A Rugrats Kwanzaa

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"A Rugrats Kwanzaa"
Rugrats episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 13
Directed byAnthony Bell
Written by
  • Lisa D. Hall
  • Jill Gorey
  • Barbara Herndon
Featured music"This Little Light of Mine"
Original air dateDecember 11, 2001 (2001-12-11)
Running time23 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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"A Rugrats Kwanzaa" is a television special from the American animated television series Rugrats. It is the 13th episode of the seventh season, and the 143rd episode overall. It examines Kwanzaa from the perspective of toddler Susie Carmichael during a visit from her great-aunt. Susie, her friends—Tommy Pickles, Chuckie and Kimi Finster, and Phil and Lil DeVille—and family learn about the holiday from Aunt T., but Susie becomes depressed after thinking she is the only member of her family not to achieve greatness. Aunt T. consoles her by sharing her memories using a scrapbook. The episode concludes with Susie realizing she still has plenty of time in her life to discover what makes her great.

Anthony Bell directed the episode from a script by Lisa D. Hall, Jill Gorey, and Barbara Herndon. It was produced as part of Nickelodeon's commitment to feature cultural diversity in its programming. Rugrats was one of the first mainstream television shows to feature Kwanzaa. Critics compared it to similar holiday episodes by As Told by Ginger and The Proud Family. "A Rugrats Kwanzaa" was first broadcast on December 11, 2001. A picture book entitled The Rugrats' First Kwanzaa was adapted from the script. The episode was released on VHS in 2001, and it was later included in other home media releases.

"A Rugrats Kwanzaa" was praised by critics for its representation of the holiday and the voice acting; there was a mixed response to its commercialism.

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by a Youth
at the 34th NAACP Image Awards for her role in the episode.

Plot

Toddler

Karamu early to bring the family together. She gives Susie and her siblings presents, though Susie is disappointed to receive a scrapbook
. Susie is not assigned a role in the family's preparations for Karamu, leading her to believe she is inferior to the rest of her family for never winning an award.

Following the babies' encouragement, Susie tries to emulate her siblings, including acting as class president, conducting scientific experiments, and playing soccer. When Susie fails at these tasks, Tommy advises her to find something special for herself. Susie unsuccessfully attempts to create a clay sculpture of her head as a gift to Aunt T., though her great-aunt reminds Susie that greatness is not measured by prizes. During a power outage, Aunt T. uses the scrapbook to share her memories with the children. Aunt T. and her husband Charles had met Martin Luther King Jr. while driving to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. On another occasion, Lucy performed "This Little Light of Mine" as her first solo in church despite nearly being too afraid to sing. Lucy says Aunt T. is one of the greatest people of all and recalls how she provided her with money to attend Harvard Medical School. Once the power is restored, the family have dinner and Susie does the toast with her sculpture. Aunt T. assures Susie she will discover her greatness later in life.

Production

An image of a black man wearing a multi-colored dress shirt.
Kevin Michael Richardson has a guest role as Martin Luther King Jr. in the episode.

The 23-minute episode was written by Lisa D. Hall, Jill Gorey, and Barbara Herndon and directed by Anthony Bell.[1] It was also known as "A Rugrats Kwanzaa Special" and "Rugrats: The Kwanzaa Special".[2][3][4] Nickelodeon's senior vice president for production Marjorie Cohn identified Rugrats as the "natural home" for a Kwanzaa episode; the series had previously shown holiday specials on Christmas and Hanukkah. Cohen explained the network included cultural diversity and representation in its programming to remain true to its "commitment to being there for all kids".[5] Nickelodeon president Cyma Zarghami said that the network followed "the idea that the kids on our programs look like the kids who watch it", and further explained: "Diversity is something we celebrate every day, and we believe kids are everyday heroes".[6]

9-11 taught us is that we really need to know as much as possible about other people's cultures. ... Getting to know about all these different holidays that people celebrate, it helps to reinforce the fact that we are more alike than different."[7] Other guest appearances in the episode included Kevin Michael Richardson as Martin Luther King Jr., Kimberly Brooks as the younger version of Lucy Carmichael, and Bill Cobbs as Uncle Charles.[1]

According to Mental Floss, Rugrats was one of the first shows to focus on Kwanzaa in mainstream television.[8] Critics compared "A Rugrats Kwanzaa" to episodes from As Told by Ginger and The Proud Family, which aired the same year.[7][9] An Associated Press contributor wrote that the Kwanzaa-centric storylines in Rugrats and The Proud Family helped to draw attention to the holiday.[7] The Orlando Sentinel's Tammy Carter felt Rugrats and As Told By Ginger had focused on Kwanzaa and Hanukkah, respectively, to expand holiday programming beyond Christmas.[9] While also discussing the episode's educational value, The Christian Science Monitor's M. S. Mason thought "A Rugrats Kwanzaa" was used to further develop Susie as a character.[6]

Broadcast history and release

External videos
video icon "Lucy Carmichael sings 'This Little Light of Mine'"
video icon "Martin Luther King Jr. on Rugrats"

"A Rugrats Kwanzaa" was originally broadcast in the United States at 8:30 p.m.

Simon Spotlight and Nickelodeon.[10][11] Greene used misspelled words, including "Kwonzo", "eggsackly", and "imbentor", to represent the babies' dialogue. Segundo Garcia drew the illustrations. The book is intended for children between the ages of four and eight.[10]

"A Rugrats Kwanzaa" has been included on Rugrats home media releases. In 2001,

stream on numerous video on demand services, including Amazon Prime Video, Google Play. and Paramount+.[19]

In December 2003, Nickelodeon played "A Rugrats Kwanzaa" during its "Nickmas"

Chicago, Illinois,[23] and at a separate event at the African Burial Ground National Monument in December 2017.[24] The episode was also shown as at a 2019 event at the Paley Center for Media, along with "A Rugrats Chanukah";[25] the center has included the episode in its collection of African-American comedy.[1]

Critical response

Critics praised Rugrats for introducing Kwanzaa to a wider audience. According to

seven core principles were represented by Aunt T.'s actions rather than dialogue.[31] The Hollywood Reporter's Deborah Holmes praised the episode's respect for the "legacy of blacks", noting that it encompasses Kwanzaa's message of every person, regardless of stature, being able to contribute to society.[32] Children's literature scholar Cathlena Martin cited Rugrats' emphasis on family and friends as encouraging a more "positive awareness of race and culture".[33]

The Daily Telegraph's David Rennie wrote that Rugrats contributed to the commercialization of Kwanzaa; the holiday's creator Maulana Karenga was critical of "the corporate world's move to penetrate and dominate the Kwanzaa market".[34] On the other hand, Kristen Lopez, writing for Livingly Media, believed the series' holiday programming had successfully "bridge[d] the gap between telling a heartfelt story and acting as a marketing tool".[35]

The voice acting was the subject of praise.

NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by a Youth at the 34th NAACP Image Awards for her performance in the episode.[36] Margulies praised Irma P. Hall for "energetically voic[ing]" her character,[30] and Holmes wrote Hall and Summer were "great" and "delightful" in their roles, respectively.[32]

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b c d "Rugrats: A Rugrats Kwanzaa (TV)". Paley Center for Media. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019.
  2. ^ Meehan (2005): p. 87
  3. ^ McCann (2009): p. 146
  4. ^ Collins, Dan (December 6, 2002). "TV's Holiday Lineup, A–Z". CBS News. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Elber, Lynn (December 6, 2001). "Kids' shows 'Rugrats,' 'Proud Family' take lighthearted but heartfelt look at Kwanzaa". Arizona Daily Sun. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Mason, M.S. (December 7, 2001). "CA harvest of holiday shows worth watching". The Christian Science Monitor. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Animated Kwanzaa specials to air". Associated Press. December 9, 2001. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  8. ^ Garrison, Laura Turner (December 29, 2011). "The Lessons of Kwanzaa, as Taught by TV". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  9. ^ a b Carter, Tammy (December 9, 2001). "Celebrate the Season's Diversity". Orlando Sentinel. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  10. ^ a b Blass (2005): pp. 185–186
  11. OCLC 48164751
    .
  12. ^ Craddock (2006): p. 2443
  13. OCLC 48012849
    .
  14. ^ "Rugrats, Holiday Collection!". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019.
  15. OCLC 56403512
    .
  16. OCLC 879641910
    .
  17. ^ "Rugrats, Season 8". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019.
  18. ^ "Rugrats, The Complete Series". iTunes Store. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019.
  19. ^ "Rugrats". TV Guide. Archived from the original on April 17, 2019.
  20. ^ Baisley, Sarah (December 16, 2003). "Nickelodeon To Deliver 'Nickmas' Holiday Specials". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019.
  21. ^ a b "Lucy Carmichael sings 'This Little Light of Mine'". YouTube (NickRewind). December 28, 2016. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019.
  22. ^ a b "Martin Luther King Jr. on Rugrats". YouTube (NickRewind). January 16, 2017. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  23. ^ Burklow, Jennifer (December 26, 2008). "Youth is served in Kwanzaa celebration at MXC". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019.
  24. ^ "Celebrate Kwanzaa With African Burial Ground This December". BroadwayWorld. December 1, 2017. Archived from the original on January 18, 2019.
  25. ^ Graeber, Laurel (January 3, 2019). "8 Things to Do With Your Kids in N.Y.C. This Weekend". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019.
  26. ^ E, Nita (December 2018). "Do You Remember These Top 5 Moments Of Kwanzaa In Television?". Blavity. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  27. ^ Mead, Wesley (December 11, 2018). "The top 100 Christmas TV episodes ever: 80–61". Den of Geek. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  28. ^ "8 serious life lessons that The Rugrats can offer both kids and adults". TheJournal.ie. June 30, 2017. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  29. ^ Aggeler, Madeleine (July 7, 2017). "Let's Talk About How 'Rugrats' Was Actually Progressive AF". Bustle. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  30. ^ a b Margulies, Lee (December 11, 2001). "'Rugrats' Deftly Honors Kwanzaa". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  31. ^ Cox, Ted (December 11, 2001). "Cox: Rugrats always stretches its reach". Daily Herald. Chicago. Retrieved May 15, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  32. ^ a b Holmes, Deborah (December 10, 2001). "A Rugrats Kwanzaa (Cable reviews)". The Hollywood Reporter. 371 (13): 28+. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
  33. S2CID 28656496
    .
  34. ^ Rennie, David (December 26, 2003). "Black Christmas under threat from the dollar". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on February 29, 2016.
  35. ^ Lopez, Kristen (December 6, 2018). "How Your Favorite Christmas TV Specials Do More Than Celebrate The Season". Livingly Media. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.
  36. ^ Stack, Vanessa (December 10, 2001). "NAACP unveils Image noms". Variety. Archived from the original on January 16, 2019.

Book sources

External links

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