List of Nickelodeon short films
This is a list of short films that appeared on Nickelodeon, Nicktoons and Nick Jr.
Nickelodeon USA (original short series)
Tip-Top! with Suzy Prudden (1982)
In a carefully created six-segment series of progressive exercises, Suzy Prudden leads a group of kids through fun and stimulating warm-up activities and exercises. The series was released on VHS by Warner Home Video in 1982.
Inside-Out Boy
Five shorts were produced for Nickelodeon from 1989 to 1993; they followed a boy who accidentally swung over the bar of the swing set, causing his body to flip inside-out. The shorts were animated in claymation by Sculptoons. It was later featured in a bumper for TeenNick's The '90s Are All That. Two shorts each can be seen on the Rugrats VHS tapes "Tales from the Crib" and "A Baby's Gotta Do What a Baby's Gotta Do".
Nick Days (1993–1997)
This 30-second short series, which aired from 1993 to 1997, describes a different holiday (both official and created for the series) every day.
Orange Carpet
This long-running Nickelodeon interstitial series (formerly known as "Nicksclusive" from 1995 to 2011) promotes or takes a behind-the-scenes look at a movie or (until the early 2000s) a Nickelodeon show.
The Non-Adventures of Safety Queen
Shorts featuring a girl with the alias of Safety Queen who helps kids overcome their fears by advising them against it, giving ridiculous scenarios of what would happen if they went for it, but the kids ignore this and do it anyway and realize there was nothing to fear after all. Three shorts were produced for Nickelodeon in 1995; these shorts can be seen on the Rugrats VHS tape Phil and Lil: Double Trouble.
The Space Between Mr. Frear's Ears
A man named Mr. Frear hears music in everyday situations. Five shorts were produced in 1995.
TechNick
In these shorts, a teenager answers questions about computers and the internet. Nine shorts were produced by Robert Zammarchi and Big Blue Dot in 1999.
Nick Extra (2004–2008)
From 2004 to 2008, commercial breaks on Nick usually began or ended with a Nick Extra short. These included:
- Quicktoons: Short animations that end with a Nickelodeon logo.
- Interpretives: Nickelodeon characters being created out of different things.
- A Closer Look and Inside the Nicktoons Studio: Behind-the-scenes videos about Nickelodeon shows.
- Fanimation: Short animations based on viewer-submitted stories.
- Puzzles involving guessing a Nickelodeon character.
- Purple and Brown
- Neopets: Short animations based on the web game.
- Helpful Hints for Humans:
Nickelodeon USA (one-shot shorts)
Zoom (1996)
An animated adaptation of the book by Istvan Banyai.
The Right to Express Yourself (1997)
An intro featuring many languages leads into a short story about Zeebo, who likes to express himself, and his dad, who initially disapproves of Zeebo expressing himself. Zeebo and his dad eventually decide to express themselves together. The story was designed by Zolo Inc., animated by Pixar, and originally produced for UNICEF's "Cartoons for Children's Rights" campaign.
Antics (1998)
In this CGI short produced by Pitch Productions, ants play with a hula hoop-like object. One ant doesn't let another ant play with the object, but that ant gets to do so after it asks the other ant for a turn. This short aired on both Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.; Nick Jr.'s version, entitled "Ants, Ants, Ants", added an intro featuring an anthill.
Nickelodeon USA (acquired shorts)
One-shot shorts
From 1981 to 2000, Nickelodeon aired an original or acquired short film during the last commercial break of some of its shows, initially under the names Nickelodeon Short Feature (1981 to 1983) and Nickelodeon Breakaways (1983 to 1984). These included acquired one-shot shorts which usually aired after shows that ran less than 23 minutes; they were removed in 1994 due to Nickelodeon deciding to produce its own short series.
- The Cat Came Back (Cordell Barker)
- Dog (Tanya Weinberger)
- Dog Brain (J. Falconer)
- Fast Food (Tanya Weinberger)
- Grace (Tanya Weinberger)
- Housecats (Peg McClure)
- IKKKK! (Tanya Weinberger)
- Joy Street (Suzan Pitt)
- The Killing of an Egg (Paul Driessen)
- Metal Dogs of India (Chel White)
- Picnic on Imbrium Beach
- Rock & Roll Pet Store (Michael Posch)
- Skip It (Bill Snider)
- The Traveling Show
- Waddles (Dan Collins)
Picture Pages
Bananaman
Watt the Devil
A series of under 30-second shorts produced by King Rollo Films. Watt the devil tries to do something but ends up hurting or humiliating himself.
Sports Cartoons
Muppet Beach Party
The Muppets cover "Kokomo" and "Wipe Out" in two music videos which aired on Nickelodeon in the mid-1990s.
Nick Jr. shorts
Nick Jr. Rocks
Nick Jr. Sings
Episodes
| Episode # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Colors" | April 1993 |
| 2 | "Shapes" | December 1995 |
| 3 | "Sounds" | December 1995 |
| 4 | "Weather" | December 1995 |
| 5 | "Being Polite" | 1996 |
| 6 | "Face Song" | 1996 |
| 7 | "Feelings" | 1996 |
| 8 | "Country Hop" | 1999 |
| 9 | "Funky Jelly Monster" | 1999 |
| 10 | "Face Mambo" | 1999 |
Max and His Alphabet Adventures
Max tells a story about an adventure he went on with a letter of the alphabet, which involves many words that begin with the letter; his father tells him to go to sleep at the end of each short. Nine shorts were produced by Lee Corey.
Episodes
| Episode # | Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Letter F" | September 1993 |
| 2 | "Letter R" | September 1993 |
| 3 | "Letter S" | September 1993 |
| 4 | "Letter B" | September 1995 |
| 5 | "Letter D" | September 1995 |
| 6 | "Letter P" | September 1995 |
| 7 | "Letter M" | Spring 1997 |
| 8 | "Letter T" | Spring 1997 |
| 9 | "Letter W" | Spring 1997 |
Face
Little Big Room (1994-95)
In this short series, Flexy (Joey Mazzarino), Jam, and sometimes someone else do things in the titular room.
Winky Love
An African-American girl explains what it's like to live in a big city. Four shorts were animated by Bill Davis in 1994.
What's the Buzz with Philomena Fly (1995)
In this short series animated by DMA Animation, Philomena Fly went somewhere and shows the live-action video of her visit she made with her BuzzyCam.
Jungle Boogie
Clips of animals are shown which revolve around something they do.
Episodes
| Episode # | Title | Airdate | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Scratching" | December 1995 | 0:35 |
| 2 | "Playing" | December 1995 | 0:55 |
| 3 | "Eating" | December 1995 | 0:40 |
Joey's Lunch
Anthropomorphic food come out of Joey's lunchbox and do something while promoting healthy eating. Four minute-long shorts were produced by Luna Vox Productions in 1996.
Flexy's Little Big Question (1996)
A spin-off of Little Big Room where Flexy, sitting on a bench with two children, asks them a question.
Countin' Carl
A superhero helps children get over problems related to counting up to 5. Five live-action shorts were produced in 1996.
Amby and Dexter
Amby & Dexter was a series of animated interstitials on Nick Jr. in 1997, created by Paul Fierlinger and his wife Sandra Schuette, and composed by John Avarese. The title is a play on the word "ambidexterity", meaning "the ability to use both hands", as the characters transform from a pair of hands.
Amby and Dexter are depicted as miniature bespectacled, dressed humans, free to move and think of their own accord. The two solve problems and never speak. Amby, the female hand, is playful and has a penchant for dancing to get from one place to another. Dexter, the male hand, is more serious and sometimes annoyed by Amby's antics, but never too bothered. After the two finished their task, they transform back into the original pair of hands.
Episodes
| # | Title | Length (in minutes) | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | "Scotch Tape" | 2:06 | June 2, 1997 | |
| Amby and Dexter seal the wrapping of a present. | ||||
| 02 | "Doorknob" | 2:12 | June 3, 1997 | |
| Amby and Dexter struggle to open the back door to go outside. | ||||
| 03 | "Portraits" | 2:24 | June 4, 1997 | |
| Amby and Dexter paint portraits of each other. | ||||
| 04 | "Gardening" | 2:54 | June 5, 1997 | |
| Amby and Dexter grow sprouts on egg cartons. | ||||
| 05 | "Piano" | 1:24 | June 6, 1997 | |
| Amby and Dexter play piano. | ||||
Wordville with Marc Weiner and Friends (1998)
In Wordville, Mark Weiner reveals a word, and then visits someone who can define the word.
Nick Jr. Show and Tell
A child tells a story and shows the artwork s/he made to go along with it. An animation of the story by Buzzco Associates plays throughout the short. Seven shorts were produced by Lynn Kestin in 1998.
Abby's Friends
Chris Gifford created this live-action short series in 1998 which lasted for three episodes. After Abby leaves her room, her stuffed animals (a cat, a cow, a dog, and a pig) come to life through puppetry and learn social skills. The cat and pig stuffed animals were later featured in the Dora and Friends: Into the City! episode "The Search for Mono".
Maggie and the Ferocious Beast (1998)
Nick Jr. Presents (1999–2001)
An animated adaptation of a story, a vignette featuring Bill Cosby, or a song from Blue's Big Musical Movie is shown.
Nanalan'
Just Ask! (2000)
A child's misconception about something is corrected by an off-screen woman, whose answer is accompanied by a simple animation. Three shorts were produced.
Just for Me Stories (2001)
Episodes
| Episode # | Title | Narrator |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Dave the Brave Meets A Big Orange Monster" | Kathy Najimy |
| 2 | "The Grumpy Bug" | Sandra Bernhardt |
| 3 | "Please, Baby, Please" | Spike Lee |
| 4 | "Rumble Grumble Gurgle Roar" | Whoopi Goldberg |
Favorite Foods
A child makes a cartoon about his favorite food. Four shorts were produced by John Serpentelli in 2001.
Nickelodeon International
Very Aggressive Vegetables
These shorts are about kids insulting a vegetable, and then the vegetable comes to life and goes crazy, destroying snacks or yelling at the kid. Six 30-second shorts were produced for Nickelodeon Australia by Fudge Puppy Productions in 1997.
Episodes
- Cucumber
- Baby Corn
- Celery
- Potato
- Zucchini
- Broccoli
Balinese Slapping Fish
Produced by Fudge Puppy Productions in 1998 for Nickelodeon Australia, the series involves an orange fish and green fish (a parody of Siamese fighting fish) who slap each other. Usually, something unrelated is happening as the two fish randomly appear, to the confusion and occasionally frustration of onlookers. Most of the shorts ends with the fish superimposed on a background with the title, which is said by a group of kids.
Episodes
- Game Arcade
- Fear Of Flying
- Haunted House
- Olympics
- Gala Premiere
- Blast Off Top 5 (only episode without outro)
- Fight Night
Hot Chunks
These shorts star Angus King as a variety of characters. Thirteen minute-long shorts were produced for Nickelodeon Australia by Fudge Puppy Productions in 1998.
Gordon Bleugh
The shorts are claymation/stopmotion in nature, and are animated by Neville Buchanan. Several accounts describe this short as the misadventures of a claymation, anthropomorphic green frog in a chef's costume, often facing mishaps like malfunctioning equipment or a fly buzzing around the kitchen. Four shorts were produced by A for Animation and Elm Road Productions in 2000.
Schoolyard Safari
A Boy Documents Different Types Of Boys At School
Foul Facts
Produced by in 2002 for Nickelodeon Australia, this short consists the narrator teaching the kids about seemingly gross bodily fluids and unwanted symptoms, which include mucus, warts, dandruff, etc. It lasted for 6 episodes. It re-aired on Nicktoons in 2011.[1]
The Presentators
A stop-motion series about three presentators named Stefan, Brian and Dan who host Nickelodeon (changed to Nicktoons in U.S. airings) and usually fool around on camera. It was produced by Aardman Animations in 2002 for Nickelodeon UK.
Nicktoons Network
Doodlez
The Adventures of Napman
Aired in 2003. It is about a man who is always sleeping on his cot, and is thus called "Napman." He travels by having his dog pull his cot along, Billy the dog always saves the day, but Napman gets the credit. However, Billy is usually just doing dog things, like chasing a duck/cat or running towards a tree to "do its business". Aside from the opening theme, the only dialogue in the shorts is at the end, when one or more people praise Napman by saving, "Nice work, Napman!"
Tortellini Western
Leader Dog
Fowl Play
The short's name is a pun on the phrase foul play. In Fowl Play, penguins and ducks play an exciting soccer game with music in the background. In the end, the music shifts, and a team of three ostriches catch the ball, ready to challenge the teams. It was made by Christopher DeSantis and won the Nicktoons Creator Award.[2]
Edgar and Ellen
Short compilations
Short Films by Short People
In 1996, Nickelodeon debuted a series of short films developed by children. It reran two years after its debut and often shown in the afternoon on Nickelodeon and Nick Jr. as well to fill in time. Most notably was Innie and Outie, a short film about two friends who go to see a movie for the day. The faces are made of live-action pictures of belly buttons, and animated with facial features to simulate speech and actions, like drinking.[3]
KaBlam!
Shorts from the KaBlam! series such as Sniz & Fondue, Action League Now!, Prometheus and Bob, Life with Loopy, and sometimes The Off-Beats were once shown during commercial breaks on Nicktoons. Life with Loopy and Prometheus and Bob were the most played.
Toons From Planet Orange (1998)
Spider and Fly
This was a series of clay-animated shorts about a spider trying to get a fly. The fly always outwits him, however. Thirteen shorts were produced by Elm Road On The Box; the first one was also shown during the Nickelodeon TV special "Toons from Planet Orange".
Snout
This is about animals with snouts who dance to music. They babysit two baboon twins as the mother comes in on chaos. Three shorts were produced by Fudge Puppy Productions; the first one was also shown during the Nickelodeon TV special "Toons from Planet Orange".
Ego from Mars
This is about a group of aliens and a robot who try to take over the earth, but fail at doing so. Created by Mark Gravas.
Frog's Life/Vida De Sapos
Two frogs attempt to cross a busy road, but the big frog gets run over despite the little frog warning him. Produced by Metrovisión Post Producción.
Nick.com Toons (2000)
The Boy from Woy
Produced by MudFish Studios, this is about a boy with a rubber glove on his head who has a magical remote control that can stop, fast forward, and rewind things. The premise is similar to that of the 2006 film Click.
Jerk Chicken & Fish Out of Water
Produced by Pitch Productions, this is about a chicken who becomes a police officer and a fish who just sits there. The chicken pushes people around, and the fish saves the day when he swallows the "psycho pooch" that the chicken is scared of.
Bobby the Lizard Boy
This is about a half iguana/half boy, with a babysitter named Laura. Bobby attempts to foil her every plan, and he ends up eating her.
Ernie & Trafalgar
Ernie's dog Trafalgar needs to "water the tree," but just crossing the street to get to the tree turns into an adventure for him. While waiting for the light to turn green, Ernie's imagination runs wild, and a giant mutant plant spells relief for Trafalgar. He almost gets eaten by a shark, but Trafalgar manages to save him in his misery.
Monster Vs Monster
A brother and a sister make monsters in their imagination during bedtime to fight one another.
Music Monster
This one-shot sketch is about a monster who sings and tries to get some milk.
The Little Freaks
This is a one-shot sketch about a trio of friends that have various abnormalities (one girl has three eyes, there is a pair of Siamese twins, and one boy has a brain in a glass), and they save the world from a villain named Noface. This short was also aired on an episode of KaBlam!
Shorts based on Nickelodeon series
CatDog
These are the two pilot films of CatDog that aired before the show existed.
Astrology with Squidward
Astrology with Squidward was a series of shorts that ran from 2000 to 2001 on Nickelodeon. The shorts featured SpongeBob SquarePants nasty octopus sealord Squidward Tentacles giving humorous horoscopes, relating the Zodiac signs to characters on the show.
The Crimson Chin & Cleft, the Boy Chin Wonder
These shorts, produced in 2001, feature characters from The Fairly OddParents and resemble a moving comic book. The shorts follow the Crimson Chin and Cleft, the Boy Chin Wonder as they fight crime in the Chin's comic book. These also appear as "we'll be right back" and "now we're back" signs in early Fairly OddParents episodes.
Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius
Nickelodeon commissioned a series of shorts in 2001 to promote the Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius movie. Some episodes include Hyper Corn, Sea Minus, and Ultralord vs. the Squirrels. Several of these shorts were made into games on Nick.com.
Mr. Meaty
The shorts from which the show originated.
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Shorts featuring the cast of Avatar: The Last Airbender super deformed. There have been three.
The Loud House
A few The Loud House shorts were produced for the internet. The pilot short film was later given the title of "Bathroom Break!". Other shorts to follow include "Slice of Life" and "Deuces Wild!" There is also a Christmas-based short, "The 12 Days of Christmas".
Three more shorts were aired on TV in select European markets.