The Ren & Stimpy Show  The Ren & Stimpy Show is an American animated television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of title characters Ren, an emotionally unstable Chihuahua, and Stimpy, a good-natured yet dimwitted cat. The show premiered on August 11, 1991, as one of the original three Nicktoons alongside "Rugrats" and "Doug". Throughout its run, it was a notoriously controversial show for its dark humor, sexual innuendos, adult jokes, and shock value. The production's failure to deliver episodes on time and its deteriorating relationship with Nickelodeon executives and Standards and Practices department led to Kricfalusi's departure from the show in 1992. The show ended on December 16, 1995. The episodes "Sammy and Me" and "The Last Temptation" never aired in the original run on Nickelodeon, but did air on MTV in 1996. "The Ren & Stimpy Show" received positive reviews during its original run and quickly developed a cult following. It received widespread critical acclaim after its run and had a long-lasting influence on television animation. A spin-off for adult audiences, "Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"", aired in 2003 on Spike (later renamed Paramount Network). Only three episodes aired due to delays in episode delivery, before Spike removed its entire animation programming block. The series centers on Ren Höek (voiced by John Kricfalusi in seasons 1–2; Billy West in seasons 3–5), a short-tempered, psychotic, "asthma-hound" Chihuahua, and Stimpson J. "Stimpy" Cat (also voiced by Billy West), a dimwitted and happy-go-lucky cat. The duo fill various roles from episode to episode, including outer-space explorers, Old West horse thieves, and nature-show hosts, and are usually at odds with each other in these situations. While the show was sometimes set in the present day, the show's crew tended to avoid "contemporary" jokes about current events. The show extensively features off-color and absurdist humor, as well as slapstick. The show features a host of supporting characters. Some appear only in one episode, while others recur and occasionally appear in different roles. They may either be part of the storyline or make cameo appearances with little bearing on the plot. Some, such as Mr. Horse, are exclusively cameo-based, spontaneously appearing as a running gag.