It’s Time To Binge The New ‘Rugrats’
— Nickelodeon/Paramount+
For children of the ‘90s, Rugrats were an institution. An offbeat, honest, and raw cartoon, Rugrats fit perfectly with the childhoods of the MTV Generation and every generation that came after. By being both aspirational and more than little grunge, Rugrats was a validating show as much as it was a subversive one.
Well, luckily the dream of the ‘90s is still alive. And if you missed it, Rugrats got fully rebooted in 2021 with a new series, complete with contemporary animation. The Nickelodeon perennial came back pretty recently and even dropped the second season of the new version of Rugrats earlier in 2023. So, if you’ve slept on this ‘90s revival, now is the time to actually get back into it. Here are just a few reasons why.
New Rugrats is just like old Rugrats
Almost all the surviving voice actors from the classic Rugrats returned for the new series in 2021. At the time, the actors pointed out that the “multi-generational” appeal of Rugrats was basically proven by the existence of the new show. Kids today don’t need to know anything about the old Rugrats to like the new show, because it’s basically a spruced-up version of the old show anyway.
That said, for parents who grew up with Rugrats watching the reboot version will provide them with a ton of visual and audio comfort food. Yes, CGI animation may not have the same grunge-ness of the ‘90s, but the characters look the way you think they should look, and sound exactly correct, too.
New Rugrats is progressive
The new Rugrats series also has strived to reflect the world in which it takes place. To that end, the representation and diversity of this series are better handled than the classic show. This includes — but is not limited to — the idea that Lil and Phil’s mom, Betty DeVille, is gay in the new version of the show. For a series that came from the ‘90s, this is a huge step forward, and just one example of how a classic can be remade without really changing the vibe of what the show was in the first place.
New Rugrats looks great
Again, say what you will about contemporary 3D animation, the rebooted Rugrats represents the best possible outcome of taking classic character designs and applying modern techniques. While it’s fun to watch the old show for nostalgia reasons — and you totally can on Paramount+ —it’s not as aesthetically pleasing as you might think. So, if you’re hoping to scratch that nostalgia itch, but also present a show to your kids that looks and feels new, you can’t do much better than the rebooted, all-new (yet old-feeling) adventures of the Rugrats