One of Nickelodeon’s inaugural original Nicktoons Rugrats was a cornerstone of ’90s TV animation and a pop-cultural phenomenon for anyone who ever wore diapers. In an age before SpongeBob SquarePants’ reign over the Nickelodeon brand, the series gained global popularity by endearing itself to fans young and old with its clever observational writing, charmingly grotesque art design, and distinct synth-based soundtrack. The playpen perils of Tommy Pickles and company emulated the familiar domesticity of childhood life as dramatic adventures and grand-scale dilemmas. The show’s greatest strength was in how it depicted the lives of its loveably innocent baby personalities with nuanced and often mature characterization.
