Greetings my fellow movie goers from around the globe. Today’s editorial is different unlike my usual ranking of Top 12 List based solely on the best movies of a specific year, highly anticipated movies and fancasting choices. This time I’d like to present a Top 12 Christmas specials on Nickelodeon related shows. While looking up childhood memories of commercials on shows I used to watch, I happen to stumble upon a commercial with Nicktoons in Claymation form singing, “We Wish You a Merry Nickmas,” a play on word of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” All of a sudden, I started have peaceful flashbacks of some of the shows I used to watch, aired a Christmas episode. I also found a previously recorded video on YouTube. A commercial break with Plankton singing his own rendition of Christmas songs to promote a fake album called, “Plankton’s Holiday Hits.” I’d buy that for a dollar. Short films starring a Nicktoon spoofs a beloved Christmas classic like Patrick Star in the role as “Frosty the Snowman,” Angelica Pickles as “The Grinch,” Chuckie Finster as “Charlie Brown.”
Without further ado, here are my personal “Top 12 Nickmas Specials.” Why Top 12? Because I’m one step close to bad luck. Keep in mind, I won’t include live action Christmas specials.
Top 12 Nickmas Specials
12. The Fairly OddParents – Christmas Every Day
Final Verdict: B, FOR BELIEVABLE!
Aired in 2001 during its first season, “Christmas Every Day” marks the first Christmas themed episode of “The Fairly OddParents.” Timmy Turner wishes for Christmas every day. A first, he’s happy enjoying his new gifts and spending quality time with his parents, trouble ensues with every fairy including Cosmo & Wanda transfer their magic to Santa Claus in order to get every present delivered around the world. Other problems rise like every grocery store closed, workers are given an extended day off as they need to make money for their families & schools are closed fearing every kid will be uneducated. As a result of his mistake, Timmy must travel to The North Pole without Cosmo & Wanda’s power so he can undo the damage.
Back when The Fairly OddParents was at its prime before Cosmo gave birth to Poof, I used to watch the show when I was a kid reminding myself it’ll be on after leaving school. Christmas Every Day has its best strengths teaching a lesson not to overdue a holiday, only once per year, jokes were well written, Butch Hartman took his work seriously prior to “Fairly OddBaby,” a song about Timmy’s fondness for Christmas etc. Not bad for a good episode. As I’m no longer a kid, there are two issues I’ve discovered. One, with Timmy wishing he was home while many witnesses where present. If he wishes in front of a crowd, Timmy’s screwed and he’ll no longer see his fairies ever again. Second, Timmy poorly disguises himself to gain access from a bus owned by The Easter Bunny. Cosmo & Timmy’s dad aren’t the only idiots alone. Despite my two gripes, I consider Christmas Every Day is one of my favorite Nickmas Specials.
Please for the love of humanity! Don’t even get me started on how Cosmo (a male fairy) gave birth to Poof. His kid is the cause of the show’s downfall.
11. Rugrats – Babies In Toyland
Final Verdict: A-
Aired in 2002 during its ninth and final season, (then a potential revival will happen soon) this two-part Christmas episode has Tommy, his posse and Angelica stuck at an animatronic Christmas themed village under the impression they’re at The North Pole. Angelica begs an employee as Santa for a new Cynthia doll. Hilarity Ensues as The Gang inadvertently cause shenanigans. Meanwhile, Tommy’s dad, Stu & the rest of the parents are trapped in a small cabin. Wait a second, people are in a cabin together during a snow winter? Rugrats predicted “The Hateful Eight.”
“Babies In Toyland” has some good moments. Angelica seeking a new gift is so funny to witness, she also sings horribly just like sang “My Country Tis of Thee.” Every time Angelica shows up, it gets better, Tommy & his pals encountering animatronic versions of The Nutcracker was another highlight. My one gripe is in fact, Tommy’s grandpa sleeps yet again. I would assume the parents never learned their lesson not to hire the grandpa in charge. Despite my one complaint, Babies in Toyland is another decent Christmas themed episode. If you’re looking for this two-part special, check it out on CBS All Access/Paramount Plus.
10. Danny Phantom – The Fright Before Christmas
Final Verdict: A-
Aired in 2005 during its second season, “The Fright Before Christmas” (a play on word of The Night Before Christmas) is about Danny who hates Christmas, accidentally destroys an only copy of a book. His actions made The Ghost Writer angry. In retaliation, he uses his magic to teach Danny a valuable lesson by transporting him into a Christmas poem. Danny must find a way to combat The Ghost Writer manipulating reality within his book.
The Fright Before Christmas is one of my favorite Nickmas related specials. The Ghost Writer uses rhymes similar to Dr. Seuss’ signature trademark, Will Arnett guest stars as The Ghost Writer, Danny as usual fights ghosts, he also tries to be good next Christmas thanks to Character Development and the visuals jokes were funny courtesy of Butch Hartman. (before Poof destroyed his dignity) One more good thing, Danny’s enemies also factored in. My one complaint throughout the entire series has got to be nobody not recognizing Danny in ghost form. Not a human being with 20/20 vision can’t tell the difference between human and ghost form. Despite one flaw, The Fright Before Christmas again, is one of my favorite Nickmas related specials. If you’re looking for it, stream it on CBS All Access/Paramount Plus.
9. As Told By Ginger – An EVEN-STEVEN HOLIDAY Special
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 2001 during its first season, “An Even-Steven Holiday Special” (has nothing to do with that groper Shia LaBeouf) is about Ginger who learns she’s a quarter Jewish. She decides to celebrate Hanukkah to honor her heritage. Ginger informs her pals Dodie & Macie about her discovery and wants to celebrate her first Hanukkah party. This causes friction between her friends. Dodie thinks Ginger is turning her back on her. Meanwhile Ginger’s brother Carl, doesn’t believe in Santa, because he wishes for his father to come back home. Carl’s best friend Hoodsie still believes in Santa. We get to see Ginger & Carl’s dad in the episode. To repair the damage, Ginger decides to celebrate both Hanukkah & Christmas at the same time.
An Even-Steven Holiday Special is a feel-good holiday episode. I’ll sum it up as best as possible. The central theme of this episode is regardless of religion or race, you can always celebrate a holiday with your friends & family on any holiday as long as you don’t feel left out.
8. Jimmy Neutron – Holly Jolly Jimmy
Final Verdict: A-
Aired in 2003, Jimmy Neutron’s first Christmas themed episode focuses on Jimmy trying to convince his pal Carl that Santa isn’t real by traveling to The North Pole so he can apologize to Carl saying Santa doesn’t exist. Unlike that one episode “Dexter VS. Santa Claus” from “Dexter’s Laboratory” where Dexter acts like a buffoon failing to realize Santa is in person, Jimmy uses his intellect by tracking down Santa’s whereabouts. Upon arriving at The North Pole, Jimmy accidentally knocks out Santa when his scanner overloads, causing a spark flying out of control hitting Saint Nick. Jimmy volunteers as Santa’s replacement tasked to deliver every gift from around the globe.
Holly Jolly Jimmy is a decent episode. Jimmy realizes science doesn’t solve every answer for proof Santa or any holiday character is real, it’s about believing right in front your own eyes regardless of technology. I also thought Jimmy’s dad, Hugh making up his original holiday on pies was actually pretty funny. My favorite line from Jimmy is “Holy Heisenberg.” Mel Brooks has a guest voiceover role as Santa. To put the icing on the cake, he sings a song about it. Cindy & Libby got what they deserve for blaming Jimmy for cancelling Christmas. I know it’s a cartoon, but how the actual fudge are Jimmy and his friends not freezing their butts off without even wearing a heavy coat, hat, gloves and pants. If this were real life, they’d die from hypothermia. I thought Jimmy was smart, doesn’t make any logical sense. First breathing in space, now he can’t feel cold weather?
7. ChalkZone – When Santas Collide
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 2004 during its third season, ChalkZone’s first Christmas episode begins with Rudy, fed up with his parents because he never got a present he specifically wanted. He skips his family dinner in favor of entering the titular realm so he can hang out with Snap at a Christmas festival. Rudy’s friend Penny tries to convince Rudy to return home and celebrate with his family. Rudy refuses in favor of filling in one of the eight Santas after an accident.
“When Santas Collide” is great episode exploring ChalkZone’s Christmas celebration expanding the lore with eight Santas delivering presents within its self-contained dimension, Rudy takes a gamble filling as Santa before times runs out, singing numbers are unique, just to name a few. If you have CBS All Access/Paramount Plus, give this a watch.
6. Rugrats – A Rugrats Kwanza
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 2001 during its eighth season and set after “Rugrats in Paris” this Emmy winning Christmas centric episode focuses on Kwanza when Susie’s aunt visits her home to celebrate the holiday. She tells Susie, Tommy & his posse about honoring her ancestors’ legacy. Susie tries to make a homemade gift for her aunt, but it goes awry. To make things feel better, her aunt tells Susie & Tommy’s posse a story about her encounter with Martin Luther King Jr. & Susie’s mother at an early age facing her fear of stage fright while singing in church.
I’m gonna come clean, this special introduce me to the existence of Kwanza along with many young viewers. Give this episode a watch.
5. Rugrats – Rugrats Chanukah
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 1996, Rugrats did another Jewish themed episode after ” A Rugrats Passover.” Set during Christmas/Hanukkah season, Tommy, his friends and family attend a synagogue to watch a play about Hanukkah. In some sort of a misunderstanding, Tommy and his buddies attempt to shut down the play (mistook the definition of the word play) thinking Tommy’s grandpa, Boris from his maternal side of the family isn’t literally gonna play nice with a king, who’s just an actor for the play and a rival of Boris since childhood. Besides Tommy & his posse, the special focuses on other characters such as Angelica who wants to watch a Christmas special starring Cynthia (a Barbie parody) on TV, Tommy’s dad, Stu is inventing a giant menorah for the synagogue & Boris reunites with his old rival.
Although I’m not religious, I really enjoyed learning about the meaning of Hanukkah. Like Rugrats’ Kwanza special, the Chanukah episode introduce me to the existence of a Jewish holiday. Each character outside Tommy and his posse learn a moral lesson when it comes to the titular holiday, fleshing out the holiday’s context as a visual translation for young viewers, never disrespect Judaism. All I can say is, Rugrats Chanukah is definitely worth a watch. One more thing, a “Hamlet” reference got me cracking up.
4. Rocko’s Modern Life – Rocko’s Modern Christmas
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 1994 during its second season, “Rocko’s Modern Christmas” centers around the titular character feeling without anybody to be with during the holiday season. He decides to invite a lot of people over his house and new next-door neighbors are actually elves. Rocko has a chat with them. Rocko’s buddies Heffer & Filburt sell Christmas trees. Meanwhile, Ed Bighead (the main antagonist of the show) tries to sabotage Rocko’s party, because he wasn’t invited.
The way the elves expand their butts with their names labeled literally on their behinds got me cracking up so hard. The main theme is about any miracle can happen turning something sad into a happy moment. Without giving anything away, Bighead got what he deserved. If you’re looking for Rocko’s Modern Christmas, you can stream in on CBS All Access/Paramount Plus.
3. SpongeBob SquarePants – Christmas Who?
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 2000, SpongeBob’s first ever Christmas centric episode introduces Patchy the Pirate. (played by Tom Kenny himself) A mega fan of SpongeBob, who organizes his dedicated fanclub, hosts the half-holiday special while he sets up decorations, bakes cookies and banters with his parrot Potty. Anyway, “Christmas Who” basically sums up Bikini Bottom never heard of Christmas before. Sandy tells SpongeBob about when and how Christmas is celebrated. This encourages SpongeBob to spread the news across Bikini Bottom. He successfully persuades the entire town to celebrate Christmas, except for Squidward. When Santa didn’t show up, Squidward is forced to cheer up SpongeBob after he acted like a jackass in front of him. A donkey literally shows up as Squidward humiliates SpongeBob.
Christmas Who is an amazing holiday episode. “The Very First Christmas to Me” is arguably the infamous scene where everybody sings as they prepare for Santa’s arrival. Jokes that made me laugh are Mr. Krabs’ falsetto voice, the aforementioned singing number, Squidward posing as Santa and my favorite joke at all of them has got to be a donkey shows up displaying Squidward being a jackass and he eventually redeems himself thanks to Character Development. If you’re looking for Christmas Who, stream it on CBS All Access/Paramount Plus.
2. Hey Arnold – Arnold’s Christmas
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 1996 during its first season, Hey Arnold’s first Christmas episode centers around Arnold looking for a present for his Vietnamese neighbor, Mr. Hyunh. He visits to see what he wants for Christmas, then Hyunh talks about his tragic backstory 20 Years Ago when he and his baby daughter try to escape their country during The Vietnam War. Only one helicopter can carry one person, so Hyunh makes a drastic decision to let his daughter so she can live a better future. Upon learning she’s in America, Hyunh leaves Vietnam to find her. Meanwhile, Helga is looking for a legit present for Arnold.
Arnold’s Christmas is a heartwarming episode Helga learns Christmas isn’t about gifts, it’s about caring for those you know whether a friend or family member. Craig Bartlett did a wonderful job writing a cohesive storyline with Arnold attempting to search for Hyunh’s daughter so they can finally reunite together.
Honorable Mentions
It’s A SpongeBob Christmas
Dishonorable Mentions
The Fairly OddParents – A Fairly Odd Christmas, Merry Wishmas
1. Invader Zim – The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever
Final Verdict: A, FOR APEX!
Aired in 2002 and also the final season of the series prior to a film streaming on Netflix, “The Most Horrible X-Mas Ever” involves Zim’s latest scheme posing as Santa to lure humans at The North Pole by any means necessary so they can meet their ultimate fates. Zim kidnaps a mall Santa gaining intel for him to go incognito. Zim’s nemesis Dib attempts to put a halt on his grandmaster plan. I don’t wanna give away this episode, it’s best to watch it on CBS All Access/Paramount Plus. Watch the entire series and then watch “Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus” on Netflix. My favorite part of the episode is a musical number called, “Jolly Boots of Doom.” Zim’s over-the-top personality as Santa made me laugh really hard because of a side effect influencing Zim to act nice.
So that’s my Top 12 Nickmas Specials. Which ones are your favorites? Please leave a comment. Happy Holidays to all my fellow movie goers. Remember to stay safe at home
– Sincerely Nick the Movie Critic
Nickthemoviecritic.com 