Then Along Came Lively Shows for Kids, in the Nick of Time

Nickelodeon, the network that turned children’s television on its ear with kid-centric humor, weird animation, wacky game shows and kid-empowering live action, is 20 years old. That means that talking babies; heroines called Clarissa, Alex and Shelby; a puppy named Blue; Peabody Award-winning reporter Linda Ellerbee; “Double Dares”; and green slime are now common ground for a heck of a lot of parents and big and little kids.

In tribute, the Museum of Television & Radio has put together a bicoastal retrospective, “A Kid’s Got to Do What a Kid’s Got to Do: Celebrating 20 Years of Nickelodeon,” three months of screenings, seminars and children’s workshops open to all ages at the museum’s Los Angeles and New York locations.

It kicks off Friday with screenings of “First Nick Toons” (“The Ren & Stimpy Show,” “Doug,” “Rugrats”) running through Sept. 1, and “First Snick” (live-action shows “Clarissa Explains It All,” “Roundhouse,” “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”) through Aug. 1. Other live-action shows, including game shows and news specials, plus upcoming shows, will be screened through mid-September.

“The screenings are our key component,” said the museum’s New York-based television curator, David Bushman, who oversaw the event planning. “We’ve got what we think is every major Nickelodeon show from the beginning to now represented at least once and sometimes more than that.”

One of Nickelodeon’s cornerstones--strong girl characters--is another focus. Panelists participating in a June 12 seminar called “Girl Power! Creating Positive Role Models for Girls” include Amanda Bynes, Amanda in “All That”; Erin Dean, who plays Robbie Stevenson on “The Journey of Allen Strange”; Irine Ng of “The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo”; and Larisa Oleynik, who plays the title role in “The Secret World of Alex Mack.”

“I think Nickelodeon has empowered kids in a lot of ways,” Bushman said, “but I think they’ve specifically empowered young girls, and that’s a really important thing that Nickelodeon deserves a lot of credit for. This whole idea that you could not make girl-centric shows because boys wouldn’t watch them, they disproved that theory.”

A second seminar, “Voices and Visions: The Making of Nicktoons” (June 19), features creators and executive producers from “Hey Arnold,” “CatDog,” “SpongeBob SquarePants” (an upcoming show), “Chalkzone,” “Oh Yeah! Cartoons!,” “KABLAM!,” “The Angry Beavers,” “Rugrats” and “The Wild Thornberrys.”

“Nickelodeon really played a leading role in contemporizing animation,” Bushman noted. “Certainly they didn’t do it alone--’The Simpsons’ was hugely instrumental. But Nickelodeon has done it with a lot of different shows.”

There will also be workshops for children, a gallery exhibit and various “hands-on” displays.

“But it’s not just fun and games,” Bushman said. “It’s also news and public affairs, social awareness type stuff. We’re doing a seminar in New York with Linda Ellerbee, who just won the Peabody Award for ‘Nick News,’ and we’ve also got the news screening package [in L.A. and New York].”

Although it’s a retrospective, don’t expect to see much of the network’s earliest programming. Nickelodeon, now known for its trademark attitude and idiosyncratic style, didn’t make a big impact when it launched on April Fool’s Day 1979. That came a few years later, Bushman said.

“In the beginning, Nick had much smaller penetration in terms of the number of homes it was in. We wanted to screen shows that people were going to remember from their childhood, or that are part of their childhood now.”

The network had some input in what should be included, but “ultimately, we decided,” Bushman said. “It’s our tribute to them.”

Bushman has personal reasons for putting it all together, too. “I have a daughter, who’s 6,” he said, “so Nickelodeon is a constant presence in my life.”

BE THERE

“A Kid’s Got to Do What a Kid’s Got to Do: Celebrating 20 Years of Nickelodeon,” Museum of Television & Radio, 465 N. Beverly Drive, Beverly Hills.

Animation: “First Nick Toons,” Friday-June 13, 12:15 p.m.; July 7-11, 2 p.m.; Sept. 8-12, 2 p.m. “The Wild World of Klasky Csupo,” June 16-20, 12:15 p.m. “Nicktoons,” June 23-27, 12:15 p.m.; July 21-25, 2 p.m.; Aug. 11-15, 2 p.m. “Nick’s Animation Laboratory,” June 30-July 3, 12:15 p.m.

Live Action: “First Snick,” Friday-June 13, 2 p.m.; July 7-11, 12:15 p.m.; July 28-Aug. 1, 2 p.m. “Girl Heroes,” June 23-27, 2 p.m.; July 14-18, 12:15 p.m.; Sept. 1-5, 2 p.m. “Sketch Comedy,” June 30-July 3, 2 p.m.; July 21-25, 12:15 p.m.; Aug. 18-22, 2 p.m. “Nick Jr.,” June 16-20, 2 p.m.; July 28-Aug. 1, 12:15 p.m.; Aug. 25-29, 2 p.m. “The Best of Nick News,” Aug. 4-8.

“Game Shows and More”: “Triple Dose of Double Dare,” Aug. 11-15, 12:15 p.m. “The Weirdest of Figure It Out,” July 14-18, Aug. 3-8, 2 p.m.; Aug. 18-22, 12:15 p.m. “Do You Have It?,” Aug. 25-29. “Nick’s Creative Lab,” Sept. 1-5, 12:15 p.m. “What’s New on Nick?,” Sept. 8-12, 12:15 p.m.

Seminars: “Girl Power!,” June 12, 10 a.m.; “Voices and Visions: The Making of Nicktoons,” June 19, 10 a.m. $10 each seminar; $16 for both. (310) 786-1091.

Workshops: “Tooned in to Animation” (June 26), “Making a Scene! Live Action Dramas and Comedies” (July 17), “The Game Show’s Up!,” Aug. 7. Times: 2 to 4 p.m. $5 per workshop; $12 for all three. Children must be accompanied by an adult. (310) 786-1014.

Museum admission: $6 per adult; $4 students and seniors; $3 for under age 13.