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6O

ANNALS OF

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Angelica Pickles: A rotten little girl and a role modelfor millions. sons,a prime-time cartoon show based reliable emissary between the world of on ’s dark, deadpan com- the children andthat of adults. ics about a modern family, and they Klasky, however, did not seem com- went on to originate several success- pletely sanguine about “Rugrats” when ful cartoon series. Nine years ago, with I visited her a few months ago in her the producer , they de- austere office at ,Inc., the veloped “Rugrats,” which is now the animation studio she runs with Csupo. most popular children’s television car- Her wide eyes, generous mouth, and toon show in the country. (It has won abundantcurlyhair give her the pleas- Celebrations ~ The Jewish Museum Design Shop three Daytime , and ant, reassuring look of an earth mother, 212.423.3260 “,” a feature film but her manner was guarded and anx- based onthe show,just opened.) “Rug- The Cooper Shop ious as we spoke. WhenI asked her 212.423.3211 rats” stars a group of preternaturally ad- about Angelica, she shrank back in her venturous toddlers: , a swivel chair. “I think she’s a bully,” she The Shops at sweet-natured one-year-old; Chuckie, said. “I never liked Angelica.” The Jewish Museum his two-year-old neurotic friend; and This confession is somewhat sur- Because life is a celebration and a gift. the year-old twins from next door, Phil prising, since Angelica is one of chil- 2 BANTYAI Fifth Ave. at 92nd St., NYC and Lil. The children are far more pre- dren’s favorite “Rugrats” characters. It &TVA The Jewish Museum is under the cuapie sof The Jewech Theolosice! Seerine Bring t his ad with youand receive afree gift

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Gl

is also largely through her that Klasky a sharper sensibility, and then strug- Csupo established the edgier, more so- gled to contain their darker impulses.It phisticated children’s-cartoonstyle that was a risky strategy, and it produced is the studio’s trademark. For millions some anxious moments—notably, in of kids, Angelica is their icon of mis- the “Ren & Stimpy Show,” a manic chief—a direct descendant of Spanky cartoon series in the Ralph Steadman McFarland, Dennis the Menace, and style about a cat and a chihuahua.Its Eloise. Angelica was invited to pro- creator, , was an irascible mote the movie on “The Rosie O’Don- eccentric who was eventually removed nell Show,” and she was given a speak- from theseries because his material was ing role in a Ford Motor Company deemed too violent and scatological. commercial. This month, she was hon- With “Rugrats,” discord among the ored by Girls, Inc., a nonprofit educa- staff arose from the show’s effort to be tional group formed to inspire young both cutting-edge and age-appropriate, womento be “strong, smart and bold,” and the angriest battles were fought and her spinoff videos, “Angelica the over Angelica. In fact, the conflict over Divine” and “Angelica Knows Best,” are Angelica was in many ways responsible strong sellers. Producers of children’s for the breakup of the original “Rug- programming regard her as completely rats” creative team. bankable—the cartoon equivalent of Julia Roberts. ‘They’ve been known to I FIRST became aware of Angelica the exhort writers and animators, “Get me way most parents do—when I was more characters like Angelica!” wandering in and out of the room But Angelica was a source of dis- while my son, then five years old, was sension at Klasky Csupo. Although the watching television. “Rugrats” wasn’t idea of a baby show originated with like the shows I had watchedas a kid. Klasky, Angelica was not herinvention, In the world inhabited by the Pickles and Klasky neverfully approved of the family and their friends, the children way Germain and the show’s first team were precocious, and the dialogue was of writers developed her character. In knowing, with sly references to every- the early years of the series, Angelica thing from “Our Gang” to Sigmund sued her parents, ran away from home Freud andsci-fi movieslike “Fantastic in her baby convertible, framed her Voyage.” The parents were ambitious, friends for crimes that she had com- self-absorbed, and addicted to experts mitted, and terrorized innocents. (In and gadgets. The babies had an addled, one episode, she convinced Chuckie homely look that made them hipper that his stomach was going to explode than their smooth, glossy counterparts because he had eaten a watermelon on other kids’ shows. Tommy was good- seed.) Her trademark line became “You hearted and brave, but he looked as dumb babies!,”and her only real friend though he’d been hit over the head was a ratty doll named Cynthia. “She’s with a blunt instrument. Angelica had really nasty to Tommy, Chuckie, and tight yellow pigtails, saucer eyes, and a the twins,” notes U. C. Knoepfimacher, pointy little nose, and she spoke out of an authority on children’sliterature who one side ofherface, in a high, wrench- teaches at Princeton University. “But, ing whine that evoked angry kittens. on the other hand, her manipulation Chuckie, with his Swifty Lazar glasses of her businesswoman mother and and convulsed red hair, was a walking her resourcefulness are tremendously nervous breakdown. attractive.” The show projected a jaded view of In a sense, Angelica embodied the family life and consumerculture. Aside approach to children’s television pio- from a somewhat dyspeptic Grandpa neeredin thelate eighties by Geraldine Lou, there was no wise Robert Young Laybourne, then the president of Nick- figure to offer protection and guidance. elodeon (she now has her own multi- In one episode, Tommy’s father, the media company). Laybourne wanted scruffy, hapless inventor Stu Pickles, shows that were smarter and funnier and his dithering but well-intentioned “4 than the standard children’s programs, wife, Didi, took Tommyto a child psy- : rea eTMLOmolaMAtoe without being offensive or inappropri- chologist. Stu had vehemently resisted idoleae or eaLea © FSr information 800-777-0100. ate for grade-schoolers. So the network seeking help, but once they arrived he recruited writers and animators with talked compulsively to the doctor about

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62 THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 30, 1998

main took a chance on them: “” became an in- stant hit. Soon afterward, in 1989, Germain left Brooks to work as a developmentexecutive for Klasky Csupo. “We wanted to do intelligent stories for intel- ligent children,” he told me. “T had worked with Jim Brooks, who wasn't gonnado crap, and I wasnt gonna docrap.” Later that year, asked Klasky Csupo to someideas for shows. ‘The night before the scheduled meeting with Nickelodeon, Klasky, who was on maternity leave, called Germain with one last sugges- tion. “What about a show about babies?” she asked. Germain was dubious, but then, he says, he wentto bed thinking of a way to make it work. “Finally, it came to me,” herecalls. “My pitch would “Excellent—let’s run it through legal.” be a showaboutlittle babies, but the minute adults leave the room the babies cognate and can talk.” The next day, Germain and his own psychologically deprived child- is tall, pale, and ratherintense, and has Csupo met with Vanessa Coffey, who was hood, unaware that ‘Tommy had crawled a passion for precision. In 1992, when thencreating an animation department away to make trouble elsewhere in the the executives at Nickelodeon sug- for Nickelodeon. They proposed a show high-rise office building. Another show gested a “Rugrats” special, about a boy trying to escape his barren introduced Angelica’s parents—Drew, Germain felt compelled to argue that life at a gas station on another planet. an investment banker, and Charlotte, an a special was a funnyidea, Then they suggested one (prescient in executive with Mergecorp who was always but that a Hanukkah special was not. retrospect) aboutlife inside a bug city. pictured in a suit and screaming into the (“They wanted the Jewish version of a Coffey wasn’t buying. Finally, Germain cell phone at her assistant, Jonathan. episode. I told them, “You pitched the idea for a series about ba- “Charlotte, something’s wrong with the know, that’s not an interesting story.’ ”) bies’ lives from the baby’s pointof view. fax machine!” Drew yelled in onescene. Germain is a native of Southern Cali- “Great,” Coffey said. “Let’s do that one.” “Use the one in the bedroom!” she fornia, and studied economics at Berke- Germain, Klasky, and Csupo set out to called from another part of the house. ley in the late seventies. Before he was create the squiggly and near-dissipated Particularly in the show’s first sea- thirty, he was in charge of development characters of TommyPickles; his dog, son, Angelica was mischief unchained, for James L. Brooks, who created “The Spike; his parents, Stu and Didi; his a child as shrewd as she wasnarcissistic. Mary Tyler Moore Show.” In the late Grandpa Lou; and the twins Phil and She was prone to malapropisms and eighties, Brooks produced the “Tracey Lil. Their pilot, “Tommy Pickles and liked to pontificate about the wider Ullman Show,” and he hit on the idea the Great White Thing,” played to the world. (“Whenyou're rich, you can pay of interspersing Ullman’s skits with insatiable appetite of children for toi- someoneelse to be scared for you.”) At cartoons. Brooks admired the work of let humor and touched on themes that the end of each episode, Angelica re- the Portland cartoonist Matt Groen- would become “Rugrats” trademarks: ceived herobligatory comeuppance, yet ing, whosestrip “Life in Hell” was just exceptionally savvy kids (after his par- she remained unrepentant from show to taking off with the grunge set, and he ents tuck him in for the night, Tommy show. Her nastiness was funny, and, for asked Germain to find a way to ani- grabs a hidden screwdriver to escape Klasky atleast, that was often a problem. mate it. Germain turned to Klasky and from his crib); oblivious parents (Stu is “Arlene didn't like Angelica,” Ger- Csupo, who were then still relatively too busy with a high-powered dinner main told me. “She never did.” When I unknown. Klasky had been trained as party to notice that Tommyis on the visited him in his office, at Disney's a graphic designer, and Csupo was a loose); and knowing references to pop- studios, earlier this fall and asked about Hungarian émigré whosesensibility ular culture (after laying waste the bath- the show, he sounded like a man who had been shaped by everything from room, Charlie Chaplin-style, Tommy hadlost his kids in a custody battle, and Disney’s fairy-tale classics to Bergman's plops down in front of the television in Hollywood terms he had. Germain films and ’s music. Ger- and changes the channel from a mind-

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less commercial to a head-banger mu- Grove-FreshFlorida Fruit For The Holidays! sic video). Nickelodeon loved the pi- lot, and so did a majority of the kids in the test audience. The network ordered thirteen episodes. A GREAT Girt! To sustain the series, however, the A big half-bushel of sugar- creators needed more characters. Chuckie sweet Navel Oranges and was added, as ‘Tommy’s cautious side- delicious Ruby Red Grapefruit, kick, but, according to Germain, “we 4 stainless steel Grapefruit decided we needed a bully, because to Spoonsand elegant Gourmet me childhood is about dealing with Chocolate Truffles. Delivered bullies.” As a kid, Germain had been in a beautiful gift box. The ruthlessly tormented by a girl. It was perfect treat for family and friends. (Limit 8 boxes, please.) = decided that the bully should be a lem #H30SBT Ry spoiled little girl with self-absorbed Regular Price $3955 4] parents. Her name would be Angelica. YouSAVE _— 19.98 “& ie special appeal of animationis Your Price $19.97 Add $3.95 per box shipping that there is no limit on mischief. to continental US. If you can imagine it, you can do it— drop someoneoff a cliff, mash him IfYou Can FindA Better Gift For $19.97, into a pancake, twist his arm like a Let Us Know! corkscrew. Legendary animators, such CALLTOLL-FREE as Chuck Jones, at Warner Bros., were 1-888-276-3100 Cope NY99 masters of such mayhem, which the Fax 561-567-1160 Exp. 1/15/99 studios eventually began referring to as CustomerService 1-800-678-2407 Or mail orders to: “squash and stretch.” The fast action World-Famous ORDERING HOURS GRACEWOOD GROVES was expensive, but that was of little INDIANRIVERFRUIT 8:00 a.m. — 6:00 p.m. Est, Mon. - Sat. 9075 17th Place P.O. Box 690069, Dept. NY99 100% GUARANTEED Thanksgiving through Christmas concern during the Depression, when 8:00 a.m. — 10:0) p.m. EST, 7 days a week Vero Beach, FL 32969-0069 labor was cheap. No one was particu-

larly concerned about content, either, because cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Sylvester and You and a book. ‘Tweety were notregardedsolely as chil- No telephones. No televisions. dren's fare. Cartoons ran as previews to Just the sound of the ocean. movies, and were made to work on sev- eral levels. It wasn’t until the institutionaliza- tion of Saturday-morning children’s television, in the nineteen-sixties, that studios came under pressure to tone down gratuitous violence and “imita- ble” behavior in cartoons. Kevin S. Sandler, the editor of the lively book “Reading the Rabbit: Explorations in Warner Bros. Animation,” explains

how, in the nineteen-seventies, televi- sion censors persuaded WarnerBros.to cut cartoon scenes in which characters ==PE shot guns, drank gasoline or alcohol, Hand-crafted of solid copper. Standing 3 ft. made cowboy-and-Indian or other ra- tall with a 21 inch pan, it will complementyour landscaping and Pe a =, an elegant gift. cial jokes, or received electric shocks. Call for info and/or —" 4 af *brochure, $195 * 5" WVorid's Largest Selection ‘The numberof times a character could 5088422438sp be poundedinto the ground had to be reduced from, say, six to two. ‘Thestudios were willing to limit the squash andstretch in part because ani- Nanay Hanvmendl CD IT IONS Limited Edition Silkscreen Prints mation had become very costly. Even Original, contemporary serigraphs though muchof the production began of sailing, he rors, flowers and tropical life by artist Naney Hammond. | rae to be sent overseas, cartoons were so ex- Call or send for catalogue. 64 State Circle, Annapolis, MD 21401 410-267-6683 Fax 410-267-6994 iyRETReG

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pensive by the nineteen-eighties that an- and, appropriately for a companyrun pate © ee | ET 7 imators often had to make a deal with a predominantly by women,the issue of CRAFTS toymaker before they could create a show. gender roles. Some “Rugrats” writers Asa result, Saturday morning became a felt they were spending so much time PARK AVENUE wasteland of gender-segregated tie-in creating confident and employed fe- programs, like the refurbished “G.I. male characters that the men, devoid NVALee usm! Joe” for boys and “My Little Pony and of advocates, began to look wimpy and STU enan Friends” for girls. There was no incen- ineffectual. tive to make any changes until 1990, The aim, explains , when the F-C.C. required that net- who was a story editor on “Rugrats,” December 4, 5, 6 works be held accountable for the qual- and went on to create Nickelodeon's ity of children’s programming orrisk “Hey Arnold!,” was to be surprising losing their licenses. and risky enough to get children’s at- Meanwhile, animation for adults tention but safe enough so that “par- had becomeracier. Ralph Bakshi came ents could leave it on all day’—un- up with a surprise hit in “Fritz the Cat,” like, say, “Fox, where kids would see in 1972, and sixteen years later Roger a promo for a murder.” In 1991, Nick- Zemeckis directed the sexy, successful elodeon launched “,” which “?” In late consisted of three new animated shows: 1989, “The Simpsons” combined ani- “Doug,” a sweet, almost melancholyse- mation and adult humor during prime ries about a suburban middle-school time, and wasfollowed by the far more student; the “Ren & Stimpy Show’; cynical “Beavis and Butt-head,” in 1993. and “Rugrats.” These shows proved that grownups “We set out to be “The Simpsons’ of PUSSmtUCLLn were perfectly willing to watch car- kids’ shows,” Paul Germain says. Ger- Park Avenue & 66th St. toonsas long as the scripts were know- main was not a squash-and-stretch guy; TRRCCMOT) ing. They also demonstrated that chil- he wanted plot-driven shows with well- 800-649-0279 dren would watch far more complex developed characters. But, almost im- PTL material than they had been getting on mediately, Angelica’s incorrigibility be- Saturday mornings. came a problem. , the voice Nickelodeon's goal, in the late eight- of Angelica, had trouble being mean

ies, was to find a fresh way of enter- enough in line readings. One of the Ho04WETE5 taining six- to eleven-year-olds with- writers, Steve Viksten, who subsequently out patronizing or corrupting them. co-developed “Hey Arnold!” with Craig aoHyyall “We wanted to change the face of an- Bartlett, would try to put her in the right ter O imation,” Vanessa Coffey, who now frame of mind, saying, “Look. You're the ONE OF THE FINEST RESORTS develops children’s programming for J. R. Ewing of the show.” UNDER THE STARS , says. The During the first season of “Rugrats,” company’s buzzword was “sophisti- in 1991, Klasky responded to Angel- cated.” “When I was growing up, ica’s antics more as an overanxious par- ‘Bugs Bunny’ was for kids and ent than as a working animator. ‘Donna Reed’ was for adults,” “With everything that came

2301 SE 17th St Causeway, , a former out, I’d ask, ‘How would I Fort Lauderdale, FL 33316 “Rugrats” story editor for Nick- feel if my kids were watching For reservations, see your travel professional or call 1-800-327-3796 elodeon, says. “Which one was that?”she told me. Manyof the the more sophisticated? ‘Bugs show’s writers, some of whom Bunny’hadclassical references; also had children of their own, oe “Donna Reed’ was for morons.” found her caution constricting. But Nickelodeon knew it had to ““‘Rugrats’ didn't take this viewof child- police content. The network took pains hood as innocent,” one of them told me. to avoid scenes that could be construed In the second episode, the script called as dangerous to children. “Could we for Angelica to throwthe babies’ ball over have the babies going down thestair- a fence, precipitating an expedition to case on a vacuum cleaner? No,” Coffey the neighbor’s yard. Why, Klaskyre- says. “Could we have babies going out portedly asked, did Angelica have to be HISTORIC Ete Oe lhke) ~-- Beautiful replicas from Landmark Map the window? No.” Nickelodeon also so mean? In another episode, Viksten " Co.'s collection of 16th & 17th century addressed the issue of children’s self- thought it would be funny if Angelica as maps: The WestIndies, Florida, Cuba, = fx the Caribbean Islands, Mexico & esteem—it didn’t like characters call- lost her temper and screamed, “You more. Elegant frames. Decorative, ing each other “dumb” or “stupid”— dumb babies!” Klasky didn’t want the Interesting, Affordable. A Great Gift. Free color catalogue: (305) 444-1447 or www.landmarkmaps.com

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MY KIND

Memory is a tiny room lit by a wan lamp. The radio plays soft static but no one minds.

Father yawns. Mother yawns, too, but hides it behind a hand. I knew already I was not their child. nak deaaoies My kind never yawned. Alert, we waited for our time (and waitstill). 1 yawn, thinking aboutit.

—LEONARD NATHAN A DAUGHTER’S MEMOIR OF BEING FOUND SARAH SAFFIAN “An unsparingly honest memoir.” characters gratuitously insulting each rats,” and Csupo often tried to mediate —FRANCINE PROSE, Elle other, but the line would eventually between his wife and the writingstaff. “Saffian’s deft and eloquentexploration of the make it into a script and become a Csupo, writers remember, tended to dilemmas faced by an adoptee whois found by “Rugrats” signature. agree with them. “I was always pushing her birth parents will illuminateforall of us the ‘Tensions escalated in a subsequent as far as goodtaste allowed,” he told me. desire to knowourselves...a moving personal episode called “The Trial,” which sati- Bythen, the show's growing popu- memoir, layered and revealing,” rized recovered memory. Angelica urged larity was inspiring comparisons to —MARY CATHERINEBATESON, author of Composing a Life Chuckie to confess that he had broken “Our Gang,” even though one of the AT BOOKSTORES EVERYWHERE ‘Tommy’s favorite clown lamp, even show’s former story editors, Joe Anso- = BASIC BOOKS though he didn’t remember having done labehere, recalls, “Paul always hated A Member of the Perseus Books Group so. “That’s where we established her,” ‘Our Gang.’ To him,the point of ‘Our Germain says of Angelica. Klasky later Gang’ wasto give kids lines they would

told me,“I felt strongly that we needed neversay, watch them screw it up, and NEW CONCEPT DESIGN a bully, but that we needed to counter that’s the joke.” The “Rugrats” writers

how mean-spirited she was.” The writ- were actually moreclosely in tune with HIGH

ers ended the episode with a Perry Ma- “.” Craig Bartlett explains, “That 52" son moment in which the other Rug- was a major breakthrough in giving

rats drew a confession out of Angelica. characters a psychology. Uptill then VERSION; “I did it and... there’s nothing you it was anvils falling and shit.” He goes babies can do aboutit cause you can’t on to say, “Charlie Brown was dealing LAMP

talk,” she taunts. Unfortunately, Didi with his depression, Linus was obsessed FLOOR

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baby talk in voicing what she wanted. ing?” Germain asked at the beginning “By the end of the first season,” one of the “Rugrats”’ second season. “These Fourier formerstaff membersays, “she was dri- ‘wreak havoc’ episodes. ‘They're never ving someofuscrazy.” The Perfect Gift... wrap her in the any good.” (The episodes were described 4 finest cashmere stole imported to me as “The Rugrats go to an office ~ from Scotland. Available in over | 100 beautiful colors. In a word... FTER its first year, “Rugrats” won building and wreak havoc, the Rugrats breathtaking! For more informa- a Daytime Emmy Award for go to a toy store and wreak havoc, the tion, please call 1-888-233-1006 Outstanding Animated Program. Yet Rugrats go into a grocery store and

by its second season, in 1992, the show wreak havoc.”) Germain wanted to ex- aa fs- *h c aeL i was being run by warring generals. plore emotions: Why was Chuckie so The exneptroaal taste of hand-made Italian ceasta! What's more, Csupo and Klasky’s mar- afraid? Why was Angelica such a rotten Call today for $42.95 = our top ten a 95 SHARE! riage was collapsing. Both of them, kid? ‘The writers look back on this as im pitt basket LIRMET however, continued to work on “Rug- ideas or our IFTMAIL “the Golden Ageof ‘Rugrats,’ ” though color catalog, ce the grt of geod rane _ Www.gourmetgiftmail.com PBTaALS

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THE NEW YORKER, NOVEMBER 30, 1998

a Nickelodeonstory editor at the time quired to send a show into syndication AntiqueJewels sometimescriticized the adult-oriented at Nickelodeon. “Rugrats” scripts as being “too “Thirty- Theyear that “Rugrats” ceased pro- something.’” In later shows, the source duction was also the year that it be- of Angelica’s brattiness was revealed: came a hit. Nickelodeon’s president, viewers met her parents, who were too Herb Scannell, who is a programming busy with their careers to raise her prop- wizard, decided to broadcast the show erly. In “Runaway Angelica,” she floods every evening around dinnertime, and, her father’s home office with paper from as any parent can tell you, small chil- the fax and copy machines, dren delight in repetition. Al- and when sheis sent to her most overnight, “Rugrats” be- room she plots to run away. cameone of the most popular Hiding out in Tommy’s yard, programs on cable, with twenty- she shakes down the other three million viewers a week. Rugrats for cookies, and then Advertising and licensing deals spies her father inside next took off, and in 1996,after two door. She overhears him mus- years of steady reruns, the show ing thatit is nice to occasion- went back into production. ally escape the responsibilities Klasky and Csupo were re- of parenthood. Angelica bursts peatedly described in the press into the house, sobbing, and apologizes as creative geniuses, and their consis- for all her past transgressions. “Take you tent failure to fully credit Germain com- back?”herfather asks. “Honey, I didn’t pelled eight former “Rugrats” writers to even know you were gone!” sign a letter of protest to the Los An- Whenher meanness was exposed as geles Times. J. MAVEC & Co. neediness, Angelica became,if not nicer,

946 Madison Avenue at sth Street then more complex. “She's an extremely [os Klasky Csupo’s animation ~~ New York roo21 Tel (212) $17-76635 vulnerable girl,” Coffey assured me. “She's studio takes up almosthalf a city just hostile and angry.” But her essential block. Two battleship-gray buildings unpleasantness remained unchanged. are decorated with cartoon characters In “Pickles vs. Pickles,” Angelica sued from their shows, includingtheir latest

DearJulian, London Charlotte and Drew for making her eat Nickelodeon hit, “The Wild Thorn- Have solved ihe case of the missing broccoli. (“T think I can get your parents berrys.” Csupo’s office displays “Rug- Pantherellas. Who would have guessed my son would nick them from my drawer. kicked out of the house,” her lawyer as- rats’ three Daytime Emmy Awards, Or that he’d appreciate sophisticated. sured her.) By now, someof the tensions and a foot-high stack of issues of Va- English hosiery. Vil not say a word, and on the show werefinding their way into riety with Klasky and Csupo on the let him keep ihem. You know, pass the tradition on. as they say. | can always the scripts. For example, the writers cover; Kids Club Meal find more Pantherella socks at my parodied Klasky’s passion for child-care Rugrats toys share a shelf with boxes of local sioekist, experts by making Didi Pickles ever Kraft’s Rugrats macaroni and cheese. Cheers, -Nigel more slavishly dependent on a pompous Csupo, a smallish, laconic man with a PANTHERELLA child psychologist named Dr. Lipschitz. Mephistophelian beard, is more philo- Fine English Socks By 1993, as “Rugrats” neared the sophical than his ex-wife is about the 1.600.251.0775 premiére ofits third season, the situa- break with Germain. “It happens in tion reached its predictable Hollywood every single production,” he says, of the conclusion: Germain was out (he even- personality conflicts. THE ROSE tually went to work for Disney, where When “Rugrats” resumed, Klasky Pin he developed the highly rated Saturday- Csupo hired the writing partners J, Da- Steallee)oe er ett] atts) eet] morning cartoon series “Recess” for vid Stem and David N. Weiss, whose Matching Earrings picesyay ere!) ABC), and the members of his writing previous experience included CBS's atte EEUU!) Actual Size team who hadn't already left the show “Cybill” and Nickelodeon’s “Round- UeeReya Vamsted , Visa, MC. AMEX—S/H $5.75 did so in his wake. (The “Rugrats” cre- house,” as well as a final polish on “Anas- ROGER NICH ators are now prohibited bya legal set- tasia.” They then hired the husband- ene yr ; 17 NW Irving Avenue * Bend, OR 97701 tlement from discussing their split.) De- and-wife team ofJon Cooksey and Ali spite winning a second Emmy, “Rugrats” Marie Matheson, whose “strong suit,”

appeared to haverun its course, and in according to a Klasky Csupo book Wher AWSo phisticated Senior Tour 1994, Nickelodeon ordered no new epi- about the making of “The Rugrats . this time sodes. Still, Germain had left one ex- Movie,” is “heartfelt moments.” The KENYA tremely valuable asset behind: there new episodes of “Rugrats,” which be- Feb. 5 through 14, 1999 Call 800-247-7651 for brochure were sixty-five episodes, the number re- gan airing last year, have some daring 6900 Wisconsin Avenue Chevy Chase, Marjiand 20815

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ANNALS OF ANIMATION 67

memes: turns, but the edge has been softened with sentimentality. OurVodka has survived The new team claimsto love Angel- ica just as much as Germain did, butit Ivan the Terrible, seemsto be a tough love. “She’s actually the Ottomans, myfavorite,” the story editor Kate Bou- tilier says. “I try to monitor how many the Czars, times she says “You dumb babies!” be- the Nazis, cause it makes her look cruel, and she isn't cruel.” (Boutilier also watches An- the Soviets, gelica’s weight. “I always count how many times she’s motivated by food,” she says.) “Some people around here felt you can’t soften Angelica, butI just think it lends a whole new element,” Boutilier explains. In 1996, when Klasky Csupo got ap- proval from Sherry Lansing, at Para- mount, to develop a “Rugrats” feature film, the new team worked up a standard adventure tale that owes a great debt to Disney. The coloris lush, there are dra- matic, cliff-hanging moments, andit has a hip soundtrack, featuring artists like , of the Wallflowers. Thesly

jabs at yuppie values have mostly been Handcrafted using traditions over 500 years old, Belvedere is made replaced by pee and circumcision jokes, from 100% Polish rye anddistilled 4 times for a creamy smoothness. one of which struck my son as so funny

that he almost had to be resuscitated. IMPORTED BY MILLENMIUM® IMPORT CO. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA U.S.A. 100% neutral spirits distilled from rye grain 402 ALC./VOL, (80 Proof) ©1997 Millennium® Import Co Angelica is, once again, the cata- lyst. Fed up with the babies’ squalling

and fighting over Tommy's new baby brother, Dil, she sends them careering out of the house in the Wagon, “WOW, I can’t one of Stu Pickles’s strange inventions. But then, while the other Rugrats are having adventures in the woods, Angel- ica simply brings up the rear, tracking believe you have the babies because she believes that they've kidnapped Cynthia, her beloved doll. Her only big scenes would have that CD!” been considered out of character a few years ago: she now bravely steps be- EveryCDis a wholesale music club. Members receive an 850 page tween the babies and a hungry wolf, catalog offering virtually every cd in print. All CD’s are sold at wholesale, whichis about $5.00 per CD lessthanlist price and is guaranteed to be and then weeps whenshebelieves that the lowest cost you can find. We do not send unsolicited CD's, and the wolf has mortally injured Tommy's there is never any minimum required to order. Whatever CD's you dog, Spike. Children who oncethrilled want, we’ll have them for less than anyone else. We'll also have the to Angelica’s nasty schemes maybe dis- items you've been wanting to buy but couldn’t find. Call today or search appointed by her role. But Klasky is our catalog online at www.everycd.com. Be sure to ask for your 30 day FREEtrial to better evaluate our service. Good music selection is hard delighted. “I think she’s great for the to find. EveryCD makesit easy. Call now! show,” she told me. “I love Angelica.” ¢

NEWBURGH—Firstlady Hillary Rodham \-800-EVERY-cp Clinton will visit the Hudson Valley as part aa of a four-day trip highlighting America’s Aaea ireBote historic treasurers.—Poughkeepste (N.Y.) Journal. The nation’s Postmasters General will have to waita little longer. music for the serious collector International customers please call (203) 363-0519

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