Nickeloden defined our childhood with green slime, orange blimps, and these characters. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the live-action and animated Nickelodeon characters who give us the most nostalgia for our youths.
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00:00 F is for friends who do stuff together, U is for you and me.
00:05 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the live-action and animated
00:10 Nickelodeon characters who gave us the most nostalgia for our youths.
00:14 Number 10. Arnold Shortman. Hey, Arnold.
00:23 For those of us who just wanted to do the right thing, Arnold Shortman showed us how it's done.
00:29 One of the most selfless characters ever to grace our Saturday mornings,
00:32 the only thing larger than Arnold's oddly-shaped head is his tremendous heart.
00:37 "Grandma seems to be counting on me to help her save the Circle Theater,
00:40 and I really want to help her." "Of course you do, it's a great cause, no problem!"
00:46 Driven by his innate belief in the goodness of others, he's the ultimate problem-solver,
00:51 and the moral compass of his community. In fact, it's likely that our own understanding
00:56 of goodwill was, in part, shaped by Arnold's effortless ability to offer guidance to his
01:01 friends and family. "Arnold, don't be sad. You've taught me that some people can be trusted,
01:08 and I'll never forget that." Though not without his own share of adolescent insecurities,
01:14 his passion for helping others emanated through our TV screens,
01:18 so much we're certain he believed in us, too.
01:21 Number 9. Sir Nigel Archibald Thornberry - The Wild Thornberries
01:25 "Ah, inching along like the world is afire. Oh, look at him go! A regular lightning bolt.
01:33 That is, as far as caterpillars go." This British patriarch was arguably the
01:39 wildest thornberry of them all, which is saying a lot when your daughter can talk to animals,
01:43 and your son may as well be one. A zoologist and documentarian, Nigel's passion for adventure is
01:49 as big as his mustache, and it's one that he's more than happy to share with his wife and kids.
01:55 He's a family man through and through, and is always willing to put himself in harm's way
01:59 to protect his loved ones. "Dad, don't!"
02:07 "Eliza, get behind me!" He knows that the secret to making any
02:11 journey worth taking is having the right people to share it with. With his indistinguishable
02:16 accent brought to life by the always-relatable Tim Curry, Nigel is the kind of fatherly love
02:21 we can still get behind. "That was smashing!"
02:30 Number 8. Jade West - Victorious Even at a school full of quirky students,
02:35 Jade's passions go to some very interesting places. "Why are you doing that?"
02:40 "Because you're bad." "So, uh, you wrote this movie yourself?"
02:46 "And directed it and starred in it." But as this list is sure to prove,
02:51 her eccentricities make her one of the most talented and surprisingly well-rounded characters
02:56 on Victorious. Starting off as the stereotypical mean girl, Jade's love-hate relationship with
03:01 Tori Vega becomes a driving force for her growth across the show's four seasons.
03:06 "You can't think of one thing that you like about me?"
03:08 "I like when you're sad." She owns her look and attitude until the very end,
03:14 but it was an absolute joy to witness her open up more to her friends and grow to genuinely
03:18 appreciate them. If she could break down her walls, so could we. Besides, we'd be kidding
03:23 ourselves if we didn't go weak at the knees for Elizabeth Gilley's incredible singing voice.
03:34 Number 7. Jimmy Neutron - The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron,
03:38 Porty Genius. He may be small, but his brain is bigger than all of ours put together. A regular
03:43 MacGyver for younger audiences, there's little Jimmy Neutron can't accomplish when he sets his
03:48 mind to it. "Think, think." "You look just like..." "Me?" "Self." "Me." "Free blast."
04:00 With a quick brain blast, anything around him can be put to use as he develops one brilliant
04:05 invention after another. That being said, he may be a genius, but Jimmy is far from perfect.
04:10 In fact, his creations often tend to cause chaos due to his lack of maturity and know-it-all
04:16 attitude. "Some things should not see the light of day, for who am I? A mere mortal to alter the
04:21 very laws of mortality." Like all kids, he still has much to learn about being a people person.
04:27 But whenever he saved Retroville from sure destruction, we all learned a valuable lesson
04:32 in putting others before ourselves and overcoming our mistakes. "No, no, Carl,
04:36 your pants may look playful now, but deep down in their pockets, they are pure evil."
04:42 Number 6. Aang - Avatar The Last Airbender.
04:55 "I'm Aang." Carrying the weight of the entire world on your back is a tough pill to swallow,
04:59 especially when you're only 12. Aang's youthful, energetic spirit makes for a delightful counterpoint
05:05 during his quest to master all four elements and defeat the corrupt Fire Nation. "See? Now I've
05:10 come as the correct dance." However, his exuberant outlook is often just a mask for his reluctance
05:19 and guilt. Even though he spent a hundred years frozen in ice, he is a character who had to wise
05:23 up a lot faster than any of us ever did. "What if they judge us and attack us?" "Well, we're the
05:29 Fire Prince and the Avatar. I think we could take these guys in a fight, whoever they are."
05:33 His heavy burden comes with pressure to conform to unjust values. But with his pacific fighting
05:41 style and great friends to help him, he ultimately learns that sometimes balance can only be
05:45 achieved by doing things your own way. Number 5. Angelica Pickles - Rugrats
05:51 "The only thing that would make me happy is to never get another year older as long as I live."
05:56 "What do you mean?" "Getting old's fun."
05:58 "Oh no, little Phil. Getting old is nothing but misery and woe."
06:02 Although she's the closest thing this long-running series has to a villain, Angelica Pickles was,
06:07 and still is, the epitome of self-confidence. Yes, she's mean, she's spoiled, and completely
06:12 obsessed with herself. But even then, it's hard not to show some respect to a girl who knows her
06:17 worth by the age of three, and doesn't think twice to let everyone else know too.
06:21 "What you doing?" "I'm running away from home."
06:23 "Oh. Hey, where did you —" "Don't touch the car!"
06:27 "Sorry." When she isn't terrorizing her cousin Tommy and his friends with true stories,
06:31 she's just as quickly selling them out to their parents. She says and does whatever she wants,
06:36 and while she occasionally offers those dumb babies a helping hand,
06:40 she still knows how to wear her entitlement like an absolute boss.
06:43 "They almost crushed the candy!" "Angelica!" "I saw it first and it's mine!"
06:48 Number Four. Josh Nichols, Drake & Josh
06:51 One of the great things about growing up with this series is that, as much as we wanted to
06:55 be cool and popular like Drake, a part of us always identified with Josh.
06:59 "Repeat things for emphasis." "Emphasis!"
07:02 The more rational and sensitive of the titular stepbrothers, Josh spends much of his time
07:08 getting roped into Drake's buffoonish escapades. But as the series' theme song suggests,
07:13 Josh is always there to help his brother find a way.
07:16 "It ate away at you until you couldn't take it anymore."
07:19 "Remember the science fair?" "So you took her car apart and put it
07:22 back together in her classroom to get eat." "Stop talking!"
07:24 "Yeah, and then you framed me." "Admit it!"
07:27 Sure, he's awkward and a little clumsy, but Josh Peck's comedic timing was so on point that,
07:31 like Drake, we grew to love him for who he was. Whether he was repeating things for emphasis,
07:36 or taking his bad luck in stride, he showed us there's value in staying true to ourselves.
07:42 "Oprah Winfrey! She signed it!" "Yep."
07:45 "I got an autograph from Oprah! Yeah!"
07:50 3. Sam Puckett - iCarly
07:53 Sam is definitely not the kind of person we'd want on our bad side,
07:56 especially if we had a fat cake in our hand. "Fat cakes, yeah!"
08:00 But she's also the kind of friend we'd be glad to have in any situation.
08:05 The co-host of iCarly, Sam is erratic and rebellious,
08:09 making her the perfect foil to her straight-laced best friend Carly.
08:12 Never far from something to eat or her trademark butter sock,
08:15 her tough exterior allows her to remain protective of those she cares about.
08:19 Her signature brand of loyalty lends itself to some hilarious moments of physical comedy,
08:28 particularly when she targets Freddie. Deep down, however, she has a heart the size of Seattle,
08:33 making her the most wholesome character in a show full of them.
08:36 "Did Mario say how long it'll be till more pies are ready?"
08:38 "Yep, we can go back any time after three tomorrow."
08:41 "Oh, great. Wake me at a quarter to pie."
08:44 2. Timmy Turner - The Fairly Oddparents
08:49 We've all felt like an average kid who no one understands,
08:52 but there was someone who knew exactly how we felt. The only difference between us and Timmy
08:57 Turner is that we didn't have fairy godparents to make life a little bit easier.
09:01 "Sounds like being older will be a hoot!"
09:03 "Yeah, and I don't even have to wait, 'cause I've got fairy godparents!
09:07 Okay, you guys, I wish I was older!"
09:10 The question of what we might do with three wishes was thrown out the window
09:14 any time Timmy made one of his own. His wishes are idealistic, yet poorly thought out at best.
09:20 "I wish I was the only boy in school!"
09:22 "Careful with that wish, sport! Being alone with someone for a long time
09:26 can get annoying if it's not the right person!"
09:29 "What are you trying to say? Are you leaving me? I thought you loved me!"
09:33 Thus, he learned much about great power and great responsibility from Cosmo and Wanda as we did.
09:39 At the end of the day, what made Timmy such a staple of our youth is that,
09:42 while he didn't age much, he taught us what it truly means to grow up.
09:46 "This looks like a job for…"
09:48 "Older Timmy!"
09:49 "Pluck on somebody your own size!"
09:53 Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
09:57 Kenan Rockmore and Kel Kimball. Kenan and Kel.
10:00 Possibly the most dynamic of any Nickelodeon duo.
10:03 "I did it! It was an accident! I didn't mean it! I dropped the screw in the tuna!"
10:13 Danny Fenton. Danny Phantom.
10:16 If there's something strange in our neighborhood, we know who we'd really call.
10:20 "Bye Vlad! And as a lonely single man in your 40s, might I suggest internet dating? Or a cat?"
10:26 Zim. Invader Zim.
10:28 Earth's Mightiest Hero or Earth's Lousiest Conqueror. You decide.
10:33 "Are you an alien?"
10:34 "Lies! The filthy Earth boy lies!"
10:38 "I mean, no."
10:40 Penelope Taint. The Amanda Show. We're her number one fans. Please.
10:45 "Hello people, I'm Penelope Taint, Amanda's number one fan, please.
10:48 I have my own Amanda website. www.amandaplease.com."
10:53 Quinn Penske. Zoe 101. A Quinnvention a day keeps our sadness away.
10:58 "Now, prepare to be de-skunkified."
11:01 "Hold up! Whoa! Please! What are you gonna spray us with?"
11:05 "A chemical compound I created to neutralize the effect of skunk smell."
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11:23 Number 1. SpongeBob SquarePants.
11:27 SpongeBob SquarePants. To be fair, Bikini Bottom is filled to the brim with memorable characters
11:32 who could have easily made this list, such as the simple-minded Patrick and the cantankerous Squidward.
11:38 "I have no soul."
11:39 But the town's resident pineapple dweller is about as close to iconic as any Nickelodeon
11:48 character has come. It's hard to find someone who doesn't at least know this sea sponge's name,
11:53 which is a testament to just how indelible he's become over the years.
11:57 "I'm ugly and I'm proud! I'm ugly and I'm proud! I'm ugly and I'm proud!"
12:03 "Is that what he calls it?"
12:04 Striving to make every day the best day ever, SpongeBob is optimistic,
12:08 loyal to a fault, and finds pleasure in even the most mundane activities.
12:12 He's a guy who simply knows how to have fun, and his unwavering kindness towards everyone
12:17 around him will inspire you even more the older you get.
12:20 "I'm rich for frolic, through all the flowers, he waits for ukelele.
12:26 And he's my nose-picking, sharing gum and sun-licking, here with my best buddy."
12:32 Who's your favorite Nickelodeon character? Let us know in the comments down below.
12:36 "Come on, Angelica. Let's go inside. I know where there's a box of juice with your name on it."
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12:50 [music]