1981 — nickelodeon

The "Silver Ball" logo, used from 1981 to 1985.

The following is a list of notable events, series premieres, cancellations and other business ventures for Nickelodeon in the year 1981.

Notable events

April 12:
- The channel known as Alpha Repertory Television Service, better known as ARTS, became the second late night/early morning channel to air after Nickelodeon went off the air
- Nickelodeon changed its logo to the "Silver Ball" logo which was used until September 30, 1984 (even though the Sign-Off Ident for the "Silver Ball" logo continued until June 1985 when Nickelodeon became 24-hours, and some idents continued until December 1984)

Shows

Series premieres

April 5
- Matt and Jenny
- Adventures in Rainbow Country
- Studio See
April 6: Vegetable Soup
June 7: Nick's Family Picks
July 4: Reggie Jackson's World of Sports
September 1: The Tomorrow People (1973 version)
December 25: Kids' Writes

Series endings

April 4
- Hocus Focus
- Popclips
August 31: Video Comics
December 30: First Row Features

People

Josh Thomson (actor on Kiri & Lou) is born
Jason Virgil (actor in Dora and the Lost City of Gold) is born
Shawn Cuddy (supervising producer on Little Bill and Eureeka's Castle) is born
Erik Steinman (writer on The Loud House and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is born
Alexandra Corte-Real (actress on Blue's Clues) is born
Diana Bang (actress and writer on The Astronauts and The Troop) is born
Han-Yee Ling (writer writer on Monster High, The Casagrandes, and Middlemost Post) is born
Jesenia Ruiz (writer and producer on DORA) is born
Secunda Wood (actress on Rock, Paper, Scissors, The Loud House, It's Pony, and Blaze and the Monster Machines) is born
January 11: Kiren Rathod (actress on Middlemost Post) is born
January 16: Joey Simmrin (actor in Clockstoppers) is born
January 20: Daniel Cudmore (actor in Playing with Fire and Legends of the Hidden Temple) is born
January 21: Izabella Miko (actress in The Spiderwick Chronicles) is born
January 22: Beverley Mitchell (guest voice on Hey Arnold!) is born
January 25: Alicia Keys (voice actress on The Backyardigans) is born
January 28: Elijah Wood (guest star on Yo Gabba Gabba!) is born
January 31: Justin Timberlake (guest star at the 2007, 2024, and 2022 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
February 1: Lauren Mary Kim (actor in The Last Airbender) is born
February 3: Alisa Reyes (actress and singer-songwriter on All That) is born
February 5: Sarah Frost (director and storyboard artist on Rocko's Modern Life, The Fairly OddParents, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour, Jimmy Timmy Power Hour 2: When Nerds Collide, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) is born
February 9: Tom Hiddleston (guest star at the 2022 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
February 10: Stephanie Beatriz (actress, model, singer, and guest star on The Casagrandes) is born
February 11: Kelly Rowland (singer in Fantasy Football, actress on Taina, and guest star at the 2023 and 2024 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
February 23: Josh Gad (actor, guest star, and singer on The Tiny Chef Show and Face's Music Party) is born
March 2: Amos Crawley (actor on Little Bear, Franklin , and Girlstuff Boystuff) is born
March 9: Gloria Shen (writer on The Loud House and The Casagrandes) is born
March 11: Chad Cosgrave (stunt performer in Snow Day) is born
March 23: Diego Rieger (actor on PAW Patrol) is born
March 28: Dan Petronijevic (actor on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Corn & Peg) is born
March 29: Megan Hilty (voice actress on Robot and Monster, The Penguins of Madagascar, Dora and Friends: Into the City, Shimmer and Shine, and It's Pony) is born
April 4: Alexandra Ryan (actress and voice actress on The Loud House) is born
April 10: Laura Bell Bundy (actress on All Grown Up!, The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder, and Snow Day) is born
April 28: Jessica Alba (actress and businesswoman on The Secret World of Alex Mack) is born
April 30: Kunal Nayyar (actor on Sanjay and Craig) is born
May 2: Ryan Merchant (singer on Face's Music Party) is born
May 4: T.J. Stanton (actor on Blue's Clues and Wonder Pets!) is born
May 6: Will Bladgrove (actor on Go, Diego, Go! and Winx Club) is born
May 7: Aliyah O'Brien (actress in Monster Trucks) is born
May 11
- JP Karliak (actor, voice actor, comedian, and writer on The Loud House, Baby Shark's Big Show!, Sanjay and Craig, Rugrats (2021), The Tiny Chef Show, The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, and Rock, Paper, Scissors) is born
- Jeremy Isaiah Earl (actor and director of Fun Size) is born
May 13: Chevy Woods (rapper and songwriter on Face's Music Party) is born
May 15: Nee Phillips (actress in Blue's Big City Adventure) is born
May 16: Athena Karkanis (actress on Mysticons and Corn & Peg) is born
May 27: Amanda Rynda (director on The Loud House) is born
May 29: Justin Chon (actor on Just Jordan and guest star and voice actor on The Casagrandes) is born
June 1: Johnny Pemberton (voice actor on Middlemost Post) is born
June 3: Nikki M. James (actress and singer on Welcome to the Wayne) is born
June 4: Jerad Anderson (actor on Just for Kicks) is born
June 7
- Enzo Fortuny (voice actor on the Mexican dub of Hey Arnold!) is born
- Larisa Oleynik (actress on Erin & Aaron, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, All That (1994), The Secret World of Alex Mack, The Mystery Files of Shelby Woo, and Winx Club) is born
June 12: Jeremy Howard (actor in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies) is born
June 14: Audrey Hobert (writer on The Really Loud House) is born
July 1: Amanda Seales (comedian on My Brother and Me) is born
July 13: Clé Bennett (actor on Mr. Meaty) is born
July 28: Willie Green (football player and actor on Noah Knows Best) is born
July 29
- Emily Bauer (voice actress on Wallykazam!) is born
- Dyana Liu (voice actress on Fanboy & Chum Chum and Pig Goat Banana Cricket) is born
- Kimberly Brooks (voice actress in The Wild Thornberrys Movie, Shuriken School, Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius, As Told By Ginger, Rugrats (1991/2021), Rugrats Pre-School Daze, All Grown Up!, The Loud House, The Casagrandes, Random! Cartoons, Rock, Paper, Scissors, The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, Winx Club, It's Pony, Sanjay and Craig, Pinky Malinky, Max & the Midknights, Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Shimmer and Shine, ChalkZone, Star Trek: Prodigy, Baby Shark's Big Show!, and Big Nate) is born
August 4: Marques Houston (singer in Good Burger (1997)) is born
August 6: Leslie Odom Jr. (actor on Blue's Clues & You!) is born
August 8: Meagan Good (actress on Cousin Skeeter) is born
August 19
- Nate Burleson (host of NFL Slimetime, guest star on the 2023 Kids' Choice Awards and in Fantasy Football) is born
- Kelly Fullerton (writer on Middlemost Post and Big Nate) is born
August 20: Ali Liebert (actress in A Fairly Odd Summer) is born
August 28: Cathy Immordino (actor on Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide and Hotel For Dogs) is born
August 29: Emily Hampshire (actress on Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends) is born
August 30: Andres Salaff (screenwriter on Harvey Beaks) is born
September 1: Coyote Peterson (guest star on Unfiltered) is born
September 4: Beyoncé Knowles (musician and voice actress on Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!) is born
September 7: Athena Karkanis (actress on Mysticons, Corn & Peg, Degrassi: The Next Generation, Skyland, and Julius Jr.) is born
September 8: Jonathan Taylor Thomas (actor and director on The Wild Thornberrys) is born
September 9: Julie Gonzalo (actress on Drake & Josh) is born
September 10: Stephanie Beatriz (actress on The Casagrandes)
September 14: BooG!e (actor on iCarly) is born
September 15: Ben Schwartz (voice actor on Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Rugrats (2021), Wallykazam!, Baby Shark’s Big Show, and Pinky Malinky) is born
September 22
- Ashley Eckstein (contestant on GUTS and actress on Drake & Josh) is born
- Peter Diseth (actor on The Really Loud House) is born
September 26: Serena Williams (guest star in PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie, actress and producer on Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, and guest star at the 2024 Kids' Choice Awards) is born
October 1: Sheena Shrinivas (writer on The Loud House and Sanjay and Craig) is born
October 20: Kimberly Barnett (actress on iCarly and Zoey 101) is born
October 22: Michael Fishman (voice actor on Hey Arnold!) is born
October 25: Josh Henderson (actor in Yours, Mine & Ours) is born
October 30: Luis Alberti (actor in Playing with Fire) is born
November 1: Matt Jones (actor on Sanjay and Craig, Pig Goat Banana Cricket, and Wallykazam!) is born
November 2: Katharine Isabelle (actress in Snow Day) is born
November 14: Vanessa Bayer (actress on Wallykazam!) is born
November 15: Leslie Hall (rap artist and singer on Yo Gabba Gabba!) is born
November 17: Kyle Massey (actor on Sunny Day) is born
November 18: Nasim Pedrad (actress, comedian, writer, and singer on Big Nate) is born
November 26: Natasha Bedingfield (singer and songwriter on The Naked Brothers Band, True Jackson, VP, and Degrassi: The Next Generation) is born
November 29
- Chiara Francese (actor on Regal Academy) is born
- John Milhiser (actor and comedian on Drama Club) is born
December 1: Kosta Lavrinuk (asset supervisor in Blue's Clues & You! and PAW Patrol)
December 2: Britney Spears (guest star on All That) is born
December 8: Dov Tiefenbach (actor in Harriet the Spy) is born
December 14: Matthew Cherry (director on Blue's Clues) is born
December 25: Ant Blades (creator of It's Pony) is born
December 30: Stevie Baggs Jr. (actor, producer, and writer on The Really Loud House)

<<

1980

Timeline

1982

>>