JessikA Vandivier The Paw Print
As a child of the 90’s, I enjoyed the typical shows of my generation; Ed, Edd, and Eddie, the Rugrats, and of course, Hey Arnold. Although they have disappeared, just like the shows of the generations before us, when one does play, it takes you back to the days of no work and all play.
Our views of the world have changed a bit, I hope, from when we were eight years old. Now that you are an adult, and completely grasp the concept of the plot and what a plot even is, could there be a chance these illustrations have a hidden meaning? Perhaps an invisible twist?
Recently, the world of the internet has been blown up with conspiracy theories about classic childhood TV shows including the Rugrats and SpongeBob SquarePants.
The Rugrats “Dead Baby” Theory is a shocker. Flavorwire.com reports that all of the babies in the show are dead and the only child that is real is Angelica. All of the other kids are figments of her imagination.
According to the theory, Fill and Lills’ parents had an abortion upon news of the pregnancy. Angelica did not know if the infant would have been a boy or girl, so she created the twins.
Tommy was a still born, and that is why Stew is always down in the basement making toys, they are for the son he never had. Chucky and his mother both died at the same time, and that is why Chaz is such a spaz all the time.
Now, no one has found any proof of this theory in any of the episodes, however, Angelica is the only child that is able to communicate with both the babies and the adults. Take it with a grain of salt, but it sure does make you take a second look at this classic T.V. show.
Also sparking controversy is the theory surrounding SpongeBob SquarePants. As you know, Bikini Bottom is were SpongeBob and his friends live, but it happens to be an actual spot on the map.
To the northeast of Australia, the Marshal Islands are home to Bikini Atoll. According to Blogspot.com, back in the 1940’s and 1950’s this was a spot used by the U.S military for nuclear testing. Along with a massive mushroom cloud, comes a lot of contamination of the water around it. The side effects of the nuclear blasts definitely explains why the characters of the show where a little twisted.
A second rumor floating around, no pun intended, was that each of the creatures represents one of the seven deadly sins; Squidward-wrath, Mr. Crabs-greed, Plankton-envy, Patrick-sloth, SpongeBob-lust, Gary-gluttony.
Again, this is an interesting idea because I can picture these characteristics while watching the show; Patrick was always lazy, SpongeBob would do anything for a Crabby Patty, and Mr. Crabs couldn’t make enough money. Take it as you will, but this hidden explanation fits pretty well.
What are fellow ASU students saying about these T.V. show rumors? Well in an interview with Taylor Madril, a freshman from the Valley, she states that the Rugrat theory is an interesting way to look at the show, but without proof she remains unconvinced. However, the SpongeBob theory is one that she felt “explained the weirdness” of the show.
What’s Been Said…