Misplaced Pages

#137862

76-470: In Rugrats , Tommy is a 1-year-old baby and the leader of the show's other infant characters. He is inquisitive, wants to explore everything, and often breaks out of his crib and gets himself into unusual situations. Writer Steve Viksten said his adventurous personality was partially modeled after the actor John Wayne . All Grown Up! depicts a preteen version of Tommy. Rugrats co-creators Paul Germain and Arlene Klasky have both claimed to have created

152-407: A 7.2 rating equivalent to 12 million viewers. Approximately 70% of all kids aged 2–11 tuned in to watch the special. Nickelodeon president, Herb Scannell , noted that a "Surprising numbers of kids held Rugrats parties on Saturday night and watched the show in groups". The following day, Nickelodeon said "'We've got to make this a show,' because of the size of the audience that came to it." Noting

228-535: A PC game based on the "All Growed Up" special was released. After release in the US & Canada, "All Growed Up" debuted on Canadian television by YTV , Rugrats' English broadcaster in Canada, on September 3, 2001. The French Canadian version, "Les Razmoket, Dix Ans Après", was broadcast in two parts on VRAK.TV, on December 1, 2001, and December 8, 2001. In Britain and Australia, the video was released as Older and Bolder , because

304-616: A Rugrats video existed in those countries named All Growed Up . An "All Growed Up" book was also released. "[While] the original idea was based on my experiences with my own toddlers our audience has grown up with the show's characters, and they have said over the years they would love to see how the Rugrats grow up." – Rugrats co-creator Arlene Klasky Nickelodeon ordered 13 episodes, to be created by Rugrats animation studio Klasky Csupo for production in September 2002. All Grown Up!

380-652: A deserted island, where they meet the Thornberry family. Tommy made additional appearances in the straight-to-DVD films Rugrats Tales from the Crib , which were released between 2005 and 2006. In July 2018, it was announced that Tommy would appear in newly-planned Rugrats television series and a live-action film featuring characters rendered with computer-generated imagery . Plans for the movie were shelved in November 2019. In addition to Rugrats and its related films and media, Tommy

456-409: A fishing outing with his grandpa. Up until early Season 2, Tommy was also either shown or mentioned as being part of the school soccer team, even trying to teach Dil how to play in the episode "Fools Rush In". Tommy had his first kiss with Olivia in the episode "Fear of Falling". He also develops a romantic relationship with Rachel , who he meets at Hebrew school in the episode "Rachel, Rachel". It

532-401: A flop and receiving an unfavorable (for his filmmaking aspirations) result on his career aptitude exam, though he soon reconsiders after rediscovering his filmmaking passion. However, he has not been seen with his camcorder since "The Big Score", when he was filming Lil at the soccer field. In the episode "River Rats", Tommy was shown to be afraid of water , stemming from an experience during

608-446: A haze of pre-pubescent insecurities", though felt it was a "fun 'what-if'". New York University (NYU) argued the show did not pursue the character's progression with a sense of accuracy. The Gamer thought it was a "terrible excuse for a sequel". Chicago Tribune wrote that in the new series, Angelica has "become an overbearing teen, still bossing around Tommy and his chums". Rugrats co-creator/co-writer Paul Germain (who left

684-444: A leader to his siblings and friends and more of an equal and while he still has a strong sense of right and wrong, he is sometimes hesitant to do the right thing for fear of being rejected or teased by peers. He has remained best friends with Chuckie throughout the years, still encouraging him to step outside of his very small comfort zone, and somewhat critical of Dil, whose abnormal tendencies sometimes embarrass or confuse him. He shows

760-492: A little leader’s spirit. He was just sweet, and I love that I was able to bring that part to him. The part I related to was just wanting people to feel safe. He has noble friend characteristics that I think are beautiful. Cheryl Chase had also auditioned for the part of Tommy and did not get it, but later became the voice actress for the character Angelica Pickles . Rugrats was one of the first voice-over auditions in which Daily participated. She almost did not attend because she

836-471: A mixed review of The Rugrats Movie , Daily Herald writer Dann Gire wrote that Tommy "looks like a fetal form of Mr. Magoo ". In a review of "All Growed Up", Houston Chronicle writer Lana Berkowitz said the Tommy Pickles character worked better as a baby than as an adolescent, writing: "Although Tommy Pickles could be an interesting match for Doug ' s Patti Mayonnaise in another dimension, it's

SECTION 10

#1732872938138

912-409: A paternal uncle and aunt, Andrew "Drew" and Charlotte Angelica Pickles, by whom he has a cousin, Angelica Pickles , and a maternal uncle and aunt, Benjamin "Ben" Kropotkin and his wife, Elaine Robinson-Kropotkin, who is rarely seen or mentioned. In the original Rugrats series, Tommy is almost always depicted as speaking in a soft voice and wearing only a baby blue shirt and diaper, though he wore

988-774: A red-orange shirt and overalls in the first episode, " Tommy's First Birthday " He is one year old at the beginning of the series, and has only a few strands of hair, the color of which indeterminable. He is white and through his mother, Didi, Tommy is of European Jewish heritage, with her parents being born and raised in Russia and later immigrated to the United States . He and other babies talk to each other when adults are either not around, or are not paying attention. Tommy and other babies also talk to toddlers such as his cousin Angelica and his neighbor Susie, who are both three years old. Tommy

1064-447: A regular spinoff series or a series of occasional one-hour specials. Nickelodeon decided to commission an entire series around the teenage main characters. Arlene Klasky explained "It got enormous ratings, so Nickelodeon blessed us with another series". Margie Cohn felt that Rugrats had endured prolonged success due to the "series' writing, and the appeal of the show's well developed characters to its deeply devoted audience", and argued

1140-613: A relief when the kids zap back to babyhood at the end of this fantasy. Daring Tommy plays better in baggy diapers." Mattel has released a doll of Tommy that can sing. Steve Viksten Stephen Lee Viksten (July 19, 1960 – June 23, 2014) was an American television writer and voice actor who was best known for voicing the character Oskar Kokoshka on the Nickelodeon animated series Hey Arnold! . Viksten also wrote multiple episodes of Hey Arnold! , Rugrats , Recess , Duckman and The Simpsons . Viksten's sole contribution to

1216-455: A sequel to Rugrats , and explores the daily lives of protagonist Tommy Pickles , his little brother Dil and his childhood friends, now tweens / adolescents . The concept for the series was based on the Rugrats episode " All Growed Up ", which served as the original series' 10th anniversary special and proved successful with audiences. The series ran from April 12, 2003, to August 17, 2008, for

1292-528: A series of four standalone specials. The program aired in the UK in 2005. The North American debut took place in late 2008 after the cancellation of the series. Another proposed spinoff was a series featuring Susie and the Carmichael family , who would move from California to Atlanta , Georgia; it was first proposed for the 1999–2000 television season, but Nickelodeon and Klasky-Csupo decided instead to concentrate on all

1368-455: A strong interest in filmmaking and makes movies with a camcorder . The episode "Truth or Consequences" revealed he made his first film at the age of 37 months, then made a negative film about his friends. The main storyline of "Brother, Can You Spare The Time?" opened with him mentioning recently winning a young filmmaker's award; and one storyline in the episode "Bad Aptitude" was about Tommy's sudden early retirement from filmmaking after making

1444-419: A strong interest in filmmaking. In the first season, Tommy wears a white shirt with yellow sleeves, but from the second season onward, Tommy and the other characters expanded their wardrobe and began wearing many different outfits. As the main protagonist of Rugrats , Tommy appears in the majority of episodes across the show's 13-year run, with many of the storylines centering around him and his family, and with

1520-413: A television special which aired in 2001 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Rugrats and portrayed the original characters 10 years into the future. The special was nominated for "Outstanding Children's Program" in the 2002 Creative Arts Emmy Awards . The special was the highest rated Rugrats episode, the highest-rated Nickelodeon program, and cable's No. 1 show for the week ending July 22, 2001, with

1596-524: A total of five seasons, and featured much of the surviving cast from the original series reprising their roles. Several episodes also feature flashbacks from the original series. The series is set in the early 2000s, ten years after the events of Rugrats of the early 1990s, Tommy, Dil, Chuckie, the twins Phil and Lil, Kimi, Angelica, and Susie are now tweens/teens. Episodes often involve the cast dealing with common issues of preteens and teenagers. The idea for All Grown Up! originated in " All Growed Up ",

SECTION 20

#1732872938138

1672-462: A whole new realm. The Rugrats property is 11 years old, so it feels just right to have the babies turn into tweens in their 12th year on the air". On the evolution of Angelica, Marjorie Cohn, executive vice president for development and original programming at Nickelodeon explained: ''She's the center of the universe, and she keeps bumping up against forces that tell her she's not. The writers mellowed Angelica and her voice actress addressed "I welcome

1748-415: Is "A baby's gotta do what a baby's gotta do." The series All Grown Up! depicts Tommy, Dil, and the other Rugrats children as middle-schoolers. Tommy, now a preteen, bears resemblance to both his mother and father, with palatinate hair similar to Stu and a button nose similar to Didi. A nod to his childhood, Tommy still carries his toy screwdriver with him as part of his keychain. He has become less of

1824-464: Is a chart providing information about each DVD: All Grown Up! led to a wide range of books being published. The following is a list of all of the books that were published: All Grown Up: Express Yourself is a video game for the Game Boy Advance , developed by Altron and published by THQ . Released in 2004, the plot involves Angelica completing an assignment for the school newspaper. The game

1900-703: Is also featured in Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (2000), which is set in Paris and focuses primarily on the wedding of Chuckie's father, as well as Tommy's father Stu being summoned to the amusement park Reptarland to fix a malfunctioning Reptar robot. Tommy appeared as the protagonist once again in the film Rugrats Go Wild (2003), a crossover of Rugrats and the Nickelodeon animated series The Wild Thornberrys , in which Tommy and his family and friends become shipwrecked on

1976-417: Is also implied in the episode "TP + KF" that Tommy and Kimi Finster may have feelings for each other. All Grown Up! featured Tommy Pickles' final appearance, in the episode "Golden Boy". In January 2023, All Grown Up! got featured by CBR in the list of "10 Best Cartoons that turn 20 in 2023". Tommy was one of several characters inspired by the real-life children of the writers and creators of Rugrats at

2052-401: Is centered around the birth of Tommy's brother; Dil. Throughout the film, Tommy struggles with the sudden change in his family's dynamic and with accepting Dil, who, being a newborn baby, does not understand the concept of sharing, cooperating, or being nice as Tommy does, which Tommy finds to be incredibly difficult to deal with. Ultimately, Tommy comes to accept Dil at the end of the film. Tommy

2128-403: Is not able to communicate with his newborn brother, Dil, which frustrates him at times. But are loving and caring at times. Though the youngest of the babies, Tommy is brave and adventurous and it comes natural for him to serve as their leader, and, in stark contrast to Angelica, who frequently serves as an antagonist, he has a strong sense of justice and is unafraid to stand up for what he believes

2204-430: Is right.Tommy is highly inquisitive, wants to explore everything, and regularly breaks out of his crib. He often uses a plastic toy screwdriver as a tool for escaping his crib and getting into places. Because of his goodhearted nature, he is sometimes easily manipulated or lied to. He is closest to Chuckie, as Phil and Lil, being twins, spend most of their time with one another and have a strong familial bond. His catchphrase

2280-629: The Lancaster New Era wrote "All kids in America love Tommy". Karen Hershenson of Contra Costa Times wrote in a 1998 article that "more than 23 million viewers tune in each week to watch Tommy". The San Jose Mercury News wrote in 1998 that "Tommy Pickles is a bigger star than George Clooney ." Doug McCausland of Alternative Nation called Tommy Pickles an "iconic character". The Plain Dealer critic Joanna Connors described Tommy as "breakout hero" of

2356-406: The Rugrats series. Associated Press writer John Rogers praised the character's fearlessness and longevity and wrote during the show's 10 year anniversary: "Ten years ago, a bald-headed, bug-eyed baby wearing an ill-fitting diaper squirted milk onto a TV screen – and a new hero was born." The Herald News declared Tommy Pickles the best character on the series. The London Free Press described

Tommy Pickles - Misplaced Pages Continue

2432-540: The Television Critics Association tour in July 2001, Nickelodeon executives mentioned that " All Growed Up " was one of three spinoff concepts proposed by Nickelodeon to continue the successful Rugrats franchise. In 2002, Nickelodeon aired the episode "Pre-School Daze", the pilot for a series in which Angelica and Susie attend preschool. According to Variety in September 2002, the show was to be repurposed as

2508-495: The University of Missouri , UCLA , and Cal State Fullerton , though he did not obtain a bachelor's degree. Viksten died on June 23, 2014, at age 53. The TV film Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie , released three years later, was dedicated to his memory. All Grown Up! All Grown Up! is an American animated television series developed by Kate Boutilier , Eryk Casemiro, and Monica Piper for Nickelodeon . It serves as

2584-480: The "All Growed Up" special and the original Rugrats world. The second set of 13 episodes and onward had a more contemporary look, with characters being given "hipper" clothing. Over the 3 seasons of 35 episodes, the developers hoped for a gradual evolution in style to where the audience will be comfortable with the changes. The main cast recorded their parts for each episode in about one hour. By November 24, 2003, 15 episodes began airing while 10 more episodes were in

2660-505: The "characters' loss of innocence" with topics such as sex and drugs in favor of issues relevant to 9 to 11-year-olds, the show's target demographic. While the producers did not take the teen approach with All Grown Up!, they did with another Klasky Csupo show As Told by Ginger . Executive producer Arlene Klasky stated "It was always in the back of our minds that we would love to see what these characters were like as they grew". Susie's voice actor, Cree Summer, noted that while part of

2736-415: The 11-minute Rugrats format of two stories per episode, to a single 22-minute story. This was to allow "more time to develop and tell a story and see where the characters go with it". Each of the episodes focused on the life of a main character and usually showed the characters facing a lot of firsts for tweens and teenagers. The show included gradual stylistic changes, with the first 13 episodes similar to

2812-427: The 1990s. Tommy was born prematurely as Thomas Malcolm Pickles on August 11, 1990. He is the eldest son of Stuart "Stu" Pickles, a self-taught inventor specializing in children's toys, and Didi Pickles ( nee Kropotkin), a schoolteacher. Though Stu works from home, out of the family's basement, Tommy and his younger brother, Dylan "Dil" are primarily cared for by Didi, who devotes much of her free time reading books on

2888-812: The Nursing Home . In 2003, Cohn proposed that Rugrats characters' play the leads in classic fairy tales for Nickelodeon. A preview show premiered on April 12, 2003, before its regular run began on May 23, 2003. More than 5.2 million viewers watched the regular run, being in 2nd place behind an NFL game on ESPN , and making it the highest-rated premiere at Nickelodeon's to date. The show aired in reruns on " Nick on CBS " for six months from March 13, 2004, to September 11, 2004. In addition, in its first season, All Grown Up! had its first of two celebrity guest stars: Lil Romeo as "Lil Q" (Cupid) in episode 8, "It's Cupid, Stupid". The German broadcast premiered on August 21, 2006, on Nick. In November 2006, All Grown Up!

2964-605: The Pickles household often serving as the primary setting. The original unaired pilot for the series, "Tommy Pickles and the Great White Thing", revolved around Tommy breaking out of his crib to travel to the bathroom and investigate the "great white thing," which is actually a toilet . The first aired episode of Rugrats was "Tommy's First Birthday", which was broadcast on Nickelodeon on August 11, 1991. It centered around Tommy first birthday and his birthday party, during which he and

3040-468: The Tommy character, with both saying he was based upon their real-life sons. The character's first name comes from Germain's son, and he was drawn to resemble Klasky and her then-husband, fellow Rugrats co-creator Gábor Csupó 's, son. The character was voiced by E. G. Daily (1991-2008, 2021–present), who based her performance on a child character she had been developing since her youth. Daily voiced Tommy for

3116-450: The adventures of Tommy Pickles and friends because they're funny and imaginative; parents love it because the stories ring true." Los Angeles Times writer Paul Brownfield said Tommy and the other Rugrats protagonists have such longevity that they "will be adorning kids' T-shirts and lunch boxes for generations to come". Jan Susina, Professor of English at Illinois State University , described Tommy as "the leader and voice or reason among

Tommy Pickles - Misplaced Pages Continue

3192-425: The appeal to this kind of TV show is not growing up, she noted a natural evolution of the show after 12 years on the air. Daily said that while her character was still the star of the show, he was older, wiser, and using more contemporary language. Cyma Zarghami , Nickelodeon's executive vice president and general manager at the time, said "The tween special proved kids are ready to embrace these beloved characters in

3268-451: The babies", describing him as "a cartoon version of J. D. Salinger 's wise child, in diapers". The Arizona Daily Star writer Phil Villarreal compared Tommy to comic strip character Charlie Brown . Dennis King of Tulsa World praised E. G. Daily's vocal performance as Tommy, calling her a standout in a "stellar voice cast". In an otherwise negative review of The Rugrats Movie , Bob Hicks of The Oregonian singled out Tommy as one of

3344-548: The baby not long afterward. Daily voiced Tommy for the entire 13-year run of the Rugrats television show, and returned to portray the character in the Rugrats films and the All Grown Up! series. Daily said it was initially a challenge adjusting to an older voice for Tommy in the first episodes of All Grown Up! , particularly when the voice cast was "just coming in and trying to define everybody and how they’ve grown". The character of Tommy has been well received. Jane Holahan of

3420-502: The bathtub for fear that he will be sucked down the drain. Tommy was voiced by actress E. G. Daily (1991-2008, 2021–present). The voice Daily conceived for Tommy was one of a child character she had been developing since she her youth, and regularly performed to amuse her friends throughout her life. She described as "just a little boy character that kind of lives in me [that] wasn't derived from anything in particular." Immediately upon first seeing claymation of Tommy, she felt that voice

3496-486: The ceremony. Not all reviews of Tommy were entirely positive. Sarasota Herald-Tribune writer Philip Booth called the character "likable" but suggested he may not be a good role model for children. Kayla Cobb of Decider.com , who was critical of the Rugrats series, said she believed the show was too redundant because every episode revolved around Tommy deciding to "go on some huge adventure based on some flimsy premise", which inevitably led to problematic situations. In

3572-516: The character as "brave and caring". The Detroit News writer positively reviewed all the Rugrats baby characters but gave particular praise to Tommy writing: "Ya gotta love 'em, especially leader Tommy Pickles". Patti Thorn of Rocky Mountain News praised Tommy, describing him as the show's most "level-headed" character, who deals with childhood issues and fears "with heart and humor". Melanie McFarland of The Seattle Times wrote: "Kids love watching

3648-444: The entire 13-year run of the Rugrats series (except the unaired pilot, where he was voiced by Tammi Holbrook) as well as the films, and returned to voice the older version of the character in All Grown Up! and the 2021 reboot of the original series. The character of Tommy has been very well received by reviewers and fans, and as the central character on the network's top-rated program, he was considered pivotal in Nickelodeon's rise in

3724-416: The episode "Weening Tommy", his mother transition Tommy away from using a baby bottle to a Sippy cup , which he resists. Other episodes involved Tommy trying to escape from the doctor's office to avoid a shot, Tommy becoming fearful after Angelica tells him his parents will give him away at a family reunion, and Tommy developing a fear of getting sucked down the bathtub drain. One of the most notable episodes

3800-456: The immediate popularity of the show's concept, "All Growed Up" was deemed the network's equivalent of the Super Bowl . Nickelodeon made a two-season order of 35 episodes. Nick's press releases for the Rugrats ' 10th anniversary noted that the "All Growed Up" special was a "one time only" special. Nickelodeon was so impressed by the high ratings, they wanted to use the show as a pilot for either

3876-415: The kids are speaking an incomprehensible language, or simply speaking when the adults can't hear [...] became a secondary issue in the show. We kept them apart when we could, cheated when we couldn't, and just let it become a secondary issue." According to Klasky, Tommy was first illustrated by Gábor Csupó , Rugrats co-creator and Klasky's husband at the time. The character was drawn to look Brandon Csupó,

SECTION 50

#1732872938138

3952-496: The latest in child development , hoping to raise her sons, and niece to be as emotionally and physically healthy as possible. As Stu is a Christian and Didi is Jewish , the family celebrates religious holidays affiliated with both Christianity and Judaism, such as Easter , Passover , Christmas , and Hanukkah . His paternal grandparents are Louis Kalhern "Lou" Pickles, and the late Beatrix "Trixie" Pickles, and his maternal grandparents are Boris Kropotkin and Minka Kropotkin. He has

4028-502: The latter, season 22's " Homer Scissorhands ", was his final writing credit before his death. Viksten was born in Ventura, California on July 19, 1960. His father was the vice president of the local Sears . During his teenage years, Viksten's family moved to Arcadia, California , where Viksten became editor of Arcadia High School 's newspaper. After graduating from Arcadia High School in 1978, Viksten attended several universities including

4104-463: The most, and she replied Tommy because "he is respected by his peers because of his leadership abilities and judgment when making decisions". Tommy and the other babies of Rugrats have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame , the only characters from a Nickelodeon series to hold that honor. The star was added on June 28, 2001, and costumed characters of Tommy and other Rugrats babies were present for

4180-418: The movie's strengths. He described him as an "appealing character" and "a kid who is sweet, brave, practical and morally engaged". A Tampa Bay Times article by Babita Persaud noted that child viewers of Rugrats particularly admired Tommy's courage. In a lukewarm review for "All Growed Up", the episode that later inspired the series All Grown Up! , Kimberly Click of Boston Herald noted that while most of

4256-437: The network had no immediate plans to push the entire cast into puberty", though noted that those connected with the franchise were "eager to continue developing the characters". The show was preceded by a six-hour marathon of Angelica-centered episodes of Rugrats and All Grown Up! . Angelica's voice actor Cheryl Chase expressed a desire to take part in any spin-off of Rugrats , from Angelica Goes to College to Rugrats in

4332-416: The new development in her character, the way she can be vulnerable. She's getting some real acting challenges from the material the writers are coming up with". She compared her role to Bart Simpson 's voice actress who will likely play the 10-year-old until retirement, noting that now she could play the same character with a "bit more sophistication". She's become more vulnerable and has to learn to navigate

4408-437: The original-aged Rugrats . The Kwanzaa special, which aired in 2001, served as a pilot for this new series, but the series would have contradicted the established continuity. In the twelfth episode of All Grown Up! , "Lucky 13", Angelica becomes a teenager. When asked if the popularity of that episode would produce a spinoff as the characters enter teendom, Nickelodeon executives explained: "It has been talked about but said

4484-442: The other characters are basically the same as their original incarnations in Rugrats , Tommy is "the only one that has matured". Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer Amanda Rogers noted that Tommy maintained aspects of his original goofy personality in All Grown Up! When Carlotta Harrell ran for State School Superintendent of Georgia in 2006, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution asked her what television character she identified with

4560-528: The other characters, and partially modeled the character after the actor John Wayne . Viksten wrote the line: "A baby’s gotta do what a baby's gotta do", which became synonymous with the character. As the series progressed, Klasky inserted more elements of her personal life into Tommy's character, such as being part of an interfaith family and being of Russian Jewish descent . Tommy has been used in various Rugrats episodes to highlight and explore irrational childhood fears, such an episode in which he avoids using

4636-435: The other children believe that eating dog food will turn them into dogs. Some of the first season episodes featured such plotlines as Tommy journeying into a neighbor's house to retrieve a lost ball, Tommy making a mess at a fancy restaurant at his dad's work function, Tommy getting lost at the school where his mother teaches, and Tommy wandering around the stadium during a baseball game, in which he ultimately ends up playing. In

SECTION 60

#1732872938138

4712-469: The scripting stage. "[The show's concept] meant abandoning many of the conventions and stylistic traits of the original, such as the idea that the babies can communicate with each other but not with the adults. Also, the visual trademark of seeing things through the low-to-the-ground point of view of an infant." – The Los Angeles Times The existing cast modified their voices for their characters' new ages. Tommy's voice actress, E.G. Daily, noted "It

4788-427: The sequel resulted from fan support and speculation on how the characters would age. While Nickelodeon executives were concerned that the new series would maintain the Rugrats appeal, they acknowledged a revision to the successful franchise was necessary as the original series was beaten in the ratings by shows such as The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius and SpongeBob SquarePants . On October 16, 2001,

4864-480: The series in 1993) has stated that he disliked All Grown Up! . Since the original series was about babies who do not understand the world, he felt that if the characters are older, then the story is finished. He additionally stated "What I would have said to people at the time if I had been asked, was I would have said, 'If you make them teenagers, there is no Rugrats , you're wasting your time'". A total of twelve All Grown Up! DVDs have been released. The following

4940-401: The show's creation phase before being renamed Tommy. The last name "Pickles" was a name that Germain said "just occurred to me". According to Germain, when the series was first conceived, the rule was that babies can really talk, but keep it a secret from adults. However, the rules quickly began to evolve, and the babies became a metaphor for children of all ages. In 1996, Germain stated; "whether

5016-415: The social strata of junior high". The potential for more sophisticated storytelling was one of the factors in the creation of the series. The show's creators thought that "pushing the show to the next age bracket" would be an effective way of "holding on to viewers who have grown up with Rugrats ". Daily stated: "I'm definitely going to miss doing [baby Tommy], but it's awesome watching people grow." At

5092-433: The time the show was conceived. Accounts have differed as to who originally created Tommy. Rugrats co-creators Paul Germain and Arlene Klasky have both claimed to have created the character, with both saying he was based upon their real-life sons. Both, however, say the character was named after Germain's son, Tommy Germain, who was one year old when Rugrats was created. The character was temporarily named "Ollie" during

5168-419: The young son of Klasky and Csupó, who Klasky described as "pigeon-toed, skinny legs, big head, no hair". Csupó has described Tommy as "a spoof on all little balding babies". After Tommy was first conceived and illustrated, Klasky said the Tommy character was further developed by Germain in his capacity as the story editor, along with his writing staff. Writer Steve Viksten portrayed Tommy as more adventurous than

5244-503: Was " A Rugrats Passover ", in which Tommy's Grandpa Boris tells the children the Jewish story of the Exodus on Passover . This leads the children to imagining themselves as part of the story, with Tommy playing the part of Moses . Tommy has been featured in several other Rugrats -related works outside of the main series. He is the protagonist of The Rugrats Movie (1998), the story of which

5320-409: Was a little harder when we were doing the first batch of episodes, when they were just coming in and trying to define everybody and how they've grown". Susie's character changes included having "a little more sass, a little less innocence and a little more bottom end". All Grown Up! attracted 30 million viewers a month, including a large number of 12 to 14-year-olds. The producers did not delve into

5396-484: Was choosing to tackle more standard pre-teen themes. The Los Angeles Times stated it was "a revolutionary idea" for a series with characters perpetually stuck in their status quo. Image felt All Grown Up! was the "natural progression of the show" . GamesRadar+ felt it was an "ill-advised venture". Comic Book Resources commented "The sense of adventure and exploration of the original had been lost, those special personalities they had as babies vanished in

5472-407: Was having carpet fitted in her apartment and did not want to leave the workers alone, but her agent encouraged her to go. She replaced a different actress used in the pilot episode and re-dubbed the first few episodes with her own performance. Daily was pregnant and went into labor during the recording of one of her Rugrats episodes. She was having contractions between takes of dialogue, and delivered

5548-518: Was intended as the first Rugrats spinoff as others were under consideration. The series premiered with its first episode, Coup DeVille , on April 12, 2003, following the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards . By November 2003, Rugrats was no longer in production. In 2004, Rugrats and All Grown Up! were aired concurrently to highlight the characters in two stages of their lives. All Grown Up! aired twice per week. The new episodes shifted from

5624-400: Was removed from the schedule, until the remaining episodes aired from November 12, 2007, to August 17, 2008. The debut show was in the top 15 ratings spots. Common Sense Media (CSM) felt that the show's scenarios were not as good as in the original series, commenting that they were "thoughtfully crafted" but lacked the satiric take of babies misunderstanding the adult world. Rather, the show

5700-422: Was the correct fit for the character, describing it as "the first voice that came out of me" and "the right kind of voice for that look". Daily said of the character: The spirit of Tommy Pickles is definitely my own. I think that was my contribution — my version of my little boy Tommy. I just understood him. He’s genuinely concerned about people. He’s genuinely empathic and definitely has a little fighter’s spirit —

5776-429: Was the protagonist of All Grown Up! , which depicts him and the children from the original series as adolescents. The concept for the series derived from " All Growed Up ", a Special episode of Rugrats that aired on July 21, 2001, to celebrate the series' 10th anniversary, which portrayed the original characters 10 years into the future . Tommy remains the ringleader of his group of friends, though he has now developed

#137862