Original air date: 6/7/2002 (produced in 2001)
Episode number: 13b
Timmy wants to get his crush Trixie Tang a birthday present, but he doesn't know what a girl like her would want. Timmy ends up accidentally wishing himself into a girl. "Timantha" goes to the mall to look for a present and unexpectedly comes across Trixie in a comic book store. Meanwhile, Cosmo and Wanda are forced to switch genders as punishment for temporarily turning Timmy into a girl.
This episode provides examples of:
- An Aesop: Males and females might be different, but they aren't two different species. Learn to see them as humans.
- Attractive Bent-Gender: Timmy's best friend A.J. falls for "Timantha" and tries to win her over with a dead frog.
- Asian and Nerdy: Trixie is Asian and a Closet Geek who's into comics.
- Big "NO!": Chester does this when A.J. falls for "Timantha."
- Birthday Episode: For Trixie.
- Bittersweet Ending: Timmy learns about Trixie's hidden background and gets to go to Trixie's party, but she catapults him out upon saying it's because she has girl friends to share her feminine interests with, and nothing more (though she does remember his name). But nevertheless, he has gotten to know her more, even when he was a girl, and doesn't let that bother him.
- Blah, Blah, Blah: "Untranslated" girl talk: "Blah blah, shopping! Blah blah, clothes! Blah blah, hair! Blah blah, boy bands! Blah blah, we'll never notice you!"
- Brick Joke: "Roderick, no!" is shouted first by Timmy while watching a soap opera and then at the end by him and the women at the salon watching wrestling.
- Characterization Marches On: Trixie secretly being a tomboy and being nicer than she lets on was dropped as flanderization set in, aside from maybe a reference in ""The Big Superhero Wish!" with Trixie's interest in superheroes. The Trixie in this episode is completely different from the Trixie in season 4's "Just The Two Of Us!".
- Closet Geek: Trixie hides her interest in comics from her friends who think superheroes are only for nerdy boys.
- Compressed Hair: Trixie stuffs her long hair into a baseball cap.
- Different for Girls: Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda all have trouble after the genderswap.
- Distant Reaction Shot: After Trixie befriends Timantha, she takes out a photo of Veronica and rips it in half; the scene cuts to Veronica on the escalator dropping her bags and flinching and screaming in anger.
- Gender Bender: The main trope of the episode, happening to Timmy, Cosmo, and Wanda. Timmy gets forcibly gender-swapped by Wanda due to Loophole Abuse and she and Cosmo mock him, then Timantha wishes for both to genderswap in punishment.
- Gender-Bender Friendship: Trixie becomes best friends with Timmy when he temporarily turns into a girl.
- Genre Savvy: Chester convinces AJ to get firewood for Trixie's birthday presents knowing that she'll burn whatever gifts they do get her.
- Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak: Trixie is usually girly but she also likes comic books and "gross" things like dead frogs. The women at the salon also enjoy watching wrestling.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: It's implied that Trixie's Alpha Bitch tendencies are predominantly a facade, as she lets her guard down when away from her friends.
- In Touch with His Feminine Side: This episode shows that Timmy has stereotypically feminine attributes like watching soap operas and enjoying salons.
- Karmic Transformation:
- As Timmy laughs at the idea of wishing for himself to be turned into a girl, Wanda actually does it to teach a lesson.
- In turn as Wanda changes Timmy into a girl against his will, and she, along with Cosmo, mocks him for it, Timmy wishes for both of them to swap genders in retaliation.
- Literary Allusion Title: Named after The Man Who Would be King.
- Lonely Rich Kid: Because of her affluent "popular girl" image, Trixie can't be true to herself around her friends.
- Loophole Abuse: Timmy didn't actually wish for the Gender Bender; he mocked the idea of being a girl by saying "Like I'd wish I was a girl!". Wanda uses the words "I", "wish" and "girl" as an excuse to teach him a lesson.
- Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Trixie is a Girly Girl with a Tomboy Streak, while Timmy is In Touch with His Feminine Side. The two become temporary friends.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: No one guesses that Timantha is Timmy, despite their near identical names, voices, and looks.
- Pet the Dog: Trixie finally remembers Timmy's name.
- Running Gag: Dead frogs.
- First brought out by Cosmo to Timmy (who thinks is gross).
- Then by A.J. to Timantha at the mall.
- Then again by A.J. to Timantha and Trixie (who thinks it's cool) at the arcade.
- And a final time by A.J. to Veronica at the arcade's boys' restroom.
- Screams Like a Little Girl:
- Timmy's voice is pretty much the same as Timantha, except when first seeing the change in the mirror.
- Chester when A.J. first falls for Timantha, and again when he barricades himself and A.J. in the boys' bathroom - only for Veronica to come out of one of the stalls, having mixed up the restrooms.
- Sobriquet Sex Switch:
- Timmy goes by the name "Timantha" as a girl.
- When they make fun of him after his transformation, Timmy makes Cosmo and Wanda change into "Cosma" and "Wando".
- Sweet Polly Oliver: Trixie pretends to be a boy while at the comic book store.
- Tempting Fate: Chester, after dragging A.J. into the safety of the boys' bathroom, says this.Chester: Dude, boys like comics. Girls like dolls. Boys like video games. Girls like makeup. We're different! That's why we have different bathrooms!
Veronica: (Emerging from one of the stalls) Um, am I in the wrong room?
Chester: (Screams) Nothing makes sense anymore!
A.J.: Frog? - Tertiary Sexual Characteristics: Timantha wears a bow and dress, and has eyelashes.
- Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: In contrast to their regular selves, gender-bent Cosmo and Wanda play this trope straight. While Cosmo mostly gains Tertiary Sexual Characteristics like long hair and eyelashes, Wanda becomes significantly uglier and fatter, with a bald head an a Perma-Stubble. She also becomes less willing to care for her personal appearance, as s/he herself lampshades:Wanda (as "Wando"): Why am I tempted to scratch myself and not care who sees?
- Uninvited to the Party: Trixie deliberately passes out birthday-party tickets to her entire class... except Timmy, Chester, and AJ. She actually had three tickets reserved for them, solely for her bodyguard to dramatically tear up.
- Who's Laughing Now?: Doubly so. Upon Timmy mocking the idea of wishing he was a girl, Wanda used Loophole Abuse so it comes true, which Cosmo found amusing. Both are soon laughing out loud and being very mocking. Then, Timantha answers back...Timantha: I'm off to the mall to find something Trixie'll like, but just so you two have something to laugh at while I'm gone, I wish you (points at Cosmo) were a woman, and you (points at Wanda) were a man!
Cosmo and Wanda: What??
Timantha: You're my godparents, no choice! - Yank the Dog's Chain: Just as A.J.'s dead frog impressed Trixie, Chester pulled him away.
