Nikki (2000)

Credit goes to Deborah Solomon for creating the pilot.
This was an early pilot that aired as part of Cartoon Network's Big Pick. This wasn't available on KZbin, so I decided to download the video and post it on here.
Enjoy.
(c) Cartoon Network and Deborah Solomon. Protected under fair use.

[@Thenameless1]

This style feels like if you got Home Movies or any sort of Squigglevision show and had someone behind the art that was really experienced with it.

[@shiobuzz3724]

Accurate lol

[@shokkushock]

Cartoons with downtown/city settings always give me this nostalgic feeling. Like Oswald or Little Bill 😊

[@Mr.StreetSweeper]

Anything can happen in the city

[@spaceamundo9655]

Fun fact: the creator of this short, Debra Solomon, also designed the animated version of Lizzie McGuire.

[@nickgadson266]

And the other creator, Todd Kessler, also worked on Blue’s Clues.

[@gallibon1319]

I can tell.

[@matthewtuerffs6503]

Solomon also created for Cartoon Network “Private Eye Princess”.

[@AlexMcGillvrey]

I can see the resemblance.

[@EPL762]

I saw this on Cartoon Network Latin America in 2000. I couldn't stop laughing at the woman crying. The music and the sound effects are great.

[@MrZongalito]

Que pena que el doblaje este perdido

[@Viridiana-wo8ye]

​@@MrZongalitoperdido

[@Viridiana-wo8ye]

​@@MrZongalitoosea lost media

[@syrenking]

Que lastima yo quería volver a verlo con el doblaje latino :c

[@jamesclark7827]

I love watching these kinds of old-school animations

[@SemiShweet]

This pilot was alright, the animation though very choppy and messy had a lot of charm, and I LOVE Nikki as a character, she is adorable.

[@jakethebutt]

Mother Joan Hazy She's a boy I think?

[@bigbrainanime9485]

I hate her. She Intrudes in people's lives because she's got nothing else to do. She sent a bunch of random weird people to a random womans house. She made her friend spend his allowance for some shit he didn't want to do. She's a mess, and not in a cute way.

[@DennisTamayo]

Too bad this pilot wasn't picked up as a series, & was lost to Maxwell Atoms' Billy & Mandy pilot.

[@m56214]

​@@DennisTamayo It would have failed anyway this should be pitch Adult Swim it would be a better fit

[@JulesHinmon]

As far as Nikki is concerned, nobody’s business is private.

[@Flip-a-dip-dip]

The way the animation will just spontaneously change. Reminds me of MTV’s downtown. Mixed with Dr. Katz and early home movies. Especially with the dialogue.

[@gama9501]

Omg! Thank you so much for posting this video. As a kid I tried to watch the whole cartoon and I just kept getting interrupted by my parents so I never got to watch the end. I searched and searched for this cartoon for so long and now after 17 years I finally got to see the end. Thank you again! ~inserts you the real MVP meme~

[@mametoure1090]

This is incredible...how is it so obscure?

[@YujiUedaFan]

Probably because of some kid called Niki that takes up all of the results.

[@bruin730]

Wish this was greenlit somewhere, I really like the animation and art style. It has a lot of charm to it

[@BztardChild.]

I remember this. I saw it in Cartoon Netwrok (Latin America) Thanks for uploading it

[@Viridiana-wo8ye]

Me too

[@EPL762]

I saw it twice. 2000 in "Cortitos" and in 2003 "The Cartoon Cartoons Show".

[@TheAllcreatorLiveArchives]

Don't get me wrong, I remember seeing this on CN also, AND it holds nostalgic memories for me, but why isn't anyone talking about the story itself? I fucking love the moral of this story, about how stupid love will make desperate people, about how the logic of children will never win against the ignorance of teenage angst. How literally everything can be given to a person and they will still make the wrong choices in life. The best thing about this is that it's a story with a REAL message for today's generation, yet everyone seems to be glossing over it because "wow, such nostalgia!" Can't anyone pull off there nostalgia goggles long enough to appreciate the work itself!?

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

Now that you mentioned it, I can now understand the meaning behind this pilot.

[@weamers]

this. i'm only just seeing this for the first time and the premise of two nosey kids following people around is just so interesting. the style too is great, like a way more fluid and expressive version of what vewn does

[@Biochemitra]

I kinda took the message to be the opposite, TBH. These kids don't know anything about this girl, about her relationship with this guy, about what it brings her. They're just making snap judgments about people whose lives they're barging into. Their plan was doomed to fail, not because the girl is blind or dumb, but because they're acting like they know better than her.

[@Dalton_Boardman2000]

I don't know why but this gives me the same vibe as those animated Redbull ads.

[@danhalensheetrockinc]

this is such a cute little short!!

[@BennSimonn]

The animation reminds me of both Pelswick and Sheep in the Big City.

[@Channeleven2345789]

+Ben Simon I see. I didn't think anyone else would remember either show.

[@whoasked9500]

@@Channeleven2345789 I'm also getting Ed, Edd n Eddy vibes from the outlines wiggling around.

[@kobold7466]

this pilot had a BUMPIN sound track

[@BlitzAMV]

I haven't seen this pilot in over 20 years

[@leandrawwz]

I immediately remembered this because of the couple fight. It means so much more to me now that Im older lol

[@alejandrosandoval2665]

This should have been greenlit. It sounds like a really good show.

[@tjh6678]

While I was only today years old when discovering this for the first time, it's actually a kino little cartoon. I definitely would've been curious to know what a full series could've looked like. But 3:49 tho.... Christ on a bike!!

[@jor-eljordan2335]

My top 10 CN pilots of all time that aired during the Big Pick era I'm a huge fan of growing up, and definitely should've gotten full series's writing,character design and storytelling wise that i can see working with some major tweaks for improvement for the better are. 1.My Freak Family 2.Kitty Bobo 3.Swaroop 4.Nikki 5.Trevor 6.LongHair And Doubledome 7.Major Flake 8.Yee Haw And Doo Dah 9.Lucky Lydia 10.Prickles Amd Cactus

[@jor-eljordan2335]

*And*

[@jakethebutt]

Jor-El Jordan Lost Cat? Foe Paws? Uncle Gus?

[@DeepWeeb]

I remember this. But I only remembered how weird it was.

[@gallibon1319]

I remember watching this when it first came out.

[@nathy-starlight1962]

9:25 ....okay? 😳😳😳

[@danthomas6264]

it looks like home movies

[@raquelalvia5315]

Daniel Thomas ikr

[@bigmacsama]

I know right? A kids version no less Lol!

[@lissettesainez9183]

really creative

[@quintjohnson7462]

this is perfection

[@slivervids6229]

Instant Kim Kardashian 3:08

[@user-fx1wx5uz7l]

her butt were looks cool

[@Melaniemoments.18]

I didn’t saw this at all, because I was on vacation that time.

[@windowcreeperbird9669]

This is really cool but I can see why it didn't get picked up for a full series.

[@anthonycassimiro2295]

I remember it.

[@avhg5752]

Did you know that this was created by the same woman that created Lizzie McGuire? (The animated Lizzie)

[@princesskida24]

that explains the reason that why private eye princess looks a lot like lizzie cartoon

[@LoanaLalonde]

This is good!

[@LoanaLalonde]

Love the music

[@sophieandkarolina8374]

This is the pilot episode

[@Fenan_21]

sucks this didn't get picked but without it we wouldn't have billy and mandy or anything grim and evil

[@hunteratops]

loved watching this

[@JulesHinmon]

The animation in the short is so Pelswick-y.

[@nicholaswiedman1409]

You see how the twin towers fall like that in the opening. The two "I"s in Nikki have eyes on the ends of them. EYES! ILUMMINATI CONFIRMED!

[@likeanyonecaresabouthandles]

What's the music that plays from 7:23 to 7:45? I swear I've heard it somewhere.

[@Channeleven2345789]

Not sure

[@EPL762]

In my case, I heard it on a commercial in Nickelodeon Latin America in 2002 during the commercial break, it was called "Nicktoons en Cámara Oculta". As for the artist and name of the song it has been a mystery for 16 years.

[@likeanyonecaresabouthandles]

+EPL +Channeleven Thanks for the help either way! I can't find that Camara Oculta footage online, but still one step closer to discovering this song's name!

[@johnmicki8334]

DJ Bobo Hero of the Night

[@petersondavid79]

The Philippe Pertit at the beginning…ages great

[@Isaac-gh5ku]

I also seen this on What A Cartoon Show reruns.

[@hlyisstunontarcapeheart8577]

I would had watch this show

[@esmeesmeralda701]

I love thissss

[@dalococider]

03:11 😂😂😂

[@TheAllcreatorLiveArchives]

Believe it or not, at one point men didn't find trash dumpies attractive.

[@princesskida24]

4:14 creo que de aquí surgieron mis deseos de que me regalen un osote XD

[@sabihaahmadd2439]

Nikki yr meri id block ho gyi hai kaise chalu karu passward yaad nahi hai

[@TyRiders2]

"I don't wanna marry her. I wanna follow her" That's creepy

[@TheAllcreatorLiveArchives]

Says the person who probably follows/subscribes/friends a bunch of people they don't know on the internet.

[@Biochemitra]

@@TheAllcreatorLiveArchives That was a really lame attempt at a "gotcha". You should try harder.

[@LucLeon]

I can't find it in spanish ;_;

[@EPL762]

Llevo 16 años buscándolo y nada.

[@Naiko99oficial]

Luc Leon yo lo tengo en vhs ;-;

[@TOWERDISPLAY]

Bienvenida al club

[@princesskida24]

al fin alguien que habla mi idioma!!! hay muchos cortos que yo vi y que siguen perdidos, como por ejemplo, este corto, el de la princesa detective, el del gato del celular, el cactus que habla, etc. P.D.: algunos años despues de que tooooda esta seccion de cartoon fridays se fuera al carajo del canal y estuviera adult swim en emision, emitieron la princesa detective por ahi =D no se porque, el corto no tenia nada de inmoral, e incluso, creo que en cartoon fridays emitieron el corto de bob y margaret (el cual, nunca supe que se habia vuelto un show en locomotion), como sea, desconozco si el resto de estos cortos se emitieron en adult swim...lamentablemente no pude grabarlo u.u en ese tiempo no tenia celular, y si acaso llegue a tener, mi primer celular era uno de esos chafa, pequeños y que nada mas era para hablar

[@mangieriporter513]

@@princesskida24 QUE GRANDE UN ARGENTINO PAPAAA!

[@danthomas6264]

yup

[@squartbotai1383]

I understand why this never went past pilot

[@DennisTamayo]

That's because Billy & Mandy won!

[@edwinagbajor8616]

Check out the blonde woman from 3:08 to 3:13

[@bee7690]

this comment means everything to me, edwin

[@dany1994gus]

3:19 Luckily this short was not popular and nobody remembers it. Or else Nintendo would have already sued him for using the underwater theme of Super Mario Bros. xD

[@duncanoftotaldrama7192]

2:02 6:59 10:02 that would be a good running gag

[@leafyyay6190]

this is exactly what having dissociative identity disorder feels like to me

[@spideyfan1278]

What weirdo ever made this acid trip of a short? It’s no wonder it didn’t get picked up.

[@leeandersonvideos3358]

He dump her

[@edwinagbajor8616]

Check out the blonde woman’s rear end/behind/posterior from 3:08 to 3:13

[@user-fx1wx5uz7l]

she could be happier about her big buttocks, at least it would be a good way to find a new boyfriend,

[@alphaghoul]

Sigh, ofcourse they automatically side with the woman. Otherwise I liked it.

[@yamsthepotatoking9444]

Didn't you see the ending

[@alphaghoul]

@@yamsthepotatoking9444 I saw the whole thing, what’s your point?

[@TheAllcreatorLiveArchives]

​@@alphaghoulthe guy is a lowlife fuckboi. That's there point. They wanted to show her that she is better off without him. She's just gonna end up depressed again. The fact that you watched the whole thing and don't understand this is the reason you're an incel.

[@ragz333official]

Nikki would be looked at as a problematic cartoon in modern day 2020s

[@ragz333official]

@classicmax1 You raise a good point, because I too don't see it that way. I was more making an observation that if this were produced today with this kind of story, sensationalist media outlets would tear it apart for no better reason than to write a pandering hit piece

[@KnakuanaRka]

I am not seeing what other people see in this at all. The art style is super sloppy (and not in a creative or expressive way), blurry and less than interesting (though the character designs look pretty good for it), I don’t understand Nikki’s character or motivations at all or how other characters relate to each other, and the random bits of absurdity don’t seem to create a coherent tone.

[@Channeleven2345789]

Had this been greenlit we would've probably gotten a bit more. I guess it's not for everyone

[@KnakuanaRka]

@@Channeleven2345789 Yeah, that makes sense.

[@squartbotai1383]

I agree. This is shoddy at best

[@surferguy1974]

I agree i wouldnt understand what this cartoon would've been about at all.

[@uploader109]

I'm fine with the animation and plotline, but wow the 2000s had too much racist humor. Poor kid was trying to exist and kept being made fun of.

[@peromiestiloesunico]

the twin towers

[@hugothepinkcat]

Wow, no wonder this lost. This looks like TERRIBLE animation.

[@Channeleven2345789]

+Hugo QP (MapDark) Wel, Regular Show looks uglier, yet it managed to win.

[@kabonglimited758]

This is not ugly animation in my opinion. The real ugly animation is Johnny Test animation.

[@TheAllcreatorLiveArchives]

At least this is actual hand drawn animation and not shit rigged up in a computer program. Learn some class, ass.

[@Melvinshermen]

Art style ok but Little too ugly

[@ki-pattao9030]

This sucks