The Mount Rushmore of 2010s Nickelodeon Characters -

By Sam Bergstrom

This is an independently submitted op-ed and does not reflect the views of The Tower.

Nickelodeon shows were a core part of many of our childhoods. As a kid in 2016, there was nothing like plopping down on the couch, chowing on a bowl of potato chips, and watching my favorite characters radiate their aura through the TV screen. With that being said, there are certain characters from the 2010s era of Nickelodeon that hold a special place in my heart. Here, I present four characters from various shows that truly shaped my childhood for the better.

Note: I did not include characters from iCarly, The Fairly OddParents, or Spongebob Squarepants because I consider the prime years of those shows to be during the 2000s, not the 2010s.

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Raphael – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Raphael (Raph) is represented well as the only cartoon character on this 2010s Mount Rushmore. Overall, I think Raph is the most underhyped turtle of the four. I always loved his reckless commitment —no matter the consequences—to take down whoever got in his way, whether it be The Kraang, The Foot Clan, or The Shredder himself. His short temper also meant he was never afraid to call out his brothers, which stirred up some juicy drama in numerous episodes. Along with his spirited personality, the sais he uses are cold-blooded weapons.

Now, many will say that Raph had too many anger issues and a problematic ego, but I think he is simply misunderstood. Raph doesn’t have the leadership skills of Leonardo or the brains of Donatello, but what he does have is a fervent energy; his passion is exactly what the turtles needed to follow through with their missions. This is shown beautifully in the episode “Turtle Temper,” where Raph originally screws up a mission due to a moment of rage, but later uses Splinter’s wise advice to dodge the insults of the enemy, using his energy to fight with purpose rather than carelessness.

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Gustavo Rocque – Big Time Rush

Gustavo brings the same invaluable passion to the table as Raphael, except as a powerful master and commander. As the record producer for Big Time Rush, you could always count on Gustavo to bring an aggressive and comical energy to the table and also sport an obnoxious outfit. Many see Gustavo as a hothead who is too harsh on the four members of the band, but I believe his harshness is simply a byproduct of the love that he has for Big Time Rush—or “the dawgs” as he calls them.

Gustavo was an excellent character, brought to life beautifully by Stephen Kramer Glickman. I had the great privilege of watching both Glickman and the Big Time Rush band perform at a concert this past summer. After experiencing their live performance, my respect for Glickman grew tremendously; it’s amazing how he took on such an intimidating role in the show, considering he is a really nice guy in real life. During the concert, Glickman pleased the crowd with his hidden musician prowess, and even revealed that he dropped a new album.

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Robbie Shapiro & Rex Powers – Victorious

Among the Victorious friend group, Robbie’s awkward, nerdy, and eccentric personality was the perfect balance to everyone else’s talent and poise. He had his pathetic moments, sure, but he was never afraid to put himself out there and try to make a name for himself, which I deeply respect.

With this being said, Robbie was not complete without his puppet counterpart, Rex. The juxtaposition of personalities between the two is brilliant — Rex embodying a snarky and wannabe cool guy personality against Robbie’s own dorkiness. Robbie played Rex’s persona so well that my younger self would always be confused whether Robbie was controlling what Rex said or not. Despite being complete opposites and often annoying one another, the two had an inseparable bond that added both a goofy and fun flavor to Victorious.

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Schwoz Schwartz – Henry Danger

I don’t know if Henry Danger would have reached its level of greatness if Schwoz hadn’t burst onto the scene during the ninth episode of the first season. Everything from his kooky hairstyle, funny accent, quirky habits, and superhuman intelligence makes Schwoz one of the most fascinating yet hilarious television characters out there. At one moment, he would be creating the world’s most powerful invention, and the next, you would see him showering with his pet pig while complaining about his sister, who acts like a horse.

His unpredictability of emotion was also quite entertaining; he had the ability to annoy and appease nearly every character he encountered (I still wonder to this day if Captain Man ever forgave Schwoz for stealing his girlfriend). Additionally, what made Schwoz an elite character was his ability to disguise himself as different people. My all-time favorite Schwoz personas are when he acted as an electrician, a teenage punk, and Henry’s girlfriend Bianca. Yet, out of all these different personas, my overall favorite was just seeing Schwoz acted as himself; there’s really not that much you can hate about him.