History of Nickelodeon

FROM: Tina
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 8:27:41AM

Paul - I want to be the first to thank you for your investigation into the television wonder that used to be Nickolodeon. As a kid, I thought "Today's Special" was so annoying. That show was like a car wreck - you didn't want to look but you felt compelled to stare in a weird way.

Nick may be all corporate giants and kooky merchandise now, but you can still find some good stuff on there occassionally. Have you ever heard of the "Action League"? I'm trying to think of how to explain these little figurines and their adventures, but I think you'll have to actually go to the current Nick site and look them up to see what I'm talking about. Now, that's television at its finest!

FROM: Paul
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 9:11:23AM

No prob, Tina. I remember being up reeeally early as a kid (like 5am, with my dad) to watch Nick - Mr. Wizard's World was the first thing on every day. But before that, you'd see the sign off screen - there's a vidcap on the Nick site - just talking about Nick and its new cousin, MTV. It was just cool.

Mind you, I think Nick has put out some good stuff since the Olde Days too - Ren and Stimpy along with SpongeBob SquarePants.

FROM: Rob
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 9:57:43AM

Pinwheel! I don't think I ever watched the show, but I still remember quite a bit of the song. Scary.

I watched FAR too many episodes of Mr. Wizard, though...

FROM: Cat
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 10:20:57AM

I'm just waiting for someone to work Oreos into the subject.

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 11:41:18AM

That page is really quite complete. Lots of memories -- I watched quite a bit of Nick when I was a kid.

And, of course, I find it obligatory to link to the YCDTOTV Ping.

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 11:42:54AM

Paul -- I'm also a big fan of SpongeBob Squarepants... it's a surprisingly funny cartoon amidst the slew of mediocre kids' cartoons from the last decade or so.

FROM: Robert
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 12:26:24PM

I wish this nostalgia page had more coverage of Hey Dude and Salute Your Shorts (did I ever mention I saw Danny Cooksey at the Hard Rock Cafe in Chicago about 7 or 8 years ago?), but you can't win 'em all.

FROM: Matt
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 12:51:42PM

I know all the Pinwheel lyrics also. My girlfriend is cool, she made me a mix tape and put the Pinwheel themesong on it since I was always singing it.
Does anyone have any clue about the other Nick channels on satellite feed? My friend got about four of them and one was showing Double Dare and some of the older shows. I'm wondering when this started, and why there hasn't been more info on ot.

FROM: Matt
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 12:53:17PM

Oh also, I have had a Today's Special website in my favorites page list for a few years, and the themesong on my Computer.

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 1:14:12PM

Robert -- I remember both of those shows quite well, since they were both on during my prime babysitting years. We always watched those...

FROM: Tina
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 1:37:14PM

Speaking of cartoons, does anyone remember "Jem and the Holograms"? Sorry to get off the subject of my beloved Nick, but nostalgia has no boundries....

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 1:39:47PM

Tina -- I'm sure that Rob will chime in any moment. I think he actually may be Jem.

FROM: Robert
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 2:00:02PM

Jem was truly outrageous. Truly, truly, truly outrageous.

Too bad it was a girl's show.

FROM: Tina
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 2:25:56PM

I found a used "Jem" video at my local video store. It was "The Jem Jam". I saw on Ebay I could sell that thing for twice what I paid for it...wow!

I must say that Jem theme song is awesome, totally and truly outrageous! The music's contagious, outrageous! Jem is my name, no one else is the same! Jem is my name! JEM!

Oops. I got a little carried away there. It's Friday, what do you expect?

FROM: Rob
DATE: Friday May 4, 2001 -- 2:47:42PM

I loved Jem. :) I remember one day when a TV station was having a Jem marathon and I watched the whole thing. This was back when it was actually on TV, though. I wish I could name all the band members, though. Then I'd feel fulfilled.

Of course, this was way back around the time when I used to listen to crap like Debbie Gibson.

It's showtime, Synergy!

FROM: Monica
DATE: Monday May 7, 2001 -- 1:33:55PM

Aw, MAN!! The memories! Jem, Pinwheel, Salute your shorts, Hey Dude, everything. We didn't have cable, so when we went to my grandparents', everything was thoroughly absorbed/imprinted.

Does anyone remember Banana Man and DangerMouse? :-) good stuff!

FROM: Monica
DATE: Monday May 7, 2001 -- 1:36:14PM

I DID get to see Jem more often, though, but I wished it was on TV as often as Thundercats and Silverhawk.
There was something in the Onion a while ago about some Jem thing being released recently. I wonder if it's new?

FROM: Robert
DATE: Monday May 7, 2001 -- 1:58:48PM

I hate to kill your precious childhood memories, but has anyone else seen that page of homoerotic Thundercats fan art? It was outrageous! I wish I knew the URL!

FROM: mel
DATE: Monday May 7, 2001 -- 4:54:00PM

Rob: Kimber, Aja and Shana. Then there were the Misfits, but I don't remember their names.

FROM: Emily Mobley
DATE: Thursday February 28, 2002 -- 12:01:02 pm

I love spongebob square pants soooo much!! i have a spongebob clock, a spongebob folder, and tons more of spongebob stuff. I think that you did a great job with all of this spongebob. It is awesome.

FROM: Courtney
DATE: Thursday March 21, 2002 -- 1:06:29 am

they should put "you can't do that on television" on with reruns.

FROM: mike
DATE: Friday March 22, 2002 -- 8:33:09 pm

Does anyone remember "Science International" AKA "What will they Think of Next"?

FROM: James
DATE: Saturday March 30, 2002 -- 9:52:05 pm

THANK YOU SO MUCH, I have found my people. Do any of you guys remember the mysterious cities of gold or spartacus. Man, those were some good times...Pinwheel, pinwheel spinning around..... you know you want to sing. Oh yeah, for some non nick stuff, does anyone remember those low budget transformers...the go-bots???

FROM: Christian
DATE: Monday April 15, 2002 -- 9:38:46 am

i cant find any info on Kids Writes anywhere. that was my favorite show for years. they arent even credited on epguides.com

FROM: Bobbi
DATE: Friday April 19, 2002 -- 6:00:04 pm

Where can I find a SpongeBob CLOCK??!! Please help.
luvbobbie@aol.com

FROM: Kendra
DATE: Sunday June 23, 2002 -- 11:16:26 pm

I thought shows such as the angry beavers and kablam were shows with potential.

FROM: Jed
DATE: Monday June 24, 2002 -- 5:11:20 pm

But who remembers the mime who danced for hours to the "Nickelodeon" song until Pinwheel came on later in the day? I think there was a countdown clock in the corner so you knew when Pinwheel was starting. I never watched Pinwheel, though. My little brother did. I was a little older, and as much as the song annoys you now, it annoyed me then. But he loved it. Alas, it is still embedded in my brain, and I never sang along to it. The power of a catchy tune. Pinwheel, Pinwheel, spinning around, look at my Pinwheel and see what I found, Pinwheel Pinwheel, where have you been?...(gunshot)

Cat-
Although not Oreos, Nabisco (I think it's Nabisco) does make Pinwheel cookies--they're chocolate covered fluffy marshmallow balls on top of a soggy piece of graham cracker. My 90 year old toothless uncle loved them--ate 'em until he was dead. Anyone else like Pinwheel cookies? Are they good with Oreos?

FROM: mike [E-Mail]
DATE: Friday July 19, 2002 -- 4:55:37 pm

i am a huge fan of old nickelodeon,i have over 30 episodes of you can't do that on television on tape. i also have the rare manowar and twisted sister performances on the live wire show,i didn't even believe it was the same show until i saw the tapes myself. manowar in their gear playing "gloves of metal" to a bunch of 9 year olds and their parents.crazy.dee snider trying not to curse in front of the little kids was pretty funny too.i was even in the crowd on an episode of don't just sit there back in like 1988 or something. if anyone has any episodes of out of control or turkey television,or you can't do that on television for that matter,email me.pinwheel kinda sucked,today's special was cool though,later all.

FROM: Jake
DATE: Saturday July 27, 2002 -- 1:37:43 am

The only good shows ever on Nickelodeon are Ren & Stimpy, Rocko's Modern Life, Angry Beavers, Spongebob Squarepants, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and Salute your Shorts. That's it. Everything else sucks. Whoever wrote As Told By Ginger doesn't deserve to live.

FROM: James
DATE: Monday August 12, 2002 -- 2:24:44 am

I like all the shows Nickelodeon has back then like You Can't Do That On Television, Today's Special, Maple Town, The Adventures of Little Koala, Salute Your Shorts, The Adventures Of Pete & Pete, Clarissa Explains It All, and all the rest. including good old Nicktoons like Rocko's Modern Life, Ren & Stimpy, Doug, Rugrats, Angry Beavers, and SpongeBob. I hate the ones they have now but the only good show that is out there is Invader Zim.

FROM: Courtney
DATE: Friday August 16, 2002 -- 12:38:39 pm

I love the show "You Can't Do That On Television" the most! I think about it every single day & it's like my best friend. My most favorite cast member of all was Alasdair Gillis

FROM: ryan
DATE: Wednesday September 4, 2002 -- 2:03:50 am

I BARELY remember "Today's Special" I only remember Nickelodeon from about 1986 and on. I remember watching "Inspector Gadget", "Dangermouse", "You Can't Do That on Television", and a few others I don't remember the names of

FROM: allison getz
DATE: Saturday September 14, 2002 -- 2:20:19 pm

wow..i've had these odd little memorires about "today's special" and i could never get anyone to validate them as being real. i remembered the maniquin..does anyone remember a mime on that show? i seem to recall an episode where the maniquin and the mime go on a picnic date (the mime was a girl)

FROM: heidi
DATE: Thursday October 3, 2002 -- 9:56:14 am

But nobody has mentioned The Tomorrow People or The Third Eye yet. I'm in the process of collecting all the recently-released TP episodes on dvd!

FROM: Lailana
DATE: Thursday October 3, 2002 -- 4:46:16 pm

I am jut a baby, so I dont remember the real old school. But I remembre like the mid 90's shows. Who remembers like Shelby Woo, and Alex mac, and Are you afraid of the dark, and Guts! oh, good times good times

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Wednesday October 9, 2002 -- 12:01:46 am

God, you are young. You make me feel old. I remember the old days of Pinwheel, Today's Special, and Out of Control with that funny guy from Full House

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Wednesday October 9, 2002 -- 12:45:31 am

The funny guy from Full House? Isn't that an oxymoron?

FROM: sunni
DATE: Monday October 14, 2002 -- 3:14:22 pm

I hate to say it, but nickelodeon has gone staight to hell. they need to make a new channel that airs all the old shows. that'd be great

FROM: Liz
DATE: Thursday October 17, 2002 -- 12:49:36 am

Actually, on a cable station I have the have reruns of the adventures of pete and pete, clarissa explains it all, and a few other shows. I believe is is a branch of Nick.

FROM: Chad
DATE: Sunday November 3, 2002 -- 11:47:04 pm

Thanks Paul,

I was inspired today to search for information on really early Nickelodeon shows, the ones that were on before people knew about them. Your article was the first that had useful information. :) I'm still trying to find leads on shows like The Third Eye, Science International, and others...

FROM: Chad
DATE: Sunday November 3, 2002 -- 11:48:20 pm

Oh yeah, it was "What Will They Think Of Next?" by Science International.

FROM: Chad
DATE: Sunday November 3, 2002 -- 11:52:46 pm

Well. Heh. Found something: http://www.johnsrealmonline.com/classicnick/index.html

FROM: Lora Gibb
DATE: Tuesday November 26, 2002 -- 6:51:29 am

Hi
im am doing a college project on The History Of Nickelodeon . Could you please email me some extra information on Nickelodeon . I would be really Gratefull and it will help me with my studies . Thankyou . Lora xx

FROM: RIA
DATE: Tuesday November 26, 2002 -- 8:30:34 pm

umm...the noozles was by far the gr8est nick show to ever grace that network...o yea

FROM: Steve
DATE: Saturday November 30, 2002 -- 4:26:34 pm

Rocko's Modern Life is my all-time favorite cartoon! I have been searching for a video collection to buy, but I can't seem to find one.
Does anyone know where I can find a video collection of Rocko?

FROM: Marcus Mackey
DATE: Sunday December 1, 2002 -- 1:49:16 am

I was just sitting for my 3 year old niece watching Nickelodeon and I have to admit, while it's definitely a more commercialized environment, much as MTV has definitely become over the years (definitely for the worst, has lost a considerable amount of that original spark and creativity), it's not actually that bad. I do have to admit, I think a lot of kid's television shows today aren't quite as educational as they once were, instead opting more for strict entertainment value. Perhaps it's the mindset of giving something "fluffy" (as in lacking infotainment value, being solely entertainment) for a kid to watch and remain entertained by so the caretaker can do stuff around the house. It'd be nice though if some of the shows broadcast for the younger children held more premise than just keeping them glued, drooling in front of the screen in wonder.

That said, I was always a fan of shows like Ren and Stimpy when Nickelodeon brought them to the forefront (originally shown on MTV) in my teen years. Yet, while these shows appeal to the elder youths, I'm beginning to realize that what's put-on for younger kids, isn't really all that great, and not on in abundance like it once was. Of course, to some degree, good ol' WTTW Channel 11 is there, but even it's only a cast shadow of itself IMHO.

"Oh yeah, for some non nick stuff, does anyone remember those low budget transformers...the go-bots???"

I wouldn't say they were low budget Transformers, but I will say that they were probably were better thought out for younger children as they didn't have a ton of removable parts, they were cheaper, and you could afford more of them on a modest budget. True they were less expensive, but they were also smaller (about the size of a Hotwheels/Matchbox car). It was almost like a full-on Transformer that appealed to a different age demographic, sort of the difference between conventional Lego's and Lego's Technic line.

That said, when I was watching my 3 year old niece, they had an advertisement for "Transformers GoBots". Yeah, you guessed it... apparently one of the two companie's that manufactured these has since bought the other, and is marketing a whole line of downsized "transformable" toys.

Then again, this type of child toy mergers has been going on as of late. Matchbox which geared itself more to the European market, eventually had to cave into the cheaper product arrangements that Hot Wheels (Mattel) was able to produce. I always as a kid remember preferring Matchbox in terms of quality and lineup, but I do admit that Hot Wheels had some more inventive (wackier) designs. Sadly, looking at the "NEW" line when shopping for a friend's son, found me wondering exactly some of what today's children had to undergo with modern toys. Some are exceptional, but the 1/64th scale diecasts market is rather paltry and bland, compared to what I remember as a youth.

FROM: Kara
DATE: Saturday December 7, 2002 -- 3:25:14 am

Paul, your site is most excellent. I was wondering if you could perhaps tell me of anywhere I might be able to find more information about "Spartakus."

cheers, kara

FROM: Ryan Lepore
DATE: Friday March 21, 2003 -- 11:43:38 pm

I want Nickelodeon to put Special Delivery back on, including that showed the mini-series "Aladdin" that was on, you know the show that had:"IT'S A VERY, VERY, VERY LOVELY EVENING IN CHINA....."

FROM: Melissa
DATE: Thursday May 1, 2003 -- 9:24:46 pm

I was only born in 83, but I remember a lot of the old stuff---Out of Control, I remember the letters moving around, and not much else, and the slime on ycdtot, but dear lord, inspector gadget freaked me out as a 5-6 year old...don't even remember why. I thought I was crazy, remembering all these shows, but apparently not
Thanks:)
Mel

FROM: Staci
DATE: Sunday May 4, 2003 -- 1:12:13 am

I want the old shows to come back. These new ones suck!

FROM: Hey Moose
DATE: Wednesday May 14, 2003 -- 10:17:14 pm

I have been waiting 20 YEARS to remember the name of "What Will They Think of Next?" My husband swore I was hallucinating. I remember it was hosted by Joseph Campanella and Tieu Leek (how's that for a semi-photographic memory...wasted on tv trivia...).

Thank you for bringing back the memories...sniff..

FROM: Missybaby
DATE: Sunday June 1, 2003 -- 1:15:33 pm

FROM: Missybaby
DATE: Sunday June 1, 2003 -- 1:20:47 pm

I was born around 85' and i can recall all the good shows they used show. I watched HeathCliff, Nick Arcade, Double and Family Double Dare, Inspector Gadget, You Can't do that On Television. I know the others aren't nick-related The Super Mario Bros. Series and The real Ghostbusters. Man i missed the old days were television was actually good. But now Nickelodeon Just sucks really bad. All they show is kiddie stuff and It's getting on my nerves and I hope they take off some of these shows that sucks.

FROM: Nathalie
DATE: Monday June 2, 2003 -- 10:14:33 pm

Jem was outrageous. The misfits were Stormer, Pizzazz, and Roxy. Rion was so dreamy although he was caught in the love triangle between Jem and Jerrica who happend to be the same person.

Hey Tina you still have Jem Jam video?

FROM: daniel
DATE: Saturday June 7, 2003 -- 11:06:29 pm

spongebob is cool

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Tuesday July 1, 2003 -- 12:54:38 pm

Guys, here's a list of Nick personalities I like and don't like:

Who I like
Marc Summers (the king of kids shows)
Wesley Eure (he's really friendly!)
Larry Toffler (he's kinda funny)
Amanda Bynes (mr-rrr-ow! she's hot)
Max and Ann of Game Farm (hey, they're kinda fun to watch)
Mike O'Malley (he's really great)
Lew Schneider (very witty, and kept Make the Grade going)
Drake Bell (oh man, he's really funny to watch!!)
Kirk Fogg (he seems adventurous, though he read cue cards all the time in the next couple of seasons, because the goofballs at Stone-Stanley wanted to make Olmec the star)
Larry Toffler (hey, he's kinda interesting)

Who I don't like
Michael Carrington (he's just wayyy too uncomfortable as a host)
Skip Lackey (my god, couldn't he take his medication to prevent him from being so hyper?!)
Robb Edward Morris (yeeesh, couldn't he spend less time on jokes and more time on the game like Lew did?)
Phil Moore (very, very, very obnoxious and annoying)
Dave Aizer (he doesn't look very comfortable with slime, especially his retarded co-horts Jonah and Jessica)
Jason Harris (sorry, but you really aren't very good at any show dealing with slime)
Nick Cannon (he's just a dumb Kel Mitchell wannabe)

And that's it.

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Tuesday July 1, 2003 -- 2:00:56 pm

Andrew:

Great list, although I'll make an exception to Kirk Fogg. The reason they made Olmec the star after season one is because Kirk was quite inept. Watching season one of "Legends of the Hidden Temple" (which are easy to spot, because it's the only season Kirk wore shorts) are quite painful, in large part to Kirk's awful cuecard readings, or being able to talk in complete sentences.

While I do agree with you on Think Fast season 2 host Skip Lackey (HORRIBLE HORRIBLE), Michael Carrington at least got better as season 1 moved along. Yeah, the first 10 episodes taped were pretty awful, but I feel he did grow into the role well by the end. If he had just been able to look more comfortable (which he was off-camera..I went to a LOT of tapings), then I think he would have been ok.

Great list though, and props for putting Marc Summers on top. Definitely the king of Double Dare. :)

BTW, Nick Cannon in Nick? Bad. Nick Cannon in the movie Drumline? Fantastic

FROM: Ryan
DATE: Tuesday July 1, 2003 -- 2:53:07 pm

OK, now I'm scared.

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Tuesday July 1, 2003 -- 8:38:53 pm

I'd be more scared about Andrew's comment about Amanda Bynes being hot when she was severly underage on Nick. (True, she's hot NOW, but when she was 12? C'mon..) ;)

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Wednesday July 2, 2003 -- 11:00:38 am

OK! OK! I'll pretend I didn't say Amanda was hot. But she's really cool! Anyway, Dave, thanks for your information on why Kirk had to read cuecards all the time. Anyway, since we bought up game shows... these are the people who should host and announce these shows (and a good timeslot for these shows, on Nick):

(in alphabetical order)

Double Dare 2000
Host: Marc Summers
Announcer: Harvey
Timeslot: 4 PM

Finders Keepers
Host: Larry Toffler
Announcer: Jason Grant Smith
Timeslot: 7 PM

Get the Picture
Host: Mike O'Malley
Announcer: Tiffany Phillips (from DD2K)
Timeslot: 5 PM

Legends of the Hidden Temple
Host: Ryan Seacrest
Announcer & Voice of Olmec: Dee Bradley Baker
Timeslot: 6 PM

Make the Grade
Host: Lew Schneider
Announcer: Maria Milito
Timeslot: 5:30 PM

The New Nick Arcade
Host: JD Roth
Announcer: Andrea Lively
Timeslot: 4:30 PM

Think Fast
Host: Ryan Seacrest
Announcer: James Eopollo (is my spelling correct?)
Timeslot: 6:30 PM

(I'm going for old Nick game shows, not Nick game shows from beyond 1996, and GUTS technically isn't exactly, quote, a "game show")

What do you think?
Send me your ideas on these shows.

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Wednesday July 2, 2003 -- 11:12:17 am

You know, Dave, we're not the only ones who don't seem to like Kirk, Skip, etc. In fact, members of the ALT.TV.GAME.SHOWS group don't seem to like them either (with exceptions to Marc, Lew, Wesley, Larry, need I go on?).

I think Skip Lackey (I don't know what the heck he did before Think Fast) probably is Patrick Wayne, Jr. (thanks to his high caffeine fix) Uh, you do know Pat was the host of the failed 1990 revival of Tic-Tac-Dough, right? You know, the Patrick Wayne who became infamous for his cry of "YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU WIIIIIIINNNNNNNN!!!!"? You probably didn't like him, eh?

FROM: Tina
DATE: Wednesday July 2, 2003 -- 1:02:12 pm

Nathalie - Yes, I still have that Jem Jam video.

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Wednesday July 2, 2003 -- 9:54:59 pm

Oh, and I can tell you the worst grand prize on any Nickelodeon game show: A trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, where you were already in!! What kind of stupid grand prize is that? And I hope Skip Lackey never goes near another game show, unless he's a contestant. Remember, Larry Toffler was a contestant on some game shows in the 1990s and 2000s, and he won a lot of money. Surprised

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Thursday July 3, 2003 -- 12:14:25 am

Andrew --

Actually, Skip Lackey was in a few B movies before he did Think Fast, most noticably, the 1985 movie Once Bitten, which was Jim Carrey's first movie. He's a native of Little Rock, AR.

The Universal Studios prize seems cheap now, but keep in mind when Make the Grade was taped (when the grand prize was the Universal Trip), the theme park wasn't even open yet, same as when Think Fast and Family Double Dare were first taped there, so a return trip to see the brand new theme park wasnt too shabby.

Larry Toffler (Finders Keepers 2nd host) was actually on 2 Game Shows, and won big on both. Debt, with Wink Martindale, and Greed, with Chuck Woolery. On Greed, he captained the team and split the 500,000 pot.

As for the game show list you had, there are some decent suggestions
(Marc and Harvey for Double Dare), but I really can't see Ryan Seacrest doing kids shows again, after American Idol, and personally, good riddance to him. It still amazes me that he has a successful TV career. Same with JD Roth. He was good with Fun House, but hosting a kids show after 10+ years would just look...weird.

Short and sweet, here I go, with no time slots given..just put em anywhere.

Double Dare - Marc and Harvey.

Finders Keepers - Wes Eure (Larry was good, but Wesley connected more with the kids)

Think Fast - ME as host. (I could knock this one out of the ballpark)

Consider doing Legends later on, and kill Nick Arcade, Make the Grade, and Get the Picture. I love watching Nicelodeon Games and Sports, but some of these shows were thin on concept. Get the Picture was ok, but nothing spectacular. Make the Grade..answer all the questions right, but lose to a dumb kid on a Fire Drill cause he threw a spitwad on a bullseye? And the whole blue screen technology of Nick Arcade kinda stopped being exciting right around the time the show premiered.

Trim the roster to the cream of the crop. Some of this overkill is what caused to go into the dark days of Nicktoons and SNICK.

On a non-Nick Game Show topic, has anyone watched the new Ren and Stimpy show on Spike T....er...TNN yet? I missed out last week, and am looking forward to watching it tomorrow.

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Thursday July 3, 2003 -- 11:08:41 am

Actually, Dave, Larry was on THREE game shows as a contestant. He was also on Russian Roulette on GSN and won nothing, because he dropped through his hole in round two. And thanks for the info on Skip "Someone get me my Ritalin!" Lackey. BTW, for Nick Arcade's bonus round, I would do what this kid did for his proposal on a revival of the show: The team has 1:30 to beat the expert's challenge in five video games, for these systems: NES, SNES, any Sega system but Game Gear (save for game #5), PlayStation, and Game Gear. Or, for newer systems: Dreamcast, Game Boy Advanced, GameCube, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. Each game beaten earns $500 and a prize, and here's the catch. The 1:30 won't start until the team crosses the starting line. After 45 seconds, teammates switch jobs, and the fifth prize can only be earned if a team beats all five video games and crosses the finish line. If they do that, they win $2,500 more plus they win either a trip or a computer.

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Thursday July 3, 2003 -- 11:19:25 am

Anyway, Dave, IIRC, these are some of the places where the Nick'cees (Nickelodeon + emcees) lived:

Marc Summers - Indianapolis, IN
Wesley Eure - Baton Rouge, LA
Larry Toffler - Somewhere in New Jersey
Skip Lackey - Little Rock, AR
Mike O'Malley - Boston, MA (I think)
(I don't know about the rest)

PS - How would you revive a classic Nick game show, and who would you get to host/announce?

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Friday July 4, 2003 -- 12:03:59 am

OK, then how's this for a Make the Grade revival?: The player who wins 1st place in the Fire Drill earns the square, earns another square, and a bonus prize. Honors Round for this version: 45 seconds, answer one question in each of seven subjects correctly. Each right answer earns $200, seven right, $5,000. Or, if you answer seven questions correctly IN A ROW, without missing or passing, you earn $10,000. Howzabout that?
(Do you think Lew Schneider could host a revival of this show?)

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Saturday July 5, 2003 -- 10:45:12 am

Over the past couple days, I haven't seen any more posts in this section of The Daily Ping. What's going on here? Can anyone post anything? Please? (Make sure to read my posts that I put up, OK?)

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Monday July 7, 2003 -- 11:59:01 am

Mr. Walls (Dave, that is), I want you to read this post I'm gonna put up, and read it carefully, all right? Here it is:



I have gone on to many classic Nick websites (especially Jump the Shark), and they all say only the old Nick shows are great and that the new Nick shows are bad. Well, lemme get into the game show part. Here's what most people (ones who are die-hard Nick fans) would think would be great game shows on Nick:

Double Dare (pre-Family version)
Finders Keepers
Make the Grade
Think Fast
Get the Picture
Nick Arcade
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Figure it Out
What Would You Do?
Wild & Crazy Kids (1990-1995 version)

Here's what they DON'T like:

Family Double Dare
You're On!
Double Dare 2000
Wild & Crazy Kids (2002 version)

I mean, I may agree that they like the gameplay (or don't) and stuff, but it's whether or not they like decent or non-decent hosts: Here's an example:

Say a revival of Think Fast is coming to Nickelodeon this fall (in case the newest NickToon doesn't debut) and you, Dave Walls, are the host. I'm very certain many Nick die-hards aren't gonna be watching because (and it'll make you throw up) one viewer might yell "THE IDIOTS AT NICKELODEON DIDN'T REVIVE THIS SHOW WITH SKIP LACKEY!!! THEY SHOULD'VE BOUGHT HIM BACK!!" Some members of ALT.TV.GAME.SHOWS actually liked Double Dare 2000, especially a kid named Robert Seidelman (I've been on his website many times), but I don't understand why Nick die-hards didn't like this revival at all. Why? (I mean, I didn't think Jason Harris did an OK job as host, but the gameplay was good). I can also imagine how if Nick Arcade was revived with JD Roth as host, many game show die-hards would watch this show, but Nickelodeon die-hards wouldn't, and I'm sorry to say this, but one post at the Internet Movie DataBase said "Phil Moore was the man, and should be bought back to television for a Nick Arcade revival." It makes me puke just thinking about it. So what do you say, Dave? It's about time some of these Nick game shows came back to TV, and that we'd have fewer NickToons (though I seem to like 'em a lot). Ready to post, Dave? Thanks!

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Wednesday July 9, 2003 -- 11:55:41 am

Andrew -

My personal feelings, when it comes to Nick game shows, is that it would have to first appeal to KIDS. Not disappointing those die-hards, like myself, is important, but the kids/teens have to be the main focus of the show. As nice as it is to have parents, die-hard gamers, and others watching, the ultimate target audience is kids and teens. This is a big area where DD2k and Family Double Dare went wrong. It tried to be equally hip with the parents and kids. One big part of making the original DD popular was the feeling that kids had their OWN show. Personally, I thought Jason Harris was a decent host of DD2K, but it didn't feel like a kids show at all. Parents answered all the questions, controlled the obstacle course, and the kids were almost secondary in the action. There were other changes that I didn't like that were secondary, but with a kids show, you've gotta have kids as the focus.

As far as reviving a Nick show, there would be a lot involved. Getting a meeting with Nickelodeon/Games Productions and pitching the new idea, financial backing, casting..there would be a ton. The actual execution of the show would probably be one of the easiest parts. I actually think that some form of partnership with Game Show Network would be beneficial to both parties, creating a morning and/or early afternoon lineup of kids game shows.

I'm getting new head shots taken in the next week or so, so who knows..maybe a few years down the line.

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Thursday July 10, 2003 -- 11:37:33 am

You mentioned that there should be a Saturday morning kids game show line-up on GSN, Dave. Well here's what I'd put in:

6 AM - Where In the World Is Carmen Sandiego?
6:30 AM - Fun House
7 AM - Family Challenge
7:30 AM - Wild Animal Games
8 AM - Click
8:30 AM - Double Dare
9 AM - Joker! Joker! Joker!
9:30 AM - Juvenile Jury
10 AM - The Quiz Kids Challenge
10:30 AM - Just Like Mom (Canadian Kids Show)
11 AM - Fun House (UK Version)
11:30 AM - A*Mazing (Australian Kids Show)

That's It!

BTW - Double Dare might be the only Nickelodeon game show to hit GSN airwaves, 'cause it's been on longer than the other Nick game shows, unless GSN doesn't have the rights to Viacom-owned shows. If they got Double Dare (insert Harlem Globetrotters theme song), we'd be happy. If they didn't then... (insert Viacom "V of Doom" music) GAS would lose DD rights, GSN won't air it, and we'll all be crying. Right?

FROM: Lee
DATE: Thursday July 10, 2003 -- 4:03:15 pm

Anyone know where I can buy copies of the old Nick shows: The Third Eye, Tomorrow People

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Friday July 11, 2003 -- 11:21:39 am

Lee --

I'm not very sure. I know that on websites, it's illegal to trade tapes for money, so the best place I'd find 'em would be to go to a used video store or a garage sale.

PS - I'm still hoping Finders Keepers returns to the Nick'waves in 2003 as a revival, and here's hope that Wesley Eure (he's 47 now, according to IMDB) returns. If Mati Moralejo was hosting it... ehhh... I don't think he would do a good job. This is my setup

I would use the same set, but move it to Universal Studios in Orlando, and update it for the 21st century. The podiums are futuristic-looking (kinda like the face-off podium on the 1999 revival of Family Feud), but with wooden houses on them (the same "doorbell" buzzer is used to buzz-in for the Hidden Pictures round used on Eure's version) I think the buttons should be red on yellow bases, as they are on most game show podiums. The score readouts aren't in Vane II font anymore. This time, they're in an EggCrate font. The big house would also have new rooms, like a disco, or an Indy 500 racetrack (wonder if Wes does Jack E. Stewart impressions), or maybe, a Hall of Fame, even a department store (if it was on Comedy Central, they'd probably use a strip club, or a variation of the Playboy Mansion). Anyway, these are my changes:

1.) Keep the telestrator pens for the Hidden Pictures rounds
2.) Where I come from, FK is played for cash, not points
3.) The "Instant Prize" should be worth LESS than the sixth prize in the Room-to-Room Romp, which is the grand prize, which could be a trip, computer, or mini-racer (if only adults competed, then the Instant Prize could be a vacation, while the grand prize could be, to quote Harvey, "a faa-aaa-aa-a-aabulous new car!" I think Family Double Dare was the only Nick game show to give away a car as a grand prize, right? Now who would you get to be announcer of this revival? I know I chose Wesley Eure to be host, but who should be his sidekick? (Don't reply "Harvey" cause Harvey worked better with Marc Summers on Double Dare)

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Tuesday July 15, 2003 -- 11:50:54 am

Dave Walls --

This is about Skip Lackey. I bet, each day before he did Think Fast, he didn't listen to his mommy, who asked, to quote Mama Crocker on The Fairly OddParents, "Skippy! Will you please take your stupid two-bit vitamins? They'll prevent you from being so hyper, my favorite stupid, two-bit son." This is actually a variation of the quote from the FO episode titled "The Secret World of Denzel Crocker":

Denzel Crocker: "Stupid, two-bit room! Stupid, two-bit van! STUPID, TWO-BIT LIFE!!!!"
Mama Crocker: "Denzel! Would you like some stupid, two-bit dessert? I made your stupid, two-bit favorite!"

Also, are any Nickelodeon game shows going to be revived this year?

Off-Topic: Oh yeah, and what do you think is going to be the next fall game show revival to premiere on 09/15/03? And I'm not even going to guess what the newest PBS KIDS show is going to be on 09/01/03! (Every year, they show the newest PBS KIDS show on Labor Day, then, two weeks later, a revival of a game show comes on, correct?)

And hopefully, this year, we get to see a revival of a Nick game show.

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Tuesday July 15, 2003 -- 11:59:32 am

Err.. I made a little error. It's "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker". Sorry for the mistake. (It's one of my favorite Fairly OddParents episodes, but I'm just sad that Timmy couldn't make young Mr. Crocker happy after he (Crocker) lost his godparents after the city could hear an echo of "fairy godparents" over the speakers)

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Thursday July 17, 2003 -- 9:52:52 am

Dave, after you read my post about Skip Lackey not taking his medication before Think Fast to prevent him from being so hyper, answer me this:

Which ex-Nickelodeon game show hosts should be involved in a Human Video Game down at the GameFarm?

Also, there's going to be a new episode of SpongeBob this 07/26, in which he tries to get Gary (his pet snail) to take his bath, which I have seen before, on video tape (home video, not tape tradings). Would you picture SpongeBob on any classic Nickelodeon game show if there was another new episode in which, say, SpongeBob was invited to be in, oh, a $100,000 Finders Keepers Tournament of Champions, or SpongeBob's on an all-new Think Fast (hosted by Ryan Seacrest, who BTW, is only 27 years old, and could still tackle children's game shows), and he and his partner (Patrick Star) could win themselves $25,000 in the Locker Room! (In my proposed episode, the Krusty Krab is starting to go bankrupt, then, SpongeBob and Patrick see the ticket plug for the new Think Fast, which isn't 1500 Broadway, but it reads "Tickets: The New Think Fast: CBS Television City, 7800 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA, 90036" (as read by James Eopollo), then, SpongeBob and Patrick are practicing the game, then, they challenge against their opponents, who happen to be related to MermaidMan, but aren't very friendly. (SpongeBob and Patrick are on the blue team, FYI) The first event involves one member of each team grabbing a letter suspended from the ceiling of the studio, then, handing it down to the partner, who must spell the word of a famous person. The "Brain Bender" in this episode is a rebus. The second event was the classic "Flog" game, where you guess the word spelled backwards, F.E., "ESUOH" turns into "HOUSE", then your partner plays golf, trying to get their colored ball through a hole. The third event was a race. The race involves one member of the team to grab letters out of a bin, while their partner pushes them around in go-karts, since their karts have no foot pedals. It does have a steering wheel to turn, since the track is oval-shaped. The first team to complete a lap gets a first-place finish (and a $100 bonus), but the team who made the most words (used in the real world) in 45 seconds actually wins the event. Oh yeah, and there are more events that I can't describe, but the final score is...

Gold Team - $350
Blue Team - $600

SpongeBob and Patrick go to the Locker Room, while their opponents win the consolation prize of the 2003 World Book Encyclopedia Set.

This Locker Room involved a member of the winning team to try and match seven pairs of things, like in the Lackey-era TF, but, before a third locker door could be opened, a member had to shut it first, and SpongeBob would do the running, while Patrick would pull the cord in case of a "Red Herring" popping out. (FYI, the Red Herring was a character with no match at all, and the team had to pull a cord to close the locker door). The "Red Herring" in this episode was... Skip Lackey himself!!! The team has two minutes to make seven matches (I bumped it to two minutes because remember, you must shut a locker door before you can open a third door). Anyway, SpongeBob and Patrick got six matches, and there's only ten seconds left on the clock, and SpongeBob must match the chef in order to win the $25K for his team, and suddenly, with one second left, he found the right locker door to make the seventh match, and... THE TEAM COLLECTS $25,000!!!! Bells are clanging, sirens are wailing, and confetti and balloons drop from the ceiling (and the "$25,000" sign flashes on the TV) as SpongeBob and Patrick yell like idiots after winning the money (and saving the Krusty Krab from bankruptcy) SpongeBob then spends his $12.5K on buying more Jellyfishing equipment and pet care for Gary. Patrick on the other hand... doesn't spend his $12.5K. At the end, Patchy the Pirate is just celebrating SpongeBob and Patrick's victory when (knock-knock) a knock is heard at the door. Patchy opens it up and who should arrive but... Michael Carrington!! Then, we cut to the credits.) Oh yeah, and we also see Patchy after the SpongeBob theme song, watching an episode of Carrington's version of Think Fast. Do you think Mike would be a better host on those SQUARE ONE TV game show parodies?

FROM: Noah
DATE: Thursday August 14, 2003 -- 11:13:16 pm

A few comments....

First of all, regarding Finders Keepers, my view is that Wesley Eure is the better of the two, although Larry Toffler was definitely a friendly guy ("Leeeeeeet's trash the house!") And for those of you who're familiar with the show...which announcer is your favorite? I'm a big Harvey fan, but I also think Joe Conklin was great on the show ("Magna, the HHHHHHot new name on the streets").

Double Dare....great great show. Today for the first time I saw a very early episode in which the scoreboards had a dollar sign below the amount, as opposed to the usual DD logo. Dave, Robin, and Harvey wore red shirts (as opposed to black as in most of the '86/87 episodes).

Think Fast is another favorite of mine. Everyone seems to hate Skip, but I enjoy the energy/hyperness he brings to the show, although his hair style is.....interesting. Michael Carrington seemed low-key, but when compared with Skip, who doesn't?

Any comments?

FROM: CT
DATE: Friday August 29, 2003 -- 9:11:25 pm

By any chance, does anyone know the name of the show that was on SNICK back in the '90's that was a kid version of Saturday Night Live. There was a group of kids and they would do skits and then there was the dad that had a chair that he loved. This was before All That....ring any bells?

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Friday August 29, 2003 -- 10:57:36 pm

Sounds like Roundhouse. Great show, although the actors/singers weren't kids, but young 20's types. Still a great show, and Crystal Lewis (from season one) went on to become a huge Christian music superstar, and is founder/owner of Metro One records.

FROM: Jonah
DATE: Thursday September 4, 2003 -- 4:14:01 am

I liked the Skip Lackey version of think fast more then I did the Micheal Carrington version, because in the Micheal Carrington version the set was most notably cheap and small. Vs the Lackey version where the set didnt look cheap or shotty and plus skip brought alot of excitement to the show, however I do agree he did get overly excited and relyed alot on his cue cards. But all and all I think they tould have taped more season with him being host all the kinks would have been worked out.

FROM: Jonah
DATE: Thursday September 4, 2003 -- 4:24:05 am

More on that comment about think fast is that, I can tell which episodes are skips 1st ones because he messes up alot more in certain episodes then he does in others. You have to remember that there was a time when Marc Summers himself had to rely on cue cards and not all people get it all down as fast as he did also it is good to pack as much energy as you can into a show to make it exciteing for the viewers and that is what Skip tried to do and its a give and take thing basically because if you dont put out enough energy your called boring and if you put out too much energy your called overly excited, but is there really a level in between.... people spend time writeing messages putting skip down when in reality he was way better then carrington was as far as packing energy into the show and not being shy!!!! and as I said yess relying on his cue cards and getting overly excited at times was his down fall. But all and all I think he was a good host.

FROM: Jonah
DATE: Thursday September 4, 2003 -- 4:31:10 am

This comment is on Double Dare 2000. I think the new set looked cool, however if they would have just restore the old Family Double Dare set the show would have lasted longer... because the set looked way better then the one one did!!! and they shouldnt have put in the Triple Dare Challenge because it took up alot of time to explain the thing and offer the prize, as far as Jason Harris goes. He was no Marc Summers, but he was cool and did the best he could on each and every taping its not his fault the show got canceled there was alot of other reasons why it did.

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Thursday September 4, 2003 -- 2:53:30 pm

Hey Jonah,

Good comments on Think Fast and DD2K.

Re: Think Fast, the set was a bit cheap in Michael's day, no doubt about it. Remember those old buzzers? They had these cylinders with a plastic top, but when you'd buzz in, the top usually came off, so you'd see the players trying to fix the thing everytime. The set at WHYY in Philly was one of the smallest I'd seen, too. WHYY had bigger studios, so who knows why they were in the area they were. One of the only real reasons I could think of (purely being a guess) is that Nick knew they were moving everything to FL, so why bother spending the big bucks on season 1? Wait till you have it down there to do what you will.

That being said, I don't think the Skip version was a huge step up, as far as production values. For one, the lighting of the locker room sequences, which are tough, with locker doors and shadows, were a lot darker in Florida. Primarily because the audience was in the dark in the background, and more color was used, where in Philly, it was the same white lights used during main gameplay. Secondly, the set may have been larger, but I personally thought it was bland looking. The entrance doors were cool (like a gym), but other than that, you were standing in front of a grey wall, with the shelves in the back of odd objects that were never used. One of the cooler things I did like from Skip's show, that seemed to disappear was the board of past players names that was Stage Right. You could see it as the players ran in. I thought that was a great touch, almost a way of kids to say "So and So was here", but it was scrapped after a while, possibly due to continuity issues, when it came to reruns..("why are there less names up there now?").

Last bit on the FL/PA sets: Both sets had bits and pieces that malfunctioned, making them look cheap. Philly's buzzers most notably, The golf game in FL ("flog") had the putting green come apart in the middle of the game, and players couldn't putt around the little loop. Both sets had problems with the locker room doors, too. Occasionally, characters would either get stuck outside the locker after the doors were locked after a match, or if the locker had objects (balls, for instance), the balls would prevent the door from being shut. Just recently, I saw an ep. from Skip's day, where the team was nearing in on a Locker Room win, the boy came back to lock the doors, and knocked over the entire pedistal the button was on! It must have been lightweight, because it fell in a hurry. The doors in both sets were never controlled by those buttons (a controller off screen would open them via a board of some sort..), but it really ruined the illusion. Next time an ep. with Michael comes on, watch Michael explaining the time bomb and such, and you may see a person standing behind him in front of a red/grey contraption..that's the board where the lockers are really controlled.

I swear I have a life, everyone. Really, I do.

FROM: Jonah
DATE: Sunday September 7, 2003 -- 4:00:37 am

yess your right... Ive seen those malfunctions, even the clock on super sloopy double dare malfunctioned from time to time
I like that little spin around thingy the had on the clock for 2 seasons
I always wondered how they turned the clock to reveal the logo after every physical challenge
The double dare 2000 set had more malfunctions thjen I had ever seen on any other double dare before "" besudes 86-88 episodes"" I think that if marc summers would have hosted think fast produciton would have lasted alittle longer then it did
I am curious what do u think they sahould have done with the set when they converted for dd2k from fdd ""1993 episodes"" what shouldnt they have changed.

FROM: Andrew Schroy
DATE: Thursday September 11, 2003 -- 10:26:52 pm

You know, I just had the craziest idea to revive Think Fast: Get Ryan Seacrest to host, James Eoppollo to announce, and GET A BETTER SET! Oh yeah, and change the Locker Room so that it's a little tougher, like closing a locker door before opening a third door, again getting seven matches, but in a 2-minute time limit. I also think the podiums should look more expensive, complete with hand-held buzzers and neat neon lights, plus eggcrate-style scoreboards. What do you think? I think Ryan could beat out Mike and Skip any day, but give credit to James Eoppollo (I think his announcing is much better than Henry J's, which is more suited for Get the Picture) for announcing as well. So what do you think?

FROM: Jonah
DATE: Friday September 19, 2003 -- 3:19:52 am

Andrew... I think you have great ideas for a think fast revival set... I agree with you
Now my opinion on the DD2K/FDD set format... in my opinion dd2k would have had more ratings if ofr 1 marc summers would have stayed as host not ""executive consultant"" Marc summers had some not so good things to sayabout the exicution of the show himself because there was just too many problems with it... needless to say at least they attempted to restore it. Any way more on the subject of the set... the dd2k set looked weird?!!!. and lacked some of the original feel, while I understand it was not ""92"" they shouldnt have made as many changes as they did... The set should have remained the same as the in "92" only change the logo to the dd2k logo and instead the clock being up so high... used the dd2k plasma screen behind marcs podium
and change the podium colors to match the millenium and added chase lights and changed the color on the to sparking glitter line instead of yellow and added disco lighting
also change the yellow and pink checker borad design on the set walls with the confetti design like that of FDD in "88" and they shouldnt have messed with the sounds nearly as much as they did
htey could have left the sound alone to some extent yess I know they needed to edit it alittle... but to redo the whole entire sound people were used to hering while watching any original version of double dare to me was a waste of time. when they could have just done slight updates to the older version... and as far as game play goes
for god sakes get rid of the triple dare challenge... I like the concept, but for 1 it was far too over drawn and for 2 they didnt need to celebrate it as much as they did. To me it would have been a waste of time seeing a monkey dance accross the stage. ETC and it took too much time up to explain it
Jason Harris was a great guy for the job in my opinion "in some ways better then marc" but in most ways no.... Jason got more persoanal with the contestant then marc did. anyways please respond to this comment when you see it andrew thanks Jonah.

FROM: narama [E-Mail]
DATE: Wednesday October 1, 2003 -- 8:39:36 pm

i want to know more about jem carrey
tahnk you

FROM: Rayad M. Dahdoul
DATE: Saturday October 25, 2003 -- 12:47:43 am

I'm a big Nickelodeon Game Show Fan. And I loved Double Dare through Double Dare 2000, Finders Keepers, Make The Grade, Think Fast!, Get The Picture;sometimes, Nick Arcade, Legends Of The Hidden Temple and Figure It Out. I was Thinking of My Favorite Visalia High School Teacher Mr. Skip Passmore and I will be in Double Dare Through Double Dare 2000, Finders Keepers, Make The Grade, Think Fast, and Legends Of The Hidden Temple by being the Hosts and Annoucer Starting On Double Dare Through Family Double Dare Host by Me, Announcer #1 by Andrew Richey, Announcer #2 by Caleb Ziessler, Head Assistant by Natalie Richardson, Other Assistants by Evan McMillan and Vanessa Wilson; My Favorites Visalia High school friends; then Double Dare 2000 Hosted by Skip Passmore, Announcer by Andrea Hrncirik, and Head Assistant by Julie Hrncirik; my other favorite Visalia High School Friends; Finders Keepers 1st Hosted by Skip Passmore, Finders Keepers Keeper by Julie Hrncirik Announcer #1 by Caleb Ziessler, Announcer #2 by Brandon Shaw, Announcer #3 by Daniel Toth, New Hosted by Me, Finders Keepers Keeper by Natalie Richardson, and Announcer by Andrew Richey and Hidden Object Finders Helpers by Andrea Hrncirik, Kent Spurr, Kim Tienken; Make The Grade 1st Hosted by me, New Hosted by Skip Passmore, and Announcer by Andrea Hrncirik; Think Fast! 1st Hosted by Skip Passmore, New Hosted by me,
1st Announcer by Jacob Rosales, and new Announcer by Joel Rosales; and Legends Of The Cartoons Hidden Temple Hosted by Skip Passmore and Announcer and Olmec by me, and Spotters by the males Super Friends of my others favorite Visalia High School Friends; and that's how I wanted it to be. Thank You. Also I'm A autistic adult so I hope you'll accept that, Please, thank you. Because Nickelodeon Game show are my favorite kinds of Game Shows. So Please, Thank you. Love From, Rayad M. "Autistic Adult" Dahdoul

FROM:
DATE: Saturday October 25, 2003 -- 9:33:10 am

There was a show where teams would run throgh mazes and people would jump out and try to scare them or take them. I think there was a titi post on the set and i cannot remeber the name of it. Can someone please help me!!!

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Saturday October 25, 2003 -- 9:49:08 am

Sounds like "Legends of the Hidden Temple", but I really missed the "titi post"..I think you meant "Tiki Idol" or something...A "titi post" would be on the NC-17 version of "Legends"..

FROM: anonymous
DATE: Thursday November 20, 2003 -- 1:23:37 pm

Does someone know anything about the Legends host Kirk Fogg? I need some info about his family tree and his ancestry, but the only thing I know is that he lives in Maine and did a couple of movies back in the 90's.

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Friday November 21, 2003 -- 9:59:39 am

That's more than I've got: I've seen Fogg pop up on commercials from time to time, but nothing big since then.

Continuing on the classic Nickelodeon theme, I was in Orlando at the beginning of the month on business, and on a day off, went to Universal Studios (still a ton of fun). While there, I stopped in Nickelodeon Studios to take the tour/watch the live show. I'm sorry to say that Nickelodeon looks like they have officially sold their soul to Nicktoons.

When Nick Studios opened up, it was the pride of the entire network, all production from around the country was moved there, and those shows that couldn't be moved to Orlando (Hey Dude, for one) were cut. Live broadcasts, games shows, and extensive tours throughout the studio were just some of the highlights that made kids (and some adults) want to visit the place with the colorful slime geyser.

Nowadays, however, it is a shell of its former self. The tour had absolutely no line (on a day where the park was packed). The slime geyser now has a cheap layer of green paint over it, and looks really rusty. Outside the studio, there is a sign of Ren and Stimpy pointing the way to the restrooms. Funny, since neither Ren or Stimpy have graced Nick for at least 5 years.

Once inside, you no longer get the grand tour upstairs, overlooking all the different sets. Instead, you walk down a hallway by the props department (Look! A rubber chicken!), and make up department (Look...umm...a make up chair!), and are quickly ushered into the show area. The show was fine, but reeeally quick, with just two short games played, both "based" on...Nicktoons. After sliming one kid, that's it. See ya! In and out in 10 minutes. The tour used to take 30-40 minutes, but was worth every minute as a kid. The kids going through this tour couldn't have cared less. It was just something to do while they were waiting for the line for "Shrek 4-d" to die down.

I felt bad for the show host, Mike, whom I talked to afterwards for a bit. I knew he looked familiar, and for good reason: He's been doing the show for about 10, 11 years now, and still made it as much fun as he possibly could. Talking to him, though, he was a bit frustrated with the number of cuts. The complete studio tour stopped two years ago, and Nickelodeon hardly ever uses the studios, renting them out for outside productions mostly. (PAX TV's "Beat the Clock" was taped there, for one)..

It was a sad, sad experience. It was almost like visiting a sick friend, but knowing that the doctor wasn't going to do anything to help them. The studio is a shell of what it used to be, the kids didn't appear interested, and there is nothing that the adults of today can look at and say "I remember how much that was.."

Nick used to be the only network for kids, now it's just a ripoff of Cartoon Network. Sad.

FROM: Anonymous
DATE: Friday November 21, 2003 -- 12:05:34 pm

Great...just great. More bad news. First I found out Kirk Fogg's married, now this?! This is so bad...I hate being depressed, especially since I have it!!! Seven years looking for Kirk, all down the drain and my heart's been stabbed by this so much, my God, I was in love with him!
I really hate my life...and I'll get a F on my art project now.

FROM: Onyx
DATE: Tuesday December 23, 2003 -- 4:35:32 am

I'm so glad I'm not the only one wasting brain space with Old Nick trivia! Does anyone rememeber a cartoon with racoons where the theme song was: "Run with us...we have passion in our eyes. Run with us...we are free" (pretty deep lyrics for a bunch of five year olds!) if you do please tell me and does anyone recall an excercise show with a mother and child or a father and child called "just me and You Kid"? I don't know if that was on Nick. it might have been old disney. speaking of old disney, anyone remember Dumbo Circus? that was the show!

FROM: Will
DATE: Wednesday January 14, 2004 -- 11:45:56 am

I think there should be a station of nick for the real classic's unless somene would like to bring them back! Iremember watching all those shows they were the greatest! and im sure that everyone here would agree with me! my personal favorite was Inspector Gadget! i was so happy when the made the movie................untill i watched it! IT SUCKED THEN THEY MADE A SEQUEL! what the hell were people thinking! I strongly believe that All our favorites should perseved some how! or the should be put on DVD by the seasons! then everyone can preseve thier childhood memories!

FROM: Adam d
DATE: Tuesday January 20, 2004 -- 9:48:44 am

IF i cant find anything on spong bob for my spech ill will get an f

FROM: Ryan [E-Mail]
DATE: Tuesday January 20, 2004 -- 10:08:28 am

Then allow me to be the first to say: "Good luck explaning the F to your parents!"

FROM: sal l [E-Mail]
DATE: Wednesday January 21, 2004 -- 10:28:36 am

u should put kenan and kel the 1st season on dvd i really love that show

FROM: Z
DATE: Friday January 23, 2004 -- 12:56:22 pm

Nickelodeon today is just pathetic. The game shows provided some education (esp. Make the Grade) Ever since they were all ripped, there are no game shows for children anymore. I hate Spongebob and all the other Nicktoons (excluding R&S, Rocko, and Doug) Personally, I think the network is in need of an Extreme Makeover.

FROM: Z
DATE: Friday January 23, 2004 -- 12:58:05 pm

To add on to my comment, Nick has litterally dumbed down

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Friday January 23, 2004 -- 2:31:12 pm

Z,

Great comments. Even though I'm a huge game show fan, I can understand why, for the time being, they are off the main channel. Game shows kinda go in cycles. It's very rare that a game show goes a long time (The Price is Right)..

I think the real issue most of us have with Nickelodeon is this: When it came out, Nickelodeon went out of it's way to contain programming that was not only entertaining, but kinda winked and nudged at you and said "This is your channel". Remember all the promos that had the phrase, "The only network for YOU!: Nickelodeon!"? It seemed to give the child watching a sense that no matter what they put on, it was gonna be good, because it was their channel.

As harsh as I've been on Nick, there are still a few things they do right. I like the fact that they still create some original programming (Still having "All That" is great..) and they made channels for the old game shows and classic Nick on Digital Cable/Dish, which is great for us. Still, Nick has dumbed down their programming quite a bit, no doubt about it.

Case in point: Was visiting a friend in NC a week or two ago. Several others were there. One of them had kids, which we put in the other room to watch TV. As I walked around, I saw the kids dialing around on the remote. I said something like "Anything good on Nickelodeon?". to which the older (7) of the two replied: "Nope, we don't like cartoons..We're watching Disney Channel."

Case closed.

FROM: Amye
DATE: Wednesday February 18, 2004 -- 12:37:52 pm

I think everyone who thinks Nicktoons are bad should think about there age and know that our parents think there cartoons are better then what we like. Also they cant just keep the same shows and cartoons on t.v they have to change. Therefor I would like to say thanks and good job Nickelodeon on the pick of nicktoons.

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Friday February 20, 2004 -- 10:03:58 am

Amy(e),

Tell you what: I'll think about my age, you think about how to spell.

Seriously, it's not that I dislike Nicktoons. The argument here is that the variety of shows has dwindled. Nickelodeon used to be the getaway from the normal cartoons and bad kids shows. Now, it has become what it used to despise, mostly cartoons. With some exceptions noted in other posts, Nickelodeon is just a cartoon network, and that is sad.

FROM: Cherryrebel
DATE: Thursday March 4, 2004 -- 12:07:57 pm

omg i thought i had made that show up! no one ever remembered it! glad to know i am not nuts lol

FROM: Whitney
DATE: Saturday March 6, 2004 -- 3:01:25 pm

I grew up on shows like Salute Your Shorts, He Dude, Legends of hte hidden temple, and many others. I wish that Nickelodeon would put reruns of these great classics back on their channel; instead of that garbage that they show now. I am avidly trying to get these great shows back on tv, so if you owuld like to help me go to www.petitiononline.com/NewNick/petition.html Thanks so much~

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Saturday March 6, 2004 -- 6:10:14 pm

Whitney --

Legends of the Hidden Temple are already on reruns, along with Salute your Shorts on Nickelodeon GAS. Check your cable listings.

If you're expecting a petition to work, try using a megaphone outside your house and screaming, it'll have the same effect, minus pissing off your neighbors.

FROM: virginia
DATE: Saturday March 6, 2004 -- 7:30:08 pm

Hi! I'm a kid of this generation and I remember really really vaguely when I was 6 when shows like legends of the hidden temple and this show with this summer person and these celebs from All that? My little brother was watching spongebob goes ancient and the pirate was traveling back in time and i saw really really briefly this thing for "You can't do that on television" and he says "whoops we need to go further!" that's what sparked my interest in nickelodeon history!! can you guys explain what shows like Pinwheel and the salute your shorts and jem jam are? some of this stuff I don't get!! If you could e-mail me that would be great. Thanks!

FROM: j-boog
DATE: Thursday March 11, 2004 -- 12:10:34 pm

u guts are the best! my baby girl loves you:)

FROM: Kirk Fogg
DATE: Friday March 12, 2004 -- 4:27:13 pm

Kirk Fogg is not in Maine... He lives in Los Angeles.

The reason I was a bad host was because I was inexperience and was hired just two weeks before the show went up and the producers had never done a pilot for this show. They were scrambling and the director of the show was completely over his head as was everybody else for that matter... I can remember walking around the studio waiting for someone to tell me what the show was about but no one was really quite sure. When it was time to shoot the season, I was thrown out there and I admit I was terrible. It was not a pleasant month of shooting 40 episodes... I was drowning and I wasn't getting any help.... it was humilating on many different levels. I was being used as the scapegoat for the awkwardness of the show that first season. They also had me on teleprompter the first season and many times the sentences lacked punctuation...

The next season they hired Glen Weiss as the director and the show went much smoother.(we won best game show) I also was given much more direction but by this time they(producers/nick) didn't have much confidence in me and relegated me to some pretty bland wraps... I actually am pretty funny guy once you get to know me but you sure couldn't have detected that on the show(which may or may not have helped) Nickelodeon hated me as a host and rarely spoke to me during my three seasons. Oh well, the show though was a hit, anyway. The concept was awesome and is what made it work. Kids loved it. But yes I admit I wasn't a good host but I believe I became adequate as it went on. Also just to let you know the reason they hired me was because of one small audition I did on tape which I did reasonably well and the fact that I looked okay... But ultimately what put me over the top was that one of the producers thought(I repeat thought) I was gay and was perhaps hoping something might work out in Florida...which it didn't and the moment he realized I wasn't gay he rarely spoke to me again...He also happened to be my floor producer so basically during the shoot I didn't get a lot of support..... such is life.

by the way I guess they(nick) got what they paid for in the way of a host since I didn't get paid much.....and you can forget about residuals.

kirk

FROM: 50 cent
DATE: Saturday March 13, 2004 -- 6:49:55 pm

Every single day I watch spongebob this thing under the sea is funny as I don't know what! Whos dat little star thats pink? Mr. Krabs is funny he loves money just like me. he loves 50 cent to. But dosen't ever 1 love me because Im a P.I.M.P. Which means playas Id membership pass. Oh yea buy my album, its bangn' BEG 4 Mercey with G-Unit(my Crew). Look I gotta go Holla at yo boi

G- Unit
p.s. Spongebob Is Off da hook!!!!!@@@@@@##$%^&*()$$$$$$

FROM: Z
DATE: Sunday March 14, 2004 -- 11:46:41 pm

Kirk, I still think you did a good job with Legends. As far as I'm concerned, you were definitely several steps above Skip Lackey (2nd host of Think Fast) Now that you have had the position, you could say that you did something that made a lot of people happy. Don't forget, not many even have the courage to go in front of the camera. The people at Nick might not have liked you, but there were a lot who did. If you believe you did a good job, that is all that matters.

FROM: Justin
DATE: Saturday March 20, 2004 -- 2:21:44 pm

Can I get any help on having info on Spongebob.

Cuz I really need it if I don't Ill get and F on my report Card!! Please and thank you.

FROM: Rubber Band Man
DATE: Saturday March 20, 2004 -- 2:23:38 pm

FROM: Ryan [E-Mail]
DATE: Saturday March 20, 2004 -- 4:10:55 pm

Cuz I really need it if I don't Ill get and F on my report Card!!

If you've gotten to the point where only Spongebob can save you, you might want to think about studying more.

Please and thank you.

FROM: Roderick
DATE: Friday April 2, 2004 -- 7:18:37 am

Anyone know where I can get old episodes of the third eye, pinwheel, you cant do that on tv, and the tomorrow people, on vhs or dvd or anything?

FROM: jimmy bly
DATE: Monday April 26, 2004 -- 2:41:12 pm

hey what happend to Hey Dude and As the School Bus truns?

FROM: CHristi
DATE: Thursday June 10, 2004 -- 3:06:30 am

HI I need help!! When I was in 4th grade 1989-1990.. I think... I was on a Nickelodeon show,.. looking at all the show names i think it was Dont Just Sit there. But this one rings a bell so I wanted to ask if u remember what it was like..
I was on an episode of a nickelodeon show with Rosie O Donnell.. it was before ROSIE was known.. at all.... but she sat in between me and my best friend and i was on tv talking to her..i distinctly remember her asking me who i liked in music... and my dorkiness said TIFFANY.. UGH i guess it would be impossible for me to find it but i thought if u could tell m,e what the show was like i could at least determine if this was the one!!

I remember one game going on..with a few audience members.. i remember the comedien - rosie- and a band playing i think .. Is that what Dont Just Sit there was like.. please Email me if you know!!!

FROM: Ryan [E-Mail]
DATE: Thursday June 10, 2004 -- 10:12:24 am

That sounds about right, Christi. I'm sure some of the obsessive Nickolodeon tape traders must have a copy of it somewhere.

FROM: Dave Walls [E-Mail]
DATE: Thursday June 10, 2004 -- 10:48:02 am

Unless Rosie was a guest on a show, there's no record of it. BJ Schaffer, Ali Smith, Matt Brown, Wendy Douglas, and Will Friedel. All teens.

Very possible that Rosie was a guest or doing a one time comedic stint on the show, since she was also hosting "Stand Up Spot Light" on VH1..

You are right about the band "Out of Control", and sometimes games and contests held within the audience, but I have no recollection of Rosie being on there.

Ok, I'm going back in my cave now. Call me when the "FIFTEEN" Ping comes up.

FROM: T-Spoon
DATE: Sunday June 20, 2004 -- 8:06:55 pm

I love Classic Double Dare and Legends of the Hidden Temple!

FROM: Alvaro Fuentes
DATE: Monday July 5, 2004 -- 5:22:42 pm

Folks, here's my episodes of Think Fast Brain Benders with Michael Carrington: Rebus: To be or not to be; The empire strikes back; Hey Vern, it's Ernest; Strawberry ice cream sundae; Pepperoni pizza; Michael Jackson; Bologna sandwich; Peter Pan & Captain Hook; Rocky & Bullwinkle; Leave it to beaver; Hamburger & French Fries; Peanut Butter & Jelly; Peter cotton tail; Ultimate Warrior; Sylvester & Tweety; Malcolm Jamal Warner; The early bird catches the worm. Close-Up Object: Telephone cord; Boat; Soap; Knife; Rubber glove; Drumsticks; Crayons; Glue; Pretzels; Gumball machine; Fork; Car handle; Frisbee; Cassette tape; School bus; Flip-flop. Celebrity: Martin Short; Tiffany; Rick Astley; Sting; Bette Midler; Ultimate Warrior; Debbie Gibson; Bobby Brown; Paula Abdul; Jim Varney; Whitney Houston; Holly Robinson Peete; Kirk Cameron; Tracey Gold; Whoopi Goldberg. Objects in Common: Ring; Baseball; O-sounds; Rhymes with af; Animals; Alphabets; Body; Rock groups; Football team; Spins; Initails

FROM: courtney jacobsen
DATE: Saturday August 14, 2004 -- 8:21:27 pm

you have to bring guts back! i am obssesed with it!

FROM: nick age 16
DATE: Saturday August 14, 2004 -- 8:26:18 pm

what the fuck am i supposed to do without fucking being on guts?

FROM: Vincent Bell [E-Mail]
DATE: Wednesday August 25, 2004 -- 5:46:21 pm

What year did Nickelodeon start..and where.

FROM: Greg
DATE: Monday September 13, 2004 -- 11:56:40 am

I remember Today's Special. The two shows that I watched as a kid that I couldn't conjure up the name of were "Today's Special" and "Small Wonder." But thanks to the internet, now I remember! Nostalgia for all. =)

FROM: chris
DATE: Wednesday December 15, 2004 -- 7:19:32 pm

you should keep the old shows on that are not on, like are you afraid of the dark. That was a great show! You should put that show back on i liked it a lot, and i really wish they showed that show.

FROM: chris
DATE: Tuesday December 21, 2004 -- 4:57:13 pm

you should put the new shows back on!!

FROM: chris
DATE: Tuesday December 21, 2004 -- 5:08:54 pm

you should make a new show not a cartoon a really creepy show. because we love creepy shows there really good and theres no creepy shows on any more so please make a creepy show.
If you cant think of any to make up. Do a rerun shows i have no idea why there why reruns get canceled but i like rerun so put a rerun on like are you afraid of the dark or goose bumps they are really good shows so please use my advice because if you do i will be happy. Or just put on the totally cool are you afraid of the dark or put on the totally cool goosebumps on please it would really make me happy so i'm scared and my basement is wicked freezing because my computer is in it we have tivo around sound a sub wither that makes stuff vibrate when you watch tv and i am a big tv fan i watch a lot of tv i love tv i watch all my life and video games so by bye bye i am scared. good by the history of nickelodeon have a good day good by

FROM: Drew
DATE: Monday January 17, 2005 -- 6:32:36 pm

Hey guys what do you think about this

Classic Nick channel line up

6am:Get The Picture
6:30 am: Clarissa Explains It All
7:00am:Nick Arcade
7:30 am: Hey Dude
8:00 am: Dave The Gnome
8:00am: Eurekkas Castle
8:30 am: Little Bits
9:00 am: Noozles
9:30 am:Gullah Gullah Island
10:00 am: The Elephant Show
10:30 am: The Adventures Of the Little Koala
11:00 am: Pinwheel
3:00 pm: Finders Keepers
3:30 pm Todays Special
4:00pm: Roundhouse
4:30pm: Out Of Control
5:00pm: Mr. Wizards World
5:30 pm: Salute Your Shorts
6:00pm: GUTS
6:30pm: Legends Of Hidden Temple
7:00pm:You Can't Do That On Televison
7:30pm: Are You Afraid Of The Dark
8:00pm: Make The Grade
8:30pm: Healthcliff
9:00pm: Double Dare
9:30pm:Wild and Crazy Kids
10:00pm: Inspctor Gadget
10:30pm: Lassie
11:00pm: Danger Mouse
11:30 pm: Count Duckula
12:00am: Doug
12:30am: Looney Toons on Nickelodeon
1:00am:Fifteen
1:30am: Welcome Freshmen
2:00am - 6:00am: Classic Nick Marathon

FROM: Muhanaad Dahdoul
DATE: Monday February 21, 2005 -- 1:37:52 am

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FROM: Muh@n@@d
DATE: Monday February 21, 2005 -- 1:55:23 am

hey ryad tell ur brother or u to add me on Dahdoul40@msn.com ok so wats right back dude do u still remember wen i watched that scooby doo episode wen we went renting movies then your bro took us to taco bell and u said a stupid thin the he hit u and u said why u gotta fuckin hit u f@#$ bitch aright add me if u can l8r

FROM: TonyCool
DATE: Saturday February 26, 2005 -- 9:44:03 pm

I happen to be a big fan of Think Fast myself and I saw it on Nick GAS all of the time, too bad they don't air it anymore. I felt that the gameplay was a lot smoother in the Lackey version, whereas in the Carrington version most events were won by default, which defeated the purpose of the game. However, Lackey of course never impressed me as competent, and the events were not rotated as much, which disappointed me. It became too predictable to know which events would be played, since they always followed the same order. Another bone to pick is that the prize packages bordered on chintzy (they announced the value at the start of the show, you could win over $1400 in prizes!) and I would have preferred more math events (like Math Drill and Safe Cracker) as well as those events that didn't use a lot of brainpower (it didn't fit with the show). In fact, the show may be a little un-PC by today's standards (once one of the locker room characters was the "Indian." But I definitely believe the show needs a revival, if only they had a better host. And perhaps they could include a brainbender after every event (even if it is solved after the next-to-last event they could still include another one) and perhaps they could fit in six events instead of just five (they did on a few occasions.)

The worst game of all time on Nick, however, was You're On! because they always mistreated the adults (who never seemed to get any compensation) and the prizes were a bit chintzy. The show just never held my interest as much as the other shows, and the W & CK revival was not as good as the original. Also, the main problem with Double Dare 2000 was not only did it lack Marc and Harvey, but they physical challenges were too gimmicky (just like the show itself) and they took too long to explain and they were probably not fully tested.

50 Cent? Is that you?

FROM: Charlie
DATE: Wednesday March 23, 2005 -- 6:45:45 am

I can't count how many weekend morninngs I lost as a kid watching Pinwheel. My brother and sister were toddlers at the time and loved the "Love Bugs" , Plus & Minus, and Silas the Snail. Is the show available on DVD yet? If not, we must organize, and lobby Viacom, or T-W, or whoever still owns the show to do so. My kids are 7, 5, and 18 months and would go crazy for it! Also, DnagerMouse, and YCDTOTV. Ahhh.

FROM: Raul
DATE: Friday April 8, 2005 -- 3:29:09 pm

Well I dont remember all those shows that your taljkin about.But what I remember is ARE You Afraid Of The Dark that show always creeped me out i have no idea they dont show reruns but i watched Are You Afraid Of tHE Dark I was 3,4,5,6, but wasnt that show aired in 1995 answer if you knowwow i wish it will give the scary episodes right now.