Top 20 Funniest Nickelodeon TV Running Gags
#20: Bird Brain’s Henchmen “T.U.F.F. Puppy” (2010-15)
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It’s so hard to find good help these days, and nobody knows this better than Bird Brain. Almost every episode he stars in sees him at his wit’s end, what with his vast number of incompetent henchmen. A day working with these lackeys turns into a “Who’s on First?” thanks to their weird names or one-word responses causing confusion among the ranks. Arguably the biggest offenders are Owl and Bat who can only say “Who” or “Where”. While the misunderstandings are funny for us, it’s driving poor Bird Brain up the wall; it’s almost as bad as him not being able to fly. Still, maybe he shouldn’t put “weird name” as a requirement on his applications.
#19: “I Hate My Life” “Rocko’s Modern Life” (1993-96)
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You think your life is bad? Well, it could be worse… you could be Ed Bighead, a miserable old toad who hates his neighbor and is constantly belittled by his coworkers. Above all else, he’s often subjected to painful, humiliating punishments - mostly as a result of karma catching up to him. Whenever he’s knocked down a few pegs, Ed vocalizes his misery by simply muttering “I hate my life”. We should feel bad for Mr. Bighead, but he deserves it most of the time - especially when he’s been antagonizing Rocko. Plus, can you honestly say that seeing him get his comeuppance isn’t hilarious?
#18: Mr. Lancer’s Exclamations “Danny Phantom” (2004-07)
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Do you ever get so surprised that you shout some random, strange exclamation? Mr. Lancer - the strict teacher at Casper High - takes this habit to hysterical new heights. Whenever something catches him off-guard, he screams out the title of a famous work of literature. From “Paradise Lost” to “Lord of the Flies”, ”Clan of the Cave Bear,” and even “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” no book is too famous or too obscure for Mr. Lancer’s vocabulary. Most of the books referenced have some relevance to whatever situation Lancer finds himself mixed up in, which makes the namedrop even funnier and more fitting.
#17: Gordy & the Weasel “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” (2004-07)
Gordy may be the laziest middle school janitor ever, but there’s one thing that gets him out of bed every morning – his never-ending quest to catch the Weasel. Every day, Gordy tries some new harebrained scheme to try and catch the slippery vermin. Unfortunately for him, he’s always met with failure either due to his own incompetence… or maybe that the weasel is smarter than people give it credit for. Either way, it’s become the longest-lasting and funniest rivalry in “Ned’s Declassified” that feels fresh out of a “Looney Tunes” short. Fortunately, this game of cat-and-mouse comes to a satisfying conclusion in the finale… but not in the way you’d expect.
#16: “I Don’t Know” “You Can’t Do That on Television” (1979-90)
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Nickelodeon has become infamously recognized for dousing its guests and alumni in the iconic green slime. But where did the slime first come from? It actually dates back to the 1980s sketch comedy show, “You Can’t Do That on Television.” Whenever anyone said the three magic words, “I Don’t Know” - or anything similar - they’d find themselves being drenched by the sticky green goop. Similarly, when someone accidentally mentions water, they get splashed by a downpour of H2O. Since then, slime has become a mainstay and symbol for the company. Every now and then, the infamous trigger phrase re-emerges in other Nick shows, ready to soak any other poor sap who utters it.
#15: “Very Expensive” “Doug” (1991-99)
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Almost every day, Doug’s eccentric neighbor, Mr. Bud Dink, can be seen with some whacky new invention or gizmo. Knowing Mr. Dink, that can only mean it was “very expensive.” Every time he shows off his latest acquisition, he always makes sure to emphasize under his breath how costly it was. After a while, you start to wonder how Mr. Dink can afford all these doohickeys if they’re so overpriced. But over time, you learn to just go with it as it guarantees some great hijinks from our favorite neighbor. Plus, it’s that much better when the trope is subverted and Dink buys something that DOESN’T drain his wallet.
#14: Carlos & His Helmet “Big Time Rush” (2009-13)
The lives of Big Time Rush are wild, unpredictable, and chock-full of hilarity. But, there’s one thing we know for certain – Carlos is rarely seen without his iconic hockey helmet. No one knows why he’s so attached to this piece of headwear. Is it because of his love of hockey, or is he just that eccentric? Most likely it’s for his own protection given how many hijinks the Dogs get into on a daily basis. Whatever the case, many have tried to get rid of the helmet and all have failed because the two are basically inseparable. The helmet makes Carlos happy, and that’s all that matters… even if he does take it too far sometimes.
#13: “My Car!” “The Penguins of Madagascar” (2008-15)
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With the Penguins’ high-risk line of work, there are bound to be a few casualties every now and then. Arguably one of the biggest victims of the Penguins’ missions is some poor guy who gets his car destroyed off-screen. When it happens, all we hear is a very stressed out: “My car!” We hope that guy is heavily insured because his car keeps getting caught in the crossfire of whatever our favorite flightless commandos are undertaking. While it’s rough for him, the gag is nothing short of comedy gold as his cries become the series’ own Wilhelm Scream.
#12: The Girls’ Bathroom “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” (2004-07)
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In kindergarten, a frantic Ned Bigby made the fatal mistake of accidentally running into the girls’ bathroom –the ultimate taboo of the schoolyard. Even if it was just an accident, Ned’s blunder ended up haunting him all the way to middle school, constantly reminding him of his embarrassing mixup –usually thanks to bullies and hecklers. What’s even worse is that he somehow ends up making the same mistake again, repeatedly running into the girls’ room. However, Ned’s first embarrassing incident did carry with it a silver lining; it inspired him to create the guide to helping fellow students survive middle school– and with any luck, save them from sharing his humiliation.
#11: “Boobs” “Drake & Josh” (2004-07)
These two titular step brothers might not always see eye to eye, but one thing they can agree on is that their little sister Megan is a pain in the neck. For her part, Megan thinks the two are nothing but a pair of boobs –so much so that she’ll frequently refer to them as such. To be fair, with the way Drake and Josh constantly botch things, it’s an appropriate nickname, but she’ll throw it at the boys on ANY given occasion. Sometimes the two are legitimately ‘boobing it up’, other times she just seemingly wants to put them down for no particular reason. It seems unnecessary, but trust us, the name-calling isn’t the worst thing Megan does to her brothers.
#10: “I’m Okay!” “Hey Arnold!” (1996-2004)
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Life’s pretty tough for Eugene Horowitz – constantly getting injured by bizarre forces left and right, he’s ostracized as the fourth-grade jinx. It’s kinda sad, but almost every time he ends up taking his lumps –which happens a LOT, he follows it up simply with “I’m okay” - adding humor to it all. It’s an age-old comedy trope where something incredibly painful happens to a character, and they just utter those two little words and everything’s right with the world again. Unlucky as he is, Eugene had made it his catchphrase. Even though he’s a walking disaster, it’s always endearing to see Eugene keep an upbeat attitude, brush himself off, and keep moving forward… right into his NEXT accident, most likely.
#9: Cat’s Brother “Victorious” (2010-13)
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We all know that Cat Valentine is an oddball, but every now and then, she has a story to tell about someone even stranger than her – her own brother. Every tale and every mention of her brother paints him as a totally deranged weirdo – engaging in some rather bizarre and dangerous activity, like driving around with a trunk full of fake feet, or antagonizing a clown on a bus until the latter shot him. The list goes on. While we never see Cat’s brother on-screen, an episode of “Henry Danger” heavily implies that her brother is the villainous Frankini –played by Ariana Grande’s real-life brother. It’s a stretch, but based on Cat’s stories, who says he’s not one step away from super-villainy?
#8: Luna’s Song References “The Loud House” (2016-)
We all know that Luna Loud lives for the music, so much so that it’s become a second language to her in an almost literal sense. Every now and then, Luna speaks in lyrics taken from classic songs – from AC/DC to the Rolling Stones, from the Beatles to Aerosmith; name a well-known musical act and there’s a chance that Luna has mentioned them. Not only is it a nice treat for music lovers, but the shout-outs are also usually cleverly handled in whatever context they’re being applied –even those that get lost in translation. Of course, every now and then the loudest Loud sister will reference a song even SHE regrets mentioning.
#7: “Uh… Internet?” “The Fairly OddParents” (2001-17)
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Almost every episode of “The Fairly OddParents” has a running gag of its own, but this joke managed to pop up repeatedly during the show’s first few seasons. One of the perks of having fairy godparents is being able to wish for almost anything you set your mind to. However, someone is usually around to question where Timmy got his suspicious new goodies or powers. His usual response is to simply say “uh… Internet?” It’s not that hard to believe. You can find anything off the Internet, and everyone around him –especially his parents- are gullible enough to believe it, no matter how ridiculous the wish is. That being said, he REALLY should be more careful about hiding his new toys.
#6: “Who Loves Orange Soda?” “Kenan & Kel” (1996-2000)
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Who loves Orange Soda? Kel loves Orange Soda! He does, he does, he do-oes! So much so that whenever the carbonated treasure gets involved, he just HAS to express his love for it in the form of his iconic catchphrase. Unfortunately, his obsession with the bubbly drink isn’t exactly healthy –especially when others try to bribe or take advantage of cravings. But hey, no one can deny that it inspired one of the most iconic Nickelodeon quotes of the ‘90s. There have been others on the show to recite his famous song, but they don’t have the same passionate flavor in their words that Kel has - or go to the lengths he will for a bottle.
#5: Arnold’s Last Name “Hey Arnold!” (1996-2004)
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For the longest time, we knew almost everything about Arnold’s life except one thing. It’s perhaps the biggest mystery of them all… what was his last name? Arnold’s missing last name became a recurring gag throughout the series – any opportunity given to reveal his surname was conveniently blocked off. Even the original series finale teased us with this, and it looked like we may never solve the mystery. But, several years later in the “Jungle Movie” reunion, we finally got some clarity… Arnold’s full name is… drum roll, please! Arnold Shortman. So, all along, Grandpa Phil’s nickname for him was a cleverly-hidden hint at the Football Head’s real last name, and we never even knew it? Well played, Nickelodeon.
#4: “Dinkleberg!” “The Fairly OddParents” (2001-17)
Timmy’s Dad is usually a blissfully ignorant dunce. But there’s one person on Earth who gets his blood boiling: his next-door neighbor Dinkleberg. To Mr. Turner, he is the epitome of evil itself. In reality, Dinkleberg is probably the nicest neighbor on the planet - certainly better than the Turners deserve. And yet, Timmy’s Dad never hesitates to blame him, loudly curse him, or even just grumble his name whenever he can. At this point, his hatred for his neighbor has become a popular online meme – something gone wrong today? “Dinkleberg!” Well, if this video does poorly, we know exactly who to blame.
#3: Setting Stuff on Fire “iCarly” (2007-12)
We all know that Spencer Shay is an amazing sculptor, but a handyman he is NOT. Whenever he tries to fix something, the object in questions usually winds up catching fire. Heck, sometimes all Spencer has to do is TOUCH something to make it go up in smoke. What really sells the joke is that most of the time, the object in question isn’t even flammable, and yet Spencer’s “miraculous” touch sets it ablaze. One time, he managed to inexplicably turn a fire extinguisher into a flamethrower. While we think it’s hilarious, Spencer’s spontaneous fires leave the fire department feeling burnt out –pun intended.
#2: “My Cabbages!” “Avatar: The Last Airbender” (2005-08)
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Life in the Earth Kingdom isn’t easy for this poor street merchant. He’s just minding his own business, trying to sell his beloved cabbages… when suddenly, someone, most likely either the Avatar’s party or Earth Kingdom guard, comes along and smashes into his vendor stand –destroying his precious vegetables. When he isn’t getting mixed up with Avatar trouble, his cart will either get demolished or ransacked by oversized beasts; it ends up getting so bad, we don’t even see him for the rest of the series after Book Two. It’s safe to say that this wasn’t the right line of work for him; however, his luck turns around several years later when he becomes the founder of Cabbage Corp… though some things never change.
#1: “My Leg!” “SpongeBob SquarePants” (1999-)
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Whenever pandemonium breaks out in Bikini Bottom -or just an excessive amount of cartoony violence occurs- you’re sure to hear the archived recording of “My Leg” by Fred the Fish. There have been variations of this line, but the context is always the same – pure, hilarious pain. While the original recording was used less in the later years, the joke was kept alive via a full episode centered around the line –paying homage to what is essentially the Wilhelm scream of Nickelodeon, and one of their funniest recurring gags to date. The joke is so iconic that it even managed to sneak its way into an episode of fellow Nicktoon, “CatDog”.