History TearJerker / Rugrats

* The [[EverybodyCries crying scene]] in the episode where Angelica thought she was going to move away.

* In "Grandpa's Date," Lou is reunited with his old girlfriend, Morgana, who suddenly left him with no explanation. After so many years, Morgana finally tells Lou why she left him: she saw him apparently kissing another woman named Trixie behind her back. Lou, however, is shocked by this, revealing that [[NotWhatItLooksLike he wasn't having an affair]]; according to him, Trixie was having an asthma attack and he was giving her CPR. While some viewers believe that Lou's explanation might not be truthful (especially since "Trixie" happens to be the name of Stu and Drew's deceased mother), if Lou is indeed telling the truth, this means that from his perspective, a woman he loved suddenly decided to up and leave him for no reason and not contact him for years, all because of [[DramaticIrony (unbeknownst to either of them)]] a misunderstanding.

** It's natural to feel bad for Chuckie, but don't forget Chas. He keeps her belongings stored away and doesn't talk about her much. It's clear that up to that point in the series he wasn't yet able to get over what happened to her. The scene where Chas finds that Chuckie has gotten a hold of some of her stuff is downright heartbreaking. This is pictured above.
** When Didi tells Chas that he should begin sharing the memories of his wife, Melinda, with Chuckie, Chas simply replies, "But...I'm just afraid he's going to miss her." But when Chuckie found Melinda's picture earlier, he didn't realize she was his mom; he instead knew her as "the nice lady from my dreams." With this in mind, Chas' comment seems to be less about protecting Chuckie, and more about how even around two years after Melinda's passing, Chas still cannot bring himself to accept what happened to her.
** Just the ''way'' it goes too: Everything's all laughs, but the minute Chas sees Chuckie holding the photo of Melinda, ''[[MoodWhiplash everything goes silent]]''. Even the others are just silent as they realize that Chuckie has found the photo as Chas silently grabs the photo. It's pretty clear that this moment was ''eventually going to happen one way or the other''.
** When Didi tells Chas that it's time to tell Chuckie about his mom, all of the other adults nod sadly in agreement. With the focus being on Chas and Chuickie's grief, it's easy to forget that Melinda was also their close friend, and they still miss her too.

** When Didi tells Chas that it's time to tell Chuckie about his mom, all of the other adults nod sadly in agreement. With the focus being on Chas and Chickie's grief, it's easy to forget that Melinda was also their close friend, and they still miss her too.

* When Grandpa Lou feels ignored by his family, he moves to a retirement home called Flushing Waters. It is no paradise like the television ad describes. Aside from a few obvious jokes--like the private fishing stream being only a small fountain with imported fish--this episode has a somber tone. The seniors are visibly depressed and live in prison-like conditions. Didi and the other adults are horrified by the poor food quality and general neglect when they come to visit. Compounding that with Tommy's innocent comment about how he wants to wake up the "tired" people so that they can spend time with their families, [[FridgeHorror this episode becomes that much more painful to think about for certain viewers who later realize the frequency of elder abuse in such places]].

* The "All Growed Up" special where it shows them as preteens. The whole special has a certain air of maturity and the pressures of growing up and experiencing new things. It then culminates at the concert scene, where Tommy and Angelica duet with some big popstar over a ballad that then flashes back to the series as a whole, showing scenes from multiple episodes. The creators did, indeed, write the special as an emotional look at the series.

** Also Chuckie's [[HeroicBSOD emotional breakdown]] in the warehouse after discovering what kind of woman his soon to be new "Mommy" really is.
* Chuckie spending an entire episode trying to release his "sea monies" into the ocean, only to become heartbroken when he actually pulls it off. Knowing that they probably died five minutes into the episode doesn't make it any less sad to hear him call out good-byes to them.
* Anyone who grew up with this show and loves toys along with cute babies are bound to cry during "The Curse Of Reptar's" ending (''All Grown Up!''). Basically it has a flashback at the time they were still babies and playing with Reptar. The end of the flashback has them sleeping under a tree with the Reptar doll with Tommy holding the doll and sucking his thumb. Cut flashbacks, and eventually grown-up Tommy finds the now rusty Reptar, taking it back inside to keep in his box.

** The slow build-up of this scene. Stuie begins crying because he broke a toy and Tommy, trying to comfort him, happily says his daddy will fix it... only to go utterly silent, make the other babies ask him what's wrong. In an utterly quiet tone Tommy's never used before he says that his daddy is "Never coming home" because now he's Stuie. Phil and Lil try to point out all that is great about Stuie only for Tommy to counter about how much he loves his daddy. He then turns to Stuie, who is utterly confused by all of this, and begins to describe how wonderful Stu was and all he did for him (build him toys, read him stories, tuck him in at night), the entire time growing more hysterical before exclaiming in utter sadness "I miss my daddy!" and breaking down sobbing. Then, when Stuie states he doesn't want to grow up Tommy stops crying, states he understands... before sadly walking away to stare at pictures of him and his father, sucking back tears the entire time.

* If you take in the interpretation that Charlotte had a miscarriage in "Angelica's Worst Nightmare" (instead of misreading the pregnancy test or the pregnancy test being wrong), the episode suddenly becomes this. Even moreso when you realize that, while Charlotte and Drew are delighted at the prospect of having another baby and Charlotte tells Angelica she simply won't be having one "right now", they never do have more children.

** After having an ImagineSpot in which she realizes she's been mean, Angelica gives each baby a special gift, but forgets Dil. She immediately gives up Prancie for him. Tommy then offers her ''his'' present, since Angelica is now the only one without one.

-->'''Chuckie:''' ''*almost sobbing*'' No Tommy, you see when Boppo got too scary, I....I pulled the plug!
* "Two By Two"'s ending, [[GainaxEnding slightly confusing as it is]], deserves mention. Context: after Grandpa Boris tells the kids about the story of Noah's Ark, Angelica (after hearing a weather report) convinces the babies that it's going to rain for 40 days and nights in real life. As such, they make an ark of their own (out of cardboard boxes in the backyard). By the end of the episode, all of the babies are in said ark, but there's no more room for Angelica (since she's the only one who isn't paired with anyone else). Just then, the weather starts to take a turn and, as Angelica tries telling them she made up the thing about the rain, [[TemptingFate it starts to pour]]. And so, the episode ends with Angelica trying one last time to get into the ark... which transitions back to the Noah's Ark story, with Angelica being left behind, along with a duck. [[SandInMyEyes The rain makes it hard to tell if Angelica is crying or not in the last shot.]]

*** What's worse is that, not only was getting Tommy in trouble 100% Angelica's idea, but she only got Chuckie to go along with it by provoking jealousy within him by saying that ''Tommy was the better son than Chuckie''. And when Chas doesn't get upset with Tommy over ''any'' of Chuckie's attempts, this causes Chuckie to become convinced that Tommy ''is'' better than him, [[ItMakesSenseInContext and decides to leave and go back to his family tree]]. So, because she was jealously by Tommy ''politely'' declining having her as their sister, Angelica not only indirectly kept getting Tommy in trouble, but also made Chuckie ''wish he was never born''[[note]]'''again'''[[/note]].

* Considering Angelica's immediate family. They love her dearly and want the best for her, but Charlotte's consumed by her job and Drew spoils her rotten. As a consequence, Angelica is simultaneously an out of control brat and utterly terrified by the prospect of losing her parents' love.
* On that note, "Piece of Cake", though meant to be just hilarious, has a couple of sad moments regarding Angelica's family life. Specifically, after her mother signs her up for a talent show, she's thrilled until she sees Charlotte being called by Jonathan, at which point she sighs dejectedly...only to promptly perk up when Charlotte announces that she's taking the day off to spend time with Angelica. Later, when Angelica inherits a massive candy company, Charlotte tells her "The only thing I love more than corporate domination is corporate domination with my number one girl!" Then comes the reveal that this was all an imagine spot. Again, this was played for laughs, but it also subtly implies that one of the things Angelica ''really'' wants is to just have ''some'' time to spend with her mother.

* "Acorn Nuts and Diapie Butts" just puts Tommy and Dil through the ringer. When Lou decides to move into a retirement home Tommy doesn't understand at all, thinking HE is the reason his grandpa is leaving. He tearfully begs his grandpa to come back, tries to give up Reptar to get him back, and can only cry as Lou leaves and then sadly craddle a left behind hot water bottle

** Dil is even more confused, begging for Lou to return. Tommy tries to explain and even take over Lou's role but Dil isn't happy at all.
** Later Didi and Stu try and give Tommy and Dil their own rooms... but Dil is so terrified to be alone all he can do is sob Tommy's name. Shifts to Heartwarming when Tommy finally comes to comfort him; Dil is utterly THRILLED to see him!

* In "Bow Wow Wedding Vows" Spike suddenly abandons Tommy. His denial that he's lost his doggy is heart breaking, espeically with how Spike is so utterly dismissive of him

** There is a brief moment where Spike has to choose between Tommy and Fifi, selecting the later. While for most of the episode after he's rather dismissive of Tommy, its clear at that moment that Spike hates that he has to abandon Tommy because Fifi is about to give birth and he needs to protect her and the puppies.

* In "The Seven Voyages of Cynthia", Tommy and Chuckie borrow Cynthia for the purpose of using her to captain their makeshift boat. While they do intend to return her when they're done with her, they accidentally lose her. When Angelica notices that she's missing, she's absolutely devastated. She cries her eyes out at her disappearance, searches frantically for her and tells Tommy that if she finds out who stole her, she'll "mash 'em, and crash 'em, and smash 'em into a million zillion blobs of applesauce!" The episode does its job capturing the experience of losing your favorite toy.
** Angelica rejecting the idea of getting a new Cynthia, saying in the most heartbreakingly sincere way and as tears fall from her eyes that Cynthia is her best friend.
* "Showdown At Teeter Totter Gulch" gives us another older bully in the form the Junk Food Kid. While at first she just seems like another comical brat like Angelica, she's alluded to physically bullying Belinda and later puts a large wad of gum all over her hair. The next scene with Belinda shows her with a pitifully short haircut and in tears, her mother had to cut out all the gum.

* When Grandpa Lou feels ignored by his family, he moves to a retirement home called Flushing Waters. It is no paradise like the television ad describes. Aside from a few obvious jokes--like the private fishing stream being only a small fountain with imported fish--this episode has a somber tone. The seniors are visibly depressed and live in prison-like squalor. Didi and the other adults are horrified by the poor food quality and general neglect when they come to visit. Compounding that with Tommy's innocent comment about how he wants to wake up the "tired" people so that they can spend time with their families, [[FridgeHorror this episode becomes that much more painful to think about for certain viewers who later realize the frequency of elder abuse in such places]].

* When Grandpa Lou feels ignored by his family, he moves to a retirement home called Flushing Waters. It is no paradise like the television ad describes; aside from a few obvious jokes--like the private fishing stream being only a small fountain with imported fish--the seniors are visibly depressed and live in prison-like squalor. Didi and the other adults are horrified by the poor food quality and general neglect when they come to visit. Compounding that with Tommy's innocent comment about how he wants to wake up the "tired" people so that they can spend time with their families, [[FridgeHorror this episode becomes that much more painful to think about for certain viewers who later realize the frequency of elder abuse in such places]].

* When Grandpa Lou feels ignored by his family, he moves to a retirement home called Flushing Waters. It is no paradise like the television ad describes; aside from a few obvious jokes--like the private fishing stream being only a small fountain with imported fish--the seniors are visibly depressed and live in prison-like squalor. Didi and the other adults are horrified about the food and general neglect when they come to visit. Compounding that with Tommy's innocent comment about how he wants to wake up the "tired" people so that they can spend time with their families, [[FridgeHorror this episode becomes that much more painful to think about for certain viewers who later realize the frequency of elder abuse in such places]].