Any kid who watched the Nickelodeon cable network in the 1980s knew that the utterance of those three simple words anticipated a torrential splattering of goopy green glop. And for all of us who wondered what exactly composed that solution (the recipe changed constantly) there's Slimed!, Mathew Klickstein's backstage look at the satirical slimefest You Can't Do That on Television and many other Nick favorites composed of thematically-arranged snippets from interview transcripts with the acting and behind-the scenes talent that made the shows happen.
While attributions for each interview subject would've been nice - a simple job title or TV program name in parentheses after the name would've sufficed, Klickstein - the book is filled with fascinating facts about my favorites and even the tidbits about programs I hated like Rugrats were interesting. I wished there was more coverage of Mr. Wizard's World and Out of Control, but I was glad Klickstein remembered the doo-wop network IDs as fondly as I did and covered their creation as well. I was fascinated by trivia about how the fluorescent-lighted set for You Can't was innovative for its time and allowed the acting talent more freedom of movement, and the tale of the firing of Ren & Stimpy's creator and how the show tried to sneak a reference to "dingleberries" in a Christmas episode past the network censors. I also learned how the multi-colored cast of Doug was a way to promote racial diversity without being preachy, but the best anecdote is how James Earl Jones was convinced to be "slimed" on air during the 1994 Kids' Choice Awards. Read it yourself to find out.
Grade: A-