15. What about the future of R&S? (R&S Headline News)

Nutshell:

We have completed the shows for Season 2. Nick is probably saving "Untamed World 2" and "Man's Best Friend" for Season 3 (they know that it's the last of the John K. material).

Gory Details:

Dateline
Premiere Date to April 1993: The future of R&S is very murky at the moment. Rumors are flying of John K's dismissal for submitting inappropriate material and being behind schedule. The rights to the characters are owned by Nick, so it's conceivable that R&S could go on under new management. All of this is way up in the air as this goes to print.

John K. has been removed as head of R&S, and Spumco has lost the rights to produce R&S. Bob Camp, one of John's partners at Spumco, will head a new studio. The name of the company, who is still working on R&S, and other facts are all still up in the air as the public is concerned.

Nick announced in late fall 1992 that new Ren And Stimpys will be playing starting on November 7, 1992 and play new ones bi-weekly. Nick is also looking for a replacement for Ren (and probably Mr. Horse) because John K. has decided to quit doing the voice. (Billy West is doing the interim Ren, as mentioned above. Although its more like Ren and Peter Lorre combined, it's just not John K. But I am biased on this point, though.)

According to a recent poster, John K. now believes that R&S are "dead." He may correct in the sense that some of their best material is now banned including the disputed "Out West" cartoon. Nick has six shows left to air but will hold out as long as possible to keep them fresh; it looks like re-run mania until February, a ratings month.

It looks like Ren And Stimpy cult fans are in for a bumpy ride. Nick has ordered 65 (sixty-five) episodes for Season 3, which means the creativity will go down for sure (if they don't it will be a surprise). The remaining Season 2 shows have episodes when Ren is played by Billy West. "Monkey See, Monkey Don't" and "Fake Dad" were the only two new R&S from February sweeps--not to mention an edited Powdered Toast Man reappeared with the title of the "pope" changed to "the funny little man with the pointy hat." On the other end of the spectrum, John K. is now working on two shows for the fall: "He Hog" (a superatomic pig) and a variety show hosted by George Liquor ("Hello! I'm George Liquor, American!").

"Out West," BTW, did make a come back unedited in February sweeps. I believe Nick wanted to save their newest song until the "HHJJ" song died down in popularity.

"The Great Outdoors" and "The Cat Who Laid The Golden Hairball" have premiered. Nick is premiering the rest of the cartoons by single airings. MTV is showing R&S at erratic times; keep an eye on your local listings.

April 24, 1993 Update: "Stimpy's Fan Club" airs, and Nick-Mania is showing eight shows of our favorite duo. Oh Joy Of Joy!

May 8, 1993: Other new shows have aired and unaired episodes have been in limbo. They have been covered in the guide and encyclopedia. John K. is planning to bring back the show in a similar format an attitudes with George Liquor (Ren-type personality) and Jimmy The Hapless Boy (Stimpy-type dufus) in a television show, according to Cinfantastique magazine. Nick Mania has SNICK Mania so that R&S gets played two more times than usual--Oh Joy! "Visit To Anthony" has been aired.

May 23, 1993: "Kilted Yaksmen" premieres! Big hoopla about it along with gigantic flying skirted crocostimpies. :-)

Summer 1993: Due to my co-op assignment, I haven't been able to keep a month to month journal on R&S, but many things have happened. Film Threat has re-released their article on R&S in a magazine called RIP (or something similar), but details are currently sketchy. R&S Comics have been selling like hotcakes; I know of five places that sell it out consistently in my area alone! Currently, the comic book is up to #10 (I'm looking for #5); first editions are hard to find, so Marvel Comics has released the first four issues of R&S is a package re-release; other re-releases may be evident! (IMHO, I really liked the artwork in the first story of #9 because the artist captured the look, feel, and backgrounds of the show.) See the section on the comic book for more details about the R&S Comic book.

I've been reading a lot of different newsgroups about video games and animation this summer, and I have discovered something. The R&S video game on GameBoy is a cool game (according to our beloved Judex:), and there are continual posts about R&S on rec.arts.animation. So make sure you check out both! (Look for R&S references in other topics too)

Now onto the show, Ren And Stimpy. A desert of reruns has plagued the fans of the show, but we've almost made it to the next season! Season 3 should start August 28, but what Games Animations, the new company, will produce on its own has yet to be seen. Rumors of a 65 shows for season 3 are still flying and may be true; "Rocko" (as advertised on Slime Time sweepstakes) will premiere as a new Nicktoon. Will Rocko take over R&S's spot on Sunday? How long can trusted Cadet Stimpy and fans hold out? How long before John K. wishes he pushed the history eraser button on creating R&S??? :)

(BTW, see the R&S Encyclopedia for more month by month commentary)

October 1993: New shows are coming November 20, 1993!!!

December 1993: Three shows have premiered and have flopped (except NO Pants Today). :( "Untamed World 2" has been edited to death according to WCK 2's "Nick Boners" section; it may never show up uncut.

May 1994: No shows on SNICK yet.