Beloved children’s cartoon Rugrats is set to return with new episodes on Paramount+ later this month on the 27th. Alongside the rebooted CGI animations, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh of Devo have given the show’s iconic theme song an update for the modern era.
Though the updated Rugrats theme keeps the song’s iconic structure intact, the Mothersbaugh brothers have given the song a few added flairs. Much like the new animation style of the show’s reboot, the style behind the Akron-bred brother’s new theme inspires nostalgia while also adding a new chapter to the familiar soundtrack.
“It had like a childlike quality to it, and we were looking for something that would be Pavlovian for little kids,” Mark said in a recent interview with Rolling Stone. “They could be in the other room, looking through the refrigerator or something, and they’d hear the theme song start up and then they go, ‘Oh, that’s my show!’”
Along with music from the Mothersbaughs, the Rugrats reboot will see the original voice actors reprise their roles with the exception of Christine Cavanaugh who passed away in 2014. The show will feature a pre-movies cast of characters including Tommy Pickles, Chuckie Finster, Phil and Lil DeVille, Susie Carmichael, and Angelica Pickles, though pending the success of the revival Dil, Kimi, and Kara could be brought in for later episodes.
“I think Bob’s done a good job of keeping [the music] in the world and in the universe of Rugrats, that the adults would know,” Mark said of his brother. “Adults could watch this show and could go, ‘Oh they change the picture, but the music still sounds true to the original Rugrats.’ I think music has a lot to do with grounding the show.”
Listen to the Mothersbaughs’ updated take on the Rugrats theme in the trailer below and start streaming the reboot on May 27th exclusively on Paramount+.
Rugrats | Official Theme Song | Paramount+
[Video: Paramount Plus]
[H/T Rolling Stone]