Nickelodeon Games

Background

Nickelodeon Games (formerly Nick Games from 2002 to 2009, from 1997 to 2002, Nickelodeon Software, and from 1993 to 1997, Nickelodeon Interactive) is the video gaming division of Nickelodeon. It was originally a part of Viacom Consumer Products, with early games being published by Viacom New Media. They started a long-standing relationship with game publisher THQ. THQ's relationship with the network started off when THQ published their Ren & Stimpy game for Nintendo consoles in 1992, followed by a full-fledged console deal in 1998 with several Rugrats titles, and expanded in 2001, when THQ acquired some of the assets from Mattel Interactive, namely the computer publishing rights, and all video game rights to The Wild Thornberrys. Nickelodeon also worked, alongside THQ on an original game concept, Tak and the Power of Juju.

Nickelodeon Interactive

(April 1, 1994-2005)

Nickname: "Nickelodeon Objects"

Logo: The standard Nickelodeon television logos from the era, with the name painted on various objects.

Variants:

AAAHH!!! Real Monsters (Genesis/SNES): A bat.
Rocko's Modern Life: Spunky's Dangerous Day (SNES): A bone on a purple background with doodles of a bone, cake, a heart, a tennis ball, a TV, a stopwatch, a swirly pattern, a fork, and an arrow.
Rugrats: Search for Reptar (PSX): An odd star-like creature, which zooms in and swirls. Also shown as a network ID for Nickelodeon around 1998.
Rugrats: Studio Tour / Totally Angelica (PSX) and Scavenger Hunt (N64): A baby bottle.
Rugrats: Mystery Adventures (PC): A regular orange mouse seen from the top, which lights up.
SpongeBob SquarePants: Legend of the Lost Spatula (GBC): A shell-like form.
The Wild Thornberrys: Chimp Chase (GBA): A crocodile.
The Wild Thornberrys: Rambler (GBC): A leaf with a bite taken out of it, sharing the screen with the Klasky-Csupo logo.
SpongeBob SquarePants: SuperSponge (GBA and PSX): A jellyfish.

FX/SFX: None for the still variants. For the Rugrats: Search for Reptar variant, the swirling and zooming in and out of the logo.

Music/Sounds: None. But in Rugrats: Search for Reptar, the familiar Nickelodeon jingle plays.

Availability: Seen on games listed above.

Editor's Note: On the Rugrats: Search for Reptar variant, the swirling and zooming in of the logo as well as the jingle can catch some off guard.

Nickelodeon Software

1st Logo (1998-January 1, 2001)

Nickname: "The Clockwork Mouse"

Logo: We see a wind-up mouse that says "NICKELODEON" falling from the top of the screen to the bottom. Then it goes back and forth and then drives up the wall and falls back down as the wind-up handle stops to spin.

Variant: There is a still version with the mouse bigger and at the center of the screen.

FX/SFX: The mouse falling from the top to the bottom, the mouse going back and forth, driving up the wall, falling back down, and the wind-up handle stops to spin.

Music/Sounds: A wheeze as the mouse falls down, then the sound of the mouse and the wind-up handle spinning, one fart noise as the mouse is spinning, then another fart noise when the mouse hits the corner, then a "BOING", then the sounds of the wind-up handle stopping to spin, or the theme song of the game. None for the still version.

Availability: The still version appears on Nicktoons Racing for Game Boy Color. The animated version appears on The Wild Thornberrys: Rambler, Rugrats: Totally Angelica (Game Boy Color version) and three games for the PC: CatDog: Quest for the Golden Hydrant, Rugrats in Paris, and Rugrats Adventure. It also aired as a network ID on Nickelodeon around 1998.

Editor's Note: In the animated variant, the sounds of the mouse and the fast movement may catch some off-guard.

2nd Logo (December 1998-September 24, 2001)

Nickname: "The Footprint"

Logo: It's the Nickelodeon Movies logo from The Rugrats Movie, except it is the print version, with no interactive media indicator whatsoever.

Variants:

A version of this logo exists without the "MOVIES" sign.
The background is white in some games.
On Rugrats: Castle Capers, the logo looks slightly different, with the toes being smaller and separated from the rest of the foot.
On the Game Boy and Game Boy Color versions of The Rugrats Movie, the logo is shown above the credits.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Hard to find. Seen on Rugrats in Paris: The Movie on PlayStation, N64 and Game Boy Color. The only footstep appears on The Rugrats Movie for Game Boy and Game Boy Color, Rugrats: Time Travellers for Game Boy Color and Rugrats: Castle Capers for Game Boy Advance.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (October 21, 2001, 2006-October 27, 2009)

Nickname: "Nickelodeon Splat"

Logo: The print version of the Nickelodeon "splat" logo and its variations from the time.

Variants: On Drawn to Life: SpongeBob SquarePants Edition, the splat is different. There was also a custom variant on Rugrats: All Growed Up.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Seen on SpongeBob SquarePants: Globs of Doom, Naked Brothers Band (with black BG), The Backyardigans and iCarly for DS. The 2001 variant was seen on Rugrats: All Growed Up.

Editor's Note: None.

Nick Games

1st Logo (November 26, 2002-2009)

Nicknames: "Nick Robot", "The Pixel Robot", "8-Bit Nick"

Logo: On a white background, an orange object blurs in from the somewhat-bottom-left to the bottom-center, revealing it is a 2D 8-bit robot composed of large pixels. It then moves towards us, and stops as it mildly sways. Then, it blinks, and spins around rapidly. When it stops spinning, the word "NICK" (in its 1984-2009 font called "Balloon") appears on the robot. The word "GAMES" (in an 8-bit font) swings up from the bottom and lands on the robot's feet, bouncing it a bit, and it blinks one last time before we fade out.

Variant:

A still variant exists. It can be found on games for cartridge-based handheld consoles and Vtech's V.Flash system.
On the arcade game SpongeBob SquarePants: Bikini Bottom Bowling, the still logo is on a background with bubbles.
The motion variant was also rendered interlaced for 60fps deinterlacing display on TVs in some games.
A short version exists that starts with the robot spinning.

FX/SFX: Very well-done 2D-style 3D animation.

Music/Sounds: A descending chiptune theme with some sound effects as the robot moves, which stops as the robot comes to us. A brief "boom" is heard as the robot blinks, and we hear a loud whirl as it spins. We then end with a robotic voice saying "Nick Games", and 2 brief chiptune notes. On the PlayStation 2 port of Tak and the Power of Juju, everything plays at a higher pitch.

Availability: Very common. Seen on almost every Nickelodeon game from the period, such as Rugrats: Royal Ransom, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom, The Fairly OddParents: Breakin' Da Rules, and many more. The short version appeared on Nickelodeon Toon Twister 3D.

Editor's Note: Its sudden appearance could startle some, but it's a favorite among many early-2000s Nick fans.

2nd Logo (2004)

Nicknames: "Splat from the Sky", "Nickelo"

Logo: We move forward as many orange raindrops fall from the skies and create splats on the ground. Then we zoom very closely to the vertical Nickelodeon splat, so the name even doesn't fit the screen.

FX/SFX: Splats falling down.

Music/Sounds: Sound of falling goo.

Availability: Rare. Seen on SpongeBob SquarePants Typing.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (2007-October 26, 2009)

Nickname: "The Planet"

Logo: On a black background, we see the Nickelodeon splat logo of the time. Then it turns into a star-like object with an orbit around it. It then turns into a planet, with abstract objects, buildings, and creatures. It spins for a second, then zooms in, then zooms back out. An arrow appears from behind the planet, and "wipes out" the planet so the splat logo is back to itself on a black background. Then it fades-out.

FX/SFX: The splat turning into all of the things, the planet spinning and zooming, the arrow appearing and "wiping out" the planet; produced at Freestyle Collective.

Music/Sounds: Just some thunder and static.

Availability: Seen on Nickelodeon games from the time, such as SpongeBob SquarePants: Globs of Doom, SpongeBob's Truth or Square, and Ni Hao, Kai-Lan: Super Game Day for Wii.

Editor's Note: The thunder might scare some, but this is kind of a cool logo.

4th Logo (February 6, 2008)

Nickname: "The Splash"

Logo: The print version of the Nickelodeon Movies logo from 2008.

FX/SFX: None, it's a still logo.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on The Spiderwick Chronicles for DS.

Editor's Note: None.

Nickelodeon Games

1st Logo (2009-)

Logo: We see an orange letter "i" falling and doing some tricks on the letter "k" from the current logo. Then it jumps down and we see other letters forming the 2009-present Nickelodeon logo lying on the ground. The animation doesn't match the current Nickelodeon logo on TV.

Variants:

A still version is more commonly used.
Sometimes the logo is in print form and on a black background.
On Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, the print logo is used on a white background.

FX/SFX: The letters in CGI or Flash animation. This and the next two logos were produced by Robert Kohr.

Music/Sounds: Several hopping bumps, followed by the famous jingle.

Availability: Common. The still version is seen in a lot of games on minor platforms like Nintendo DS, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad, and also on iCarly 2. The animated version is seen only on Dora's Big Birthday Adventure for PC. The "movies" variant appears on The Last Airbender. The black background version is much rarer and appears on Spongebob's Boating Bash.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (April 10-November 8, 2011)

Logo: An orange letter "i" stands in front of a big white button. It looks left to right, then jumps onto the button, turning it light orange. The 2009-present Nickelodeon logo falls from above, including the letter and clearing the button.

FX/SFX: Animated letter and logo falling.

Music/Sounds: Several slide whistle sound effects as the letter "i" looks around, followed by the ending of the Nick jingle.

Availability: Appeared on SpongeBob SquigglePants, SpongeBob's Surf & Skate Roadtrip and the NDS version of Nicktoons MLB.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (September 13, 2011-)

Logo: There are many orange cubes floating in the sky. They fall to the ground, forming an object that we see from its side, then it becomes solid, zooms and rotates to full view as the regular Nickelodeon logo.

FX/SFX: The letters moving.

Music/Sounds: Regular jingle in computerized format.

Availability: Uncommon. It's seen on all games starting from Nicktoons MLB, and newer licensed titles, like Nickelodeon Dance.

Editor's Note: The animation here is good.