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 Nick Launches When Nickelodeon first launched on April Fools Day, 1979, our goal was to give kids a place on television just for them. We began as the kids' programming block of the Qube Network and we were available to just 600,000 subscribers in Columbus, Ohio. The first programs we aired were Video Comic Books—cartoons from around the world, "Nickel Flicks," and "Pinwheel", a show hosted by a human with a bevy of puppets. Slimed! In 1982, we acquired the Canadian TV "You Can't Do That On Television." Kids went crazy over it. They loved the cast, but their favorite element was the messy, green slime that dropped from above any time a cast member said, "I don't know." Nickelodeon quickly became the place where kids could be kids-and the messier the better!
We took mess to new heights in 1986 with the premiere of "Double Dare." This kid-centric game show incorporated trivia, obstacle courses, and a whole lot of slime. Needless to say, the show and the slime were an instant success. Channel ratings quadrupled within four days of the program's premiere and it became the highest rated series ever on cable television just one month after its debut.
In keeping with our commitment to kids, Nickelodeon launched the Kids Choice Awards in 1987. KCA was the first award program ever to dedicate itself exclusively to kids, giving them the chance to vote for their favorite stars from the worlds of music, sports, movies and television. By our tenth anniversary in 1989, Nick truly was the kids' choice for favorite TV destination. Over a decade, our initial subscriber base of 600,000 never stopped growing, and by 1989, Nickelodeon was available in 44,000,000 homes across America.
On June 7, 1990, Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida opened to the world. This combined theme park and production facility was chock full of—yep, you guessed it—slime! At the studios, we encourage families to join our game shows' studio audiences and-whenever possible-to get in on all the gooey action. Nicktoons In 1991, Nickelodeon revolutionized kids' cartoons with the production of our signature animated series: "Ren and Stimpy," "Doug," and "Rugrats." These "Nicktoons" didn't look or sound like anything kids had seen before and their popularity continues today.
The premiere issue of Nickelodeon Magazine debuted in 1993. Like the channel, the magazine is everything kids dig—sports, music, movies, puzzles, comics and more. In the years since the magazine launched, circulation has grown from 150,000 subscribers in 1993 to 1.05 million today! 1993 also saw the launch of Nick UK in the United Kingdom. Nickelodeon Australia and Nickelodeon Germany launched just two years later, and more countries were soon to follow.
In 1994, we launched Nick Jr., Nickelodeon's preschool programming block. Hosted by our beloved animated face named Face (what else?), the Nick Jr. block was created as a place preschoolers could call their own while their older siblings were in school. Our trademark motto "Play to learn" captures the Nick Jr. mission—to inspire preschoolers' understanding of the world and themselves through playful entertainment. Our continued commitment to this philosophy is seen in award-winning programs such as the phenomenally successful Blue's Clues and Dora the Explorer. Nick Online As the Internet entered the scene, Nick was one of the first kids' entertainment companies to venture into the "virtually" uncharted territory called cyberspace. We launched Nickelodeon Online and Nick.com in October 1995 and Nickjr.com in March 1998. Since then, the number of visitors to our sites have grown in leaps and bounds and our content has expanded to include original games and cartoons as well as all the information kids can handle about the Nickelodeon shows and stars they love.
In 1996, Nick took to the big screen with the release of "Harriet the Spy," based on the classic kids' novel of the same name. Harriet's sleuthing skills spelled box office success, and led the way for a slew of exciting Nick Movies to follow: "Good Burger" in 1997, "Rugrats: The Movie" in 1998, and "Snow Day" in 2000. "Rugrats" toddled on to become the most successful non-Disney animated film in history, and its sequel "Rugrats in Paris" was one of the biggest hits of the 2000 holiday season. In December 2004, Nick Movies, Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks are excited to present the feature "Lemony Snicket's a Series of Unfortunate Events," based on the best-selling books and starring Jim Carrey, Meryl Streep and Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket.
Happy Birthday!- Nickelodeon's 20th Birthday
Nickelodeon's 25th Birthday |
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