Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain. The show focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, twins Phil and Lil, and Angelica, and their day-to-day lives, usually involving common life experiences that become adventures in the babies' imaginations. Adults in the series are almost always unaware of what the children are up to. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, as the second Nicktoon after Doug and preceding The Ren & Stimpy Show. Production initially halted in 1993 after 65 episodes, with the last episode airing on May 22, 1994. From 1995 to 1996, the only new episodes broadcast were "A Rugrats Passover" and "A Rugrats Chanukah", two Jewish-themed episodes that received critical acclaim; during this time, well after the end of the show's production run, Rugrats began to receive a boost in ratings and popularity with constant reruns on Nickelodeon. In 1996, Klasky Csupo Animation began producing new episodes, and the show's fourth season began airing in 1997. As a result of the show's popularity, a series of theatrical films were released; , which introduced Kimi, Kira, and Fifi, released in 2000, and the final episode aired on August 1, 2004, bringing the series to a total of 172 episodes and 9 seasons during a 13-year run. On July 21, 2001, Nickelodeon broadcast the made-for-TV special "All Growed Up" in celebration of the series' 10th anniversary. The special acted as a pilot for the Rugrats spin-off series All Grown Up!, which chronicles the lives of the babies and their parents after they age 10 years. Another spin-off series, Rugrats Pre-School Daze, was considered, but only four episodes were produced. Two direct-to-video specials were released in 2005 and 2006, under the title Rugrats Tales from the Crib. Tie-in media for the series include video games, comics, toys, and various other merchandise. Rugrats gained over 20 awards during its 13-year run, including 4 Daytime Emmy Awards, 6 Kids' Choice Awards, and its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The series garnered Nickelodeon high ratings and was the network's top-rated show between 1995 and 2000. It was Nickelodeon's longest-running Nicktoon until 2012 when SpongeBob SquarePants aired its 173rd episode. On July 16, 2018, it was announced that Nickelodeon had given a series order to a 26-episode revival of the series, executive produced by Klasky, Csupo, and Germain.
Series overview
Episodes
Pilot (2001)
Season 1 (1991–92)
Season 2 (1992–93)
Season 3 (1993–95)
Season 4 (1996–97)
Season 5 (1998)
Season 6 (1999–2001)
In the United States, episodes 102, 111, 123 and 124 were held over from this season and ended up airing during Season 7. The first Klasky Csupo logo still appeared after the second logo appeared at the end of The Rugrats Movie. The second logo did not appear until "Runaway Reptar".
Season 7 (2001–02)
During season 7, Rugrats made a change with a different format that consisted of three episodes per show. Additionally, all half-hour stories from this point on had two ad breaks instead of one. This is the only season of Rugrats to have three episodes per show.
Season 8 (2001–03)
The original format for Rugrats was brought back for season 8. However, the half-hour episodes retain having two commercial breaks. The first Klasky Csupo logo appeared after the credits in the early airings of this season. However, the Season 8 DVD from Amazon.com, "The '90s Are All That" and the later airings kept the second logo.
Season 9 (2002–04)
The third Klasky Csupo logo appeared after the credits in the early airings of this season. However, the Season 9 DVD from Amazon.com, "The '90s Are All That" and the later airings kept the second logo.
DVD releases
Nickelodeon and Amazon.com produce DVDs of new and old Nickelodeon shows through the CreateSpace service. Using a concept similar to print on demand, Amazon manufactures the discs, cover art, and disc art., Seasons 1–9 were available., the Amazon.com releases have been discontinued. In Australia, Beyond Home Entertainment has released all 9 seasons on DVD. In May 2017, Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Entertainment released Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. In February 2018, Nickelodeon and Paramount Home Media Distribution released Seasons 3 and 4 on DVD.
''Rugrats Tales from the Crib'' (2005–06)
These movies are direct-to- DVD movies that are part of the Rugrats series.
