It's the start of the new year, and Skid visits Pump's house with his Happy Fella in tow so they can hang out.
"Deadly Smiles" contains examples of:
- An Aesop: Skid and Pump discuss what they've learned from their time with the evil Happy Fella doll in the ending. They conclude that you don't need toys or possessions to make you happy; all you need is a friend to make you happy.
- Artifact Title: Downplayed. While the episode is still Halloween-themed, "Deadly Smiles" is the first episode not to focus on "Spooky Month", primarily following the kids trying to have fun with their Happy Fella doll while the possessed Ax-Crazy doll is trying to escape them.
- Cooked to Death: Lila and the boys dispose of the Dexter-possessed Happy Fella doll by trapping him in the oven and roasting him until he melts... but then they have to do it again, as Jaune comes by with another doll that Dexter's ghost subsequently possesses.
- Covers Always Lie: The thumbnail for the episode has Skid and Pump looking uneasy, presumably because of the Happy Fella. In the episode itself, the two not only don't take him seriously as a threat, but actually get mad at him for his mistreatment of them and Lila.
- Delayed "Oh, Crap!": While the boys are watching a horror movie in the theater, Pump notices that the Happy Fella is missing, to which Skid explains that he went to pee. It takes them a few seconds to remember that dolls can't pee.
- Five-Finger Fillet: In one of his attempts to kill Skid and Pump, the Happy Fella suggests playing the "Knife Game", pulling out the kitchen knife he stole and stabbing the floor between his fingers to demonstrate. He hits one of his fingers while doing it, but as he's a doll it doesn't hurt.
- Ham and Deadpan Duo: In their short screentime working together, Radford is passionate and emotes immensely, while Rick is done with life and barely moves at all.
- Here We Go Again!: Subverted. At first it seems like the ending will conclude on Jaune bringing another Happy Fella to the house, but Lila freaks out and tells her to throw it in the oven the moment Dexter tries to break out of the box the doll's in. Played straight from the antagonist's perspective, when Dexter realizes that he's going to have to suffer being baked in the oven again.
- Horrifying the Horror:
- Frank normally maintains an aloof attitude even when performing his kidnappings, but the Happy Fella suddenly coming to life, violently threatening to kill him and then biting his thumb causes Frank to panic, punch it in the face, and then risk being seen by the cops by throwing it in their car.
- In the YouTube ending, Ooga Booga jumpscares the audience like usual, only this time with a Happy Fella doll. However, the doll then goes "ooga booga!" (with the same voice as the TV show one), scaring her into dropping it. It doesn't take her long to recover, however, as she jumpscares the audience again herself.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: After watching the second possessed Happy Fella get burned in Lila's oven, Jaune asks if she has anything to drink. Lila replies that she only has spoiled milk, which Jaune accepts.
- Rage Breaking Point: Subverted; after realizing the doll that stabbed him belonged to Skid and Pump, Kevin looks like he's about to snap and fly into a rage, only to sigh and go "whatever".
- Sequel Hook: The ending has Skid and Pump walk past the TV just before it flicks on to a news report announcing that the cannibalistic serial killer Bob Velseb has escaped from jail, thus setting up the antagonist for the next episode, "Tender Treats".
- Soundtrack Dissonance: The wistful piano section of "Not Happy Anymore
", which sounds as if it were meant to evoke a sense of bittersweet nostalgia, plays over the Happy Fella doll's defeat of being Cooked to Death in Lila's oven. - Spoof Aesop: Skid attempts to lead into a conversation by asking Pump what they learned today, to which Pump responds with a recap of the episode's plot.Skid: Uhh, Pump, what did we learn today?
Pump: That ugly possessed dolls are mean and they don't want to play with us?
Skid: Possessed? What? - The Stinger: On YouTube, Ooga Booga scares us with (and then gets scared by) her own Happy Fella doll. On Newgrounds, John contemplates a String Theory board in his house before he and Jack go to get donuts; while they're gone, a cultist sets it on fire to destroy all the gathered evidence. The cultist subsequently catches fire before running offscreen.
- Vocal Dissonance: Sad Guy looks like a little boy yet he has a very deep, adult man sounding voice.
