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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 12, 2011 9:53:11 GMT -5
"Pre-School Daze" was intended to be a series about Angelica's and Susie's days in pre-school. The pilot aired here in the US as a Rugrats episode, but the remaining episodes were (to my knowledge) never shown here. There were also plans for a series of TV specials involving the Rugrats in fairy tales. Two were produced and aired (aired once, as I recall), but they didn't really excite me. Others evidently felt the same way about them. I actually never knew about any of that! After Dill joined the Rugrats babies, and especially after Chuckie's new stepsister Kimi was added, my viewership fell off considerably. Probably as a result, I missed out on hearing about some of these planned series. I didn't actually find out about these until I did a bit of research online. I did see a few clips from the Pre-School Daze show on youtube. All I can remember is that the characters were given new designs, so it seemed a bit off. I do remember catching the pilot once or twice on TV, and there were a few episodes afterwards that showed Angelica, Susie, and their new friend Harold (who was also in the All Grown Up series) in pre-school. However, these had nothing to do with the Pre-School Daze series. According to wikipedia, only five episodes went into release. There were also plans for a series about the Charmichaels moving to the South (Virginia, I think), but this was never made. It sort of reminds me of the unproduced Hey Arnold spin-off "The Patakis". I'm surprised nobody really mentioned the Rugrats movies yet. Okay, so none of them were really great to the point where they had the charm of the classic episodes, but they had their moments (the first two, anyhow). The first Rugrats movie had some good moments in it. My favorite line being when the Reptar Wagon hits a rock, causing Angelica to go flying out of it. Phil says, "I didn't know she could fly.", and Lil responds with, "I think it's because she's a witch". There was also a good deal of heart in that movie. But at times it seemed a bit dark for a Rugrats movie. Rugrats in Paris had some decent moments in it. But it was obvious that the series had jumped the shark around this time. However, I did enjoy the prologue leading up to this movie (as well as the prologue for the first movie). Rugrats Go Wild (which I distinctly remember being called "Rugrats Meet the Wild Thornberries" when it's first trailer was shown in theaters) was pretty weak. That's unfortunate, considering how almost groundbreaking it was.
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Post by littlerascal4891 on Mar 12, 2011 20:59:26 GMT -5
I thought Rugrats Go Wild was a decent idea, but I found it odd that it was even made since both shows were past their prime.
I didn't think the Dil episodes of Rugrats were that bad; certainly not as good as the earlier episodes, but tolerable. Dil usually wasn't a huge factor in the show unless the plot dealt with getting Dil something or preventing Dil from doing/turning into something (like the one time the babies thought he was turning into a watermelon). But after Rugrats in Paris came out (even though I really like that movie) the episodes got pretty dull. I found Kimi irritating and never thought she really brought much to the show... she was basically a female Tommy.
On a side note, did anyone notice how the babies never seemed to age despite Dil being born? If Tommy's mom was pregnant with him for 9 months, plus a few months of Dil's existence and time before Dil was born, the babies and Angelica would have aged at least a year, which meant Chuckie would've been 3 and ready for preschool. I know it's just a cartoon, and it doesn't really matter, but I always noticed that the babies never seemed to change.
I've heard about The Patackis spin-off too. I'm curious to see what it would've been like... for example, whould Arnold still be part of the show, since he played a huge part in Helga's life? The show probably would've been pretty "grown-up." Helga had a pretty rough life in Hey Arnold!... her father ignored her, her mother was (agruably) an alcoholic, and she was constantly over shadowed by her pretty, smart older sister. I always felt really bad for Helga, and nowadays I wonder if the people working on Hey Arnold! purposely made Helga a victim of child neglect or abuse or whatever you want to call it.
Come to think of it, a lot of the kids on Hey Arnold! had less-than-perfect lives; Arnold's parents (presumably) died, Sid, Stinky, and Lila were poor, Harold got teased for being fat, and despite being rich, Rhonda didn't really have a close family. The cartoons today don't really have issues like those; they're just there to make kids laugh and be entertained, which is fine. But Hey Arnold! is refreshing because it didn't always have a happy ending.'
Even Rugrats, which was usually a light-hearted show, still dealt with bigger issues. The most obvious one being Chuckie not having a mother, as she died of illness when he was very little (that mother's day special used to tear me up!). Then of course what Tommy dealt with when Dil was first born in the Rugrats Movie (he thought his parents didn't love him anymore because they gave the new baby so much attention). You just don't see stuff like that nowadays.
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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 12, 2011 21:56:50 GMT -5
Arnold's parents (presumably) died, Sid, Stinky, and Lila were poor, Harold got teased for being fat, and despite being rich, Rhonda didn't really have a close family. The cartoons today don't really have issues like those; they're just there to make kids laugh and be entertained, which is fine. But Hey Arnold! is refreshing because it didn't always have a happy ending.' Arnold's parents didn't die. There were plans for a second Hey Arnold! movie in which Arnold and his class go on a field trip to the jungle, and Arnold goes searching for his parents. In the end, he does indeed find his parents, and his last name is revealed. There was a TV special ("The Journal") that led up to this, in which Arnold's grandpa reads from a journal Arnold's dad kept. In the end, Arnold finds a map in the back of the journal, which is where the movie was supposed to pick up from. And I agree that today's shows are too PC to even consider putting certain factors (like the ones you mentioned) into them. I remember seeing a clip on youtube of an episode showing flashbacks of Arnold's grandpa fighting a Nazi (the swastika on his uniform was cleverly covered up by a smiley face)! When was the last time we saw that on a family show? But serious (and realistic) matters are also never really brought up by today's children TV shows. The Mother's Day episode of Rugrats also used to get to me, as did the episode in which Chuckie's bug Melville died. And the Parents Day episode of Hey Arnold! also got to me.
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Mar 12, 2011 23:52:27 GMT -5
I've heard about The Patackis spin-off too. I'm curious to see what it would've been like... for example, whould Arnold still be part of the show, since he played a huge part in Helga's life? The show probably would've been pretty "grown-up." From what I've heard, the idea for a spin-off series about Helga's family was rejected primarily because the subject material would have just been too dark for the average Nickelodeon viewer. An occasional larger dose of the Patakis was good for Hey Arnold!, I believe, but an entire series focused on their family might have found striking the right emotional balance to be a difficult chore.
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Post by littlerascal4891 on Mar 13, 2011 0:11:01 GMT -5
Arnold's parents (presumably) died, Sid, Stinky, and Lila were poor, Harold got teased for being fat, and despite being rich, Rhonda didn't really have a close family. The cartoons today don't really have issues like those; they're just there to make kids laugh and be entertained, which is fine. But Hey Arnold! is refreshing because it didn't always have a happy ending.' Arnold's parents didn't die. There were plans for a second Hey Arnold! movie in which Arnold and his class go on a field trip to the jungle, and Arnold goes searching for his parents. In the end, he does indeed find his parents, and his last name is revealed. There was a TV special ("The Journal") that led up to this, in which Arnold's grandpa reads from a journal Arnold's dad kept. In the end, Arnold finds a map in the back of the journal, which is where the movie was supposed to pick up from. And I agree that today's shows are too PC to even consider putting certain factors (like the ones you mentioned) into them. I remember seeing a clip on youtube of an episode showing flashbacks of Arnold's grandpa fighting a Nazi (the swastika on his uniform was cleverly covered up by a smiley face)! When was the last time we saw that on a family show? But serious (and realistic) matters are also never really brought up by today's children TV shows. The Mother's Day episode of Rugrats also used to get to me, as did the episode in which Chuckie's bug Melville died. And the Parents Day episode of Hey Arnold! also got to me. I know about the Jungle Movie, that's why I said "presumably." If someone didn't know about the Jungle Movie, they probably would've just assumed that they died (although I guess technically their plane went missing, but I always just thought they were dead). I probably just should've said that his parents weren't physically present in his life and he didn't know if they were still alive. Bottom line, he didn't have parents around. By the way, Arnold's last name is supposedly Shortman. ;D
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Post by littlerascal4891 on Mar 13, 2011 0:14:26 GMT -5
I've heard about The Patackis spin-off too. I'm curious to see what it would've been like... for example, whould Arnold still be part of the show, since he played a huge part in Helga's life? The show probably would've been pretty "grown-up." From what I've heard, the idea for a spin-off series about Helga's family was rejected primarily because the subject material would have just been too dark for the average Nickelodeon viewer. An occasional larger dose of the Patakis was good for Hey Arnold!, I believe, but an entire series focused on their family might have found striking the right emotional balance to be a difficult chore. Agreed. I think it worked for Hey Arnold!, but I'm not so sure viewers would take a whole series about Helga's family well. I mean, her family was pretty messed up if you think about it.
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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 13, 2011 13:38:25 GMT -5
Arnold's parents didn't die. There were plans for a second Hey Arnold! movie in which Arnold and his class go on a field trip to the jungle, and Arnold goes searching for his parents. In the end, he does indeed find his parents, and his last name is revealed. There was a TV special ("The Journal") that led up to this, in which Arnold's grandpa reads from a journal Arnold's dad kept. In the end, Arnold finds a map in the back of the journal, which is where the movie was supposed to pick up from. And I agree that today's shows are too PC to even consider putting certain factors (like the ones you mentioned) into them. I remember seeing a clip on youtube of an episode showing flashbacks of Arnold's grandpa fighting a Nazi (the swastika on his uniform was cleverly covered up by a smiley face)! When was the last time we saw that on a family show? But serious (and realistic) matters are also never really brought up by today's children TV shows. The Mother's Day episode of Rugrats also used to get to me, as did the episode in which Chuckie's bug Melville died. And the Parents Day episode of Hey Arnold! also got to me. I know about the Jungle Movie, that's why I said "presumably." If someone didn't know about the Jungle Movie, they probably would've just assumed that they died (although I guess technically they're plane went missing, but I always just thought they were dead). I probably just should've said that his parents weren't physically present in his life and he didn't know if they were still alive. Bottom line, he didn't have parents around. By the way, Arnold's last name is supposedly Shortman. ;D Ah, I see. Thanks for clearing that up for me. I had heard about the "Shortman" thing, but for awhile, I thought it was just a rumor. Apparenly, his full name is Arnold Philip Shortman.
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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 13, 2011 13:39:25 GMT -5
I've heard about The Patackis spin-off too. I'm curious to see what it would've been like... for example, whould Arnold still be part of the show, since he played a huge part in Helga's life? The show probably would've been pretty "grown-up." From what I've heard, the idea for a spin-off series about Helga's family was rejected primarily because the subject material would have just been too dark for the average Nickelodeon viewer. An occasional larger dose of the Patakis was good for Hey Arnold!, I believe, but an entire series focused on their family might have found striking the right emotional balance to be a difficult chore. Too dark? Hmm.. why do I get the feeling that show would have been like one of those obnoxious reality shows on Bravo?
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Mar 13, 2011 17:08:31 GMT -5
I had heard about the "Shortman" thing, but for awhile, I thought it was just a rumor. Apparenly, his full name is Arnold Philip Shortman. Yes, I can confirm at a near one hundred percent threshold of certainty that Shortman was, in fact, going to be revealed as Arnold's last name had The Jungle Movie been released. Last year, I came across the full transcript of an online chat that had at some point been conducted between Craig Bartlett and a group of fans of the show; in the pages of that chat, Craig Bartlett confirms that right at the very beginning of The Jungle Movie, "Shortman" was to have been revealed as Arnold's last name.
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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 20, 2011 12:09:55 GMT -5
Here's a rarity, though somewhat Rascal related. Back in the 1980s, TV networks would have a preview special of cartoons in order to promote their upcoming Saturday morning cartoons. Here's the Pac Preview Party, promoting "The Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, Fonz Hour", "Pac-Man", "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo", "The Puppy's Further Adventures", "Mork & Mindy" and the short-lived "Little Rascals" animated series. I haven't watched all of this yet, so I'm not sure how much footage from the Rascals cartoons are on here. I wish these Little Rascals cartoons would show up on DVD. Dick Clark hosts and special guests include Henry "The Fonz" Winkler and the great Frank Welker The video is in five parts. Here's part 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMXiw4b9pPE
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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 20, 2011 12:28:04 GMT -5
Here's a rarity, though somewhat Rascal related. Back in the 1980s, TV networks would have a preview special of cartoons in order to promote their upcoming Saturday morning cartoons. Here's the Pac Preview Party, promoting "The Mork & Mindy, Laverne & Shirley, Fonz Hour", "Pac-Man", "Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo", "The Puppy's Further Adventures", "Mork & Mindy" and the short-lived "Little Rascals" animated series. I haven't watched all of this yet, so I'm not sure how much footage from the Rascals cartoons are on here. I wish these Little Rascals cartoons would show up on DVD. Dick Clark hosts and special guests include Henry "The Fonz" Winkler and the great Frank Welker The video is in five parts. Here's part 1: www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMXiw4b9pPEAfter skipping around, it appears that the Little Rascals start to show up around the end of part 3, with the episode "Beauty Queen for a Day". The He-Man Woman Haters Club returns for this episode. I always thought the voice actors for this series were spot on.
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Mar 21, 2011 18:09:45 GMT -5
Did Robby Kiger lend his voice talents for the role of Porky in this series, or was the 1979 Christmas special a completely separate work?
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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 21, 2011 18:22:22 GMT -5
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Post by mickeygubitosifan on Mar 22, 2011 0:29:01 GMT -5
Was Julie Dees the first girl to ever play the part of Alfalfa in any professional Our Gang/Little Rascals project? I know that Carl Switzer, Seth Green, Philip Tanzini (voice only) and Bug Hall have all appeared in the role in a varied assortment of venues over the years, but I don't know of any other actresses who were called upon to perform as Alfalfa.
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Post by mtw12055 on Mar 22, 2011 15:29:29 GMT -5
Was Julie Dees the first girl to ever play the part of Alfalfa in any professional Our Gang/ Little Rascals project? I know that Carl Switzer, Seth Green, Philip Tanzini (voice only) and Bug Hall have all appeared in the role in a varied assortment of venues over the years, but I don't know of any other actresses who were called upon to perform as Alfalfa. That sounds about right. The only other actress that comes to mind is Mary Gross on SNL, but that was after the animated series, and wasn't a professional Our Gang/Little Rascals project.
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