Panelists on Figure it Out getting slimed.
The October 2002 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine featured the "slimelights" of green slime's appearance on television over the prior 20 years.
Slime is a (usually) green semi-viscous substance that has been synonymous with Nickelodeon since its introduction on You Can't Do That On Television. It is typically dumped on a person's head in an act of either humiliation or celebration, referred to as being slimed. On You Can't Do That On Television, saying the phrase "I don't know" would result in the speaker getting slimed. Slime has been used on every messy game show on Nickelodeon in some way, shape, or form, and has become a staple of the Kids' Choice Awards. The slime is simply a mix of vanilla pudding, apple sauce, green food coloring and a little oatmeal.
Appearances in shows[]
You Can't Do That On Television[]
You Can't Do That On Television introduced slime in 1979.
Tim Douglas was the first person ever slimed on You Can't Do That On Television during scene in the dungeon set. It was a joke on set that you shouldn't pull the chains, so the scene was going to have something dumped on Tim's head when he did. According to director Geoffrey Darby, they had someone from props collect food scraps from the cafeteria and add water to create "simulated sewage" for the scene. However, they reached the time limit set by Canada's child labor laws before the scene could be shot. The next weekend they set up for the shot, but realized that they didn't prepare a new bucket. They had the old one, but green stuff had grown on it. They were in a time crunch, so Darby decided to use it anyway.
The scene got such a positive response that the writers made sliming a recurring event. The show's creator Roger Price came up with the idea of sliming anyone who said "I don't know" because he was frustrated with his children answering all his questions with the phrase. Usually it was green. However, there were exceptions. For example, in one episode Russians took over the studio and slimed anyone who said "freedom" with red slime.
The recipe used varied over time. The original recipe was Jell-O based, but it didn't last because it was too chunky. The replacement they came up with was Cream of Wheat/oatmeal, water, green food coloring and baby shampoo. Towards the end, it was cottage cheese dyed green.
Slimings were shot at the end of the day, separate from the rest of the scene. Plastic was put down to help with clean up and usually everyone except the person getting slimed was off the set. The slime was dumped by someone on a ladder just out of frame. The actors were instructed to continue their line until they felt the slime, then look up into it without closing their eyes or flinching. Once the scene was over, the actor would get cleaned up and be given a $25-$50 bonus.[1]
Double Dare[]
Pick It, part of the Double Dare obstacle course.
Slime was used in several Physical Challenges and obstacles, including the Slime Canal and the Nick Blimp (which essentially was just the contestant getting slimed).
The Double Dare crew couldn't use the oatmeal based recipe from You Can't Do That On Television because the studio lights would harden the slime into a kind of plaster on the obstacles. The show's slime was pudding or applesauce with green food coloring.[2] During each taping, 30 gallons of slime was on hand. [3] Following each taping, it took a team of 15 people 20 minutes to clean the set. [4]
Wild and Crazy Kids[]
Host Donnie Jeffcoat demonstrates Blap Bucket Roulette.
Slime was only used in one game, but on a few occasions during the "host segments", someone would get slimed. Wild and Crazy Kids would more often use their own slime-like substance, a thicker substance called blap.
Weinerville[]
The slime appeared as the "Special Topping", dropped onto the participants in Playland after their game was finished and they were awarded the Silver and Golden Hot Dog trophies.
Figure It Out[]
Halfway through the game, a "Secret Slime Action" would be announced to everyone but the panelists. Once one of the panelists (usually Danny Tamberelli) performed this action, they would be slimed. Occasionally, the slime used on Figure It Out would be yellow.
On the revival, an extra sliming action, called the "Word of Honor", was introduced, where one of the words in the puzzle would cause the contestant to get slimed.
Rugrats[]
In Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, the Ooey-Gooey World ride at EuroReptarland is filled with green slime.
SpongeBob SquarePants[]
In the episode "Graveyard Shift", when Squidward is trying to remember the signs that signal the approach of the Hash-Slinging Slasher, he then notices the walls behind him are oozing green slime. He initially thinks this is the third sign, but then remembers, "No, wait, they always do that."
BrainSurge[]
Players get slimed at the end for completing the 6x6 grid (along with host Jeff at times).
Fanboy & Chum Chum[]
In the episode "Slime Day", an event called Slime Day rolls into Galaxy Hills and whenever someone shouts out the secret phrase ("I don't know"), they get covered with slime. Fanboy and Chum Chum try to get slimed too, but they don't due to not knowing the secret phrase and coming up with secret phrases of their own. Fanboy and Chum Chum also go to Nickelodeon Animation Studios in Burbank to talk to the Nickelodeon President about the secret phrase.
Wallykazam![]
The episodes "The Big Cake Mistake" and "A Very Villainous Vacation" feature the bonus segment "Rhyme or Slime", a game show in which a character gets slimed if they say a word that doesn't rhyme.
The Loud House[]
The Loud siblings get slimed at the end of "How Double Dare You!"
The episode "How Double Dare You!" centers on Lincoln and his sisters wanting to get a spot on Double Dare when they hear it's coming to Royal Woods, hoping they can get slimed themselves. Sure enough, they all eventually get slimed at the very end of the episode. The episode's original title card also depicted Lincoln covered in green slime.
Tooned In[]
In this game show, whenever one of the three contestants answers a question correctly, the other two get slimed. If all three contestants fail to answer a question, they are all slimed. Additionally, during the bonus "Climb or Slime" round at the end of each episode, if the player answers a question incorrectly, they can choose to "slime reset" to another question based on the show they were asked about.
NFL Slimetime[]
In each episode, the winner of the NVP (Nickelodeon Valuable Player) award receives a bucket of green slime, which is often dumped on their head.
Slime Geyser[]
The Slime Geyser outside of Nickelodeon Studios.
The Slime Geyser was a fountain located just outside of Nickelodeon Studios, which would spew the goo upwards every fifteen minutes. In its early days, it would shoot forcefully enough to get anyone standing too close slimed, though the pressure was reduced in later years. The fountain was removed in May of 2005 following the closure of Nickelodeon Studios itself.
Merchandising[]
Several slime-related products were created and sold in the past, including Green Slime Shampoo, which was used as a parting gift on Double Dare, and Slime Shoes. A toy called Slime was also made; however, it did not prove to be as popular as the similar Gak.
References[]
- ↑ Klickstein, Mathew. Slimed! An Oral History of Nickelodeon's Golden Age. Plume, 2013. p. 53-59
- ↑ Eakin, Marah. '"It Smelled Like Death": An Oral History of the Double Dare Obstacle Course'. The AV Club, 2016 Nov 21.
- ↑ Burr, Daniela. The Double Dare Game Book. Parachute Press, 1988. P. 54.
- ↑ Burr, Daniela. The Double Dare Game Book. Parachute Press, 1988. P. 50 - 51.