| "A Rugrats Passover" | |
|---|---|
| Rugrats episode | |
 | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 23 |
| Directed by | Jim Duffy Steve Socki Jeff McGrath |
| Written by | Peter Gaffney Paul Germain Rachel Lipman Jonathon Greenberg |
| Production code | 062[1] |
| Original air date | April 13, 1995 |
| Guest appearance | |
| |
"A Rugrats Passover" is the 23rd episode of the third season of the American animated television series Rugrats (and the 65th episode of the series overall). It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on April 13, 1995. The episode follows series regulars Grandpa Boris and the babies as they become trapped in the attic on Passover; to pass the time, Boris tells the Jewish story of the Exodus. During the episode, the babies themselves reenact the story, with Tommy portraying Moses, while his cousin Angelica represents the Pharaoh of Egypt.
"A Rugrats Passover" was directed by Jim Duffy, Steve Socki, and Jeff McGrath from a script by Peter Gaffney, Paul Germain, Rachel Lipman, and Jonathan Greenberg. The episode was conceived in 1992, when Germain responded to a Nickelodeon request for a Rugrats Hanukkah special by creating a Passover episode instead. The episode scored a 3.1 Nielsen Rating, making it the highest-rated show in Nickelodeon's history,[2] and received overwhelmingly positive reviews, including from Jewish community publications. It was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award, an Annie Award, and a CableACE Award.
The episode made Rugrats one of the first animated series to focus on a Jewish holiday; its success precipitated the creation of "A Rugrats Chanukah" in 1996, which also attracted critical acclaim. However, both episodes faced controversy when the Anti-Defamation League compared the artistic design of the older characters to anti-Semitic drawings from a 1930s Nazi newspaper. Despite this, in 2007, a novelization of the Passover episode was exhibited at the Sherwin Miller Museum of Jewish Art in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- ^ "Rugrats: Episodes". Nick.com. Archived from the original on June 21, 2000. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ McCormick, Moira (October 14, 1995). "Nickelodeon on a roll; Learning Station's bright idea". Billboard. Vol. 107, no. 41. p. 66.