Rugrats: A Critical Analysis

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.In case you haven’t heard, TeenNick is creating a new segment on their channel called “The 90s Are All That.” It will be airing from midnight to 2am and will feature such favorites as Rugrats, Kenan & Kel, Pete & Pete, The Amanda Show, All That and Clarissa Explains It All.[i] Finally, there will be some quality programming on Nickelodeon again instead of an odd sponge who works for a crab or worse talking penguins (the only exception being The Fairly OddParents because that show rules). However, looking back on some of our beloved Nicktoons, there were some aspects of these shows that I started questioning, most of which didn’t bother me when I was younger. Most of these questions arose from watching Rugrats, which is probably the most beloved Nicktoon of our generation (although I am partial to Rocko’s Modern Life). Below are two questions I asked myself about Rugrats the second time I watched the episodes (because I did go back and watch some episodes to celebrate “The 90s Are All That”).

1.      Where did the Pickles get their money?

Seriously! Let’s put it into perspective. The Pickles’ went on many extravagant trips over the course of the series. They went to Vegas, the “Graham” Canyon (aka Grand Canyon), they rented a cabin for Christmas, and they went on many other vacations that were often just referenced, such as the anniversary cruise Stu and Didi went on where they found out Didi is pregnant with Dil. Don’t let us forget Didi Pickles’ obsession with the baby psychiatrist, Dr. Lipschitz. She bought all his books, videos, and even called his 1-900 number. I’m not going to lie, that stuff had to have been expensive (especially if you remember how much of a free loader Dr. Lipschitz was when he came to the Pickles’ house for dinner).

All right so we have that the Pickles spend a lot of money on frivolous things. But where is it coming from? We all know that Stu Pickles was a toy inventor. However, the toys he made were either horrible or dangerous. There was the failed flying hippo toy, Mr. Bop-O the inflatable clown that frightened Chuckie, and even Mr. Friend (or Mr. Fiend as the babies called him), a robotic clown that tortured the babies by never going away. Then there was the dragon at the Renaissance Faire that went haywire, and the Reptar Wagon that the babies drove into the woods and got lost (this was the first movie). Needless to say, I don’t think Stu was making bank off these inventions if they were so bad. I guess Didi was the breadwinner in the family. How they were able to fund these trips, inventions, and extravagant purchases on a part time schoolteacher salary I will never know.

2.      Why was Child Services never called on any of the parents?

Think about it! The kind of stuff that the babies would get into was downright dangerous. They would often come face to face with vicious neighbor dogs, they would sneak onto the ice during a performance of Reptar: On Ice, or somehow find themselves jumping off a diving board into the deep end of a municipal pool. Let’s not forget how these babies were able to take the Reptar Wagon, Stu’s invention (see above) and effectively get lost in the wilderness where they somehow survived despite horrific encounters with monkeys and wolves. Where were the parents during all this? Granted, often what would happen is whoever was watching the kids would always get distracted by some type of phone call or previous engagement, which needed their undivided attention. But still, anybody knows that if you are leaving toddlers in a playpen by themselves (which is cruel in its own right), you should still check on them periodically. Not after they get themselves into dangerous shenanigans! The least they could do was attempt to fix the playpen or even get a new one that was safer. Haven’t these parents heard of the baby proof gates?

Not only did they not take care of the rugrats when they were home, the parents would often leave the children in the care of someone unfit to watch the children. Didi and Stu often left Tommy and company in the care of Grandpa Lou. Grandpa always fell asleep and rarely woke up, even if a huge racket was occurring. Furthermore, this is the same Grandpa who dressed Tommy like a girl and entered him into a beauty contest to win the Kingfisher 9000 (a speedboat). Not to mention, Grandpa once had a steamy date at the house while he was supposed to be watching the children. Let’s not forget the time Grandpa told Tommy and Chuckie about Sasquatch (or Satchmo… the trumpet player?) which frightened the babies out of camping in the backyard and had them wandering around at night. Finally, there was the time that Grandpa put Tommy into a fancy old car, only to have Tommy stolen right out from under his nose! Luckily, Grandpa was able to find Tommy but not after having to search high and low for him first.

Those are my two main observations about Rugrats and the world they lived in. However, despite my questioning and observations, it doesn’t change the fact that Rugrats was a huge part of my childhood and will always have a place in my heart and it will be good to see them back on television again. Now if only they would release the seasons on DVD…