The Ren & Stimpy Show landed on Nickelodeon on August 11, 1991, and television animation has been arguing with itself ever since. John Kricfalusi created it for the network. The premise is a pair of animals with nothing in common: Ren Höek, an emotionally unstable and psychotic chihuahua, and Stimpy, a good-natured and dimwitted Manx cat. That is the whole engine, and it ran for five seasons.
Trailer, via 90sGiveMeGoosebumps.
Ren Höek and Stimpy
The two fill different roles from episode to episode — outer-space explorers, Old West horse thieves, nature-show hosts — and are usually at odds with each other in these situations. The crew tended to avoid “contemporary” jokes about current events.
Billy West voiced Stimpy throughout and took over as Ren from season 2 onward. Kricfalusi voiced Ren in seasons 1 and 2.
Mr. Horse and the supporting cast
The supporting characters do not have consistent appearances or even designs. Those who do appear repeatedly take different roles each time, either as part of the storyline or in cameo appearances with little bearing on the plot. Mr. Horse is exclusively cameo-based, spontaneously appearing as a running gag. George Liquor makes his first appearances through cameos or as a supporting character, as demonstrated in “Dog Show” and “Man’s Best Friend.”
The controversy that ended Kricfalusi’s run
The show drew widespread critical acclaim for its visuals, animation, and surreal nature. It also generated significant controversy for its dark humor, sexual innuendo, adult humor, violence, and shock value. That combination contributed to Kricfalusi’s termination in 1992, following altercations with Nickelodeon’s Standards and Practices and production delays.
Games Animation produced the remaining three seasons. Those seasons received criticism for a perceived decline in quality.
A 10.0 on Rotten Tomatoes
The published critical score sits at 10.0/10, with Rotten Tomatoes at 100%.
What the score cannot capture is how much of the show’s reputation rests on a stretch of episodes made under conditions nobody would choose. Kricfalusi was terminated amid altercations with the network’s Standards and Practices department and production delays. The third of the original three “Nicktoons,” alongside Doug and Rugrats, it is one of the progenitor series of the brand.
The reboots
An adult animated reboot, Ren & Stimpy “Adult Party Cartoon”, was produced by Kricfalusi and Spümcø and aired on Spike TV in 2003. It was canceled early due to production delays. On August 5, 2020, Comedy Central announced a second adult reboot of the series without Kricfalusi’s involvement.
Neither attempt changes what the 1991 series is. The first reboot aired on Spike TV and was canceled early. The second was announced in 2020 without the creator’s involvement.
What the episode count actually proves
Nickelodeon ran the series from August 11, 1991, to December 16, 1995. Its last episode ran on MTV on October 20, 1996. Nickelodeon’s own listing gives five seasons and 91 episodes. Wikipedia’s later count is five seasons and 52 episodes, or 93 segments. The two figures do not agree, and the source does not explain the gap.
This is the part that matters: The Ren & Stimpy Show got in and got out. The last episode aired on a different network than the one that launched it. The Games Animation seasons drew criticism for a perceived decline in quality. None of that touches the first two seasons.
- Network: Nickelodeon (final episode on MTV)
- First aired: August 11, 1991
- Last aired: December 16, 1995; final episode October 20, 1996
- Seasons: 5
- Episodes: 91 (52 per Wikipedia, 93 segments)
- Created by: John Kricfalusi, Bob Camp
- Starring: Billy West as Ren / Stimpy (voice)
- Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
- Score: 10.0/10
What remains is a cartoon with a perfect critical score and an episode count nobody has settled. The 91-versus-52 split is the detail worth watching, because it is the same fight the show had with its own network, still unresolved thirty years on. The acclaim is not in dispute.
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