10 Continuity Errors In Nickelodeon’s Rugrats

Nickelodeon came out on top when they released Rugrats back in 1991. The animated show revolved around a group of babies (Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil) and their day-to-day lives as best friends. The babies (plus Tommy’s cousin Angelica) were often seen using their imaginations and going on adventures that were realistic enough to transport viewers with them.

After nine seasons, a spinoff was introduced in 2003 (All Grown Up), which showed our favorite group of babies as young teens. Rugrat fans can’t get enough of these animated adventures! However, the ’90s were a different time for animation and plenty of continuity errors were made. Keep scrolling to see 10 whoopsie moments!

10 What Happened To Chuckie’s Shoes?

In the episode “Beach Blanket Babies,” Tommy and Chuckie (and their families) are going to the beach for the day. As Tommy’s grandpa is preparing the cooler, the babies have the wonderful idea of bringing their sea monkeys along for the ride so they can be released into the sea.

Adorably, the boys pour the sea monkey’s bowl into the cooler. However, when we see Chuckie helping Tommy, he has his shoes on. But when grandpa comes over to check on them, Chuckie’s barefoot.

9 How Did Our Favorite Rugrats Meet?

How exactly did our favorite foursome meet? Well, Stu and Drew are brothers, making Tommy and Angelica cousins but what about the rest? In the episode “Moving Away,” Tommy describes mingling with the babies for the first time after Angelica was being mean.

Her bullying personality forced him to make friends, really. But in “Crawl Space,” Chuckie has a sweet flashback to where all the babies were playing in a playpen at home, proving a very different first meeting among the babies. Perhaps Tommy and Chuckie have two different memories?

8 Chuckie Mysteriously Already Had His Bear (Even Though Kira Had It)

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie was the second movie to follow the series. It’s in this movie (and on this vacation) that we meet Kimi and Kira, Chuckie’s new stepsister and stepmother. Kira and Kimi made wonderful additions to Rugrats and finally completed Chuckie and Chas’s family.

In the film, Coco LaBouche (the movie’s villain) steals Chuckie’s bear from him and makes him cry. But by the end of the film, Kira delivers it to Chuckie, safe and sound. However, just before she delivers the bear to Chuckie, there’s a shot of Chas holding Chuckie and he’s holding the bear, even though Kira is supposedly to have it!

7 How Did The Mall Robber Know Chuckie’s Name?

In the All Grown Up episode “Rat Traps,” the (now) teenagers get stuck in the mall after its already closed. Before they could exit the mall, they realized that all the money Kimi was collecting for school had disappeared from the mall container.

The group confronts the janitors but it appears they’re the ones who stole the money. A chase ensues throughout the mall but when there’s a standoff, the one robber says “Come on Chuckie, don’t be stupid.” But how did he know Chuckie’s name? They were never introduced now did anyone scream for Chuckie throughout the episode.

6 If Chuckie Is Older Than Tommy, How Are They In The Same Grade?

One continuity error throughout Rugrats that’s fuzzy to fans is the ages of the babies. Chuckie looks way older than Tommy, Phil, and Lil due to his hair, glasses, and overall style.

And it’s been said that he’s a year older than the rest of the babies. If that’s the case, then why was he in the same grade as them in All Grown Up?

5 Spike’s Collar Fumble

In the first movie from the series (The Rugrats Movie), the babies find themselves on yet another adventure but this time it’s not in their minds. They’re lost in the woods and their parents are scrambling to find them before anything horrible happens to them.

Throughout the film, a wolf is chasing the group of babies throughout the woods but Spike saves the day when they get into a dog fight. While on the bridge, the wolf rips off Spikes collar (as seen on the left) but seconds later, Spike’s collar is mysteriously back on (as seen on the right)!

4 No One Dropped A Bottle…

Also in The Rugrats Movie, as the babies are rolling out of the house in the Reptar roller, we see there’s no trace of where they went as they rolled out the door.

Grandpa can be seen sleeping in his chair and the door is left wide open. But when Stu enters the living room, a spilled bottle of milk is lying in the doorway, implying the babies left in a rush. However, none of the babies dropped a bottle of milk on their way out?

3 Who Fixed Chuckie’s Glasses?!

When the babies are being chased by crazy monkies in The Rugrats Movie, Chuckie’s glasses are taken from him and then shattered in the mixup.

Chuckie can’t see well without his glasses and tries wearing them even though they’re cracked. However, seconds later, Chuckie’s glasses are mysteriously fixed and he can see perfectly fine. It’s as if the writers totally forgot that Chuckie’s glasses were shattered to begin with.

2 Anjelica’s Quick Dress Change

In “Tommy’s First Birthday.” Angelica makes a big deal about the pretty dress she’s wearing. She has matching bows and is decked out for her cousin Tommy’s first birthday.

She’s wearing this dress throughout the episode but by the end of the episode, all the babies are on the ground acting like dogs and Angelica is quickly seen wearing her normal—non-party—outfit. But then in the next scene, she’s back to wearing her party dress again! We’re going to chalk this up to an animation error and not that Angelica has a Flash-like mentality to change outfits at the speed of light.

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All the babies have classic outfits they continue to wear throughout the series. Tommy is known for his blue shirt and diaper, Lil is known for her cute bow, and Chuckie always wears his Saturn shirt.

In most episodes, his shirt has a yellow Saturn with a red ring around it. But in the episode “Grandpa’s Teeth,” the Saturn on his shirt is red with a yellow ring! Were animators testing us if we’d notice?

About The Author

Lynn Gibbs
(1652 Articles Published)

Lynn is a nomad who travels the globe on the hunt for her next adventure with her husband. A lover of being outside (and finding the best latte in town), Lynn is typically hiking, walking, or jogging when she’s not focusing on her love of writing. When it comes to shows streaming on Netflix or anything Bravo-related, Lynn’s your gal.

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