WINDHAM, Maine — If the names Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, Susie, and the twins Phil and Lil mean anything to you, it can only mean one thing: you watched the Rugrats.
Nickelodeon's popular Rugrats cartoon was on the air from 1991 to 2004 and spun off three Rugrats movies.
Windham native, Kate Boutilier, who has had an impressive career in Hollywood working on shows like Family Ties, Growing Pains, and The Wild Thornberrys, among others, worked on the original series as a writer and is back for the reboot as the executive producer and head writer.
Boutilier recruited another Windham native, Sam Clarke, to work on the show.
Clarke is the script coordinator and a writer on the show. He said the call from Boutilier couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Clarke said he had worked on close to 25 different projects and was burned out by the long hours and lack of opportunity to write.
"I co-wrote an episode of another show a couple years ago that got absolutely rewritten. You watch the whole episode and I'd say, 'Did you hear the line about cream cheese wontons?' I wrote that and that's all," Clarke said.
The new Rugrats launched May 27 on Paramount+ with a handful of episodes and more will be released later this year. The show has been a perfect fit for Clarke who admits he might be more well-suited for cartoons than some of the more serious shows he has worked on in the past.
To write for the well-established characters on Rugrats, Clarke has tapped into his own childhood.
"I was a kid with big feelings and big thoughts," said Clarke. He also draws writing inspiration from his son Colby, who is 2, and from being a father.
With the show's executive producer and writer both from Windham, Mainers will notice nods to the state like the neighbor of the toddlers, Mr. Windham.
"We needed a name and at first I was like, 'Kate, maybe we could do something Maine-related. Let’s call him Mr. Sebago.' And Kate's like, ‘Let’s call him Mr. Windham. We love Windham. Let’s do it!'" Clarke said.
Clarke admitted that, as a teenager, he didn't realize how special places like Windham and Maine are, but time and living elsewhere cemented his love for his hometown.
"These people, these places, they're beautiful, they’re special, they’re unique, they're hilarious," he said.
Clarke said the first time he heard his name as a writer on Rugrats, it was an amazing feeling. The show, he said, has allowed him creativity and ownership of the six episodes he has written thus far. With a musical background, Clarke has also been able to write a few songs for the show.
"I don't know how I can top this," Clarke said.