EDIT: Thank you all for 50,000 views already! I put my heart and soul into this video, and I'm glad that it's being enjoyed by so many! Also, *step-daughter/father/son and *doesn't pull its punches. Apologies for the typos, folks. I only had myself as an editor, and there were 25,000+ words in this long boy. 🥲

Growing up is realizing Courtney was the BFF while Dodie was the mean girl.

Courtney deserved better in the end. She was a much better friend to Ginger than Dodie was

I knew As Told By Ginger was cut from a different cloth the moment I saw that the characters change clothes. I was a kid as this show premiered and seeing them change clothes was such a new thing to me, it literally never happened. I was around 10-11. Perfect age range to process this show.

It's weird that all grown up tried pushing 10 years old as some life bench mark, really it's the halfway point of childhood

My only gripe is that Courtney wasn't at Ginger's reading in the future (but Dodie was). Also, Dodie not having positive character development.

Highschool is a dark, depressing, terrible place for most people. A place where dreams are shattered and you are never good enough for life, yet no one there ever tries to prepare you for life after highschool (or even during highschool).

Clasky Csupo has this weird "so ugly its kinda cute" style to me and idk why

I like that Carl is not portrayed as in the wrong for not wanting a relationship with Jonas, even though Jonas is trying now. The nuance of Ginger accepting him while Carl doesn't, and both of those things just being what's right for them, isn't something I see often.

Ginger: What kind of parents forget their kid's birthday? >.> Macie: Turns out...mine. :'( Cameron: Aw man.... :/ It should've happened to Dodie. >.> Me: *stifles laugh* (ATBG was such a great show. o: )

As Told by Ginger was almost perfect, by having age-appropriate humor, realistic dialogue and outcomes, and relatable problems; the writers wanted to make compelling animation for the teens and succeeded. AGU lacked this because the people there were just overly complacent. I understand why they were very reluctant to air each show’s last season but those 2006 KZfaq leaks are what really started each show’s strong fandom, especially Ginger’s because they grew with her! Thank god we got all 60 episodes on our hands after well over a decade.

I think the "grass is greener" theme changing is so relatable. Ginger struggles and search for dirección reflects her age at every stage. Even though her preoccupations are childish from the distance, she is standing there, at every moment of the walk. And when you are in the middle of a situation is hard to see the whole picture

The difference between Ginger and Darren’s high school experiences can definitely serve as a commentary on how the American education system and American society as a whole prioritises the pomp and circumstance of athletic performance over investing in the arts and genuine creative talent.

I’m sorry but Jonas rarely has a job and definitely does not pay child support, which might be a big part of why he feels ashamed to see his kids. Lois is extremely generous to him and works hard not to bad mouth him to Ginger or Carl but what she says in Hello Stranger that Carl and Ginger would have to decide for themselves how much they want to know Jonas I think makes it pretty clear that she has decided how much SHE wants Jonas in her life and it’s not at all. I always got the impression that Jonas was an out of work actor - someone who didn’t let go of a dream when he maybe should have and as a result Lois had to be the one responsible for everything both domestically and as the one earning a wage. It really shows in Lois that she is always prepared to look after herself, she works as the lice nurse at Gingers school, she starts cleaning houses when she’s on strike. Lois works really hard because there isn’t anyone for her to rely for most of the show as she doesn’t seem to have any family other than her kids. I think her being kind to Jonas is more about allowing Ginger to express her feelings about him than about Lois having positive ones.

As told by ginger was an animated drama for kids. Very glad all grown up wasn’t that. The core of Ginger was to tell a story, not jokes. Rug eats is and always was a comedy.

A LONG BOY

Macy will accept you for who you are. Dodie will forever try to fit you into what she thinks you should be in her life.

I feel like Macie as a character concept was so ahead of its time. They basically called the current trend of this show's featured generation going on to cope with reality's woes through revisiting childish topics- and subsequently coming to profound and mature resolutions because of such nostalgia trips. I mean, The Little Seal Girl moment could so easily be switched out with any brony stuff- with Dodie and Ginger being totally right to fearing for their friend. And just look at what happened when Steve and Elmo checked up on us- the Internet just collectively broke. They had such incredible insight when making AtbG, and Macie should get way more love, because she's kinda us, and they actually treated her like a person.

I hate she kept in touch with Dodie & not Courtney in the end...

I used to really stan Darren and Ginger but now-I really do believe they should’ve just been best friends. Saying “get over it already” to her heartbreak feels like missing the point, she’s a teenage girl going through her first heartbreak, with her BEST FRIEND. It shook her to her core, it even changed how she viewed relationships. She really is a great representation of a young girl going through puberty and first loves.

“Thanks for the flowers” GUTTED me.

you're so eloquent about carl and david's relationship. *i* on the other hand am screaming, crying, throwing up blood over how sweet their relationship is

coming from a percussionist- yes, the giant triangle is real. there’s so many different sizes (and shapes surprisingly) of triangles, and they are all very fun and a magical adventure to auxiliary percussionists. my personal favorite is the triangle that is three separate triangles that are all connected, aka, the 3D triangle. (it’s the treeworks chime triangle if you wanna look it up)

The little seal girl episode is a real "be yourself and you'll be a winner in the end" kind of episode.

Might just be a me thing but I wish they'd shown Courtney in the finale panning shot of the cast as at least a background character. Would've been nice if she and Ginger kept in touch after all that time.

When I was a kid as told by ginger was my favorite show, me and my mom will watch it together. One of a few times. I can actually think of my mom wanting to watch a cartoon with me. Then, at school we had to write about our favorite show and I remember writing about Ginger, and then we had to present every single boy In the class laughed when I said what my favorite show was leading to me bursting out in tears and running to the bathroom. The next time ginger was on my mom commented and asked if I wanted to watch and I remember telling her “no I hate that show now.” Fast forward to adulthood and I saw it screaming on Paramount+ when I was home for a schooling break and we ended up binging the entire show together. I love the show so much. Thank you for doing such a good Job in this review

Haven't seen the series in -years- but my pitch for why Darren and Ginger got together in the end is that somehow it comes out that Darren doesn't actually like playing football and just liked the praise and good-attention he got from others. He says in passing "maybe you're right" when saying how Ginger thinks football is dumb, so that could be the way to make it make sense. Either that or maybe they just meet later on after maturing, their kid -is- younger looking than Dodie's. All things aside, love the video!

“isn’t there something else ive seen macy gray in…? oh shit, she was in spiderman!” she was also a neopet in the early days LMFAO

34:54 ALLEGEDLY Emily Kapnek based Miranda of off her experiences with a teenage Jennifer Aniston who she went to High school with 👀

I cannot believe you found that footage of the trailer with the Avril Lavigne song in it!! I’ve been looking YEARS for it because I vividly remembered it as a kid, but couldn’t find it anywhere. After years of guessing if it was real or not this video confirmed it!

They did the Griplings so incredibly dirty. I can’t believe I’ve sat through this entire video though it was so good.

I don’t think All Grown Up was trying or needed to be like As Told by Ginger this show was just a different breed, not just compared to other Nicktoons but probably most cartoons at the time.

Thanks so much for choosing to review ATBG and for making the choice to say it wasn’t just a “girl’s show” I was 5 in 2001 and this show meant a lot to me even back then. The early 2000’s were a great time for media and driving complex messages across new generations. I’m glad you discovered it and love it just as much. That really means a lot.

I agree with you about the ending, having all her relationships unchanged feels like her growing stopped there and she peaked in high school. After most of the show being about how things change it is unnatural.

if you _really_ wanna cope with that ending between ginger and darren, you can imagine that he was sitting next to her husband and the husband had to step away to go to the bathroom, and darren being the good friend he is held the baby for the guy lol

As someone who married their high school sweetheart (despite a time apart where we broke up and I dated someone else), I love seeing that with Ginger and Darren. It's not uncommon when you're young to not know what you want or not be mature enough to make a relationship really work. Prince William had a moment like that too. People are allowed to change, change their mind, and come back... or not. Also, dude, kudos on making this long video. I loved every moment, especially the Dodie hatred. But it's such a believable and relatable frenemy relationship.

To this day, sometimes "I'm a little Seal Girl" will randomly pop into my head.

At around an hour and 45 minutes into the video. Dude, you don't know how much I needed to hear that high school isn't always the high point of life. I am Chronically ill and was home-schooled from sophomore to senior year. I recently turned 31 and have been reflecting a lot lately and right now watching my younger family members grow up I can't help but feel a little melancholy, thinking maybe I missed out on the best part of my life!

This made me really sad that I didn’t respect this show as a kid…I had no idea where this show went and how deep it was. Thanks for opening my eyes a bit man

Real talk, Courtney was a better friend to Ginger than Dodie or Macie.

Even as a 12 year old boy when this show came out I liked it because Carl and hoodsie but I couldn't forget gingers part of the story such a great show it will forever be loved by me

Finally finished this video… 1) Your Dodie hate is very much appreciated 😁😁😁 2) Love the way your alternative ending when you include “Ginger’s friends”, you don’t include Dodie 😂😂😂 3) Your appreciation for Cree Summer’s performance as Miranda over Susie in AGU was 🤩😁 By far one of Cree’s best performances 😄

As someone who didn’t grow up with shows like As Told By Ginger. I feel like modern tv shows treat kids as though they can’t handle dark topics, which really infuriates me. I think we need more shows like this and shows like Bluey is a step in the right direction.

47:26 Carl being a secondary character really allowed them to hit some heavy story beats without it being a directly emotionally impactful to us. He was one step further removed, but just close enough for us to feel a bond with

I will say, I honestly loved Ginger’s and Darren’s relationship (as frustrating as it could be as a viewer). My now husband and I dated in high school, and a few years into college we found ourselves to be growing incompatible and broke up/got back together a couple of times before we stayed apart for a period, then came back together sometime later. We’re now married and you would never know we had that period where we just couldn’t connect. Sometimes couples drift apart and come back together stronger, so Ginger and Darren having this honestly feels pretty validating when my own experience was not so linear haha. I know it doesn’t make for a compelling story in a show like this, so it definitely would have been nice to see how they got back to this point since this was one of my favorite shows, and I agree with that completely.

Surprised ginger didn't tackle periods, i mean, there were episodes where pads and tampons were shown, but not the cramps you get

Macy Gray was most likely chosen bc she was super popular at that time. Her 1st album was in 1999. Her follow-up was coming out in 2001. This premiered in 2000. It gave the show cred to have an award winning artist sing the theme 🤔🤷‍♀️ Macy's voice is the best of the 3 versions. Smooth, heart fealt & it has a great back beat. I love it 😀

I’m an OG Ginger fan lol, I was pissed when they took it off, then they aired it out of order on that secondary Nick channel

Carl being related to Dodie is pretty believable, actually. Siblings turn out very different despite growing up in the same house. My sibling and I aren't 1-1 clones of hoodsie and Dodie but I see similarities.

SO TRUE re:Carl. His storylines were so complex that I found them really hard to follow as a child. His b plots felt like a whole separate show ripped from late-night adult swim or something. Would love to revisit

I think the idea behind Darren and Ginger's reunion isn't so much a lesson about reconciliation or change, but about being yourself and accepting yourself. When you look at them closely, you have to ask yourself: Is high school football jock Darren, the real Darren? No, that's why Ginger immediately felt the spark dying, because she wasn't dating her best friend Darren, she was dating high school jock Darren. Darren never actually showed a love or interest in sports, but he was shown to envy his brother's lifestyle because it's the stereotypical high school life. He was just being exactly what he was, a dumb kid that doesn't yet fully understand what love is and how you approach it. Much like Ginger's mother mentioned at the end of her vows, David made her feel like she could be herself. She doesn't have to pretend to be anyone else for acceptance. As teenagers, we don't fully understand this yet. Sure, Darren got the cheerleader girlfriend, he got to be the heartthrob football star. But none of that was him. It never was him. It was just an image that he thought was cool, the life, where the grass was greener. Love is about loving and accepting someone because of who they are deep down. Darren was not being his real self in high school, but an image. So of course, their relationship was going to fail at that point in time. As adults, we tend to be more honest with ourselves, so we have a far better idea in what to look for in a partner. They were not appropriate for each other in their youth, but once they grew up, they likely remembered that being themselves around each other is what made them best friends in the first place. It's just a shame we didn't get to see it develop though.

Nice video. I think Derick and Ginger getting back together in the end was pretty good and realistic. As a teen it’s hard to regulate your emotions and go through a relationship everything is always bigger than it seems. It’s not that they were compatible I just think they didn’t know how to properly transition from friends to lovers. But they always loved each other and as they matured they were able to better come together

As a kid I was obsessed with Ginger I'm so happy seeing people fall in love with the show..

I remember there was an episode where Courtney and her brother were fighting over an almond in their car because they were trapped. I thought that was pretty funny. Also ATBG is a great example of giving a show about elementary/middle schoolers getting the experiences of high schoolers.

I had an opposite experience to the suicide poem in my real life. My experience was real, and it was a paper about overcoming my experience, but everyone around me paid attention to the paper, just in the wrong way. They didn't want to help me with the underlying problems, just the surface level stuff, as if they didn't actually care. Any therapy I got fed into the problems I had, and so did all the reactions from teachers. It made me shut down, and confirmed my feelings that I couldn't trust anyone with how I really felt or what I really experienced. It took me over a decade to really get over my experience because of that, after literally a decade of therapy that targeted the symptoms and consequences instead of the underlying problems.

I'm hella old (still remember watching the first Nicktoon premier with Doug, Rugrats, Ren and Stimpy) and when Ginger came out I was in the middle of a very depressing high school career. I would catch episodes during the weekend marathons and always felt like it was a wonderful look at that stage of life. Yeah I was far from the target audience but it resonated with me pretty strongly even over twenty years later. It has this beautiful mixture of success and sadness in it's stories that isn't easily captured when writing for the age group it was marketed towards.

I love when people talk about this show, its definitely an underrated classic. Havent finished the video yet, still half way but if you havent, tou should totally check out the "we are in-between" podcast, they go through each episode and have people who worked on the show on the regular, including the voice actors, they share a lot of personal stories about the show's development (if you mention the podcast later on, my apologies, lmao) That thing you speculated early on about Ginger's version of the theme song its actually correct. Melissa (a trained singer) had to not only sing with Ginger's voice, but she also had to sing badly in purpose, which was, according to her, the hardest bit of the whole thing.

Am still pining for a as told by ginger reunion special or a final season taking place in adulthood

twice i've had to dry my eyes laughing, the part where Courtney's (spelling?idk) mom was at the hospital, and you put '*muffled rich person noises*' LMFAO!

Ginger's poem really helped me out as a teen. I was really sad all the time, my mind felt cloudy and when I seen that episode it really put my emotions in perspective. It was hard growing up during that time because mental health was only seen as a crazy person thing at that time within my culture demographic. So seeking help wasn't an option, instead I just journaled my feelings and wrote a lot to help me figure out my emotions. I also daydreamed a lot trying to astroproject (which was an episode I saw on, "Are you afraid of the dark?"...lol) either way this show was the best show to help me through those emotional times. Thank you for this 🙂

As Told by Ginger played such a big role in my childhood and will always hold a special place in my heart. 20 years later and it still randomly pops into my head.

Huh… never noticed that Blake might have had a thing for Carl… seems Blake shares something with his sister, since some people also felt she had a thing for Ginger.

As a younger fan of As Told By Ginger who was born after the ending of the show, I LOVED this review. You take everything so openly and I love this type of content

im so happy more people are talking about as told by ginger. i wasn’t old enough to watch it while it was airing, but i was able to watch reruns of it on teennick and i loved it. it was one of the only cartoons I watched that felt real and i was always kinda sad that people barely acknowledge it. its really a gem. it also makes me a little sad that cartoons like hey arnold or ginger don’t really exist nowadays. cartoons where there isn’t really a plot but just kids growing up and learning life lessons.

When I was still a kid, I always saw all grown up for everybody, Rocket Power for the boys and As Told by Ginger for the girls. I have to admit that I never gave As Told by Ginger a try because I found the character design a bit weird, but now I've seen a lot of KZfaqrs praising it.

Dodie is passive-aggression personified

My thing is....idk who wasnt watching As Told By Ginger.... Literally revisited during my roughest year in college, like a security blanket

"Fonzworth" "The usual sir" 📼 🎶 Someone once told me, the grass is much greener..." 🎶

Minor nitpick, your father-in-law is the father of your spouse. Your daughter-in-law is the woman your child is married to. Dave and Ginger are step-father and step-daughter to each other, not in-laws. Otherwise, brilliant essay.

I loved ATBG as a kid. I wasn't obsessed with it like I was with other shows at the time, but I always caught it when it aired. It didn't take me long to realize that Nick stopped airing it at one point, and my disappointment was immeasurable. I knew there had to be more episodes, but I couldn't find them anywhere online at the time. I'm so glad Paramount+ has it, I binged the entire show a few weeks ago and was happy to finally watch the missing episodes.

My step sisters watched it and I enjoyed the B plots with the brother and his friend. But I didn't see the whole thing because my parents stopped paying for cable at some point. But yeah I liked that they aged the characters and didn't just keep them the same forever like Arthur.

There were so many emotional ups and downs in this show. But that moment with Carl and David outside of Ginger's hospital room? Oh man bring on the waterworks... Amazing job with this video series. This show felt so different and special to me growing up, so thank you for such an all-encompassing recap of it with an adult lens. Your music choices are spot on too!

Bro, to have a two hour and a half video of you talking about this underated masterpiece, is a masterpiece of its own. Thank you so much! Can't wait for the next upload 💕

father-in-law is used to refer to the father of your spouse dave would be her step father

Thank for not just making a drawn out episode recap and instead making a genuinely wonderful analysis of this show, which I slept on for exactly the same reasons as you.

Carl wasn't necessarily neurodivergent - just, simply, different, or weird (weird is a good thing). Weird or different does not equal neurodivergent. I don't mind Ginger & Darren being together in the end, but personally I always wished she'd just stayed single and/or got out of Sheltered Shrubs and saw more of the world. Though romance plays a role in Ginger's life, it doesn't play an equal role to creativity and self-discovery as a whole. Side note, really wish Courtney had gotten a better ending and become closer friends with Ginger. Courtney was such an interesting character.

I love your editing! The comedic timing with the clips you put in was making me cackle every time!

All Grownup would have worked better if it was a prequel to the Rugrats with the bachelor lifestyles of the parents from Rugrats.

LETS GOO! WE CALLING OFF WORK AND CLEARING OUT THE NEXT TWO HOURS!

Like you, I let this show slip by when I was younger. It seems like a really great show, even if the ending loses some satisfaction with the relationships.

40:50 That, and the way their relationship changes over the series is so real, though. I've been everything but officially dating with my best friend in the past, and now calling us friends feels insufficient, but we're certainly not lovers or anything. Growing up watching a show where that kind of fluidity in relationships was demonstrated really helped me be healthy about it all, I think.

I was a huge ATBG fan as a kid. It came out at just the right time for me, a girl who was a few years away from middle school. Your review reminded me of just how great the show was, and how many lyrics to "I'm a Little Seal Girl" I remember after all these years! 💖

As told by ginger was an amazing series. My sister and I still have inside jokes about it

As Told By Ginger truly deserves every bit of praise it gets and more.

The theme was the first time I can remember hearing the grass is much greener, and I had no idea what it meant

I love hearing people talk about this show; I only watched a few episodes growing up but it really does seem like a solid series....but I cannot lie, I think the plot thread with Carl and Dr Dave, and him coming to see Dave as a father figure sounds like the most compelling plot thread. In fact, Carl really seems like the best character. Loved the touch in the epilouge of him as Gingers Agent/Manager, or at least having a hand in helping her get that particular event together

I honestly never realized Ginger was so "underrated" until I grew up and saw the sentiment on youtube. Maybe it's because I'm a girl I watched it religiously along with all the other KC shows. I can probably count on one hand how many times I watched All Growed Up. I remember the plot of the original special more than I remember any particular episode

OMG THANK YOU THANK YOU For mentioning the Carl moment in a Lessons in Tightropes! I agree it's absolutely one of the best moments in the series! It shows how much growth and healing Carl has had and that's in part due to Dave. Whenever I see people do retrospectives on As Told By Ginger-they always sorta gloss over that moment. So I am so happy to see that somebody else mentions it and draws attention to it.

i always headcanoned that courtney, no longer having to uphold a certain status due to her family’s money, finally came out as gay in high school

Im not even halfway through, and this is one of the greatest videos on one of my favorite shows growing up. You showed sentiments i had and ones i didnt know i had. Congrats sir! Youve earned my subscription with just one video.

KZfaq algorithm: "Here is a 3 hour video essay on a cartoon from the 2000s you have never nor will ever watch." My autism: "You have to watch the whole thing"

Wow, this video was an incredible encapsulation of not only nostalgia, but a healthy recollection on what it truly meant to love this show when I was middle school / high school age. I didn’t realize it then but this show helped me in so many ways. I too had to grow up faster than I “should” have due to life altering circumstances and this review was outstanding. What a refreshing reminder of the true meaning of growth. Thank you for this!

"I'm already a Hunter x Hunter fan; I wouldn't have been able to handle another series that has no conclusion." If you ever find yourself in my hood, your next drink is on me, friend.

Ive so been waiting for this video! Ginger is such a comfy show, I have great memories of watching it before bed on school nights and Camp Caprice was 100% the only reason I ever wanted to go to summer camp as a kid. Thank you for a great video.

I also have to say, this was great to listen to while laying down, as it kept me sane and entertained when dealing with a migraine. I love finding videos like this one to listen to when I'm pretty much bedridden in chronic pain. I've had chronic migraines since I was a kid, and one of the best things that help me deal with them are videos like yours. & I'll definitely be taking a look at the All Grown Up centered one next! You've also earned another subscriber and a video like! Keep up the great work! :)

Besides the relationship between Ginger and Darren, every other aspect of the show is spot on, accurately depicting adolescent situations by dispelling stereotypes and diving into problems that many other shows were not intelligent enough to tackle. My favorite was the episode where Ginger tried to re-acquaint with Sasha, only to find out that he moved on and was initially really distraught...until realizing that she was more "in love" with the idea of being in love that the person himself, which is incredibly deep and is a lesson I feel many people go through life never learning.

My sister loved this show when I was a kid, but I was just a smidge too young to appreciate it yet (I was about 4 when it premiered). This video has been a series of unearthing memories I didn’t even know I had. The one clear memory of the show that stuck with me from childhood was the plot point of Lois drinking the snake, but when the tonsil thing came up it was like getting smacked realizing I REMEMBER THAT TOO

This is a really great essay about AGU and ATBG both shows deal with adolescene with one being a slice of life since it's prequel was basically a SOL show about them as babies and one is a psychological drive into growing up and finding your place in the world as you awkwardly and painfully go though the stages to reach adulthood.

I’m glad I’m not the only one who really was disappointed that Ginger and Darin got together

As told by ginger was my go to. Its a comfort show and helped me feel normal 💕