Rugrats is set to get a reboot, with the iconic Nickelodeon series being relaunched on screens both big and small. Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Susie, Phil and Lil will appear, along with some new faces.
1990s nostalgia has been a key part of Nickelodeon’s strategy in recent years, with Rocko’s Modern Life, Kenan And Kel, Double Dare and Hey Arnold all being brought back to our screens.
The Rugrats will star in 26 new animated episodes on Nickelodeon, and the kids’ channel will also work with Paramount Pictures to produce a live-action Rugrats movie with some CGI characters.
“Rugrats is hands-down one of the most celebrated cartoons in TV history,” said Nickelodeon president Sarah Levy, “and we are thrilled for a whole new audience to meet these iconic characters in brand-new adventures.
“What was true in 1991 when the original show premiered is still true today: kids are fascinated with the world of babies. We can’t wait for today’s kids to meet Tommy, Chuckie and pals.”
Brian Robbins, president of Paramount Pictures, added this:
“Now feels like the ideal time to reintroduce this iconic cast of characters to a whole new generation of young fans. Kids who grew up with Tommy Pickles and the Rugrats crew will now be able to share that experience with their own children.”
Rugrats originally ran for 172 episodes between 1991 and 2004, as well as spawning three movies (The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats In Paris: The Movie and Rugrats Go Wild), two TV spinoff series (All Grown Up and Rugrats Pre-School Daze), loads of comic books and a fair few video games. Nickelodeon and Paramount will surely be hoping to see similar success this time around.
The show’s original creators – Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó and Paul Germain – are returning as executive producers on these new projects. David Goodman (Family Guy, Star Wars Detours) is working on the script for the movie. Production on the animated series has already begun.
The movie is aiming for a November 2020 release date, and we’d expect the TV show to arrive a fair bit earlier than that.
We’ll be sure to let you know as we hear more.