passover", and "Slumber Party". Even though all of the original episodes were great.

After airing for three years "Rugrats" was canceled. It was during the three year hiatus where "Rugrats" hit its peak. After popular demand the creators decided to bring "Rugrats" back with new writers starting with holiday specials like "Chanukah" and "Mother's Day". The 97' episodes were good but not as good as the original. My favorites from these seasons were: "Baby Maybe", "Johnathon Babysits", and "Autumn Leaves".

Things soon changed in 98' with a feature movie bringing the arrival of Tommy's new baby brother Dil. The movie was good, however, the episodes that followed staring Dil were not. "Rugrats" turned from a show following the adventures of babies to a show about babies babysitting a younger baby. Every episode now followed Dil. If the babies tried to go on an adventure Dil would always ruin it. There were, however, a few good episodes here and there in the Dil season. (two of my favorites being "No Naps" and "Music"). The other episodes were basically about the babies getting abused by Dil.

And just when you think things couldn't get any worse they did in 2001 with the arrival of three new characters. The "Rugrats" second feature movie "Rugrats in Paris" debuted in theaters in the fall of 2000. I loved the movie and I thought it was better than the first. The episodes that followed however were really, really, really bad. The series went from a show evolving around the Pickles to evolving around the Finsters. Kimi, Chuckie's new step-sister, is a female Tommy.(Why do we need another Tommy?) Kira, Chuckie's new step-mother is just plain annoying. Lulu, Granpa's new wife is just pointless. Why did Grandpa have to move out? Didn't he already try to move out back in 1993 and moved back in because he realized that his grand kids needed him? All episodes featuring the new characters were dull. The babies no longer went on adventures. Instead they just followed Kimi's imagination. The only decent episodes in the Kimi seasons are "The Perfect Twins" and "Pre-school Daze". And that is because these episodes barely feature Kimi and her imagination at all.

In conclusion if you want to watch a good show, watch the original 65 episodes or at least the Pre-Dil episodes. You can still catch the original 65 episodes on Nick's new T.V. station Nicktoons.

*Ratings* Classics Rugrats(91-94) - 10/10, Pre-Dil(97-98) - 9.5/10, Dil Seasons- 3/10, Kimi Seasons- 1/10

Better then the big screen movies

[gw89 · 10/10 · 6 April 2002]

This direct to video movie came before the Rugrats Movie and is better then both big screen movies. Its about the babies going to Vegas for a vaction.The action takes place at a magic show a casnio and breifly at an amusement park. Very good, they should have legthened it about 20 minutes and had be a big screen movie instead of the first movie they made

It used to be good, but now...

[David, Film Freak · 13 January 2002]

This show started out good, fresh and funny - with a simple premise. What life looks like through the eyes of a baby.

It had good material and fine animation,, but completely lost the plot with it's 1997 return and the two feature films.

Once upon a time I liked Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil and Anjelica, but with the new voices, and characters, I couldn't care less.

Rugrats Started Out On Top Of The Mountain; Ended Up In The Ditch...

[markbuehrlelvi · 7/10 · 19 May 2010]

When Rugrats hit the scene, I instantly loved it. I was 7 years old when the first episodes aired, and it was a great show. I couldn't get enough of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil & Angelica. It was great and had lots of good episodes. Then something terrible happened. For no apparent reason whatsoever, the creators decided it would be a good idea to give Tommy a brother and make a movie. What a horrible decision. Dill added NOTHING to the plot of the show except being ridiculously annoying and ruining all of the flow of the main characters. Also around this time, the writers decided they needed to take the more adult-type themes out of the show entirely and make this show as if it should be shown on Nick Jr. instead of Nickelodeon. I will never understand why they changed the show so dramatically towards their extremely younger demographic group. Rugrats had plenty of older kids and even teenagers and some adults watching regularly. Why pander to your youngest viewers who would watch the TV no matter what show was on? They lost me when they added Dill. However, I did view the show after the 2nd movie because my mom had in-home daycare and they would be watching it. The character of Chuckie's step sister was even worse than Dill. That series of episodes was even more unwatchable than the ones with just Dill. I was just saddened watching that and seeing how downhill Rugrats had fallen. It's a shame that Nickelodeon and their creative writers, did this to basically every show that was good in the early 90's. Am I right? Look at what happened to their best shows, they were either canceled or changed so dramatically that they no longer resembled that great show you once loved. Doug was sold to Disney and turned into crap. Hey Dude was canceled in it's prime. Rocko's Modern Life was given the boot for no reason. Angry Beavers was given the axe because of a disagreement with the creators wanting to keep the show the funny. Nickelodeon from 1990-1995 was great, then it just fell apart and we got stuck with a bunch of garbage mostly after that that has never recovered into anything watchable. I DVR Rugrats every night at 5:00 and 5:30 AM. Sometimes they are the original episodes and I love watching them now. Other times they are the newer ones and those just suck and I immediately delete those.

Cute, well written and funny

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 21 October 2009]

I will admit there was a time when I didn't like the Rugrats that much, but now along with Wild Thornberrys it is one of my favourite shows on Nicolodean. I initially thought it was childish and not my cup of tea. How wrong I was. It manages to be both cute and funny at the same time. It is one of the shows out there that I love more than I did in childhood.

The animation is crisp and colourful, with lovely backgrounds and the character animation isn't bad at all. The episode ideas are very unique, and the show is well written and has a number of genuinely funny moments. It also succeeds in conveying good messages and family and friendship values, without preaching.

The theme tune is I suppose like Marmite, you love it or hate it. Personally I love it. It is great, memorable and reasonably catchy. The characters, without being sickly sweet, are engaging. My favourite is Angelica, although bossy and obnoxious, she is also funny and you do kind of warm to her.

And what a great voice cast. Christine Cavanaugh is the standout as Chuckie, but Tara Strong(aka Charendoff), Elizabeth Daily and Kath Soucie also bring out solid supporting turns. It is true, the show did decline in quality in the later seasons, my only criticism here.

As for the movies, I enjoyed all of them, though I will say my favourite was Rugrats In Paris. I am really sorry I misjudged this show, and it took me so long to realise that. I give it a solid 8.5/10 Bethany Cox

A great show at first. Then it became nothing but a cash cow to Nickelodeon.

[segabeat · 7/10 · 3 March 2007]

Rugrats is most likely a favorite show for children during the 90's. And who can blame them? This was one of the first "Nicktoons" made and one of the most creative and well-written ones too.

Debuting in 1991, this show had a bit of a slow start, featuring low quality animation, quiet voice acting, simple plots, and so on. Yet this show had quite a charm to get people an idea on how babies that talk to each other live in their lives. The characters were well made, with the cast featuring Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil, and Angelica as "the kids." Then we have their parents, which are also well made and humorous for both kids and adults. Some of the episodes have 2 story lines, one lead by the babies and one led by the adults, and they are created in such a great twist.

Due to the shows increasing audience, Rugrats was picked up for a few more seasons, featuring better animation and better jokes. Many of the episodes were so enjoyable with the mishaps and humorous references that appeared. But then Rugrats got canceled in 1994 by Nickelodeon. It was probably canceled in favor of AHH! Real Monsters that was released by the same production company that gave us Rugrats. However, re-runs stayed on the channel and gave the network high ratings. So the show was brought back to life in 1997.

But when it was brought back, disasters would follow...

The first disaster was when the show was brought back, some of the writers from the first series never returned for the revival. This made a huge difference on how the writing of the future episodes turned out. Now the episodes made featured more gross-out humor and lamer dialog then before.

The second disaster was when David Doyle, the voice of Grandpa Lou, died in 1997. So they hired a replacement, Joe Alaskey. While his voice is okay, it just was not the same, in terms of vocal tone and delivery, as what David brought to Grandpa.

The third disaster was what gave the Rugrats franchise a fatal wound. They released a movie in 1998, introducing one of the most annoying and stupid characters on the show, Dil, Tommy's new brother. While creating a new character is not a terrible idea, Dil ruined the future episodes of Rugrats. All he did is cry, wail, ABUSE the babies, and drool. What's worse is that the babies always take him on their mishaps and adventures, with Dil ruining them by ether getting lost or causing havoc for others. He also took the already gross humor the show was getting to a whole new level.

Then, with Nickelodeon not getting the message, they released another movie for 2000, introducing another character, Kimi, the daughter of Chuckie's new stepmother. The addition of this character is not bad, but not really good ether. She's basically a generic, one dimensional baby that doesn't add much personality for the babies' adventures, but at least she's not as horrible as Dil. Oh, and Spike, the dog that belongs to the Pickles, gets a random girlfriend dog too, Fifi, who also doesn't add much to the show.

After all this, the show basically got more lamer and more uncreative. The last disaster occurred in 2001, the 10 year anniversary of the show. We get a one-hour episode featuring the babies 10 years older, which would later spawn into a side-series in 2003 called "All Grown Up". It's not a terrible concept in of itself, but this episode changed everything about the Rugrats we didn't know before. All the babies now act like wanna-be teenagers. After this, the voice actress of Chuckie, Christine Cavanaugh, retires. I'll respect her for the retirement, but the replacement voice for Chuckie is inexcusable and not how he used to be. Then we saw more movies being made that didn't do much good ether.

Rugrats FINALLY ceased production in 2003, but a couple remaining episodes would air in a year or 2. Finally, no more of this nightmare of a show. But Nickelodeon was SUPPOSED to have left it alone after it was canceled the first time back in 1994. Bringing The Rugrats back has done anything positive for the show's legacy. Towards the end, many people considered it one of the worst shows airing on any children's network channel.

If you are looking for a great, entertaining children's show that adults could also enjoy with their kids, watch the first three seasons of Rugrats (made between 1991-1994). They were the best. If possible, avoid the seasons featuring Dil and Kimi. Nickelodeon cared about quality back in the early 90's when they started making their own shows. But today, they don't.

Part Two: Post-1994

[Hancock_the_Superb · 8/10 · 9 July 2002]

Post-1994

. . .

In 1997, at fans' urgings, Klasky-Csupo, with a more complex soundtrack and somewhat better looking animation, brought back Rugrats after a three-year hiatus.

Though not as classic as the old show, it still managed to maintain some of the charm and energy of the original series. A few of the better episodes which somewhat harkened back to the older series, including "Radio Daze", a spoof of the old Dick Tracy radio shows, and such typically whimsical episodes as "Send in the Clouds" and "Dust Bunnies". All episodes were enjoyable; even "The Family Tree", the set-up for the first Rugrats movie, was decent. In 1998, however, two tragedies befell the rugrats, sending them into a void from which they would never emerge.

First, the brilliant voice of Grandpa Lou, David Doyle, died. For fans of the actor or of his character, his last episode on the show, "Lady Luck", while hardly classic, should be cherished as his magnum opus. This left a void in the show which could never be completely fufilled. The replacement, Joe Alasky, tries hard but sounds more like he's drunk and suffocating than the much older Doyle did. Even the relatively annoying Alasky nonetheless held the show together well enough. But even he couldn't save the show from the next catastrophie.

Personally, I felt Rugrats was FINE. Most fans found it FINE. Even kids did. The show's creators should've stopped while they had a modicum of respectablity and originality left, in 1998. But:

At the end of the two-part "Family Tree", Didi reveals to Stu that's she's pregnant. Oh boy. Well, this still isn't necessarily a bad thing; it can be saved. If they could make an at least interesting new character, than perhaps the show's existance could be prolonged for the better.

But, in the at-best mediocre "The Rugrats Movie", we're introduced to Dylan Prescot (Dill) Pickles. Hah hah, great joke. We get it, not funny, boo.

But what's even worse is that Dill is a screaming piece of crap. Literally. He's there simply to be cute (which he's not) and to make poop jokes (hah hah!). He abuses the other rugrats (especially brother Tommy), walks around in a surrealistic walker (the "Kangaroo", or something equally absurd), poops himself, and says stupid baby talk. Now the babies are forced to babysit Dill. Whoo, what fun!

But even worse is that the adult characters are dumbed down. In the 1991-1994 - and, to a lesser extent, from '97-98 - they were humans. They had real concerns. They acted realistically. Well, they were a bit negligent, but they weren't too contrived. They are instead reduced to spouting stupid one-liners and observations. Their previous portrayal provide the framework, but not the characters, of the adults. Their characterization in these later seasons simply plays upon the cliches established in the earlier episodes ('97-98 included).

In "Still Babies After All These Years", creator Gabor Csupo claimed that they invented Dill so that there would be someone even "less evolved than the other rugrats". Yeah, right. Those of us over the age of seven or who have IQs higher than -10 can see that you were just doing this for money. Make the show run on and on. Get dumber characters and plot lines. Milk that cow as much as you can.

By 1999, however, Klasky-Csupo had, shockingly, already gotten tired of Dill. So, they made "Rugrats In Paris".

Personally, I find nothing wrong with the film itself - it had a good plot, funny jokes (especially the "Godfather" references), and a great voice cast. Well, actually, yes, I do:

Grandpa Lou got married; Lulu (oh, match up similar names, whoohoo, funny!) is the wife's name. Now, Chaz gets married, too. Kira, the mother, and Kimi, the daughter, two typically PC Japanese characters, join the family. Oh, and there's a dumb dog. Spike, the dog, falls in love with Kira and Kimi's dumb dog and it's just stupid.

What little respectability the Rugrats had maintained following Dill's addition (not much at all, with "Submarine" being the only episode that was even tolerable - ruined, of course, by Dill) was gone. Now, the cash hogs at Nick are caving into to the stupid kids' demands. Why does the majority have to be stupid?

So, Rugrats just barrels on into oblivion. It is doomed to implode in on itself, like the dreams of Ms. Bitters. There may be more movies, and the series shows no signs of stopping. Rugrats was inducted onto the Hollywood Walk-Of-Fame - I don't know whether to be happy or sad.

And then, in July 2001, a last-ditch effort to save Rugrats occured. The grand redoubting of the tyrant Klasky-Csupo - which has destroyed such great shows as "Aah! Real Monsters!" (actually one of their own), "Rocko's Modern Life", and now, "Invader Zim"(!), brings us: teenage rugrats! Lame, lame, LAME! That's all I have to say. The only thing different is that the babies interact with the adults. Whoo-hoo.

So here Rugrats is: from great show to money-starved pig. Enough said.

That's a Baby show

[ThunderKing6 · 6/10 · 11 January 2021]

Umm...I'm back again with another unpopular opinion. I'm not chump so I'm going to say it anyways.

Rugrats was a good show. It was just badly annoying.

Rugrats was about babies exploring the world and getting into mischief that could potentially result in them dying or going into an orphanage and developing serious mental issues due to parental neglect.

Rugrats does have good memorable episodes and characters.

* Tommy was the annoying leader who purposely got his baby friends into danger

* Chucky was the adorable, funny, fearful red head he can be annoying towards the other babies when it comes to doing dangerous tasks.

* The twins were annoying. DOUBLE the annoying. They were voiced by Bart Simpson actress.

* Angelica....jeeeeeeeeez she was a spoiled annoying brat. The first annoying cartoon character of all time.

* The worthless mutt was annoyingly ugly.

* The grandpa was a chilled, sleeper, enthused, Shriner who tends to fall asleep when babysitting.

* The only main child character that had sense was the ebony girl named Susie. She was loyal, nice and had manners.

* The parents were your typical grown ups who were oblivious to their babies behaviours and many were incompetent and reckless. The only parent with heart was Chucky's dad. His wife died. The show didn't talk about it much until he found an Asian lady to marry.

Rugrats is a Nickelodeon classic. If it were not for Rugrats Nickelodeon would be nothing. The baby voice work were sometimes adorable. Voice work in general were great and memorable. Stories were annoying because each story was about the babies getting in danger.. Many times the parents didn't know. Animation was the classic 2D Nickelodeon kind. The theme song is soothing and the theme intro is a classic.

Verdict: I prefer Rugatz grown up. Many don't like it because it ruins their childhood. how does a TV show reboot ruin someones childhood???? i have no idea.

Original Rugatz is a 5.5 at best. I don't hate the show. I just don't like it as much compared to Arnold or Yogi Bear..

My childhood!

[snperera · 9/10 · 8 February 2017]

Oh my gosh!! This show was sooo great and is still so great to this day!! I love this show so much! Not only because it was part of my childhood but because it is a very smart and sweet show! Tommy and Chuckie and Susie and all of the Rugrats are iconic characters because the characters on this show are so likable and sweet. You fall in love with Tommy and you love how good of a heart he has. I think that's why the show was so popular because the characters in this show have such heart and you fall in love with all of them. Even the enemy Angelica is such a great character because u really hate her and love her at the same time and u can see that she does have a heart deep down. I will always loove this show!!

lets morph! ...not

[angie_23 · 5/10 · 6 July 2006]

OK. Rugrats WAS an awesome show. They had good plot lines but the show was on t.v. too long. They ruined the reputation they previously had by allowing Nick to take over. Rugrats "all growed up" was an okay movie and a cheap excuse for a television show. I remember as a child running through the door, and grabbing the remote so that i could turn on my favourite show. Then it started to get ridiculous. The simple plot lines where babies outsmart adults morphed into plot lines where they, forced their parents to get married (or not get married), grew up and started dating, and i can't say what else because i found it too pathetic to watch. Nick took a great show and decided that it needed a larger audience (which was totally wrong). They polled people and decided that teens like watching shows about other teens (which is true) and they decided to lose the audience they had and gain a very,very,very small audience. I give the old rug rats a 10 out of 10 and the new rug rats a 0 out of 10 i vote a happy medium with a five out of ten. Good luck to the rest of you forced to watch the pathetic new episodes.

Was My #2 Favorite Show On Nickelodeon

[dee.reid · 17 July 2001]

Rugrats is about a group of babies named Tommy Pickles who is the fearless leader of the group, Chucky Finster, the scaredy cat of the bunch, and a group of bickering twins named Phil and Lil. No show is complete without a nemesis, in this case it's Tommy's older cousin, Angelica who is also a spoiled brat.

I used to enjoy watching this show all the time. It's very entertaining and the stories for the cartoons were creative.

I would like to emphasize on "was my #2 show on Nickelodeon". I say that because the show, for a time was very good and entertaining and then Nick started putting out the newer episodes. Then there was the addition of Tommy's new baby brother, Dil who is now the most annoying character on the show. A lot of the humor is gone now, too. I mean most of the humor now is just stupid toilet humor or worn-out humor from the old shows. The show has since then, lost a lot of it's impact. Now the new shows are just retarded. The stories and plots now have the babies making a lot stupid decisions and getting into some pretty idiotic situations.

I give Rugrats a 10/10 for the old episodes and 1/10 for the new episodes.

A crowning jewel of Nickelodeon which somehow ended leaving a bad taste in everyones' mouths

[enigma_meets_reality · 8/10 · 23 February 2008]

Though stating the obvious, I think it is safe to say the Rugrats was a giant among 90's children's television. Compared to the sickeningly sanitised animated programming of today (except for maybe Spongebob), Nickelodeon was at its ultimate creative peak from the early to mid 90's. Despite the slightly low-budget animation and sketchy production standards, the originality of the likes of Rugrats, Rocko's Modern Life, Doug, Real Monsters and Ren and Stimpy were simply unparallelled.

Rugrats was my absolute favourite cartoon, growing up as a child. The versatile characters, the witty dialogues, the simple but compelling story lines and the subtle cultural references made for a remarkable show. The world viewed in the eyes of babies and toddlers was a fascinating insight into early childhood. The babies represented universal character 'types' which a lot of young kids can identify with. Tommy, the brave leader; Chuckie, the chronically scared one; Angelica, the quintessential spoilt child; and Phil and Lil, the twins with their similarities and implicit differences.

Much of the original run of the early 90's brought out all these qualities. Episodes which can be viewed over and over again! The show was given a second birth in 1997. This time with considerably enhanced animation standards and a crisper musical score. The episodes, while lacking a bit of spark of the early 90's era, maintained my interest considerably. All was good.

By this time, Rugrats had become a major franchise with an international following. It always seemed like a natural progression to produce a Rugrats 'movie'. Such happened in late 1998. The results were stellar--an all star cast, top notch animation and a crazy, funny and emotional plot. Most notably was the introduction of Dil Pickles, Tommy's new baby brother.

The following new episodes, however, proved much different. The episodes were visibly watered down, relying on gross out, toilet humour and contrived plots. Dil served as nothing but a device for viewer annoyance and disgust. Nonetheless, the stupidity was largely watchable, as it didn't really require much thought.

A second movie was subsequently made, called Rugrats In Paris, in late-2000. Again, this was a triumph much like its predecessor. Tragically this next era marked the beginning of the end for the Rugrats. Yet more new faces were introduced--Kira and Kimi, step mother and step sister of Chuckie. While neither character was as horrible as Dil, they were about as interesting as cardboard cutouts, adding zero relevance to the show. What stuck out the most was the dramatic decline in the show's quality. Each episode became worse than the next, with one-dimensional and predictable plots and a drastic makeover of all major characters. They had been reduced to farcical caricatures of once vintage personalities. Basically, if you had seen one episode, you'd seen them all!! Along with this sad train wreck came new voice overs for Grandpa and Chuckie, the contemptible babysitter character Taffy and a couple of horrendous spin offs. The latter mainly focused on the lifeless All Grown Up as well as the short-lived Pre-School Daze which is up there with some of Nickelodeon's worst material.

It's sort of hard to sum up Rugrats. Its legacy is one that was tarnished towards the end, but the sheer strength of its early days more than compensates for it shortcomings. The cartoon is easily up there with the greatest, because of that.

Good show

[Catherine_Grace_Zeh · 9/10 · 4 May 2006]

I used to watch this show when I was growing up. When I think about it, I remember it very well. If you ask me, it was a good show. Two things I especially remember very well are the opening sequence and theme song. In addition to that, everyone was ideally cast. Also, the writing was very strong. The performances were top-grade, too. If you ask me, every main character was really cute. However, Angelica (voice of Cheryl Chase) was a pure bully and brat most of the time. I hope some network brings the show back so I can see every episode. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that I'll always remember this show in my memory forever, even though I'm not sure if I've seen every episode. Now, in conclusion, if some network ever brings it back, I hope that you catch it one day before it goes off the air for good.

So what do babies get up to when there alone?

[Angelus2 · 10/10 · 16 November 2008]

The cartoon follows the lives of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil and Lil as they try to explore the world outside there 'baby prison'....

The show was very clever how it examined the big wide world through the eyes of a baby and made everything seem so big and scary; the show also had memorable characters like Anjelica who was constantly scheming to break the babies bond...Chuckie was my favourite, who was terrified of everything but really had a lot of courage.

I loved how the show used the parents as secondary characters who never really knew what was happening...A great 90's cartoon. The show 'All grown up' isn't as good as this show and fails to bring in the audience and the sense of adventure rugrats had...But Rugrats alone is a great cartoon for the ages.

A Classic

[mystic_girl_7 · 10/10 · 22 January 2008]

To those who remember the classic Rugrats (pre Dil), wasn't watching it one of the greater times of the day? I grew up on that show, it was the very first cartoon I watched and loved. The characters are fun, they get into adventures, and they do this all behind their parents backs;) I loved coming home from school and watching this classic! Then, Dil comes. Personally, I don't like him that much, because he ruined some of the Rugrats adventures, but I still thought Rugrats was great. Kimi was okay, I really don't have a problem with her. She doesn't need to try and be Tommy, however. I miss the classic Rugrats and it's a great show for people of all ages. If only they showed it more...

Do Anybody Know Where I Can Find This on Video or DVD?

[bblack1-699-968577 · 8/10 · 30 June 2014]

Hello children, men children, and women children alike; it's time to review productions brought to us by Nickelodeon, the first kids' network! Let's begin right by talking about one of Nickelodeon's hottest shows ever, "Rugrats!" If you don't know what this show was about, you should be ashamed of yourself; but I'll fill you in, anyway. The show features a group of babies and a couple of preschoolers who engage themselves in chaos and adventures. This band of toddlers includes Tommy, the brave leader, his younger brother Dil, who can't speak yet; Chuckie, the scared one, his adventure-loving sister Kimi; twins Phil and Lil, the disgusting ones; Angelica, the 3-year-old trouble-maker; and Susie, 3-year-old the level-headed smart one.

Before we get to the good stuff, let's quickly go over the bad/not-so-good stuff. First of all, the continuity. At the beginning of the series, Tommy, Phil, and Lil are 1, Chuckie is 2, and Susie and Angelica are 3. How did they wind up going back to being 0, 1, and 2 before the end of the series? Secondly, a lot of people say that the later episodes are bad. While I won't say they're bad, I don't think they're as good as some of the episodes earlier in the series. They're good, they're fun; but they didn't have as much focus or thought as the earlier episodes did. Finally...the parents. The parents on this show are horrible. It's ironic because they're not designed to be awful parents like the parents of "Family Guy" or "The Fairly Oddparents;" we're not supposed to ask why in the world these people are parents. They're good, decent, honest human beings who we all can identify with. They're every day people just like us. But...do they ever watch their kids? Ever?! No, wait, I take that back; if the main characters were kids, the parents would be awful. But no. Our main characters are BABIES!!! For all the problems and adventures the parents let their kids get into, I'm surprised the babies haven't died yet! Of course, no parent is perfect, but how many crazy adventures on this show have Stu, Didi, and the rest of the parents allowed their kids to get into - and that's not even mentioning the movies!! Good grief, said Charlie Brown, these people need to be reported!

Now let's get to the good stuff! There are way too many good things about this show, and I'm sure I won't mention all of them. I'll try to talk about as many as I can, though. First of all, these characters are great! I love them! Again, they're all identifiable, they're funny, and they're memorable. I don't know how people generally feel about Kimi, but I enjoy her. She's fun, she's adventurous, but she still seems to bring something new. Chuckie has to learn to adapt to change and think of someone other than himself. I also love Susie. She is a fantastic role model. She's smart, kind, and caring, but she's not perfect. She still learns and grows. I've got to say, though, my favorite character is probably Phil! Why? Because he's funny as crud! I love the quick remarks he makes to everything!

TOMMY: Uh, guys, do bushes have feet? PHIL: I don't think so. I didn't even know babies grew on trees.

He is cool!

Some of my favorite episodes, much like a lot of other people, are the holiday episodes. This show really captures the essence and heart of the holidays they celebrate! You understand the importance of the holiday, the reason they're so important to people, and you understand what the holidays are about; whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Mothers' Day, etc. I also love the episodes where the babies learn something about life. One of my favorite episodes is probably the classic Mothers' Day episode, where Chuckie learned about his late mother. That was such a wonderful, classy way to handle a subject matter like that, and it worked really well! It was a gem!

I'm surprised how quickly "Rugrats" left after the series ended. This was Nickelodeon's most successful show until "SpongeBob" surpassed its greatness. I really like this show. It was smart, clever, and a lot of fun. I'm glad it's playing on TeeNick's "'90s are All That," otherwise I'd only have the 3 movies and 2 video tapes I have of the show...Though, does anybody know where I can find this on video or DVD? If you do, let me know and then go get a copy for yourself; you'll love it! God bless you, and much love! BOOYIKA!

Garbage! Golden Years or Not!

[ian-1211 · 2/10 · 3 November 2006]

Some people say this show was good in it's early years! I disagree with all of 'em. The show is just plain stupid and pathetic. My mum hates it, I hate it, my dad hates it, I don't know about my sister but oh well. Here some reasons why:

1. THE CHARACTERS: Babies being used as grown up style characters are stupid. The babies are just precocious and annoying. The grown ups and adults are dumb and unappealing. The worst character is that Angelica Pickles (she really does it in for your ear drums when you had a long, hard and miserable day at the office) and also that Kimi Finster who appears later on; she is too over optimistic and a pain in the butt. She can't decided whither she is French or Japanese: it doesn't matter know; you are a American Citizen know and that's that! Oh, what am I talking about, all the characters from this show suck!

2. THE STORIES: The stories are unoriginal and dumb. The make it like the babies go off on a great adventure, yeah to the back yard shed. In one episode, that little goofy brat, Tommy Pickles the Leader broke in to a television's control room and literally almost destroyed it. Don't give kids any idea to smash up normal T.V Station's control rooms (they pay a awful lot of money for them in real life). I can imagine what the broadcasters must of felt like airing this episode, they will probably start staring at their machines throughout the day scared that a baby will brake in. Sad!

3. OVER RATED!: The show has been dragging on for years now and people are still making up stories and new series and spin-offs for this. Get off! The Simpsons have been going for nearly the same amount of time as this but they are much better and funnier than babies. The show is just plain over rated! People, where is your common sense!

Anyway, I surprised T.V Stations across the world want to air this series even off today. The show is utter junk and should have never been produced. The two movies for this cartoons sucked just the same! 2/10

Cute, Intelligent & Funny.

[Cylex · 27 October 2001]

Rugrats is one of my favourite cartoons. It has something for everyone. There are cute babies (Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil, Kimi & Dil), one terrible toddler (Angelica - She's the best!), one lovable & loyal hound (Spike), one kind hearted kid (Susie) and several entertaining adults. Stu & Drew's sibling rivalry is well depicted. The characters are diverse and have different backgrounds & life styles. I like spotting the film references and seeing the world as we know it turned on its head. The show contains plenty of wit and it has jokes for all age groups. (I'm 23.) It has a good theme tune and a quirky look that has developed over time. A classic. 8/10

Great for children! Should survive the inclemency of time.

[insomniac_rod · 9/10 · 25 December 2009]

I remember this show with nostalgia and mainly because when I watched it, I was an 8 year old kid who was past the "baby" era in life.

That's why I found it very enjoyable and reminded me that as a baby you are full aware of reality but you transform it to a fantasy world where you make tons of friends, live adventures of all kinds, and best of all, keep a secret pact from adults.

The adventures were very inventive and the show got better every season. The animation was tender and easy for the eye while the music was a key factor for getting hooked.

I can't really say when was the last time I watched an episode of "Rugrats"; maybe on 1993 or 1994 but I remember it as an important influence as a cartoon for my life.

My kids will definitely watch this.

a babies gotta do, what babies gotta do.

[michellecampbell246 · 8/10 · 25 September 2013]

The earlier half of the show was in a word, Amazing. I absolutely adored this show and literally watched it everyday! Phil & Lil were absolutely hilarious and incredibly gross, which was what every kid wanted to see in the '90s! Let's not forget that we used to play outside and I don't think there is a child who can honestly say they did Not pick their nose while they were still in diapers! It's just what small children do from time to time, as disgusting as that is. Chuckie was the most anxiety ridden toddler ever known to grace television; he was "The Big Bang Theory"'s "Sheldon" as a baby. You wanted to pick on him & stand up for him all at the same time. Angelica, well, Angelica was just the kid you wanted to kick in the teeth and let the mean babysitter deal with. But Tommy was the coolest baby that every kid wanted to be. He was brave, daring, and pretty cut-edge for a 'rugrat.' (pun very intended.) I can't forget Spike though, he was most children's dream dog! He played with the babies & saved their diapered tooshies from trouble a time or two. However, after Dill was born & characters voices changed, it was just not worth watching. Everything changed from the voices to the adventures. It became almost more about protecting & playing with Dill than it was about the original Rugrats. If they were to re-air this show, the Original half of the show, I would gladly let my daughter watch it as much as she pleased! Unfortunately, she will be growing up simply on old VHS tapes & some DVDs because I'm not filling her beautiful mind with the atrocious trash that is on Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network today.

Classic Show

[nicktoonsrox · 10/10 · 5 June 2008]

This show is a Nickelodeon classic.One of the first Nicktoons,Rugrats brought a baby's view on life come to life.It had a solid theme song,great cast,and funny plots each and every episode.I could remember turning on the television and watching this show all the time.I wish they never grew up because now there teenagers on the show Rugrats:All Grown Up.But I've heard rumors saying that there is going to be a channel called Nick Rewind showing old Nick shows such as Rugrats!I really hope this is true!!!Anyways if you're looking to watch a classic cartoon,then tune in to Nicktoons Network early in the morning to view.It's a shame they don't show the Rugrats very often anymore because there are a lot of dumb shows on that aren't worth watching one second of.

Greatest animated show ever!!

[nursewratchet_romanorn · 10/10 · 28 September 2012]

Yes the greatest ever-even better than the Simpsons. Rugrats managed to do everything that the Simpsons did, without being rude, vulgar, and obnoxious. Well OK, Angelica was obnoxious. Anyway-The best part of the show, was how accurate every character type was portrayed. You had the super intelligent Tommy, the I am not sure, I am scared of everything Chucky, The spoiled brat cousin Angelica, the I can do anything as good as you Susie, and the bro and sis twins who argued about absolutely everything-Phil and LIl. And then there were the parents and Grandparents. The workaholic, power suit wearing, I am always in charge-Angelica's mom, coupled with Drew(Tommy's uncle)-The yes dear, whatever you say, and I am always right older brother to Tommy's dad Stu. Stu the stay at home dad wannabe inventor, and his wife who always seemed to keep everything together, no matter how bad it got-Didi. Chucky's dad the paper pusher accountant type-who was also never sure about anything(his wife left them in the first season, then later had died). Phil and Lil's parents- The role switching large sized crack the whip type mom, and the mealy mouthed yes dear husband-Howard(who always seemed to have a lot of laundry to do). And last but not least-the granddad(drew and Stu's dad) who lived with Tommy, and my favorite characters-Boris and Minka(from the old country)- Tommy's other Grandparents. As far as I could tell, all the main characters were Jewish, which clearly led to the charm of the show. Another great part, was that the writers always threw in a couple of jokes that only adult viewers would get. So you as the parent would always want to watch, if for nothing else than to see what jokes they would have that day. To this day, my wife and I both use references from Rugrats episodes on a regular basis. Similar to MASH, the baby characters would mispronounce words, that would be a play on that word to give it more than one meaning. My oldest child grew up watching the show, and I think it actually helped her quite a bit. Every funny family subject was covered-especially holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Passover and Chanukah. There were several Stu invention shows, shows where the babies got lost(mostly because Grandpa fell asleep), and even a 4 part episode about Reptar(their version of Godzilla). If I had to pick one show to watch for the rest of my life-Rugrats would be right up there with MASH and Bonanza, and maybe Star Trek TNG. Can't recommend it highly enough. Tons and tons of great life lessons disguised as a kids' show. And all done in the best light hearted manner possible. Glad they have the reruns on again on late night Nick. At times the show is so funny you cannot take your eyes off it!! IT is the kind of old school humor that doesn't exist anymore!!