Nostalgia Nook: Doug

Admit it: You now have the theme song stuck in your head. I know the Nostalgia Critic will not be covering this TV show as it scarred him as a child. (Listen to the theme song he made up for it if you are curious).


Doug premiered on Nickelodeon in the early 90s. It was an animated show about a 12-years-old named Doug who had eccentric neighbors, a drama queen for a sister, some interesting friends and one cool dog. He also had an active imagination that spoke to other kids.


So why did we like Doug? Well, put on your Beets album and watch out for SPOILERS!


Doug Clancy Funnie is your average 12-years-old who has just moved to Bluffington, Any State, with his parents and older sister Judy. Also along for the ride is his incredibly intelligent dog, Pork Chop. Kind-hearted and imaginative, Doug quickly makes friends with Mosquito “Skeeter” Valentine, a blue-hued kid who makes odd noises. He also develops a crush on athletic Patti Mayonnaise and makes an enemy of Roger Klotz. And there is still more characters to this show: Mr. Bone, the stern vice principal. Mrs. Wingo, the nice teacher. Mr. Dink, Doug’s eccentric neighbor, and his wife Tippy, the straight man in their marriage. Mayor West, the totally incompetent yet harmless politician. And those are just the adults!


Doug also has a cast of characters that live in his imagination.  There is Quailman, from the planet Bob. Rather than super strength, he relies on super intelligence. There is Smash Adams, a take off on James Bond. There was a form of Indiana Jones, but I cannot recall his name right now. One of my favorite episodes involved Doug and Skeeter writing their own comic. It shows the problems faced by co-creators. And that Skeeter creates an absolute Gary Stu (including “new powers as the plot dictates”). They end up fighting but reconcile. And produce a pretty awesome comic.


Unlike some other shows aimed at children, the adults are not dumbed down (with the exception of Mayor White). They are like the adults in real life. They have their own failings—too strict, too nice, too eccentric, etc. Sometimes they give sound advice, sometimes they don’t. They seem a bit more realistic.


Doug ended its run on Nickelodeon with the gang graduating from middle school. Scared about the changes, Doug and Roger realized things weren’t too bad. And everyone walked off into the sunset, on their way for a burger.


Then Disney announced it had picked up Doug. It was to join its One Saturday Morning on ABC. And I was excited.


Until the series started. Now, I love Disney. But I hated what they did to Doug. They changed everything. Roger was suddenly rich. Personalities changed. It just wasn’t Doug anymore. And so I stopped watching.


But Doug lives on. When Nickelodeon realized the audience was there, they created 90s Are All That. And Doug made the original lineup. It still appears every so often. And it’s not a surprise. I go to New York Comic Con and see at least ten people dressed as Quailman (And I dare someone to go as  Skeeter—with blue skin).


So, let’s all let our imagination run wild and sing along to the Beets.


























You now have “Killer Tofu” stuck in your head, don’t you?


Next month: A Goofy Movie