Rocket Racer (lost post-show video game based on Nickelodeon animated series; existence unconfirmed; 2003)
A fanmade image of Zim having kidnapped Goddard
Status: Existence Unconfirmed
"Rocket Racer" is an unconfirmed video game dating back to 2003. This piece of media involves Goddard from Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, who has been kidnapped (or dog-napped) by Zim from Invader Zim. The player picks a Nicktoon character and must avoid asteriods to save Goddard. Despite numerous search efforts, no footage or photos of the game can be found online. The game's actual name is unknown, so "Zim dog-napped Goddard" is just a placeholder name.
Origins
In 2003, Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast opened in Universal Studios Florida. It involves Jimmy Neutron's new rocket, the Mark IV, being stolen by Ooblar, so he, his robot dog Goddard, and Carl Wheezer must follow him through different Nicktoons universes to get it back. The ride has a post-show that involves games and technologies for children to play. According to the ride's page on TV Tropes, there was a game in the post-show section that involves Zim kidnapping Goddard:
"Asteroid Thicket: A game at the ride's post-show involved players having to navigate a Nicktoon character through an asteroid field in order to save Goddard, who had been kidnapped by Zim.""[1]
There are several footage and photos of the post-show room of the ride, but none of them show the game where Zim kidnaps Goddard. However, this hasn't put a stop to the ongoing search.
Search Efforts
The statement was added by TV Tropes user MrNickelodeon on August 17th, 2016. On April 27, 2023, a little less than 7 years later, a YouTube user by the name ClaireRabbit1 decided to find a video of the stated game, but after numerous attempts, couldn't find it, as the ride walkthroughs of either the ride only, or for the very few footages of the post-show, do not show footage of the game and only shows the quiz show, the meet and greet with the Spongebob mascot, and other parts of the post-show that is not the game.
The lack of footage and photos showing proof of its existence hasn't stopped the search though in which in the following day, ClaireRabbit1 uploaded a community post on her YouTube channel stating the following:
"Can anyone help me find this game footage? It's from the post-show of Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast ride (the ride which got replaced by Minion Mayhem (Robbie is obsessed with videos of that latter BTW and likes to blast them on the TV 😒). Anyways, back to the main topic. It involves Jimmy Neutron's pet robot dog Goddard who got kidnapped by Zim, and the player must pick a Nicktoon character to save him, and they must avoid the asteroid obstacles to reach the evil alien and save the poor robot dog.
I am looking for this game so bad because apparently, this is the only video game I know of where Zim is the antagonist (besides the Go! Callie video games of course, but those games aren't real). Please help me find it if you are also interested!
Please Note that there is no footage of the game at all on YouTube, I checked so you don't have to.""[2]
On November 19, 2023, a user named Encounters Ltd., who has been on the ride, commented on the aforementioned community post, trying to give out as much details on the ride.
"hey there, the lost media wiki brought me here: i went on the nicktoon blast ride a long time ago when i was around 7, and i do very clearly remember this game showing up on the big screen in the post-show area! if my memory serves me right, the official name of the game was "Rocket Racer", because that's what i pretty clearly remember showing up on the game screen before it begins. i also remember there being a cutscene before the interactive parts, where it shows goddard on the moon, and he flips through stock poses to make it look like he's moving, as some random narrator goes "Look, there's Goddard! Isn't he such a cute little puppy" or something along those lines. that's when Zim (also a stock image) materializes out of thin air and sticks him in a cage. from what I remember of the rest of the game (i didn't get to play it myself, but i saw the gameplay on the big screen), i'm pretty sure you did get to choose which nicktoon character would pilot the rocket you controlled [i'm not sure if this had a bearing on what the rocket would look like, if different characters gave you different added skills, both, neither, or some other third thing]. the screen was split vertically into threes, each one being the playfield of one of three simultaneous players, and i assume the objective was to be the first one to reach the moon and save goddard. and yes, asteroids were the main obstacle from what i remember! i searched the title and nicktoon blast together a few ways and didn't really see anything, but i'll keep an eye out, and hope this eyewitness account helps you in your search!"
Other than these two community posts, no concrete evidence lies on this game's existence other than memories recollected. No available footage of this game has been uncovered, and any prototypes of this game have never been uncovered as of November 2023.