The First Episode Of The Rugrats Premiered On Nickelodeon 29 Years Ago

Can you believe it's been 29 years since Nickelodeon aired the first ever episode of The Rugrats?

Neither can we, but that's the way time works sadly. If you needed another reason to feel old that isn't your aching knees and back, the first grey hair or the constant confusion about what millennials are saying, this is it.

The first episode of The Rugrats debuted on August 11 in 1991, back in a time that feels ancient to where we are now.

Nickelodeon

We were introduced to the likes of Tommy Pickles, Chuckie, the twins Phil and Lil, Angelica and Susie. The premise was simple: this gang gets up to no good and go on epic adventures all behind their unassuming parents' backs.

Since that fateful August day, there have been nine seasons of the show, a whopping 172 episodes and three movies. It is still Nickelodeon's second-longest running series of all time, behind SpongeBob Squarepants.

During its 13 year run, the show picked up over 20 awards, including four Daytime Emmy Awards, six Kids' Choice Awards, and its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The series has been praised left, right and centre since it was released nearly 30 years ago. Steven Spielberg once called the show one of the best children's programming at the time and is still one of the best shows ever produced by Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon

For Rugrats' 10th anniversary, former Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami said: "During the past decade, Rugrats has evolved from a ratings powerhouse, being the number one children's show on TV, to pop icon status. It has secured a place in the hearts of both kids and adults, who see it from their own point of view."

It helped catapult Nickelodeon to the number one cable channel in the 1990s.

There have been a bunch of spin-offs that were announced on Nickelodeon after Rugrats was so wildly successful. Sadly, they weren't nearly as popular as the iconic original series, but it helped expand the universe we all know and love.

The original show stopped making new episodes in 2004 however there has been chatter all through the 2010s about how to revive the series with a modern twist.

Two years ago, a live-action/CGI hybrid feature film was announced and then pulled from Paramount's release schedule, however a 26-episode revival was officially ordered. So we'll have to wait and see how that looks.

Topics: Entertainment, TV and Film

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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