Rugrats: 5 Times The Finsters Were One Of The Best Blended Families On Television

Classic Nickelodeon cartoon Rugrats was ahead of its time in many ways, showing children people of different races, beliefs, and family structures. After six seasons of being raised by his Father, Chas, in the show's only single-parent household, fan favourite Chuckie Finster becomes a member of the show's first blended family. Twenty years ago, at the end of Rugrats In Paris: The Movie, Chuckie gained a Stepmother, Kira, and Stepsister, Kimi, when Chas and Kira were married. Throughout Rugrats and its spin-off, All Grown up, the Finsters provided a wonderful example of a happy, healthy blended family.

Twenty years after the new blended family made their onscreen debut, we look back at some of the Finster's best moments.

1. The Wedding Dance

At the beginning of Rugrats In Paris, Chuckie, while attending the Wedding of Lou and Lulu Pickles, is left alone when his friends join their Moms on the dancefloor for a Mother-Child dance. As a viewer, your heart breaks for Chuckie.

Thankfully, the scene gets a heart-warming bookend in the film's final scenes, set at Chas and Kira's wedding. The newlyweds each share a dance with their new stepchild, Chas with Kimi, and Kira with Chuckie. They make it clear from the start that the wedding is not just about their union as a couple, but their coming together as a family.

2. The Adoption Party

Only once does Rugrats use 'Step' in reference to Chuckie's relationship with Kira and Kimi, in the episode 'Finsterella'. Angelica taunts Chuckie by claiming that Kira, rather than being the nice new Mommy he dreamed of, is destined to be a wicked Stepmother like the one in Cinderella. Chuckie doubts this, until he hears Kira yelling at him to clean up a mess. Then, he hears his friends talking about a party that he had not been invited to. Chuckie becomes upset, thinking he is now destined for a hard life of work as Finsterella.

Thankfully, everything turns out to be a big misunderstanding. Kira was never yelling at Chuckie, she was rehearsing for her role as the Stepmother in a stage production of Cinderella. He never needed to be invited to the party, because it was taking place at his house. Even better, the party proves to be a celebration of Chas and Kira adopting each other's children, making Kira officially Chuckie's Mother, not his Stepmother.

3. Bonding takes time

Building a relationship with a new child in your life can take time. Rugrats does not shy away from this, depicting Chuckie and Kira's adjustment period in the episode 'Changes For Chuckie'. While Chuckie enjoys having a Mommy, Kira has a few habits that are taking him some time to get used to, such as her hopeless efforts to tame his unruly hair. Hoping to strengthen her bond with Chuckie, Kira decides to repair his tattered old teddy bear, Wawa, not realising that Wawa was a gift made by his deceased biological Mother, Melinda. Chuckie is understandably upset at the change to his very special memento.

Kira, rather than feel upset or insulted at Chuckie's rejection of her gift, acknowledges that she has made a mistake. She apologises to Chuckie for pushing changes on him too quickly, and understands that they will both need time to get to know each other properly. Thankfully, Wawa is 'restored' to his original state by the end of the episode, courtesy of baby Dil.

4. Family is more than blood

While Kimi and Kira's Japanese heritage is only briefly touched upon in Rugrats, the spin-off, All Grown Up!, explores it in much greater detail. In the episode 'Memoirs Of A Finster', Chuckie and Kimi are excited when their class receives a Family Tree project, initially planning to work on it together. However, things change when the project piques Kimi's interest in her Japanese heritage, and she eventually asks Chuckie if they can do separate projects.

Later, Chuckie is angry when he realises that Kimi has not included he or Chas in her project. Kimi rather awkwardly points out that the project is focused on her biological family, and she and Chuckie are not blood-related. Kimi's excuse greatly upsets Chuckie, as it had never occurred to him to not include Kimi and Kira on his own Family Tree. Guilt-stricken over the pain she has caused Chuckie, Kimi surprises him the next day during her presentation, having added a section for the Finster men on her family tree. Chuckie will always be her brother, whether they are related by blood or not.

5. Amicable Exes

In Rugrats In Paris, Kira is clearly depicted as a single parent.

"So, Kimi, do you and your Mommy and Daddy live in Reptarland?"

"No, it's just me and my Mommy, and we live in Paris."

While he does not appear to have any role in her life during Rugrats, Kimi does have a relationship with her biological Father, Hiro Watanabe, in All Grown Up!, calling him in 'Memoirs Of A Finster' for advice on her Family Tree. She does this at Kira's suggestion, so there does not appear to be any bad blood between Kira and Hiro.

This is expanded upon in the episode 'Trading Places'. Kimi fears Hiro has forgotten about her when she does not receive a gift from him on a Japanese Holiday, Children's Day. However, the reason for this is that he was planning a surprise visit to deliver her gift, a new baby sister, in person. Kira and Chas were helping to conceal the surprise, as well as helping him find a house for an extended stay in the U.S.

All four parents, Chas, Kira, Hiro, and his wife, seem to get along well. Chas even treats Hiro's visit as a cause for celebration. They provide a perfect example of being amicable for Kimi's sake, helping make them one of the best examples of a successful blended family in kid's TV.

Happy Famiversary, Finsters!