Rugrats
Rugrats is a
cartoon television show on
Nickelodeon, a children's
television network. Produced at Klasky Csupo Inc of
Los Angeles,
Rugrats is about how babies view life and perceive the events happening around them. Each character is personified with his or her own individual charm.
Characters
The Children
- Tommy Pickles (voiced by E.G. Daily): The most adventurous baby, always getting the group into trouble. Generally considered the babies' leader.
- Dil Pickles (voiced by Tara Strong): Tommy's younger brother, a true baby (i.e. not a toddler like the other children). Introduced in the first Rugrats movie.
- Chuckie Finster (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh up to 2002, Nancy Cartwright since): Tommy's loyal sidekick. Afraid of everything.
- Phil & Lil DeVille (voiced by Kath Soucie): Twins (boy and girl) that have everything in common. Both like to eat worms.
- Angelica Pickles: (voiced by Cheryl Chase): Tommy and Dil's cousin who always bosses the "babies" around, being the oldest. Enjoys lying to the toddlers, distorting their perception of reality. Acts perfect towards the adults but is generally mean to the babies.
- Kimi Finster: (voiced by Dionne Quan): Chuckie's younger step-sister, introduced in the second Rugrats movie, Rugrats in Paris. Hasn't really gained a consistent character yet.
- Susie Carmichael (voiced by Cree Summer): A neighborhood friend who is about Angelica's age. When around, Susie often stands up to Angelica when she taunts the young toddlers.
The Adults
- Stu Pickles (voiced by Jack Riley of Newhart fame): Tommy and Dil's father and brother of Drew. Absent-minded inventor. Married to Didi.
- Didi Pickles (voiced by Melanie Chartoff): Tommy and Dil's mother. A part-time schoolteacher and married to Stu.
- Lou Pickles (voiced by David Doyle up to 1997, Joe Alaskey since): Tommy and Dil's grandfather and Stu and Drew's father. Lived with Stu's family for the first few seasons and often babysat the children.
- Lulu Pickles (voiced by Debbie Reynolds): Lou's new wife
- Drew Pickles (voiced by Michael Bell): Angelica's father and Stu's brother. An investment banker; married to Charlotte.
- Charlotte Pickles (voiced by Tress MacNeille): Angelica's workaholic mother. CEO of her own company and married to Drew. She tries to be a good mother, but is usually sidetracked by business interests.
- Betty DeVille (voiced by Kath Soucie): Phil and Lil's mother. Quite the jock and womens-libber. Married to Howard.
- Howard DeVille (voiced by Phil Proctor, formerly of Firesign Theatre): Phil and Lil's father. Often overpowered by and cringing towards his wife, Betty.
- Chas Finster (voiced by Michael Bell): Chuckie's father, from whom he inherited his adenoidal whine. Married Kira in the second Rugrats movie. Kimi's step-father. Runs the Java Lava Coffee House.
- Kira Finster (voiced by Julia Kato): Kimi's mother and Chuckies step-mother. Married Chas in the second Rugrats movie. Operates the Java Lava Coffee House with her husband.
Brief History
The series debuted in 1991 as part of Nickelodeon's latest move: commissioning its own animated series. It went out of production in 1994, but after surprisingly high ratings when shown in primetime it was revived in 1997, subsequently leading to 3 films: The Rugrats Movie (1998), which became the first non-Disney animated film to earn $100 million in the US, Rugrats in Paris (2000), and Rugrats Go Wild (2003), a crossover with The Wild Thornberrys. A daily comic strip based on the series also ran from March 1998 to May 2003.
In 2001, the show celebrated its 10th anniversary by making a special one-hour episode about what the Rugrats would be like 10 years older. Nickelodeon liked its ratings so much, they eventually commissioned a full series, All Grown Up, which started its regular run in November 2003 (a sneak peek full episode named Coup DeVille had aired earlier in April).
External Link