Nickelodeon's Doug is still a major source of nostalgia for early millennials who grew
up in the splat-TV era. The diary-style cartoon series centered on the life of a boy in small-town
Bluffington as he grappled with the typical issues of youth — from navigating an unrequited
infatuation to concealing a superhero alter ego. Doug Funnie's life was both relatable
and charming to watch. But what you may not know about the series is how it became so
beloved in the first place — and how it hit a few major speed bumps along the way.
Here's a look back at some things you might not know about Doug.
The life of Brian
It’s hard to imagine Doug as being about anyone except, well, Doug -- but creator Jim
Jinkins originally had another name in mind. In 2012, Jinkins told Splitsider that since
the character was supposed to have a very "any guy" look, he wanted to name him something
completely blasé. Jinkins explained,
"At the beginning, I was calling him 'Brian.' It was sort of just a generic name. [...] I
thought that 'Doug' had that feeling and that sound about it. It was a conscious choice
because I wanted him to be this very neutral, middle-of-the-road guy."
Doug's middle name, Yancey, also had some significance for Jinkins, as it was shared
by own his grandfather. Doug's embarrassment ov er it stemmed from a very real place, as
he had a childhood friend who also hated his own name growing up, much to Jinkins' amusement.
“Hello there, Yancey!”
“My name’s Doug."
Ad man
Jinkins' Doug doodles originally existed as a sort of "alter ego" for the artist, who
said he desperately needed an outlet from the real world, where problems are a lot more
complicated than they are for the residents of his pseudo-utopia Bluffington. Jinkins
once explained of the character's origin,
"I like to doodle, [and] Doug was just one of those guys I kept doodling over and over.”
Commercial watchers might even remember a very early version of Doug bouncing around
on a pogo stick in his signature vest for a 1989 Florida grapefruit juice commercial,
and he and his prized pooch Porkchop were later seen in a 1990 USA Network commercial.
Bluffington is real
Eventually, Jinkins collected his drawings into a book called Doug Got a New Pair of
Shoes and sent a copy to a Nickelodeon executive, which led to the network ordering an eight-minute
pilot episode called "Doug Can't Dance." Jinkins immediately went to work creating his own
production studio to make it happen.
As he began developing other characters for the series, Jinkins again drew inspiration
from his own life and the people he knew.
“He’s kind of how I remember childhood, growing up…”
Doug's love interest Patti Mayonnaise, for example, was based on Jinkins' own childhood
crush. Supporting characters Roger Klotz and Doug’s best friend, Skeeter Valentine, were
also based on people Jinkins grew up with.
No instruments needed
You probably know that mega-famous voice actor Billy West, also known for voicing the title
characters for Nickelodeon’s popular cartoon series The Ren & Stimpy Show, was cast to
portray Doug.
“...he’s a painfully shy 11 ½ year old.”
However, West wasn't the only voice actor to make a major impact on the show. Actor
Fred Newman was brought on to voice some of the zanier-sounding characters — including
Porkchop, Skeeter, and Mr. Dink.
“You can call me Mr. Dink.”
Newman even ended up creating that earworm of a theme song using the simplest of tools.
Of that catchy intro, Newman explained,
"That wasn't Doug's voice, that was actually my voice. [...] We wanted to use as much as
we could household objects, things that a kid could have, make it sound innocent.”
That’s right -- Newman relied on his unique beatboxing and "honking" skills to create
a lot of the sounds heard throughout the catchy intro.
The rainbow rebuke
The title character of Doug and his family were drawn to be very obviously Caucasian,
but many other characters in the series boasted rather unusual skin colors — from Skeeter's
teal complexion, to Roger's lime green tone, to Beebe Bluff's purplish appearance. However,
Jinkins insists he wasn't trying to make any major socio-political statements with his
colorful cast of characters.
Jinkins told HuffPost of the controversy over his main character's skin tone:
"People are certain that Skeeter is an African-American guy. I'm like, ‘Well, he's blue!' [...] If
that's how you see him, that's great. It's not a bad thing, but I never planned it. Skeeter
is blue and he's Doug's friend."
A network tangle
Following its original 52-episode run from 1991 to 1994, Nickelodeon declined an option
to renew Doug for a new season, despite Jinkins being signed for 65 episodes. The decision,
which reportedly came as a shock, was based upon some budget tightening underway at Nickelodeon.
However, Nickelodeon’s voluntary loss was Disney's gain, as it allowed the House of
Mouse to scoop up the production rights and studio for Doug and proceed with carrying
the hit show forward. The show was retooled as Brand Spanking New! Doug as part of the
ABC Saturday Morning Cartoon lineup for three additional seasons and spawned a live-action
musical, a line of toy merchandise with fast-food cross-marketing, and even a film called Doug's
First Movie.
A not so happy ending
The saga of Doug Funnie and Patti Mayonnaise never quite came to a close, leaving fans
to wonder whether the green-vested gentleman managed to win Patti’s heart for the long
haul. According to Jinkins, the answer is likely no. He told Entertainment Weekly that
he couldn't picture the two ending up together as adults because it's just not realistic,
saying,
"Most people don't end up with their first love."
Perhaps Jinkins is merely jaded, based on his own experience later in life with the
real-life person who inspired Patti. In a Nic k Animation podcast, he recounted his
reunion with the woman in question and admitted that they didn't enjoy some sudden romance,
despite his hopes that it might happen. After she reached out to invite him to dinner, Jinkins
admitted to wondering if something might spark… until she said,
"Oh, I want you to meet my husband!"
Sorry, Doug.