THE LATE 1990s and early 2000s was a golden age for children’s television, and Nickelodeon was very much at the top of the pile back in the day. From Rugrats to Kenan and Kel, it was the home of some of the finest after-school entertainment around. There really was something for everyone.
One show in particular was a shining light of weirdness that caused me to drop everything in order to watch it – The Amanda Show. Amanda Bynes was, simply put, iconic.
Bynes was a child prodigy who got her start in comedy at the tender age of seven, eventually appearing on several seasons of All That. The standout talent of the show, she was given what most 13 year olds would kill for (especially me), her very own sketch show. The Amanda Show only ran from 1999 to 2002 and the genius sketches are still great 15 years later. Sketches like…
Judge Trudy
A magnificent parody of Judge Judy, Bynes played a no-nonsense broad who was liberal with her gavel in this gas sketch series. Children basically sued their parents or teachers for trying to discipline them in any way, and Trudy gave them punishments like, ‘sitting in a bath filled with cream of mushroom soup’. Judge Judy may have also had a bailiff – but did she have dancing lobsters?
Every Single Commercial
The joy of this was that every episode had a different ad, from Sick Popples (ice pops you eat to get out of doing homework or other tasks), to Mammal O’s – the delicious breakfast cereal with prizes like rabbits and skunks in every box.
I still have dreams about the Allowance Doubler, which you could use to boost your pocket money. Just think of all the pogs I could have bought with something like that.
The Girl’s Room
Set in a girl’s bathroom of an American junior high school, this talk show was a delight. From Amber, the popular megalomaniac, to poor Debbie, whose catchphrase ‘I like eggs’ is something I think of about 10 times a year for no reason.
Moody’s Point
This send-up of melodramatic teen dramas like Dawson’s Creek was a highlight of the later episode of the show. We saw Amanda playing Moody Fallon, a hyper-emotional teenager whose mother tragically went missing in a hot air balloon accident. You can also spot Taran Killam as Moody’s love interest Spaulding, who went on to star on Saturday Night Live for six seasons.
When People Attack
One of Bynes’ many talents is the ability to remain totally deadpan when saying the most ridiculous lines. This sketch is a perfect example of this, as she plays a serious television host talking to victims of attacks carried out by cheerleaders/hula girls/school mascots/the cast of The Brady Bunch. Think America’s Most Wanted but extremely low stakes.
Last but not least….Penelope Taynt
A creepy stalker fan wearing spiffy chino shorts and the world’s thickest glasses, Penelope Taynt was one of the longest-running characters in the show’s three-season history. Played by Amanda herself (which took me an embarrassing amount of time to cop as a kid), Penelope would pop up on set, demanding to see the star of the show. She even had her own fansite for Amanda, www.amandaplease.com, which actually remained online until about a year ago.
