History WesternAnimation / Rugrats

[[note]]Clockwise from top: [[{{TheLeader}} Tommy Pickles]], [[LovableCoward Chuckie Finster]], [[{{Brattyhalfpint}} Angelica Pickles]], [[HalfIdenticalTwins Lil and Phil DeVille]], [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling Dil Pickles]], [[{{NiceGirl}} Kimi Watanabe Finster]], and [[TeamMom Susie Carmichael]]. The gang's all here![[/note]] ]]

** It is shown in both "No More Cookies" and "A Step at a Time" that Angelica Pickles' motivation for taking her first steps involved cookies, but the circumstances are very different. In the former, it was to get to a plate of cookies on a table at her parents' house. In the latter, it was so her mother could pick her up and enable her to swipe a cookie from a baby who was also being held by his mother.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Stu has spiky purple hair.

* PantyShot: In "Mirror Land," when Didi comes down stairs to retrieve her glasses from Lou, after she tells him to "take off that ridiculous hair," he chuckles and says "Hey, where's the ballet?", referring to Didi (who's wearing a ballerina outfit) inadvertently flashing her white panties. Surprised and mortified, she hurriedly adjusts her tutu and blushes.
** In "The Case of The Missing Rugrat," Ms. Emma lifts up the front of her split dress to hide the view of Lou's family birthmark after he unbuttons his shirt to prove Tommy is indeed his grandson, revealing her white pantalets.
** In "Tricycle Thief," Susie holds a trial against Angelica who is accused of stealing her tricycle. Susie ties the string of her mylar balloon to the left foot of Angelica's doll Cynthia and dangles it upside down, causing the doll's skirt to fall over and show white panties. Later in the sequence when Susie lets go of the balloon, the string is [[LazyArtist now tied to Cynthia's right foot]] and her skirt is now [[MagicSkirt back in position covering her panties.]]
** In "Beauty Contest", due to being disguised as a girl, Tommy wears white, frilly panties under his dress instead of the usual diapers and has several of these.

* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: The main kids and their families get to see and do things that most other people don't because Stu, Randy Carmichael, and initially, Kira all work in child care / family entertainment. In fairness, only Angelica exploits this.

''Rugrats'' was produced by Creator/KlaskyCsupo and was one of the first three original Franchise/{{Nicktoons}}, being the second to premiere on August 11th, 1991. Paraphrasing the description at nick.com:

''Rugrats'' is one of the first three original Franchise/{{Nicktoons}}, produced by Creator/KlaskyCsupo and debuting in 1991. Paraphrasing the description at nick.com:

*** One such example was in the Season 1 episode "Real or Robots?", where Stu told Chuckie [[spoiler:his mom and dad would pick him up in the morning, as if she was still alive.]]

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Subverted. It's never stated what city they live in but there is proof they live in California. California license plates are spotted in several episodes, and in "Special Delivery" there's a California flag at the post office. They also live by the ocean and within driving distance to UsefulNotes/LasVegas and The Grand Canyon. In ''WesternAnimation/RugratsInParis'', there's a shot of a satellite sending a signal to Southern California when Kira is calling Stu about the Reptar mecha breakdown. In a non-canon comic book, the WesternAnimation/RocketPower gang babysits the Rugrats, and it's established that show takes place in Southern California.

** Chas is seen as a boy being scared of a rug, showing that he's always been [[LovableCoward nervy]]. Similarly, Chuckie, who's also nervy, walked for the first time while trying to run away from an ice cream van.

* AgelessBirthdayEpisode: Averted in the aptly titled "Tommy's First Birthday," but played completely straight with the episode "Angelica's Birthday," to the extent that, in a later episode ("Pickles vs. Pickles"), her parents say that she's still 3 years old.

* AnachronismStew: The flashback episode is ostensibly set in 1959, as Stu was born in 1958 according to the official timeline. However, Lou says that Stu and Drew's mother is off working on the Estes Kefauver campaign that occurred in 1956. Also, Lou says that if Stu and Drew keep behaving (unawares they’re out of the playpen) he’ll let them watch ''Literature/PeytonPlace''; a show that didn’t premiere until 1964. If he was referring to the movie, that premiered in 1957. Additionally a news report talks od how President Eisenhower attempted to cover up the U-2 incident, which happened in 1960.

* AnachronismStew: The flashback episode is ostensibly set in 1959, as Stu was born in 1958 according to the official timeline. However, Lou says that Stu and Drew's mother is off working on a campaign that occurred in 1956. Also, Lou says that if Stu and Drew keep behaving (unawares they’re out of the playpen) he’ll let them watch ''Literature/PeytonPlace''; a show that didn’t premiere until 1964. If he was referring to the movie, that premiered in 1957.

[[caption-width-right:250:[-Clockwise from top: [[{{TheLeader}} Tommy Pickles]], [[LovableCoward Chuckie Finster]], [[{{Brattyhalfpint}} Angelica Pickles]], [[HalfIdenticalTwins Lil and Phil DeVille]], [[AnnoyingYoungerSibling Dil Pickles]], [[{{NiceGirl}} Kimi Watanabe Finster]], and [[TeamMom Susie Carmichael]]. The gang's all here!-] ]]
->''"A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do!"''

Grown-ups act as if babies don't know anything, but the fearless, hairless Tommy Pickles and his baby brigade know what's really going on. They'd be happy to inform the grown-ups, if they could only understand baby talk. For the Rugrats, every day is an adventure, especially if the [[DevilInPlainSight doll-tossing, baby-torturing 3-year-old Angelica]] is around. Luckily, when the going gets tough, the gang gets going!

Premiering alongside ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', it was put on hiatus after three seasons in 1995. Later, with strong rerun ratings, the show was put back into production and became one of Nickelodeon's biggest mainstays. Running from 1991 to 2004, it is Nick's third-longest running animated series, next to ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' and ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''.

The successor series, ''WesternAnimation/AllGrownUp'', showed Tommy and his friends, ten years later as middle schoolers. Also had another (and significantly short-lived) spin-off, ''[[WesternAnimation/RugratsPreSchoolDaze Angelica and Susie's Preschool Daze]]'': [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin the name says it all]]. Several {{Licensed Game}}s were made, including ''VideoGame/RugratsCastleCapers'' in 2001 and ''VideoGame/RugratsRoyalRansom'' in 2002. The series can be found digitally and on DVD, and also frequently airs on Creator/NickRewind. Also, be sure to check out [[http://rugratonline.free.fr/ The UNOFFICIAL Rugrats Online]], a high-quality fansite.

The original show was once both the longest running Creator/ViacomCBS owned animated series and Nicktoon until both records were supassed by ''WesternAnimation/{{South Park}}'' and '' WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'' respectively.

* VivaLasVegas: The special ''Vacation'' takes place here. However, it's [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes rather to find these days,]] most likely due to music licensing issues. It did air on Nickelodeon on February 3, 2013, even after being skipped several times on the Series/The90sAreAllThat block on Teennick, and it is available on the Season 4 DVD and the Complete Series set, but digital releases lack the episode.

* BaldWoman:
** In "Feeding Hubert", reporter Tiffany Pride is often referred to by the public as "the one with the hair," but at the end, it's revealed that she's actually bald when her wig falls off.
** Tommy's Aunt Miriam wears a wig as well.

* ItsPronouncedTropay: In a nod to ''Film/AChristmasStory'', in "Meet the Carmichaels", as Susie's family is moving in, one of the movers drops a box that says "fragile" written on it, and he asks his coworker what "fra-gee-lay" means.

* SuckECheeses: Piggy's Pizza Palace.

* ThreeDimensionalEpisode: Dust Bunnies.

* ThoseTwoGuys: Larry and Steve.

* MixedAncestry:
** Tommy has an American father and a Russian-Jewish mother.
** Chuckie has an American father and a Japanese stepmother and stepsister.