Tommy Pickles

Rugrats

In Rugrats, Tommy is bald and admired amongst his playmates for his great bravery, kindness, loyalty, and adventurous nature, effectively encouraging others to partake in expeditions of the world around them and coaxing them from cowardice, most notably Chuckie Finster, Tommy's best friend. However, it is often his misinterpretations of adult conversation, the workings of different devices, or intentions of others around him that provide the Rugrats with a goal to seek as the plot of the episode. Regardless, he remains faithful in friendships and his brotherhood with baby Dil, the youngest of the infants, ensuring that everyone else's hopes and fears are achieved or overcome or assisting them in accomplishing their wishes. He is quite intelligent, giving, and kindhearted, and was characterized by great determination and leadership. He also abhors his spoiled cousin Angelica's deceptions against the children and her constant bullying, although he either may or may not necessarily succumb to her lies, or always or be one of the first to show skepticism against them. However, Tommy's childlike curiosity often may entangle the babies in mischief unknowingly, but they always work it out in the end.

In the Rugrats films

Tommy is a main character of the movie. He and his friends are playing Okey Dokey Jones (a parody of Indiana Jones) at the beginning of the film. He gets a new baby brother, however, he thought he was getting a sister. While his mother is giving birth, he and his friends go through the hospital to "find her". However, when Didi gives birth, the baby turns out to be male instead. His friends (Lil and Phil) plan to take Dil back to the baby store or "hopsical" (hospital). Tommy does not want Phil and Lil DeVille to take Dil to the hospital, because his mom and dad want to keep him. Slowly through the movie, his complete diaper falls down. He realizes that Dil is a bad, naughty baby (hogging the blanket, not cooperating, drinking up all their milk) and takes a jar of banana-flavored baby food, holding it above Dil's head. About to pour the food on Dil, he stops himself, holds him close and apologizes. As they become loving brothers, Tommy sings Dil a lullabye and they slowly fall asleep. Before the film ends, Dil decides to share his bottle with his big brother, Tommy.

Tommy is also a main character along with Chuckie and the others. In the opening moments of the film, he and Dil are at Grandpa Lou's wedding. He is angry, because someone took Dil's pacifier and buried it in the sandbox (although he mentions that the park is his favorite place). Despite being a major character, this is his most prominent moment in the film as Chuckie is the central focus. He and the other Rugrats help Chuckie find his new mother.

After the Pickles, DeVilles, & Finsters are shipwrecked on a deserted island, rather than on a fancy cruise thanks to Stu, Tommy decides that they should look for Nigel Thornberry (as he says Nigel Strawberry), to help them get home. They eventually do, but Nigel develops amnesia and thinks that he is a toddler. This is a crossover animated film of Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. He aims to be just like his hero, Nigel, as he pretends to be him and "captures film" of a three-toed sloth. Lil, being the camerawoman and Chuckie, the director, and others spot a Siberian tiger (in their words Siferian tiger). As they all, except Tommy, get away in the jeep, the tiger bites at Tommy's diaper until it snaps. Thus, sending them into the river, where they encounter a "Crocagator" and escape it with a chew toy. In the final scene, the families unite and Tommy decides to be like his father when he gets older.

Personality

Similar to Susie's talent for singing, Tommy also has a new-found talent; making films with his camcorder (perhaps a residual trait leftover from wanting to be like Nigel). A few episodes have been made around this fact; "Truth or Consequences" (first US tx: November 30, 2003), revealed he made his first film at the age of 37 months, then making a negative film about his friends. The main storyline of "Brother, Can You Spare The Time?" (first US tx: January 17, 2004) opened with him mentioning recently winning a young filmmaker's award; and one storyline in the episode "Bad Aptitude" (first US tx: June 4, 2004) was about Tommy's sudden early retirement from filmmaking after making a flop and receiving an unfavorable (for his filmmaking aspirations) result on his career aptitude exam. However, he has not been seen with his camcorder since "The Big Score" (first US tx: April 25, 2005), when he was filming Lil at the soccer field.

In the episode "Thief Encounter" (first US tx: December 6, 2003), he was discovered to be stealing goods and the flamingo statue from around the neighborhood, but that was because he was sleep walking with the flamingo statue; in "River Rats" (first US tx: December 13, 2003), he was shown to be afraid of water, stemming from an experience during a fishing outing with his grandpa; in "Dude, Where's My Horse?" (first US tx: July 16, 2005), he was the worst cowboy out of the regulars always roping up Lil.

Up until early Season 2, Tommy was also either shown or mentioned as being part of the school soccer team, even trying to teach Dil how to play ("Fools Rush In", first US tx: June 5, 2004). Lately (more specifically since the episode "The Big Score"), however, all the focus on soccer has involved only Phil and Lil DeVille. He had his first kiss with Olivia (who looks like Angelica Pickles in episode 26, "Fear of Falling").

Appearance

Tommy now has purple hair like his father, Stu. From season 2 onwards, his hair was changed to a blue color. From season one, he wears a white shirt with Yellow sleeves. From season 2 onwards, Tommy (like most characters) expanded his wardrobe and began wearing many different outfits. He still keeps his screwdriver he had as a baby in his pocket. More recently, he had a keychain with a screwdriver on it.

Love interests

Reception

Tommy has been very well received, and is considered by some to be one of the greatest cartoon characters of all time. The San Jose Mercury News wrote in 1998 that "Tommy Pickles is a bigger star than George Clooney."