Reptar is a fictional dinosaur character within the American TV series, Rugrats. Tommy looks up to him, and the other Rugrats also seem to in a way. He has appeared in the television series, films and video games with the Rugrats franchise. Reptar is a green dinosaur (and sometimes appears in red-violet and lilac) with rounded, blue spike-like appendages on his back, which intentionally causes him to resemble and spoof Godzilla.
Reptar was conceived by Rugrats story editors and producers and was featured in Louis Greenstein and Larry Loebell's episode, "At the Movies."
The Rugrats films[]
Reptar appeared in the first Rugrats film as a high-tech wagon built by Tommy's father Stu Pickles. Stu had built it for a Japanese contest, however, the little babies ended up taking it for a joyride when they tried to return Dil to the hospital.
He had a more important role as a giant robot in Rugrats in Paris, when he was again built by Stu. His head fell off twice in the film, although Stu fixed it the first time for the play. The Rugrats also took him to the church to stop the wedding.
Depiction[]
Occasionally, Reptar is seen as a hero who helps save the world, and on other occasions he is seen as a villain, reflecting the different ways dinosaur has been portrayed; however, since the little babies all love him and look up to him, he is more often than not shown as heroic. Reptar first appeared as a Rugrats character on the packaging of a cereal box. He gained popularity as he became a more important part of the storyline (though never became a main or recurring character). In the world of the Rugrats, Reptar has excellent marketing presence; he appears in movies, ice skating shows, food packaging, TV shows, action figures, amusement parks and other forms of merchandising.
The Rugrats would often meet Reptar, or someone dressed like him, in their adventures. Most often, it would be at some sort of public event featuring a slightly-cranky man in a Reptar suit, with his face visible through the opening for the mouth. Sometimes, the costumed character would do something dramatic and be regarded by the little babies (and sometimes adults) as a hero, such as when a Reptar actor stopped Stu's out of control robotic dragon at a medieval fair. At the Reptar on Ice! stage show, the man playing Reptar (wearing a more realistic Reptar costume and mask than other actors usually did) had a strong fear of lizards and disliked the little babies. There is also the Reptar Wagon designed by Stu Pickles, which says "I am Reptar, hear me roar!," a parody of "I am woman, hear me roar."
Reptar also appears in the All Grown Up! episode "Curse of Reptar", when the Pickles family builds a pool. While digging, one of the workers finds a Reptar toy hidden in the ground by Spike. At that point, Reptar seems to have lost popularity as Dil Pickles has no memories of Reptar, and the rest of the little babies only remember him from their early childhoods. Despite his drop from stardom, the gang still has fond memories of him. Despite originally calling it an old toy, Tommy, the first member of the gang to become a fan, was clearly still a big fan of his, as he secretly fished the toy out of the hole and hid him under his bed for safekeeping.
Trivia[]
- Even though in his first appearance he had red eyes with black pupils, he had white eyes with black round pupils in Incident in Aisle Seven, on the Reptar Cereal commercial.
- Reptar is a parody of Godzilla and in one episode is seen in a movie fighting a robot doppleganger of himself (a parody of Mechagodzilla) and a giant pterodactyl (a parody of Rodan).
- In 2002, Klasky Csupo was sued by Toho because of this character spoofing Godzilla. Afterwards, Reptar was refrenced less until the series was canceled.