If you grew up in the 1990s, your understanding of American politics probably didn’t come from CNN or C-SPAN. It came from a 12-year-old girl with giant prosthetic ears shouting about "the charts!" on Nickelodeon.
Ross Perot All That remains one of the weirdest, most effective political satires in television history. It wasn't on Saturday Night Live. It wasn't on The Daily Show. It was on a sketch comedy show for kids, sandwiched between "Good Burger" and "Vital Information."
The Billionaire and the 11-Year-Old
In 1994, the real Ross Perot was a Texan billionaire who had just finished a historic third-party run for President. He was famous for using 30-minute infomercials to explain the national debt using actual hand-drawn charts. He had a squeaky voice, a buzz cut, and ears that the media never stopped talking about.
Enter Katrina Johnson.
She was one of the original cast members of All That. While most 11-year-olds were playing with Pogs, Johnson was perfecting a high-pitched Texan drawl. She didn't just play Ross Perot; she turned him into a surreal cartoon character that resonated with a generation of kids who had no idea what the North American Free Trade Agreement was.
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Honestly, it’s kind of wild when you think about it. Most of the audience hadn't even reached puberty, yet they were laughing at a parody of a 60-year-old billionaire.
Why Ross Perot All That Worked
The writers of All That realized something early on: Perot was inherently funny to kids. He was short, he was eccentric, and he spoke in folksy riddles. The sketch writers took those real-life traits and dialed them up to eleven.
In the show, the Ross Perot character usually popped up to give "advice" to Walter the Earboy (played by Josh Server). Walter was a kid with ears the size of dinner plates who was constantly bullied. Perot would show up as a sort of demented mentor.
The Anatomy of the Sketch
- The Ears: Johnson’s prosthetic ears were even bigger than Walter’s. It was a visual gag that never got old.
- The Charts: Just like the real Perot, the All That version loved a good graph. But instead of showing the GDP or the national debt, these charts showed things like "Why You Are a Loser" or "Ways to Flush Yourself Down the Toilet."
- The Voice: "Now see here!" was the catchphrase. Johnson nailed the staccato, rapid-fire delivery that the real Perot used during the 1992 debates.
Most people forget that this wasn't just a one-off bit. It was a recurring pillar of the first two seasons. It gave the show a bit of "smart" edge—parents watching with their kids actually got the jokes, while the kids just liked the lady with the big ears and the funny voice.
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The Real Ross Perot's Reaction
You’d think a billionaire might be annoyed that a child was making fun of his appearance on national television.
Actually, the opposite was true.
Ross Perot was famously good-natured about his parodies. He even famously appeared on Sesame Street as a character named "H. Ross Parrot." He once noted that his grandchildren loved the parodies, and he famously said of his All That caricature, "I'm sure that parrot thinks he's much better looking than I am."
There's a level of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) in how the All That writers handled him. They didn't make him a villain. They made him a "goofy uncle" figure. He was the guy who had all the money and all the answers, even if the answers were totally insane.
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The Cultural Impact
Basically, for a lot of Millennials, Katrina Johnson is Ross Perot.
When the real Perot passed away in 2019, social media wasn't just filled with political tributes. It was flooded with clips of All That. People who are now in their 30s and 40s realized that their entire framework for understanding third-party politics started with a Nickelodeon sketch.
It’s a testament to the "Golden Era" of Nick. They didn't talk down to kids. They assumed kids were watching the news—or at least seeing it in the background—and they gave them a way to process it through comedy.
A Quick Reality Check
- Fact: Katrina Johnson was only 11 or 12 during these sketches.
- Fact: The "Earboy" sketches were written by Dan Schneider and Kevin Kopelow.
- Fact: The real Ross Perot won nearly 19% of the popular vote in 1992, making him the most successful third-party candidate since Theodore Roosevelt.
What You Can Do Now
If you want to revisit this weird slice of 90s history, here is how to dive back in:
- Watch the "Behind the Sketch" clips: Nickelodeon released a "Throwback Thursday" video featuring Kel Mitchell and Josh Server talking about the Earboy and Perot sketches. It’s a great look at how uncomfortable those prosthetics actually were.
- Compare to the 1992 Debates: Go on YouTube and watch five minutes of the real Ross Perot in 1992. You will be shocked at how accurate Katrina Johnson's cadence actually was.
- Check out Katrina Johnson's later work: She’s often talked about her time on the show in various podcasts and interviews, offering a "where are they now" perspective on being a child star in the 90s.
The Ross Perot All That sketches weren't just filler. They were a bridge between adult political reality and kid-friendly absurdity. It’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to explain the world is with a poster board and a pair of oversized ears.