Ads For Rugrats -- A Live Adventure

About a week or two before the performances begin in a particular venue, they usually place ads in newspapers and on local radio & TV stations, presenting information on show dates & times, and how to get tickets.

There are 3 versions of this ad:

I -- All the Rugrats and Reptar appear on stage, with Chuckie looking scared and Angelica saying, "Starring me in (your city here)!" Those ads, more or less, are based on this basic design, given to the hosting venues for advertising. All they do is fill in the host city in Angelica's balloon and show and ticket information in the blank spaces at the bottom (often using "Rugrats" lettering) before submitting to the papers. (Generic design is actually the Chicago Tribune ad with the Chicago information whited out, so you can get the idea of the "generic" copy.)

II -- Tommy peels back the curtain to reveal the Rugrats; only Reptar's foot is visible, as he's still behind the curtain.

III -- Special design for this ad.

Below are some newspaper ads advertising the show. To see them, click on the links below.

4/5/98 (III) -- New York Times, for the Radio City show; features Tommy on top of the globe. (originally in color; copied from microfilm.)
5/10/98 (I) -- Grand Rapids Press, for the Van Andel Arena show (5/22-24/98)
6/26/98 (I) -- Tampa Tribune, for the Ice Palace show (7/31-8/2/98)(in color)
7/12/98 (I) -- Charlotte Observer, for the Charlotte Colisseum show (7/12-14/98)
7/19/98 (I) -- Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL), for the Miami Arena show (8/6-11/98)
10/11/98 (I) -- San Francisco Sunday Examiner & Chronicle, for the San Jose Arena show (10/21-25/98)
10/25/98 (I) -- Philadelphia Inquirer, for the E-Centre show (12/18-27/98) (originally in color; ad has the Rugrats decked out in holiday garb)
11/22/98 (II) -- St. Louis Post-Dispatch; for the Fox Theatre show (12/22-27/98); first ad to use new ad design.
12/6/98 (II) -- New York Times, for the Radio City show (1/13-18/99); text copy used is different than similar ads in other cities. (in color)
12/9/98 (II) -- Reforma (Mexico City), for the Auditorio Nacional show (3/11-14/99); in Spanish. For details on the show and the ad, click here. (in color) (contributed by Carolina Hernandez T.)
12/20/98 (II) -- Baltimore Sun, for the Lyric Opera House show (1/6-10/99); excerpt from the Lyric's large ad showcasing its upcoming shows.
12/20/98 (II) -- Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY), for the Palace Theatre show (1/21-24/99).
1/10/99 (II) -- Los Angeles Times, for the Universal Amphitheatre show (3/25-28/99). Also brought to you by Pepsi, American Airlines, Ford and other companies.
3/11/99 (I) -- Reforma (Mexico City), for the Auditorio Nacional show (3/11-21/99); in Spanish. (contributed by Carolina Hernandez T.)
3/14/99 (II) -- Denver Post, for the McNichols Arena show (4/8-11/99)
4/7/99 (III) -- El Norte (Monterrey, Chihuahua, Mexico), for the Teatro Monterrey del IMSS show (4/10-11/99); in Spanish. This show is not part of the tour; when it was held, the tour was in Denver.
5/28/99 (II) -- Fort Myers (FL) News-Press, for the Everblades Arena show (7/6-7/99) (Since this ad was published, this stop was cancelled.)
8/99 (II) BBC's "Tops Of The Pops" magazine, for the show's British stops (10/28-12/3/99); Special thanks to Sarah Wakefield.
10/99 (II) -- Flyer for the Irish appearance at the Point Theatre in Dublin (11/25-28-99); click here for the front & click here for the back (which features a list of other performers at the Point Theatre, printed over a picture of the Rugrats in front of the theater); Source: eBay.

Some venues may also offer flyers publicising the show. To see an example (Version I, from Tampa), click here.

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