@@davidbilu1166 What was it like working at Nick during the early years of Spongebob? While Rugrats was still top dog at the time, what was the buzz surrounding the show before it was EVERYWHERE just years later?
@@hbmento8102 The arrival of SpongeBob was both a blessing and a curse. It marked the moment that Nickelodeon realized they could save a lot of money by syndicating an animated show worldwide instead of paying for live productions, sitcoms , and game shows which all required Soundstages, equipment, children on set, pay for actors, etc… It was the death-knell of Nickelodeon as we knew it. Also around the exact same time as SpongeBob went into “global phenomenon” status was the time that Jamie Lynn Spears, the underaged star of Zoe 101 and sister of Britney Spears, became pregnant at 14 years old. The rumors around Nickelodeon were rampant that one of the producers was the father of the child. So to kill 2 birds with one stone, they shifted all development from live production to animation, and shifted the entire production HQ slowly but surely from Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando to Los Angeles where the animation was set up. Rugrats was still very popular at the same time as I think the 2nd Rugrats movie had recently been released, as had The Wild Thornberries movie. I remember seeing all their displays up around the game lab for promotion
I got a private tour of Nick Studios for my make a wish in 1997. I saw the Keenan and Kel set and got slimed, I still have the certificate they gave me. The slime was warm and tasted like vanilla. The studio was everything my 7 year old heart wanted.
Went to Nickelodeon studios when I was 9 in 1993 at universal studios Florida with my family remember touching the snick couch and my mom telling at me great times 😊
This is THE hype Nickelodeon moment for us older Nick kids who grew up watching the channel for sure. Also congrats, you officially did it before Defunctland will!
To be honest, as much as I love defunctland, these nick nack documentaries have been more in depth than any defunctland doc, and I don't say that lightly at all.
I feel like Defunctland (or rather DefunctTV) is sort of a “gateway drug” to Nick Knacks, or really any sort of show like this. Defunctland lays out the basics in a way newer viewers can understand, and Nick Knacks is like the next layer of the iceberg - more in-depth and focused.
Nick on Sunset is no longer running as a production facility, either, as it closed in 2017. The facility is now being restored back into the Earl Carroll Theatre, which was deemed a historic cultural monument by the city of Los Angeles in 2016. Since then, Nickelodeon has used other soundstages in the LA area, mainly the Burbank Studios.
I had no idea that Nick Studios started to sink so quickly. Growing up in the early 90s meant always seeing the "Filmed at Nickelodeon Studios infront of a live studio audience" for every hit show. Guess by the time I grew up and stopped noticing every small change on the channel, they sank. At least I managed to go in 1993, saw the set of Welcome Back, Freshman and got to meet a bunch of Nicktoons.
They really did make it seem like it was some behemoth like MGM or Universal, when the fact that it was a fledgling overambitious mess from the getgo and had an incredibly short shelf life. It would have served them well if they had tried to acquire talent in the florida area (a very feasible idea, Miami is not too far away), and create a more regional, like a version of Hollywood, and in a sense that sort of what they did on the outset. If you see interviews from Marc Summers Kirk Fogg, or former producers and staff, they will talk about how everyone on set was talented but inexperienced. The atmosphere had more of a competent community theatre feel, than a major "Hollywood of the East" feel, and I think that really helped the illusion of accessibility that endeared kids to the network. If they had stuck with that, I think they could have developed a very profitable niche, and would have grown to a point where they have huge bases in LA and Orlando, and might have overtaken Disney as the face of children's entertainment.
Disney, Universal, and Nick thought Florida would be the next entertainment destination ( like California, New York and Georgia). Little did they realize, there's more to it than just making a building and calling it a day.
I took the Nickelodeon Studios tour in 1993, and it was like taking a pilgrimage to Mecca as far as I was concerned. I remember Soundstage 19 housed Weinerville at the time, which was my favorite Nick show that year, so even though they weren't filming the day I was there, just seeing the set was enough to make my day. Also, there was a prerecorded bit on the TV screens where Marc Weiner walked us through the prop and puppet room. "This is Zip, he gets thrown around a lot... oh, and here's my shoe, I've been looking for that..." I got to see a presentation on sound effect mixing for Rocko's Modern Life, which was a perfect choice because that show had amazing sound design. I remember being too weirded out to taste-test any slime in the kitchen - "Os it really edible, or are they messing with us?" And the video screens had been implemented into the Game Lab by this point, and I'm pretty sure there was some cross-promotion with the Ren and Stimpy SNES and Genesis games going on. And to top it all off, on the way out, they were handing out complimentary issues of Nickelodeon Magazine, which I would go on to subscribe to for the next seven years. This video was crazy informative! I always knew dreaming for Nickelodeon Studios to return was just a pipe dream, but now I better understand why. I had no idea it got so empty so quickly; as a kid, I just sort of assumed every Nickelodeon thing somehow happened there, whether it was live action or animated. Honestly, how they run things now is indisputably better, but the idea of letting kids visit and participate was a fantastic one, and played a huge part in why Nickelodeon meant so much to me in the '90s. It wasn't just shows you could watch, it was stuff you could do.
45:15 Can confirm, my dad swiped a Nickelodeon Studios toilet paper roll and kept it as a souvenir for a very long time. Funny thing is they weren't even there for any of the Nickelodeon stuff, they were just leaving Universal Studios and it happened to be the closest bathroom on their way out.
This was an eye-opening documentary. I kinda always knew Nickelodeon Studios had problems that caused it to shut down, but I had zero idea they went back that early in its run.
Th unionization of showbusiness was just one of the first of many nails in the studio's coffin...the fact that Florida was a right-to-work state made working for Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida just as bad as working for a Wal-Mart store...
Your videos on Anime and Looney Tunes are so good. I also wish the Blue Man Group would stay at the Nick Studios Building in Universal Florida tbh. I do like their Astroplace NYC Shows.
Yeah, as a child of the 90s, I wanted to go to Nick Studios at least once. But the peak would have been when I was 7 (1992), which given how long the studio limped on, is a condemnation.
In the beginning it worked for a little bit. But once the novelty wore off and Roundhouse left for Cali, there was no way to stop the fracturing of the studio.
I graduated college in 2005. I had made it my plan the year before that my graduation gift to myself was going to be to go to Universal for the first time and finally, FINALLY, see the studio in person. I hadn't been aware of any of the issues going on behind the scenes with it, and didn't even know about it closing until I heard it announced that April. One month before my trip down. One of those "I just missed it..." deals that still kinda stings a little.
I love the music cues for each year especially Nirvana 1991, Oasis 1995, and Brittany 1999. I didn't think anything could be better than your Double Dare video but this was SUPERB!
I think they're Karaoke renditions, aren't they. Though "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" for 1998 sounded like the real thing. Still, I agree that they're all great song choices, and I don't mind if they're all Karaoke renditions.
Not necessarily, there's still plenty of adults who care, but either go about it the wrong way or don't really believe in the cause or just don't have the money or power or become authoritarian in their methods.
As a 90s kid, Nick studios seemed like it was the center of the kid entertainment universe. Pretty incredible it was really only major attraction for a few short years
Before watching this Nick Knacks entry, I would’ve sided with the group that wants Nickelodeon Studios back. But after watching this? Yeaaaah I agree in that it truly was a product of its time. Amazing work as always!
I think most of the people who want it back are likely not aware of much, or any of the information listed in this video, and are likely just looking at the studio through nostalgia-filters. I'm sure they had a fun experience, but yeah, it wasn't a good idea at the end of the day, and it's best left as a relic from the studio's past.
@@matthewhunter1193 A part of me wishes it got converted into a living museum, or sorts, of all of Nickelodeon's history. But would that have been the best use of that particular space. Eh, probably not. But I still kinda want to see it.
Im 39, and was fortunate to have a tour of Nickelodeon studios in 1996. And in 1990 I was also in universal studios, and the Nick studios was in the making. I look back at this now and feel so fortunate. My first universal studio's visit was October 1990. Its fourth month. By then all the rides were working. Been 2 back 2 the future as well. Perfect timing to visit. Now that im older, I marvel at my mother, been a single mother and taking me and my brother to Disney. I am 8 years older than my brother. He was born in 92. So in 1996, I got to go a second time, because my mom wanted my brother 2 have the experience. Good times
Yeah, that about sums it up. Aside from Roundhouse leaving in 93', it seemed primarily that the bad stuff started to occur with the rise of Nicktoons and the loss of All That. Nick Studios did seem to be stable for almost the first half of its run, but it isn't particularly great when your studio is around for 15 years, and before the halfway point, productions start leaving.
There was some sort of educational tie-in with NS, too. My eighth-grade math teacher was part of program where we did some Nick-related math problems every so often and had NS book covers (which she required us to use on our math books, for a grade). I feel like there was more to it - maybe she won a grant or something? She took us on a field trip to Universal in late 1991, and we saw a filming of Nick Arcade. The only problem was that the show hadn't hit the air yet, so the concept had to be explained to us (and no, we didn't get to see the final round). It felt like forever before we saw it on TV. But now that episode is on Paramount Plus, and I spotted myself in the audience.
Why does this not have more views? This is absolutely fantastic. Thank you for the great video and for stoking the fond memories I have of Nickelodeon.
@@abiodunsulaiman2297 I remember reading many different issues of original Nickelodeon Magazine throughout my life in the 1990s and 2000s, including the final issue, which went into circulation in December 2009 and had SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends dressed in holiday sweaters on the front cover, which I purchased at my local Barnes & Noble.
I still have the first issue featuring Chevy Chase on the cover circa 1990. Totally 1989-90 pop culture. Madonna. Batman. The B 52s. Nobody knew Milli Vanilli lip synched back then!
This is the exact kind of video I've always wanted to see for this place. I never got to go as I was born a few months after it closed. I will admit that Nickelodeon Studios does somewhat feel a bit of a broken pedestal (If you've been on TV Tropes, you'll know what I mean) to me now that I know why it failed and how the reasoning for its existence was not all that good from a moral perspective, but that will never stop me from having fond nostalgia for a place I never got to experience and certainly will never get to experience. Thanks for the great video, I can't wait for the next episode of Nick Knacks! 1991, here we come! (Hey, that rhymes!)
Personally, I wish that Paramount would revisit the concept and create something that can act as a living Museum for everything Nickelodeon. I mean it's a 40+ year old brand that's still at the very least functioning as a basic cable network. That's gotta be worth something for the proverbial history books.
"This program was filmed before a live audience in Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida" was such a common refrain that I heard during my childhood that it's so surprising to see how short-lived the golden age of the studio actually was. Hard to mourn it as a filming location (at least as long as the crews were gettting paid sub-union rates) but I feel like I could imagine it surviving as a tourist location. Not that hard to imagine the alternate universe where Nickelodeon Studios got a Rugrats live show and ended up surviving to this day. Anyway, great video! Probably one of my favorites since the Nick at Night one. Was fun seeing the whole origin of Universal Studios, especially how a nickelodeon ended up being an important part in it's history lol.
I always thought there was tons going on at Nick Studios, thinking it was where all the Live Action shows and Cartoons were produced. To find out the longer it existed the fewer and FEWER things were actually made there, I'm amazed it didn't close sooner. Still, as a kid I remember wanting to go so bad every time I saw that Slime Geiser, good times.
I always wanted to go to be on a game show or at least be in the audience. I think if they would have kept up the game shows and threw in cartoons and live action it would have worked
@@Jamessmith-xk3fh When Nick Studios Opened, game shows were all the rage, unfortunately, they started to decline sharply in popularity in the 90s, where they basically all went away except for staples WOF and Jeopardy, by the time they made an attempted comeback in the early 2000s, the studio was all but dead.
@@agoo7581 There were a few other popular game shows from the 1990s that come to mind, including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, hosted by Regis Philbin (one of my favorites), which was filmed at the ABC TV studio in New York City back in 1999...
Another amazing video, this time in a whole nother level. Thank you for all your hard work Pop Arena. Your output is important, informative and entertaining and consistently one of my favorite series on youtube. Praying the youtube recommend algorithm suggests this to everyone and more people will find out about this amazing channel
Amazing episode. The early 90s really were the perfect time for something like Nick Studios to exist. I visited it once later in the decade and all I recall seeing was the Gullah Gullah Island set sitting dormant. I always assumed Slime Time Live was modeled after MTV's Total Request Live, which had become a huge deal by 2000.
I hope Nickelodeon Studios will reopen as a museum or a library in Orlando, FL where we can access a lot of the archive memorabilia such as photos, videos, and news coverages to get some information during the fifteen-year lifespan of this slime-filled magic carpet ride. 😊
I don't know if that'll happen, but I hope Orange County opens some kind of exhibit somewhere chronicling Nick Studios history in some shape or form. It is, in its own way, a significant part of Central Florida's history.
Hey, some of my footage was in this video! Might as well give some backstory while I'm here: I was a HUGE Nickelodeon viewer back in the day (it was practically the only thing I watched), and my mom was a medical director at General Motors who sometimes had out of state conferences. One day in 1997, she told me she'd be going to Orlando soon and that my dad and I could join her for a couple days. Of course, I was beyond excited at getting to visit Nickelodeon Studios, but then I saw an ad for Universal Hollywood with footage of the "Totally Nickelodeon" attraction, and since I didn't realize there was more than one Universal theme park, I ran to my parents screaming "NO! They moved the whole thing from Orlando to Hollywood! The vacation is ruined!" (Fortunately the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.) We spent one day at Universal, another day at Disney... and then my parents took me home so I could perform in a concert at school. While I did enjoy going to Nickelodeon Studios and taking the tour, I was very upset at not being able to do it a second time. I was so fascinated and in awe at everything I was seeing, but my parents were rushing me through the queue line too fast for me to absorb all of it (see 1:05:12 in this video) and I was never picked for any of the Game Lab activities. Shortly after I got home, I had a dream that Nickelodeon Studios was right across the street from my house but kept disappearing every time I tried to go to it. As a coping mechanism, I redecorated my entire bedroom to be Nickelodeon-themed. My parents later made it up to me by taking me to Nickelodeon Splat City in Ohio, which I actually enjoyed more (so the comment about other Nickelodeon experiences starting to outclass Nick Studios was likely true).
The closing of Nickelodeon Studios in Florida was a tough pill for many fans of the network who watched the network in the 1990s to swallow, given that the studios were being underutilized as filming in California and other parts of the U.S. and Canada became more popular when the year 2000 began. It's the harsh reality of budget cuts, media consolidation, the unionization of showbusiness, and the fact that the Florida studios were in the crosshairs of a hurricane-prone area of the country that hastened the studio's demise, as well as a stronger focus on cartoons during key parts of the daily Nickelodeon schedule when the 2000s began...
At 18:15, to anyone who wants to know where each of Nickelodeon's original live action shows from before 1989 were filmed: Pinwheel: Matrix Studios (New York City) Nickel Flicks: QUBE Studios (Columbus, Ohio) By the Way: QUBE Studios (Columbus, Ohio) America Goes Bananaz: Westland Mall (Columbus, Ohio) Pop Clips: SamFilm (Sandy City, California) Livewire: Ed Sullivan Theater (New York City) Kids' Writes: Embassy Television (Cuvier City, California) Reggie Jackson's World of Sports: Reid-Dolph Inc (unknown location) You Can't Do That on Television: CJOH-TV (Ottowa, Canada) Against the Odds: Los Angeles, California Standby... Lights! Camera! Action!: MTI (New York City) Mr. Wizard's World: Calgary (Alberta, Canada) Nick Rocks: Times Square Station (New York City) Out of Control: Valley Production Center (Bath, Pennsylvania) Turkey Television: Somewhere in Canada National Geographic Explorer: WQED (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) Rated K For Kids By Kids: New York City Double Dare: WHYY-TV (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Finders Keepers: WHYY-TV (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Don't Just Sit There: New York City Kids' Court: Unknown
After watching this GREAT documentary twice now, I can say there were two big mistakes that caused Nickelodeon to leave Florida. 1) Canceling both Legends and Guts in late 1995 without having two replacement game shows ready to go was TERRIBLE. Family Double Dare and Nick Arcade were cancelled in 1993, but Guts and Legends replaced them. 1996 was the first year that ZERO gameshows were produced at Nick Studios and this was the beginning of the end for Nick in Florida. 2). Nickelodeon allowed too many of its shows to film outside of Florida even before things started to get bad in 1996. They should have had Alex Mack, Pete & Pete, Salute Your Shorts and others film in Florida, instead these shows were all filmed in California except for Pete which was in NJ/NY. These were mostly non studio audience shows, so they could have filmed them outdoors and show off the natural beauty of Florida, which could help bring a more stable film workforce to Florida for outdoor filming and keep Nick Studios humming along (when these shows needed studio space to film). Maybe they could have created a teenage version of Baywatch and film it somewhere in Cocoa Beach (less than an hour from Orlando).
After 2 seasons of Salute Your Shorts, Nickelodeon tried to get SYS to move to Orlando from Los Angeles. No one from SYS wanted to leave L.A. for Orlando. New game shows were pretty sparse after 1995 on Nickelodeon. Nicktoons started to take over Nickelodeon.
If I learned anything from this video, and life in general, it's don't build anything in Florida. Florida is the worst place to do anything at all. Walt literally only went there cause it was cheap and no one else wanted to be there. And it was cheap because no one wanted to be there
I was kind of disappointed that I never went to Nickelodeon Studios in my lifetime. I would have enjoyed back when it was first around. I was 14, 15 years old back then living in a Navy town in Connecticut where nobody would shut up about the war in Iraq, the Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm, whatever. Nickelodeon Studios would have eased off my mind from my troubles back then. Every one I knew back then either went to Florida, had gone there before, or like myself wished they were there. The Early 1990s were the best time period to visit there as they were so much hype back then, but missed out. Luckily after watching this documentary on Nickelodeon Studios, I can absorb the "wish I was there" experience without being there. It would probably wouldn't work in this day and age. Different time periods, all about nostalgia nowadays. As you mentioned, the only money marker now is the brand name itself. At least they made their mark on Universal in Orlando, Florida and now it's a piece of Nickelodeon history that generations young and old can look back to and say, 'I just saw a darn good documentary. Wish I was there.".
@@DanteRaddd Personally, I would rather live in East Hartford where the people are much kinder, there's no view obstruction, easy to get to Riverside Amusement Park and that I would be able to catch all of the UCONN games nearby.
I was there in 1999 when it was on its last legs. I wanted to visit so much as a kid but as a high school senior in 1999 it was sad. I’m surprised we don’t have a Nickelodeon Theme Park to this day as popular as Nick is with kids.
The absolute best documentary on the original Nick Studios I've ever seen, thank you!! I visited the site in 2019 and was heartbroken to see what it's become, lol.
Even as a kid, I got the impression that Slime Time Live started to lose popularity after Nickelodeon premiered U-Pick Live, which was filmed at their headquarters in New York City. Initially Slime Time Live still aired in the earlier afternoon and would transition to U-Pick Live a few hours later. But only a year or so later, Slime Time Live would be moved to the morning hours, with its segments pre-recorded the previous days. I'm sure that didn't help Nickelodeon Studios Florida at all.
As an Official Slime Kid circa March '96 (got the certificate to prove it): 1) The bench riser seating had a marked spot for the Slime Kid. 2) Wow, and here I thought the "slime is too dry" bit was unique to my session. Admittedly, it's an effective gag. 3) The Slime Kitchen served in small cups by that point. They were serving classic Slime and the tapioca-w/-pineapple-chunks Booger. 4) We were an "at random" selection at my family company's St. Patrick's Day party the night before (after-hours event). That was incidently when my role of Slime Kid was secured. 5) He's not joking about the quiet stages. The sets were up at least.
It's also interesting that the soundstages in Universal Orlando had at least one thing consistently being used for. And that is for production of professional wrestling programs. WCW, to producing TNA programs for over a decade, to now AEW and ROH.
Here's how many shows were filmed in each year (counting Slimetime Live and Nickelodeon Splat but not one off pilots or awards shows) the studio was open: 1990: 4 1991: 9 1992: 10 1993: 8 1994: 13 1995: 8 1996: 5 1997: 6 1998: 2 1999: 1 2000: 4 2001: 1 2002: 1 2003: 2 2004: 2 1994>1992>1991>1993/95>1997>1996>1990/2000>1998/2003-04>1999/2001-02 Seems aside from the debut year, the 1991-95 was averaging 9 shows a year, then it decreases a bit to 5-ish by 1996/97 with All That leaving, then downgrades to just 1 or 2 a year from 1998 to the end with Nickelodeon on Sunset making this studio obsolete, 2000 being the only year to have more than 2 shows, likely attempting to make a comeback too little too late.
This documentary is incredibly well made. I was lucky enough to take the tour and participate in the CatDog hoop game with my mom when I was a kid on family vacation. So many memories and even new to me information was collected in this project. Thank you so much for this look back at the studio, warts and all.
I was an 00 baby who grew up watching reruns of Double Dare, Nick Guts, and Legends of the Hidden Temple when they'd air late at night. I dreaaamed of being on those shows and going to the studio one day but it's a shame I never would have the chance. Great documentary!
I can't say I blame Marc Summers for ripping the microphones apart. Makeup time is getting into the correct headspace time and seems pretty intrusive, but as a kid, it would be pretty cool to see the performers in real life.
Nickelodeon still has an amusement park presence in Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America in Minnesota. It’s never really been accepted locally because it replaced Camp Snoopy, which had local ties.
I feel so fortunate to have visited the studio. I get the gripes of having the studio on display and especially at an amusement park, but it still feel so ridiculous Nick packed up and went out to California. Just stinks. I loved the studio though, it really looked and felt magical. (I didn't get slimed though and I'm still salty about that.)
I went to Universal Florida only one time in 2016. My dad was always a Blue Man Group fan, so we walked right towards the building for photos. It never occurred to me that was the headquarters of 90’s childhood. I really wonder how different things would’ve been had the studio been built in Los Angeles.
Well done! That building was Mecca to my entire generation, but it was an insane idea. I wish they could bring it back in some form, not the full TV production (as you state would never happen in your conclusion, and I agree), but turn GUTS, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Nick Arcade, and Double Dare into entirely new, interactive theme park attractions that honor what those shows were. What are the odds you'd actually get picked and be able to run through that temple on a vacation? They could build that temple, for real, not just on a soundstage, maybe as a darkride, and every guest will finally get to enter the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.
Just as a side note--by 1996, MCA effectively ceased to exist after Seagram had acquired majority ownership the year before and renamed the company Universal Studios.
And then Seagram was acquired by Vivendi and then General Electric, owning NBC at one point, bought out Vivendi and turned it into NBCUniversal. Then Comcast bought GE’s shares of NBCUniversal, which is now the current owner of Universal Studios.
I remember watching Gullah Gullah island as one of my favorite Nick jr shows on vhs, Philip e Garcia was such a great talent it was still sad to know the tragic loss of his life😔.
Apparently in the time capsule enclosing ceremony they already told the viewers about the items that were going to be placed inside of the capsule. But that VHS camera tape recording of the burial event is going to be really interesting.
I was fortunate enough to attend Nickelodeon Studios in 2003. While I was only five, I still remember the Game Lab and a brief walkthrough of some studio space that had various show logos on the walls. Even though it was clearly a shadow of its former self by that time, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and consider myself very lucky to have gotten that chance, especially as someone interested in Nick's history. Enjoyed the video!
Fantastic video, Greg! It was well worth the wait! Honestly, from what you described, it sounded like the studio was doomed from the start. I never got to visit, but wow those behind the scenes home movies made it look amazing. I agree with what you said, though. It's best to leave it in the past. Also, I have a couple observations. One, I had no idea about the Shelby Woo situation, and now I'm really looking forward to its Nick Knacks episode! (It also explains why everyone except for Irene Ng and Pat Morita disappeared after the second season). And secondly, I had no idea Game Farm was an actual game show! When my family subscribed to Nick GAS in 2004, I would see them as interstitial commercials - and I thought they were really dumb. The show itself didn't look much better. And one final note; I know it'll be awhile, but I'm looking forward to Noah Knows Best on Nick Knacks, because I want to know why it bombed so badly. I don't remember it being that bad...but then again, I was 12 and only saw two episodes.
Wow. Your detail is amazing. I was there. My pal Philip (Binya) is mentioned here. So cool of you. I was the GAKmeister from 1994-1996. Also worked on Shelby Woo, DD, Legends and Figure It Out. Great memories from an epic moment.
Really interesting documentary. Feels like a lot of the ultimate issues come back to politics; no talent in the area because of poor working conditions because of state policies... Plus of course the shift from game shows to animation and sitcoms.
I'm so glad to learn that the time capsule still exists!! I can't believe it's been 30 years already! I remember watching that broadcast as a kid and becoming a little bit obsessed with the whole concept of time capsules, haha. It kind of sucks to grow up and realize that most of your favorite childhood shows were made in a place with questionable labor practices. Say what you want about California, I guess, but at least out there you've got unions. But even if they'd chosen to build the studio in LA, it likely still wouldn't have lasted very long. Nickelodeon had their moment, but they haven't been at the forefront of pop culture or kids' culture for a while now, and probably never will be. (With the exception of Spongebob, I guess. Maybe they should just call it the Spongebob Network lol) For me, Universal Studios/Nickelodeon Studios was WAY more appealing than any Disney park, or theme parks in general. I loved watching behind the scenes footage and learning how movies and TV were made. My parents and I loved the Back to the Future movies, and I wanted to go on that ride with them more than anything. I never got to, and now I won't even go within spitting distance of Florida (thankfully, I have no reason to). Thanks for what you do. I love this channel.
Just absolutely incredible, better than the high bar I was expecting given everything you’ve done so far. I love the original universal history, I love the nostalgia, I learned more than I was expecting. I’ve gone from “why did this fail” to “how did this ever work” It seems like…….Nick got rolled on the initial deal. 13 years is a LONG time. No show is in production year round. I saw a lot of the day 1 programming. I was out of college by the end of the deal. In 1990 there were about 30 channels, 0 competition, 0 internet. Even half a decade later Layborne was running the basic cable Disney and Cartoon Network had started. It just seems like doing it in Florida and not California was it’s fatal flaw, whatever cost savings there was in the begining. (To be fair there were some short term attempts to make use of MGM too)
On one hand, maybe if they stuck to gameshows and talk shows, it would have lasted longer, the problem was that gameshow's popularity in America absolutely plummeted shortly after it opened and a sprawl of talk shows had completely diluted the market (combine that with the fact that trash shows such as jerry springer and maury started to appear, and you couldnt really do that on Nickelodeon, it just wasn't a feasible method for growth) And of course, Florida slide into overt fascism, and moron politicans who grow bonors at the thoughts of screwing over employees, and well... there you go.
@@lainiwakura1776 At the very least they want to make it seemingly impossible to exist as a 'liberal', however DeSantis and the FL State Legislature decides to define it during any given hour.
In 1991, I was one of those kids slimed at the Game Lab. They had me take a shower after the show, but I couldn't wash all of the slime out. I spent the rest of the day recognizable in the park, with dried green bits in my hair.
This was a really interesting look at Nickelodeon Studios. As a kid growing up in the 90’s, I would always watch the commercials on Nick for the park and dreamed of going there. I ended up going to Disney World with my family in 2001 and took a trip to Universal Studios while there. We took a walk around the Nickelodeon stuff but I never really got the vibe that it was really ever that far gone. I took a part in a live stage show which was cool to see and walked around some other places. I agree with Greg and everyone else though. It didn’t seem like a very good business model for them to start producing their own shows. It was fine for the early 90’s maybe when they were producing a lot of game shows like Double Dare, Guts, and LOTHT but once they finished up, what was left? Good idea on paper but not great in practice.
Awesome video as always. Given with the extensive information and research put into it, this probably has to be my favorite Nick Studios Florida documentary on TH-cam now.
My family went to Florida in 1992, right after Hurricane Andrew. One of my biggest memories from that vacation was going to Nickelodeon Studios. There was a tour and audience game section, but most interesting part was going to some of the first filming for GUTS! We saw 3 groups of 3 kids doing the jump off the giant steps and shoot a nerf bow and arrow to a target. They didn't change out the sets between, so multiple shows were shot on the same day, though I am unsure if kids shot multiple days. We were given a cheap towel to wave (I was happy to get purple :) ) Ultimately, it was pretty boring, though--we had no idea who the kids were, nor did we get any actual info about them during the taping. Glad to have gone, though!
I went to Nick Studios as part of my birthday Orlando trip in May 2000. For a kid it was a cool experience just to go through the tour and see the Double Dare 2000 set and Slime Time Live being shot. My then mom’s boyfriend’s kids took part in the Gamelab portion which I was jealous of. Sad to see though the reliance on Nicktoons, switching to a more corporate structure under Herb Scannell and productions insistence on moving back to CA sunk the studios the way it did. For the kids that went, the memories are still fresh.
1996 is when I started feeling the decline. I was a big fan of their live studio stuff & couldn't handle Pete & Pete ending.... Hadn't been that mad since Wild & Crazy Kids was cancelled after only 2 seasons. When they finally shut down the studio & dug up the time capsule, I was pretty much done with the network & only stuck around for the last of Invader Zim.
I think that Nintendo is doing(and even surpassing), the momentum and fame that they had, years and years ago. That's true, especially with the success of the 2023 movie, and new Nintendo theme park that opened up. I wish them all the best and hope that they can *Ninten-do* ...what Nickelodeon couldn't.
By 1999 (and continuing into 2000-2001) The studio which had been going strong from June 1990 was slowly dying. Aside from Pop Star Music Shows, Slime Time Live, or GAS Segments, the two soundstages were being rented for outside productions. Beat The Clock was taped there for one.
That was a fantastic episode. Well worth the wait, and the effort you put into it. I went to nick studios in 1993, and while I don't remember much about it, it was a thrill to go there.
"Let me guess. This is your home?" "It was. And it was beautiful." I wanted to go here so BAD as a kid. Never got to, and I was sufficiently crushed when this got rebranded and BTTF got demolished within the same couple of years. Years later, I came across a website known as C'mon Fwank (which is now ALSO dead and gone 😢😢😢) where the dude running the site went through and took photos of what was leftover about 5 years after closing when Nick rebooted Double Dare for .5 seconds in the early 2010s. Almost everything about this place only exists in our minds and hearts now y'all. Nothing gold can stay and all that.
As a kid if I was asked if I wanted to go to Walt Disney World or Universal Studios I'd have picked Universal Studios because the Nick Studio was there. My ultimate goal in life at that time was to be on Double Dare.
One minor note, until the movies really took off Universal also had a independent Chicken Farm on the studio lot which sold eggs to the public for the first few years. Probably also the source of the chicken dinners on the early tour as well.
The early '90s (particularly 1990-92) were the peak years of Nickelodeon Studios. Fewer game shows/live action shows filmed at Nickelodeon Studios was the downfall of Nick Studios in the mid-late '90s. Roundhouse leaving Orlando for Hollywood was the beginning of the end of Nick Studios. Y'all forgot that Welcome Freshman and Fifteen were filmed at Nickelodeon Studios as well.
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It's really admirable how serious you take doing these Nick Knacks documentaries. Some of the best content about TV history on the internet
Without even hesitating, I think it's safe to say that this is the definitive documentary on the history of Nickelodeon Studios.
Both Bright Sun Films and Defunctland took stabs at the topic, but they don't seem to be as comprehensive as I remember.
I worked there on the set around 2000. Ask me anything 😊
@@davidbilu1166 What was it like working at Nick during the early years of Spongebob? While Rugrats was still top dog at the time, what was the buzz surrounding the show before it was EVERYWHERE just years later?
@@hbmento8102 The arrival of SpongeBob was both a blessing and a curse. It marked the moment that Nickelodeon realized they could save a lot of money by syndicating an animated show worldwide instead of paying for live productions, sitcoms , and game shows which all required Soundstages, equipment, children on set, pay for actors, etc…
It was the death-knell of Nickelodeon as we knew it. Also around the exact same time as SpongeBob went into “global phenomenon” status was the time that Jamie Lynn Spears, the underaged star of Zoe 101 and sister of Britney Spears, became pregnant at 14 years old. The rumors around Nickelodeon were rampant that one of the producers was the father of the child.
So to kill 2 birds with one stone, they shifted all development from live production to animation, and shifted the entire production HQ slowly but surely from Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando to Los Angeles where the animation was set up.
Rugrats was still very popular at the same time as I think the 2nd Rugrats movie had recently been released, as had The Wild Thornberries movie. I remember seeing all their displays up around the game lab for promotion
@@davidbilu1166 People like me have called Spongebob "The only reason why Nickelodeon is still in business." Do you agree.
I got a private tour of Nick Studios for my make a wish in 1997. I saw the Keenan and Kel set and got slimed, I still have the certificate they gave me. The slime was warm and tasted like vanilla. The studio was everything my 7 year old heart wanted.
Went to Nickelodeon studios when I was 9 in 1993 at universal studios Florida with my family remember touching the snick couch and my mom telling at me great times 😊
I got to play Splat on the figure it out sound stage
I thought Make A Wish was only for kids who were *terminally* sick. 🤔
No, it’s also for kids with permanent disability. I have cerebral palsy.
Nickelodeon slime made traditionally with vanilla pudding mix.
This is THE hype Nickelodeon moment for us older Nick kids who grew up watching the channel for sure. Also congrats, you officially did it before Defunctland will!
To be honest, as much as I love defunctland, these nick nack documentaries have been more in depth than any defunctland doc, and I don't say that lightly at all.
I feel like Defunctland (or rather DefunctTV) is sort of a “gateway drug” to Nick Knacks, or really any sort of show like this. Defunctland lays out the basics in a way newer viewers can understand, and Nick Knacks is like the next layer of the iceberg - more in-depth and focused.
Nick on Sunset is no longer running as a production facility, either, as it closed in 2017. The facility is now being restored back into the Earl Carroll Theatre, which was deemed a historic cultural monument by the city of Los Angeles in 2016. Since then, Nickelodeon has used other soundstages in the LA area, mainly the Burbank Studios.
I had no idea that Nick Studios started to sink so quickly. Growing up in the early 90s meant always seeing the "Filmed at Nickelodeon Studios infront of a live studio audience" for every hit show. Guess by the time I grew up and stopped noticing every small change on the channel, they sank. At least I managed to go in 1993, saw the set of Welcome Back, Freshman and got to meet a bunch of Nicktoons.
They really did make it seem like it was some behemoth like MGM or Universal, when the fact that it was a fledgling overambitious mess from the getgo and had an incredibly short shelf life. It would have served them well if they had tried to acquire talent in the florida area (a very feasible idea, Miami is not too far away), and create a more regional, like a version of Hollywood, and in a sense that sort of what they did on the outset. If you see interviews from Marc Summers Kirk Fogg, or former producers and staff, they will talk about how everyone on set was talented but inexperienced. The atmosphere had more of a competent community theatre feel, than a major "Hollywood of the East" feel, and I think that really helped the illusion of accessibility that endeared kids to the network. If they had stuck with that, I think they could have developed a very profitable niche, and would have grown to a point where they have huge bases in LA and Orlando, and might have overtaken Disney as the face of children's entertainment.
Disney, Universal, and Nick thought Florida would be the next entertainment destination ( like California, New York and Georgia). Little did they realize, there's more to it than just making a building and calling it a day.
I took the Nickelodeon Studios tour in 1993, and it was like taking a pilgrimage to Mecca as far as I was concerned. I remember Soundstage 19 housed Weinerville at the time, which was my favorite Nick show that year, so even though they weren't filming the day I was there, just seeing the set was enough to make my day. Also, there was a prerecorded bit on the TV screens where Marc Weiner walked us through the prop and puppet room. "This is Zip, he gets thrown around a lot... oh, and here's my shoe, I've been looking for that..."
I got to see a presentation on sound effect mixing for Rocko's Modern Life, which was a perfect choice because that show had amazing sound design. I remember being too weirded out to taste-test any slime in the kitchen - "Os it really edible, or are they messing with us?" And the video screens had been implemented into the Game Lab by this point, and I'm pretty sure there was some cross-promotion with the Ren and Stimpy SNES and Genesis games going on. And to top it all off, on the way out, they were handing out complimentary issues of Nickelodeon Magazine, which I would go on to subscribe to for the next seven years.
This video was crazy informative! I always knew dreaming for Nickelodeon Studios to return was just a pipe dream, but now I better understand why. I had no idea it got so empty so quickly; as a kid, I just sort of assumed every Nickelodeon thing somehow happened there, whether it was live action or animated. Honestly, how they run things now is indisputably better, but the idea of letting kids visit and participate was a fantastic one, and played a huge part in why Nickelodeon meant so much to me in the '90s. It wasn't just shows you could watch, it was stuff you could do.
45:15 Can confirm, my dad swiped a Nickelodeon Studios toilet paper roll and kept it as a souvenir for a very long time. Funny thing is they weren't even there for any of the Nickelodeon stuff, they were just leaving Universal Studios and it happened to be the closest bathroom on their way out.
This was an eye-opening documentary. I kinda always knew Nickelodeon Studios had problems that caused it to shut down, but I had zero idea they went back that early in its run.
Hey! You have good taste, and I think your videos are amazing too!
Th unionization of showbusiness was just one of the first of many nails in the studio's coffin...the fact that Florida was a right-to-work state made working for Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, Florida just as bad as working for a Wal-Mart store...
Your videos on Anime and Looney Tunes are so good. I also wish the Blue Man Group would stay at the Nick Studios Building in Universal Florida tbh. I do like their Astroplace NYC Shows.
Yeah, as a child of the 90s, I wanted to go to Nick Studios at least once. But the peak would have been when I was 7 (1992), which given how long the studio limped on, is a condemnation.
In the beginning it worked for a little bit. But once the novelty wore off and Roundhouse left for Cali, there was no way to stop the fracturing of the studio.
I graduated college in 2005. I had made it my plan the year before that my graduation gift to myself was going to be to go to Universal for the first time and finally, FINALLY, see the studio in person. I hadn't been aware of any of the issues going on behind the scenes with it, and didn't even know about it closing until I heard it announced that April. One month before my trip down. One of those "I just missed it..." deals that still kinda stings a little.
I love the music cues for each year especially Nirvana 1991, Oasis 1995, and Brittany 1999. I didn't think anything could be better than your Double Dare video but this was SUPERB!
I think they're Karaoke renditions, aren't they. Though "Gettin' Jiggy wit It" for 1998 sounded like the real thing. Still, I agree that they're all great song choices, and I don't mind if they're all Karaoke renditions.
Using Survivor in 2001 was honestly a stroke of genius.
There was Ace of Base, I think for 1994. All it did was remind of music's slow decline starting in the late 90s.
I still don't know what 1988 and 1990 were though...
@@digamejh I mostly started noticing once it got to 1991. The only one I don't recognize was 1996, can anyone help me out there?
The kid who said "adults don't care about the future because theirs is already half over" is so prescient. Truly from the mouths of babes.
Not necessarily, there's still plenty of adults who care, but either go about it the wrong way or don't really believe in the cause or just don't have the money or power or become authoritarian in their methods.
As an adult, I'm like "ooooooohhh what a burn... to the adults that might get their buttons pushed with that statement."
that kid is now 45
@@michaelfarkas2257 and voted for Trump twice and probably will in 2024
@@normadgarmez7026 That's a perfect recipe for arguments occurring.
As a 90s kid, Nick studios seemed like it was the center of the kid entertainment universe. Pretty incredible it was really only major attraction for a few short years
Yeah, the few things that were shot there were rerun so much that I never would've guessed how unsuccessful the studio ended up being lol
@@mato4920 That seems like an effective way to cover up how unsuccessful it was.
Glad to see this video carries on the Defunctland tradition of Michael Eisner jumpscares. Great video!
That man shows up everywhere!
Before watching this Nick Knacks entry, I would’ve sided with the group that wants Nickelodeon Studios back.
But after watching this? Yeaaaah I agree in that it truly was a product of its time.
Amazing work as always!
I think most of the people who want it back are likely not aware of much, or any of the information listed in this video, and are likely just looking at the studio through nostalgia-filters.
I'm sure they had a fun experience, but yeah, it wasn't a good idea at the end of the day, and it's best left as a relic from the studio's past.
@@matthewhunter1193 A part of me wishes it got converted into a living museum, or sorts, of all of Nickelodeon's history. But would that have been the best use of that particular space. Eh, probably not. But I still kinda want to see it.
For sure, and the fact that one of the driving forces was to exploit the terrible labor laws in florida has really dulled my enthusiasm for it.
Im 39, and was fortunate to have a tour of Nickelodeon studios in 1996. And in 1990 I was also in universal studios, and the Nick studios was in the making. I look back at this now and feel so fortunate. My first universal studio's visit was October 1990. Its fourth month. By then all the rides were working. Been 2 back 2 the future as well. Perfect timing to visit. Now that im older, I marvel at my mother, been a single mother and taking me and my brother to Disney. I am 8 years older than my brother. He was born in 92. So in 1996, I got to go a second time, because my mom wanted my brother 2 have the experience. Good times
So would one way to see the studio's eras is:
1990-94: Golden Age
1995-97: Stagnation
1998-99: Decline
2000: Comeback
2001-05: One Foot In the Grave
Yeah, that about sums it up.
Aside from Roundhouse leaving in 93', it seemed primarily that the bad stuff started to occur with the rise of Nicktoons and the loss of All That. Nick Studios did seem to be stable for almost the first half of its run, but it isn't particularly great when your studio is around for 15 years, and before the halfway point, productions start leaving.
There was some sort of educational tie-in with NS, too. My eighth-grade math teacher was part of program where we did some Nick-related math problems every so often and had NS book covers (which she required us to use on our math books, for a grade). I feel like there was more to it - maybe she won a grant or something? She took us on a field trip to Universal in late 1991, and we saw a filming of Nick Arcade. The only problem was that the show hadn't hit the air yet, so the concept had to be explained to us (and no, we didn't get to see the final round). It felt like forever before we saw it on TV. But now that episode is on Paramount Plus, and I spotted myself in the audience.
Why does this not have more views? This is absolutely fantastic. Thank you for the great video and for stoking the fond memories I have of Nickelodeon.
13:23 If you thought Michael Eisner wasn't going to come up in a theme park history video, hi, you must be new here.
Wild how he was involved in everything though, and at a high level
Dang it, now I want an episode on Nick Magazine. Great work once again!
Patience. I know he's going through these topics at a glacial pace, but I'm sure he'll get to Nick Magazine, eventually.
I mean nick magazine started in 1993, so just wait and you'll prob get it.
@@abiodunsulaiman2297 I remember reading many different issues of original Nickelodeon Magazine throughout my life in the 1990s and 2000s, including the final issue, which went into circulation in December 2009 and had SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends dressed in holiday sweaters on the front cover, which I purchased at my local Barnes & Noble.
I still have the first issue featuring Chevy Chase on the cover circa 1990. Totally 1989-90 pop culture. Madonna. Batman. The B 52s. Nobody knew Milli Vanilli lip synched back then!
This is the exact kind of video I've always wanted to see for this place. I never got to go as I was born a few months after it closed. I will admit that Nickelodeon Studios does somewhat feel a bit of a broken pedestal (If you've been on TV Tropes, you'll know what I mean) to me now that I know why it failed and how the reasoning for its existence was not all that good from a moral perspective, but that will never stop me from having fond nostalgia for a place I never got to experience and certainly will never get to experience. Thanks for the great video, I can't wait for the next episode of Nick Knacks! 1991, here we come! (Hey, that rhymes!)
The fact that it was built in florida to get around unions really does spoil the positive thoughts I have about the studio.
Personally, I wish that Paramount would revisit the concept and create something that can act as a living Museum for everything Nickelodeon. I mean it's a 40+ year old brand that's still at the very least functioning as a basic cable network. That's gotta be worth something for the proverbial history books.
"This program was filmed before a live audience in Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida" was such a common refrain that I heard during my childhood that it's so surprising to see how short-lived the golden age of the studio actually was. Hard to mourn it as a filming location (at least as long as the crews were gettting paid sub-union rates) but I feel like I could imagine it surviving as a tourist location. Not that hard to imagine the alternate universe where Nickelodeon Studios got a Rugrats live show and ended up surviving to this day.
Anyway, great video! Probably one of my favorites since the Nick at Night one. Was fun seeing the whole origin of Universal Studios, especially how a nickelodeon ended up being an important part in it's history lol.
The episode where Nick Knacks and Defunctland became one.
I always thought there was tons going on at Nick Studios, thinking it was where all the Live Action shows and Cartoons were produced. To find out the longer it existed the fewer and FEWER things were actually made there, I'm amazed it didn't close sooner. Still, as a kid I remember wanting to go so bad every time I saw that Slime Geiser, good times.
I always wanted to go to be on a game show or at least be in the audience. I think if they would have kept up the game shows and threw in cartoons and live action it would have worked
@@Jamessmith-xk3fh When Nick Studios Opened, game shows were all the rage, unfortunately, they started to decline sharply in popularity in the 90s, where they basically all went away except for staples WOF and Jeopardy, by the time they made an attempted comeback in the early 2000s, the studio was all but dead.
@@agoo7581 There were a few other popular game shows from the 1990s that come to mind, including Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, hosted by Regis Philbin (one of my favorites), which was filmed at the ABC TV studio in New York City back in 1999...
Another amazing video, this time in a whole nother level. Thank you for all your hard work Pop Arena. Your output is important, informative and entertaining and consistently one of my favorite series on youtube. Praying the youtube recommend algorithm suggests this to everyone and more people will find out about this amazing channel
What a depressing story, but a fantastic and engrossing documentary. Bravo my friend!
These music cues for each year are giving me flashbacks.
Sound like it was doomed from the start.
Right to work, no privacy.
I'm surprised those child actors weren't messed up.
Forced to be squeaky clean and always happy at all times.
Shockingly, not unlike Stimpy's invention.
I can safely say that the more you go into detail about this, the more that Nickelodeon Studios sounds like a chaotically bad idea.
What started off good quickly changed. While this change seemed very minor at first, you really start to see it happen a lot more later on....
Amazing episode. The early 90s really were the perfect time for something like Nick Studios to exist. I visited it once later in the decade and all I recall seeing was the Gullah Gullah Island set sitting dormant. I always assumed Slime Time Live was modeled after MTV's Total Request Live, which had become a huge deal by 2000.
I hope Nickelodeon Studios will reopen as a museum or a library in Orlando, FL where we can access a lot of the archive memorabilia such as photos, videos, and news coverages to get some information during the fifteen-year lifespan of this slime-filled magic carpet ride. 😊
They couldn’t reopen it as a museum anyways, because pretty much everything Nick themed has since been removed.
I don't know if that'll happen, but I hope Orange County opens some kind of exhibit somewhere chronicling Nick Studios history in some shape or form. It is, in its own way, a significant part of Central Florida's history.
The only place I can think of that would do something like that is the museum of the moving picture or the Smithsonian museum
I’d love to see just some tribute store representation…or perhaps a loosely inspired HHN house/scare zone about a game show gone wrong
Aside from the Florida part (they deserve nothing), sure.
Hey, some of my footage was in this video! Might as well give some backstory while I'm here:
I was a HUGE Nickelodeon viewer back in the day (it was practically the only thing I watched), and my mom was a medical director at General Motors who sometimes had out of state conferences. One day in 1997, she told me she'd be going to Orlando soon and that my dad and I could join her for a couple days. Of course, I was beyond excited at getting to visit Nickelodeon Studios, but then I saw an ad for Universal Hollywood with footage of the "Totally Nickelodeon" attraction, and since I didn't realize there was more than one Universal theme park, I ran to my parents screaming "NO! They moved the whole thing from Orlando to Hollywood! The vacation is ruined!" (Fortunately the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up.)
We spent one day at Universal, another day at Disney... and then my parents took me home so I could perform in a concert at school. While I did enjoy going to Nickelodeon Studios and taking the tour, I was very upset at not being able to do it a second time. I was so fascinated and in awe at everything I was seeing, but my parents were rushing me through the queue line too fast for me to absorb all of it (see 1:05:12 in this video) and I was never picked for any of the Game Lab activities. Shortly after I got home, I had a dream that Nickelodeon Studios was right across the street from my house but kept disappearing every time I tried to go to it. As a coping mechanism, I redecorated my entire bedroom to be Nickelodeon-themed. My parents later made it up to me by taking me to Nickelodeon Splat City in Ohio, which I actually enjoyed more (so the comment about other Nickelodeon experiences starting to outclass Nick Studios was likely true).
The closing of Nickelodeon Studios in Florida was a tough pill for many fans of the network who watched the network in the 1990s to swallow, given that the studios were being underutilized as filming in California and other parts of the U.S. and Canada became more popular when the year 2000 began.
It's the harsh reality of budget cuts, media consolidation, the unionization of showbusiness, and the fact that the Florida studios were in the crosshairs of a hurricane-prone area of the country that hastened the studio's demise, as well as a stronger focus on cartoons during key parts of the daily Nickelodeon schedule when the 2000s began...
At 18:15, to anyone who wants to know where each of Nickelodeon's original live action shows from before 1989 were filmed:
Pinwheel: Matrix Studios (New York City)
Nickel Flicks: QUBE Studios (Columbus, Ohio)
By the Way: QUBE Studios (Columbus, Ohio)
America Goes Bananaz: Westland Mall (Columbus, Ohio)
Pop Clips: SamFilm (Sandy City, California)
Livewire: Ed Sullivan Theater (New York City)
Kids' Writes: Embassy Television (Cuvier City, California)
Reggie Jackson's World of Sports: Reid-Dolph Inc (unknown location)
You Can't Do That on Television: CJOH-TV (Ottowa, Canada)
Against the Odds: Los Angeles, California
Standby... Lights! Camera! Action!: MTI (New York City)
Mr. Wizard's World: Calgary (Alberta, Canada)
Nick Rocks: Times Square Station (New York City)
Out of Control: Valley Production Center (Bath, Pennsylvania)
Turkey Television: Somewhere in Canada
National Geographic Explorer: WQED (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
Rated K For Kids By Kids: New York City
Double Dare: WHYY-TV (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Finders Keepers: WHYY-TV (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Don't Just Sit There: New York City
Kids' Court: Unknown
Very Isolated
I can't help but think that Spielberg getting slimed was at the forefront on his mind when he made Jurassic Park
I remember way back in 1993 when I visited Nickelodeon Studios. I saw the sets of "Clarissa Explains It All" and "Welcome Freshman".
This comment was typed before a live studio audience at Nickelodeon Studios at Universal Studios Florida.
After watching this GREAT documentary twice now, I can say there were two big mistakes that caused Nickelodeon to leave Florida.
1) Canceling both Legends and Guts in late 1995 without having two replacement game shows ready to go was TERRIBLE. Family Double Dare and Nick Arcade were cancelled in 1993, but Guts and Legends replaced them. 1996 was the first year that ZERO gameshows were produced at Nick Studios and this was the beginning of the end for Nick in Florida.
2). Nickelodeon allowed too many of its shows to film outside of Florida even before things started to get bad in 1996. They should have had Alex Mack, Pete & Pete, Salute Your Shorts and others film in Florida, instead these shows were all filmed in California except for Pete which was in NJ/NY. These were mostly non studio audience shows, so they could have filmed them outdoors and show off the natural beauty of Florida, which could help bring a more stable film workforce to Florida for outdoor filming and keep Nick Studios humming along (when these shows needed studio space to film). Maybe they could have created a teenage version of Baywatch and film it somewhere in Cocoa Beach (less than an hour from Orlando).
Are you Afraid the Dark was shot in Canada, nothing animated was produced in Orlando
After 2 seasons of Salute Your Shorts, Nickelodeon tried to get SYS to move to Orlando from Los Angeles. No one from SYS wanted to leave L.A. for Orlando. New game shows were pretty sparse after 1995 on Nickelodeon. Nicktoons started to take over Nickelodeon.
If I learned anything from this video, and life in general, it's don't build anything in Florida. Florida is the worst place to do anything at all. Walt literally only went there cause it was cheap and no one else wanted to be there. And it was cheap because no one wanted to be there
Yeah it's a crappy place lol
I was kind of disappointed that I never went to Nickelodeon Studios in my lifetime. I would have enjoyed back when it was first around. I was 14, 15 years old back then living in a Navy town in Connecticut where nobody would shut up about the war in Iraq, the Persian Gulf War, Desert Storm, whatever. Nickelodeon Studios would have eased off my mind from my troubles back then. Every one I knew back then either went to Florida, had gone there before, or like myself wished they were there. The Early 1990s were the best time period to visit there as they were so much hype back then, but missed out. Luckily after watching this documentary on Nickelodeon Studios, I can absorb the "wish I was there" experience without being there.
It would probably wouldn't work in this day and age. Different time periods, all about nostalgia nowadays. As you mentioned, the only money marker now is the brand name itself. At least they made their mark on Universal in Orlando, Florida and now it's a piece of Nickelodeon history that generations young and old can look back to and say, 'I just saw a darn good documentary. Wish I was there.".
were you in groton?
@@DanteRaddd Oh yeah. Still living there to this day.
@@DanteRaddd And that town still sucks!
@@meyerj75 same here just finished school, tryna get out lol
@@DanteRaddd Personally, I would rather live in East Hartford where the people are much kinder, there's no view obstruction, easy to get to Riverside Amusement Park and that I would be able to catch all of the UCONN games nearby.
I was there in 1999 when it was on its last legs. I wanted to visit so much as a kid but as a high school senior in 1999 it was sad.
I’m surprised we don’t have a Nickelodeon Theme Park to this day as popular as Nick is with kids.
The absolute best documentary on the original Nick Studios I've ever seen, thank you!! I visited the site in 2019 and was heartbroken to see what it's become, lol.
I appreciate whoever set the slime geyser to go off for the first time at 4:20PM 🤣
Having each song be tied to the literal year it came out was ingenious lol
The fact that they tried to keep the lights on until the bitter end, whether the idea was good or not or if the contract demanded it, was cool to see.
Even as a kid, I got the impression that Slime Time Live started to lose popularity after Nickelodeon premiered U-Pick Live, which was filmed at their headquarters in New York City. Initially Slime Time Live still aired in the earlier afternoon and would transition to U-Pick Live a few hours later. But only a year or so later, Slime Time Live would be moved to the morning hours, with its segments pre-recorded the previous days. I'm sure that didn't help Nickelodeon Studios Florida at all.
That's what killed STL.
Inspiring, as always! Excited to inevitably watch again in the coming months
Glad to see you have taste KidLeavesStoop!
Ay, your that guy that made the Simpsons S6 DVD case video.
The TH-cam Algorithm gods better bless this video.
Please! I want more knick knacks videos faster!
As an Official Slime Kid circa March '96 (got the certificate to prove it):
1) The bench riser seating had a marked spot for the Slime Kid.
2) Wow, and here I thought the "slime is too dry" bit was unique to my session. Admittedly, it's an effective gag.
3) The Slime Kitchen served in small cups by that point. They were serving classic Slime and the tapioca-w/-pineapple-chunks Booger.
4) We were an "at random" selection at my family company's St. Patrick's Day party the night before (after-hours event). That was incidently when my role of Slime Kid was secured.
5) He's not joking about the quiet stages. The sets were up at least.
I remember the green slime tasted bad, the gak tasted good and seeing the completely empty set of Eureka's Castle.
@@lonedragon3261 Neat! IIRC, my stages had All That (right before the move), Kenan & Kel and Gullah Gullah Island.
This is by far the best Nickelodeon studios video I’ve ever seen.
It's also interesting that the soundstages in Universal Orlando had at least one thing consistently being used for. And that is for production of professional wrestling programs. WCW, to producing TNA programs for over a decade, to now AEW and ROH.
Here's how many shows were filmed in each year (counting Slimetime Live and Nickelodeon Splat but not one off pilots or awards shows) the studio was open:
1990: 4
1991: 9
1992: 10
1993: 8
1994: 13
1995: 8
1996: 5
1997: 6
1998: 2
1999: 1
2000: 4
2001: 1
2002: 1
2003: 2
2004: 2
1994>1992>1991>1993/95>1997>1996>1990/2000>1998/2003-04>1999/2001-02
Seems aside from the debut year, the 1991-95 was averaging 9 shows a year, then it decreases a bit to 5-ish by 1996/97 with All That leaving, then downgrades to just 1 or 2 a year from 1998 to the end with Nickelodeon on Sunset making this studio obsolete, 2000 being the only year to have more than 2 shows, likely attempting to make a comeback too little too late.
This documentary is incredibly well made. I was lucky enough to take the tour and participate in the CatDog hoop game with my mom when I was a kid on family vacation. So many memories and even new to me information was collected in this project. Thank you so much for this look back at the studio, warts and all.
I was an 00 baby who grew up watching reruns of Double Dare, Nick Guts, and Legends of the Hidden Temple when they'd air late at night. I dreaaamed of being on those shows and going to the studio one day but it's a shame I never would have the chance. Great documentary!
I can't say I blame Marc Summers for ripping the microphones apart. Makeup time is getting into the correct headspace time and seems pretty intrusive, but as a kid, it would be pretty cool to see the performers in real life.
The work you put into this really shows. Great documentary.
This, as usual, was a fantastic documentary. It may be one of the best episodes of Nick Knacks, if not the best.
So today I learned the green slime geyser erupted for the first time at 4:20...nice. 😊
What better time to send a green cloud into the air? 😆
Nickelodeon still has an amusement park presence in Nickelodeon Universe at the Mall of America in Minnesota. It’s never really been accepted locally because it replaced Camp Snoopy, which had local ties.
I feel so fortunate to have visited the studio. I get the gripes of having the studio on display and especially at an amusement park, but it still feel so ridiculous Nick packed up and went out to California. Just stinks. I loved the studio though, it really looked and felt magical. (I didn't get slimed though and I'm still salty about that.)
It just shows their ungrateful people that took some great series away elsewhere.
I went to Universal Florida only one time in 2016. My dad was always a Blue Man Group fan, so we walked right towards the building for photos.
It never occurred to me that was the headquarters of 90’s childhood. I really wonder how different things would’ve been had the studio been built in Los Angeles.
Greg gives it all he's got on this channel, and you can't help but respect that.
Well done! That building was Mecca to my entire generation, but it was an insane idea.
I wish they could bring it back in some form, not the full TV production (as you state would never happen in your conclusion, and I agree), but turn GUTS, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Nick Arcade, and Double Dare into entirely new, interactive theme park attractions that honor what those shows were.
What are the odds you'd actually get picked and be able to run through that temple on a vacation? They could build that temple, for real, not just on a soundstage, maybe as a darkride, and every guest will finally get to enter the Shrine of the Silver Monkey.
Just as a side note--by 1996, MCA effectively ceased to exist after Seagram had acquired majority ownership the year before and renamed the company Universal Studios.
and everyone got wine coolers
And then Seagram was acquired by Vivendi and then General Electric, owning NBC at one point, bought out Vivendi and turned it into NBCUniversal. Then Comcast bought GE’s shares of NBCUniversal, which is now the current owner of Universal Studios.
The fact that this is airing live the day before my 40th birthday is awesome.
I never thought that I would see Steven Spielberg of all people get Nickelodeon-slimed!
I remember watching Gullah Gullah island as one of my favorite Nick jr shows on vhs, Philip e Garcia was such a great talent it was still sad to know the tragic loss of his life😔.
I can't wait to see the reveal of the time capsule in 2042.
Apparently in the time capsule enclosing ceremony they already told the viewers about the items that were going to be placed inside of the capsule. But that VHS camera tape recording of the burial event is going to be really interesting.
I hope I'm still alive
I worked on the back lot (Universal Studios Orlando in Sound Stage 25) when that was built. It was a GREAT time!
I was fortunate enough to attend Nickelodeon Studios in 2003. While I was only five, I still remember the Game Lab and a brief walkthrough of some studio space that had various show logos on the walls. Even though it was clearly a shadow of its former self by that time, I still thoroughly enjoyed it and consider myself very lucky to have gotten that chance, especially as someone interested in Nick's history.
Enjoyed the video!
Fantastic video, Greg! It was well worth the wait! Honestly, from what you described, it sounded like the studio was doomed from the start. I never got to visit, but wow those behind the scenes home movies made it look amazing. I agree with what you said, though. It's best to leave it in the past. Also, I have a couple observations. One, I had no idea about the Shelby Woo situation, and now I'm really looking forward to its Nick Knacks episode! (It also explains why everyone except for Irene Ng and Pat Morita disappeared after the second season). And secondly, I had no idea Game Farm was an actual game show! When my family subscribed to Nick GAS in 2004, I would see them as interstitial commercials - and I thought they were really dumb. The show itself didn't look much better. And one final note; I know it'll be awhile, but I'm looking forward to Noah Knows Best on Nick Knacks, because I want to know why it bombed so badly. I don't remember it being that bad...but then again, I was 12 and only saw two episodes.
Wow. Your detail is amazing. I was there. My pal Philip (Binya) is mentioned here. So cool of you. I was the GAKmeister from 1994-1996. Also worked on Shelby Woo, DD, Legends and Figure It Out. Great memories from an epic moment.
Really interesting documentary. Feels like a lot of the ultimate issues come back to politics; no talent in the area because of poor working conditions because of state policies... Plus of course the shift from game shows to animation and sitcoms.
I'm so glad to learn that the time capsule still exists!! I can't believe it's been 30 years already! I remember watching that broadcast as a kid and becoming a little bit obsessed with the whole concept of time capsules, haha.
It kind of sucks to grow up and realize that most of your favorite childhood shows were made in a place with questionable labor practices. Say what you want about California, I guess, but at least out there you've got unions. But even if they'd chosen to build the studio in LA, it likely still wouldn't have lasted very long. Nickelodeon had their moment, but they haven't been at the forefront of pop culture or kids' culture for a while now, and probably never will be. (With the exception of Spongebob, I guess. Maybe they should just call it the Spongebob Network lol)
For me, Universal Studios/Nickelodeon Studios was WAY more appealing than any Disney park, or theme parks in general. I loved watching behind the scenes footage and learning how movies and TV were made. My parents and I loved the Back to the Future movies, and I wanted to go on that ride with them more than anything. I never got to, and now I won't even go within spitting distance of Florida (thankfully, I have no reason to).
Thanks for what you do. I love this channel.
Just absolutely incredible, better than the high bar I was expecting given everything you’ve done so far. I love the original universal history, I love the nostalgia, I learned more than I was expecting. I’ve gone from “why did this fail” to “how did this ever work”
It seems like…….Nick got rolled on the initial deal. 13 years is a LONG time. No show is in production year round. I saw a lot of the day 1 programming. I was out of college by the end of the deal. In 1990 there were about 30 channels, 0 competition, 0 internet. Even half a decade later Layborne was running the basic cable Disney and Cartoon Network had started.
It just seems like doing it in Florida and not California was it’s fatal flaw, whatever cost savings there was in the begining. (To be fair there were some short term attempts to make use of MGM too)
On one hand, maybe if they stuck to gameshows and talk shows, it would have lasted longer, the problem was that gameshow's popularity in America absolutely plummeted shortly after it opened and a sprawl of talk shows had completely diluted the market (combine that with the fact that trash shows such as jerry springer and maury started to appear, and you couldnt really do that on Nickelodeon, it just wasn't a feasible method for growth)
And of course, Florida slide into overt fascism, and moron politicans who grow bonors at the thoughts of screwing over employees, and well... there you go.
@@agoo7581 That's not fascism, come back when DeSantis declares himself eternal ruler of the state.
@@lainiwakura1776 At the very least they want to make it seemingly impossible to exist as a 'liberal', however DeSantis and the FL State Legislature decides to define it during any given hour.
In 1991, I was one of those kids slimed at the Game Lab. They had me take a shower after the show, but I couldn't wash all of the slime out. I spent the rest of the day recognizable in the park, with dried green bits in my hair.
This was a really interesting look at Nickelodeon Studios. As a kid growing up in the 90’s, I would always watch the commercials on Nick for the park and dreamed of going there. I ended up going to Disney World with my family in 2001 and took a trip to Universal Studios while there. We took a walk around the Nickelodeon stuff but I never really got the vibe that it was really ever that far gone. I took a part in a live stage show which was cool to see and walked around some other places.
I agree with Greg and everyone else though. It didn’t seem like a very good business model for them to start producing their own shows. It was fine for the early 90’s maybe when they were producing a lot of game shows like Double Dare, Guts, and LOTHT but once they finished up, what was left? Good idea on paper but not great in practice.
Awesome video as always. Given with the extensive information and research put into it, this probably has to be my favorite Nick Studios Florida documentary on TH-cam now.
Mine as well!
My family went to Florida in 1992, right after Hurricane Andrew. One of my biggest memories from that vacation was going to Nickelodeon Studios.
There was a tour and audience game section, but most interesting part was going to some of the first filming for GUTS!
We saw 3 groups of 3 kids doing the jump off the giant steps and shoot a nerf bow and arrow to a target. They didn't change out the sets between, so multiple shows were shot on the same day, though I am unsure if kids shot multiple days. We were given a cheap towel to wave (I was happy to get purple :) )
Ultimately, it was pretty boring, though--we had no idea who the kids were, nor did we get any actual info about them during the taping. Glad to have gone, though!
I went to Nick Studios as part of my birthday Orlando trip in May 2000. For a kid it was a cool experience just to go through the tour and see the Double Dare 2000 set and Slime Time Live being shot. My then mom’s boyfriend’s kids took part in the Gamelab portion which I was jealous of. Sad to see though the reliance on Nicktoons, switching to a more corporate structure under Herb Scannell and productions insistence on moving back to CA sunk the studios the way it did. For the kids that went, the memories are still fresh.
This episode was a gut punch of nostalgia and a kick below the belt from reality.
We want it to come back, but it likely never will.
Best documentary I’ve ever seen on Nickelodeon Studios.
Best Nickelodeon documentary, I'll use this as background ambience all the time.
1996 is when I started feeling the decline. I was a big fan of their live studio stuff & couldn't handle Pete & Pete ending.... Hadn't been that mad since Wild & Crazy Kids was cancelled after only 2 seasons. When they finally shut down the studio & dug up the time capsule, I was pretty much done with the network & only stuck around for the last of Invader Zim.
This is pretty much my exact timeline and experience as well, invader Zim and all.
Oh man, that Universal Studios Florida ad. That.. brings me back so much. I think I remember it in front of Back to the Future?
Finally, the intersection of PopArena and DefunctLand that we’ve all been waiting for
I was listening in the background and 14:34 scared the crap out of me lol
To add another quote from MST3K: "Doesn't the fact that it's Universal make it International?"
I think that Nintendo is doing(and even surpassing), the momentum and fame that they had, years and years ago.
That's true, especially with the success of the 2023 movie, and new Nintendo theme park that opened up.
I wish them all the best and hope that they can *Ninten-do* ...what Nickelodeon couldn't.
By 1999 (and continuing into 2000-2001) The studio which had been going strong from June 1990 was slowly dying. Aside from Pop Star Music Shows, Slime Time Live, or GAS Segments, the two soundstages were being rented for outside productions. Beat The Clock was taped there for one.
Yeah, I don't think DeSantis would put Nickelodeon up in his state, especially given his party's beef with a certain bucktoothed Porifera.
fantastic look into the history! so much behind the scenes I've never seen before, thank you!
This was an amazingly well put together video!
No matter the place… no matter the memories…Florida still destroys everything in it one way or another.
Yepppp
That was a fantastic episode. Well worth the wait, and the effort you put into it. I went to nick studios in 1993, and while I don't remember much about it, it was a thrill to go there.
"Let me guess. This is your home?"
"It was. And it was beautiful."
I wanted to go here so BAD as a kid. Never got to, and I was sufficiently crushed when this got rebranded and BTTF got demolished within the same couple of years. Years later, I came across a website known as C'mon Fwank (which is now ALSO dead and gone 😢😢😢) where the dude running the site went through and took photos of what was leftover about 5 years after closing when Nick rebooted Double Dare for .5 seconds in the early 2010s. Almost everything about this place only exists in our minds and hearts now y'all. Nothing gold can stay and all that.
As a kid if I was asked if I wanted to go to Walt Disney World or Universal Studios I'd have picked Universal Studios because the Nick Studio was there. My ultimate goal in life at that time was to be on Double Dare.
One minor note, until the movies really took off Universal also had a independent Chicken Farm on the studio lot which sold eggs to the public for the first few years. Probably also the source of the chicken dinners on the early tour as well.
When you mention that, my mind immediately went to "Oh so it was a full-service town then, huh.."
My mind thought you meant the Florida studios and was like "what the hell studio in the 90s is selling chickens???"
No, this was in the 20's and 30's@@Xepscern
The early '90s (particularly 1990-92) were the peak years of Nickelodeon Studios. Fewer game shows/live action shows filmed at Nickelodeon Studios was the downfall of Nick Studios in the mid-late '90s. Roundhouse leaving Orlando for Hollywood was the beginning of the end of Nick Studios. Y'all forgot that Welcome Freshman and Fifteen were filmed at Nickelodeon Studios as well.