Mrs. Clusky is talking to Helen and her female classmates in their scout uniforms. She then announces that there'll be a "dog parade", which excites Martha when Helen tells her about it. Martha wants a balloon of herself, but Helen explains that there won't be any props; just funny outfits. Martha doesn't want to wear clothes, but is onboard with the idea when she learns the prize may be food. Carolina enters and reveals that a celebrity named Mindy Munchausen is the judge.
After watching Mindy's fashion show, the girls start suggesting costume designs for Martha and Skits. When Martha jokingly suggests Count Dog-ula and Frankfurter-stein, the girls decide that would actually be a good idea and start measuring the dogs and making sewing patterns. Unfortunately, the dogs then start arguing over whose costume will be cooler, which leads to a fight, and they end up ripping one of the patterns. Thus, the girls kick the dogs out while they replace the ripped pattern.
Then, they sew the outfits and put them on the dogs, but the dogs dislike the outfits. After taking a photo in the yard, Helen and Martha go back inside so Helen can re-hem Martha's outfit, but Skits starts chasing a squirrel. Carolina gives chase until Mindy Munchausen herself returns Skits to Carolina and compliments her on his outfit.
Back in the Lorraine house, Carolina gleefully tells Helen about Mindy. Then, T.D. comes over, saying that he's seen Mindy, and she was talking on the phone about having seen "the youngest fashion designer ever" and wants to have her on TV. This excites the girls and they tell the dogs about it, but they're not interested. Despite this, Carolina decides to prep Skits anyway and runs with him, forbids him from playing in mud, has him practice balancing, has him walk like a model, and has him take extra naps in the armchair.
On the day of the parade, Carolina tells Mindy that she's ready to go with her, but Mindy doesn't recognise her. It turns out, that the young fashion designer she was talking about on the phone wasn't Carolina but another girl named Alexa. Thus, Martha and Skits don't end up on TV, but they are tied for first place and win doggie treats and medals.
This episode provides examples of
- Aesop Amnesia: Martha says that cats "can't be good" despite learning not to discriminate against them in "There Goes the Neighbourhood".
- Alliterative Name: The judge's name is Mindy Munchausen.
- Alliterative Title: Martha Models.
- And Your Reward Is Edible: Martha is only willing to wear clothes if she might win food. Luckily, she and Skits do — they win dog treats.
- Argument of Contradictions: When Martha tells Skits her costume will be cooler than his, he growls indignantly, to which she responds, "Is to!".
- Bait-and-Switch: It seems like Minnie has come to visit the Lorraines, but it's just T.D.
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: While Skits's costume includes shoes, Martha's doesn't.
- Bittersweet Ending: On the one hand, T.D. is being unfairly yelled at, and Carolina is sulky because she didn't get to be on TV. On the other hand, Martha and Skits win first prize, which is some dog treats, and they don't have to be on the show they weren't interested in.
- Buffy Speak: Helen discusses sewing "cord thingies" to Skits's costume.
- Death Glare:
- Helen gives Martha and Skits the stink eye for ripping her pattern.
- Martha glares at Skits for taking her place on the armchair.
- Dogs Hate Squirrels: When Skits sees a squirrel, he chases after it barking.
- Fantasy Sequence: Martha imagines what a "dog parade" would be like.
- Filthy Fun: Skits plays in mud at one point and Carolina berates him.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal:
- A dog is seen wearing a tuxedo with no pants.
- Pops dresses in a green fancy shirt but no pants.
- Happy Dance:
- Carolina dances excitedly when explaining that Mindy Munchausen will judge the dog parade.
- The girls dance happily when they learn that Mindy possibly wants to have the "youngest fashion designer ever" on TV.
- Hidden Depths: Skits is revealed to be able to balance a book on his nose.
- Joke and Receive: When the girls are coming up with costumes, Martha jokingly suggests Count Dog-ula and Frankfurter-stein. The girls think that would actually be a good idea.
- Noodle Incident: Apparently, Alice once caused an accident that led to a boy in her class losing a toenail.
- Pun: Mindy says that a clothing show will leave viewers "in stitches".
- Shout-Out: Carolina imagines dressing Helen's dogs as Romeo and Juliet, while Helen considers dressing them as Sherlock Bones and Dog-tor Watson, and Martha jokingly suggests Count Dogula and Frankfurter-stein.
- Slapstick: A man ends up knocked into a bush.
- Speak in Unison:
- When Carolina asks, "Do you know who's judging all the outfits at the dog parade?", Helen and Martha ask, "Who?!" in unison.
- When T.D. says, "You'll never guess who I just saw!", the girls say, "Mindy Munchausen" in unison in a deadpan voice.
- Stock Animal Diet: Martha's detective name is Sherlock Bones, and she and Skits end up dressing as hot dogs.
