"A Rugrats Kwanzaa" | |
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Rugrats episode | |
Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 15 |
Directed by | Anthony Bell |
Written by |
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Featured music | "This Little Light of Mine" |
Original air date | December 11, 2001 |
Running time | 23 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
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"A Rugrats Kwanzaa" is a television special from the American animated television series Rugrats. It is the 15th episode of the eighth season, and the 141st episode overall. It examines Kwanzaa from the perspective of toddler Susie Carmichael during a visit from her great-aunt. Susie, her friends—Tommy Pickles, Chuckie and Kimi Finster, and Phil and Lil DeVille—and family learn about the holiday from Aunt T., but Susie becomes depressed after thinking she is the only member of her family not to achieve greatness. Aunt T. consoles her by sharing her memories using a scrapbook. The episode concludes with Susie realizing she still has plenty of time in her life to discover what makes her great.
Anthony Bell directed the episode from a script by Lisa D. Hall, Jill Gorey, and Barbara Herndon. It was produced as part of Nickelodeon's commitment to feature cultural diversity in its programming. Rugrats was one of the first mainstream television shows to feature Kwanzaa. Critics compared it to similar holiday episodes by As Told by Ginger and The Proud Family. "A Rugrats Kwanzaa" was first broadcast on December 11, 2001. A picture book entitled The Rugrats' First Kwanzaa was adapted from the script. The episode was released on VHS in 2001, and it was later included in other home media releases.
"A Rugrats Kwanzaa" was praised by critics for its representation of the holiday and the voice acting; there was a mixed response to its commercialism. Cree Summer, who voices Susie, earned a nomination for an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Performance by a Youth at the 34th NAACP Image Awards for her role in the episode.