Nick in the Afternoon

Nick in the Afternoon

Network	Nickelodeon
Launched	July 31, 1995 (July 31, 1995)
Closed	August 28, 1998 (August 28, 1998)
Country of origin	United States
Format	Summer block Puppetry
Running time	Varies
Voices of	Paul Christie, Abby Pecoriello, Liz Fodor, Karen Kuflik

Nick in the Afternoon was a programming block on Nickelodeon that aired from 1995 to 1998 on weekday afternoons during the summer.

It was hosted by Stick Stickly, a Mr. Bill-like popsicle stick puppeteered by Rick Lyon and voiced by New Yorker Paul Christie (who would later voice Noggin mascot, Moose A. Moose until 2012).

The 1998 stint ran from July until August. Henry and June's Summer replaced this Nickelodeon summer block a year later. Stick Stickly was later revived for the TeenNick 1990s' block The '90s Are All That.

Regular segments

During its first summer, the programming consisted of normal Nickelodeon shows that would have aired regardless, but come its second summer, Nick in the Afternoon made some key changes.

Instead, it showed preselected Nicktoons with added segments such as "U-Pick" (viewers pick what show and episode they want to see) and U-Dip (viewers pick which substance Stick Stickly is dipped in or any substance at all using their bare feet).

Viewers occasionally chose a program that had not been aired on Nick in many years, for example You Can't Do That on Television, or from time to time would select a Nick at Nite program such as I Love Lucy, The Munsters, or The Brady Bunch. The preselected segments were indicated by a dial using Stickly as the spinner, so as to keep the cartoons a surprise.

Stick Stickly's address

When giving viewers the address at which they could write him, Stick Stickly would sing a little (and easily memorized) jingle: "Write to me/Stick Stickly/PO Box 963/New York City/New York State/10108." After the Internet became mainstream, a note stating "...or e-mail me at nick.com" was added to the end.

Stick Stickly on The '90s Are All That

Stick Stickly segments from the block have been used in promotions for The '90s Are All That, and on September 6, 2011, during The '90s Are All That block, a commercial announced that Stick Stickly would be returning to television on Friday October 7, 2011 at midnight.

The following week, it was announced via a separate ad that he would host every Friday for the block's version of U-Pick. On his debut night, it became apparent that his segments were adapted for his new target demographic, both in terms of more mature language and humor and in terms of modern technology.

The character has been updated for modern times, with a vocabulary that not only makes frequent reference to modern amenities such as Facebook, flat screen TVs and Jersey Shore, but also has been updated with a more adult sense of humor to reflect the older late-night audience. Stickly hosts "U-Pick with Stick" each Friday, where users on The '90s Are All That website can request up to four shows to be seen.

The winning "pick," which is decided by an online vote (another sign of modern times), is announced by Stick Stickly. Stickly is also taking questions by use of a Twitter hash tag, #POBox963, a reference to his old 1990s era jingle from Nick in the Afternoon.

It was later announced in December 2011 that U-Dip would also make a return, joining a long list of objects dropped on New Year's Eve at midnight. He was joined by correspondents Woodknot and Face. Stickly's appearances were placed on hiatus in March 2012. He temporarily returned to host 1990s Game Show Week on August 5, 2013, then returned to U-Pick on a regular weekly basis in June 2015.

Stick Stickly made an on-air appearance on The '90s Are All That from August 5–8, 2013, in which he hosted the "'90s Game Show Week" on the block, and returned to doing U-Picks in June 2015 as part of "Stick's Summer Down Adventures" which aired on Wednesday nights from June 17–July 15, 2015 (the last week being Stick's Picks). This was the result of the re-branding of '90s Are All That with The Splat.

On February 8, 2016, TeenNick's block The Splat, had a "U-Pick" week, where Twitter users could ask to play certain shows using the hashtag, #UPickTheSplat. The whole event was hosted by Stick Stickly and featured classic Nick in the Afternoon "U-Dip" segments during commercial breaks.

Episodes

Season	Episodes		Originally aired
			First aired	Last aired
1	65		July 31, 1995 (1995-07-31)	October 27, 1995 (1995-10-27)
2	130		July 8, 1996 (1996-07-08)	January 3, 1997 (1997-01-03)
3	85		July 7, 1997 (1997-07-07)	October 31, 1997 (1997-10-31)
4	40		July 6, 1998 (1998-07-06)	August 28, 1998 (1998-08-28)

See also

• U Pick Live
• Nick Studio 10

External links

• Nick in the Afternoon at IMDb
• Stick Stickly Returns!
• 90s are all that with Stick Stickly!