The second episode of the third season of Aaahh!!! Real Monsters.
Gromble's Opening Line: "Krumm, call me crazy!"
Krumm Gets Ahead
Krumm gets a prosthetic head to hold his eyes so he won't lose them and he can have better use of his hands, but this causes problems for him, Ickis, and Oblina.
It's Only a Movie
Ickis becomes terrified by Cuddles the Bear, a cute cartoon bear when he sees a movie centered around him. When Zimbo finds out about this, he disguises himself as Cuddles to scare Ickis out of his wits.
"Krumm Gets Ahead" provides examples of:
- Acquired Situational Narcissism: After getting his new head, Krumm becomes very proud of it, to the point of prioritizing it over his friends.
- Eyes Do Not Belong There: Krumm always carries his eyes around in his hands, and usually puts them in his mouth when he needs to hold something. In this episode, he gets a prosthetic head to hold his eyes so that he has better use of his hands without losing his eyes.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: Near the end of the episode, Ickis and Oblina get trapped in a car full of tin cans that's about to get crushed in a compactor. When Krumm comes to save them, he loses his prosthetic head, which is in danger of being crushed by a car suspended above it. Krumm has to choose between saving his friends or saving his prosthetic head, and inevitably ends up doing the former.
- Help, I'm Stuck!: Krumm's prosthetic head gets him stuck in a toilet, which compromises his, Ickis, and Oblina's scare assignment, especially when it causes the bathroom to flood with water.
- I Broke a Nail: A male example; Ickis breaks his claw while attempting to remove a screw from Krumm's prosthetic head.
- Potty Emergency: The human that Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina were assigned to scare has one, triggered by watching a movie about a dam bursting after drinking several cans of soda. When he sees the bathroom door is closed, he thinks his wife is in there, keeping him waiting. When he opens the door, the flood of toilet water washes him away.
- Punny Title: This episode's title refers to getting ahead, meaning to become successful in one's life or career, but also, Krumm gets a prosthetic head.
- The Walls Are Closing In: Ickis and Oblina get trapped in a car about to be crushed in a compactor, but Krumm comes to their rescue before they can be crushed.
"It's Only a Movie" provides examples of:
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: Zimbo does nothing but whine and beg for the Snorch to stop the music while offering phony apologies throughout his punishment. The Gromble's response? "Play it again, Snorch."
- Bears Are Bad News: When Zimbo finds out about Ickis' fear of Cuddles the Bear, he disguises himself as Cuddles to scare Ickis out of his wits.
- Cassandra Truth: Initially, Krumm and Oblina don't believe Ickis when he tells them that he's being tormented by Cuddles.
- Cool and Unusual Punishment: For tormenting Ickis, the Gromble subjects Zimbo to listening to Cuddles the Bear's own cutesy theme music, provided by the Snorch.
- The Door Slams You: When Ickis discovers that Cuddles is really a disguised Zimbo, he decides to fight back, at one point, slamming a door in his face.
- Furniture Blockade: Ickis places a bunch of furniture in front of the door to keep Cuddles from getting into his dorm room. Krumm manages to push it aside with his strength.
- Jerkass: Zimbo. When he finds out about Ickis' fear of cuddles, he freaks him out more to the point of potentially getting him institutionalized.
- Kids Shouldn't Watch Horror Films: This trope gets played with in this episode when Ickis watches a very cutesy film featuring Cuddles the Bear. Being a monster, cutesy stuff gives him nightmares.
- Laser-Guided Karma: After Ickis exposes Zimbo for the fraud that he is, the Gromble takes Zimbo to the Snorch to have him punished in the form of having to listen to rather cutesy music, done by the Snorch.
- Not Afraid of You Anymore: Once Ickis discovers that Cuddles the Bear is really a disguised Zimbo, he is rightfully upset and decides to get back at him by chasing after him and scaring him by transforming into his One-Winged Angel form.
- Oil Slick: Once he discovers that Cuddles is really a disguised Zimbo, he decides to fight back, at one point using this trick on him.
- Sickeningly Sweet: Cuddles Saves the Forest III is a very saccharine movie that monsters are forbidden to watch because it gives them nightmares. This happens to Ickis when he sees the movie, and Zimbo decides to exploit Ickis' fear by disguising himself as Cuddles.
