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Rugrats Season 1 aired in 1991, bringing animated joy to its audiences via Nickelodeon. Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and twins Phil and Lillian introduced a sense of humor into its episodes full of adventure. However, the series also had plenty of jokes and Easter eggs aimed at adults that went right over the heads of its younger viewers. Rugrats Season 1 took a small jab at Donald Trump, which is particularly funny looking back all of these years later.

‘Rugrats’ Season 1 Episode 6 sees Tommy getting kidnapped

'Rugrats' Season 1 Episode 6 Phil, Tommy, Chuckie, and Lillian. Tommy is standing and pointing outward, while Phil, Chuckie, and Lillian are laying down on their stomachs in front of him.
L-R: Phil, Tommy, Chuckie, and Lillian | Paramount+

Rugrats Season 1 Episode 6 contained two segments titled “Ruthless Tommy” and “Moose Country.” They aired together on Nov. 6, 1991, but it was the former with a Trump joke that ran through the episode.

“Ruthless Tommy” begins with Tommy’s mother, Didi, putting Grandpa Lou in charge of keeping an eye on the baby. He predictably falls asleep, giving Tommy the opportunity to slip out of the house to play with a purple ball. However, a couple of dense criminals kidnap Tommy, mistaking him for the son of a wealthy family.

The remainder of the episode finds Tommy annoying the two thugs, causing endless amounts of trouble for them. He makes life incredibly difficult for them when the tosses their stolen loot into the toilet, crying non-stop, and causing absolute destruction with anything he touches.

‘Rugrats’ Season 1 Episode 6 had a Donald Trump joke

Rugrats Season 1 Episode 6 tucks its Trump joke in toward the beginning. The two kidnappers believe that they’re actually stealing the baby of a wealthy man humorously named “Ronald Thump,” pointing a clear finger at the 45th president of the United States.

They toss a brick with a ransom note attached to it at Tommy’s home after snatching him that read, “Dear Ronald Thump: If you ever wanna see your precious little baby Thump again, bring a million smackers in unmarked bills to 22 Elm Street. P.S. We mean it, and we’re very big criminals. Just ask around. Love, Bob and Mike.”

Tommy creates so much trouble for the criminals that they bring him back to the house before Didi and her husband, Stu, have the opportunity to read the ransom note. They’re utterly confused to read the note, having no knowledge about what occurred. Nevertheless, the criminals end up in the hands of the police after they run into a red light, crash into a fire hydrant, and eject into the back of a police vehicle.

The plot is familiar to a short story

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This segment in Rugrats Season 1 has a hilarious Easter egg involving Trump, but some fans also compared it to a short story that likely inspired “Ruthless Tommy.” O. Henry’s “The Ransom of Red Chief” was published on July 6, 1907, as a part of the Saturday Evening Post.

The story is about a couple of men who kidnap a wealthy man’s son and demand a hefty ransom. However, they’re driven to their breaking point when they can’t take the spoiled boy’s rotten behavior any longer. As a result, they bring the boy back to his father, paying him to take the kid back.

Tommy creates just as much trouble for Bob and Mike. The situation goes a little bit differently, especially since the baby isn’t the child that they think he is. Nevertheless, the wild antics certainly appear to give a nod to the original short story.

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