The fourth episode of the ninth season of Rugrats (1991).
Clown Around
At a circus, Angelica makes the babies think Chuckie is going to turn into a clown, while she tries to get herself into the show after becoming obsessed with a performer's costume.
The Baby Rewards
The babies have their own awards show after being inspired by one Angelica was watching on TV.
"Clown Around" provides examples of:
- Afraid of Clowns: Chuckie's fear of clowns is once again brought up. In this episode, he views becoming a clown as a terrifying fate.
- Absurd Phobia: Stu is revealed to be scared of cotton candy after Drew stuck his face in a cotton candy machine during a trip to the circus as a kid.
- Circus Episode: The series' second.
- Clownification: Invoked. Angelica tricks the kids into thinking that Chuckie is turning into a clown after various Contrived Coincidences (his lips getting red from eating a snowcone, wearing clown shoes that Chas gave to him, and getting powder on his face).
- Contrived Coincidence: Angelica tricks the babies into thinking that Chuckie is going to turn into a clown. Chuckie starts to look like a clown after eating a red snow-cone, wearing clown shoes as a souvenir that Chas bought him, and having a run-in with a powder puff. He ends up getting mistaken for a real clown by the other clowns and getting roped into performing with them in the center ring.
- Everyone Laughs Ending: This episode ends with the babies laughing after Chuckie changes his mind about not being afraid of clowns anymore.
- Hypocritical Humor: When the dads find the babies, Chas asks where Chuckie is, and Drew tells him, "You can't take your eyes off them for a second, Chas."... then immediately asks where Angelica is.
- Noodle Incident: When Stu and Drew visited the circus as kids, Drew dunked Stu's face in a cotton candy machine.
- Oh, Crap!: Angelica groans unhappily when she sees Drew after trying to partake in a trapeze act.
- Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?: Chuckie doesn't like going to the circus because of his fear of clowns, and things get worse for him when he starts to believe he's becoming a clown.
"The Baby Rewards" provides examples of:
- Award Show: In this episode, the babies decide to have their own awards show after seeing one on TV.
- Award Snub: An In-Universe example; Phil is about to accept the award for best hair, but Fluffy takes it since it was made from her food bowl and hairbrush. Phil then says "It's not even real hair! It's fur!"
- Buffy Speak: Stu refers to his combination square as a "measuring thingy".
- Call-Back: Cynthia, P.I. is shown to have won several awards at the beginning of this episode.
- Cassandra Truth: Susie doesn't believe Angelica when Angelica tells her that her Dummi Bear snow globe was right in front of her (the babies used it as a trophy for their awards show). Susie finds out that Angelica told the truth when she sees that the babies used her snow globe for their best friend award.
- Charlie Brown Baldness: When Tommy presents the award for best hair, he acknowledges that he and Dil probably won't win it due to how little hair each of them have.
- Comically Missing the Point: When Angelica tells the babies that awards are toys on plates, Phil asks if Cynthia's actress is going to eat her awards.
- Deadpan Snarker: Drew. When Stu finds that Tommy used his ruler for his awards show, he then tells Drew he's really going to thank him for installing a new stovetop pot scrubber. Drew says "Yes, Stu, you're the best brother ever." with much sarcasm.
- Failed a Spot Check: When the babies look for things to make awards with, Lil fails to notice a real trophy under the couch and picks up a hairbrush instead.
- Malaproper: The babies mispronounce "award" as "reward", hence this episode's title.
- Noodle Incident: When Susie comes to Angelica's house, Angelica accuses Susie of not returning her Cynthia dream blimp, but Susie assures her she did even though Angelica never gave her back her Dummi Bear snow globe.
- Rule of Three: The babies have three awards in their awards show; the Best Brother award (which Stu wins due to his ruler being used for it and Drew sarcastically telling him he's the best brother ever), the Best Hair award (which Fluffy wins because the award was made from her food bowl and hairbrush, and she has the most hair), and the Best Friend award (which Angelica wins because Susie found out she really did tell the truth, and the award was made from her Dummi Bear snowglobe). There would have been a fourth award for Best Feet, but Tommy didn't count it because the shoe wasn't on a plate like the others.
- Stuff Blowing Up: Stu's stovetop potscrubber ends up blowing a hole in Angelica's house. Drew is not amused.Stu: Look at the bright side, your kitchen has a skylight now.
Drew It's called a hole, Stu. A hole!
