Whenever this topic comes up, I always start reminiscing about how much Black representation Nickelodeon had when I was growing up. 😭 I was born at the very tail end of the ’90s (1999 baby), so my earliest memories of Nickelodeon are really from the early 2000s, when I was a toddler.

I remember watching The Nick Cannon Show, Taina, and Romeo! growing up. Those shows were some of my earliest memories of Nickelodeon, so I have a real soft spot for that era. I was obviously too young to understand everything going on in those shows, but I remember the faces, the sets, the theme songs, and just having Nickelodeon on.

As I got older, we had Just Jordan, True Jackson, VP, How to Rock, and so many other Black characters throughout the network. That 2007–2012 period especially had us eating good 😂

Looking back, what stands out to me is how many different Black characters we got. They could be funny, goofy, fashionable, ambitious, messy, spoiled, smart, or just regular kids being kids. It felt like Black characters were simply part of Nickelodeon’s world instead of being treated like something unusual.

I also love that I got to experience some of those early 2000s shows as a little kid and then grow into the later Nickelodeon shows. So when I look back at that whole era, it feels like I watched Nickelodeon grow up with me.

I know nostalgia plays a part, but that late ’90s/early-to-late 2000s Nickelodeon era really left an impression on me. I miss that lineup so much.

For me it’s

“I did not care for Rugrats”

They’re called Amby and Dexter. A pair of hands would always turn into two small people. I remember watching them when I was like probably three or four. Re-watching them after all these years doesn’t really feel nostalgic they just feel like some kind of weird memory. It’s like such an uncanny valley. I don’t even get how it was this fun for kids.

In this video, Raquel Lee talks about the Literals Skit on The Amanda Show and how Amanda spit the drink in her face in the first couple takes. And what really bothers me is some people in the comments saying stuff along the lines of “Karma’s a bitch.” “I don’t feel bad for her anymore.” “That’s exactly why her life is the way it is now.” Spitting in someone’s face is the ultimate disrespect and I don’t condone it whatsoever even if it’s Amanda who’s done it but she was a child and I know that doesn’t excuse it but it’s just so unfair and despicable to hold something someone did when they were a child over their head and say that they deserve what happened to them because of it. Something rotten you did at 13 shouldn’t define who you are at 39. And what really gets me is that people who grew up watching The Amanda Show are in their 30s now and for y’all to say “That’s What she gets” is just beyond juvenile and disgusting.

Like seriously, 2009-2015 Nickelodeon was something else.. aside Harvey Beaks or TLOK or TMNT, or Tuff Puppy (i guess).