94 Fun Facts About Rugrats

One-year-old Tommy Pickles acts as the babies' what?

Leader of the gang, Tommy takes his friends exploring while the grown-ups aren't paying attention.

What does Tommy keep hidden in his diaper?

A screwdriver: Tommy keeps a plastic screwdriver in his diaper and uses it to spring the playpen latch so the babies can go exploring.

Which game-show host played himself in a Rugrats episode, handing Chas a sweepstakes cheque for $10 million?

Pat Sajak brings the good news, and Chas then lets his sudden wealth go to his head.

What does Angelica keep calling Tommy's gang?

Dumb babies is the jab of Angelica, who can talk to adults as well as babies, so she bosses the babies around and fools the grown-ups.

What is the name of Angelica's favourite doll?

Cynthia, a ratty, nearly bald Barbie parody, is so dear to Angelica that in The Rugrats Movie she sets off after the babies to get her back.

What is Dil Pickles' full first name?

Dylan Prescott Pickles is named after his mother's cousin Dylan Prescott, and in The Rugrats Movie it's the twins, not Tommy, who want to send him back.

Which three-year-old neighbour of the Pickles family is Angelica's usual rival on Rugrats?

Susie Carmichael protects the babies from Angelica, helping them stand up to her.

What is Stu Pickles' job?

Stu Pickles is an inventor, and in Rugrats in Paris the job has him summoned to France to fix a malfunctioning Reptar robot.

Grandpa Boris and Minka are the parents of which character?

Didi's parents Boris and Minka are Jewish immigrants from Russia, which makes Tommy Jewish through his mother.

What is the name of the Pickles family dog?

Spike, the Pickles' dog, falls for Fifi, a stray poodle, in Rugrats in Paris, and she ends up as his mate and the Finster family's dog.

Which member of the band Devo composed the Rugrats theme song?

Mark Mothersbaugh scored the whole run of Rugrats, and Chuckie's look, thick glasses and wild hair, was loosely modelled on him.

Which actress voices Tommy Pickles?

E. G. Daily kept voicing Tommy even while in labour, recording a session between contractions shortly before her daughter was born.

Which actress took over from Christine Cavanaugh as the voice of Chuckie Finster on Rugrats?

Nancy Cartwright got the part once her predecessor retired from voice acting altogether in 2001.

Klasky Csupo, the studio behind Rugrats, also animated the early seasons of which prime-time cartoon?

The Simpsons was animated at Klasky Csupo for its first three seasons, until production moved to Film Roman in 1992.

On Rugrats, which actress voices the Carmichaels' daughter?

Cree Summer got to sing in the role once the spin-off All Grown Up! made the Carmichaels' daughter a singer with real talent who upstages Angelica.

A Rugrats co-creator modelled bossy Angelica on whom from his own childhood?

A girl who bullied him in grade school inspired Angelica, after the co-creator decided the babies needed a bully because childhood is about dealing with bullies.

Which cartoon overtook Rugrats in 2012 as Nickelodeon's longest-running animated series?

SpongeBob SquarePants took the record in 2012, by which time Rugrats' popularity had already spawned three theatrical films.

What revived Rugrats after Nickelodeon stopped making new episodes?

A ratings boost from reruns made Rugrats one of cable's most popular programs, and production resumed in 1996.

Which two Jewish holidays got their own Rugrats specials in 1995 and 1996?

Passover and Chanukah got specials, and in A Rugrats Passover Grandpa Boris tells the Exodus story, with Tommy imagining himself as Moses.

Rugrats' Grandpa Lou is a veteran of which war?

World War II veteran Lou tells exaggerated stories about his past, and he often dozes off while babysitting the kids.

What did cinemagoers get to use during the 2003 Rugrats crossover film?

Scratch-and-sniff cards were handed out, and audiences sniffed the matching picture at cued moments during the film.

In The Rugrats Movie, what does Stu build for a toy competition in Japan?

The Reptar Wagon goes careering out of the house with the babies aboard, which is how they end up lost in the woods.

Which animals kidnap Dil in The Rugrats Movie?

Circus monkeys from a hijacked circus train snatch Dil, and during a storm Tommy nearly hands his brother back to them before the two finally bond.

Which Oscar-winning actress voices the villain Coco LaBouche in Rugrats in Paris?

Susan Sarandon's Coco LaBouche secretly hates children, yet chases Chuckie's dad because her boss will only promote someone who loves kids.

Which two characters make their first appearance in Rugrats in Paris?

Kimi and Kira debut in the film, which ends with Chas marrying Kira, giving Chuckie a stepmother and a new sister in one go.

In their 2003 film, the Rugrats babies get stranded on an island and meet the family from which other Nicktoon?

The Wild Thornberrys family meets them there, and because Eliza can talk to animals, the Pickles' dog is heard speaking.

Which action star voiced the Pickles family dog in the 2003 Rugrats crossover film?

Bruce Willis voices the dog, who tells a helper on the island that his 'babies' are lost.

Rugrats co-creator Gábor Csupó left which Eastern Bloc country for the West in 1975?

Hungary was Csupó's homeland, and after leaving for the West he met Arlene Klasky while working in Sweden.

In the spin-off All Grown Up!, what hobby does preteen Tommy Pickles take up?

Filmmaking becomes Tommy's passion, though after one of his films flops he quits for a while before his confidence returns.

On which streaming service did the CGI Rugrats reboot premiere in May 2021?

Paramount+ premiered the reboot on May 27, 2021, reuniting most of the babies' original voices while the adult roles were recast.

Which parent was reimagined as a lesbian in the 2021 Rugrats reboot?

Betty DeVille, voiced by openly queer actor Natalie Morales, raises the twins as a single mom, with Howard reworked as their donor.

Which Spinal Tap actor voices Grandpa Lou in the 2021 reboot?

Michael McKean voices Lou in the reboot because the character's previous voice, Joe Alaskey, had died.

Reptar, the babies' favourite monster, is a spoof of which famous movie creature?

Godzilla is the monster Reptar spoofs, and his in-show cereal and candy bars later became real products sold in shops.

Which Rugrats writer-producer left in 1993 and went on to develop the cartoon Recess?

Paul Germain left, and members of his writing team who hadn't already gone followed him out; a legal settlement bars the creators from discussing the split.

Who is Lulu, introduced in the later seasons?

Grandpa Lou's second wife, Lulu, marries him before Rugrats in Paris, and their wedding reception is where that movie opens.

Which voice actress plays Dil Pickles?

Tara Strong voices Dil, a newborn too young to talk even baby talk, so big brother Tommy can't communicate with him.

Which cartoon premiered on Nickelodeon just before Rugrats on August 11, 1991?

Doug aired first that day, but in 1996 its creator sold the show, and new episodes moved from Nickelodeon to ABC.

What is the name of Angelica's pet cat?

Fluffy, Angelica's pampered cat, makes a mess at Tommy's house in an early episode, and Angelica pins the blame on the Pickles' dog.

Which actress, who originally auditioned to play Tommy, became the voice of Angelica Pickles on Rugrats?

Cheryl Chase lost out on the babies' parts, but once the pilot sold the writers created Angelica, and she auditioned again and won the role.

Which Hollywood musical star voiced Lulu in the later seasons of Rugrats?

Debbie Reynolds voiced Lulu, a hospital nurse who, in her backstory, once sang for soldiers in wartime Europe.

Which Nickelodeon programming block began airing new Rugrats episodes in 1997?

SNICK aired the new episodes, written by a fresh team because the show's original writers had walked out.

Which publisher released Rugrats: Search for Reptar on PlayStation in 1998?

THQ shipped it alongside The Rugrats Movie, and a 1999 deal then gave THQ exclusive Rugrats game rights on Nintendo, Sony and Sega systems.

The live show Rugrats Magic Adventure! ran exclusively at which theme park from 2000?

Universal Studios Hollywood's show cast Angelica as a stage magician, taking its story from the episode 'Angelica the Magnificent'.

What was the title of the never-aired Rugrats pilot?

Tommy Pickles and the Great White Thing has Tommy escape his crib to investigate the toilet, and it led Nickelodeon to order the series.

Which Sex and the City star voiced Melinda, Chuckie's late mother, in a Rugrats holiday special?

Kim Cattrall voiced Melinda in the Mother's Day special, where Chuckie learns his mum died of an illness soon after he was born.

Christine Cavanaugh, Chuckie's first voice on Rugrats, also played which talking pig in a 1995 film?

Babe made her a film star, but she passed on the sequel when contract talks fell through and a Rugrats castmate took over the pig.

The opening and closing scenes of The Rugrats Movie parody which blockbuster adventure film series?

Indiana Jones is spoofed at both ends of the film, and the gag later inspired a TV episode called Okey-Dokey Jones and the Ring of the Sunbeams.

Which Oscar-winning comic actress voices forest ranger Margaret in The Rugrats Movie?

Whoopi Goldberg plays Margaret opposite David Spade as her fellow ranger Frank, in the first feature film ever made from a Nicktoon.

In The Rugrats Movie, the Pickles family dog fights which predator on a bridge to save the babies?

A wolf stalks the babies through the forest, and both animals plunge off the bridge; the dog survives by landing in its struts.

In Rugrats in Paris, the babies ride a giant robot across town to stop a wedding at which church?

Notre-Dame is where the babies burst in on a Reptar robot and expose the bride's scheme, so the groom calls the ceremony off.

On Rugrats, eating a chocolate Reptar Bar is known for turning a child's tongue which colour?

Green tongues gave snackers away, and in 2017 the retailer FYE began selling real Reptar Bars filled with green frosting.

Which Happy Days star voices Grandpa Boris in the 2021 reboot of Rugrats?

Henry Winkler voices Boris, with Swoosie Kurtz as his wife Minka, in a reboot that recast every one of the grown-ups.

In The Rugrats Movie, the lost babies trek to a ranger's cabin believing which magical figure lives there?

A wizard, or a lizard as the babies say it, is who they hope will grant their wish to go home; they later take Tommy's dad for him.

Rugrats never names the Pickles family's town, but licence plates and a flag point to which US state?

California fits the clues, and the school where Tommy's mother teaches is named as a pun on the real city of Yucaipa.

Which pop superstar was first set to voice baby Dil in The Rugrats Movie before the part was recast?

Madonna was the first choice for Dil, but the role went to a voice actress whose impression of a crying baby won the audition.

In The Rugrats Movie, what do twins Phil and Lil want to do with crying newborn Dil?

Send him back is the twins' plan: they assume the hospital will take a noisy baby again, and the quarrel ends with everyone speeding off into the woods.

Which animated film knocked The Rugrats Movie off the top of the US box office in its second weekend?

A Bug's Life took over in week two, after The Rugrats Movie had opened at number one with $27.3 million, ahead of Enemy of the State.

The Rugrats Movie was the first animated film from outside which studio to gross $100 million in America?

Disney had held that milestone to itself until the 1998 film edged past $100 million at home in March 1999, on its way to $141 million worldwide.

Which English rock star wrote a song for The Rugrats Movie that was cut and resurfaced as a B-side?

David Bowie wrote a new track for the film's soundtrack; after it was dropped he re-recorded it as Safe, the flip side of a 2002 single.

Which alt-rock star joined Iggy Pop and Patti Smith among the singing babies in The Rugrats Movie?

Beck is one of the babies' singing voices, in a chorus that also features Lisa Loeb, Lou Rawls and three members of the B-52's.

Which Nicktoon supplied the short Fetch that played in cinemas before The Rugrats Movie?

CatDog's short Fetch ran before the feature in theatres, but home-video releases swapped in a different one, Winslow's Home Videos.

Which R&B group teamed with Mýa on Take Me There, the theme song and only single from The Rugrats Movie?

Blackstreet wove the TV theme tune into Take Me There, which climbed to number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Which British actor voices pushy television reporter Rex Pester in The Rugrats Movie?

Tim Curry plays Rex Pester, whose blunt remark that the children are lost sends Angelica's furious father flying at Stu.

In The Rugrats Movie, Stu hunts for the lost babies in a glider shaped like which winged creature?

A pterodactyl-like glider carries him over the forest until he spots the children from above and crash-lands into a cabin.

In Rugrats in Paris, the Pickles family dog falls for Fifi, a Parisian stray of which breed?

A poodle called Fifi wins his heart on the streets of Paris, and the Finsters adopt her when the families fly home.

Which Emmy-winning sitcom star voices Jean-Claude, Coco LaBouche's henchman, in Rugrats in Paris?

John Lithgow's Jean-Claude locks the babies in a warehouse on the wedding day, then pursues them across the city at the controls of a giant robot.

In Rugrats in Paris, Chuckie wants which character from the Reptar stage show as his new mother?

The princess tames Reptar in the story the babies are told, so Coco LaBouche dresses up as her to lure Chuckie on stage.

In Rugrats in Paris, Jean-Claude chases the babies in a giant robot of which Reptar nemesis?

Robosnail is the animatronic foe from the theme park's show, and the babies' own Reptar robot finally knocks it into the Seine.

Which veteran radio countdown host cameos as the wedding disc jockey at the start of Rugrats in Paris?

Casey Kasem spins the records at the reception that opens the film, where a mother-child dance leaves Chuckie longing for a mum of his own.

In the 2003 Rugrats crossover film, castaway Stu Pickles builds a working radio from which fruit?

A coconut radio is his one triumph on the island: it picks up a signal from the lost babies and helps the parents find them.

Which rock musician voices Donnie, the boy who steals Chuckie's clothes in the 2003 Rugrats crossover?

Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, supplies Donnie's babble; the boy makes off with Chuckie's outfit and leaves him his shorts.

Which Jim Carrey blockbuster kept Rugrats in Paris off the top of the US box office on opening weekend?

The Grinch, released in America as How the Grinch Stole Christmas, opened the same weekend and took first place, leaving Rugrats in Paris second with $22.7 million.

In the 2003 Rugrats crossover film, Angelica steals which craft and crashes it on the ocean floor?

A bathysphere is her getaway vehicle, and its radio, switched on by accident, is how the stranded parents first hear the babies.

On Rugrats, what relation is spoiled three-year-old Angelica Pickles to baby Tommy?

His cousin through their fathers, Angelica is often left with Tommy's parents because her own wealthy mum and dad are busy with work.

The Rugrats series premiere, aired in August 1991, centres on which big day for Tommy Pickles?

His first birthday party goes off the rails when the babies decide that eating dog food will turn them into dogs.

On Rugrats, the grandparents Boris and Minka are Jewish immigrants to America from which country?

Russia is the old country in their stories, and co-creator Arlene Klasky based the pair on her own Eastern European great-aunts and great-uncles.

A Rugrats writer partly modelled fearless baby Tommy Pickles on which star of classic Westerns?

John Wayne's swagger shaped the baby, said writer Steve Viksten, who also coined the determined catchphrase that became Tommy's motto.

A Rugrats writer called mean Angelica the series' answer to which scheming soap-opera villain?

J. R. Ewing, the oil baron of Dallas, was the comparison Steve Viksten offered when her voice actress struggled to play someone so nasty.

Before being renamed after a co-creator's baby son, Rugrats hero Tommy Pickles briefly carried which name?

Ollie was the placeholder until the baby borrowed the name of a co-creator's one-year-old son; the surname Pickles simply popped into the same writer's head.

Which actor, famous as Bosley in Charlie's Angels, was the original voice of Grandpa Lou on Rugrats?

David Doyle voiced Lou until his death in 1997; the part then passed to Joe Alaskey, one of Mel Blanc's successors as Bugs Bunny.

Which voice actress plays both of the twins Phil and Lil on Rugrats, as well as their mother?

Kath Soucie performs all three roles, and is also the voice of Lola Bunny in Looney Tunes and Kanga in Winnie the Pooh.

Which voice actor played three Rugrats regulars: Drew Pickles, Chas Finster and Grandpa Boris?

Michael Bell voiced Angelica's father, Chuckie's father and Tommy's grandfather for the entire original run, then returned for all three in the sequel series.

Reptar's name on Rugrats is said to echo a child's attempt at which dinosaur, later a Jurassic Park star?

Velociraptor, as a small child might say it, is said to lie behind the name, though Reptar himself is drawn like a Tyrannosaurus rex.

Rugrats creators Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó were in what relationship when they devised the series?

Husband and wife at the time, they took the idea from their own two young sons and what the boys might say if they could talk.

For its tenth anniversary, Rugrats became the first series from its network to receive which honour?

A Walk of Fame star was laid for the babies in June 2001 on the 6600 block of Hollywood Boulevard, outside a toy and costume shop.

In a 2001 Rugrats special, a visiting great-aunt teaches a neighbour's family about which holiday?

Kwanzaa arrives with a great-aunt who shares her memories through a scrapbook; Rugrats was one of the first mainstream TV shows to feature the holiday.

The Rugrats balloon that joined Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1997 was the first there to do what?

Show three characters: Tommy, Chuckie and the family dog shared one giant balloon, something the New York parade had never tried before.

Which teen TV star narrated the 2001 retrospective Rugrats: Still Babies After All These Years?

Amanda Bynes narrated the look-back, which aired straight after an anniversary special that imagined the babies a decade older.

In the Rugrats special All Growed Up, the babies turn which of Angelica's toys into a time-travel device?

Her karaoke machine carries them ten years ahead, in a special that drew nearly 12 million viewers, a record for its network.

Which future creator of a cult MTV sci-fi cartoon co-designed the Rugrats babies and directed the pilot?

Peter Chung, who went on to make Æon Flux, also directed the opening titles, working to a brief that the babies should look strange instead of cute.

Which cartoon about young surfers and skateboarders did Rugrats studio Klasky Csupo launch in 1999?

Rocket Power grew out of the founders watching their own sons take up extreme sports, and Tommy and Angelica later guest-starred in one of its video games.

Which fast-food chain ran the most Rugrats promotions, giving away toys and watches with kids' meals?

Burger King's first tie-in packed each of five toys with a miniature magazine full of puzzles and word searches.

Which Arrested Development star voices mild-mannered father Chas Finster in the 2021 Rugrats reboot?

Tony Hale shares the reboot with two of his Veep co-stars, Anna Chlumsky and Timothy Simons, who voice Angelica's parents.

In the 1999 Rugrats TV movie Runaway Reptar, Grandpa Lou takes the babies to watch a monster film where?

At a drive-in, the babies imagine flying through the screen in a secret Reptar car to find out why their hero has turned bad.