If the SquarePants Fit... | Nick.com | Rocket Power | Ooze News | SpongeBob SquarePants | September 1999

Ooze News - September 1999

If the SquarePants Fit...

GLUB-GLUB (clockwise from above, left): Steve diving; holding a land crab in Tahiti; and surfing in Baja, Mexico.

Sea-loving Steve Hillenburg (right) is the creator of SpongeBob SquarePants. It's a new Nicktoon about the underwater adventures of a happy-go-lucky sponge (above) and his splashy pals. We found Steve's answers to our questions quite absorbing.

NICKELODEON MAGAZINE: How did you come up with the character SpongeBob?
STEVE HILLENBURG: I've always been an ocean freak, so I thought I'd like to do a show about lesser-known creatures that live under the sea. Then I thought, What would be the funniest, weirdest kind of character to be the star? After considering the octopus, starfish, squid, and crab, I decided the sponge was the most ridiculous.

Is it true that you used to be a marine biologist?
I studied marine biology in college and then worked at a school program at the Orange County Marine Institute [in California]. We had all sorts of tanks, labs, and pools where kids could observe and interact with sea life, and we also ran whale watches.

Do you scuba dive?
I've done some diving, but if I go on a trip, I usually snorkel and surf.

How did you get into animation?
As much as I loved my work at the marine institute, I'd always been interested in drawing and painting, so I decided to go back to school for animation. Some of the films I made in school helped me get my start [in cartoons] on Nickelodeon's Rocko's Modern Life, which I worked on for three years.

When you were a kid, did anyone encourage you to become an artist?
My third-grade teacher, Mrs. McMahon, was very excited about my drawings. She asked me to draw her portrait once, and she thought it turned out really funny. She was definitely an inspiration.

What were you like when you were ten?
I grew up in Southern California, so pretty early on I was interested in critters and the ocean. I was into science and collecting bugs, and I had a tendency to build strange, smelly things, such as a dinosaur out of chicken bones.

What advice do you have for kids who are interested in animation or science-or both?
Sometimes people say you can only take one path. To that, I say, "Maybe that's not true." My work in marine biology helped me create a cartoon that might appear new to everyone. My other piece of advice is to follow your own instincts as an artist. If you have a style that seems different, have fun it with; be proud of it.

BUBBLY BOTTOM: SpongeBob and his friends (clockwise from top) Squidward, Sandy Cheeks, and Patrick.

How would you describe the style of SpongeBob SquarePants?
Whimsical. Since I love surfing, and the show takes place in the ocean, I decided to add a lot of Hawaiian surf culture-music, design, SpongeBob's pineapple house. I think that adds to the show's sense of optimism and fun.

Which SpongeBob character do you most identify with?
I identify with all the characters on some level. Sometimes I'm grumpy or being snobby about something, so I'm like Squidward (below). And sometimes I'm optimistic and naive, just like SpongeBob.

What's more fun: being a cartoonist or working with sea creatures?
They both have their advantages. I miss being able to work at the ocean every day. But when I was working by the ocean, I missed drawing and creating. I'll have to make a studio under the water, I guess.

SpongeBob SquarePants airs on Friday nights at 8 PM and Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10 AM. Show times are subject to change. Check www.nick.com, America Online (keyword: nick), or local listings for details.

Nick.com: Behind the Screen

Nickelodeon's website (www.nick.com) was started in 1997 to deliver up-to-the-minute Nick news, games, contests, and polls. As we learned on a recent trip to their offices, it takes about 30 people to bring it all together. Here are some of them.

WRITERS' BLOC

As the writers of the website's "Inside Nick: Your Backstage Pass to Nickelodeon" area, Sean McEvoy and Deb Levine (left) travel frequently to Los Angeles, California, and Orlando, Florida (where most Nickelodeon shows are taped), to interview Nick stars. Sure, it's fun for them, but only occasionally do they get starstruck. "I must admit, I was a little nervous interviewing [model] Rebecca Romijn-Stamos at Kids' Choice," says Sean. As for Deb, a highlight was meeting actor Chris Elliott on the set of an upcoming Nickelodeon movie. "I was psyched to meet him," says Deb, "and he turned out to be really funny and nice."

PLUGGED IN

As a kid, Nathan Potter (above) wasn't very good at learning foreign languages. But to become the technical manager of nick.com, he had to master several website-building computer languages, starting with the most basic, HTML. Nathan and his staff are responsible for taking other people's designs and words and making them function as a game or activity. For more advanced games and animation, he works with languages such as Perl and Java. And unlike many of his coworkers, one computer just isn't enough to get his job done. With both a PC and a Macintosh at his desk and about 20 servers that link the different parts of the site together, he has learned to accept technical break-downs. "If my computers don't crash two to three times a day, I'm not really working," says Nathan.

GAME BOY

To design games for nick.com, Steve Milaro (left) spends his weekends the same way many kids do: watching Nickelodeon. That's the easy part. The hard part is finding characters or scenes in Figure It Out, All That, Hey Arnold!, and CatDog that can be turned into funny, challenging games. Once he has an idea, Steve works with the shows' creators to decide how the game will look, sound, and play. Then it's up to a technical programmer, such as Nathan Potter, to turn the idea into reality. The whole process takes about six weeks. Steve is especially proud of the All That game in which players have to pitch peas into Miss Pidlin's mouth. He also has a soft spot for the cartoon kid known as Football Head. "I could watch Hey Arnold! all day long," says Steve. "In fact, I have!"

Extreme Friends

by Jessica Cutler

Meet the adventurous foursome of the new cartoon Nickelodeon Rocket Power. Otto and his sister Reggie team up with their friends Twister and Sam to skateboard, surf, and ski their way through their seaside town, Ocean Shores.

OTTO ROCKET

Always the center of attention

Nickname: Rocket Boy
Hair: Red dreadlocks
Family: Dad - Ray Rocket, an aging surfer - and sister, Reggie
Hobby: Excelling at all extreme sports
Also: He's known as much for his devilish personality as for his athletic talent. He received a V-- in classroom citizenship on his report card.

TWISTER RODRIGUEZ

The amateur filmmaker

Real name: Maurice - but don't tell anyone!
Hair: Red, and it's always covered by a hat.
Family: An older brother, Lars - who calls Twister and his pals Munchkins - and an ice-dancing cousin, Cleo
Hobby: Making videos in Twist-O-Vision (his own filmmaking style)
Also: He's Otto's best friend, but he's not as sharp as he is loyal. He also tends to accuse Sam (below) of embarrassing acts, such as picking his nose in the goalie box during roller hockey.

REGGIE ROCKET

The voice of reason

Nickname: Rocket Girl
Hair: Wavy and purple
Family: She's Otto's sister.
Hobby: Publishing her own magazine, called Reggie's 'Zine
Also: She's considered the most responsible member of the Rocket family. A natural athlete, she even won a figure-skating competition without ever taking a lesson.

SAM DULLARD

The brains of the bunch

Nickname: Squid
Hair: Blond brush cut
Family: An only child, Sam lives with his mother.
Hobbies: Computers, complaining, and wiping out on his skateboard
Also: He just moved to Ocean Shores from Kansas. He has a tendency to save the day with his technical know-how, but insists on wearing a babyish brand of pajamas called "Shmoopy Woopy Bears."

Nickelodeon Rocket Power premieres Monday, August 16, at 8:30 PM, then airs Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:30 PM. Show times are subject to change. Check www.nick.com, America Online (keyword: nick), or local listings for details.

HeY, HeRb!

Where you ask the president of Nickelodeon, Herb Scannell, anything you want.

Did you ever run for a student council office as a kid?

I was elected treasurer of my elementary school and president of my class in junior high school. I still have the campaign posters my dad helped me make. One of them was in the shape and style of a Superman shield and said SCANNELL FOR TREASURER [far right]. Another one was a play on an advertisement for Smucker's preserves [right]. My dad drew a jar of jam with a label on it that said SCANNELL'S: HERB'S PRESERVES and around it was the slogan WITH A NAME LIKE SCANNELL, HE'S GOT TO BE GOOD!!!

Send your questions to:

HeY, HeRb!

NICKELODEON MAGAZINE
1515 Broadway, 40th floor
New York, NY 10036

What's New on Nick

STRANGE JOURNEY

ALIEN VACATION: Arjay Smith as Allen Strange on his most incredible trip yet.

In "Alien Vacation," a 90-minute episode of The Journey of Allen Strange, Allen sets out on a trek across Earth with his friends Robbie and Josh. His mission: to find a message he thinks his fellow Xelans have left for him. Tune in to the premiere on SNICK, September 18, from 8:30 to 10 PM.

ELEPHANTS AND LLAMAS AND CATS, OH, MY!

Have the folks at Figure It Out gone completely wild? Find out, when the game show starts airing all-new episodes called Figure It Out Wild Style. The new season focuses on kids and their talented animals, including dogs, parakeets, and snakes. Look for it this fall!

Shows air an hour earlier in the central time zone. Show times are subject to change. Check www.nick.com, America Online (keyword: nick), or local listings for details.

Good Burger: A Movie Well Done - Ooze News - June/July (Summer) 1997

Ooze News - June/July 1997

(Summer Issue)

Good Burger: A Movie Well Done

Good Burger, based on the popular All That sketch, will sizzle on movie screens this summer. Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson star in the full-length feature film as employees of Good Burger, a run-down fast-food restaurant. The movie follows the duo's meatheaded adventures while they try and stop the competition, Mondo Burger, from stealing Ed's secret sauce recipe. Guest stars include Carmen Electra, Sinbad, and Shaquille O'Neal.

David Lewman grilled some of the cast about what makes a good burger and more.

Kel Mitchell (Ed, a Good Burger employee):

Do you eat meat?
Yes, I eat meat! I like meat. It's all right. First time I met meat, or me and meat met, it was neat.

What's the weirdest way you've ever eaten a burger?
When I was little, I'd put my finger through the middle of a burger and eat around it. I'd eat all the way around until the meat was small. I was a weird child.

Kenan Thompson (Dexter, a Good Burger employee):

Would you eat at a place like Good Burger?
Yes, maybe. But if I saw Ed, I might run.

Abe Vigoda (Otis, the oldest Good Burger employee):

What makes a good burger?
A good burger has to be made of very fresh meat, as opposed to a hamburger that is mixed with fillers such as bread and other ingredients. You want all of the patty to be meat, from a big cut of fresh beef. It should be cooked medium rare and juicy.

Josh Server (Fizz, a Good Burger employee):

Have you ever been recognized at a drive-through?
Yeah. I was driving Kenan home from work and the woman in the window at Astro Burger [a Los Angeles fast-food chain] said, "Excuse me, my friend wants to know if you're on TV."

Did she give you extra fries?
All I'm gonna say is, it's not bad being on TV.

Ron Lester (Spatch, a Good Burger cook):

What makes a good burger?
Love, man. When you're done and you realize you've just bitten into a hamburger that was made with love, it's so mmm good.

Would you ever eat at a place like Good Burger?
Oh, absolutely. The hamburgers are made with love.

What do you put on your fries?
Believe it or not, mayonnaise or ranch dressing or ice cream.

What's the weirdest burger you've ever eaten?
I went home to Virginia to see some of my cousins, and they fed me an opossum burger.

How was it?
Hairy.

Can You Figure It Out?

Nickelodeon's newest game show, Figure It Out, allows kids to show off their talents. Each show features two kids with special skills - such as the girl who can fold herself into the shape of a pretzel or the one who can play piano while lying on her back. A celebrity panel tries to figure out what the skill is by asking a series of questions. The longer it takes the panel to uncover the special talent, the more prizes the contestant wins.

Some of the celebrity panelists who'll rack their brains are Curtis Williams Jr., Reagan Gomez-Preston, Taran Noah Smith, and Michelle Trachtenberg. Other panelists include Nickelodeon stars Lori Beth Denberg, Josh Server, Amanda Bynes, Irene Ng, and Danny Tamberelli.

Summer Lovin'

Before becoming the host of Figure It Out, Summer Sanders (above) kept busy. In the 1992 Olympics, she won four swimming medals - two gold, a silver, and a bronze. She's worked as an NBC sports commentator and hosted MTV's Sand Blast. Lindsey von Busch asked Summer some puzzling questions.

Nickelodeon Magazine: Do you do a lot of puzzles?
Summer Sanders: Right before the 1992 Olympics [in Barcelona, Spain], the athletes spent a lot of time resting in the hotel. We'd do enormous jigsaw puzzles.

What's it like being a game show host?
I'm a cheerleader and a traffic cop. I really have to get psyched before the game. I prepare for the show as I would for a race - I jump up and down to build up my energy.

Do you find it hard to keep a secret?
Yes. In real life, I'm the worst. I always give presents early or give hints.

Do the panelists have to follow any rules?
Only one: Questions must be worded so that they get "yes" or "no" answers.

What was your favorite game show as a kid?
I used to watch The Price Is Right when I was little. I knew that show like the back of my hand.

Tune into Figure It Out weekdays at 6 PM, beginning Monday, July 7. On July 19, the show will move into its regular time slot, Saturdays and Sundays at 6 PM.

Show airs one hour earlier in central time zone. Show times subject to change.

Where It's SPLAT

This year, more than 8 million people will visit Nickelodeon's theme park shows and attractions. Here's a guide to the sights.

Totally Nickelodeon at Universal Studios Hollywood [USH] in California

An interactive show where kids control the action - from making a burger to collecting sweaty socks.

What to look for: The Sliminator, a contraption that sprays at least 36,500 gallons of slime per year.

Weirdest items used in the show: Six TV dinners (which are dumped on a couch potato).

Also at USH: Jurassic Park - The Ride.

Nickelodeon Studios Florida at Universal Studios Florida [USF] in Orlando

Nickelodeon's studio headquarters features a backstage tour that includes a peek at the taping of many Nick shows, such as Kenan & Kel and Figure It Out.

What to look for: A 17-foot-tall Green Slime geyser that erupts every 10 minutes.

Famous guest: Steven Spielberg, director of The Lost World, was once slimed at the park.

Also at USF: Terminator 2: 3-D.

Nickelodeon SPLAT Cities at Paramount's Great America in Santa Clara, California; Paramount's Kings Island in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Paramount's Kings Dominion in Richmond, Virginia.

A 25-minute interactive show based on popular Nick series, such as AAAHH!!! Real Monsters and Rugrats.

U Pick Nick at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri; and Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Kids selected from the audience help the hosts of this variety show, which usually features lots of smiling, sliming, and pie-throwing.

Hey, Herb!

Where you ask the president of Nickelodeon, Herb Scannell, anything you want.

Have you ever eaten any bugs?
Not that I know of, but I once ate rattlesnake at a restaurant. It tasted just like chicken.

How do your friends feel about your being the president of a kids' network?
My friends are very supportive of me and think I have a pretty cool job. I get to think about kids and think like a kid all day long...and get paid for it!

Then we asked Herb's friend, Steve Reynolds "Do you tease Herb about being the president of a kids' network?"
I can tease Herb about lots of things, but his job's not one of them. I make fun of him because he likes the New York Mets, who haven't won a game in, like, five years. And I tease him because his jump shot isn't what it used to be. And Herb is forgetful-if it weren't for his assistant, Dana Stern, Herb would probably forget when we plans to do stuff like watch a Knicks game.

SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:
Hey, Herb!
Nickelodeon Magazine
1515 Broadway, 41st Floor
New York, NY 10036

NICK IS com.ING

This summer when you're surfing the Net, look for NICK.COM, Nickelodeon's website, where you can customize your screen, play games, and interact with pages based on your favorite shows. While you're there, be sure to check out the magazine's area, which features, among other stuff, "Behind the Zine," a sneak peek at the inner workings of NICKELODEON MAGAZINE.