Fanboy and Chum Chum are having fun playing with bubble gum in class when Mr. Mufflin enters, forcing them to hide it. But sticking it under the desk sets off an alarm that summons Janitor Poopatine, whose mission is to dispose of gum in class. The boys manage to keep their "baby" (a large wad of gum named "Yum Yum") out of the janitor's view, and take it home for safety. But the next morning Yum Yum is revealed to have come to life, leading to new adventures for our heroes and new discomforts for others.
Tropes:
- Bookends: The episode starts and ends with an establishing shot of the school.
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: Yum Yum's eye opens in the dark right after Fanboy and Chum Chum go to sleep.
- Captain Ersatz: Janitor Poopatine, who debuts in this episode, is one of Emperor Palpatine. Even his robotic janitorial chair, Brenda, beeps like R2-D2.
- Funny Background Event: When we cut to Chum Chum's P.O.V. Cam through his bubble gum helmet, one can notice Kyle doing a sneaky gesture before Lupe, who watches in shock.
- Fun with Acronyms: "ABC": Already Been Chewed.
- Idiosyncratic Wipes: The transition of the boys and Yum Yum from the beach to the movie theater is accompanied by a pack of seagulls falling to cover the screen.
- Moonwalk Dance: Michael Johnson can be seen doing this at the beginning of the classroom scene.
- Near-Villain Victory: Poopatine comes within two seconds of killing Yum Yum, but Mr. Mufflin manages to stop him.
- Pop-Culture Pun Episode Title: The first of many, parodying The Empire Strikes Back. The title card even provides the page image.
- Staggered Zoom: Happens when Fanboy discovers Yum Yum has disappeared from the drawer.
