The Ren & Stimpy Show (Original)

The Ren & Stimpy Show is an American animated television series created by John Kricfalusifor Nickelodeon that premiered on August 11, 1991, to December 16, 1995. The series follows the adventures of the title characters: Ren Höek, an emotionally unstable and sociopathicChihuahua; and Stimpy, a good-natured yet dimwitted cat.

Ren & Stimpy was one of Nickelodeon's first original animated series on "Nicktoons", alongside Rugrats and Doug. In contrast with other shows on the network, the series was controversial for its dark humor, sexual innuendos, adult jokes, and shock value. In addition, Spümcø's failure to deliver episodes on time and their deteriorating relationship with the network led to Kricfalusi's termination from the show in 1992, with Games Animation taking over for the rest of the series. The two episodes initially left unaired until they were shown on MTV on October 20, 1996.

Nonetheless, The Ren & Stimpy Show received positive reviews during its original run and quickly developed a cult following. The show is considered by many to have had a long-lasting influence on television animation.

A reboot series for adult audiences, Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon", was produced by Kricfalusi and Spümcø and aired in 2003 on Spike TV. Receiving negative reviews from critics and fans, the series aired only three episodes before it was cancelled, with three additional episodes being released straight to DVD. On August 5, 2020, Comedy Central announced they had greenlit another reboot of the series to be produced without the involvement of Kricfalusi.