Today, Nickelodeon is synonymous with neon green slime. The disgusting, gooey substance has become part of their brand identity. Generations of children all dreamed that one day they’d have the opportunity to be slimed. But just how did this idea come to be? Well, according to Nickelodeon legend, it largely happened by mistake.

This Forgotten Nickelodeon show is responsible for slime

In 1979, Nickelodeon premiered a kid-friendly version of Saturday Night Live! The show, You Can’t Do That On Television, featured a sketch where a young boy had a bucket of slop dumped over his head. According to the legend, due to long filming days (those child labor laws), the slop transformed into a green, gooey substance resembling slime. From there, Nickelodeon realized they’d struck gold, and kids received a $50 bonus for each sliming.

The recipe changed over time, too. On Double Dare, it was reportedly a mixture of vanilla pudding, oatmeal, applesauce, and green food coloring. However, the early iteration of the recipe was said to be “gelatin, food coloring, oatmeal, and eventually some shampoo.”

How Nickelodeon Slime became a cultural icon

It’s insane to think that an inanimate object as weird and gross as slime could have the relevance to become a major part of pop culture, but that’s exactly what happened. In the 90s, Nickelodeon branded any and every slime-like product for shelf sale. And the children ate it up! Slime shampoo, shoes, cereal. You name it, and Nickelodeon (probably) slapped its name on it.

Before Nickelodeon Studios shut down in the early 2000s, it featured a giant slime geyser. The water fountain-like structure would shoot neon-green slime in intervals, even slinging people if they got too close.

As a child in the 2000s, watching the Kids’ Choice Awards where all the kids and celebrities got slimed was my dream. Who can forget Katy Perry, bright blue wig and all, opening a box only to get slimed right in the face? Iconic.