you're forgetting that they're the last generation where one show could command a sizable population to engage with it at the same time. an average episode wont win everyone over but they had their moments when half the culdesac was watching. it's the shows + the event around it.

We used to have cartoons with emotional depth, that was not only recognizable at any age, but also had respect for their younger viewers. Creatives once understood that you should shy away from exposing kids to things like this. Kids need quality media too.

I remember the All Grown Up special was like and Avengers/Star Wars level event

When Rugrats in paris: the movie came out I felt especially emotional just bc of how close to home it hit that's my childhood and loved every minute of it

When they weren't afraid to tackle issues that families face. I remember this episode, and the feelings it brought, I didn't understand them then, but now I do. It's so important to illustrate these things, but it doesn't happen anymore. We need to bring back these cartoons.

Coming from a broken ass home, watching those shows gave me a sense of normalcy that I don't know how kids in abused homes now deal with not even the TV shows treating you gently as a viewer

I miss when kids shows were like this man, I had this episode alongside many others on VHS and would watch them all constantly as a kid...fuck I just dated myself

Especially holiday special episodes! Rugrats doing a Passover special was revolutionary for the time. Hey Arnold had us sobbing over Mr Hyunh and his daughter for Christmas. Like we ALL watched and talked about it over lunch. Those were the days

And even Angelica, the brat of the group, at least sympathize with him regarding his mom

He’s also forgetting that this and a handful of other shows were all we really had that weren’t looney tunes or scooby doo reruns. There wasn’t this big abundance of indie animation like there is now

This one made me sob as a teenager and probably would if I watched it again now.

The episode that still causes EVERY "Nickelodeon Millennial" to sob/ugly cry... And it resignates even more so with them now because (sadly) many of us (fortunately not me yet) are losing their parents. If someone needs a 😭, this is the episode of any show to do it with.

Millennial myself from 1995. Can confirm your point 100%.

And younger gen’s will never experience this. They’ll never know the feeling of wanting to discuss that episode of Buffy with your friends at school the next day, or the collectiveness of half a lunch room chanting “stoop kid’s afraid to leave his stoop”

As a millennial, Rugrats is my comfort show! It was my Bluey growing up ❤️

I was born in 1997, that makes me a Genz or something and even I grw up watching this. Along with Lilo and Stitch. Cat Dog. Zim. Avatar. Etc. Plus Gargoyles.

After having a kid this shit will have you sobbing

My grandfather loved the Rugrats. One of the few cartoons he would allow on his tv... possibly the only. He even went with me to see the first movie.

This was one of the most mature scenes in a kids cartoon

My emotions! Help!

The movie Zenon Girl of the 21st Century completely ran my school, for weeks, before it even premiered. No matter what you were into or who you were friends with, anyone who had a TV went and watched that movie that night.

Ohhh I wasn’t ready for this 🥹

Ah yes, that scene

Season 4 was the best of the "Rugrats" revival seasons. Of course, by this time, Nickelodeon began implementing that silly "Don't Say Dead" rule, so they couldn't outright say Melinda Finster was dead, compared to when Chuckie's pillbug died in "I Remember Melville."

...I can't watch this bro. I don't have the strength.

Media now is completed segmented into several microniche communities. There's little to no common pop culture anymore.

Well said fellow human 🫶🏼

Rare lore about Rugrats character Ima Deadlady.

napoleon dynamite dropped and the next day the entire school was quoting it line for line. I remember feeling extremely left out and confused. I didn’t know why everybody started saying gosh and nearly every other line of that movie seemingly over the weekend like that

Right in the feels......

OH NO THIS EPISODE!!!