"Rugrats is turning into a phenomenon, and it is probably our most important show in terms of building our company internationally," says Judson. "It's also a good example of the kind of show we feel can sell and still be part of our kids-first philosophy: it is creative-driven and story-driven, and takes risks. That kind of philosophy has helped it touch a nerve with kids around the world."

Rugrats© Nickelodeon

And that, in turn, spawned the Rugrats merchandising campaign, rather than the other way around. Indeed, all Nickelodeon cartoons are original, rather than deriving from existing properties, and do not start life primarily as efforts to sell toys or comic books.

Which is not to say the Nick empire isn't set up to exploit its creations in every significant way possible. The company has a movie unit in partnership with sister company Paramount, which launched its first title, the live-action Harriet the Spy in July, and has an animated Rugrats feature now in the planning stages. The Nickelodeon infrastructure also includes a consumer products division, a video and audio tape division, a worldwide online service, an interactive division to launch CD-ROM and computer game titles, a monthly magazine, a book publishing division and a live tour division.

Making Global Inroads
Thus, with the corporate power of Viacom backing up its various initiatives, and a host of quality, nonviolent programming to sell, Nickelodeon looks very much like a company set up for making major global inroads. Things are going so well, in fact, that Nick decided to sell its two newest Nicktoons--Angry Beavers and Hey Arnold!--to foreign markets even before the two had debuted in the US, an extremely rare maneuver.

Rugrats© Nickelodeon

Judson says expansion into Asia has at its center the virtually untapped Chinese market. "We are currently building relationships there [in China]," she says, adding that to make the Nickelodeon brand truly international, the company has to tailor its programming for specific markets. That's something which can sometimes take years of research and planning.

"When we launched our first international service--Nick UK--it was our first venture outside the US. It was an important experience on a lot of levels, because we learned a lot about how we need to view the international marketplace," Judson says.

"The way we are approaching the global marketplace is to take our basic philosophy, and then do research in individual countries. We study cultures and what kids enjoy in those societies, and we try to have a deep understanding of the audience. Then, we try to tailor the programming to meet the needs of that marketplace. It's not about simply taking a successful formula which has worked in the US and then repeating it in exactly the same way."