TheMisterManGuy
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- Oct 23, 2014
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We talk a lot about the early to mid 90s as being Nickelodeon's Golden Age, while the later part of the 90s being a bit more corporate, and then the mid 2000s being Nick's Silver Age. But I think Nick's 'Abstract Era', from the early 2000s is a very fascinating time in the brand's history, in that it was when the 'first Kids' network' had to grow up a little.
The Abstract Era was Nick's on-air brand Identity from 2000-2002, trading tradional Nick iconography like Slime and gross out, for a cleaner, more sophisticated look. It came at a time when Nick realized it was loosing the tween audience of kids age 9-14, to competitors like Disney Channel, MTV, The WB and Cartoon Network. Disney and Cartoon in particular, not only hired away many former Nick executives, but also used Nick's original 90s playbook against Nick to gain traction in the kids' television market, becoming the new arbitors of cool in children's entertainment by 1999. Nick realized it needed to respond, and the Abstract branding, with its minimalist Y2K irony, and weird, art-house takes on Nick's classic orange splat logo, was its response.
With a change in visual look also comes a drastic shift in Nickelodeon's programming, moving away from the ass-old franchises like Rugrats and Kenan and Kel, or younger-skewing, slapsticky shows like Amanda Show and Cousin Skeeter, in favor of smarter, edgier, more teen-oriented fare similar to what was found on competing networks. These included.
Catlin's Way - a live-action drama meant to compete with cinematic 'teen angst' shows on The WB.
As Told by Ginger - a new Klasky-Csupo Nicktoon that trades the baby or grade-school shinanagins of their other Nick shows, in favor of the awkward angst of middle school.
Noah Knows Best - a street-smart spiritual successor to Clarissa Explains it All, that according to creator Ken Lipman, prioritizes character over gimmicks.
Taina - A hip, music-aspirational sitcom designed to compete with the more sophisticated or diverse comedies on networks like Disney Channel or UPN.
Invader ZIM - A darkly comedic cult-classic Nicktoon meant to bring a bit of MTV nhilism to Nickelodeon.
The Fairly Odd Parents - A Spin-off of Oh Yeah! Cartoons that brings Cartoon Network's brand of flat-colored, artist-driven craziness to Nick airwaves.
With a new look, a new, more sophisticated programming slate, and even a new TEENick block launching in March of 2001, the Abstract era sent a very subtle, yet very clear message to viewers, "This isn't your little brother's Nickelodeon."
Ultimately, this lineup ended up being a mixed bag. While shows like Ginger and Fairly Odd Parents would become staples, others were short-lived failures (ZIM being the most infamous example). I think the Abstract era's problem was that it was Nickelodeon trying a little too hard to be 'cool' and 'mature' to tweens, but in doing so, they sometimes came off as a little too 'old' and inaccessible to their core 6-11 year old demo (Again, see Invader ZIM). By 2002, the network was in a very awkward, tonally confused state, with the Nicktoons, TEENick, SNICK, and SLAM (Nickelodeon's short-lived action block) all representing very different visions for the network.
By 2004-2005, Nickelodeon moved past this awkward puberty phase, and finally landed on a lineup that worked. Drake & Josh and Ned's Declassified balanced smart writing and edgy humor with classic Nick chaos. Zoey 101 and Unfabulous took the Disney Channel template and gave it the edgier 'Nick-twist'. And Avatar and Danny Phantom showed Nick could do complex, action-adventure fare, while retaining their 'kids rule' motto.
The Abstract Era was Nick's on-air brand Identity from 2000-2002, trading tradional Nick iconography like Slime and gross out, for a cleaner, more sophisticated look. It came at a time when Nick realized it was loosing the tween audience of kids age 9-14, to competitors like Disney Channel, MTV, The WB and Cartoon Network. Disney and Cartoon in particular, not only hired away many former Nick executives, but also used Nick's original 90s playbook against Nick to gain traction in the kids' television market, becoming the new arbitors of cool in children's entertainment by 1999. Nick realized it needed to respond, and the Abstract branding, with its minimalist Y2K irony, and weird, art-house takes on Nick's classic orange splat logo, was its response.
With a change in visual look also comes a drastic shift in Nickelodeon's programming, moving away from the ass-old franchises like Rugrats and Kenan and Kel, or younger-skewing, slapsticky shows like Amanda Show and Cousin Skeeter, in favor of smarter, edgier, more teen-oriented fare similar to what was found on competing networks. These included.
Catlin's Way - a live-action drama meant to compete with cinematic 'teen angst' shows on The WB.
As Told by Ginger - a new Klasky-Csupo Nicktoon that trades the baby or grade-school shinanagins of their other Nick shows, in favor of the awkward angst of middle school.
Noah Knows Best - a street-smart spiritual successor to Clarissa Explains it All, that according to creator Ken Lipman, prioritizes character over gimmicks.
Taina - A hip, music-aspirational sitcom designed to compete with the more sophisticated or diverse comedies on networks like Disney Channel or UPN.
Invader ZIM - A darkly comedic cult-classic Nicktoon meant to bring a bit of MTV nhilism to Nickelodeon.
The Fairly Odd Parents - A Spin-off of Oh Yeah! Cartoons that brings Cartoon Network's brand of flat-colored, artist-driven craziness to Nick airwaves.
With a new look, a new, more sophisticated programming slate, and even a new TEENick block launching in March of 2001, the Abstract era sent a very subtle, yet very clear message to viewers, "This isn't your little brother's Nickelodeon."
Ultimately, this lineup ended up being a mixed bag. While shows like Ginger and Fairly Odd Parents would become staples, others were short-lived failures (ZIM being the most infamous example). I think the Abstract era's problem was that it was Nickelodeon trying a little too hard to be 'cool' and 'mature' to tweens, but in doing so, they sometimes came off as a little too 'old' and inaccessible to their core 6-11 year old demo (Again, see Invader ZIM). By 2002, the network was in a very awkward, tonally confused state, with the Nicktoons, TEENick, SNICK, and SLAM (Nickelodeon's short-lived action block) all representing very different visions for the network.
By 2004-2005, Nickelodeon moved past this awkward puberty phase, and finally landed on a lineup that worked. Drake & Josh and Ned's Declassified balanced smart writing and edgy humor with classic Nick chaos. Zoey 101 and Unfabulous took the Disney Channel template and gave it the edgier 'Nick-twist'. And Avatar and Danny Phantom showed Nick could do complex, action-adventure fare, while retaining their 'kids rule' motto.
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