Top 10 Crazy Facts You Never Knew About Rugrats

“Rugrats” is a much darker show than you remember, at least according to one fan theory. This creepypasta claims that Angelica is the only real Rugrat and the babies she torments are all figments of her disturbed little mind. Chuckie and his mother perished in a car crash, which explains his father’s overprotective nature. Tommy was stillborn and his father copes with his grief by making toys. Angelica envisioned Phil and Lil as opposite gender twins, as she couldn’t tell if the DeVilles’ aborted fetus was male or female. This haunting theory could retroactively traumatize anyone who grew up with “Rugrats,” but thankfully, co-creator Arlene Klasky has stated for the record that it’s not true.

According to a much more lighthearted fan theory, Tommy Pickles has all the makings of a Time Lord. Much like the protagonist of “Doctor Who,” Tommy is equipped with a trusty screwdriver that’s constantly getting him out of sticky situations. He rarely goes anywhere without at least one loyal companion and the Daleks are even referenced in an ingenious Easter egg. While “Rugrats” usually stayed grounded in reality, there were a few episodes that introduced fantastical elements. Remember when the babies went to outer space? Sure, the ending of the episode suggested that it was all a dream, but maybe it’s a sign that Tommy is destined for even greater adventures aboard the TARDIS.

Where there are a few similarities between Tommy and the Doctor, Reptar and the King of Monsters have a great deal in common. From his green skin, to his towering size and tendency to destroy cities, there’s no denying that Reptar’s a parody of Godzilla. Both in the universe of the show and in real life, Reptar inspired breakfast cereals, candy bars, and other merchandise. In 2002, Toho, the Japanese film company responsible for Godzilla, reportedly sued Klasky Csupo, the creators of “Rugrats,” claiming that Reptar was a rip-off. While it’s unclear exactly how the lawsuit played out, one thing’s for certain: we won’t be getting a “Reptar on Ice” show anytime soon.

For almost thirteen years, Tommy Pickles crawled around in a diaper and blue shirt. Tommy can be seen wearing these iconic clothes in the unaired “Rugrats” pilot. At one point, however, his shirt changes from blue to orange. Tommy’s wardrobe in the first official “Rugrats” episode was also noticeably different. Throughout the story, Tommy sported a red top and a pair of blue overalls - his signature ensemble wouldn’t pop up until the show’s second episode. Since the first episode revolved around Tommy’s birthday, we can only speculate that his parents dressed him in a special outfit for the occasion. Either that or Tommy traded t-shirts with Bart Simpson somewhere down the line.

While “Rugrats” had a solid balance of male and female characters, the main voice performers were mostly women. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Cheryl Chase and Cree Summer voiced Angelica and Susie, respectively. However, many ‘90s kids were astonished to learn that Tommy was voiced by E.G. Daily. Christine Cavanaugh voiced Chuckie for several years until Nancy Cartwright inherited the role. Meanwhile, Kath Soucie provided the voices of both Lil AND Phil. Oh, and the voice behind Dil is none other than Tara Strong. When animated children go years without aging, female voice talent is often enlisted in favor of actual kid actors. After all, audiences probably would’ve noticed if Tommy’s voice dropped.

We all remember the tear-jerking episode, “Mother’s Day,” as it finally delved into what happened to Chuckie’s mom. This Emmy-nominated special was full of revelations, as it also revealed that Tommy was probably born premature. In a flashback, Tommy is seen in an incubator with Didi watching over him. Given Tommy’s thirst for adventure, it’s safe to assume that he literally couldn’t wait to get out of his mommy’s tummy and explore the outside world. Knowing Tommy’s been putting up a fight since the moment he was born, it’s no wonder that the little guy is so brave. It’s subtle moments like this that make “Rugrats” such a poignant kids show.

Where a lot of children’s programs have Christmas and Easter specials, Jewish holidays are typically overlooked. “Rugrats” was a rare show that dedicated entire episodes to Passover and Chanukah, noting that the Pickles are part Jewish. While both holiday specials received acclaim from critics and fans, the Anti-Defamation League weren’t pleased with the depictions of Boris and Minka, Tommy’s Jewish grandparents. The ADL accused these characters of resembling anti-Semitic drawings from a 1930s Nazi newspaper. Boris’ design was criticized once again when he appeared in a 1998 comic strip. What makes this especially odd is that the ADL actually praised an episode of “South Park” that took some pretty blatant, albeit satirical, shots as Judaism.

Former husband and wife Gábor Csupó and Arlene Klasky played key roles on several ‘90s cartoons, including “Duckman” and “Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.” Paul Germain notably co-created the Disney series “Recess,” as well as “Lloyd in Space.” There are two shows in particular that all three of these animation giants have in common. One of them is “Rugrats,” which Klasky, Csupó, and Germain created together. The other is “The Simpsons,” which they worked on until 1992, roughly one year after “Rugrats” premiered. Interestingly enough, it was Gyorgyi Peluce, a Klasky Csupo animator and colorist, who suggested giving the Simpsons yellow skin and Marge blue hair. On top of that, Dr. Nick’s design was modeled after Csupó.

For many years, Disney was pretty much the only US studio known for producing animated features regularly. They faced some worthy competition in 1998, however. DreamWorks not only entered the ring with their first film, “Antz,” but Nickelodeon Movies also released their first animated feature, “The Rugrats Movie.” Costing $24 million to produce, “The Rugrats Movie” exceeded box office expectations, becoming the first non-Disney animated film to gross over $100 million domestically. Going into the 21st century, animation started to saturate the movie market like never before, even to the point that the Oscars introduced a Best Animated Feature category. It’s easy to think that “The Rugrats Movie” helped pave the way for this.





Before we get to our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions:



Charlotte Pickles Was All About Technology Before It Was Cool



Grandpa Lou Had a Thing For Space Vixens



It Was the Longest-Running Nicktoon Until “SpongeBob SquarePants”

“Rugrats” is all about how babies see the world. So perhaps it’s only fitting, as well as ironic, that E. G. Daily went into labor while recording lines for Tommy. Although Daily was on the verge of giving birth, she was insistent on finishing her voiceover session. Reading her dialog in between contractions, Daily was able to complete her work for the day with enough time left over to reach the hospital where she welcomed a baby girl into the world. Daily is certainly dedicated to her craft, making her the perfect voice for Tommy, who taught us all that “a baby’s gotta do what a baby’s gotta do.”