How Nickelodeon Got Its Slime.
Let’s take a break from talking Star Wars or Marvel. Right now, it’s Slime Time! That’s right, we’re going to be talking about one of the most famous children’s channels in the United States: Nickelodeon. Along with Disney Channel and Cartoon Network, at least three generations of kids have been raised on this. But it didn’t get that way overnight because the channel turns into Nick at Nite at around 9 pm EST. No, the story of Nickelodeon is the story of one channel’s growth, expansion, corporate buyouts, and programming. But mostly, it’s programming (bonus points if you understand the reference).
The cable network was conceptualized by Dr. Vivian Horner, an educator and the director of research on PBS’s The Electric Company. It was initially called Pinwheel, the name of its flagship, and it was originally part of QUBE, an interactive cable system; it launched under the Nickelodeon name in December 1979. Nick was initially owned by Warner Communications and was the first global Children’s Television Channel. That’s right, if it weren’t for Nick, we wouldn’t have the Disney Channel or Cartoon Network. But, of course, Nickelodeon as we know it wasn’t really formed yet. That would take some time for it to happen.
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The late ’80s and early ’90s saw several changes to Nickelodeon. The most important of these changes was the arrival of a new President, Geraldine Laybourne. Originally the general manager, Laybourne would help make Nickelodeon what it is and greenlight some of the channel’s most beloved shows. Also, around this time, Warner would sell Nick, and others, to Viacom (now Paramount Global), and Fred Seibert and Alan Goodman would help rebrand the company, giving it its identity. Do you know what happened as a result of this? Do I really need to ask? You already know what happened to the very logo due to this rebrand.
That’s right, it’s the splat. This iconic logo is recognizable by kids from the ’90s to the 2000s. It was retired in 2009 for a more professional logo, but it will remain in our memories, embedded forever. But, of course, that’s not the only thing that happened. We also got a new slate of programming that would define the era and inspire other channels to do the same. As a result, some of the ’90s ’ most iconic programs started, and one of the most famous brand names in children’s television made its debut. You know what I am talking about, don’t you?
On August 11, 1991, Nickelodeon debuted its Nicktoons brand with three original animated series: Doug, Rugrats, and Ren & Stimpy. These shows would be a huge hit and would inspire other shows throughout the years, including the iconic Spongebob Squarepants. But that’s a story for another time; right now, we have 90’s Nicktoons to talk about. Other popular shows included Rocko’s Modern Life, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, KABLAM!, CatDog, and Hey Arnold!. Nicktoons continue to inhabit the airtime on Nick, and they even have their own cable channel as well.
Of course, we can’t skip the live-action productions. At the dawn of the decade, Nickelodeon would open Nickelodeon Studios, a hybrid television production facility/attraction at Universal Studios, Florida in Orlando, Florida, where many of its sitcoms and game shows were filmed. These included Family Double Dare, Guts, Clarissa Explains it All, etc. However, its most famous live-action show from this era would undoubtedly be All That. A Sketch comedy that can be compared to Saturday Night Live, All That would be a milestone for the network and would launch the career of several stars, including SNL’s own Kenan Thompson.
Of course, this is an oversimplified history. We didn’t talk about acquired programming, and we only scratched the surface when it came to programming. Still, that’s How Nickelodeon got its Slime.
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Source(s): Wikipedia