On August 11th, 1991, Nickelodeon changed the animation world forever with its new labeling of original cartoons, NickToons. While Ren & Stimpy and Rugrats were big enough names to help push the new brand on the cable network, Doug Funnie made for a solid part of this trinity. Nickelodeon’s Doug would net well over one hundred episodes, making the surprising leap from Paramount’s kids’ network to Disney’s ABC. With years of stories in the past, the creator of the beloved animated show has a new idea for where the series could go next, giving us our first look at what an adult Doug would look like.
Creator Jim Jinkins might not have officially worked on any new Doug stories since the series ended in 1999, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t thinking of ways for this universe to make a comeback. Recently via social media, Jinkins revealed the first details for a potential Doug sequel titled “Doug Kids.” This series would have seen Funnie and his friends as adults with families of their own. Not only was Jinkins thinking about bringing this concept to series, but he had also actually pitched Disney Television Animation on the idea in 2019. The project, according to Jim, was scrapped in 2021, with Disney passing on the idea, though you can check out what might have been below.
Doug’s original run on Nickelodeon ended in 1994, with its fourth and final season giving way to a wild new opportunity for the cartoon. In 1996, Disney not only would resurrect the series with a hefty three-season renewal order, but it also ended Funnie’s story with a feature-length film that arrived in theaters in 1999 to act as a series finale. Ever since, Doug has been absent from the airwaves, without any animated revivals further expanding on the town of Bluffington. Ironically enough, the Disney revival is available to stream on Disney+, though the same can’t be said for the Nickelodeon seasons that helped introduce the world to Funnie and friends.
What made Doug stand out from his fellow NickToons is the fact that while some of the entries, like Ren and Stimpy and Invader Zim, never failed to push the envelope, Funnie’s series had a far more grounded approach. All the adventures that took place in Bluffington felt relatable to what junior high students were facing in their daily lives, with Doug being a solid protagonist to walk viewers through his more mundane challenges. This year marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of the series landing on Nickelodeon, and many of the episodes still hold up today, thanks to their timeless quality. Bluffington might never officially return, but its legacy in the animation world remains intact.
