Reptar on Ice
Encyclopedia
"Reptar on Ice" is the tenth episode of the second season of the animated
television series Rugrats
. It is the first segment of the twenty-third episode for the entire series. The episode was written by Peter Gaffney
and directed by Howard E. Baker. It was originally broadcast on November 8, 1992
. "Reptar on Ice" followed the infant
main characters, Tommy
, Chuckie
, Phil, and Lil
going to an ice show
with their parents that follows the love story of the babies' favorite cartoon character, Reptar
. There, the babies attempt to return a lizard
to the actor, assuming it is his child.
"Reptar on Ice" continued Rugrats employment of the character Reptar, a satirical
parody of Godzilla
. The episode included several other cultural references; the basic theme lampoons the commercialization of children's media products and its plethora of merchandise tie-ins. The ice show the children see is referent to real-life ice shows, such as "Disney on Ice
," and its plot centers around a Beauty and the Beast
-style love story.
The episode was released on the DVD
and VHS
compilation "Decade in Diapers," which included the "favorite episodes" of Rugrats in their respected category as voted on by fans on Nick.com
, and was celebratory of the show's tenth anniversary. "Reptar on Ice" in particular was categorized as the "Favorite Reptar-Rageous Episode." Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD described it as one of his favorite episodes from the compilation, tied with "Vacation Special." It was adapted into an audio story, which was featured prominently on the CD and cassette tape "In Search Of The Mighty Reptar".
is disgruntled at a comment Angelica
makes at breakfast
about the dinosaurs being extinct and expresses his concern to the other babies of the possibility of Reptar being extinct too. After an accidental suggestion by Chuckie that he's "hiding," the babies look for him in the backyard and discover a lizard
which looks exactly like him and come to assumption that it is Reptar's child. To keep him a secret from the grown ups, Tommy hides the lizard inside his diaper while the babies ponder what to do with Reptar's Baby. A commercial for "Reptar on Ice" suddenly plays, to the shock of the babies and Stu decides to take them all. The babies are now thrilled because they can now "return" the lizard to its "father."
As they arrive at the ice show
, Leo, the actor
portraying "Reptar," shows his outrage at the theme of the show to the manager, Harry, and how he questions why he chose to play the part due to his dislike of children, lizards, and his inability to ice skate
. The performance begins and as it continues, the adults fall asleep; the babies then take this time to give the lizard to "Reptar." They go onto the ice and ride on the props to catch up to him. They get caught in the midst of a scene and inadvertently interrupt the performance; Leo tries to continue performing, but freaks out and runs off when Tommy shows him the lizard. Stu gets on the ice and picks up the babies, to the audience's applause
.
Reptar on Ice is mentioned in The All Grown up
episode, The Curse of Reptar. The episode also references Rugrats in Paris, and portrays the rugrats as babies again.
and directed by Howard E. Baker. It was the tenth episode of season two of Rugrats, which was created by Arlene Klasky
and Gabor Csupo
, along with Paul Germain
, founders of the self-titled company Klasky-Csupo. "Reptar on Ice" was originally broadcast on November 8, 1992 on Nickelodeon
. John Schuck
guest starred as Reptar. In the episode, Reptar is played by a man named Leo, who was used during season one's "Reptar's Revenge" dressed as Reptar for a state fair. "Reptar's Revenge" was as well written by Gaffney.
parody of the fictional Japan
ese monster
, Godzilla
. Despite being a green dinosaur, he still embodies the character, and though he is portrayed comically, his name is referent to the way a child would pronounce "Velociraptor
," made famous for its appearance in Jurassic Park
. Reptar is used to demonstrate and subsequently lampoon the ever growing domination of Japanese culture into children's society.
"Reptar on Ice" continues this satirical tradition, heavily displaying the over commercialization where media is dragged on into several merchandising tie-ins. Angelica is insistent on only eating Reptar brand cereal, which Stu states has "no actual food in it." The ice show the babies attend mocks several different real life ice shows, including "Disney on Ice
" and "Barney
on Ice." Another referential style in the episode is the subsequent jest of Beauty and the Beast
in the romantic plot of the entire "Reptar on Ice" performance.
and DVD
compilation for the show's tenth anniversary entitled Decade in Diapers. It included ten episodes that were voted by fans on Nick.com
as their favorites in specific categories - "Reptar on Ice" was listed as the favorite "Reptar-Rageous Episode." The Decades in Diapers video had originally been released as a VHS in 2001, and though Paramount Studios intended to concurrently put it as a DVD as well, they "opted to wait a year". The episode was most recently re-released to DVD in June 2009 as a part of the Rugrats Season 2 DVD set.
Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD named the episode one of his favorites on the compilation, tying with the episode "Vacation Special," which followed the families going to Las Vegas
to relax. "Reptar on Ice" was adapted onto a CD entitled In Search of the Mighty Reptar. It features a story-time set of two "adventures" the babies have; the second story features another Reptar story, entitled "Journey to the Center of the Basement," where they venture to their basement
in order to "rescue" their "Reptar, Jr." toy. The CD was as well made for cassette tapes, both being released on July 20, 1999. In Search of the Mighty Reptar was apart of Nickelodeon's "Rugrats Go Reptar!" event that published several different other merchandise types for Rugrats, including direct-to-video
releases and magazines.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
television series Rugrats
Rugrats
Rugrats is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on August 11, 1991, and aired its last episode on June 8, 2004....
. It is the first segment of the twenty-third episode for the entire series. The episode was written by Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney is an American writer and editor. He is best known for his writing work on The Simpsons and Rugrats. He spent five years as a writer and creative consultant for MTV...
and directed by Howard E. Baker. It was originally broadcast on November 8, 1992
1992 in television
The year 1992 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1992.-Events:-Debuts:-1950s:*Hallmark Hall of Fame .*Guiding Light .*The Today Show ....
. "Reptar on Ice" followed the infant
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
main characters, Tommy
Tommy Pickles
Thomas Malcolm "Tommy" Pickles is the main protagonist of the Nickelodeon animated television series' Rugrats and its spin-off All Grown Up!. He is clad in only a T-shirt and a diaper and is bald with big, blank eyes. He translates everything adult into baby gibberish...
, Chuckie
Chuckie Finster
Charles "Chuckie" Crandall Finster is a fictional character from the Nickelodeon animated television series' Rugrats and All Grown Up!. He is Tommy Pickles' best friend and tritagonist . The character is voiced by Christine Cavanaugh...
, Phil, and Lil
Phil and Lil DeVille
Phillip Richard Bill "Phil" and Lillian Marie Jill "Lil" DeVille, or simply Phil and Lil, are the twins from the Nickelodeon shows Rugrats and All Grown Up!, and are among the series' original characters....
going to an ice show
Ice show
An ice show refers to an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work or to present a story. The term ice show...
with their parents that follows the love story of the babies' favorite cartoon character, Reptar
Reptar
Reptar is a fictional character from the American animated television series Rugrats. Reptar is a green dinosaur with rounded, blue spike-like appendages on his back, which intentionally causes him to resemble and spoof Godzilla.-The Rugrats films:Reptar appeared in the first Rugrats film as a...
. There, the babies attempt to return a lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
to the actor, assuming it is his child.
"Reptar on Ice" continued Rugrats employment of the character Reptar, a satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
parody of Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. The episode included several other cultural references; the basic theme lampoons the commercialization of children's media products and its plethora of merchandise tie-ins. The ice show the children see is referent to real-life ice shows, such as "Disney on Ice
Disney on Ice
Disney On Ice is a touring ice show produced by Feld Entertainment under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows feature figure skaters dressed as Disney cartoon characters in performances that each derive their music and plot from elements collected from...
," and its plot centers around a Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
-style love story.
The episode was released on the DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
and VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
compilation "Decade in Diapers," which included the "favorite episodes" of Rugrats in their respected category as voted on by fans on Nick.com
Nick.com
Nick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon, launched in October 1995. The website serves mainly as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offers online games, message boards, and individual websites for each show it has broadcast....
, and was celebratory of the show's tenth anniversary. "Reptar on Ice" in particular was categorized as the "Favorite Reptar-Rageous Episode." Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD described it as one of his favorite episodes from the compilation, tied with "Vacation Special." It was adapted into an audio story, which was featured prominently on the CD and cassette tape "In Search Of The Mighty Reptar".
Plot
TommyTommy Pickles
Thomas Malcolm "Tommy" Pickles is the main protagonist of the Nickelodeon animated television series' Rugrats and its spin-off All Grown Up!. He is clad in only a T-shirt and a diaper and is bald with big, blank eyes. He translates everything adult into baby gibberish...
is disgruntled at a comment Angelica
Angelica Pickles
Angelica Charlotte Pickles is a character voiced by Cheryl Chase in the Nickelodeon shows Rugrats and All Grown Up! and is among the series' original characters. She is a spoiled brat and the cousin of Tommy and Dil Pickles, serves as the main antagonist or the tritagonist of the series...
makes at breakfast
Breakfast
Breakfast is the first meal taken after rising from a night's sleep, most often eaten in the early morning before undertaking the day's work...
about the dinosaurs being extinct and expresses his concern to the other babies of the possibility of Reptar being extinct too. After an accidental suggestion by Chuckie that he's "hiding," the babies look for him in the backyard and discover a lizard
Lizard
Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with nearly 3800 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica as well as most oceanic island chains...
which looks exactly like him and come to assumption that it is Reptar's child. To keep him a secret from the grown ups, Tommy hides the lizard inside his diaper while the babies ponder what to do with Reptar's Baby. A commercial for "Reptar on Ice" suddenly plays, to the shock of the babies and Stu decides to take them all. The babies are now thrilled because they can now "return" the lizard to its "father."
As they arrive at the ice show
Ice show
An ice show refers to an entertainment production which is primarily performed by ice skaters. Such shows may primarily be skating exhibitions, or may be musical and/or dramatic in nature, using skating as a medium in order to accompany a musical work or to present a story. The term ice show...
, Leo, the actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
portraying "Reptar," shows his outrage at the theme of the show to the manager, Harry, and how he questions why he chose to play the part due to his dislike of children, lizards, and his inability to ice skate
Ice skating
Ice skating is moving on ice by using ice skates. It can be done for a variety of reasons, including leisure, traveling, and various sports. Ice skating occurs both on specially prepared indoor and outdoor tracks, as well as on naturally occurring bodies of frozen water, such as lakes and...
. The performance begins and as it continues, the adults fall asleep; the babies then take this time to give the lizard to "Reptar." They go onto the ice and ride on the props to catch up to him. They get caught in the midst of a scene and inadvertently interrupt the performance; Leo tries to continue performing, but freaks out and runs off when Tommy shows him the lizard. Stu gets on the ice and picks up the babies, to the audience's applause
Applause
Applause is primarily the expression of approval by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences are usually expected to applaud after a performance, such as a musical concert, speech, or play...
.
Reptar on Ice is mentioned in The All Grown up
All Grown Up!
All Grown Up! is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky and Gábor Csupó. After the success of All Growed Up, the Rugrats 10th anniversary special, Nickelodeon commissioned All Grown Up! as a spin-off series based on the episode.The series ran from April 12, 2003 to August...
episode, The Curse of Reptar. The episode also references Rugrats in Paris, and portrays the rugrats as babies again.
Production
"Reptar on Ice" was written by Peter GaffneyPeter Gaffney
Peter Gaffney is an American writer and editor. He is best known for his writing work on The Simpsons and Rugrats. He spent five years as a writer and creative consultant for MTV...
and directed by Howard E. Baker. It was the tenth episode of season two of Rugrats, which was created by Arlene Klasky
Arlene Klasky
Arlene Klasky is an animator, graphic designer, television producer and co-founder of Klasky-Csupo with Gábor Csupó. Arlene Klasky is one of the television industry’s leading advocates for quality animated programming that entertains children. In 1999, she was named one of the “Top 25 Women in...
and Gabor Csupo
Gábor Csupó
Gábor Csupó is a Hungarian-born animator, writer, film director and music producer. He is co-founder of the animation studio Klasky Csupo, which has produced shows like Rugrats, Duckman, and Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.-Career:...
, along with Paul Germain
Paul Germain
Paul Germain is an American animation screenwriter and producer. Among the shows Germain has written and/or produced for are Rugrats, All Grown Up!, The Simpsons, Recess, Even Stevens, Lloyd in Space, The Tracey Ullman Show, and Beethoven: The Animated Series...
, founders of the self-titled company Klasky-Csupo. "Reptar on Ice" was originally broadcast on November 8, 1992 on Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
. John Schuck
John Schuck
Conrad John Schuck Jr. is an American actor, primarily in stage, movies and television. He is best-known for his roles as police commissioner Rock Hudson's mildly slow-witted assistant, Sgt. Charles Enright in the 1970s crime drama McMillan & Wife, and as Lee Meriwether's husband, Herman Munster...
guest starred as Reptar. In the episode, Reptar is played by a man named Leo, who was used during season one's "Reptar's Revenge" dressed as Reptar for a state fair. "Reptar's Revenge" was as well written by Gaffney.
Themes
Reptar had been used since season one, episode three, "At the Movies," as a satiricalSatire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
parody of the fictional Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese monster
Monster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
, Godzilla
Godzilla
is a daikaijū, a Japanese movie monster, first appearing in Ishirō Honda's 1954 film Godzilla. Since then, Godzilla has gone on to become a worldwide pop culture icon starring in 28 films produced by Toho Co., Ltd. The monster has appeared in numerous other media incarnations including video games,...
. Despite being a green dinosaur, he still embodies the character, and though he is portrayed comically, his name is referent to the way a child would pronounce "Velociraptor
Velociraptor
Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
," made famous for its appearance in Jurassic Park
Jurassic Park (film)
Jurassic Park is a 1993 American science fiction adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. It stars Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Martin Ferrero, and Bob Peck...
. Reptar is used to demonstrate and subsequently lampoon the ever growing domination of Japanese culture into children's society.
"Reptar on Ice" continues this satirical tradition, heavily displaying the over commercialization where media is dragged on into several merchandising tie-ins. Angelica is insistent on only eating Reptar brand cereal, which Stu states has "no actual food in it." The ice show the babies attend mocks several different real life ice shows, including "Disney on Ice
Disney on Ice
Disney On Ice is a touring ice show produced by Feld Entertainment under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows feature figure skaters dressed as Disney cartoon characters in performances that each derive their music and plot from elements collected from...
" and "Barney
Barney & Friends
Barney and Friends, also referred to by HiT Entertainment as Barney the Friendly Dinosaur, is an independent children's television show produced in the United States, aimed at children from ages 1-8...
on Ice." Another referential style in the episode is the subsequent jest of Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...
in the romantic plot of the entire "Reptar on Ice" performance.
Reception and home media releases
"Reptar on Ice" was originally broadcast on November 8, 1992. The 1997 VHS tape "Return of Reptar" was the first home video release with this episode. Four years later in 2001, the episode is featured on a VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
compilation for the show's tenth anniversary entitled Decade in Diapers. It included ten episodes that were voted by fans on Nick.com
Nick.com
Nick.com is a website owned and developed by Nickelodeon, launched in October 1995. The website serves mainly as an online portal for Nickelodeon content, and offers online games, message boards, and individual websites for each show it has broadcast....
as their favorites in specific categories - "Reptar on Ice" was listed as the favorite "Reptar-Rageous Episode." The Decades in Diapers video had originally been released as a VHS in 2001, and though Paramount Studios intended to concurrently put it as a DVD as well, they "opted to wait a year". The episode was most recently re-released to DVD in June 2009 as a part of the Rugrats Season 2 DVD set.
Gord Lacey of TVShowsOnDVD named the episode one of his favorites on the compilation, tying with the episode "Vacation Special," which followed the families going to Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
to relax. "Reptar on Ice" was adapted onto a CD entitled In Search of the Mighty Reptar. It features a story-time set of two "adventures" the babies have; the second story features another Reptar story, entitled "Journey to the Center of the Basement," where they venture to their basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
in order to "rescue" their "Reptar, Jr." toy. The CD was as well made for cassette tapes, both being released on July 20, 1999. In Search of the Mighty Reptar was apart of Nickelodeon's "Rugrats Go Reptar!" event that published several different other merchandise types for Rugrats, including direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
releases and magazines.
See also
- ReptarReptarReptar is a fictional character from the American animated television series Rugrats. Reptar is a green dinosaur with rounded, blue spike-like appendages on his back, which intentionally causes him to resemble and spoof Godzilla.-The Rugrats films:Reptar appeared in the first Rugrats film as a...
- List of Rugrats episodes
- Ice shows
- Figure skatingFigure skatingFigure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
- "Disney on IceDisney on IceDisney On Ice is a touring ice show produced by Feld Entertainment under agreement with The Walt Disney Company. Aimed primarily at children, the shows feature figure skaters dressed as Disney cartoon characters in performances that each derive their music and plot from elements collected from...
" - Beauty and the BeastBeauty and the BeastBeauty and the Beast is a traditional fairy tale. The first published version of the fairy tale was a rendition by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, published in La jeune américaine, et les contes marins in 1740...