Here are all the action-packed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics, graphic novels and collectibles coming your way in May 2021 (and beyond)!
Welcome to NickALive!, bringing you the latest Nickelodeon news for Nickelodeon channels around the world.
Saturday, March 20, 2021
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comics and Collectibles: May 2021
Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for March 20, 2021 | Nickelodeon
Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for March 20, 2021 | Nickelodeon
Rugrats, provided to Creators Syndicate by Nickelodeon, based off the popular animated television series has been created for children and family's to laugh and enjoy together.
Follow these comics and their take on real episodes of the show and their own spin on hilarious adventures.
Read more Rugrats comic strips!: https://www.creators.com/features/rugrats
More Nick: First Look: Nickelodeon's All-New Animated 'Rugrats' Reunites Members of the Original Voice Cast to Reprise Roles!
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Classic Nickelodeon, NickRewind and Rugrats News and Highlights!
Follow these comics and their take on real episodes of the show and their own spin on hilarious adventures.
Read more Rugrats comic strips!: https://www.creators.com/features/rugrats
More Nick: First Look: Nickelodeon's All-New Animated 'Rugrats' Reunites Members of the Original Voice Cast to Reprise Roles!
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Classic Nickelodeon, NickRewind and Rugrats News and Highlights!
Baby Shark & William Sing Alongs! 🎵 | Baby Shark's Big Show | Nick Jr.
Baby Shark & William Sing Alongs! 🎵| Baby Shark's Big Show | Nick Jr.
Agent Baby and Agent William commence operation Cool Quest! They sing together on their adventures through the ocean and to the ice cream shop! Then, Baby Shark gets put on time out for using the mop as a chew toy.
🦈Baby Shark’s Big Show! is coming to Nickelodeon on March 26th (12:30 p.m. EST) in the US. Dive into Nickelodeon to join Baby Shark and William for a jaw-some adventure! 🌊 Swim over to the following link for all the fin-tastic info!: http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2021/03/nickelodeons-brand-new-preschool-series.html
#BabyShark #BabySharksBigShow #NickJr
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Preschool, Nick Jr. and Baby Shark’s Big Show! News and Highlights!
Show Launch Clip for Baby Shark's Big Show! | Nickelodeon x Baby Shark | Baby Shark Official
Show Launch Clip for Baby Shark's Big Show! | Nickelodeon x Baby Shark | Baby Shark Official
🦈Baby Shark’s Big Show! is coming to Nickelodeon on March 26th (12:30 p.m. EST) in the US. Dive into Nickelodeon to join Baby Shark and William for a jaw-some adventure! 🌊 Swim over to the following link for all the fin-tastic info!: http://nickalive.blogspot.com/2021/03/nickelodeons-brand-new-preschool-series.html
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon Preschool, Nick Jr. and Baby Shark’s Big Show! News and Highlights!
Unicorn Milkshake with Mário Jr. | Episode 9 | Unfiltered Brazil | Nickelodeon in Portuguese
Milkshake de unicórnio com Mário Jr. | Episódio 9 | Além do Filtro Brasil | Nickelodeon em Português
Roi, Milkshake de Unicórnio, né? Nossos jogadores tentam adivinhar a identidade de Mário Júnior sem se apaixonarem antes. Missão difícil!
Follow NickALive! on Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, via RSS, on Instagram, and/or Facebook for the latest Nickelodeon's Unfiltered and Nick Brazil News and Highlights!
Krispy Kreme Launches Nickelodeon Slime Range in Mexico
Ever since the first sliming on You Can't Do That On Television, people have wondered, "what does Nickelodeon Slime taste like?" It's actually one of the most popular questions people have about slime! And now, fans in Mexico can finally find out what Nickelodeon Slime tastes like thanks to a new partnership between Nick and Krispy Kreme!
As part of the Krispy Kreme x Nickelodeon Slime collaboration, the donut specialist has introduced two brand new delicious donuts inspired by Nickelodeon's iconic slime: the Green Apple Slime Donut and the Mandarin Slime Donut!
The Green Apple Slime Donut is a freshly baked donut that boasts an exquisite apple filling and comes topped with a green apple flavored slime coating for a taste that will surprise the eater. This is kind of close to one of the recipes of Nickelodeon slime in the '80s, as Double Dare used apple sauce in its slime!
Who else wanted a Nickelodeon telephone?!! |
The Mandarin Slime Donut is a freshly made donut that comes covered in tasty and fun Nickelodeon Orange Mandarin Slime!
That's not all! The Krispy Kreme x Nickelodeon Slime range also includes a delicious frozen slime frappe drink!
This lemon-flavored Frozen Slime crushed ice drink features a green hue and comes in a fun presentation that will make whoever's lucky enough to slurp it to share a pic on social media! Basically, it's the complete taste experience!
Now for the good news / bad news bit. The Krispy Kreme x Nickelodeon Slime line is currently only available at Krispy Kreme stores in Mexico. Residents of Mexico can also order them for home delivery through the Krispy Kreme Mexico app and online store, http://tienda.krispykreme.mx. The line went on sale on Monday 1st March 2021 and will be available until Thursday 6th May 2021. It's currently unknown whether the Krispy Kreme x Nickelodeon Slime will roll out internationally - let's hope so, though!
From the official Krispy Kreme México blog:
NICKELODEON SLIME: EL SABOR MÁS PEGAJOSO
La enigmática sustancia verde de Nickelodeon® ha llegado a Krispy Kreme para darle un sabor muy galáctico a nuestras donas. ¿Ya sabes de qué te estamos hablando? Seguramente has visto esta masa pegajosa en los Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards en donde los artistas van con espectaculares atuendos y son empapados por esta sustancia verde de una manera muy divertida. ¡Esto es nada más y nada menos que el SLIME!
¿De dónde surgió esta sustancia pegajosa? Todo surgió en el año de 1979 en el show canadiense “You Can’t Do That On Television” en donde la palabra prohibida era “No lo sé”, en caso de decirla, a los invitados se les arrojaba Slime encima de ellos. ¿Te imaginas la diversión? Es por ello, que Nickelodeon® se ha dado a la tarea de compartir esta divertida dinámica y transformarla en un sabor único e incomparable, teniendo como resultado el delicioso sabor de nuestras donas Slime. ¿Estás listo para descubrir los nuevos sabores? ¡Pon atención!
Dona Slime manzana verde:
Este sabor te sorprenderá con su exquisito relleno de manzana, con una cobertura de slime sabor a manzana verde y no podía faltar el shell recién hecho. ¿Ya se te antojó?
Dona Slime mandarina:
¿Eres fan de este sabor? ¡Entonces esta es tu dona perfecta! Disfruta de una dona recién hecha, cubierta de Slime de mandarina y con un toque de diversión que te hará pasar el mejor momento.
¡Pero eso no es todo! ¿Te imaginas una deliciosa bebida que parezca Slime? Esta bebida es toda una realidad y logramos crear el sabor más original. ¿Ya quieres saber más? ¡Continúa leyendo!
Slime frozen sabor a limón:
Su color galáctico no solo será perfecto para subir fotos a tus redes sociales sino que su sabor a limón y su divertida presentación, lograrán que sea una experiencia completa de sabor. ¿Con quién te gustaría compartir un Slime Frozen?
¡AHORA YA SABES QUE TODO EL SABOR DE NICKELODEON SLIME HA LLEGADO A NUESTRO PAÍS! ¿CUÁL QUIERES PROBAR PRIMERO O CON CUÁL DONA DISFRUTARÍAS TU SLIME FROZEN? ¡INVITA A TUS AMIGOS Y DISFRUTA DE ESTA NUEVA TEMPORADA DEL 1 DE MARZO AL 6 DE MAYO DEL 2021! RECUERDA QUE TAMBIÉN PUEDES HACER TU PEDIDO A TRAVÉS DE NUESTRA APLICACIÓN DE DELIVERY KRISPY KREME MÉXICO O EN NUESTRA TIENDA EN LÍNEA: HTTP://TIENDA.KRISPYKREME.MX
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From GeekZilla:
¡Dona con SLIME! El sabor más pegajoso llegó a Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme en conjunto con Nickelodeon, trae para ti esta temporada una sorpresa increíble, tus donas favoritas con un toque galáctico lleno de slime.
El delicioso sabor de nuestras donas trae con ellas un toque frutal y citríco hecho slime; cuidando mantener toda la frescura y calidad de los ingredientes, y así brindarte la mejor experiencia al probarlas. No dejes de probar esta pegajosa colección con los diferentes slimes:
Dona con SLIME
Slime manzana verde: Irresistible Shell, relleno de manzana y cubierto de una deliciosa mermelada de manzana verde tipo slime…. ¿Te atreves a probarla?
Slime mandarina: Ring cubierto de glaseado dulce de mandarina, Una dona que seguro se convertirá en una de tus favoritas.
Slime Frozen: Frappe sabor limón, una bebida ideal para refrescarte en esta época de calor. ¡Te encantará!
Aprovecha esta increíble colección Slime la cual estará disponible en todas las tiendas Krispy Kreme, Liverpool, Fábricas de Francia, o bien ordenalas desde tu plataforma de Delivery favorita: Uber Eats, Rappi DIDI y Cornershop a partir del 1 de marzo y hasta el 6 de mayo.
No olvides que Krispy Kreme ahora cuenta con su propia aplicación móvil disponible en App Store para dispositivos IOS (iPhone) y Google Play para dispositivos Android; en donde encontrarás promociones de temporada y muchas sorpresas exclusivas.
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'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Comes to QMx With Their New Avatar Aang Q-Fig
The elements unite once again as Quantum Mechanic (QMx) unveils its newest animated statue. Avatar Aang is back with this beautifully crafted Q-Fig from the beloved Nickelodeon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. Standing 9 inches tall, this statue captures the beloved main protagonist from the show and his flying lemur Momo. Quantum Mechanic's Avatar The Last Airbender statue shows a dynamic diorama with the air element surrounding the statue. Aang is crouching on a tree stump as dirt and debris levitate through the air, making this a truly unique collectible.
Quantum Mechanic really knows how to pack in detail to their amazing Q-FIg statue line. Avatar: The Last Airbender is a very popular animated series that still gets praise. With the recent announcement of more Avatar: The Last Airbender shows and movies in the works, it makes perfect sense to reveal this amazing design. The 9" tall Aang Q-Fig Diorama from QMx will be priced at $49.95 and is set to release in Spring 2021. Pre-orders are not live just yet, but fans will be able to find him located here.
"The incarnation of the spirit of light and peace known as the Avatar, Aang is capable of bending all four elements in nature – fire, water, earth, and air. The last of his people, he can control the winds with ease as he seeks to keep the four elemental nations in balance. Inspired by Nickelodeon's beloved Avatar: The Last Airbender, behold as Aang demonstrates his mastery of air in our new Aang Q-Fig Max Elite. While Aang is a pacifist by nature, his bending skills are unmatched and capable of explosive power – if you push him too far."
"The Last Airbender conjures a furious maelstrom in our Aang Q-Fig Max Elite, powerful enough to shield himself and with a fury that can even erode stone. The winds whip around Aang, lifting leaves and rocks high into the air. Perched high on a cliffside, Aang bends the whirlwind with his wooden staff while dressed in the traditional robes of the Air Nomads. And while Aang may be the last of his kind, he is certainly not alone – his loyal companion Momo soars and glides on the gusts high above him."
"The colossal Aang Q-Fig Max Elite stands approximately 9 inches tall from the base of the clouds to the tip of Momo's outstretched wing. The vortex surrounding Aang is crafted in translucent material, capturing the majesty of airbending in all its glory. Momo seemingly rides the current, passing over Aang's head which has been adorned with mastery tattoos. No detail has been spared in bringing The Last Airbender to life for your Q-Fig collection. Relive the excitement of Avatar: The Last Airbender with QMx!"
The Avatar Aang statue follows QMx releasing a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line last year.
More Nick: Nickelodeon Establishes Avatar Studios; Announces Animated 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' Movie!
BOOM! Studios Unveils First Look at 'Power Rangers Unlimited: Heir to Darkness #1'
POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 FIRST LOOK
March 19, 2021
Your First Look at POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1
Discover the Dark Hidden Truth Behind Everyone’s Favorite Power Rangers Villain in March 2021
BOOM! Studios, under license by Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), today revealed a first look at the brand new oversized special issue, POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1, as acclaimed author L.L. McKinney (A Blade So Black), artist Simone Ragazzoni (Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn), colorist Igor Monti (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), and letterer Ed Dukeshire (Once & Future) present a powerful new story that no Power Rangers fan can miss in March 2021.
Astronema is one of the most popular Power Rangers villains ever and her true origin is revealed for the first time in a one-shot directly connected to the events of Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers! Before she became a Power Ranger, a young girl named Karone was kidnapped by bounty hunters and brainwashed into the assassin known as Astronema by two of the greatest threats in the galaxy—Dark Specter and Ecliptor. But what is Dark Spector’s true plan. . . and what does it mean for the new Mighty Morphin & Power Rangers teams?
POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 features main cover art by Dan Mora (Once & Future) and variant cover art by illustrators Jungeun Yoon (Spider-woman), Vincenzo Riccardi (Something is Killing the Children), and Jenny Frison (Wonder Woman).
Currently, Power Rangers is celebrating 28 continuous years on the air, making it one of the longest running kids’ live-action series in television history with nearly 900 episodes aired to date. Created by Haim Saban and launched in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the franchise celebrates its 28th season with, “Power Rangers Dino Fury” currently airing on Saturdays at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon in the U.S.
Print copies of POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 will be available on March 31, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.
Softcover collections of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, and other Power Rangers releases from BOOM! Studios are available now, everywhere books are sold.
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For more on Power Rangers, please visit www.powerrangers.com and follow Power Rangers on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More Nick: 'Power Rangers Dino Fury' Season 2 Announced!
Astronema VS the Omega Rangers in This Preview of 'Power Rangers #5' from BOOM! Studios
POWER RANGERS #5 FIRST LOOK
March 18, 2021
Astronema VS the Omega Rangers in POWER RANGERS #5 from BOOM! Studios
An Epic Showdown of the Omega Rangers VS Their Greatest Villains in March 2021
BOOM! Studios, under license by Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), revealed today a first look at POWER RANGERS #5 from superstar writer Ryan Parrott (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), acclaimed artist Francesco Mortarino (Firefly: The Sting), colorist Raúl Angulo (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and letterer Ed Dukeshire (Once & Future), in conjunction with the Mighty Morphin series. Two New Series. Two New Teams. The Era of UNLIMITED POWER continues HERE—and only Lord Drakkon, their greatest enemy, can save the Power Rangers in March 2021!
The Omega Rangers are attacked by the young assassin known as Astronema, one of the most popular characters in franchise history from Power Rangers: In Space! Meanwhile, Lord Drakkon and Trini face off against one of the greatest Power Rangers villains ever – with a shocking conclusion!
POWER RANGERS #5 features main cover art by Matteo Scalera (Black Science), and variant cover art by fan favorite artists Daniele di Nicuolo (Seven Secrets) and Peach Momoko (Wynd).
Currently, Power Rangers is celebrating 28 continuous years on the air, making it one of the longest running kids’ live-action series in television history with nearly 900 episodes aired to date. Created by Haim Saban and launched in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the franchise celebrates its 28th season, “Power Rangers Dino Fury”, currently airing Saturdays at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon in the U.S.
POWER RANGERS is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo; Seven Secrets by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Faithless by Brian Azzarello and Maria Llovet; and the upcoming Proctor Valley Road by Grant Morrison, Alex Child, and Naomi Franquiz. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties including Dune: House Atreides by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Dev Pramanik; The Expanse from Corinna Bechko and Alejandro Aragonand; and the upcoming Magic series from Jed MacKay and Ig Guara.
Print copies of POWER RANGERS #5 will be available on March 24, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.
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For more on Power Rangers, please visit www.powerrangers.com and follow Power Rangers on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More Nick: 'Power Rangers Dino Fury' Season 2 Announced!
Fan-Favorite Artist Jenny Frison Covers 'Power Rangers Unlimited: Heir to Darkness #1'
FAN-FAVORITE ARTIST JENNY FRISON COVERS POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1
March 11, 2021
Discover the Dark Hidden Truth Behind Everyone’s Favorite Power Rangers Villain in March 2021
BOOM! Studios, under license by Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), today revealed the variant cover by acclaimed artist Jenny Frison (Wonder Woman) of the brand new oversized special issue, POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1, as acclaimed author L.L. McKinney (A Blade So Black), artist Simone Ragazzoni (Power Rangers: Drakkon New Dawn), colorist Igor Monti (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers), and letterer Ed Dukeshire (Once & Future) present a powerful new story that no Power Rangers fan can miss in March 2021.
Astronema is one of the most popular Power Rangers villains ever and her true origin is revealed for the first time in a one-shot directly connected to the events of Mighty Morphin and Power Rangers! Before she became a Power Ranger, a young girl named Karone was kidnapped by bounty hunters and brainwashed into the assassin known as Astronema by two of the greatest threats in the galaxy—Dark Specter and Ecliptor. But what is Dark Spector’s true plan. . . and what does it mean for the new Mighty Morphin & Power Rangers teams?
POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 features main cover art by Dan Mora (Once & Future) and variant cover art by illustrators Junggeun Yoon (Spider-woman), Vincenzo Riccardi (Something is Killing the Children), and Jenny Frison.
Currently, Power Rangers is celebrating 28 continuous years on the air, making it one of the longest running kids’ live-action series in television history with nearly 900 episodes aired to date. Created by Haim Saban and launched in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the franchise celebrates its 28th season, with “Power Rangers Dino Fury”, currently airing Saturdays at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon in the U.S.
Print copies of POWER RANGERS UNLIMITED: HEIR TO DARKNESS #1 will be available on March 31, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.
Softcover collections of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, and other Power Rangers releases from BOOM! Studios are available now, everywhere books are sold.
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For more on Power Rangers, please visit www.powerrangers.com and follow Power Rangers on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More Nick: 'Power Rangers Dino Fury' Season 2 Announced!
Secret Origins of Mysterious New Green Ranger Revealed in 'Mighty Morphin #5'
MIGHTY MORPHIN #5 FIRST LOOK
Secret Origins of Mysterious New Green Ranger Revealed in MIGHTY MORPHIN #5
Discover a Mighty Morphin Origin Like No Other in March 2021
March 4, 2021
BOOM! Studios, under license by Hasbro, Inc. (NASDAQ: HAS), revealed a first look at MIGHTY MORPHIN #5, from writer Ryan Parrott (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), artist Marco Renna, colorist Walter Baiamonte with assistance by Katia Ranalli and Sara Antonellini, and letterer Ed Dukeshire, the exciting next issue in the ERA OF UNLIMITED POWER.
The New Green Ranger’s identity has been revealed. Now, for the first time ever, discover their top secret origin…and what comes next.
MIGHTY MORPHIN #5 features main cover art by acclaimed illustrator InHyuk Lee (Seven Secrets), and variant cover art by Eleonora Carlini (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and Goñi Montes (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers).
Currently, Power Rangers is celebrating 28 continuous years on the air, making it one of the longest running kids’ live-action series in television history with nearly 900 episodes aired to date. Created by Haim Saban and launched in 1993 with Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the franchise celebrates its 28th season, with “Power Rangers Dino Fury”, currently airing Saturdays at 8 a.m. (ET/PT) on Nickelodeon in the U.S.
MIGHTY MORPHIN is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; We Only Find Them When They’re Dead by Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo; Seven Secrets by Tom Taylor and Daniele Di Nicuolo; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Faithless by Brian Azzarello and Maria Llovet; and Abbott from Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties including Magic from Jed McKay and Ig Guara; Dune: House Atreides by Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Dev Pramanik; Buffy the Vampire Slayer from Jordie Bellaire and David López, and Firefly from Greg Pak, Lalit Kumar Sharma & Daniel Bayliss.
Print copies of MIGHTY MORPHIN #5 will be available on March 10, 2021 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the one nearest you), or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers like comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.
Softcover and hardcover collections of MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS, and other Power Rangers releases from BOOM! Studios are available now, everywhere books are sold.
For more on Power Rangers, please visit www.powerrangers.com and follow Power Rangers on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
More Nick: 'Power Rangers Dino Fury' Season 2 Announced!
'Kenan & Kel' Star Dan Frischman Recalls Making Ariana Grande Cry Whilst Directing on 'Sam & Cat'
Back in the late '80s and early '90s, actor Dan Frischman starred as the nerdy Arvid Engen in all five seasons of the ABC sitcom Head of the Class. Following the end of the series' run, Frischman co-starred as Rigby's grocery store owner Chris Potter in several seasons of Nickelodeon's beloved '90s comedy Kenan & Kel, guested on shows like Seinfeld and Melrose Place, and appeared in a handful of films. In 2013, Frischman got the opportunity to move into a field he had long wanted to pursue: directing.
Frischman's Head of the Class cast mate Dan Schneider had become a successful producer at Nickelodeon and secured Frischman a gig as a director for an episode of Sam & Cat. The sitcom starred Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande as the title characters, which they had previously played on iCarly and Victorious, respectively. Frischman directed three episodes of the series, and recalled during a recent chat with Looper what stood out about the first one he helmed: "I'm probably the only TV director who has made Ariana Grande cry."
In addition to being an actor, director, and writer, Frischman is also a practicing magician — an interest he picked up as a child and continued into his adult years, both as a means to support himself back when he was a struggling actor and later as a hobby he could deploy for charity events and parties. It turns out that one of the kids in the cast of Sam & Cat was also into magic, so he and Frischman began teaching other tricks and sharing info while making the episode that Frischman directed.
"His mother asked if I would take him and his family to the Magic Castle," Frischman told Looper during their chat. "I said, 'Sure,' because they have brunch events for families, and because I'm a member and you need to be a member to go to the Magic Castle in Hollywood." The list of Sam & Cat cast and crew members who wanted to go as well soon started to expand, so Frischman asked the mom to just write up a list of guests, which he would call in.
"I noticed that Ariana was not on the list," says Frischman. "But it made sense to me that Ariana was not on the list because she was really already working hard on her singing career. As a matter of fact, the first day I directed, she had to go home because she had some work to do at the music studio. So I just thought, 'Oh, she's busy on the weekends.'" Frischman ended up taking around a dozen people to the Magic Castle, including Jennette McCurdy, and snapped pictures that were then posted on social media.
"The next week, Dan Schneider called me in," Frischman recalls. "He said, 'I understand you took a bunch of people to the Magic Castle?' And I said, 'Yeah.' And he said, 'Well, who went?' I told him, and he goes, 'So not Ariana?' And I said, 'No [...] I just got a list of people who wanted to go, and I called them in. I had nothing to do with inviting people.' And he said, 'Well, Ariana's in her dressing room, she won't come down, and she's crying because she said, "Dan Frischman had a cast party for everybody on the show and I wasn't invited.'"
Frischman says he was "shocked" and wanted to immediately apologize to Grande, but Schneider stopped him: "He said, 'I don't know how she'll react to you and I need her on the set, so call her mother.'" Frischman went home and dutifully called Grande's mother, but tells Looper that while she understood what happened, she also didn't think it was a good idea for Frischman to speak with her daughter directly. "I never actually apologized to Ariana Grande for making her cry," Frischman says now. "But I'm sure she understood in the end that it had nothing to do with me."
Apparently it was all smoothed over somehow, because Frischman came back to direct two more episodes of Sam & Cat.
You can read Frischman's interview with Looper, in which they also talk about the actor's odd brush with Bob Dylan (including Frischman's cut scenes in Masked and Anonymous) on Looper.com!
From Looper:
Head Of The Class Star Dan Frischman Shares Fond Memories Of The Show And How He Really Feels About The Reboot - Exclusive Interview
When the high school sitcom Head of the Class debuted on ABC in 1986, the original concept centered on a somewhat iconoclastic history teacher, played by Howard Hesseman, and his efforts to make sure that his academically gifted students succeeded not just in their educations but in becoming fully rounded, emotionally developed human beings. As the show took off, however, the focus shifted away from Hesseman's character and more on the students themselves, one of whom — a brilliant yet nerdy math and science whiz named Arvid Engen — was played by Dan Frischman.
Born in Whippany, New Jersey, Frischman caught the performing bug at age eight when he learned how to do magic tricks and began doing magic shows for his friends. He moved to Los Angeles in the early 1980s, where he did stand-up comedy, improv and more magic while landing small roles in series such as The Facts of Life, Newhart, and Archie Bunker's Place. Even though he was in his mid-twenties, Frischman looked young enough to land the part of high school freshman Arvid on Head of the Class, a role he played for five seasons until the show ended its run in 1991.
Following that, his former Class co-stars Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins — both of whom evolved into successful producers and executives in the world of children's and teen television — cast him in the series Kenan & Kel, while Schneider later hired him as a director for three episodes of Sam & Cat, the Nickelodeon series starring then-budding superstar Ariana Grande.
In addition to being an actor, director, comedian, magician, and novelist, Frischman discovered a new role as a father and grandfather in 2019, having learned that year that he had a biological daughter — who had a child of her own — from a brief relationship he had in the mid-1980s. With a surprise family of his own now in his life, and interest in Head of the Class spiking thanks to HBO Max announcing a reboot of the show with an all-new cast, Looper spoke with the affable Frischman about his experiences as Arvid, what the show has meant to him, his newfound status as a dad, and more.
How Dan Frischman landed the role of Arvid on Head of the Class and how he feels about the reboot
Have you gotten the sense that there is a newfound interest in Head of the Class and in the cast?
I'm getting a lot of Instagram posts from people, and all of a sudden, I'm getting more Facebook requests. I know that some particular episodes have aired on one of the cable channels. I know HBO Max has just put the entire series on their roster. Obviously, the fact that they're bringing it back [is] wonderful. I'm happy for the new generation of kids who are going to benefit from that. I felt very lucky back then, so I'm happy to see they're repeating it.
What were your thoughts on the reboot?
About two years ago one of my old castmates tried to pitch us somehow coming back as teachers as the reboot. I was on board with it if they were able to do it but I could not personally picture it happening. Why would we all be there? There wasn't a clear hook to it other than, "Hey, here's those people again!" So I didn't hold much hope for it.
This makes a whole lot more sense that they're going to start with a whole new cast of kids. Coming full circle, I have some friends who are theatrical managers for many kids and teens. They called asking if I would coach their clients for their auditions for the new Head of the Class. I ended up coaching about 12 kids. One of them had four or five callbacks for the show. So that was really fun.
It's kind of like, "Okay, this has come full circle, and I can hopefully personally help one of these kids get there." They're doing it this time with actual 13 and 14-year-olds, the actual ages of freshmen in high school. Whereas I was 27 when I started on Head of the Class. But thank goodness for my baby face I had that I was able to pull that off. I was prepared to lie at the audition and, indeed, the first thing they asked me was, "How old are you?" And I said, "22," which I thought was still a little old to be a high school student but I figured I could pull that off.
At our 100th episode party, by this time everyone knew how old I was — I was like 30 and playing a junior at high school — and I asked one of the producers, "If you had known how old I was, would you have cast me?" And he said, "Well, let me put it this way, I never asked you again." In other words, he said, "No."
I was the oldest. I think Tony O'Dell was a year younger than me. The youngest was actually Tannis Vallely, who played a 13-year-old. She was actually 13. But everybody else was in their 20s to begin with. I think they had tried to do it with actual teenagers originally but they couldn't find what they wanted.
Have they reached out to you or the others about cameos or anything like that?
No. One of the associate producers was also a producer on the original, and I've reached out to her about directing it. But I can imagine in the third season that they would just do a promotion where they cart us out for some reason. Maybe there's a reunion that we show up at or something to that effect. I could see that happening, but I don't think that's on their minds at the moment.
Dan Frischman on why Head of the Class holds up, and his favorite episodes
What are your thoughts on why Head of the Class has held up and why do you think it still touches people?
It was an intelligent show. It's about kids who are applying themselves, so I think parents back then, and kids from back then who are now parents today, want to show their kids students who enjoy learning and excel at what they're doing by working hard. Certainly sometimes we would head into the silly and the farcical, but the main stories were usually something that resonated intellectually.
Do you have a favorite episode?
I have two. One was called "Arvid's Sure Thing," which guest starred Christine Elise as kind of the class floozy who decides that Arvid is going to be her man of the week — and she lets him know it. So Arvid gets really nervous, and he knows what's going to happen when he goes to her parents' apartment. Her parents, of course, are out for the weekend. I get to do the classic buying-the-condoms scene in a pharmacy. That was my favorite because I also had a nice long scene with Christine, who was immediately a terrific actress to work with.
The other was when the kids put on Little Shop of Horrors. It had been a dream of mine to play Seymour and in fact I had auditioned for the original Los Angeles production of Little Shop and was told through my agent that I was too young for the part. But then there I was on television doing almost the whole show and for as many people — maybe a close second to the number of people who saw the movie. That was particularly exciting.
When we were doing the pre-record for the show at the Warner Bros. music studio, there was a knock at the studio door. Rick Moranis came in with Harold Ramis because they were walking by and heard me singing "Suddenly Seymour." They were doing Ghostbusters 2 and they were walking by and they had to see what was going on. So I got to meet him and joke around with him while I was recording his song.
Working with Howard Hesseman, and how much of Arvid was actually Dan
Any other memories?
I was probably the closest to being friends with Howard Hesseman, who disliked the show. He thought it was going to be more of a hard-hitting issue show based around his character with the kids as a group. Once it became more about the kids, he was really unhappy and let everybody know about it. But at the same time, whenever the cameras turned on, there was no one more professional to work with, because he loved acting. He tried to get the producers fired at one point early on in the show, but it didn't work.
How much of you was Arvid and how much of Arvid became you over the course of five years?
There was certainly a lot of Arvid in me. More so when I was in high school. It was very easy to don the glasses and pocket protector and just think, "Girls, grades, acne" and go. The nerdiness came a little too easily to me perhaps. I had a really wonderful family and high school but it was a very, I'd say, kind of conservative, Christian-based public high school that I went to, in Whippany Park, New Jersey. As a kind of funny-looking Jewish boy, I felt like a bit of an outsider. But I found my confidence in high school on stage in the school plays and then doing magic shows, which I started when I was eight years old. So I became well known in high school as "The Great Houdanny" and did stage productions with illusions and floating students, cutting women in thirds, that sort of thing.
I had enough confidence in high school, but there was that underlying feeling of insecurity and not being one of the cool kids, certainly. How do you become a great magician when you're in high school? Well, you just suck at sports, so then you'll find yourself with a magic kit. I did a lot of comedy improv after I left Whippany and moved to Los Angeles. I was in improv groups and I did a one-man show. In all these shows, I always inevitably would end up playing a nerdy character. So when it came time to audition for Head of the Class I already had that in my back pocket. I just walked in and strutted my stuff with characters I'd already played on stage for ad infinitum. So it was a natural fit.
What Dan Frischman did after Head of the Class
After Head of the Class, your next big TV stint was on Kenan & Kel. What are your overall general memories of that?
Yeah, that was really exciting and fun. I got that part because my Head of the Class cast members Dan Schneider and Brian Robbins created and executive produced it. However, I was not foremost in their minds for that part. As a matter of fact, they were looking for a Chris Elliott type. Dan called me asking, "Do you know a Chris Elliott type?" He knew I was taking acting classes, which I did for years, even after Head of the Class, and ended up teaching classes. But I told him I would think about it. Then it had to be like five, six months later that Dan took me for a ride to look at a computer he wanted, and then said, "Oh by the way, we haven't found the guy for that part but we think we know exactly who it should be." And I said, "Well, who?" And he goes, "You!" I was kind of blown away by that.
The kids were great to work with. Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell were both just fun. Kenan was kind of the quieter one, as you might imagine. Kel always was kind of "on." And I got along with all of them. It was just a lot of fun to do, and getting to work with Dan and Brian was kind of a dream.
After that show, you did less on the TV front, and instead went back to theater, improv, and magic.
You know, at that point I was so well known as a TV nerd that unless lightning struck that's all I was going to play and I wasn't looking forward to the next TV nerd character. So I did go back to acting class, and I made a conscious decision just to concentrate on performance. I wrote a book, Jackson & Jenks: Master Magicians, a novel for kids which got into Barnes & Noble stores, and is still on Amazon. So I was going around the country to Barnes & Noble stores doing book signings and they would advertise a magic show. I would do a magic show and then people would buy the book that I'd written. So that was like, "And now for something completely different" — but still in the entertainment world.
How Dan Frischman made Ariana Grande cry
You've done some directing as well.
I directed Ariana Grande and Jennette McCurdy in Sam and Cat. I can tell you that I'm probably the only TV director who has made Ariana Grande cry. I was a first-time director and there was a kid on the show who was also into magic, and we kind of bonded and showed each other tricks and things. His mother asked if I would take him and his family to the Magic Castle. I said sure, because they have family brunch events for families, because I'm a member and you need to be a member to go to the Magic Castle in Hollywood.
So then she kept coming to me with, "Oh, so-and-so also wants to go." So I said, "You know what, just give me a list of all the people who want to go and I'll just call it in." So she came up with a list of at least a dozen people. I noticed that Ariana was not on the list. Jennette was. But it made sense to me that Ariana was not on the list because she was really already working hard on her singing career — as a matter of fact, the first day I directed she had to go home because she had some work to do at the music studio. So I just thought, "Oh, she's busy on the weekends."
So I took a dozen people to the Magic Castle and there were pictures taken and posted on social media. The next week, Dan Schneider called me in. He said, "I understand you took a bunch of people to the Magic Castle?" And I said, "Yeah." And he said, "Well, who went?" I told him, and he goes, "So not Ariana?" And I said, "No... I just got a list of people who wanted to go, and I called them in. I had nothing to do with inviting people." And he said, "Well, Ariana's in her dressing room, she won't come down, and she's crying because she said 'Dan Frischman had a cast party for everybody on the show and I wasn't invited.'"
I was shocked. I said, "Let me go talk to her and apologize." But Dan said, "I don't know how she'll react to you and I need her on the set, so call her mother." So I went home and I called her. I talked to the mother for 15 minutes or so and explained to her what happened. Her mother said she understood that I had done nothing wrong, but meanwhile she had a teenager crying. And I said, "Well, let me talk to her." She says, "No, no, no, I know how to handle this." So I never actually apologized to Ariana Grande for making her cry. But I'm sure she understood in the end that it had nothing to do with me.
You were working on that show with Ariana right as she became this music superstar. What was it like to work with her as an actress?
Whenever she was on the set she was very dedicated. You could tell between takes she was busy going and doing other things. Her mother was her manager, so there was lots for her to do. But yeah, she was a dream to work with. That whole cast was a dream to work with. As a matter of fact, one of the episodes I did was called "Stuck in a Box." Because of her career she was only going to be able to make it to the set on one day, so they did this episode out of necessity where she spent the entire episode stuck in a box. She just did voiceover one day, so it would appear that she was in the show throughout, but she was never in the box, of course. It was a magic box, so that was particularly fun for me to direct too because a lot of it took place in a magic shop.
Dan Frischman on why he loves magic
This leads nicely into talking about your magic career, which is something you've been doing since childhood and you're still doing today.
I started when I was eight years old. It gave me a lot of confidence, and it gave me a career. When most kids were out playing baseball and having friends, I was in my room practicing a one-handed cut of cards in a mirror and playing with sponge balls. It really gave me a focus. It's one of those things that's just innate. It's in you or it's not, the performance bug. I did my first show for Kenny Ward up the block from me. I got three dollars and I knew all the kids I was performing for, and one of them knew all the tricks and started screaming the solutions to them. But I kept going. I thought, "Okay, well, that means I need better tricks." I always had that "comeback kid" way about me.
By the time I was 14 I was doing four or five magic shows a weekend, and that helped pay for my trip when I moved out to Los Angeles, I had money for rent to start with, thanks to the magic shows. And I never had to do the waiter job. I immediately started doing the magic shows when I was out here. So it was a passion for me, and a means of keeping a roof over my head while I was a struggling actor. It's just a hobby now. I just have fun doing it. I'll do charity events and things, but it's nothing I do for a living.
I used to pull a bunny out of a box, until I was about 17 and became allergic to rabbits. No other animals. I have a cat. Only rabbits, so I had to switch to floating the birthday girl in the air at the end for the finale. I almost set a birthday girl on fire once doing that floating girl trick. I was doing a birthday party show in somebody's living room, and I always had a flashpot to make a puff of smoke before I pulled a cloth up over the girl who was lying on a board so that people would see there was nothing under the cloth and she was floating in the air.
Well, the flashpot caught fire to the cloth, so I pulled the cloth up over her and there's a flame. I didn't notice at first and the kids were saying, "She's on fire! Cindy's on fire!" And sure enough there's like a flame getting very close to her person, and thank goodness she had to have her eyes closed, so she couldn't see it. I just put my hand right over the flame and quashed it with my hand. Luckily the parents were in another room. And afterwards the kids were saying, "Mommy, the magician set Cindy on fire." And the parents were like, "Oh, and was it scary?" And, of course, yes it was scary. But the parents were none the wiser.
How Dan Frischman found out he had a daughter and a grandson
You have a relatively new career as a father and a grandfather.
This is probably the most interesting thing about me at the moment. I lived in New York for two years and I'd just moved back [to Los Angeles] and was having my house redone, so I was staying with my brother and sister-in-law only about 15 minutes away from me in Van Nuys. A cousin named Larry had done the 23andMe test and said that he found a first cousin and he was following up to find out who it was.
Then he texts me and my brothers and says, "One of you is going to get a text, a private message from a woman named Emily and she won't tell me how she's related to you. But she is somehow related to one of you." The email said, "Dan, you don't know me but when you were much younger you had a brief relationship with..." — she named the birth mother — "and it produced a child and that is me." And that daughter had a one-year-old. It was a mind-blowing moment.
I was ecstatic. We spoke on the phone and slowly we've built a close relationship. They live in Portland. My son-in-law is a professional chef. He had a job in Normandy, France and I went to visit them there. I have visited them twice in Portland. I met the adoptive mother, a very sweet woman. And it's working out really nicely and now, as of four months ago, I have a granddaughter as well, named Ella. So that's the most amazing part of my life right now.
How did you end up with a daughter?
What happened is that her biological mother and I dated for three months when I was living in a house with seven comedians. She had a good friend who was doing comedy improv at the Comedy Store. So the birth mom would hang around, and she and I started dating. She was only 18 or 19. And after a couple of months she had enough of me — she didn't need reasons, it was just time to move on. But when she realized she was pregnant, she moved up to her parents' house in upstate California where she had the baby and put it up for adoption to two wonderful parents in Santa Clara. And that baby grew up to be my now 39-year-old daughter Emily. I have not spoken with [the biological mother]. She doesn't want to talk, which I respect. She lives in Los Angeles and she's married.
My brothers were jealous. They both have two kids apiece and here comes single little brother Dan, the first to have grandkids. One of my cousins said, "Wow, Danny's passed them by without any effort whatsoever."
That time Dan Frischman met Bob Dylan
Any other interesting stories you want to share with us?
I did a couple of movies between Head of the Class and Kenan & Kel, and then I did a film called Masked and Anonymous that was co-written by Bob Dylan, who also starred in it, and the director Larry Charles, who also did Borat and wrote many of the Seinfeld episodes. I only had two scenes but they were with Bob Dylan. The morning I had my scenes with Mr. Dylan, I'm driving to the set, and I'm playing a Bob Dylan song, "Simple Twist of Fate," on my cassette player. I get to the set, and I walk to the make-up trailer, and there is just Bob Dylan alone getting his hair done. I started to say, "Hello," and his personal hairdresser looks at me and says, "Good morning. Have a seat. Carol will be with you in just a moment" — in other words, "Sit down, shut up, no one speaks, certainly not to Mr. Dylan."
So I just sat down in the barber chair next to him. A woman comes out to do my hair. It's very quiet. I'm sitting next to this music legend and I couldn't stand it. So out loud, nice and loud, I said, "You know, this is one of those rare moments where you will have a Bob Dylan song in your head but you don't want to sing it because Bob Dylan's sitting next to you." My hairdresser laughed. His hairdresser looked at me with the eyes of Beelzebub — I actually broke the code of silence.
Dylan for his part didn't make a move. But then, 10 seconds later, as if it took a while for my message to get through the synapses, all of a sudden he turns and looks at me and he goes, "Kind of unnerving, isn't it?" Which made me laugh. But then I was done, I was like, "Okay, I had my moment. He threw it back at me and we're done."
But then he started asking me about — I was playing a ventriloquist on the show and he started asking me about ventriloquism. He even said, in his Bob Dylan drawl, "Is it real or is it an illusion?" So I talked about it for a couple of minutes, and then maybe five, 10 minutes later, the hairdresser was done with me. I started to walk out and I gave him a nod, and all of a sudden I hear, "Oh hey." And I turn around and he's looking at me in the mirror, and he goes, "What was the song?" And I said, "Simple Twist of Fate." He just kind of nodded, and that was it. I never said another word to him. When we would finish our scene, which is only in the DVD extras of Masked and Anonymous, this very odd movie that came out in '93, he would give me a little nod. So that was my brush with greatness.
Dan Frischman can be seen as Arvid Engen on all five seasons of Head of the Class, currently available on HBO Max.
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