WHERE THE SLIME FLOWS FREELY.

Byline: Lori Moody Daily News Staff Writer

If he had his way, Mathieu Harem, 11, of Palmdale, would have preferred to be the slime-ee instead of the slime-er.

Instead, he got to watch brother Scot, 13, slide into a mushy ``sundae'' and pal Taylor Tolleson, 11, also of Palmdale, not only get slimed with green gunk, but become the lucky victim of a pie in the face.

``I got to slime him,'' Mathieu said. ``It looks like fun. (I wanted to be slimed) just 'cause I like to get dirty.''

The three boys were among a test audience this week at a rehearsal of ``Totally Nickelodeon,'' a new attraction opening Saturday at Universal Studios Hollywood in which audience members - kids and adults - are picked to participate in games and stunts based on the cable channel's most popular TV programs, including ``Rugrats,'' ``Family Double Dare,'' ``The Secret World of Alex Mack'' and ``Nickelodeon GUTS.''

``This gives opportunities for kids to revel in what being a kid is about,'' said Bob Brandenburg, the attraction's creator and director. ``All of us, when we were kids, liked to play in mud piles. I remember my mother would always just freak because whenever there was a puddle, I always had to walk through it. We try to create those opportunities to kind of exalt in being kids.''

So be forewarned: ``Totally Nickelodeon'' is loud.

And it takes the clean, out of good, clean fun.

In the world of ``Totally Nickelodeon,'' that means getting slimed. Or getting doused, drenched or dunked in Gak, which is any messy substance other than slime. Think cream pies in the face, water-filled balloons and what passes for a TV dinner dumped on one's head. (The recipe for the green slime is reportedly a secret).

If you're a kid, it's an honor to be slimed. If you're of the adult persuasion, you're more likely to be on the receiving end of Gak.

``Totally Nickelodeon'' takes place in the 1,200-seat theater that housed the Flintstones show for two years. The new show lasts about 25 minutes. Those waiting in line are treated to a preshow 15 minutes before the start. Naturally, there's a Nickelodeon shop nearby to help parents rid themselves of spare dollar bills.

Inside the theater, after tossing around a giant beach ball with Gak Control cast members and watching a short video montage of clips of shows on Nick at Nite, the audience is divided into a red team and blue team. The teams root for the 26 kid and adult volunteers chosen to play the games on stage. (One mom put the kibosh on her son raising his hand to volunteer by admonishing, ``No slime. No slime.'')

The audience picks three out of six games to play.

``It's a very different type of show,'' said Diane Duncan, creative manager for ``Totally Nickelodeon.'' ``The guests really do help make the show up as you go along.

``The whole idea of Nickelodeon and the show is it's really empowering kids. Even though we've had interactive shows before, this is really getting the parents and kids to work together as teams and to accomplish something - and to have a good time doing it.''

On this particular rehearsal day, participants raced to collect the most sweaty socks filled with water balloons, rushed to turn an adult into a better Good Burger with giant ``onion rings'' and condiments and tossed newspapers at targets to knock ``TV dinners'' on poncho-clad couch potatoes.

Forget cash prizes. The winners' victory celebrations entailed getting dumped with slime from the Sliminator, taking a few pies in the face from the Pie Pod or sliding down the Sundae Slide into a mixture of baker's cream and whipped cream, then being topped off with butterscotch-colored syrup that, according to one participant, smelled similar to tapioca pudding.

If you're from a noncable household, that's OK, attraction organizers say.

``Kids have an enormous awareness of Nickelodeon, even if they don't have cable in their homes,'' Brandenburg said. ``You could come and have never heard of Nickelodeon and be entertained. ... You might not want to volunteer right away.''

The biggest challenge was making sure the games were acceptable to kids, organizers say. Sixteen students from area schools were made members of an advisory panel to offer their suggestions for improving the show.

``We really test everything,'' Brandenburg said. ``I talk to the kids. We are really concerned we deliver what they expect. Too often in life I think kids are an underserved audience who do not get listened to and don't get what they ask for. ... We try to celebrate being a kid, having a great time playing and enjoying that world.''

``Totally Nickelodeon'' will be updated annually with new games, he said.

``We really hope to keep this show reflective of what's on the air,'' Brandenburg said.

Scot and Mathieu Harem and Taylor Tolleson all agreed afterward, ``It was cool.''

Taylor's one concern? ``Does this stuff come out of your clothes?'' A Universal Studios representative assured him it would.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos

Photo: (1) Steve Loomis is doused by condiment-wielding kids during a ``Totally Nickelodeon'' preview.

(2) An unidentified volunteer takes a few pies in the face while at the Pie Pod during the preview.

(3) Jennifer Brackett, 9, of Annabelle, Va., gets slimed at the Universal Studios Hollywood theater.

Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News