My Ideas For an "As Told by Ginger" Return (Plus a Mini Rant on Reboots in General)
There's now exactly 30 days left before As Told by Ginger turns 15! I think I mentioned this before: it feels like my own birthday I'm just waiting to celebrate!
So, let's talk about reboots. Have you heard that Rugrats might be getting one, as well as Hey Arnold!? In the latter show's case, that's good! Maybe those dicks at Nickelodeon will finally make that jungle story an Arnold fan's dream come true. You know, I blame Craig Bartlett for leaving his contract with Nick in 2002 to do that pilot for Cartoon Network called Party Wagon, which now nobody gives a crap about. But in Rugrats' case, it's a mixed bag for me. On one hand, it's great that there's a chance of Klasky Csupo returning to business, after seven years of disappearance from the animation industry (besides doing some online work like their webseries based on, of all things, their "Robot" logo). Plus, Arlene Klasky herself said that she would like to produced more stories of Tommy and his gang, as she and Gabor Csupo apparently didn't care too much about the All Grown Up! spin-off. It wasn't solely their idea to begin with; it was mainly the brainchild of Eryk Casemiro and Kate Boutiller, who also happen to be the co-developers of As Told by Ginger. On the other hand, of all the Nicktoons that are a little more deserving of a return (such as Invader Zim, Rocko's Modern Life, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and this show, ATBG), Rugrats shouldn't be desperate for one, in my opinion. The original show had a good life consisting of 172 episodes, 13 years, nine seasons (the last five being considered to be part of the franchise's downfall), three theatrical films, and three spin-offs (the aforementioned All Grown Up!, the obscure Angelica and Susie's Pre-School Daze, and the direct-to-video Tales from the Crib). Does it really need more?
In general, reboots of beloved cartoons of the past are a controversial things amongst animation fans. Some reboots turned out good, such as Scooby-Doo! Mystery Inc.; some are considered to be horrible, like Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", or the current atrocity Teen Titans Go! (which I might not even bother do a Guilty Pleasure review on, because I feel too sorry for fans of the original 2003 series); while others are a case of "Love It or Hate It", like The Looney Tunes Show, The Garfield Show, or the 2011 ThunderCats series. Oh, and remember when Seth MacFarlane tried to bring back The Flintstones, as a replacement for The Simpsons, which was briefly at risk of being cancelled in late 2011? Well, that's scrapped for now. Not to mention, we are now expecting reboots of The Powerpuff Girls, DuckTales, and ReBoot within the next couple of years. I just hope that they won't be ruined, a la Teen Titans. As for the new Inspector Gadget on Netflix, well, it isn't as good as the 1983 series, but definitely better than the 1999 movie.
So, to quote The Mysterious Mr. Enter:
"Why do people want spin-offs or reboots of their favorite shows? In the case of the original Teen Titans, there are stories and areas they haven't explored. And in some other case, they were shows that were cut too soon, or they were in their prime when they were cancelled. "
Thank you, Mr. Enter! Yes, that's exactly the right excuse as to why anybody should do a spin-off or reboot! That definitely applies to lots of shows, such as Hey Arnold!, Duckman, Baby Blues, and the main topic here, As Told by Ginger!
Now, I have nothing against how this 60-episode-long Nicktoon ended. "The Wedding Frame" was a great episode to end the show on, especially with that heartwarming end taking place in the future. But, if there was one Nicktoon that I really want Nickelodeon to have the balls to reconcile their relationship with Klasky Csupo just to bring back somehow, it would definitely be this one. Unlike their other show, Rugrats, Ginger was a show that, as we all know, goes by ongoing story arcs. It's a show where we would like to explore more about the characters, their developments, their lives, and their situations. If they can't afford to revive the animation, then why not comics, as what Old School Lane talked about?
Finally, now we can get to a few ideas for an As Told by Ginger reboot!
#1: Simply Continue Where "The Wedding Frame" Left Off
There can't be a simpler way of bringing back Ginger than this. One main thing that got me into imagining an extention to the series is reading fan stories on FanFiction, including The Wedding Frame: The True Ending, The Old Foutley House, and Dodie's Makeover. A great fanfic should be written in a way that at least resembles of the actual team of show writers would compose stories, in order to get you imagining if it was an actual episode. Those three fanfics did just that, and many "What If?" wonders aroused in my mind. While the ending wasn't a cliffhanger like Duckman's wedding finale, there are still so many unanswered questions, unexplored ideas, and possibilities on Ginger's plate. Among them:
How do the Griplings live their new middle-class life in what used to be the Foutleys' residence, following their ulitmate money drought?
If "About Face" wasn't satisfying enough, could there ever be a story that goes even deeper into why Dodie and Joann Bishop are the attention-hungry, deceitful drama queens that they are? It would be really nice if Dodie went to get some therapy (a la Hey Arnold!'s "Helga on the Couch"), where she explains why she is so obsessive about popularity, and why she treats Ginger like a living security blanket. Not only that, but it would also be great if she was given some strategies, so that she can improve on herself, and become a better friend and person.
Or, if that doesn't happen right away, how about we finally smarten Ginger up to have her dump Bishop's ugly, backstabbing ass once and for all, and replace her with Courtney?
Will Courtney ever reveal her love of Ginger to her?
Does Ginger ever develop a significant bonding relationship with her stepfather, Dr. Dave? Seriously, with the closest exception being "A Lesson in Tightropes", there has been little to no interactions between Ginger and Dr. Dave ever seen on the show. Heck, I don't even think Ginger knows jack about him, apart from whatever Lois may have mentioned. Ginger is just so attached to her loser biological father, Jonas, for reasons that haven't been fully explained yet. On that note, why did Jonas left his family to begin with? That is something I've recently developed curiosity for, upon reading Deebiedoobie's review of "Ten Chairs".
What does Ginger do with her love life? Will it, or won't it be between her and Orion? And what did got her and Darren to get back together?
How do Carl and his once-lost dog, Monster, rekindle their relationship? Will Carl spend so much time with the dog that he pretty much ignores Hoodsey?
Speaking of Hoodsey, will there ever be an explaination for why he wears those hoodies all the damn time?
See what I mean? And those aren't even all of what I can come up with. I'm sure that you're a Ginger fan who shares these possiblities, too. When I asked ATBG reviewer Deebiedoobie what her idea of a Ginger return is, she answered with these great ideas:
"This is an intriguing question! If As Told by Ginger came back to TV, I'd pick up where "The Wedding Frame" left off. I'd be the head writer, and using my powers, I'd make Ginger kick Dodie to the curb. Not so quickly though--I'd want there to be dramatic tension where Dodie sneaks into Ginger and Courtney's rooms one night to raid their stuff for her secret shrine. Ginger would find out, and their friendship would shatter beyond repair, leaving Dodie with a panic attack and a trip to a mental asylum. There, she would explain to a shrink why she's so obsessed with Ginger and popularity. Also, I'd have Macie's sinuses clear up, we'd watch the Griplings learn how to live their lives as middle-class citizens, send Miranda and Mipsy to military school, have Carl and Noelle get back together and take a trip around the world with a spiritual guru friend, and have Dave Bishop divorce Joann, taking Dodie and Hoodsey with them."
I think we both have great ideas. Either of them Nickelodeon should make possible.
#2: An All Grown Up!-esque Spin-off
As much as I don't give a crap about All Grown Up!, I will say that it (kinda) had a purpose to exist. Eryk and Kate conceived the idea when Rugrats was turning 10 years old, so Klasky Csupo thought that aging the beloved babies up by 10 years just to celebrate their signature show's birthday would be a great experiment. And that special successed! More importantly, the people behind thought that it would be nice if the characters grew up alongside the loyal fans who watched the original show when they were tykes. Same thing with Toy Story 3; 15 years after the first film was released, young fans grew up alongside Andy as he began getting ready for college.
So, what if As Told by Ginger got the All Grown Up! treatment, based on the final scene of the show?
This idea has a lot of potential, I'm sure! First of all, Courtney, for some reason, was absent from Ginger's book reading, so what has she been up to years after her family went broke? Or maybe she regains wealth somehow. I'd also like to see what Ginger's life is like as a faithful wife, a loving mother, and a successful author. Hopefully, there will be a chance of Dodie grown up into a nicer woman than what we knew her as! Darren, too; I'd really like to know how he won Ginger back, even after all that happen during high school. Maybe he reverted back into the sweet, down-to-earth guy he was back when he had the headgear on. There might also be a possibility of Macie and Hoodsey being married, as they were seen sitting together at the reading. OOHHHHH, HOW ADORABLE!!! I liked them together in "Piece of My Heart", where Hoodsey disguised himself as "Burl Forkenstock" or something like that, to dance with Macie at the Sadie Hawkins dance. Cute!
As for Dodie and Chet Zipper? I can just imagine Dodie bossing poor Chet around, nagging like Wanda from Fairly OddParents, with Chet looking like he's not giving two craps about what's going on. And I bet her nine months of pregnancy were like hell...at least for Chet having to deal with that witch. Seriously, why and how would anyone want to sleep with an ugly creature like Dodie, let alone want to knock her up?! What did Chet see in her? Even when they were dancing together at the aforementioned Sadie Hawkins dance, Chet seemed more uninterested than a student watching a documentary on grass.
Then again, that's supposed to be his character, which is why I like him so much.
Anyway, once again, this spin-off idea has so much potential! Maybe this sequel series can be even more dramatic, and more adult-oriented than the original (rated TV-PG, at most), so it can air not on Nickelodeon, but either Nick at Nite, TeenNick, or NickMom. And it'll be the first good original series on either one of those networks.
Okay, to be honest, those two ideas for an As Told by Ginger reboot were already pretty commonly thought up by fellow other fans. But I don't know if anyone has already shared these ideas for a reboot:
#3: A Spin-Off Focusing on Carl and Hoodsey, and Their "Pals", Blake Gripling and Brandon Higsby
It can be titled The Classifed Adventures of Carl & Hoodsey, and it could be lighter, grossier, more humor-focused, and more surreal than the original show.
#4: A Talk Show for Courtney Gripling! A Fabulous One at That!
In the vein of Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and Take Two with Phineas and Ferb (yeah, I myself almost forgot that they once had a talk show, too), it can have live-action guests in an animated environment. In addition to Courtney hosting with her typical narcissism, Miranda could be her snarky assistant and bandleader (with Ginger, Dodie, and Macie as the band), and Winston as her director. Oh, and like how Space Ghost Coast to Coast had the Council of Doom as judges for some events, Courtney's show can have her popular clique (or, as Deebiedoobie calls them, "b***h brigade"), including Mipsy Mipson, Hope Rogers, and those other girls, be around the table to say their opinions on topics and guests.
So, those were my four ideas for an As Told by Ginger reboot. Like any of them, or have any ideas of your own? Comment below.
If anyone who worked at Nick or Klasky Csupo is reading this, please take consideration on these ideas!