Nickelodeon changes logo: My childhood soul dies a little

So long splat.  Marking one of the biggest branding changes in its 30 year history, the Nickelodeon network is saying goodbye to its famed splat logo.  Instead, a new typeface-only logo--Nickelodeon spelled out in block letters--will occupy the lower right-hand corner of the Nick TV screen.  This is almost as sad as when they cancelled Pete and Pete.

Nick's splat logo was designed in 1984, and over the years has cleverly morphed into dog bones, blimps and hundreds of other variations.  The insignia accompanied the beloved Nick classics that launched the net into a major kids' programming entity in the '90s, turning early NickToons like Ren and Stimpy and Doug and cleverly absurdist shows like Salute Your Short and the aforementioned Pete into a veritable brand.  The logo change is part of Nickelodeon's attempts to streamline all of the networks and programming under its umbrella, a strategy that includes renaming The N to Teen Nick and Noggin to Nick, Jr.

For Generation Y members, it marks an end to an era and begs the question: when is it too soon to be nostalgic?  The '90s were only a decade ago, but they already are referred to as the "good ole' days" by some Gen Y-ers.  First there was last week's People magazine cover reminding us that Saved by the Bell premiered 20 (!) years ago and now there's the death of the Nickelodeon splat--are all the recent reminders that '90s are long gone killing your childhood soul too?  Lets all don Swatches, oversized plaid and listen to "Losing My Religion" while talking about our favorite episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark?--a big F-U to getting older.