First and foremost, I would like to say that this show is near and dear to me because it is loosely based on my city, Richmond, Virginia. Creator and Executive Producer Jim Jinkins lived in Virginia for a time and this series is loosely based on his life while he was here.
I’m going to be honest. When I was younger, I didn’t think much of “Doug”. I watched it but it was no where near my favorite cartoon. Everyone was a different color and it never made sense as to why. Doug seemed a little whiny but we dealt with him. I connected with him because I do have a journal and am an advocate of writing your feelings down.
The goal of the show, besides entertainment, was to cycle through the emotions and saga one goes through in middle or high school. “Doug” tackled issues like bullying, crushes and natural school embarrassment. Also, the pilot episode of this series was Doug and his family moving to Bluffington so Doug had to navigate a new town where he eventually found new best friends in his neighbors and Skeeter. I often wondered where all of Doug’s old friends were and why they never came to visit. It’s almost like he never had a past life but we know he did.
When the show wasn’t on Nickelodeon anymore, it was a bit weird. Everyone was drawn different and they aged a few years. I think Patty had a new hairstyle. I wasn’t really here for that version but I did watch.
So, storytime. Well, mini storytime. When I started watching “Orange is the New Black” and I heard the character Yoga Jones speak, I listened REALLY hard because the voice struck me because I had heard it before. You ever have that moment when you hear or see someone you know is familiar to you and you spend hours trying not to look it up? That was me with Yoga Jones. Finally, I figured it out and then looked it up for verification. I was pleased that was able to get it after having not watched “Doug” in so long.
I want to end by saying that although she was dramatic and weird, I loved Judy Funny. When she played Doug’s cousin Melvin that one episode when Connie asked Doug to a dance and he had to pretend he had something else to do because he wanted to ask Patty. Brilliant. Shame on those writers who made Patty ask him directly after he told that lie. LOL.
Screen Rant has compiled more things we didn’t know about this series, like why everyone but Doug was a different color. Check it out!
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