TV SERIES · 1991– · USA
Ren & Stimpy
37 archived facts 5 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
All facts (37)
- #001
Some of the music used in the episodes would later be used in SpongeBob SquarePants (1999) and Teacher's Pet.
- #002
It first aired on exactly the same day and in the same year as Rugrats (1991) and Doug (1991).
- #003
Series creator John Kricfalusi was determined that Stimpy would not have the thick, dopey voice usually given to dumb cartoon sidekicks, and he had already chosen Billy West to provide Stimpy's voice. West tested various voices until John Kricfalusi finally settled on a Larry Fine-type voice.
- #004
Tom Kenny, the voice of SpongeBob SquarePants (1999), once auditioned for the role of Ren on The Ren & Stimpy Show.
- #005
Billy West was the only voice actor to appear in every episode.
- #006
John Kricfalusi (and, consequently, his company Spumco) was fired from the series in 1992 for failing to produce episodes on schedule for the show. Games Animation took over production, and Billy West took over the role of Ren.
- #007
It was the first Nicktoon to have a video game based on it.
- #008
The theme song is titled "Dog Pound Hop."
- #009
Nickelodeon did not care for George Liquor and vetoed most of the offers to feature him in Ren and Stimpy. When Spumco was fired from the series, Nickelodeon had no desire to show Liquor again and sold the rights back to them.
- #010
Very little of the music used in the series was composed specifically for it; most of the music was compiled from stock recordings of various classical compositions, from the work of jazz composer Raymond Scott (whose work is often used as background music in cartoons), and from old "mood music" pieces in the library of the British production music company KPM (composed in the '50s and '60s by people such as C. King Palmer, Laurie Johnson and Jack Beaver).
- #011
The cartoon's theme song, "Dog Pound Hop," was written and performed by some members of the animation team at Spumco.
- #012
Billy West based Stimpy's voice on Larry Fine of The Three Stooges.
- #013
Stimpy's lines at the end of "Mad Dog Hoek" were copied word for word from a letter sent to Nickelodeon by a young fan.
- #014
In Space Madness / The Boy Who Cried Rat! (1991), Stimpy says, "Jane, stop this crazy thing." This is a clear reference to The Jetsons (1962), on which Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi once worked as a design artist.
- #015
In the series' first episode, Billy West not only provided Stimpy's voice but also provided Ren's screams and manic laughter.
- #016
John Kricfalusi initially wanted Ren and Stimpy to appear as characters in a variety show he called "Cartoon Cavalcade."
- #017
Frank Welker, Joe Alaskey, Carlos Alazraqui, Pat Fraley, Hal Rayle, Patrick Pinney, Jack Angel and Townsend Coleman all auditioned for the voice of Ren.
- #018
John Kricfalusi appeared as a mystery guest on The Howard Stern Radio Show (broadcast on The E Channel) to surprise Billy West, one of Stern's voice actors. It was a very strange interview, and Howard helped fuel the growing hostility between the two, since Billy West continued working after John was fired. Years later Billy said this was one of the reasons he left the Stern show.
- #019
In the first two seasons, when Ren reacted in shock his head would briefly shrink; this is based on the style of animator Jim Tyer, who often used this technique for Popeye and various Terrytoons shorts.
- #020
The Ren & Stimpy Show has an episode titled "Life Sucks" that was never fully completed.
- #021
Due to controversies surrounding the series, Paramount+ banned many episodes from its platform. Although the series can be watched on Paramount+, only 36 of its 55 episodes are available there.
- #022
The theme music for the recurring character Wilbur J. Cobb is the cat theme from Peter and the Wolf.
- #023
Among the original Nicktoons on Nickelodeon, it had the longest first-run episode count of the series without being revived after cancellation on the same network, unlike Rugrats (1991). Doug's (1991) sequel series aired on ABC in 1996.
- #024
Stinky Wizzleteats is based on the real-life actor Burl Ives. Burl Ives was best known as a folk singer and as the voice of Sam the Snowman in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964).
- #025
Billy West stated that John K's strict direction caused damage to his vocal cords.
- #026
It is the only Nicktoon to air on MTV.
- #027
Anthony's father in the episode A Visit to Anthony is generally based on John Kricfalusi's own father.
- #028
Stimpy is a Manx cat. The Manx is a domestic cat breed originating on the Isle of Man, known for its short or absent tail due to a unique genetic mutation.
- #029
Stimpy is thought to be a possible inspiration for the SpongeBob SquarePants character Patrick Star, because the two share similar personality traits.
- #030
Stimpy's full name is Stimpson J. Cat. What the J stands for is never explained in the series.
- #031
Marvel Comics produced 44 issues and 10 specials of a Ren and Stimpy comic book from December 1992 to July 1996. Ren and Stimpy was the first Nicktoon to have a comic book based on it.
- #032
According to a story told on The Nerdist Podcast, a skinny-looking boy came to the Nickelodeon studios and said he wanted to submit a song he had recorded for the series. After an argument, the executives kicked the man out of the studio and threw his CD in the trash. That man was Kurt Cobain, the lead singer of the rock band Nirvana.
- #033
As revealed in A Yard Too Far, Ren's favorite food is pork jowl. Pork jowl is a cut of pork taken from a pig's cheek.
- #034
John Kricfalusi's worst episodes are Monkey See, Monkey Don't, The Littlest Giant and Nurse Stimpy.
- #035
As of 2026, this is the only Ren and Stimpy series that is not adult animation.
- #036
The Great Wild Wilderness Adventure was another scrapped storyline intended for the original series. The likely reason it was never completed was Nickelodeon's presumed hatred of the character George Liquor.
- #037
Stimpy is sometimes referred to as Stimpson (Stimpy) J. Kadoogan. It is unclear whether Kadoogan is his real surname or a nickname.
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