The Retro Nicktoons Talent Show Chapter 3

The next day, Tommy invited Nicktoons characters from different shows, including Hey Arnold, CatDog, Rocko’s Modern Life, Invader ZIM, and of course, The Rugrats, to the Java Lava. Kimi Watanabe-Finster, one of Tommy’s friends, wasn’t present because she was visiting Toontown Japan. Tommy started the meeting by telling them about his phone call from yesterday.
“Okay, everyone!” Said Tommy. “I invited you all here today because I have told Nickelodeon that we can put on a talent show, and all of you can join and perform!”
“Hi-ho diggity!” Said Dog, who was no longer attached to Cat.
“However”, Tommy added. “We need $10,000 to fund the show, and we’re broke.” Tucker Foley, from Danny Phantom, raised his hand.
“We could ask your sister!” He said. “Her mother’s rich, from the last time I checked.”

“Sorry, but that’s a no.” Replied Tommy. “Cheryl Trescott-Pickles lost her job at Megacorp on All Grown Up.”
“Rancid Rabbit is rich!” Said Dog. “Maybe he could offer some money!”
“It has to be live-action money.” Said Tommy. “How are we, cartoon characters, supposed to make money? We don’t have shows anymore!”
“We could have a yard sale!” Suggested Heffer Wolfe.
“We could sell lemonade!” Suggested Sid.
“We could star in commercials!” Suggested Carl Wheezer.
“I have a logical suggestion.” Said Phoebe Heyerdahl. “There’s a character who can control rocks and the earth. However, she lives in Toontown California, which is halfway across the country.”
“Who is she?” Asked Tommy.
“Toph Be Fong,” Answered Jimmy Neutron. “She was from Avatar: The Last Airbender. She was an Earth-Bender who may have been blind, but she was powerful. She could lift a boulder without not just touching it, but not even noticing it! She could even bend rocks from outer space!”
“Could she turn regular live-action rocks into valuable gemstones?” Asked Tommy.
“I am 98% sure.” Answered Jimmy.
“We need someone to visit Toontown California.” Declared Tommy. “Who is willing to visit?” Rocko, Heffer, and Filbert raised their hands.
“We can go to California!” Said Heffer. “In our upcoming special, we go on a quest to find Fatheads creator Ralph Bighead!”
“Heffer!” Said Rocko, placing his hand on Heffer’s mouth. “Not until August.”
“Is that so?” Said Tommy. “Then please go to Toontown California, find Toph, and convince her to bend live-action rocks into gemstones. Think you can do that?”
“Yes, we can.” Said Rocko.
“Rocko’s Modern Life is getting a TV special?!” Shouted Harold. “When will it air?”
“It’s not gonna air on TV.” Said Rocko. “It’ll be a Netflix exclusive, but I’ll give you the date it’ll premiere: August 9th.”
“Oh, boy!” Said Harold. “I need to write that down!”
“Okay, gang!” Said Tommy. “If we’re going to put on a talent show, we have to know each other’s talents!”
“I can burp the alphabet!” Said Heffer.
“I can show off some of my inventions!” Said Jimmy.
“Me and Cat know a vaudeville act!” Said Dog.
“I can talk to animals.” Said Eliza Thornberry, though everyone looked at her weirdly.
“Big deal!” Said Dagit. “Everyone knows animals can talk in cartoons.”
“Not in my show.” Said Eliza. “I can talk to animals who normally can’t talk. I could even talk to Tommy’s dog Spike!”
“That’s impossible!” Said Phil Deville, another one of Tommy’s friends. “Animals on our show couldn’t talk!”
“Perhaps it was when we were still babies,” Said Chuckie Finster, another one of Tommy’s friends. “Though part of me hopes it was just a dream.”
“I believe you, Eliza.” Said Tommy. “However, we need to think a little bigger. How about cartoon animals from other studios?”
“I could try.” Said Eliza. “Does anyone here who isn’t an animal have any pets?”
“I have a pet pig named Abner”. Said Arnold. “We could go to my house and test your powers on him.”
“Alright.” Said Eliza. “But there’s just one thing that bothers me: You, Helga, Gerald, Dil, and some other characters are 10, Tommy, the Deville twins, and Kimi are 11, and Angelica and Susie are 13, yet me and Tommy’s friend Charles are 12? Shouldn’t I be in my 20s or something?”
“If it makes you feel any better, Miss Thornberry,” Said Dog, walking over with a magazine. “There’s an artist’s depiction of what you would look like as an adult.” He then showed Eliza an illustration from an issue of Nickelodeon Magazine.
“Wow.” She said. “I really take after mom.” Darwin, Eliza’s best friend who was also a chimp, walked over.
“They put Donnie in there, but not Debbie?” He asked. “How come?”
“Beats me.” Said Dog. “This magazine is 15 years old.”
“Shouldn’t you and Arnold be practicing your animal-talking powers?” Asked Tommy. “I still have more people to talk to!”
“Okay.” Said Eliza, as she, Darwin, and Arnold exited the cafe. “Nobody seems to care about me and Darwin anymore.”
“I believe we should be on our way, too.” Said Rocko, and he and Filbert left the cafe, as well. Heffer was about to leave, but felt his tail get stuck: Tommy was holding on to the bovine’s tail.
“Sorry.” Said Tommy. “You have to stay to practice your burping.”
Author's Notes: The Java Lava was a cafe that Tommy and the gang, who were now pre-teens, would hang out in All Grown Up.
Between the events of Rugrats and All Grown Up, Charlotte somehow got fired from her job at MegaCorp. As a result, she knows about all the company's secrets.

Oh Glob, time hasn't been kind to her.

A 2004 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine, one dedicated to All Grown Up, showed artist's interpretations of what characters from The Wild Thornberrys, Rocket Power, and The Fairly OddParents would look like as adults. Eliza and Donnie from The Wild Thornberrys (a personal favorite of mine) were depicted, but not Debbie.

Trescott was not Charlotte's (Angelica's mom) maiden name. It's one that I gave her, named after her talented voice actress Tress MacNeille. MacNeille's many credits include Babs Bunny on Tiny Toon Adventures, Dot Warner, Hello Nurse, and Marita Hippo on Animaniacs, Gadget on Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers, and Agnes Skinner, Principal Skinner's elderly mother, on The Simpsons. She's also the modern-day voice actress of Daisy Duck, Donald Duck's girlfriend.

In the hilarious Netflix special 'Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling', the only way to save the company Conglom-O is to reboot The Fatheads, Rocko's favorite TV show. This causes Rocko, Heffer, and Filburt to search the globe for the original Fatheads creator, Ralph Bighead.