
The "Silver Ball" logo, used from 1981 to 1985.
The following is a list of notable events, series premieres, cancellations and other business ventures for Nickelodeon in the year 1981.
Notable events[]
- April 12:
- The channel known as Alpha Repertory Television Service, better known as ARTS, became the second late night/early morning channel to air after Nickelodeon went off the air
- Nickelodeon changed its logo to the "Silver Ball" logo which was used until September 30, 1984 (even though the Sign-Off Ident for the "Silver Ball" logo continued until June 1985 when Nickelodeon became 24-hours, and some idents continued until December 1984)
Shows[]
Series premieres[]
- April 5
- Matt and Jenny
- Adventures in Rainbow Country
- Studio See
- April 6: Vegetable Soup
- June 7: Nick's Family Picks
- July 4: Reggie Jackson's World of Sports
- September 1: The Tomorrow People (1973 version)
- December 25: Kids' Writes
Series endings[]
- April 4
- Hocus Focus
- Popclips
- August 31: Video Comics
- December 30: First Row Features
People[]
- Josh Thomson (actor on Kiri & Lou) is born
- Jason Virgil (actor in Dora and the Lost City of Gold) is born
- Shawn Cuddy (supervising producer on Little Bill and Eureeka's Castle) is born
- Erik Steinman (writer on The Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is born
- Alexandra Corte-Real (actress on Blue's Clues) is born
- Diana Bang (actress and writer on The Astronauts and The Troop) is born
- Han-Yee Ling (writer writer on Monster High, The Casagrandes, and Middlemost Post) is born
- Jesenia Ruiz (writer and producer on DORA) is born
- Secunda Wood (actress on Rock, Paper, Scissors, The Loud House, It's Pony, and Blaze and the Monster Machines) is born
- January 11: Kiren Rathod (actress on Middlemost Post) is born
- January 16: Joey Simmrin (actor in Clockstoppers) is born
- January 20: Daniel Cudmore (actor in Playing with Fire and Legends of the Hidden Temple) is born
- January 21: Izabella Miko (actress in The Spiderwick Chronicles) is born
- January 22: Beverley Mitchell (guest voice on Hey Arnold!) is born
- January 25: Alicia Keys (voice actress on The Backyardigans) is born
- January 28: Elijah Wood (guest star on Yo Gabba Gabba!) is born
- January 31: Justin Timberlake (guest star at the 2007, 2024, and 2022 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
- February 1: Lauren Mary Kim (actor in The Last Airbender) is born
- February 3: Alisa Reyes (actress and singer-songwriter on All That) is born
- February 5: Sarah Frost (director and storyboard artist on Rocko's Modern Life, The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is born
- February 9: Tom Hiddleston (guest star at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
- February 10: Stephanie Beatriz (actress, model, singer, and guest star on The Casagrandes) is born
- February 11: Kelly Rowland (singer in Fantasy Football, actress on Taina, and guest star at the 2023 and 2024 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
- February 23: Josh Gad (actor, guest star, and singer on The Tiny Chef Show and Face's Music Party) is born
- March 9: Gloria Shen (writer on The Loud House and The Casagrandes) is born
- March 11: Chad Cosgrave (stunt performer in Snow Day) is born
- March 23: Diego Rieger (actor on PAW Patrol) is born
- March 28: Dan Petronijevic (actor on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Corn & Peg) is born
- March 29: Megan Hilty (voice actress on Robot and Monster, The Penguins of Madagascar, Dora and Friends: Into the City, Shimmer and Shine, and It's Pony) is born
- April 4: Alexandra Ryan (actress and voice actress on The Loud House) is born
- April 10: Laura Bell Bundy (actress on All Grown Up!, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, and Snow Day) is born
- April 24: Julia McIlvaine (actress on KaBlam!) is born
- April 28: Jessica Alba (actress and businesswoman on The Secret World of Alex Mack) is born
- April 30: Kunal Nayyar (actor on Sanjay and Craig) is born
- May 2: Ryan Merchant (singer on Face's Music Party) is born
- May 4: T.J. Stanton (actor on Blue's Clues and Wonder Pets!) is born
- May 6: Will Bladgrove (actor on Go, Diego, Go! and Winx Club) is born
- May 7: Aliyah O'Brien (actress in Monster Trucks) is born
- May 11
- JP Karliak (actor, voice actor, comedian, and writer on The Loud House, Baby Shark's Big Show!, Sanjay and Craig, Rugrats (2021), The Tiny Chef Show, The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, and Rock, Paper, Scissors) is born
- Jeremy Isaiah Earl (actor and director of Fun Size) is born
- May 13: Chevy Woods (rapper and songwriter on Face's Music Party) is born
- May 15: Nee Phillips (actress in Blue's Big City Adventure) is born
- May 16: Athena Karkanis (actress on Mysticons and Corn & Peg) is born
- May 27: Amanda Rynda (director on The Loud House) is born
- May 29: Justin Chon (actor on Just Jordan and guest star and voice actor on The Casagrandes) is born
- June 1: Johnny Pemberton (voice actor on Middlemost Post) is born
- June 3: Nikki M. James (actress and singer on Welcome to the Wayne) is born
- June 4: Jerad Anderson (actor on Just for Kicks) is born
- June 7
- Enzo Fortuny (voice actor on the Mexican dub of Hey Arnold!) is born
- Larisa Oleynik (actress on Erin & Aaron, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, All That (1994), The Secret World of Alex Mack, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and Winx Club) is born
- June 12: Jeremy Howard (actor in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies) is born
- June 14: Audrey Hobert (writer on The Really Loud House) is born
- July 1: Amanda Seales (comedian on My Brother and Me) is born
- July 13: Clé Bennett (actor on Mr. Meaty) is born
- July 28: Willie Green (football player and actor on Noah Knows Best) is born
- July 29
- Emily Bauer (voice actress on Wallykazam!) is born
- Dyana Liu (voice actress on Fanboy & Chum Chum and Pig Goat Banana Cricket) is born
- Kimberly Brooks (voice actress in The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Shuriken School, Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, As Told By Ginger, Rugrats (1991/2021), Rugrats Pre-School Daze, All Grown Up!, The Loud House, The Casagrandes, Random! Cartoons, Rock, Paper, Scissors, The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, Winx Club, It's Pony, Sanjay and Craig, Pinky Malinky, Max & the Midknights, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shimmer and Shine, ChalkZone, Star Trek: Prodigy, Baby Shark's Big Show!, and Big Nate) is born
- August 4: Marques Houston (singer in Good Burger (1997)) is born
- August 6: Leslie Odom Jr. (actor on Blue's Clues & You!) is born
- August 8: Meagan Good (actress on Cousin Skeeter) is born
- August 19
- Nate Burleson (host of NFL Slimetime, guest star on the 2023 Kids' Choice Awards and in Fantasy Football) is born
- Kelly Fullerton (writer on Middlemost Post and Big Nate) is born
- August 20: Ali Liebert (actress in A Fairly Odd Summer) is born
- August 28: Cathy Immordino (actor on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Hotel For Dogs) is born
- August 29: Emily Hampshire (actress on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends) is born
- August 30: Andres Salaff (screenwriter on Harvey Beaks) is born
- September 1: Coyote Peterson (guest star on Unfiltered) is born
- September 4: Beyoncé Knowles (musician and voice actress on Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!) is born
- September 7: Athena Karkanis (actress on Mysticons, Corn & Peg, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Skyland, and Julius Jr.) is born
- September 8: Jonathan Taylor Thomas (actor and director on The Wild Thornberrys) is born
- September 9: Julie Gonzalo (actress on Drake & Josh) is born
- September 10: Stephanie Beatriz (actress on The Casagrandes)
- September 14: BooG!e (actor on iCarly) is born
- September 15: Ben Schwartz (voice actor on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rugrats (2021), Wallykazam!, Baby Shark’s Big Show, and Pinky Malinky) is born
- September 22
- Ashley Eckstein (contestant on GUTS and actress on Drake & Josh) is born
- Peter Diseth (actor on The Really Loud House) is born
- September 26: Serena Williams (guest star in PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, actress and producer on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, and guest star at the 2024 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
- October 1: Sheena Shrinivas (writer on The Loud House and Sanjay and Craig) is born
- October 20: Kimberly Barnett (actress on iCarly and Zoey 101) is born
- October 22: Michael Fishman (voice actor on Hey Arnold!) is born
- October 25: Josh Henderson (actor in Yours, Mine & Ours) is born
- October 30: Luis Alberti (actor in Playing with Fire) is born
- November 1: Matt Jones (actor on Sanjay and Craig, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, and Wallykazam!) is born
- November 2: Katharine Isabelle (actress in Snow Day) is born
- November 14: Vanessa Bayer (actress on Wallykazam!) is born
- November 15: Leslie Hall (rap artist and singer on Yo Gabba Gabba!) is born
- November 17: Kyle Massey (actor on Sunny Day) is born
- November 18: Nasim Pedrad (actress, comedian, writer, and singer on Big Nate) is born
- November 26: Natasha Bedingfield (singer and songwriter on The Naked Brothers Band, True Jackson, VP, and Degrassi: The Next Generation) is born
- November 29
- Chiara Francese (actor on Regal Academy) is born
- John Milhiser (actor and comedian on Drama Club) is born
- December 1: Kosta Lavrinuk (asset supervisor in Blue's Clues & You! and PAW Patrol)
- December 2: Britney Spears (guest star on All That) is born
- December 8: Dov Tiefenbach (actor in Harriet the Spy) is born
- December 14: Matthew Cherry (director on Blue's Clues) is born
- December 25: Ant Blades (creator of It's Pony) is born
- December 30: Stevie Baggs Jr. (actor, producer, and writer on The Really Loud House)
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