One of the most recognizable aspects from Nickelodeon's beloved '90s animated series Rugrats is it's iconic theme song. As soon as you hear the crash followed by gentle tones, you know that more adventures with the lovable babies are on the way.
The Rugrats theme tune was written by Devo co-founder Mark Mothersbaugh, who also wrote the show's music throughout it's original 13-year-run, and fans will be delighted to hear that the acclaimed film and TV composer has also been working on the theme song for Nickelodeon's upcoming CG-animated Rugrats revival series!
When asked by Billboard about which Rugrat he thinks would be most deserving of a Rock Hall induction, Mothersbaugh, 70, revealed: "I think Tommy would get it, but Chuckie would be my vote. We're working on the new Rugrats. They're bringing it back. I worked on the theme song again, updated it a little bit."
The character design for Chuckie Finster on Rugrats was actually based on the musician.
The "Whip It" singer also revealed that one of his brothers is also working on producing music and new songs for the series!:
"[M]y brother is doing the episodes and new songs for that right now."
The news comes as Mothersbaugh nearly died last year after contracting COVID-19 (coronavirus). Diagnosed with the illness in May, he was placed on a ventilator twice at Cedars-Sinai hospital to help him breathe as COVID began to attack his lungs.
When Billboard asked Mothersbaugh was now, the musician said: "I got a vaccine shot, because I'm old enough for it, a couple days ago. I got the response people usually get from their second vaccine shot, so I must've had antibodies in my body already. I've had a fever the last couple days, so I'm just now standing up again. That was a lot of fun."
Mothersbaugh followed up the success of Rugrats by writing the Rocket Power theme song, as well as Rugrats' three related theatrical films, and it's spin-off, All Grown Up!. His music could also be heard on Santo Bugito and Clifford the Big Red Dog. He also wrote a new theme song for the original Felix the Cat show, provided some music for Pee-wee's Playhouse, and wrote the theme song for the Super Mario World TV series for DIC Entertainment in 1991.
Mothersbaugh's theme song for Rugrats was eventually sampled for The Rugrats Movie soundtrack for “Take Me There” by Blackstreet, Mya, Mase, and Blinky Blink.
On the film side, Mothersbaugh credits are as extensive as anyone else's in the game. A frequent collaborator with the likes of Phil Lord, Chris Miller, and Wes Anderson, the Devo lead has scored hits like The Rugrats Movie, Rugrats In Paris, Rugrats Go Wild, Happy Gilmore, Halloweentown, Mama's Boy, both Jump Streets, the Transylvania trilogy, three of the films in Warner Brothers' Lego franchise, and Taika Waititi's Thor: Ragnarok.
Mothersbaugh also revealed in the same interview with Billboard that he's currently working on a new stage musical with his wife Anita Greenspan and legendary skateboarder Tony Hawk:
"I'm doing a musical with my wife and Tony Hawk, we're producing. Tony and I have been friends a long time. Our intention is to incorporate a lot of Devo music into it. Devo is in the Skateboarding Hall of Fame. It's true," said Mothersbaugh, adding "I have pictures of myself after my last skateboard ride where I'm being confirmed at 12 or 13, and all the kids were dressed in choir robes and I have two black eyes and stitches across my face. I took a big fall and realized my myopia was so extreme that it wasn't my calling."
Titled Slam, it's a coming of age story about a group of kids who are skaters, and is based on the Nick Hornby book of the same name.
"We're working with the La Jolla Playhouse right now. It's a weird time to be doing a musical, that's for sure. It'll be a combination of Devo that you know, a little bit of modified Devo, and I'll have some original songs in the project also. Tony will probably choreograph the skaters, so it could look really good.
"He was taking me to see things like comedians, and I was like, 'eh… okay.' Then I said, 'Well, come and see some musicals, my wife is a big musical fan.' So we took him to see some things, and I was going, 'well, this is too small of a stage to skate on' and he was like, 'No, no… in this place, we'd get a running start behind the curtain, so by the time you came out you could be flying through the air. Or else you could drop out of the balcony.' I go, 'They're not gonna let you drop out of the balcony!' I mean, he could do it. But anyhow, his involvement will be in that part of the process."
You can read Mark Mothersbaugh's fantastic interview with Billboard in full on Billboard.com.
Nickelodeon and Paramount Pictures announced in July 2018 that they were relaunching Nickelodeon's beloved '90s animated series Rugrats with a 26-episode new season from Nickelodeon and a live-action film featuring CGI characters from Paramount Players. However, although the TV series is still planned, the new Rugrats movie has reportedly been shelved for the time being.
In September 2020, it was revealed that the new Rugrats series would be CG-animated.
Rugrats focuses on a group of toddlers, Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, twins Phil and Lil DeVille, and Angelica Pickles, and their day-to-day lives that became adventures in their imaginations. The original Rugrats Nicktoon series launched in August of 1991 and instantly became a groundbreaking phenomenon, spawning consumer products, three hit theatrical releases, various video games and cementing its place in pop culture history through its iconic characters, storytelling and unique visual style. Rugrats was in production for nine seasons over the course of 13 years, and also spawned three spin-off series, All Grown Up!, Angelica and Susie's School Daze and Rugrats: Tales from the Crib. The series earned four Daytime Emmy Awards, six Kids' Choice Awards and its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Nickelodeon is slated to premiere their Rugrats revival during 2021, with most of the surviving original voice actors expected to reprise their respective roles, including Nancy Cartwright as Chuckie Finster, Melanie Chartoff as Didi Pickles and Cheryl Chase as Angelica Pickles.
However, Dil Pickles, Tommy's younger brother who was introduced in The Rugrats Movie, is not expected to feature in the series until season two.
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