A Rugrats Chanukah
Encyclopedia
"A Rugrats Chanukah", titled onscreen as "Chanukah" and sometimes called the "Rugrats Chanukah Special", is a special
episode of Nickelodeon
's animated television series Rugrats
. The first episode of the show's fourth season and the sixty-sixth overall, it tells the story of the Jewish holiday Chanukah through the eyes of the Rugrats, who imagine themselves as the main characters. Meanwhile, Grandpa Boris and his long-time rival, Schlomo, feud over who will play the lead in the local synagogue
's Chanukah play.
Raymie Muzquiz directed "A Rugrats Chanukah" from a script by J. David Stem and David N. Weiss
. In 1992, Nickelodeon executives had pitched the idea of a Chanukah special to the production team, but the concept was revised and became the 1995 special, "A Rugrats Passover
". After production of the Passover episode wrapped, the crew returned to the Chanukah idea. Nickelodeon broadcast "A Rugrats Chanukah" on December 4, 1996; the episode received a Nielsen rating
of 7.9 and positive reviews from television critics. Along with other Rugrats episodes featuring Boris and his wife, the special attracted controversy when the Anti-Defamation League
compared the character designs to anti-Semitic drawings from a 1930s Nazi
newspaper.
, Chuckie
, Phil, and Lil
. The babies imagine that they are the story's characters; Judah
(Tommy) is outraged by King "Antonica" (Angelica
), who has taken over the Jewish kingdom
and forced Greek culture on its inhabitants. Judah leads an army of Jewish Maccabees
to war against Antonica's Seleucid Empire
, emerging victorious. The story is left unfinished as Minka stops to help make latkes
in the kitchen with her daughter Didi.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Boris is furious Schlomo, a rival from his youth in Russia, is pictured in the local newspaper for playing the Greek king in the local synagogue's Hanukah play, where Boris is portraying Judah. The babies find out about Schlomo and form the impression that he truly is the Greek king, whom they dub the "Meany of Chanukah". At the play that night, they attempt to storm on stage to defeat the "Meany of Chanukah", but are stopped and taken into the synagogue's nursery. Angelica is in the nursery already and, vehement in her desire to watch a Christmas special that is airing that night, convinces the babies to help her break out and steal a television set from the custodian's office.
Boris and Schlomo begin fighting on stage during the play, interrupting the production and inciting an intermission. Backstage, Schlomo and Boris argue once more, with Boris mentioning Schlomo's dedication to his business pursuits over familial values. Schlomo informs Boris that he had a wife who died before baring him children, making Boris feel sympathy for his rival. Angelica sprints backstage, bumping into Schlomo and inadvertently destroying the television set. Schlomo unsuccessfully tries to console her, but eventually lets Boris take over. Tommy hands Schlomo the Hanukkah story book Minka read to the babies earlier; Boris convinces Schlomo to read it to the children. In the conclusion of the story, the Maccabees rededicate the Holy Temple, and discover that there is only enough oil to light the Temple's eternal flame for one day; miraculously, it remains lit for eight. Schlomo's reciting dissolves both the babies' assertion of him as the "Meany of Chanukkah" and his and Boris' rivalry.
production team in 1992. Paul Germain
, the show's co-creator, responded with a Passover
special instead, as he considered it to be a "funny idea" and of "historical interest". "A Rugrats Passover
" was completed in 1995; the show was one of the first animated television series to produce a special for a Jewish holiday. After production wrapped on "A Rugrats Passover", the crew considered creating the Chanukah special that Nickelodeon had originally pitched. The episode was written by , and directed by Raymie Muzquiz. By the time Weiss came to write the teleplay, he had abandoned Christianity
and converted to Judaism
.
Paramount Home Video finished production of the home media version in July 1997; originally scheduling a release date of October that year, Paramount instead pushed the VHS
release into 1998. In time for Christmas 1997, Paramount released the video Nickelodeon Holiday, which featured "A Rugrats Chanukah" and other holiday specials, such as "Hey Arnold's Christmas". On August 31, 2004, Paramount also released a DVD compilation titled Rugrats Holiday Celebration, which featured several holiday-themed episodes, including "A Rugrats Chanukah". Sarah Willson adapted the episode into the book, The Rugrats' Book of Chanukah, illustrated by Barry Goldberg and published by Simon & Schuster
in 1997.
"A Rugrats Chanukah" was originally broadcast on December 4, 1996 on Nickelodeon. Repeated twice that night, the episode received a Nielsen rating
of 7.9 in the show's target demographic of children aged 2–11. On December 1, 2001, CBS
broadcast the episode for the first time on its network, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Carrying a TV-Y parental rating, it followed the Rugrats Christmas special, "The Santa Experience". Nickelodeon has aired the episode throughout subsequent holiday seasons.
"A Rugrats Chanukah" received positive reviews from television critics, and is one of the most popular episodes of Rugrats. Delia O'Hera of the Chicago Sun-Times
called it a "multigenerational tale". Judith Pearl, in her book The Chosen Image: Television's Portrayal of Jewish Themes and Characters, described the episode as a "fun [treatment] of Channukah". Chuck Barney of Knight Ridder
and the Tribune News Service considered the episode a "hilariously imaginative take on the Chanukah legend".
In a 1999 issue of TV Guide
, "A Rugrats Chanukah" was listed at number 5 in their "10 Best Classic Family Holiday Specials". TV Guide later wrote that "Nickelodeon's Rugrats secured its place in television history" with the episode, opining that it could "entertain a child of any religious denomination". Ted Cox of the Daily Herald said that although the episode was not as good as the show's Passover special—which he considered "among the best holiday TV specials ever produced"—it was "still noteworthy". DVD Talk
reviewer Francis Rizzo III wrote that the special "has a great historical opening". In Flickipedia: Perfect Films for Every Occasion, Holiday, Mood, Ordeal, and Whim, Michael Atkinson and Laurel Shifrin said that the special was "... a richer meal, even, for parents than for tykes".
(ADL) charged that the two characters resembled anti-Semitic drawings that were featured in a 1930s Nazi
newspaper. Nickelodeon's then-president, Albie Hecht
(himself Jewish), professed bewilderment and called the accusation absurd. The controversy resurfaced in 1998 after the ADL made the same claims about Boris' appearance in a Rugrats comic strip that ran in newspapers during the Jewish New Year. The organization was also offended by the character's recitation of the Mourner's Kaddish in the strip. Nickelodeon's new president, Herb Scannell
, agreed with the criticism and apologized, promising never to run the character or the strip again.
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
episode of 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...
's animated 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....
. The first episode of the show's fourth season and the sixty-sixth overall, it tells the story of the Jewish holiday Chanukah through the eyes of the Rugrats, who imagine themselves as the main characters. Meanwhile, Grandpa Boris and his long-time rival, Schlomo, feud over who will play the lead in the local synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
's Chanukah play.
Raymie Muzquiz directed "A Rugrats Chanukah" from a script by J. David Stem and David N. Weiss
David N. Weiss
David N. Weiss is an American writer and labor leader. He is a screenwriter of films, including All Dogs go to Heaven, The Rugrats Movie, Shrek 2, Clockstoppers, Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Rugrats in Paris: The Movie and The Smurfs and has also written for television shows such as Mission Hill...
. In 1992, Nickelodeon executives had pitched the idea of a Chanukah special to the production team, but the concept was revised and became the 1995 special, "A Rugrats Passover
A Rugrats Passover
"A Rugrats Passover" is the 23rd episode of the third season of the American animated television series Rugrats, and its 62nd episode overall. It was broadcast originally on April 13, 1995, on the cable network Nickelodeon...
". After production of the Passover episode wrapped, the crew returned to the Chanukah idea. Nickelodeon broadcast "A Rugrats Chanukah" on December 4, 1996; the episode received a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 7.9 and positive reviews from television critics. Along with other Rugrats episodes featuring Boris and his wife, the special attracted controversy when the Anti-Defamation League
Anti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
compared the character designs to anti-Semitic drawings from a 1930s Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
newspaper.
Plot
On Hanukkah, Grandma Minka reads a book about the meaning of the holiday to the babies 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...
, 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....
. The babies imagine that they are the story's characters; Judah
Judas Maccabeus
Judah Maccabee was a Kohen and a son of the Jewish priest Mattathias...
(Tommy) is outraged by King "Antonica" (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...
), who has taken over the Jewish kingdom
Judea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
and forced Greek culture on its inhabitants. Judah leads an army of Jewish Maccabees
Maccabees
The Maccabees were a Jewish rebel army who took control of Judea, which had been a client state of the Seleucid Empire. They founded the Hasmonean dynasty, which ruled from 164 BCE to 63 BCE, reasserting the Jewish religion, expanding the boundaries of the Land of Israel and reducing the influence...
to war against Antonica's Seleucid Empire
Seleucid Empire
The Seleucid Empire was a Greek-Macedonian state that was created out of the eastern conquests of Alexander the Great. At the height of its power, it included central Anatolia, the Levant, Mesopotamia, Persia, today's Turkmenistan, Pamir and parts of Pakistan.The Seleucid Empire was a major centre...
, emerging victorious. The story is left unfinished as Minka stops to help make latkes
Potato pancakes
Potato pancakes are shallow-fried pancakes of grated or ground potato, flour and egg, often flavored with grated onion or garlic and seasoning. Potato pancakes may be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory to the sweet , or they may be served ungarnished...
in the kitchen with her daughter Didi.
Meanwhile, Grandpa Boris is furious Schlomo, a rival from his youth in Russia, is pictured in the local newspaper for playing the Greek king in the local synagogue's Hanukah play, where Boris is portraying Judah. The babies find out about Schlomo and form the impression that he truly is the Greek king, whom they dub the "Meany of Chanukah". At the play that night, they attempt to storm on stage to defeat the "Meany of Chanukah", but are stopped and taken into the synagogue's nursery. Angelica is in the nursery already and, vehement in her desire to watch a Christmas special that is airing that night, convinces the babies to help her break out and steal a television set from the custodian's office.
Boris and Schlomo begin fighting on stage during the play, interrupting the production and inciting an intermission. Backstage, Schlomo and Boris argue once more, with Boris mentioning Schlomo's dedication to his business pursuits over familial values. Schlomo informs Boris that he had a wife who died before baring him children, making Boris feel sympathy for his rival. Angelica sprints backstage, bumping into Schlomo and inadvertently destroying the television set. Schlomo unsuccessfully tries to console her, but eventually lets Boris take over. Tommy hands Schlomo the Hanukkah story book Minka read to the babies earlier; Boris convinces Schlomo to read it to the children. In the conclusion of the story, the Maccabees rededicate the Holy Temple, and discover that there is only enough oil to light the Temple's eternal flame for one day; miraculously, it remains lit for eight. Schlomo's reciting dissolves both the babies' assertion of him as the "Meany of Chanukkah" and his and Boris' rivalry.
Production
Nickelodeon executives pitched the idea of making a Hanukah special to the RugratsRugrats
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....
production team in 1992. 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...
, the show's co-creator, responded with a Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
special instead, as he considered it to be a "funny idea" and of "historical interest". "A Rugrats Passover
A Rugrats Passover
"A Rugrats Passover" is the 23rd episode of the third season of the American animated television series Rugrats, and its 62nd episode overall. It was broadcast originally on April 13, 1995, on the cable network Nickelodeon...
" was completed in 1995; the show was one of the first animated television series to produce a special for a Jewish holiday. After production wrapped on "A Rugrats Passover", the crew considered creating the Chanukah special that Nickelodeon had originally pitched. The episode was written by , and directed by Raymie Muzquiz. By the time Weiss came to write the teleplay, he had abandoned Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
and converted to Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.
Paramount Home Video finished production of the home media version in July 1997; originally scheduling a release date of October that year, Paramount instead pushed the VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
release into 1998. In time for Christmas 1997, Paramount released the video Nickelodeon Holiday, which featured "A Rugrats Chanukah" and other holiday specials, such as "Hey Arnold's Christmas". On August 31, 2004, Paramount also released a DVD compilation titled Rugrats Holiday Celebration, which featured several holiday-themed episodes, including "A Rugrats Chanukah". Sarah Willson adapted the episode into the book, The Rugrats' Book of Chanukah, illustrated by Barry Goldberg and published by Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English-language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin and HarperCollins...
in 1997.
Critical response
| "The babies acting out their own version of the story is enough to entertain a child of any religious denomination, so learning the historical meaning behind latkes and dreidels is just an added bonus." |
| —TV Guide TV Guide TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles... |
"A Rugrats Chanukah" was originally broadcast on December 4, 1996 on Nickelodeon. Repeated twice that night, the episode received a Nielsen rating
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
of 7.9 in the show's target demographic of children aged 2–11. On December 1, 2001, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
broadcast the episode for the first time on its network, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern Time. Carrying a TV-Y parental rating, it followed the Rugrats Christmas special, "The Santa Experience". Nickelodeon has aired the episode throughout subsequent holiday seasons.
"A Rugrats Chanukah" received positive reviews from television critics, and is one of the most popular episodes of Rugrats. Delia O'Hera of the Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago Sun-Times
The Chicago Sun-Times is an American daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois. It is the flagship paper of the Sun-Times Media Group.-History:The Chicago Sun-Times is the oldest continuously published daily newspaper in the city...
called it a "multigenerational tale". Judith Pearl, in her book The Chosen Image: Television's Portrayal of Jewish Themes and Characters, described the episode as a "fun [treatment] of Channukah". Chuck Barney of Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder
Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. Until it was bought by The McClatchy Company on June 27, 2006, it was the second-largest newspaper publisher in the United States, with 32 daily newspapers sold.- History :The corporate ancestors of...
and the Tribune News Service considered the episode a "hilariously imaginative take on the Chanukah legend".
In a 1999 issue of TV Guide
TV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, "A Rugrats Chanukah" was listed at number 5 in their "10 Best Classic Family Holiday Specials". TV Guide later wrote that "Nickelodeon's Rugrats secured its place in television history" with the episode, opining that it could "entertain a child of any religious denomination". Ted Cox of the Daily Herald said that although the episode was not as good as the show's Passover special—which he considered "among the best holiday TV specials ever produced"—it was "still noteworthy". DVD Talk
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a website for DVD enthusiasts founded in January 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman when DVDs and DVD players were first beginning to hit the market.The site started as an online forum, an email newsletter, and a page of DVD news and reviews...
reviewer Francis Rizzo III wrote that the special "has a great historical opening". In Flickipedia: Perfect Films for Every Occasion, Holiday, Mood, Ordeal, and Whim, Michael Atkinson and Laurel Shifrin said that the special was "... a richer meal, even, for parents than for tykes".
Anti-Defamation League controversy
"A Rugrats Chanukah", along with other Rugrats episodes featuring Boris and his wife, Minka, attracted controversy when the Anti-Defamation LeagueAnti-Defamation League
The Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
(ADL) charged that the two characters resembled anti-Semitic drawings that were featured in a 1930s Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
newspaper. Nickelodeon's then-president, Albie Hecht
Albie Hecht
Albie Hecht is the CEO of Worldwide Biggies, founder of Spike TV, and a former president of Nickelodeon Entertainment.Hecht oversaw the development and production of SpongeBob SquarePants, Dora the Explorer, Blue’s Clues, and the live-action show All That at Nickelodeon...
(himself Jewish), professed bewilderment and called the accusation absurd. The controversy resurfaced in 1998 after the ADL made the same claims about Boris' appearance in a Rugrats comic strip that ran in newspapers during the Jewish New Year. The organization was also offended by the character's recitation of the Mourner's Kaddish in the strip. Nickelodeon's new president, Herb Scannell
Herb Scannell
Herb Scannell, is the president of BBC Worldwide America.-Early years:Scannell was born in Long Island, New York to an Irish father and Puerto Rican mother as the youngest of four. He received his primary and secondary education in his hometown. His mother taught him Spanish at home helping him to...
, agreed with the criticism and apologized, promising never to run the character or the strip again.
External links
- "A Rugrats Chanukah" at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- "A Rugrats Chanukah" at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...