Tbh I keep seeing people say 'Rugrats' started in 1995
Honestly, it bugs me a little. The pilot aired in 1991, I know because my older brother taped it off Nickelodeon. The full series launch was in '91 too, not '95. I think people mix it up with when it got really huge. Has anyone else noticed this mix-up, or am I just being a weirdo about cartoon dates?
Yeah, it's a total Mandela Effect thing. The '95 date got stuck in people's heads because that's when the merchandise and movie push went into overdrive. My theory is that's also when a lot of younger kids first remember it being on constantly. But you're right, the VHS tapes of those early episodes were everywhere in like '92.
Wait, is this why my little cousin SWEARS the show is from the Clinton years? It's totally that mid-90s merch blitz. You couldn't walk into a KB Toys without seeing Reptar wagons and Tommy pickles. That stuff imprinted on the younger kids way harder than the actual first air date.