iCarly was a spectacular sitcom that stars Miranda Cosgrove, who previously played the devious little sister of Drake and Josh from, well, Drake & Josh. The premise is a girl named Carly Shay who has to fill in for her teacher for auditions for the school’s talent show. Her best friend Sam Puckett and Freddie Benson joined in to help, and when the latter filmed them talking, it went viral. After her teacher rejected the auditions, this gives Carly an idea to start a web show and call it iCarly. Whenever the three are not doing their web show, hilarity would come in with Carly’s older brother Spencer and later on Gibby.
This sitcom brought to you by the same creator of Drake & Josh, The Amanda Show, and Zoey 101 brings us memorable characters, good messages, and of course, the great humor. Even though it looked like an awesome time to be either working on iCarly or just being a casual watcher, there were some interesting secrets that we never knew about. Whether it is around the actors, behind the scenes, or anything else, it is always fun to learn more about this fantastic show. There are so many unanswered questions that are still hanging to this day! What is the fate of this character or are these two going to be the endgame? We might never even get an answer to these very important questions.
Here’s a look at some secrets from iCarly that you never knew about!
25 A Full Circle
As we all know, iCarly is a website where Carly and Sam (and sometimes Freddie) do various sketches that are pretty hilarious. While the show is more about the lives of these three, the web show is one of the important elements from this Nickelodeon sitcom. As the series progresses, we find out that there are more websites created by various people. For example, Nevel Papperman, a recurring antagonist on the show, has his own website called Nevelocity, where he is a web critic. Even Sam had her own website thanks to Freddie but sold it for $1,000 to a guy who also has the name Sam Puckett. So, what do these websites mentioned have in common?
They would redirect you to iCarly.com.
At least when the show was still airing, it would do that. Today, if you type one of those websites, it will take you to Nickelodeon’s website, but it would also take you to where you can watch full-length episodes of the show. It’s a shame that we can’t go to the actual website based around the web show itself, but for those who have, it was certainly a wonderful experience seeing the blogs from Carly, Sam, and Freddie, but also see clips that never appeared on an episode of iCarly! Go ahead and try it out!
24 Hidden Easter Egg
Drake & Josh is one of the greatest sitcoms to appear on Nickelodeon. The jokes were hilarious thanks to the chemistry between the actors and they make every line work. Of course, Miranda Cosgrove excels in her performance as Megan, the brothers’ little sister who loves playing pranks on them. In the series finale, “Very Big Shrimp,” we were surprised by the Easter egg that was put in the movie listings at Josh’s workplace, The Premiere. One of the movie titles say, Now She’s Carly. Who knows whether the series finale was being made during the time iCarly was in production, but it was a very nice reference to a show that would be just as successful as Drake & Josh.
References like these are sprinkled all over shows created by Dan Schneider, and it is a nice touch. After all, “Really Big Shrimp” aired one month before the series pilot of iCarly did. The sitcom served as a wonderful successor and managed to be just as good as Drake & Josh. If we were to see an iCarly character appear in another show, then it would act as an amazing cameo for the sake of fanservice, and there is nothing wrong with that.
23 Weird Change
Even though it does not really benefit the characters, but sometimes they are given birthdays just to let us have an excuse to celebrate them. At one point, there was an episode titled “iGot a Hot Room,” which centers around Carly’s birthday, and wouldn’t you know it, Spencer ruined it by giving her a gummy bear lamp that caught fire and burned her room. Plot of the episode aside, something occurred if you went to iCarly.com and checked the characters’ bios. There was one change regarding a character’s birthday that made us question if this is a plot hole or not. You see, Carly’s birthday was originally on January 14th (which also happens to be Dan Schneider’s birthday) but was changed to July 24th.
It seems logical since the air date for the episode is close to her birthday, but who goes to school during July, which is one of the hottest months of the year? Everyone was was clearly wearing clothes that would be fitting in cold weather. It also doesn’t help that Carly claimed she is a Capricorn in the episode “iScream on Halloween.” The change is probably not that big of a deal, but for fans who remember her birthday originally being January 14th must have been very confused when they saw it change to July 24th.
22 Fully Prepared
When you’re an actor, you have to be prepared for whatever script or scene you are about to create. That way, you can get the job done faster and move on. Comedy takes up a while and it needs to be perfectly timed to bring in the humor. iCarly does have some bloopers showing that not every actor gets their lines right. Sometimes it is the props that ruin the scene. However, the scripts can make the actors laugh due to some hidden jokes. Because of this, the actors were well aware of the jokes.
Freddie’s apartment number? Unintentionally hilarious.
Words that sound like parts of the body or a character doing something to another character that can come off as inappropriate can make the scenes ten times funnier. Even the defunct iCarly.com website had some jokes that are just as funny. Sometimes we can’t help but look at the scenes and laugh uncontrollably when we take something out of context, but that’s what makes watching iCarly fun. Just leave it to the actors for taking their job seriously, but also having to endure the bubbling laughter that would erupt sooner or later. What was your favorite joke on iCarly?
21 A Perfect Ending
When someone plans to write a story, whether it is for a movie, TV show, novel, or video game, the most important piece of the said story is the ending. It needs to go out in a bang and make people talk about so much that it would drive their friends crazy. Spoilers are very dangerous, but talking about the ending is something we would look forward to. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, and fans would certainly hate their show to end on a disappointing note. To our relief, iCarly had ended in a proper and fitting way.
Even though the show ended, it got the ending it was to be envisioned.
The creator always had the ending in mind ever since he came up with the idea of iCarly. The idea of finally creating the ending after five years of being on the air must have been a dream come true for him, and the ending definitely felt complete and whole. Some shows aren’t this lucky, like Victorious. Whenever a show ends, it needs to be able to answer every question that we have been wanting to know (more on that part later). While it felt like the show was gone too soon, iCarly’s ending managed to transfer into another show, which is the spin-off Sam & Cat.
20 Not In The Episode For A Valid Reason
No one likes to get sick, even if it is an excuse to take a day off from school or work. Whether it is a common cold, sinus infection, or fever, being sick can get annoying. Depending on the day of school or work you missed, you would have to catch up so you won’t get behind. When it comes to filming TV shows, actors might have to either shoot the scenes in another time or be cut from an episode entirely. Remember the episode “iWon’t Cancel the Show?” You have probably noticed in the beginning before the show’s intro began, it is mentioned that Sam got sent to juvie and has to be there for a day.
That explains why Jennette McCurdy wasn’t in that episode.
Since her character had to be written off in the episode, it meant that Jennette herself was actually in the hospital due to being sick. It was unfortunate, but the episode still managed to be funny and entertaining even if Carly’s memorable sidekick was not there for that episode. At least Jennette only missed one episode, because it saddens us if she were to get sick again when filming an episode, only to not be in it again.
19 Strange Choice
Out of the items that were created on iCarly, one of the recognizable props is without a doubt Sam’s remote. It has a lot of sound effects and is a staple on the web show, giving it the right mood. Even though there are less buttons, Freddie mentioned that there are 93 sound effects that come from the remote. He would replace each sound for what they would do that week on the web show. In the series finale “iGoodbye,” Sam gives her remote to Carly for her to remember her by and if she needed some cheering up or do some random dancing. Ask yourself this: What would you do if the remote went missing on set? Normally, you would say make a replica, and that is logical.
However, the creator confirmed that there is only one remote.
He even stated that he would take it home after work so that no one could steal it. It does make sense for him to safeguard it, but it is weird how there is only one remote just in case something were to happen to it. Most props have been replicated just in case, but it seems Sam’s remote is a special case.
18 Random, But Memorable
Orenthal Cornelius “Gibby” Gibson is one of the weirdest, random characters ever created. But we just love him for it. Ever since his debut in the first season in the episode “iDream of Dance,” he was a peculiar character that managed to become a scene stealer. He likes to take his shirt off, and that’s even during school hours! However, he quickly got tired of doing it and started to become more normal. Despite the running gag fading away as the show went on, he made his way to become a part of the main cast. It was amazing seeing a recurring character be one of the main characters.
So, it was shocking that he was originally only supposed to be in the debut episode he appeared. However, since the creator enjoyed his performance, he decided to put him in more episodes, and that is how Gibby came from being a recurring character to a part of the main cast. Honestly, having Gibby in the show exemplifies how random iCarly can get, and without him, there would be a missing puzzle piece. His character was so intriguing that there was going to be a show around him! More information on that later!
17 What's Hidden Beneath
If you are familiar with Dan Schneider’s works, then you know that a certain product or restaurant would be parodied, and sometimes we wished they were real. Even the Apple products were recreated into Pear products, like the PearPhones and PearPads. Despite not being real, they certainly do look real. When it comes to books, there are ones that do not exist in our world, but the one we will be talking about is rather unique. In “iFence,” Sam and Freddie make a bet that if Sam doesn’t finish her reading from cover to cover, she would have to do the “Ushe.” If she succeeds, then Freddie has to do it.
The book Sam reads is called The Penny Treasure, and she actually ended up enjoying it, describing it as “TV in your head.” Since it is not an actual book, a book jacket with that book title covered the book the actress was reading. The book Jennette read was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Want to know something else that is fitting? Jennette actually loves the Harry Potter series, if you haven’t known already, so it must have been exhilarating for her to read a book from a fantastic series.
16 Thankfully Went With A Better Name
Names are really important for characters. They help define who the character is and if name meanings are relevant, then it makes the name choice more special. After all, how would our parents be able to name us if it didn’t have a significant meaning? iCarly has gone through a number of changes before the pilot aired, and what was changed or not changed was one of the most stimulating secrets the show hid for so long. It has to do with our lovely protagonist Carly Shay.
Carly’s name was originally going to be Josie or Sam.
While creating the concept of the show, Dan Schneider tried to buy the URL domain for iSam.com, but since it was already taken, he went for iJosie.com, buying it in the process. However, he later went on to change the name from Josie to Carly, and it stuck ever since. Can you ever imagine Carly being called Josie or Sam? If the creator went with the latter, then Sam would have been called Kira. Amazingly, Freddie still had his name stay the same. The name Carly has a nice ring to it, and Dan definitely made the right choice to change the name from Josie to Carly.
15 Still Going Strong
Even though we can’t see it on-screen, there are times where actors are having a difficult time filming. For example, Matilda’s actress, Mara Wilson, found out her mother passed away from breast cancer after the movie got done with its production, but had great support from her co-star parents. It is very hard to lose a parent, especially when you are incredibly young and still have much to look forward to. iCarly’s Jennette McCurdy unfortunately had that going for her for so many years in her acting career. Her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and her determination gave Jennette the motivation to do acting. Whenever she felt was right, Jennette would cancel some of her performances just so she could spend time with her mother.
Sadly, a year after iCarly ended, her mother passed away. We couldn’t imagine how tough it was for Jennette to do her job while her mother could be going through a terrible time with her illness. The hard work she put in while her mother was sick is very admirable and loving. It must have been very difficult for Jennette during that time. We hope that she is making her mother proud and keep doing what has made her very happy despite all that has happened.
14 Continuity Errors, What Fun
Let’s face it, we love iCarly, but even then, it has some glaring flaws. Like how did Freddie manage to create the website way before it was going to take off? Also, the upstairs studio in the Shay’s apartment looked like it was automatically prepared for them unless Spencer did some artwork in there. As much as it is fun to critique the headscratchers the show has, there are some continuity errors that really make us question the universe iCarly is in. Due to this being a Dan Schneider show, all of the ones he has created are connected in the same universe.
And yet, there are references to real life people like Drake Bell in Sam’s locker. It could be Drake Parker, but with Carly and Spencer watching Drake & Josh, how that does explain the recurring characters Craig, Eric, and Gavin making cameo appearances in “iStart a FanWar”? While not entirely related to iCarly, Victorious had this issue too, with Helen DuBois being the new principal at Hollywood Arts, yet Drake & Josh is also categorized as a show. Again, it could be just references to Dan’s shows, but it can be jarring to recognize a reference that clearly fits in their world and not be what we think it is.
13 Never Have To Go International
One of the first iCarly specials was “iGo to Japan.” It was an exhilarating and intense episode since the iCarly gang were abandoned by another nominee in the annual iWeb Awards for their selfish gains. Being nominated for the Best Comedy Award was something that Carly, Sam, and Freddie were not expecting. Not only did they get to go to Japan, but how they went there was crazy and insane. They were originally going on a plane, but since Spencer and Mrs. Benson needed to tag along, Spencer had to rely on Socko to help out. Despite the insanity of how they arrived, there were a lot of nice Japanese aesthetics and references, which made the episode feel wholesome. Even the background music had Japanese elements whenever they were in Japan.
It all seemed too good to be true since while the setting is in Japan, the cast and crew were never there to begin with. Every scene was at the usual studio in Los Angeles. Knowing sounds like a huge letdown, but in their defense, it would be expensive to film in Japan. It would have been really cool, but we can only dream. While there were some inconsistencies, like the hotel the iCarly gang was staying at having kimonos, but for the most part, the episode was respectful for the country that is being represented.
12 Potential That Never Came
Remember how Gibby was originally going to only appear in one episode? Well, if that choice had not been changed, then there was no way that Gibby would become a main character in the later seasons of iCarly. While the creator was focusing on the spin-offs for his shows, he managed to come up with another one with another character from iCarly being the main star. First, there was Sam & Cat, which stars Jennette McCurdy and Victorious’s Ariana Grande.
Gibby was going to get his own spin-off too.
In this spin-off, Gibby was going to work at a recreational center and help out four middle schoolers who are offbeat and troubled. It would have been the first show in a while for Dan Schneider to create a show that stars a male lead, with the previous one being Drake & Josh. Unfortunately, even though a pilot was filmed, Nickelodeon did not green-light it. That leaves only Sam & Cat being the iCarly spin-off, but it eventually got cancelled after one season. Would you think that this spin-off would be just as good as the parent show? Or would it have been a short-lived show just like the spin-off that didn’t last?
11 Where Did It Come From?
Freddie Benson is such an adorkable character that could have been incredibly annoying, but he managed to be humorous and bearable. As he got older, he certainly got a lot more handsome and buffed, as mentioned by Carly one time. He is a tech wizard and an honor student at his school. He is just as important as Carly and Sam for the web show, since he does a lot of the work behind the scenes. In later seasons, a strange recurring moment would make an appearance for the episodes to come.
There were at times where he would speak random phrases in Spanish.
At first, it came out of nowhere, but they managed to be funny. We even started to question on how it came to be. Where did Freddie’s ability to speak Spanish fluently come from? Some fans have theorized that it could be from the chip implanted in his head when Mrs. Benson met up with a Venezuelan doctor. In the series finale “iGoodbye,” we were actually so close to finding out the reason thanks to Gibby asking Freddie, but the latter got interrupted before answering that important question. Right now, we only have theories to think about.
10 Look Closely
Stunt doubles are very common in TV shows and movies, since not everything is made for the actor to do on screen. If you have to fall off a plane and use a parachute to land, it can be crazy and give the actor too much pressure to perfect the scene. This is a weird case for the use of a stunt double on iCarly, but it does make sense since the actress herself couldn’t really do it. So who had a stunt double to do the work? It would be Jennette, and her double had to pick up Freddie.
About that, the stunt double is actually a man.
It happened so quick that we couldn’t tell! Sam is a very strong character, so seeing her do this makes sense to her character. However, since Jennette is not that physically strong, it was impossible for her to pick up Freddie like that. While we were focused on Freddie’s surprised reaction of Sam picking him up, there is some evidence show that it is a man. The figure is a bit stockier compared to Sam, and the hair, albeit more likely a wig, looks slightly different from Sam’s actual hair. It was a pretty funny scene, though.
9 No Time For That!
Whenever you watch iCarly, you can tell that the actors do a great job in playing their roles. They make the characters believable and three-dimensional, and certainly enjoy their characters a lot. That is why we love watching them whenever they are on camera! The lines are delivered with effort and they bring us wholeheartedly laughs that can span all over our houses. They are that memorable and are still likely to be quoted to this day. Want to know a crazy fact that we never knew about from their performances? For the most part, the actors were not allowed to improvise.
Essentially, the writers do the improvising for the actors.
If it gets the job done, then that’s good for them, but an actor should be able to improvise once in a while on iCarly. If the actors wanted to improvise, like Jerry Trainor, then they would have to ask the writers or the creator for their input. From what Dan said in his blog, Jerry made him laugh when he improvised in “iGoodbye” while editing. So while it sounds like it is a bad thing that the actors weren’t allowed to improvise, asking wouldn’t hurt since it worked out for Spencer’s actor.
8 Not Where You Think It Is
The location Bushwell Plaza is where Carly, Spencer, and Freddie live, as well as being the place where Carly and Sam do their web show. It is also where Lewbert, a small antagonist, works as a doorman, and he is one of the subjects in the sketch “Messin’ with Lewbert.” Even though it acts as a place where the most of the main cast lives in, there is some interesting history behind it. Bushwell Plaza was originally a business building that later evolved into an apartment complex. This building has a significance to the show, and here is why: it is not located in Seattle.
Instead, this building is Eastern Columbia Building, which is located in Los Angeles, California. With the power of technology, this building has been edited very carefully and to make it look like it is the fictional Bushwell Plaza. Sounds amazing, doesn’t it? It shows that technology has come a long way to recreate something without having to do much. Even if the building is located in an entirely different state, we will always remember that Bushwell Plaza is the place where Spencer, Carly, and Freddie live. It looks like a fun place to live in!
7 Give It A Try!
We certainly love our Easter eggs and secrets from our favorite TV shows. When it comes to iCarly, the show knows how to put them in for us to find. References can include characters from Dan Schneider’s other shows, parodies to real-life celebrities or restaurants, and so much more. They are sprinkled throughout the series and whenever we noticed something, it makes us point them out and say where it came from. Like an Easter egg hunt, it is a joy to catch a reference that made its way into iCarly, depending on where the origins are from. This Easter egg is one of the show’s biggest, if not most surprising.
We hope you are ready to have your minds blown for this secret. Sam’s number is real! It seemed like a joke, but the number referenced in “iLost My Mind” is actually hers. Dial this number: 503-664-0452. You will get a voicemail from Sam, but she tells you to hang up since she will never check her voice messages. Our jaws were dropping when there were comments on any social media platform that confirms that the number works. If you are indeed curious, try it out and have fun!
6 What's In The Sock?
Later on in the show, Sam would be equipped with a memorable weapon known as the Butter Sock. She was forced to use it when the Dingo writers would not stop stealing iCarly’s ideas for their own show on the Dingo Channel. The weapon was silly but funny, and Sam is not afraid to use it if she doesn’t get her way. It has been referenced a handful of times throughout the show, and even managed to be mentioned once in Sam & Cat.
As epic as it is, we have to realize the truth. Logically, the Butter Sock is not filled with butter. After all, there is no way that butter could actually stay solid in that sock. Sure, Sam would just replace the stale butter with a fresher one, but she would have to hit really hard in order for it to leave a mark on those she hits. So, to make the Butter Sock look stiff, it was actually filled with batteries instead. Jennette mentioned when interviewed about the Butter Sock, “It was batteries to give it some weight, with Styrofoam around them, wrapped with duct tape,” Knowing that, you certainly do not want to mess with Sam if she is not in the mood to use her fists.