Founded in 1977, SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents have helped to keep it relevant today.

Nickelodeon has had moderate success outside its target market, with teenagers and adults often tuning in to watch their content. While this could be have solely been for nostalgic reasons, there are others who tune in just to see what new animated and live-action shows the channel has to offer. Nickelodeon’s diverse viewership indicates that it has no intention of fading away.

Despite continuing to produce quality programming, some Nickelodeon viewers look to the network for re-runs of some of its older, at times, more controversial programming. In the past, adult themes like violence, alcohol, and everything in between have found their way on to a network primarily made for younger viewers. While many of these programs were censored during their initial airing, DVD and Blu-Ray releases of shows like The Ren & Stimpy Show and Rocko’s Modern Life have ensured that these risqué moments are never forgotten.

Here are the 15 Controversial Characters From Nickelodeon Shows That Would Never Be Allowed Today.

Mr. Horse of The Ren & Stimpy Show

One of the more common recurring characters on the 1991 cartoon The Ren & Stimpy Show, was Mr. Horse. The anthropomorphic horse was often brought in as the straight-edged character opposing the titular chihuahua and cat.

Mr. Horse occupied many roles throughout the show, including Ren and Stimpy’s neighbour, a spokesperson for the United Nations, and a judge for dog shows. As is quite common throughout The Ren & Stimpy Show, Mr. Horse’s appearances are often on the questionable side of things.

These instances can be relatively tame, as in the episode "Stimpy's Big Day/The Big Shot," where the character was out to prove that a brand of cat litter could withstand “horse use.” However, the character’s cynical outlook and unpleasant demeanor made him a less-than-appropriate role model.

Doctor Bendova of Rocko's Modern Life

Rocko’s Modern Life followed the adventures of the titular cartoon wallaby as he tried to navigate various mundane aspects of everyday life. As was the case with other Nickelodeon programs like SpongeBob SquarePants, Rocko’s Modern Life was a hit amongst teenage and adult viewers for its controversial humour.

One of these controversial moments involved the character Doctor Bendova, a psychotic rat who posed as Rocko’s doctor after escaping a mental health ward. In the episode “Flu-In-U-Enza," Rocko falls victim to the rat’s charade, and gives Rocko a prostate exam before being he was found out to be a fraud.

Society’s current understanding of the stigmas surrounding mental health leaves a character like Doctor Bendova feeling especially inappropriate for younger viewers.

Angelica Pickles of Rugrats

The product of parental neglect and a serious lack of discipline, Angelica Pickles was a brat. One of the oldest children on Rugrats, Angelica got her way by manipulating younger characters like Tommy and Chuckie.

Some of her objectionable actions include stealing one of the baby’s teeth for money from the Tooth Fairy and trying to convince them that one of their friends is an alien.

One of the worst schemes Angelica orchestrated on Rugrats was when she tried to turn the twins, Phil and Lil, against one another. After feeling left out of Phil and Lil’s activities, she claimed to know which of the twins was the adults' favorite.

While Angelica has a few moments of comion throughout the show, she was a literal baby bully that would never appear on a children's show now.

Little Pete Wrigley of The Adventures of Pete & Pete

While many think of Nickelodeon as being devoted solely to cartoons, the network has aired several live-action shows. One of which was the 1992 show The Adventures of Pete & Pete, which centered around two brothers with the same name, and their unique take on relatively plain day-to-day events. The show dealt with family road trips, being trapped in their school overnight, and everything in between.

One of Little Pete’s most troublesome qualities was his habit of making extremely rash decisions. An avid hater of nearly all things related to authority, the character often engaged in risky behaviour to defy his family's expectations of him. These shenanigans included selling his family’s home after a simple misunderstanding and faking severe illnesses for attention.

The fact that Little Pete would successfully be rewarded for his mischief is why parents wouldn’t want their children looking up to the character.

Oblina of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

Aaahh!!! Real Monsters was another Nickelodeon show that seemed geared toward an older audience. The 1994 cartoon centered around a group of monster students, whose homework assignments were largely based on frightening unsuspecting humans.

Their school was located underneath a garbage dump where the monsters used toe nails as currency. The three main characters, Ickis, Oblina, and Krumm, often found themselves in relatively graphic and, for many younger viewers, terrifying situations.

Oblina was considered by her heaster, The Gromble, to be one of the school's best students, and for good reason. Her methods for scaring humans included inducing nightmares by touching people and pulling her organs out of her body to put them on display. Oblina was definitely not the role model that parents were hoping for.

Cliff Feltbottom of CatDog

CatDog was exactly what it sounded like: a half-dog, half-cat hybrid. The 1998 cartoon surrounding this bizarre creature struck a chord with audiences for the “opposites attract” chemistry between the two coned animals. The fun-loving dog and the practical-minded cat found themselves in many weird situations regarding dating, harassing the mail courier, and learning how two minds can share one body.

Throughout their adventures, CatDog encounters a group called the Greaser Dogs. Essentially a gang of bullies, the Greaser Dogs are led by Cliff Feltbottom, who has a picture of a dead cat stitched to his leather jacket.

After a misunderstanding with the rest of the Greaser Dogs, Cliff started to understand that his actions had deep consequences on others, before reverting back to his old ways. His stubborn nature and general bad attitude, along with his portrayal of gang culture, probably aren’t going to find their way to Nickelodeon screens again any time soon.

George Liquor of The Ren & Stimpy Show

George Liquor provided most of the political commentary that existed on The Ren and Stimpy Show. A staunch conservative, George had a strong hate for anything that even came close to resembling the political left. This old-school way of thinking has been the cause of much real-life animosity in recent years.

One of George's main goals during his brief period on the show was to teach his nephew, Jimmy the Idiot Boy, to be a "real man." Given the character's close-minded political ideas, it's doubtful that Jimmy had progressed very far. Considering Nickelodeon's dislike for George Liquor at the time of his introduction, you can bet we won't be seeing anyone like the character in the near future.

Caitlin Seeger of Caitlin's Way

Caitlin's Way is another show that, at least by today's standards, seems out of place on Nickelodeon. A live-action teen drama that ran from 2000 to 2002, Caitlin's Way followed the titular character as she moved from the bustling streets of Philadelphia to a remote ranch in Montana.

The bulk of the show revolved around Caitlin realizing the extensive damage that her mother's death caused, seeing as Caitlin was only eight at the time, and learning how to accept it.

The whole premise is quite heavy by modern Nickelodeon standards, reflecting a time when the network tried to also market to a slightly more mature audience. While Caitlin's transformation was a positive one, you simply aren't going to see another character like her on the network.

Bev Bighead of Rocko's Modern Life

Bev Bighead and her husband Ed were the toads who lived next door to Rocko throughout the series. They were often responsible for dragging the titular character into their dysfunctional marriage. While Bev is typically portrayed in a caring light, her behavior went off the rails multiple times.

One of the most notable instances of Bev's inappropriate behavior was during the controversial episode "Leap Frogs." Feeling unloved by Ed, Bev decided to bring Rocko over to fix a few things around the house and then attempted to seduce the unsuspecting wallaby.

Given that the episode was pulled by Nickelodeon from their rotation after only two airings, we're unlikely to see another character like Bev Bighead in future shows.

Dag Beaver of The Angry Beavers

 

First airing in 1997, The Angry Beavers seems in line with much of the network’s other '90s programming. The Angry Beavers followed brothers Dag and Norb as they moved out of their family home to live together as cool, young bachelors. The two beavers faced a number of challenges that came with living on their own for the first time, and they struggled with their newfound freedom.

For the most part, Dag lets this get to his head to a much greater extent than Norb. Dag was known for making extremely rash decisions based on his mood throughout much of The Angry Beavers.

Dag's manic behavior, love for name-calling, and problem with seemingly everything he encountered made him an all-around pessimistic character, more suited for teens and adults than for Nickelodeon’s core market.