The Rugrats Movie -- Newspaper Advertising


These are the newspaper ads used to promote the movie.

(All ads are © 1998 Paramount Pictures & Viacom.)


The ads are basically in any of these designs:

I -- Rugrats are huddled around movie logo (Left).

II -- Stu & Didi holding babies while Dil bonks Tommy's head with his rattle.

III -- Rugrats ride around in the Reptar Wagon.

IV -- Los Angeles area papers only (see 11/22/98)

(Left: "The Rugrats Movie" logo; from Nick.Com; ©1999 Viacom.)

(Right: Part of a cut-out sheet issued to movies theaters that show the film; theaters select the ads they want to use, add the necessary text, then submit it to their local papers for publication. From eBay; © 1998 Viacom.)


11/15/98: (II) Published in newspapers in very large markets, including New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington, DC, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Boston. (From The San Francisco Sunday Examiner and Chronicle)

11/19/98: (I) Published the day before release. (From The Tampa Tribune)

11/19/98: (I) Same as above, except that it doesn't mention "starts tomorrow" after the tag line. (From The Des Moines Register)

11/20/98: (II) Same as above, but in color and includes FAB award. (From Chicago Tribune)

11/20/98: (I) Canadian (Ontario), Published on day of release (From National Post (Toronto edition); contributed by Matt Hawthorne)

11/21/98: (I) A blurb from Newsweek is used in place of the tag line. Many large papers continue to use this version (with some differences) weeks into the film's release. (From St. Petersburg Times)

11/21/98: (II) Canadian; has only the movie's tag line; no blurbs from reviewers. Also, the Theater Branch Ontario's "Family" rating replaces the MPAA's "G" rating; rating may vary from province-to-province. (From The Globe & Mail (Toronto edition))

11/22/98: (II) Features blurbs from Newsweek and the FAB, plus Kids News Network, Fox and The Tribune Newspapers. Published only in very large markets. (From The New York Times; due to the large size, I cut off the theater information. At the size it's in now, and with over 100 theaters showing the film in the greater NYC area, this info would be completely illegible.)

11/22/98:(I) Puerto Rican; in Spanish (movie title is in English only), and mentions a 11/25/98 release date. (From El Nuevo Día)

11/22/98: (IV) In many papers in the Los Angeles area (including Los Angeles Times, which I got these ads from), movie theater chains include brief ads for one or two new releases in the theater's ads. Here's some examples:

AMC Theaters: Phil & Lil, plus ad for Home Fries
Cineplex Odeon: Chuckie
Krikorian Theatres: Dil
Mann Theaters: Spike, plus ad for Home Fries
General Cinemas: Angelica

There are no ads featuring Tommy.

Home Fries ads are included for completeness of the banner ads, and are (c)1998 by Warner Bros.

11/27/98(?): Ad for French version, Les Razmoket, Le Film; blurbs are French translations from English papers (Globe & Mail and The Toronto Sun); includes listings of theaters playing the French and English versions, plus a reminder to watch Canal Famille for a chance to win movie prizes. (From Le Journal De Montréal; contributed by Matt Hawthorne)

11/27/98: (I) Canadian (Ontario); features blurb from Toronto Sun; this version was widely seen in major eastern Canadian papers (most western Canadian papers featured a blurb from ITV (CITV) in Edmonton)). (From National Post (Toronto edition); contributed by Matt Hawthorne)

12/6/98: (I) No blurbs; just tag line. (From Bradenton Herald)

12/6/98: (III) Features 9 blurbs from various newspapers and magazines; published only in very major markets. (From The New York Times)

12/12/98: (I) Canadian; features blurbs from various Canadian & US sources. (From The Toronto Star)

12/20/98: (III) Rugrats & Reptar Wagon dressed for the holiday season, reminding readers to see it again. Seen only in New York & Los Angeles. (From The New York Times)

1/3/99 (II) Happy New Year from The Rugrats Movie, NYC & LA only. (From The New York Times)

4/5/99 (III) British; features blurbs from The Sun & The Mirror. The "U" right next to the logo is the film's rating (or "certificate") in Britain, which means that the film is appropriate for all ages; it's customary to display the rating right next to the film's logo in print advertising in Britain. (From Daily Mail (US edition))

6/26/99: (II) Ad for The Rugrats Movie on pay-per-view; on Time Warner Cable in the Tampa Bay Area. (From TV Guide (Time Warner-Pinellas County Edition))


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