Gabor Csupo

"View From the Rug Up" (TV Times, July 21) presented an inaccurate account of the creation and production of the Nickelodeon series "Rugrats." As the story editors of the original five seasons of "Rugrats," we'd like to set the record straight. The piece presents Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo as the prime movers behind the show, and only toward the end of the article is Paul Germain mentioned in passing as someone they "created 'Rugrats' with." In fact, Paul Germain was instrumental not only in creating the series but in producing every one of the 65 original episodes.

Throughout their 20-year odyssey through Hollywood, Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo have remained fiercely independent artists with a sensibility so quirky it's the definition of cool. Meet the Rugrats' real parents. Longtime partners, formerly married, Klasky and Csupo shunned the corporate trappings that would have turned their unpronounceable animation outfit (Class-Key Chew-Po) into a cartoon factory.

As the former senior story editor of "Rugrats," I was naturally delighted to see your cover story on the show ("Talk About a Baby Boom," by Paul Brownfield, Aug. 16). I was even more delighted to see that, for once, Paul Germain received due credit as a main creative force behind the series. I'm sorry that so much of your article was devoted to behind-the-scenes squabbling on the show. Sure, the writers had some creative differences with Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo, and all of us together, as usual, had to battle the inexhaustible determination of network executives to make sure that nothing funny, intelligent or different ever gets on the air. "Rugrats" may have been what is termed a "writer-driven" show, but its charm derives in large part from the distinctive Klasky Csupo art style (there was a reason Paul chose this studio over numerous competitors to produce "The Simpsons")

As the former senior story editor of "Rugrats," I was naturally delighted to see your cover story on the show ("Talk About a Baby Boom," by Paul Brownfield, Aug. 16). I was even more delighted to see that, for once, Paul Germain received due credit as a main creative force behind the series. I'm sorry that so much of your article was devoted to behind-the-scenes squabbling on the show. Sure, the writers had some creative differences with Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo, and all of us together, as usual, had to battle the inexhaustible determination of network executives to make sure that nothing funny, intelligent or different ever gets on the air. "Rugrats" may have been what is termed a "writer-driven" show, but its charm derives in large part from the distinctive Klasky Csupo art style (there was a reason Paul chose this studio over numerous competitors to produce "The Simpsons")

What's the top-rated cable series? Think cartoon. Think family-friendly cartoon. Think weird, family-friendly cartoon: "Rugrats," the Emmy Award-winning animated show that has captivated viewers of all ages with wacky, toddler-point-of-view observations of life. So what's the appeal? The characters, for one, with faces and forms not to be found in nature.

Throughout their 20-year odyssey through Hollywood, Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo have remained fiercely independent artists with a sensibility so quirky it's the definition of cool. Meet the Rugrats' real parents. Longtime partners, formerly married, Klasky and Csupo shunned the corporate trappings that would have turned their unpronounceable animation outfit (Class-Key Chew-Po) into a cartoon factory.

"The Simpsons," Fox TV's runaway hit, moves to its new Thursday time slot tonight, challenging NBC's top-rated "The Cosby Show." Both programs are repeats, and "The Simpsons" will remain in reruns until late October--a month after new episodes of "Cosby" start airing. Not an auspicious beginning for what many observers see as a David vs. Goliath confrontation. Fox Entertainment President Peter Chernin insists that he is not out to topple "Cosby," but to gain a toehold in weeknight prime time.

If a baby could talk, and he happened upon a toilet for the first time in his life, what would he say? That was the rough premise of the six-minute animated short that the team of Gabor Csupo, Arlene Klasky and Paul Germain brought to Nickelodeon in 1989.

No More Neon: Monty's Steakhouse, the Westwood fixture set atop the Westwood Center building at 1100 Glendon Ave., has closed. Arden Realty Inc. purchased the building in early '98 with plans to renovate it completely from the outside in. Monty's had been entrenched in the penthouse since 1969 (the structure dates from '65). During its reign, its neon sign became a landmark and its dark interior saw lots of interesting events, including Snoop Doggy Dogg's acquittal party.

Don't have a cow, but a different animation studio is going to be drawing Bart Simpson next season. After what one high-ranking source called "two years of battles and putting out fires," Gracie Films, which produces the animated comedy for Fox Broadcasting, plans to contract with North Hollywood-based Film Roman to draw the half-hour program for next fall.

If a baby could talk, and he happened upon a toilet for the first time in his life, what would he say? That was the rough premise of the six-minute animated short that the team of Gabor Csupo, Arlene Klasky and Paul Germain brought to Nickelodeon in 1989.

"View From the Rug Up" (TV Times, July 21) presented an inaccurate account of the creation and production of the Nickelodeon series "Rugrats." As the story editors of the original five seasons of "Rugrats," we'd like to set the record straight. The piece presents Arlene Klasky and Gabor Csupo as the prime movers behind the show, and only toward the end of the article is Paul Germain mentioned in passing as someone they "created 'Rugrats' with." In fact, Paul Germain was instrumental not only in creating the series but in producing every one of the 65 original episodes.

What's the top-rated cable series? Think cartoon. Think family-friendly cartoon. Think weird, family-friendly cartoon: "Rugrats," the Emmy Award-winning animated show that has captivated viewers of all ages with wacky, toddler-point-of-view observations of life. So what's the appeal? The characters, for one, with faces and forms not to be found in nature.

"The Simpsons," Fox TV's runaway hit, moves to its new Thursday time slot tonight, challenging NBC's top-rated "The Cosby Show." Both programs are repeats, and "The Simpsons" will remain in reruns until late October--a month after new episodes of "Cosby" start airing. Not an auspicious beginning for what many observers see as a David vs. Goliath confrontation. Fox Entertainment President Peter Chernin insists that he is not out to topple "Cosby," but to gain a toehold in weeknight prime time.

"The Rugrats Movie" arrives just in time for the holidays to delight fans of the wildly popular Nickelodeon TV series featuring the adventures of the world's most precocious babies. They're actually perfectly normal kids; it's just that they speak and move and reason at a breathtakingly early age. As a work of animation this Paramount release is fresh and witty, rich in its colors and jaunty in style. As ideal and welcome a family entertainment as it is, a word of caution is in order.

It's a jungle out there for new family films in this crowded holiday season, which means "The Wild Thornberrys Movie," based on the Klasky Csupo TV series on Nickelodeon, should feel right at home. Set largely on the Serengeti Plain of Africa, Paramount and Nickelodeon Movies' animated adventure centers on 12-year-old Eliza Thornberry, who travels the globe with her naturalist family, and her mission to rescue animals -- with whom she can converse, thanks to a shaman's spell -- from poachers.