...Come to think of it, he’s kinda like the Cameron to Tommy’s Ferris Bueller, but with WAY more phobias.
But for those moments where he overcomes adversity by finding the courage deep within himself, the payoff is huge. His friends aren’t the only ones celebrating his victories; those of us along for the ride do as well.
At the same time, he’s the most relatable. He’s a catchall for all of the people who’re insecure because something about them is considered “different.”
He has red hair and freckles. He wears glasses. And it’s revealed in a later season that he’s left handed. All of which helped make him Angelica’s favorite bullying target.
The Inside Story
Chuckie accidentally swallows a watermelon seed after Grandpa jokes not to because it'll sprout and grow into a watermelon in your stomach.
So the rest of the babies shrink themselves (with a “lazy beam”) and go inside him to retrieve it. Angelica proceeds to hijack this whole plan and actually pumps up the seedling watermelon until it blows up...
But it turns out the whole thing was a dream and Chuckie burps up the seed in his sleep.
But for those moments where he overcomes adversity by finding the courage deep within himself, the payoff is huge. His friends aren’t the only ones celebrating his victories; those of us along for the ride do as well.
At the same time, he’s the most relatable. He’s a catchall for all of the people who’re insecure because something about them is considered “different.”
He has red hair and freckles. He wears glasses. And it’s revealed in a later season that he’s left handed. All of which helped make him Angelica’s favorite bullying target.
The Inside Story
Chuckie accidentally swallows a watermelon seed after Grandpa jokes not to because it'll sprout and grow into a watermelon in your stomach.
So the rest of the babies shrink themselves (with a “lazy beam”) and go inside him to retrieve it. Angelica proceeds to hijack this whole plan and actually pumps up the seedling watermelon until it blows up...
But it turns out the whole thing was a dream and Chuckie burps up the seed in his sleep.
This episode is pretty much a parody of the movie “Fantastic Voyage” where scientists shrink down to destroy a virus inside someone’s body.
I actually had the chance to see this the other week but passed because I didn’t recognize anyone in the cast... maybe one day I will.
The Alien
One of the worst cases of bullying that stuck in my brain- when this episode returned to my subconscious, it made me really mad...
Chuckie gets a new playhouse from his dad and he and the other babies are excited to play with it. But after Angelica discovers she can’t fit into it, she comes up with a horrible lie that not only makes Chuckie feel different, but scares the others into not playing with his toy alongside him.
She says he’s an alien and the playhouse is their spaceship that'll take them to outer space. And she comes up with a list of anomalies about Chuckie to support her theories. The most convincing thing- his belly button. Everyone else has a normal belly button, but Chuckie has an outie. (“No, it’s just like a normal belly button, only bigger!”)
All of this because it was a toy she couldn’t play with... I’m sorry but what the hell! That’s really mean.
In the end, though, she does get caught in her lie. She said that aliens melt when they get hit by water. Chuckie gets sprayed with a hose and nothing happens. So the others basically leave her behind and Chuckie gets his friends back.
Chuckie’s Wonderful Life
Basically, if Chuckie didn’t exist, Angelica’s depravity would literally know no bounds... kind of a scary thought.
Chas has a Latvian folk dance CD that he absolutely loves... but one day when Chuckie shows it to his friends (cuz it’s super shiny), it goes missing. After blaming his friends and saying never to speak to him again, Chuckle feels horrible. Thanks a comment from Angelica, as usual, he feels so bad he contemplates running away.
His guardian angel stops him and shows him some scary visions of what things would be like if he didn’t exist.
This was my first time experiencing the plot device of “It’s a Wonderful Life”... it wasn’t until several years later when I finally saw where this plot line came from.
But there’s one thing about that movie that bugs me... ok, there’s a few things, but in the interest of time, I’ll focus on the one relevant complaint.
In every parody I’d seen of this story, the protagonist is invisible and is forced to witness the ensuing events while being powerless to do anything about it. They literally do not exist.
It’s a Wonderful Life... George Bailey can interact with everyone, but they don’t recognize him. Meanwhile, he doesn’t grasp the concept of “YOU DO NOT EXIST!!” and asks everyone he meets what’s wrong with them.
Again, what the hell!
I actually had the chance to see this the other week but passed because I didn’t recognize anyone in the cast... maybe one day I will.
The Alien
One of the worst cases of bullying that stuck in my brain- when this episode returned to my subconscious, it made me really mad...
Chuckie gets a new playhouse from his dad and he and the other babies are excited to play with it. But after Angelica discovers she can’t fit into it, she comes up with a horrible lie that not only makes Chuckie feel different, but scares the others into not playing with his toy alongside him.
She says he’s an alien and the playhouse is their spaceship that'll take them to outer space. And she comes up with a list of anomalies about Chuckie to support her theories. The most convincing thing- his belly button. Everyone else has a normal belly button, but Chuckie has an outie. (“No, it’s just like a normal belly button, only bigger!”)
All of this because it was a toy she couldn’t play with... I’m sorry but what the hell! That’s really mean.
In the end, though, she does get caught in her lie. She said that aliens melt when they get hit by water. Chuckie gets sprayed with a hose and nothing happens. So the others basically leave her behind and Chuckie gets his friends back.
Chuckie’s Wonderful Life
Basically, if Chuckie didn’t exist, Angelica’s depravity would literally know no bounds... kind of a scary thought.
Chas has a Latvian folk dance CD that he absolutely loves... but one day when Chuckie shows it to his friends (cuz it’s super shiny), it goes missing. After blaming his friends and saying never to speak to him again, Chuckle feels horrible. Thanks a comment from Angelica, as usual, he feels so bad he contemplates running away.
His guardian angel stops him and shows him some scary visions of what things would be like if he didn’t exist.
This was my first time experiencing the plot device of “It’s a Wonderful Life”... it wasn’t until several years later when I finally saw where this plot line came from.
But there’s one thing about that movie that bugs me... ok, there’s a few things, but in the interest of time, I’ll focus on the one relevant complaint.
In every parody I’d seen of this story, the protagonist is invisible and is forced to witness the ensuing events while being powerless to do anything about it. They literally do not exist.
It’s a Wonderful Life... George Bailey can interact with everyone, but they don’t recognize him. Meanwhile, he doesn’t grasp the concept of “YOU DO NOT EXIST!!” and asks everyone he meets what’s wrong with them.
Again, what the hell!
I don’t understand why they didn't just make George Bailey invisible and really emphasize his non-existence... also, for a really smart guy, his inability to grasp the obvious is outstanding.
So anyway... Chuckie finds out that his dad can’t be bothered to keep his house clean. He might also be a hoarder, come to think of it. And he talks to a sock puppet on his hand that he affectionately named- wait for it- Sockie.
But the worst part- Angelica apparently threw the world’s biggest tantrum because all of the adults had been reduced to being her personal slaves. She sits on a throne and has eaten so much junk food that she’s massively fat. Meanwhile, Tommy is starving because his parents are too busy appeasing Angelica.
I think Phil and Lil also became brats that constantly fight and their parents are hopeless to make them stop. But the image of Tommy and Chuckie not realizing him being there gave him the courage to stand up for himself... depressing or disturbing, it’s just painful to watch.
Thankfully it was a dream...
It's a cute moment when the other babies donate all of their “shiny things” to Chuckie to make him feel better. (Another reference to the movie)
And, wouldn’t you know it, Angelica was the one who took it in the first place. Drew drags her back to the Finster house, explains what happened, and forces her to apologize. Also no dessert for her for a whole week...
So anyway... Chuckie finds out that his dad can’t be bothered to keep his house clean. He might also be a hoarder, come to think of it. And he talks to a sock puppet on his hand that he affectionately named- wait for it- Sockie.
But the worst part- Angelica apparently threw the world’s biggest tantrum because all of the adults had been reduced to being her personal slaves. She sits on a throne and has eaten so much junk food that she’s massively fat. Meanwhile, Tommy is starving because his parents are too busy appeasing Angelica.
I think Phil and Lil also became brats that constantly fight and their parents are hopeless to make them stop. But the image of Tommy and Chuckie not realizing him being there gave him the courage to stand up for himself... depressing or disturbing, it’s just painful to watch.
Thankfully it was a dream...
It's a cute moment when the other babies donate all of their “shiny things” to Chuckie to make him feel better. (Another reference to the movie)
And, wouldn’t you know it, Angelica was the one who took it in the first place. Drew drags her back to the Finster house, explains what happened, and forces her to apologize. Also no dessert for her for a whole week...
Also- Latvian folk dance? That's oddly specific. I didn't know what/where Latvia was until I was much older.
Chuckie Is Rich
This was a strange one for a different reason.
Apparently, Chas won a Publishers Cleaning House type of giveaway and Pat Sajak was actually at his doorstep with a giant check.
So he and Chuckie get to move to a bigger house and Chuckie gets to own all of the toys from the toy palace. Chas has a plague outside his house that calls him “C. Norbert Finster, Esquire”
The Pickles stumble over the middle name. Didi didn’t think he had one and Stu suggests maybe he bought one... I don’t think that’s a thing. If so, let me know.
Also, I don’t think you can become an esquire unless you’re a lawyer or come from a rich family. (After Googling it, you can be an esquire if you're knighted or you're a lawyer... clearly, this is a goof)
He does get a butler and his giant glass elephant is his new prized possession.
The other babies don't really know how to react to Chuckie's new fortune. Angelica, meanwhile, takes full advantage and acts like Chuckie is her new best friend.
“Like daughter, like father” could be an alternate title for this episode. I’ll have to look this up but apparently Drew offers to invest Chas’s fortune in a startup company... and the company goes bankrupt and all of the money had been invested in it.
Chas naturally has a full-on meltdown. The image of him pinching himself so hard his chest is full of lumps— it’s not Ren & Stimpy level gross, but I found that image so disturbing it’s seared into my memory.
Sure, Drew is all apologetic and investing money is a good idea when done properly... but I really wish Chas had the guts to punch him out or throttle him. He took advantage of him and screwed everything up.
Not that they could’ve done much more with the Finsters being rich, but I’m still mad that it ended like this.
Especially since you don’t understand what’s going on when you’re a kid and this is a kids’ show technically. That’s why it’s frustrating for me.
Chas is especially upset about the idea of losing his glass elephant and thinks calling Pat Sajak will fix everything... uh, I hate to tell you, but he’s just a talking head. He couldn’t do anything if he wanted to.
At least Chas had enough money left to fix the leaking roof in the old house... sadly, the glass elephant barely survived the transition, thanks to a random clumsy moment from Stu. And of course Angelica is no longer interested in hanging out with Chuckie and even breaks the news to him about how all of his toys will be taken back. But he takes everything much better than his dad did.
The Smell of Success
A later episode but one that really stood out to me because of what it references.
I think I read the story “Flowers for Algernon” in 8th grade. It’s about an experiment that’s tested on a mouse and later on a human being. The protagonist is not very intelligent and this experiment makes him smarter. Sadly, its effects are only temporary. Poor Algernon dies and the hero regresses back to his previous level of intelligence.
For Chuckie, he undergoes an experimental treatment for his perpetually stuffy nose and terrible allergies. The previous test subject was a mouse named Cheddar who was apparently allergic to cheese.
It makes a huge difference, granted a temporary one, for Chuckie. Not only can he speak normally (he is able to say “Tommy” instead of “Tobby” as he used to), but he gets to smell and enjoy things all over the park where they’re playing.
Sadly, Cheddar regains his allergies a short time later and the lab feels so bad that they give him to Chuckie as a present.
Chuckie’s allergies come back too, but he winds up making such a huge sneeze that it dispatches a kid that was bullying him and about to run off with Cheddar. So it all works out in the end.
***
I can’t do this post without including the Mother’s Day episode.
Sure, it’s super sad and heartbreaking but it had a lot of powerful messages. Things that really weren’t talked about or addressed- especially in cartoons.
Chuckie Is Rich
This was a strange one for a different reason.
Apparently, Chas won a Publishers Cleaning House type of giveaway and Pat Sajak was actually at his doorstep with a giant check.
So he and Chuckie get to move to a bigger house and Chuckie gets to own all of the toys from the toy palace. Chas has a plague outside his house that calls him “C. Norbert Finster, Esquire”
The Pickles stumble over the middle name. Didi didn’t think he had one and Stu suggests maybe he bought one... I don’t think that’s a thing. If so, let me know.
Also, I don’t think you can become an esquire unless you’re a lawyer or come from a rich family. (After Googling it, you can be an esquire if you're knighted or you're a lawyer... clearly, this is a goof)
He does get a butler and his giant glass elephant is his new prized possession.
The other babies don't really know how to react to Chuckie's new fortune. Angelica, meanwhile, takes full advantage and acts like Chuckie is her new best friend.
“Like daughter, like father” could be an alternate title for this episode. I’ll have to look this up but apparently Drew offers to invest Chas’s fortune in a startup company... and the company goes bankrupt and all of the money had been invested in it.
Chas naturally has a full-on meltdown. The image of him pinching himself so hard his chest is full of lumps— it’s not Ren & Stimpy level gross, but I found that image so disturbing it’s seared into my memory.
Sure, Drew is all apologetic and investing money is a good idea when done properly... but I really wish Chas had the guts to punch him out or throttle him. He took advantage of him and screwed everything up.
Not that they could’ve done much more with the Finsters being rich, but I’m still mad that it ended like this.
Especially since you don’t understand what’s going on when you’re a kid and this is a kids’ show technically. That’s why it’s frustrating for me.
Chas is especially upset about the idea of losing his glass elephant and thinks calling Pat Sajak will fix everything... uh, I hate to tell you, but he’s just a talking head. He couldn’t do anything if he wanted to.
At least Chas had enough money left to fix the leaking roof in the old house... sadly, the glass elephant barely survived the transition, thanks to a random clumsy moment from Stu. And of course Angelica is no longer interested in hanging out with Chuckie and even breaks the news to him about how all of his toys will be taken back. But he takes everything much better than his dad did.
The Smell of Success
A later episode but one that really stood out to me because of what it references.
I think I read the story “Flowers for Algernon” in 8th grade. It’s about an experiment that’s tested on a mouse and later on a human being. The protagonist is not very intelligent and this experiment makes him smarter. Sadly, its effects are only temporary. Poor Algernon dies and the hero regresses back to his previous level of intelligence.
For Chuckie, he undergoes an experimental treatment for his perpetually stuffy nose and terrible allergies. The previous test subject was a mouse named Cheddar who was apparently allergic to cheese.
It makes a huge difference, granted a temporary one, for Chuckie. Not only can he speak normally (he is able to say “Tommy” instead of “Tobby” as he used to), but he gets to smell and enjoy things all over the park where they’re playing.
Sadly, Cheddar regains his allergies a short time later and the lab feels so bad that they give him to Chuckie as a present.
Chuckie’s allergies come back too, but he winds up making such a huge sneeze that it dispatches a kid that was bullying him and about to run off with Cheddar. So it all works out in the end.
***
I can’t do this post without including the Mother’s Day episode.
Sure, it’s super sad and heartbreaking but it had a lot of powerful messages. Things that really weren’t talked about or addressed- especially in cartoons.
The babies all learn about what this day means and they recollect some of their earliest memories. Phil and Lil recollected a memory where they were being fed "the old way" and their first mother's day gift was their first laugh... one of the reasons why this episode received a lot of accalim.
And Tommy remembers meeting his mom from inside an NiCu incubation.
Chuckie, meanwhile, feels left out because he doesn't have a mom. At one point, Angelica offers to adopt him, changing his name to Blaine. (I thought that was a stupid sounding name at the time... until I came across a few other notable fictional characters with the same name: Blaine the Cinnabar Gym leader from Pokémon and Blaine Anderson from "Glee"). But after he fails to make her a sufficent Mother's Day gift, she changes her mind about the whole idea.
He comes to the realization that his dad is kind of like his mom. He also comes across a shoebox of memories that Chas had tried to hide from him. When he gives it to him as a gift, they have a very hard talk.
Chas tells Chuckie about how great his mom was and how she got sick and that's why she's not here anymore. He takes it in stride, though, because he shows the other babies how his mom is in the grass and the clouds and so on.
It's nice that the showrunners decided to give him a new mom through the second Rugrats movie... Kira is really nice and he needed someone like her in his life. Unfortunately, that was around the time the show stopped having that same charm. Kimi's (a sister he gained through his dad marrying Kira) personality just reminded me too much of Tommy, so she didn't stand on her own. Not to mention... between her and Dil, they just introduced too many characters to keep track of.
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