If there is anything we can all relate to is being a toddler, whether we remember it or not. One of the most memorable things about being a toddler was watching the crazy adventures of other toddlers. The Rugrats are iconic in their own special way, not everybody grew up watching it but quite a number of people both young and old still remember it.
Rugrats was designed for children and kept that at it’s core. Easily distracted parents and relatives was a pretty common theme throughout all the years the show ran, which made getting up to mischief and causing a bit of mayhem much simpler. What toddler alive has not gotten away from a guardian at one stage or another and caused a little panic until they were found? I know I have and if you think you haven’t I’m sure someone will be able to prove otherwise.
The daily lives of Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, Lil and Angelica were the stuff of fantasies, adventures and over active imaginations. Seemingly small inconveniences to the adults impacted the Rugrats on a much bigger scale and rightly so since they were only children. One episode that comes to mind was when the family go on trip, one thing leads to another and the rascals ended flooding the place with bubbles. As a child each episode was unique and opened up a world of possibilities. The moulding of young minds from an early age and teaching them to think out of the box was the best thing a cartoon could do for a child. Not many cartoons these days do that unfortunately but we can still hope.
Each individual character on the show was exactly that, an individual. Although there maybe similarities between a few of the characters Phil/Lil and Howard/Chuckie and Chas there are still characteristics that set them apart from each other. With so many regular characters in the show the character development standards were quite high. Tommy as everybody knows was the leader and was always one of the first to think of ideas and if something was fishy he was one of the first to catch on to what was happening. Chuckie was the timid scared of practically everything child, he was a little older than Tommy, Phil, Lil, Kimi and Dil but younger than Angelica and boy did she let them know it. Angelica was the character we loved to hate; she was very similar to Hilda (Hey Arnold!). Both could be cruel and pretty big bullies. Angelica was a spoilt brat who got practically everything she asked for from her dotting parents. Though she can be a big meanie, she loves the babies and has a good heart. Phil and Lil were quite alike, even for twins, they wore matching clothes, ate worms, argued but as time went on they developed distinctly different personalities. Susie was introduced to the show in the second season and seems to be the complete opposite to Angelica though the two of them are very close friends. Dil the baby of the group was introduced in The Rugrats Movie. Dil as a baby is not anything too special. He inspires numerous adventures and participates in a few but it’s only in Rugrats: All Growed Up do we get to see what type of person he is and to be honest he is a bit of an odd ball but there is always one. Kimi is Chuckie’s step sister who was the last character to be introduced to the shows character list. She is quite intelligent and adventurous though she can inadvertently endanger herself.
It’s the relationships in any show that make the stories in a show work, there are plenty of different types of relationships, parents and their children, sibling relationships, marriages and solid friendships. Though most of us would have experienced a majority of those relationships, it was probably the first time I was made aware of step siblings/Parents. It opened a whole new world into what a family unit was for me.
To me Rugrats is one of the prime examples of good wholesome entertainment that entertains and informs on a different level. It shows how your imagination is limitless and with the help of loved ones it can take you on some wild adventures. That was what made Rugrats special and why it will always be a little part of me.
