Grandparents Of The
Grandparents Of The |
|
Graphics with the France 3 and "MNK" logos courtesy of Super Yo.
 (Picture from A Baby's Got To Grow!, written by Sara Willson & illustrated by Peter Panas, © 1997 by Viacom.) |
Louis Kalhern "Lou" "Grandpa" Pickles (in the pilot, "Stu Pickles, Sr.") Age: 76 (as of 1992) Approximate Birth Year: 1916 Sex: Male Description: Bald, with gray hair; gray mustache; tan vest; purple, long-sleeved shirt; dark pants; purple socks; brown shoes; black, round-rimmed glasses; transistor-style hearing aid in left ear. Beginning in 1997, Grandpa switched to the single-piece "behind-the-ear" hearing aid. First Appearance: Tommy Pickles And The Great White Thing First Television Appearance: Tommy's First Birthday Voiced By: David Doyle (1991-1998); Joe Alaskey (1998-, including the movies) Grandpa (Tommy & Dil's grandfather (obviously), Stu's dad, and Didi's father-in-law), spends most of the time at home, but sometimes does errands for Stu and Didi. He has had a wonderful past (some true, some fiction); he was a WWII veteran and, after the war, a repairman who can fix almost anything (with a few flaws, of course). His favorite number is 15, which is the number most associated with his childhood (mainly fabricated lies) (ex: Grandpa has walked 15 miles to school in the snow). He is also a frequent sleeper; he usually falls asleep while in the middle of telling stories to the other Rugrats, which gives them the opportunity to escape and do their dirty work (note the Rugrats opening). Ten years from "now": The former owner of a repair shop will be getting out of retirement, and drive students to school in a school bus. And he'll be even more active than before -- in the All Growed Up episode, Grandpa goes skydiving after he takes the kids to school, and he listens to the same music that tweens listen to, such as Emica. |
Notes:
 David Doyle, at Klasky-Csupo's studios in the early-1990s. (From The Ultimate Rugrats Fan Book; ©1998 Viacom.) |
1. David Doyle, the original voice of Grandpa, was best known for his
role as John Bosley, Charlie's assistant on the legendary
ABC series,
Charlie's
Angels. He usually gives orders on behalf of Charlie (voice of
John Forsythe). Mr. Doyle died Wednesday, February 26, 1997 in Los Angeles
of a heart attack. He was 67. His last on-screen appearance was on January
6, 1997, when he appeared as an unnamed passenger sitting next to Meg Cummings
in the premiere episode of Aaron Spelling's daytime soap opera
Sunset Beach (NBC,
1997-1999). His last Rugrats episode was
Lady Luck (that episode had its world
premiere in Canada on YTV in April 1998, over a year after his death).
Other roles include (all live-action except "Road Rovers"):
|
 David Doyle, from his "Charlie's Angels" days, circa 1976. (© Spelling Entertainment / Columbia - Tristar Television.) |
 Joe Alaskey. (from Animation World Network's site; ©1997 Animation World Network.) |
2. Beginning with the 7th season in 1998, Joe Alaskey took over for the late
David Doyle. You may not have heard of Joe Alaskey, but it's very likely
that you may have heard his work; he was the voice of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck
and other Looney Tunes characters in commercials and shorts featuring
these famous characters, as well as impressions of famous people for movies
and TV shows like Forrest Gump (President Nixon), Fresh
Prince of Bel Air (Bob Hope), and others.
Early in that season, Alaskey's Grandpa sounded alot like Daffy Duck with a head cold, though the new voice eventually improved later on. Here's a sampling of what he did (all are animated unless specified):
(Special Thanks to Richard Hassman, assistant to Mr. Alaskey) |
|
Lulu Pickles
Sex: Female Description: Light, silver hair; blue medallion earrings; long, baggy skirt; blue, single-button sweater, worn over a yellow dress First Appearance: Acorn Nuts And Diapey Butts (part 3 -- Don't Poop On My Parade) Voiced By: Debbie Reynolds Lulu, who works as a nurse at the local hospital, met Grandpa Lou there in the Acorn Nuts episode, which will precede the Rugrats In Paris movie (they'll marry "offstage" between that episode and the movie). Lulu has first met Grandpa not "by accident" in the present day, but actually, in Europe in 1942, when Lou was a soldier and Lulu was a USO singer who couldn't sing a note. Though of course, it took 56 years before they actually got to know each other. Ten years from "now": She'll be travelling. (Left: Lulu, from Klasky-Csupo's Cooltoons site; ©2000 by Viacom.) |
|
Note:
Debbie Reynolds is a well-known stage and movie actress, with roles in various films such as Singin' In The Rain (1952), How The West Was Won (1962) and The Singing Nun (1965), as well as the voice of Charlotte the pig in her first animated film, Charlotte's Web (1973). On television, she guested on various TV series since the 1950s. She also had 2 short-lived series of her own -- a formulaic sitcom, The Debbie Reynolds Show (NBC, 1969-70), and a Love Boat clone, Aloha Paradise (ABC, 1981). Rugrats will be her 3rd TV series where she's a regular. Debbie Reynolds is also the mother of Carrie Fisher, who's best known as Princess Leia in the first 3 Star Wars films. (Left: Debbie Reynolds at work, from the Rugrats In Paris movie documentary, from the Rugrats Discover America (US) / Babies On Board (Canada) video; ©2000 by Viacom.) |
|
Boris Kropotkin
Sex: Male Description: Wrinkly face; bald; black jacket with tie; dark pants. First Appearance: Tommy's First Birthday Voiced By: Michael Bell Boris, Didi's father, Tommy & Dil's grandfather, and Minka's husband, comes from the "Old Country", so he says (the exact location was never given at first, though it was later revealed in Chanukah as Russia). He frequently gets into arguments with Minka over various objects, like who will be turning on the TV, and why chocolate cake should be used at birthday parties instead of carrot cake. He is also a wonderful storyteller, in which he would tell vivid stories about monsters (the "Klobbermeister" story in Monster In The Garage), Passover, and Chanukah, among others. Being Jewish, Boris and Minka embrace their religion well, sharing their faith with the other Pickles. Finally, their house is chock full of old nick-nacks and other antiques from the past, not to mention Toys In The Attic. Notes: 1. Drew and Chazz are also voiced by Bell. 2. Boris was banished from the Rugrats comic strip after the 9/20/1998 episode where he recited a prayer in a synogogue. For more details, click here.
|
|
Minka Kropotkin
Sex: Female Description: Gray, tied-up hair; wrinkly skin; granny-style glasses; dress with apron; sagging panty hose; slippers. First Appearance: Tommy's First Birthday Voiced By: Melanie Chartoff Minka is Boris' wife, Didi's mother, and Tommy & Dil's grandmother. She also came from the "Old Country". Most of the things about Boris also applies to Minka as well, except that Minka does not believe in much of the stories Boris tells. Note: Chartoff also plays Didi.
|
 |
Shirley Finster
Sex: Female Description: White hair tied into a bun, half-lensed glasses, frequently seen with apron. First Appearance: The Family Tree Voiced By: Miriam Margoyles Chuckie's grandmother, Shirley, is Chazz's mother. She also spends a lot of time cooking. |
 |
Marvin Finster
Sex: Male Description: White hair with dark mustache, long-sleeved blue shirt, dark pants, looks kind of like Stan Lee. First Appearance: The Family Tree Voiced By: Stacy Keach Chuckie's grandfather, Marvin, is Chazz's father. He, more or less, still lives in an old-fashioned time, being introduced to the Lipschitz method of psychology. He also still watches TV with "rabbit ears", not even knowing what cable is. Note: Stacy Keach is a well-known actor in various roles in the movies and on TV. His most-popular roles include the title character on Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer (CBS, 1984-87), and Titus' father on the Fox sitcom Titus (2000-2002). |
 |
Age: Unknown; probably in her 70s Sex: Female Description: Lavender beehive; red, horn-rimmed glasses; green, long-sleeved shirt with matching pants; yellow pearl necklace; a thin torso with a large, lower body Voiced By: Andrea Martin First Appearance: Aunt Miriam Miriam is a very active senior citizen. One time she's recklessly driving in the streets, while another time she took long trips to who knows where. She once lived in her own apartment, but eventually moved to a senior's community, where she liked it so much, she talked Grandpa into moving there. Miriam is Grandpa's cousin and Angelica's "great aunt, once removed". Note: Miriam is voiced by Andrea Martin, a Canadian comedienne and actress who was originally a regular on SCTV (1977-1984). |
| On To Animals & Pets | Back To Rugrats' Parents | Back To Character List | Back To Character Page | Back To Rugrats' Home Page |