It’s been a mind-boggling 23 years since Wakko, Yakko and Dot first burst out of the Warner Bros. water tower and gave children of the ’90s a high-energy, culturally savvy cartoon series that was as entertaining as it was educational. (Who else can still name all the US presidents in chronological order?)

Get ready, censors, because Animaniacs is back. The show is now on Netflix and its voice actors will be going on a live musical tour. (The New York Times reports that there’s will be a new verse of “Yakko’s World,” which will add in any nations formed in the past quarter century.)

Tom Ruegger, who created the hit series, along with the equally clever Tiny Toon Adventures and Pinky & the Brain, showed up for an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session to talk about his work, drop some storyline wisdom (of Pinky and the Brain, who is the real genius?), and share his favorite moments.

“Helloooo, Reddit!” Ruegger wrote, inviting redditors to lay on the questions.

Here’s what we learned.

After the success of Tiny Toons, Ruegger was charged with creating another hit show.

On a perpetual mission to see what they could slip past the censors, the Warner siblings pointed out innuendos in just about every episode. Of course, there were some jokes that the real-life studio and executive producer Steven Spielberg wouldn’t allow.

Here’s the “Finger Prince” bit:

“Goodnight everybody!” became the “That’s what she said” of the ’90s.

The characters Pinky and the Brain were inspired by Ruegger’s colleagues.

Speaking of Pinky and the Brain, Ruegger subtly addresses—and possibly debunks—a long-held fan theory.

Though he cannot confirm or deny anything.

He does tell the origin story of “Hellooooo, Nurse!”

In Tiny Toon Adventures, Baby Plucky was voiced by Ruegger’s son.

Over the years, he’s worked with amazing voice actors.

Here’s an interview with the Animaniacs voice actors.



Steven Spielberg is an ideas machine.

Ruegger is now working on The 7D, a Disney series about the Seven Dwarves. As for new Animaniacs episodes, he hasn’t ruled out the possibility.

He also answered many fun questions, making for a nostalgia-inducing AMA.

Read lots more from Ruegger in the original Reddit AMA.