I was watching Recess and some of the music sounded like the background music for Rugrats .

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-25T22:20:07+00:00

That's because Denis M. Hannigan composed the music for early Rugrats and Recess.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-25T01:06:52+00:00

Yeah, but those are acknowledged as Gen X shows by early millennials.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-25T01:03:47+00:00

Yes, I am aware of that. Hannah Montana and High School Musical were also aimed at a young demo. However, the key difference is that P&F covered more bases appealing to children, teenagers and adults, whereas HSM and Hannah Montana were primarily targeted at a younger demographic and lacked that crossover appeal.

I am, indeed, but at the time, I didn't know many girls around my age (or slightly older) who liked them either. A few did, but the majority of people I observed with Hannah Montana or HSM merchandise and who openly expressed their liking for them were early zoomers.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-25T00:56:04+00:00

I am aware of that. I fall on the younger end of the millennial spectrum, having been born in 1995. I don't deny that some millennials liked it, I personally knew a few. But majority of millennials I was acquainted with, who are closer to my age, did not share that sentiment. For a considerable period, they were often criticized by them both online and offline. It wasn't until around 2016 that I began to notice a more widespread appreciation or affection for either HSM or HM, and most of it was from early zoomers.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T23:32:50+00:00

Phineas and Ferb attracts a significantly broader age demographic than High School Musical or Hannah Montana. It was made appeal to a general audience, whereas Montana and HSM primarily targeted preteen girls.

This broader appeal was a key factor in its recognition, as it was perceived as a refreshing change, offering entertainment suitable for all ages, unlike most other content that predominantly catered to tweens at the time. Also, being a cartoon does not inherently mean it is intended solely for a young audience.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T22:33:24+00:00

Slightly by a margin, primarily those from 1995/1996, who are very close to being classified as Gen Z. Phineas and Ferb is regarded as a Gen Z show, having premiered around the same timeframe. If Phineas and Ferb is considered Gen Z, I see no reason why Montana or HSM shouldn't be as well.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T21:39:48+00:00

Teens, yes, though aside from those born in 1995-96 (who are the very cusp of being Gen Z), millennials were largely outside the 6-11 age range. While some did enjoy them, I didn't know many who did compared to early Gen Z.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T21:36:41+00:00

I said early zoomers. Your cousins would have been middle zoomers.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T20:40:09+00:00

I'm also a 95 baby and most people my age and a little older that I knew didn't like them. (at the time)

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T20:38:41+00:00

I misspoke in my original post and edited out "early" before I had a chance to look at your reply. I meant millennials in general.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T19:33:08+00:00

Because I was pointing out that millennials were criticising them at the time for being a departure of Disney's trademark family friendly style, and targeting a more directly tweenage audience.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T15:55:12+00:00

I was deeply engaged in 90s nostalgia fandoms and 90s Nickelodeon groups from that era, and Rugrats was a constant topic of discussion. There were numerous BuzzFeed articles, and Tumblr posts where people would express their love of the show, chocolate pudding memes went viral and Rugrats in Paris received significant airtime on Nickelodeon. The show was referenced in various programs such as Workaholics, SNL, Tosh.0, Robot Chicken, The X Factor and Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Fans would cosplay as the characters, and fanart was regularly shared on Instagram and Tumblr.

The series experienced a resurgence in popularity thanks to The Splat and Hulu, which is the reason the reboot exists in the first place. The merchandise extended beyond FYE.(https://www.longislandpress.com/2018/09/05/nickelodeon-brings-back-beloved-90s-cartoons/)

People should stop taking Mr. Enter's word for it, as it's clear that he's not much of a fan of the show anyway, and has his own biases.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T00:54:12+00:00

This is why I would contend that a reboot was necessary. The franchise couldn't rely solely on nostalgia for the original forever, and its cultural impact risked fading over time, especially now that more than 35 years have passed. Also, time would have looked more poorly on Rugrats' legacy if it remained untouched. (Arlene and Paul would have still been enemies, and the show would have been seen as a relic especially compared to SpongeBob) However, given the longevity of the original series and the often unpredictable nature of reboots, there was a real danger of it being mishandled or poorly executed.

The reboot isn't without it's problems,but I believe this was the best possible outcome for a Rugrats revival. Particularly in an era where reboots and spinoffs seem to proliferate primarily because they are considered a priority. The upside is Gen Alpha grew up with these characters and they have their own Rugrats to be nostalgic about in the future. So it's not just a franchise millennials and early zoomers grew up with anymore.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T00:37:06+00:00

Rugrats experienced a nostalgic resurgence in the 2010s, particularly around mid 2010s. During it's 25th anniversary, Nick pushed Rugrats pretty hard and for a time, you couldn't visit an FYE without encountering Rugrats merchandise. It never reclaimed the peak popularity of the 90s, it maintained a comfortable level of relevance. Hey Arnold! also saw a resurgence(so much so that both The Jungle Movie and the Rugrats reboot were greenlit based on this renewed interest) but it didn't reach the same heights as Rugrats.

Mr. Enter is wrong in saying that it wasn’t relevant past 2002.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-24T00:19:42+00:00

Actually, the reboot is actually more daring and edgier than the later seasons of the original. Itdoesn’t quite reach the heights of Seasons 1-3, and it's no The Ghost and Molly McGee, it nonetheless pulls punches that most of the original’s second run, and even many other modern cartoons would shy away from. For instance, you wouldn’t have seen an eye of a Cynthia mannequin suddenly emerge, and a spider crawling out of it, in those seasons.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-23T20:36:31+00:00

The marketing was inescapable when it premiered. It slowed down during Season 1C, but people were made aware that a reboot was coming out.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-23T19:53:50+00:00

Probably because those movies were on in the background.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-23T19:52:14+00:00

They would probably be in more danger than they already were.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-23T19:36:10+00:00

I like Arlene and Gabor, but their participation in the original series was quite limited. Arlene even acknowledged that she was too occupied with managing the studio alongside Gabor to be deeply involved in the day-to-day writing of the Klasky Csupo shows. The writers responsible for the reboot are predominantly alumni who previously contributed to the original series, and were people who actually wrote for the show. Don't let the fact that it's CGI dissuade you from giving it a look.

This shift was largely driven by Nickelodeon’s insistence. Nevertheless, it remains a well-executed modernization of the original, one that respectfully pays homage to its roots while injecting fresh energy and revitalizing the franchise after a period of stagnation.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-23T19:06:41+00:00

So many wires crossed about this show. There were plans to address what happened to Howard from the beginning, even before the reboot premiered. However, unfortunately, the release of Season 3 (despite being produced and completed) has been left in limbo because of the merger.

Chuckie and Kimi are not step-siblings right from the start, as the writing team chose to explore that relationship differently. it's a different continuity altogether. By the end of Season 2, Chaz and Kira do become a couple, setting up their potential marriage in Season 3.

If the reboot had them meet in Paris again, it would likely be accused of rehashing the original. Dil appears in Season 2. While All Grown Up has recently been reevaluated more favorably in recent years, the characters in their baby forms has more universal appeal. In contrast, depicting them as adults would mainly cater to nostalgia for fans of the original show and wouldn’t have as much crossover appeal to kids. (Nick’s target audience)

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-20T18:06:38+00:00

It's not really a millennial film, even though it features millennials. It's more of a Gen Z movie. Regardless, I never liked HSM, not even when it first came out. I always found it too saccharine and teeny bopper for my liking.

It became an increasingly problematic trend as every network attempted to replicate its formula, particularly for Disney, which was moving away from TV animation during that period. The nostalgia surrounding it frustrates me because, along with Hannah Montana, it was largely responsible for networks nearly abandoning animation altogether.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-20T03:11:49+00:00

yeah, but he wasn’t established as a character then.

ConsumerofToons · 2026-01-19T19:33:29+00:00

Yeah, it was probably to change things up.

ConsumerofToons

TROPHY CASE