With the release of her third album, all the focus is on Ariana Grande and her ongoing transition from the flippant Cat Valentine of Victorious to the Dangerous Woman she is today. And while Disney usually gets all the praise for its in-house celebrity-developing laboratory, Nickelodeon has gifted us with a lot of stars over the years, too. Here’s 8 of the network’s most successful alumni.

Ariana Grande 

Before making the adults worry that her anime-inspired stockings may be a little bit too risky for her young fans and before making Mariah Carey furious with her undeniable range, Ariana spent four seasons of Victorious as a red-haired air-headed Cat Valentine and then starred in a spin-off show Sam & Cat, before finally “breaking free” from her television alma mater on a quest to win the hearts of pop fans across the globe. She didn’t retire from acting, but definitely stepped up her game. Though we’re still not sure what to make of her was-it-funny-or-plain-cheesy stint as a tweeting victim on Scream Queens.

Emma Roberts 

Talking about Scream Queens, one of its leads has a Nickelodeon skeleton in her closet, too. Sure, with a last name like that Emma Roberts was literally born to become a Hollywood sensation. Her first proper claim to fame was a role of Addie Singer on Unfabulous, where she spent three seasons trying the convince the viewers that she’s far from being fabulous… Only to evolve into the queen of glamorous horror TV with her later roles on American Horror Story and the aforementioned Scream Queens. We still like to think that American Horror Story: Coven was a direct sequel to Unfabulous—there was always something witchy about Addie, don’t you think?

Victoria Justice 

Victoria Justice may have starred in the episode of Disney’s The Suite Life Of Zack & Cody, but Nickelodeon talent scouts were quick to nab the gorgeous all-singing all-dancing Justice and shower her with all kinds of possibilities to turn herself into a proper teen idol. She passed with flying colors: first as Lola Martinez on Zoey 101 and then in her own show Victorious, as well as starring in countless Nickelodeon productions—from iCarly to The Troop. In recent years (much like Emma Roberts), Victoria has switched to the horror genre: surviving the whole season of MTV’s Eye Candy series and securing the role of Janet in the upcoming The Rocky Horror Picture Show Event, that’s coming to Fox in late 2016.

Keke Palmer 

Justice is not the only Nickelodeon alumni who’ll get the chance to showcase her singing abilities in the re-imagination of a classic musical. Earlier this year Keke Palmer impressed the viewers of Fox’s Grease: Live television special as Marty, who was seemingly great at everything that night: singing, acting and getting through the complicated on-camera costume changes without a hitch. Which makes total sense, when you take into consideration the fact that Palmer has spent three years portraying a vice president of a fashion brand on Nickelodeon’s True Jackson, VP. We’re sure that gig has surely made her immune to any sort of fashion dramas.

Elizabeth Gillies

We loved (or was it loved to hate?) Elizabeth Gillies as the goth-tastic bad girl Jade West on Victorious, who was always up for some sort of teen drama. The four years she spent on the Victoria Justice-fronted show has certainly prepared Gillies for another music-centered (but less PG) show Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll that premiered on FX last summer. Elizabeth plays Gigi, the daughter of a faded rockstar Johny Rock (played by Denis Leary), who’s coming to New York to follow her dad’s footsteps. Apparently it’s not just sex, drugs and TV with Gillies: she also has time to record cover videos for her YouTube channel and release original songs.

Michelle Trachtenberg 

Most people remember Michelle as Dawn, the younger sister of Buffy nobody knew about (and, let’s be honest, nobody asked for) on Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s later seasons. But even before joining the Scooby Gang Trachtenberg was a familiar face for the Nickelodeon viewers as Nona F. Mecklenburg on The Adventures of Pete & Pete in its 1994-1996 seasons. Kudos to the writers with coming up with a last name for her character that’s as complicated as Michelle’s own.

Amanda Bynes 

Back in the late '90s Amanda Bynes was Nickelodoen with All That and The Amanda Show. Then, as most of you know, it all went to hell in 2012 when Bynes turned into a tabloid legend. But we’re hoping she’s doing better these days. If only real-life Amanda could write a letter to Ashley-Amanda via her Ask Ashley segment on All That and ask for some good life advice…

Kenan Thompson

Our Saturday nights wouldn’t be complete without Kenan Thompson comedic talents on Saturday Night Live. But it was a long road to the nation’s top comic league for Thompson. He got his start on Nickelodeon's variety show All That back in 1994, and then starred alongside Kel Mitchelle in Kenan & Kel for four years, as well as turning one of the most successful All That sketches into a feature film, Good Burger. Apparently years spent in the Nickelodeon camp can prepare you for any comedic task, whether you’re playing Martin Luther King, Jr. or Ice Cube.