Without a doubt, the Nickelodeon Network has been one of the most redefining networks in the history of television, by offering children a full-time cartoon network with innovative and one of a kind characters that remain popular t🙈o this day. We have all grown up on Nickelodeon, and without a doubt, remember the signature green slime that the network is famous for dumping on its live audience viewers. The shows that made the network explode in popularity during the nineties especially were some of the most memorable on TV, and many children today have fallen in love with the classic series all over again.
From the recent introduction of the Hey, Arnold! movie to the one of a kind phenomenon that is SpongeBob SquarePants, the brand is a strong force in the young entertainment sector. Nickelodeon has also innovated in live action television too, with their TeenNick brand and even the Nick @ Nite channel there is no shortage of one of a kind television. It is interesting to note where a lot of the inspiration for some of these cool shows came from, as well as the internal workings that have made Nickeloꦜdeon𒊎 such a powerhouse media company.
In this list, we are going to take 𓄧a look at some of the secrets that you didn’t know about your favorite Nicktoons shows, and what made them so unique at a time when cartoons were limited to Disney style of animation that had been popular up to this point.
25 The SpongeBob Series Was Inspired By A Marine Biol♛ogist 🐬
That is correct: the undersea cartoon that we all know and love so well was created by Stephen Hillenburg, who was a former Marin📖e Biology teacher. According to Variety, Hillenburg channeled his love for the ocean into the animation which has gone on to become one of the most popular animated cartoons of all time. And, it's interesting to note that SpongeBob is a🐬lso one of the longest-running animated series on Nickelodeon to date, which has helped the show to withstand the test of time.
24 Arnold’s Last Name Was Never Officially Revealed 💖
During the long production of the series, Arnold's last name was never actually revealed, which is quite unique for a cartoon about a kid. Still, the series managed to be one of the more unique fictional cartoons to chronicle the life of a child who was being raised by his grandparents. Overall, Hey, Arnold! was a pretty unique show, to say the least. There was a lot of mystery that surrou🥃nded the star of the show, and his origins, which were explained more in the motion picture.
23 How Did CatDog Use The 🐠Bathroom?
Cartoons are not supposed to be based on reality, since they are, after all, entertainment for children. But the CatDog series introduced a serious question that we are sure many young fans probably asked about. How did CatDog use the bathroom? In a twist of unique cartoon magic, it's interesting to note that CatDog has no, erm, rear end. This created a real problem for the inquiring minds which watched the show faithfully for most of its run. There were many interesting aspects to the CatDog series, such as their fish/bone house and the fact that they could drive a ♕car somehow.
22 Timmy Turner's Belove💝d Pink Hat? Almost Didn't Happen 🔴
One of the most notable aspects of The Fairly OddParents was the lead character's signature pink⭕ hat, which very seldom left his head. Timmy Turner was a unique character with a mouse-like squeaky voice who lead the series to the pinnacle of being one of Nickelodeon's highest-rated cartoons. The pink hat he's known for almost didn't happen. According to MTV, creator Butch Hartman originally intended for the boy's hat to be blue, but his marker ran out of ink. Thus, the signature pink hat was born.
21 🤪 The Unaired Hey, Arnold! Pilot
When it came to the Hey, Arnold! series, there was a lot of development that went into place. The series was quite well-known for their different themes of childhood crushes and adventures. The original Hey, Arnold! pilot never actually aired on TV, and the series was tweaked quite a few times until creator Craig Bartlett was actually satisfied with his final product. The original Hey, Arnold! TV pilot was a little different then tᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚhe ac💫tual series was. This created a one-of-a-kind children's cartoon that was really different.
20 SpongeBob's Original Name Was Spongeboy ꦜ𝓡
According to a recent interview with Variety, Stephen Hillenburg stated that the original name for SpongeBob was actually Spongeboy. The creator soon found out that a mop company had already copyrighted the name, and thus SpongeBob SquarePants was born. It's interesting to think what might have become of SpongeBob if his name was Spongeboy instead, as the little 🉐sea sponge has become synonymous with the Nickelodeon brand in many aspects. This series has gone on to become one of the most innova﷽tive cartoons featured on Nickelodeon.
19 ꦗ The Angry Beaver Citizen Kane Reference
One of the things that made The Angry Beavers such a notable animated franchise were the iconic moments that made the cartoon feel like reality, pushing the envelope for what had been seen on Nicke💝lodeon up to this point. One such episode has Daggett and Norbert watching movies together on the famous beavers' couch, when the classic, Citizen Kane comes up on the screen. This is just one of the many references that made the Angry Beavers one of the most iconic 🎃shows of the time. It really left a void in the Nicktoons lineup.
18 𒐪 The CatDog "Mouth" Controversy
The CatDog cartoon was both popular for a short stretch of time, and also improper for many younger viewers in a couple of aspects. First and foremost, many parents took note of the fact that in quite a few episodes Cat and Dog would go down each other's throats. This is quite an oddity for a children's cartoon. The series was a little much anyway, but this just added to the weirdness factor that made many parents uncomfortable with their children watching CatDog. The series was eventually canceled, and ins🌼tances🌜 like this might have lead to the timeless finish to the series.
17 ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚ Pee-Wee Herman Inspired The Bubbly Personalit𒁃y Of SpongeBob
When it comes to friendly characters, SpongeBob is noticeably one of the most friendly that you will see. This is partly thanks to creator Stephen Hillenburg's love of Pee-Wee Herman. You’ll no൩tice how SpongeBob has that signature happy go lucky voice, as well as a bubbly personality that simply makes most viewers melt🍬 when they see the content sponge. There are also similarities in the actor's high-pitched voice and SpongeBob's voice as well, just to note another subtle difference in both the character and the actor.
16 Arnold Appeared On Sesame Street 🦩
The main character from Hey, Arnold! was featured on a few Sesame Street shorts before the series actually came to fruition. That is because the creator Craig Bartlett was hired by Sesame Street to create a few shorts for the series. The shorts included Arnold using his imagination and going into a magical dream world where there were animals and other creatures. This was an interesting fact about Hey, Arnold! that many people probably didn’t realize, and it's interest💮ing to see Arnol𓄧d in Claymation.