Rugrats Conspiracy Theory

Brianna Luna

Television Criticism

11/21/13

Rugrats Conspiracy Theory

            Rugrats was an American animated television series that was very popular during the 90’s and the early 00’s. The show focused on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, the bravest and most adventurous baby; Chuckie, the scaredy-cat of the group; Phil and Lil, the twins who enjoy doing everything together; and Angelica, who is very spoiled and bullies the babies. Every episode told stories about their everyday lives, usually involving common life experiences that become adventures in the babies’ imaginations. The majority of the time the adults were oblivious to what their children were up to, thus giving the babies more space to explore. Rugrats also produced three successful movies, an array of video games, a comic, some books, and even a spin-off show called All Grown Up. This television series was a part of all of our childhoods and is arguably the best show produced by Nickelodeon. However, was Rugrats everything we had perceived it to be? According to the Rugrats Theory, everything we had known this amazing show to be; adventurous, funny, and full of lessons, was a concealment of what the show was really portraying: a centering on Angelica’s psychotic break.

            Growing up, none of us would have thought that this show had a more psychological meaning. Moreover, this theory carried over into the spin-off series of Rugrats called All Grown Up, when the babies are much older. The theory goes like this: Angelica suffered through many traumatic events that led to her psychotic break when she was three-years-old. She needed help coping with her emotions thus resorting her in using her imagination to create lives to cater to her needs. Angelica’s biological mother wasn’t very great but she became attached to her after she passed which is why she carries around a doll named Cynthia, to resemble her mother; which is why she was so attached to it. In episode thirty-three, Tommy and Chuckie accidently lost Cynthia on a boating trip where Angelica was extremely upset because Cynthia is essentially a part of her and who she is. Eventually she got Cynthia back, and all harmony was restored.

 Her father, Drew Pickles, married a gold-digger named Charlotte who Angelica tricked herself into thinking was her real mother. Her cousin Tommy was a stillborn, which is why his father, Stu Pickles, is always in the basement inventing new toys for his son who never lived. Chuckie passed away with his mother which is why Chaz is always nervous. The DeVilles had an abortion. Since Angelica never found out if the baby was supposed to be a boy or a girl, she created the twins, Phil and Lil. In season three, Angelica received news that she would be moving to a new town. The babies’ were overjoyed at first, but then Tommy realized it was Angelica who brought them closer together in the first place. If she left, everything would change. Does anyone else see the irony in this episode?

The only rugrat who was not fictional was Dil. Since Angelica could not differentiate Dil from her creations, she hit Dil so hard after being angry with him that she gave him a brain hemorrhage which resulted in deformation. This theory extends to All Grown Up, where Dil is constantly ridiculed for his weirdness and retardation from his brain hemorrhage. In season one of All Grown Up, Tommy’s “friends” wanted him to ditch Dil because he was too strange and didn’t fit in. 

`           Moreover, Angelica is a bipolar schizophrenic who became addicted to various narcotics which brought her back to her childhood. Since she didn’t remember when she last spent time with her creations, she made them older. Lastly, Suzie was Angelica’s real friend from childhood to the teen years. She went along with pretending her creations were real to entertain Angelica. In the end, Angelica overdosed on narcotics just like her biological mother, resulting in the end of All Grown Up.

            Even though there is a debate on whether the Rugrats Theory is true or just an urban legend, there is one thing that is certain: Angelica is based on a real character (Wirawan, 2013). One of the co-creators of Rugrats, Paul Germain, was bullied constantly by a girl named Angelica. He was bullied so much by her that he never forgot it, thus creating her as a character, a villain, to give the show an extra kick. Germain wanted kids to get a sense of what a true bully was and to see through his perspective. What better way to portray life lessons in a show than to incorporate real life situations. Everybody loves a good story and whether or not you are one to believe the intriguing characteristics of the Rugrats Theory, you would be in for some great entertainment.

            Overall, Rugrats can be perceived to have more adult content that meets the eye. As described in the Rugrats Theory, who would have known that this show was secretly portraying a three-year-old girl’s psychotic break? Whether you are a believer of this theory, it still stirs the pot for some good debate. Moreover, we can also see how a show can implement details from a person’s childhood experiences. It is safe to say that Nickelodeon shows, especially Rugrats, applied adult themed scenarios that were concealed by the characteristics of what children merely see as a cartoon filled with innocence and laughter.

Work Cited

Wirawan, A. (2013). ‘Angelica was Real! Urban Legend and the True Story Behind Rugrats’    

              Reteived from: http://anitasnotebook.com/2013/03/angelica-was-real-urban-legend-and-the-true-story-behind-the-rugrats.html                                                 

http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rugrats_Theory

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Germain

Swartz, M. (1998). “You dumb babies! How raising the ‘Rugrats’ children became as difficult as the real thing. (impact of children’s TV cartoon). The New Yorker. Vol: 74, Issue: 37, p. 60.