I always did find it really sad what happened with the Rugrats. It most definitely did have have the workings of a timeless classic, simply because the general themes of the show (how the world was so much bigger, mysterious and more wondrous to all of us when we were little children) are something that I think appeal to us all deep down in our hearts, no matter how old we are. But yeah, Nick messed up on the show big time.
I could literally lament on for decades on how amazing of a dark ride Rugrats could've been...