The Anniversary Brothers TV Podcast: Rugrats 30th Anniversary

Aaron and Josh Sarnecky are here for their August TV podcast. This month the brothers are celebrating the 30th anniversary of Rugrats, the most significant show of their early childhood. Rugrats was created by Arlene Klasky, Gabor Csupo, and Paul Germain. After a successful unaired pilot, the cartoon premiered on Nickelodeon on August 11, 1991. It ran until 1994, when it went on hiatus. After two Jewish holiday specials, Rugrats returned on a regular basis in 1997. The series continued until August 1, 2004, with three theatrical films during this run. The show lived on until 2008, with two direct-to-DVD specials, four shorts entitled Preschool Daze, and the All Grown Up spinoff series focusing on the characters 10 years later. Rugrats follows the adventures of a group of toddlers with vivid imaginations. Tommy (E.G. Daily, The Powerpuff Girls) is the leader of the group while the timid and anxious Chuckie (Christine Cavanaugh, Dexter’s Laboratory) is his best friend. Accompanying the duo in most adventures are twins Phil and Lil (both voiced by Kath Soucie, Space Jam), and occasionally Tommy’s older cousin Angelica (Cheryl Chase, The Ren & Stimpy Show), who often bullies the foursome. Other characters include Tommy’s neighbor Susie (Cree Summer, Inspector Gadget), his baby brother Dil (Tara Strong, Loki), and Chuckie’s stepsister Kimi (Dionne Quan, The Fairly Oddparents). The show also includes a host of adult characters, who serve as the comedy for parents watching Rugrats with their children. Rugrats was massively popular during its time. It won four Daytime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Children’s Animated Program and at 172 episodes was the longest running Nicktoon until 2012. The show has been represented in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Aaron and Josh talk about the impact Rugrats had on their childhood, the premiere, the characters, and the show’s humor. The brothers also discuss the 2021 computer-animated reboot on Paramount+. For a podcast on another Nicktoon, you can listen to Josh and Aaron talk about Hey Arnold! Rugrats is streaming on Paramount+.