A to Z of Animation Studios: N Is for Nickelodeon Animation
Slime, a sponge and the most famous airbender in the world.
N is for Nickelodeon Animation Studio
The start: REAL: on August 11, 1991, Nickelodeon launched its first three original cartoons, called Nicktoons, on the same day: Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Nickelodeon's own animation studio grew from there and moved into its famous Burbank building in the late '90s.
The approach: Give creators a strong, weird idea and let it be weird. Nickelodeon cartoons were louder, stranger and gooier than anything else on TV.
Greatest hits
Rugrats (1991). Babies on adventures, from a baby's-eye view.
Hey Arnold! (1996). A football-headed kid in the city. Quietly one of the most heartfelt shows of the '90s.
SpongeBob SquarePants (1999). The biggest Nicktoon ever, and one of the biggest cartoons in the world.
The Fairly OddParents (2001). Fairy godparents, rules and chaos.
Invader Zim (2001). A tiny alien trying to conquer Earth with the world's least helpful robot, GIR.
Danny Phantom (2004). Half kid, half ghost, all action.
Avatar: The Last Airbender (2005). REAL: widely considered one of the greatest animated series ever made. Three seasons, a complete story arc and characters fans still talk about daily.
The misses
Fanboy & Chum Chum (2009). Loud, frantic and very polarizing.
Breadwinners (2014). Two ducks who deliver bread in a rocket van. It had fans. It had more critics.
The Mighty B! (2008). An energetic show that never quite found its audience.
The Nickelodeon formula
A simple, odd premise. A sponge who loves his job. Babies who think they're explorers.
Fast, exaggerated humor. Big faces, big reactions.
A theme song you can't forget. "Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?" You're singing it now.
The struggle
REAL: the pilot for Adventure Time was first made as a short for a Nicktoons showcase, but Nickelodeon passed on it, and Cartoon Network picked it up. That's the kind of decision that haunts a studio.
Honorable mention: Nelvana
A Canadian studio founded in 1971 that has quietly made a huge amount of beloved kids' TV: The Care Bears Movie (1985), Babar, Franklin, Rolie Polie Olie and Redwall.
The lesson
Nickelodeon's best years came from saying yes to strange creators. Its biggest regret came from saying no to one. Weird ideas are risky, and they're also where hits come from.
Up next
O is for Osamu Tezuka's Mushi Production.
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