first off, hi, it's been a while.
Thanks for being here.
second, the rug rats are back in the spotlight again due to, well, this.
That's that's sure one way to make a statement.
Last year, I spoke about the Rug Rats spinoff All Grown Up, which focuses on the rug rats
themselves a bit older, dealing with a batch
of new growing up issues.
Please feel free to go ahead and check out that video.
I'm really proud of that one.
Now, all grown up was an example of a backdoor pilot that worked, and for those who need
a refresher or don't necessarily know what that is, a backdoor pilot is an episode of
a TV show, most
likely a successful one where it would test the audience to see if there was enough interest
in creating a spinoff of the main show, usually by adding a new character or having another
character move away.
And hey, maybe we can go and follow it.
They're going to go do now or whatever they can come up with.
That would lead to something else being made.
But all grown up wasn't the only spinoff to come from the vast success of the Rugrats.
In fact, in the later few seasons of the show, when episodes were released sporadically and
out of order, an episode titled
Preschool Daze premiered on January 21st, 2002, in which we focus specifically on Angelica
and Suzy on their first day of preschool.
While the main core Rugrats do make appearances, they are very brief to serve as the joke to
Angelica not being around as much and give this backdoor pilot it's own time to shine.
But at this time you have to look at where the Rugrats were.
Like I said, episodes were released out of order and it became unclear what season contained.
one episode sometimes, and depending on where you look, you may see different answers.
Technically, this episode was supposed to be the Season seven finale, but didn't premiere
until season eight was already underway.
That means that this episode premiered after the all grown up season eight opener two part
special.
But Preschool Daze was actually supposed to always premiere in the correct order, but
for unknown reasons was held back and all grown
up took all of the excitement in for a new Rugrats show.
Clearly, all grown up became a reality, premiering as its own show running for five seasons.
But one of the plans for preschool days, according to press releases from Nickelodeon, Preschool
Days was going to be the first spinoff of the Rugrats, and there were certainly a team
working on and writing what that show would be.
But thanks to the focus on all grown up, preschool days became a last priority and was only relegated
to four special episodes that would release partly on both of the Rugrats Tales from the
Crypt special DVDs.
Whether it was a lack of faith in the project, the network not picking it up, or the studio
only wanting to focus on all grown up, the show never really got its day in the spotlight.
The backdoor pilot episode of Preschool Daze isn't so bad, it keeps the same humor you
know and love from the Rugrats itself
just now, focusing on the first day of preschool for Angelica and Suzy.
And while we've seen many episodes of these two having their rivalry butt heads, this
episode truly feels like there is a purpose for it, them being both in a new environment,
both wanting to be the best student in class, and both learning how to problem
solve through working together, all the while retaining the core elements that make their
characters them.
And we also get introduced to herald a kind hearted kid who will do anything for Angelica,
something that was cool to see transfer from the Rugrats to preschool days and then on
to all grown up where it played the biggest role.
So at least the continuity here is structured well, unlike the release order of the Rugrats
episodes, but I digress.
This one standalone episode was fun, and I think it works as just that, because within
the four episodes that came to be of this spinoff showcased the larger complications
that come with focusing on only a couple of the
Rugrats.
You notice something there.
Yeah, right off the bat, you can see that this doesn't look like the rug rats, well,
it kind of does, but it kind of does.
And if that makes sense, I think the biggest thing being the smoothed out, less imperfect
edges of the characters and the world around them, as well as it
feels a little bit more nicked junior ish.
It's hard to describe.
Look, it just doesn't feel like the rug rats are all grown up with the animation that it
has.
I feel as even though the new 3D look has somewhat of the original rug rat DNA within
it more than this shell.
Now, while it is jarring, it's not horrible and by no means a put off.
If the show itself is entertaining enough, it carries over the same characters from Preschool
Day's main series episode and changes up there looks just a little bit.
Even Anjelica and Susie are made to look a bit different, most likely to convey the passing
of time.
And I'm growing up just a little bit, and these stories were solely told within the
walls of the community center where the preschool is located, and this felt very similar to
early rug rats taking place within only a room
or two within the house.
And I think this was a really smart way to take the series, in my opinion.
But unlike the rug rats, the supporting cast of preschoolers don't serve as great or enthralling
substitutes.
Yes, I know all this stuff sounds silly, saying cartoon preschoolers aren't entertaining for
my sophisticated adult brain, but this new cast
of characters minus Harold don't add enough to the overall show with a lot of the characters
acting in ways that felt more childish than even the babies in the Rugrats, which again
sounds absolutely absurd to say.
But it deals with more simple writing.
I feel that doesn't mean it's truly bad or anything just less captivating, and it loses
that wonder like aspect of the main series.
And that's where I think the real reason starts to show itself without having Tommy, Chuckie,
Phil, Lil, etc. and not having these imaginative adventures to convey their stories.
You're just left with Anjelica and Susie both being older than the rest and already having
to worry about real world things like preschool.
For one, they weren't running around a house trying to solve a mystery about spike or something
anymore.
Instead, they were gaining knowledge or having nap time.
It felt like there was less of a purpose for what they wrote these characters to do.
Now we know there is a frenemy like aspect to Angelica and Susie.
They have their ballots, but they were always friends by the end of the day, Angelica.
We've known to be overly impatient and bossy, and Susie to be a hard worker who was compassionate
towards others.
And none of that really got too much during the main series of the rug rats, as the majority
of the episodes focus on all of the characters and not just those two.
And it would also be used sparingly and at the right moments when needed, rather than
all the time.
And unfortunately, the Flanders ization of these characters, the overexaggeration of
their character traits until it's the only main characteristic ends up being what hurts
the show the most.
Again, when it comes to the actions they do within these four episodes, it feels less
like there's a purpose following these characters at this point in their life, when if we just
wait and see them in around ten years, the substance and importance of following their
stories again makes more sense.
When Angelica gets angry or bossy, it feels less because the story warranted it and more
like, Oh, she's just angry because and Susie acts less like her own person and more of
the looking for the good in people, and it becoming her sole personality trait.
Juxtaposed this show with what all grown up was a show with all of the characters once
again aging them up to give them newer perspectives on life and doing the whole school thing anyway.
But with more thoroughly written characters as they all get their moments to be fleshed
out.
Well, I mean, we did get the origin story of Harold having a crush on Angelica and his
rise to Tier three sub power like he gives me all conference you stupid.
Anyway, it's easy to see why one show had more than four episodes and to see why one
show was swiftly abandoned.
And to be clear, this isn't to say that preschool days was bad.
It isn't.
It's far from awful, but it's clear when taking two characters and separating them from their
surroundings that help build them up and have no strong purpose for them on their own.
Then what are we doing here?
The guy guy and putting it all together, looking at it for what it is?
Stories that ultimately feel forgettable and have no purpose mixed with a new look for
the rug rats entirely kind of give it credence to the name Preschool Daze because it feels
like a fever dream that didn't really
happen.
It's fun.
Can I do it again now?
Thank you so much for watching.
I haven't made content for a while, so this was a fun one to make, and I hope you enjoyed
it.
If you did hit that like button for me, I really appreciate it.
I will cover the new Rugrats reboot revival.
Read whatever it is when it drops.
If you'd like to see that, let me know in the comments below.
Until next time.
Later.