Nicktoons

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Nicktoons is a franchise of television cartoon shows that are produced by and aired on Nickelodeon.

Nickelodeon had aired foreign-made animated films since its inception. It first experimented with its own animated programming in 1980, when the channel's first president Geraldine Laybourne commissioned a series with animated elements, Video Comic Book, and produced a fully-animated show titled Video Dream Theatre. The second series was left unaired when Laybourne did not receive the reaction she wanted from test audiences. Throughout the next decade, animated fare on Nickelodeon comprised mostly of reruns of older cartoons or more foreign series.

The idea for another attempt at original animated shows on the network began in the late 1980s. Starting in 1989, profits from other programs funded "Nicktoons", with the first three cartoons (Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show) aired on Sunday, August 11, 1991. This format was repeated every Sunday, eventually leading to the production of more Nicktoons at Nickelodeon Animation Studios. A separate channel named after Nicktoons was established on May 1, 2002.

History

Pinwheel, the first Nickelodeon series which began in 1977, was formatted as an hour-long program with two forms of segments: original content with its cast of puppet and human characters, and showcases of foreign-made short films. Many of these films were animated cartoons dating back to the 1950s. These were the first form of animated content on what would become Nickelodeon.^[1]

For its first years, Nickelodeon continued to play foreign-made cartoons in a similar fashion as part of two anthology series called First Row Features and Special Delivery. In 1980, the channel aired its first original series that was not live-action: Video Comic Book. It could best be described as a "motion comic" that consisted of illustrated scenes with animated elements, like speech bubbles and moving backgrounds.^[2]

Nickelodeon's first attempt at a fully-animated show occurred later in 1980, when Geraldine Laybourne produced test pilots for Video Dream Theatre. It holds the title of Nickelodeon's first true cartoon. However, it was left unaired when test audiences did not give the reactions Laybourne wanted.^[3]

Throughout the 1980s, the amount of acquired animated shows increased on Nickelodeon, with reruns of cartoons and anime such as Bananaman, Danger Mouse, The Little Prince, and The Mysterious Cities of Gold.^[4] Blocks dedicated to animated programming like Looney Tunes on Nickelodeon ran from the mid-1980s well into the late 1990s. When Nick Jr. premiered as a block in January 1988, much of its shows were imported cartoons.

Profits from Nickelodeon's expanding audience at the time helped it fund its own original cartoons: the first three "Nicktoons", Doug, Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show. Nickelodeon executive Vanessa Coffey discovered all three of these programs after traveling to Los Angeles in 1988. Her goal was to find "three projects that looked completely different" in order to counter the homogeneous, toy-centric cartoons of the 1980s.^[5]

Throughout the 1990s, Nickelodeon continued with its "experimental" approach to animation. Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett explained that the network gradually shifted away from creator-driven content during the later years of Herb Scannell's tenure as Nick president. In his opinion, the animation department "grew more and more corporate, and less like you had a personal touch."^[6]

Nickelodeon's animation production studio was originally known as Games Animation, located in Studio City, California. In 1993, Nickelodeon approached Joe Murray to create its first fully original in-house series: Rocko's Modern Life.^[7] In March 1998, the then-new Nickelodeon Animation Studio was opened in Burbank, California.^[8] In September 1999, Nickelodeon opened a digital animation studio in Manhattan, which took over animation of Nick Jr. series such as Blue's Clues. In May 2002, a sister channel named after Nicktoons was created. In 2016, Nickelodeon moved its animation facilities to a different building in Burbank that houses both animated and live-action properties.

List of Nicktoons

Current Nicktoons

The following Nicktoons are still in production.

Logo	Title	Premiere date	Season(s)	Episodes	Co-production
	SpongeBob SquarePants	1999-05-1 May 1, 1999	11	234	United Plankton Pictures
	The Loud House	2016-05-02 May 2, 2016	3	56[9]	Jam Filled Entertainment
	Welcome to the Wayne	2017-07-24 July 24, 2017	2	20[10]	Yowza! Animation
	The Adventures of Kid Danger	January 19, 2018	1	12	Powerhouse Animation Schneider's Bakery
	Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	July 20, 2018	1	26[11]	Flying Bark Productions
	Pinky Malinky	January 1, 2019	2	28	Jam Filled Entertainment

Past Nicktoons

The following Nicktoons are no longer in production, although some of them may still air on some other channels.

Logo	Title	Premiere date	End date	Season(s)	Episodes	Co-productions
	Doug	1991-08-11 August 11, 1991	1994-01-02 January 2, 1994	4	52	Jumbo Pictures Ellipse Programme
	Rugrats	1991-08-11 August 11, 1991	2004-06-08 June 8, 2004	9	172	Klasky-Csupo
	The Ren & Stimpy Show	1991-08-11 August 11, 1991	1996-11-14 November 14, 1996	5	52	SpumcoGames Animations
	Rocko's Modern Life	1993-09-18 September 18, 1993	1996-11-24 November 24, 1996	4	52	Joe Murray Productions
	Aaahh!!! Real Monsters	1994-10-30 October 29, 1994	1997-12-07 December 6, 1997	4	52	Klasky-Csupo
	KaBlam!	1996-10-07 October 7, 1996	2000-01-22 January 22, 2000	4	48	Flying Mallet Inc.
	Hey Arnold!	1996-10-07 October 7, 1996	2004-06-08 June 8, 2004	5	100	Snee-Oosh
	The Angry Beavers	1997-04-19 April 19, 1997	2001-11-11 November 11, 2001	4	63	Gunther-Wahl Productions
	CatDog	1998-04-04 April 4, 1998	2005-06-15 June 15, 2005	4	66	Peter Hannan Productions
	Oh Yeah! Cartoons	1998-07-17 July 17, 1998	2001-05-26 May 26, 2001	3	101	Frederator Studios
	The Wild Thornberrys	1998-09-01 September 1, 1998	2004-06-11 June 11, 2004	5	92	Klasky-Csupo
	Rocket Power	1999-08-16 August 16, 1999	2004-07-30 July 30, 2004	3	71	Anvision Klasky Csupo
	As Told by Ginger	2000-10-25 October 25, 2000	October 23, 2016	3	60	Klasky-Csupo
	The Fairly OddParents	2001-03-30 March 30, 2001	2017-07-26 July 26, 2017	10	172	Frederator Studios Billionfold, Inc.
	Invader Zim	2001-03-30 March 30, 2001	2006-08-19 August 19, 2006	2	27	Maven Animation Studio
	Action League Now!	2001-11-25 November 25, 2001	2002-02-10 February 10, 2002	1	12	Chuckimation Flying Mallet Inc.
	ChalkZone	2002-03-22 March 22, 2002	2008-08-23 August 23, 2008	4	40	Frederator Studios
	The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius	2002-07-20 July 20, 2002	2006-11-25 November 25, 2006	3	61	O Entertainment DNA Productions
	All Grown Up!	2003-04-12 April 12, 2003	2008-08-17 August 17, 2008	5	55	Klasky-Csupo
	My Life as a Teenage Robot	2003-08-01 August 1, 2003	2009-05-02 May 2, 2009	3	40	Frederator Studios
	Danny Phantom	2004-04-03 April 3, 2004	2007-08-24 August 24, 2007	3	53	Billionfold, Inc.
	Avatar: The Last Airbender	2005-02-21 February 21, 2005	2008-07-17 July 19, 2008	3	61	Studio Mir
	Catscratch	2005-07-09 July 9, 2005	2007-02-10 February 10, 2007	1	20	N/A
	The X's	2005-11-25 November 25, 2005	2006-12-13 December 13, 2006	1	20	N/A
	Mr. Meaty	2006-09-22 September 22, 2006	2009-05-23 May 23, 2009	2	20	3J's Productions
	El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera	2007-03-03 March 3, 2007	2008-09-13 September 13, 2008	1	26	Mexopolis, Inc.
	Tak and the Power of Juju	2007-08-31 August 31, 2007	2009-01-24 January 24, 2009	1	26	THQ
	Back at the Barnyard	2007-09-29 September 29, 2007	2011-11-12 November 12, 2011	2	52	O Entertainment
	The Mighty B!	2008-04-26 April 26, 2008	2011-06-12 June 18, 2011	2	40	Paper Kite Productions Polka Dot Pictures
	Making Fiends	2008-10-4 October 4, 2008	2008-11-1 November 1, 2008	1	6	N/A
	Rugrats Pre-School Daze	2008-11-16 November 16, 2008	2008-12-04 December 4, 2008	1	4	Klasky-Csupo
	The Penguins of Madagascar	2008-11-29 November 29, 2008	2015-12-19 December 19, 2015	3	149	DreamWorks Animation
	Random! Cartoons	2008-12-6 December 6, 2008	2009-8-14 August 14, 2009	1	13	Frederator Studios
	Fanboy & Chum Chum	2009-10-12 October 12, 2009	2014-07-12 July 12, 2014	2	52	Frederator Studios
	Planet Sheen	2010-10-02 October 2, 2010	2013-02-15 February 15, 2013	1	26	O Entertainment
	T.U.F.F. Puppy	2010-10-02 October 2, 2010	2015-04-04 April 4, 2015	3	60	Billionfold, Inc.
	Winx Club	2011-06-27 June 27, 2011	April 10, 2016	7	182	Rainbow S.r.l.[12]
	Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesomeness	2011-9-19 September 19, 2011	2016-06-29 June 29, 2016	3	80	DreamWorks Animation
	The Legend of Korra	2012-4-14 April 14, 2012	2014-12-19 December 19, 2014	4	52	Ginormous Madman Productions Studio Mir
	Robot and Monster	2012-8-4 August 4, 2012	2015-02-14 February 14, 2015 [13]	1	26	Smasho! Productions Lowbar Productions
	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	2012-09-29 September 29, 2012	2017-11-12 November 12, 2017	5	124	Lowbar Productions
	Monsters vs. Aliens	2013-03-23 March 23, 2013	2014-02-08 February 8, 2014	1	26	DreamWorks Animation
	Sanjay and Craig	2013-05-25 May 25, 2013	2016-07-29 July 29, 2016	3	60	Forest City Rockers
	Rabbids Invasion	2013-08-03 August 3, 2013	2017-06-23 June 23, 2017	3	69	Ubisoft Motion Pictures TeamTO
	Breadwinners	2014-02-17 February 17, 2014	2016-09-12 September 12, 2016	2	40	N/A
	Harvey Beaks	2015-03-28 March 28, 2015	2017-12-29 December 29, 2017	2	52	N/A
	Pig Goat Banana Cricket	2015-07-16 July 16, 2015	2018-08-11 August 11, 2018	2	40	N/A
	Bunsen Is a Beast	2017-01-16 January 16, 2017	2018-02-10 February 10, 2018	1	26	Billionfold, Inc.

Future Nicktoons

Logo	Title	Premiere date	Ref(s)
	Los Casagrandes	April-June 2019
	Glitch Techs	2019[14]	[15]
	Wonder Park	2019	[11]
	Pony	2019
	Man of the House	2019
	The Swashbuckling Adventures of Capitán Calavera	2019
	Corn & Peg	2019
	Rugrats (2020 TV series)	2020	[16]

Acquired shows

The following animated programs are shown on Nickelodeon, but are not actually made by the network itself and are not official Nicktoons.

Current

Logo	Title	Nick Premiere date	Country	Season(s)	Episodes	Production companies	Source(s)
	ALVINNN!!! and the Chipmunks	August 3, 2015	United States France	2	52	Bagdasarian Productions	[17]
	Regal Academy**	2016-08-13 August 13, 2016	Italy	2	52	Rainbow S.r.l.

**Now airing on the network's sister channel, Nick Jr.

***Now airing on the network's sister channel, Nicktoons.

Former

Logo	Title	Premiere date	End date	Country	Season(s)	Episodes	Production companies	Source(s)
	Pelswick	2000-10-02 October 2, 2000	2002-11-15 November 15, 2002	2	26	Canada	Hong Kong Animation Nelvana
	Wayside	2007-07-25 June 25, 2007	2008-09-01 September 1, 2008	2	26	Canada	Teletoon Nelvana
	Rocket Monkeys	March 4, 2013	May 2, 2014	Canada	1	26 (aired in U.S.)	Teletoon Breakthrough Entertainment Atomic Cartoons	[18]
	Oggy and the Cockroaches	2015-2-23 February 23, 2015	March 2016	France	1	26 (aired in U.S.)	Xilam
	Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir	2015-12-06 December 6, 2015	October 2016	France	1	26 (aired in U.S.)	ZAG Entertainment TOEI Animation TF1
	Kuu Kuu Harajuku	October 3, 2016	February 2, 2018	Australia Canada Malaysia	2	28	Vision Animation Moody Street Productions Red Flags Fly DHX Media	[19]
	Mysticons	August 28, 2017	September 15, 2018	United States Canada	2	40 (aired in U.S.)	Topps Animation Corus Entertainment Nelvana	[20]

Movies based on Nicktoons

Theatrical films

Image	Title	Release date	Co-production	Based on
	The Rugrats Movie	1998-11-20 November 20, 1998	Paramount Pictures / Klasky Csupo	Rugrats
	Rugrats in Paris: The Movie	2000-11-17 November 17, 2000
	Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius	December 21, 2001	Paramount Pictures / O Entertainment	Jimmy Neutron
	Hey Arnold!: The Movie	2002-06-28 June 28, 2002	Paramount Pictures / Snee-Oosh / Nickelodeon Animation Studios	Hey Arnold!
	The Wild Thornberrys Movie	2002-12-20 December 20, 2002	Paramount Pictures / Klasky Csupo	The Wild Thornberrys
	Rugrats Go Wild	2003-06-13 June 13, 2003		Rugrats The Wild Thornberrys
	The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie	2004-11-19 November 19, 2004	Paramount Pictures / United Plankton Pictures	SpongeBob SquarePants
	Barnyard	August 4, 2006	Paramount Pictures / O Entertainment	Back at the Barnyard
	The Last Airbender	2010-07-01 July 1, 2010	Paramount Pictures / Blinding Edge Pictures	Avatar: The Last Airbender
	The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water	2015-02-06 February 6, 2015	Paramount Pictures / Paramount Animation / United Plankton Pictures	SpongeBob SquarePants

Upcoming theatrical films

Image	Title	Release date	Co-production	Based on	Source
	The SpongeBob Movie: It's a Wonderful Sponge	2020-07-22 July 22, 2020	Paramount Pictures / Paramount Animation / United Plankton Pictures	SpongeBob SquarePants	[21]
	Rugrats	November 13, 2020	Paramount Pictures Paramount Players Nickelodeon Movies	Rugrats

Direct-to-video and made-for-TV films

Image	Title	Release date	Co-production	Based on
	Jimmy Timmy Power Hour	2004-05-07 May 7, 2004	O Entertainment / DNA Productions / Frederator Incoperated.	Jimmy Neutron and The Fairly OddParents
	Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide!	2006-01-16 January 16, 2006
	Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 3: The Jerkinators!	2006-07-21 July 21, 2006
	Rugrats Tales from the Crib: Snow White	2005-09-17 September 17, 2005	Paramount Home Entertainment / Klasky Csupo	Rugrats
	Rugrats Tales from the Crib: Three Jacks and a Beanstalk	2006-06-05 September 5, 2006
	A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!	2011-07-09 July 9, 2011	Pacific Bay Entertainment / Frederator Studios / Billionfold, Inc.	The Fairly OddParents
	A Fairly Odd Christmas	2012-11-29 November 29, 2012
	A Fairly Odd Summer	2014-08-02 August 2, 2014
	Half-Shell Heroes: Blast to the Past	2015-11-22 November 22, 2015	Nickelodeon Animation Studios	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
	Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie	2017-11-24 November 24, 2017	Snee-Oosh	Hey Arnold!

Upcoming television and direct to video films

Image	Title	Release date	Co-production	Based on	Source
	Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling	November 2018	Joe Murray Productions	Rocko's Modern Life	[22]
	Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus!	2019	Maven Animation Studio	Invader Zim	[23]

Trivia

• SpongeBob SquarePants currently holds the record for longest-running Nicktoon, which had previously been held by Rugrats, surpassing that show's run (in terms of number of episodes) when SpongeBob aired its 172nd episode on April 10, 2012. However, with two spin-offs, Rugrats still has the most shows featuring its characters.
  • Rugrats Pre-School Daze holds the record for short-lived Nicktoon (18 days or 5 in the United Kingdom) and the least amount of episodes (4).
• The Fairly OddParents was the first Nicktoon to ever reach its 10th season, even before SpongeBob SquarePants, which was still in its ninth season, when the first episode of Season 10, "The Big Fairy Share Scare!" premiered.

See also

• Nickelodeon Movies
• Nicktoons (TV channel)

References