Old School Lane Casual Chats Episode 10: Interview with the Re-open Nickelodeon Studios Admins

In this special episode of Casual Chats, Patricia interviews Admins Zac, Tim, Isaiah, Gabe, and Jaycob from the Re-Open Nickelodeon Studios in Orlando, FL Facebook Page! Stay tuned for a very special prize giveaway!

Old School Lane's Nickelodeon Tribute: Interview with Bilaal Smith

I've seen many petitions over the years about wanting their favorite shows back on Nickelodeon or a DVD release. There's a guy who wants a DVD release of Weinerville, there's a dedicated petition of wanting Invader Zim to come back, there's a petition of wanting a reboot of Legends of the Hidden Temple, and there's a website that wants a channel dedicated to 80's Nickelodeon shows similar to The 90's Are All That. In fact, when I was 17, I wrote a letter to Craig Bartlett saying that I'm hoping that The Jungle Movie will be released in theaters. Almost 10 years later, it didn't happen and will most likely never happen. Most people have tried, few have succeeded or even got close to their goal. But there's one guy on the Internet whose doing something a little bit different: compiling videos of former Nickelodeon stars for a documentary. Bilaal Smith has, so far, interviewed Marc Summers from Double Dare, Angelique Bates and Alisa Reyes from All That, and Phil Moore from Nick Arcade. Here's my interview with him. Enjoy!

Patricia- What made you decide to start a petition of reopening Nickelodeon Studios?

Bilaal- It happened late last year. I recently became fascinated with the studio again after so long and so I thought I'm gonna make a documentary discussing the importance of the studio and why it should return. By doing that why not ask/interview former Nickelodeon stars and fans to share their thoughts on video as part of the documentary.

Patricia- For the three people who don't know, can you give a brief explanation of Nickelodeon Studios?

Bilaal- It was a TV taping studio and attraction that resided at Universal Studios in Orlando, FL. A lot of our favorite live action and game shows from the 90's and early 2000's took place inside that building. So much Nickelodeon history there that is quite remembered.

Patricia- Can you explain why Nickelodeon Studios shutdown after 14 years?

Bilaal- Television production in Orlando was no longer active and less people were visiting the studio. It wasn't needed anymore so they decided to close it.

Patricia- What were your favorite rides, attractions, and shows in Nickelodeon Studios? 

Bilaal- The game shows! Double Dare, GUTS, and Legends of the Hidden Temple. I also loved the slime geyser and seeing a live taping of a show.

Patricia- How did you get people like Phil Moore, Marc Summers, Alisa Reyes, and Angelique Bates to join you in your cause? 

Bilaal- I asked on twitter and also through email.

Patricia- Do you think that if Nick Studios reopened, will it be as successful as it was the first time or was it just a place for kids who are exclusively from the 90s? 

Bilaal- I can't 100% say that. The reason I think Nick Studios should come back is so that today's kids could know what it's like to be a kid. I want them to have the same amount of fun that we had when the studio was still opened. For them and even adults to see showbiz being filmed before their eyes was a unique thing and participating in it was a bonus. Even if the project doesn't work out I will gladly accept that and move on and still be proud either way.

Patricia- What shows, rides, and attractions would you like to see in the new Nickelodeon Studios?

Bilaal- New shows and proper revivals. It would also be fun if former and current Nick stars would guest star on these shows.

Patricia- What are your favorite Nickelodeon shows? 

Bilaal- LOTHT, Double Dare, All That, Hey Arnold, Gullah Gullah Island, Are You Afraid of the Dark, The Secret World of Alex Mack, The Wild Thornberrys, Rugrats, Pete & Pete. Just to name a few.

Patricia- When Nickelodeon Studios reopens and has a televise grand reopening just like the first time back in 1990, who should be the host and who should be the guest stars? 

Bilaal- I think the original All That cast and Marc Summers should be the hosts. Guest stars should be the ones who participated in the documentary and current Nick stars.

Patricia- What, in your opinion, made Nickelodeon Studios still an iconic location even after it's been going seven for seven years?

Bilaal- It was the place where Nickelodeon first became a household name. What you saw on TV is what happened in that building. They didn't choose NY or LA to have their studio they chose Florida instead. I think if you were lucky to go to Nick studios (which I got the chance to) you would have one of the best memories in your life. Being able to see your favorite shows being taped or know what film making is like was just awesome. What made it interesting was that the studio produced quality programming and that is something that is desperately needed right now. The dedication to children was the sole purpose of it. "The World's First Headquarters for Kids" was a unique place. Even adults loved it!

Patricia- What other Nick celebrities would you like to see help you in your cause?

Bilaal- Summer Sanders, the original All That cast, Kirk Fogg, Moira Quirk, Marc Weiner, a Roundhouse cast member, Christina Vidal. I've also interviewed Melissa Joan Hart and Dave Aizer to talk about the studio which you will also see their words inside the documentary.

Patricia- I wish you luck with your cause. I send you my support and blessings.

Bilaal- Thank you so much.

Hey guys, do you want to help in this cause to reopen Nickelodeon Studios? You can! Watch this video and learn how you can be a part of the documentary! 

Also follow him on Twitter on b_smith5. That's all for now. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. 

-Patricia

Old School Lane's Nickelodeon Tribute: Nickelodeon Studios

The year is 1990. Home Alone, Dances with Wolves, the first live adaptation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Ghost were released in theaters. In Living Color, The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, and Captain Planet and the Planeteers debuted on TV. Competition was starting to build up for Nickelodeon when Fox Kids and The Disney Afternoon debuted with new cartoons for kids. Now that Nickelodeon was building up more shows, they needed their own studio to film their game shows, kids' shows, and comedy shows. Around 1989, Super Sloppy Double Dare was already being filmed there after moving from Philadelphia.



But Universal Studios and Nickelodeon Studios were officially opened to the public on June 7, 1990.



The celebration was huge as it was being broadcast live in front of millions of kids anxiously awaiting to see this brand new studio headquarters exclusively for kids. This 3 hour long special was hosted by Marc Summers and there were many guest stars of popular Nickelodeon stars at the time such as Harvey from Double Dare, Les Lye from You Can't Do That on Television, Greg Lee from Total Panic, Christine Taylor and Kelly Brown from Hey Dude, and many more.

At the end of the 3 hour special, the new slime geyser burst with slime and gak to officially close the opening to Nickelodeon, but it wasn't until October in which the opening of the geyser was more official. More celebrities like Russel Johnson from Gilligan's Island were there. People who had gotten slimed would get buttons and T-shirts saying that they were the first people in Universal Studios to do so.



Stage 17 would be used for The Game Lab in which kids would come and play games or goof around or trying new game shows. Combining with Stage 18, they would be filming GUTS/Global Guts. Soundstages 18 and 19 would be used for production offices, dressing rooms, make up rooms, and the Gak Kitchen. The Gak Kitchen was one of the most popular things to do when they would give tours for kids.



On April 12, 1992, a Nickelodeon time capsule was buried on Universal Studios and wouldn't be opened for another 50 years. Kids had buried things that meant the world to them in 1992 such as a stick of bubblegum, roller skates, a Game Boy, VHS copies of Home Alone and Back to the Future, a Michael Jackson and MC Hammer CD, a jar of Gak, Barbie dolls, an issue of Nickelodeon magazine, a Nickelodeon T-shirt, a piece of the Berlin Wall, and more.



There was a live broadcast of the burial of the capsule hosted by Mike O'Malley and Joey Lawrence. For more information on the topic, check out the website mentalfloss.com. Thanks Moviefan12 from Manic Expression for showing me this!

During those years, many shows such as Eureeka's Castle, Allegra's Window, Gullah Gullah Island, All That, Kenan and Kel, GUTS, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Figure it Out, What Would You Do?, Slime Time Live, Nick in the Afternoon, Double Dare 2000, Taina, and Noah Knows Best was filmed. Unfortunately, around the 2000s, things started to go a bit downhill for Nickelodeon. Even though, they gotten a new paint job and new additions like the Jimmy Neutron ride, it wasn't enough.

Before 2004



After 2004



A new stage facility called Nickelodeon on Sunset was built in California and that was where most of the shows were being filmed there. Originally, the Earl Carroll Theater, the 3rd and 4th seasons of Kenan and Kel, the 4th through 10th season of All That, The Amanda Show, and The Nick Cannon Show moved there to be filmed. Due to that, a few people lost their jobs and the popularity of Nickelodeon Studios began to wane a bit.



Also kids' game shows at the time were no longer popular and the last one that was released there was called Splat. It was a huge failure being cancelled less than a few months after it aired.

With all those things combine, on April 30, 2005, Nickelodeon Studios was officially closed forever. All the Nickelodeon decorations, the slime geyser, and the time capsule was removed and for many people, Nickelodeon was officially dead to them. After being there for 14 years and over 2,000 episodes for many shows were filmed, Nickelodeon Studios created a legacy that millions of children will remember. An opportunity to see their favorite shows live and maybe even be on TV was huge for them. Happy memories that they would cherish for the rest of their lives would be created there while creating their own Gak. Their childhood of visiting Nickelodeon Studios whenever they would go to Universal Studios was gone. It was truly a sad day. I was fortunate to see Nickelodeon Studios while it was up seeing a live taping of Double Dare 2000 and even playing a game at the Game Lab. I will cherish it forever.



The time capsule has been moved to the Nickelodeon Suites Resort in Orlando still awaiting to be opened on 2042. Just 30 more years and we'll see the day that all those things from back then being shown to a new generation of kids. I'm going to be 56 when that happens! Yikes!



Two years later, it would be replaced by The Blue Man Group where they would make their performances.



However, may we never forget what Nickelodeon Studios meant to us as a whole. Let the legacy of what it created for us as kids be always in our hearts.

To learn more about the history of Nickelodeon Studios, check out this article at retrojunk.com. That's all for now. Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Thanks for reading.

-Patricia