Slime, Slapstick, and the Secret History of Nickelodeon Studios (Ep. 55)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 13 June 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey rewind to the green-slime-soaked days of Universal Studios Florida with a deep dive into the rise (and fall) of Nickelodeon Studios. From Double Dare to the slime geyser, they break down how Nick turned Universal into must-see TV—and what happened when the camera crews packed up for Hollywood. Plus, the hosts share this summer’s biggest park updates, movie tie-ins, and a few theme park throwbacks that might be making a comeback. Why Nickelodeon built a studio in Orlando—with 13 years of free rent The slime geyser, baked beans, and septic trucks of Double Dare Universal’s latest Ghostbusters tribute sparks ride rumors Megan hordes, Wicked meet-and-greets, and summer movie tie-ins FanFest returning in 2026—and the dream of bringing it to Orlando Blue Man Group’s history with Nick’s old soundstages The episode wraps with a nostalgic tribute to the Nickelodeon generation and the unexpected ways its legacy still echoes through the Universal parks. Unlocked Magic Unlocked Magic, powered by DVC Rental Store and DVC Resale Market, offers exclusive Disney & Universal ticket savings with TRUSTED service and authenticity. With over $10 MILLION in ticket sales, use Unlocked Magic to get the BIGGEST SAVINGS. Learn More Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to the Epic Universal podcast. I'm entertained writer Jim Hill, and this is the podcast where we cover the latest
0:23.2	universal news, rumors, and history. And as always, I'm joined by Eric Hersey. And we were pre-gaming a bit
0:32.2	before we get started here tonight. You were thinking, well, the day this show goes live is the day that, what is it,
0:40.2	the live action version of How to Train Your Dragon arrives in theaters, right?
0:44.2	Right, right. Now, are you going to find yourself making your way out to watch this in the
0:47.8	theater? I think so. I mean, again, you know, we're still dealing with Nancy and her hip surgery.
0:53.5	So sitting in a movie theater for, for two hours is, you know, ironically, you know, we're still dealing with Nancy and her hip surgery. So sitting in a movie theater for two hours is, you know, ironically enough,
0:58.5	she can sit in front of the television for hours, but leaving the house and going.
1:03.8	I'm hoping, worst case in her, I'll catch it when it is, what, a digitally downloadable?
1:14.0	Though, oddly enough, I guess the one place I will not be seeing how to train your dragon, the live action version, is on Hulu.
1:22.6	Because what? Just today, Disney, I guess, paid Comcast, the parent company of NBC Universal,
1:31.6	$438.7 million for the last chunk.
1:37.8	Oh, see, yeah, yeah, I was always hoping that it would be some type of bargaining chip from
1:42.2	the theme parks, right?
1:43.5	I always was hoping that they'd trade some type of IP, give them the Hulu, but they actually
1:47.0	paid cash, huh?
1:47.8	They actually paid cash.
1:49.0	They actually paid cash.
1:50.3	And what's kind of interesting is there's a lot of people betting now.
1:55.9	Think about how, what is it, Max?
1:59.4	Oh, yeah. Everyone's rebranding and, you know, everyone in the industry is now is how long before Hulu just gets absorbed by Disney Plus?
2:08.1	It's all one name.
	...

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