"The Loud House" (retroactively titled "Bathroom Break!!") is the Pilot Episode for The Loud House. This short was produced as a part of Nickelodeon's 2013 Animated Shorts Program, before being released online on June 5, 2014.
In it, Lincoln welcomes us into the Loud house, where, in a big family like his, even going to the bathroom is an adventure.
Tropes found in this pilot:
- Alliterative List: Lincoln, in the pilot, has "three P's to go poo and pee": patience, perseverance, and problem-solving.
- Awkward Poetry Reading: Lucy reads Lincoln (who has to use the bathroom quite badly) a poem she made that compares love to water. Naturally, this does not help Lincoln's urgency one bit.
- Carry the One: Lincoln reminds Lisa to carry a one.
- Establishing Character Moment: Every one of the sisters gets one in the pilot, all in under two minutes.
- Establishing Series Moment: The pilot which shows what a huge ordeal it is in a huge family simply to get to the bathroom.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Lincoln in the pilot; after Lori beats him to the bathroom and starts to panic about holding it in, he gets distracted by the smell of Lily's dirty diaper:Lincoln: Ugh, could clear a room. (realization) Could clear a room!
- Here We Go Again!: The pilot ends with Lincoln finally using the toilet, only to realize there's no toilet paper to wipe his bottom with.
- Last-Second Joke Problem: At the end of the pilot, Lincoln resolves his Potty Emergency... only to find there is no toilet paper left.
- Named After First Installment: The pilot episode was titled "The Loud House" when it first aired, as the main place where the show's set. It was renamed "Bathroom Break" in reruns when the show ended up using its original title.
- Not So Above It All: According to Lola in the pilot, Lincoln, who's normally sensible, once read comics in his underwear on the roof.
- The Oner: The scene of Lincoln running down the hallway to the bathroom, encountering his sisters in their Establishing Character Moment, lasts an entire one minute, ten seconds with no cuts.
- Potty Dance: Lincoln squirms a bit while waiting outside the bathroom as Lucy recites her poem.
- Potty Emergency: The pilot short involves Lincoln trying to make it to the bathroom at the other end of the hallway to pee, but has to tend to his sisters' mischief. He's briefly deterred when Lori beats him there, but he ends up chasing her out with one of Lily's dirty diapers.
- Squirting Flower Gag: Luan tries to squirt Lincoln with the flower; he dodges it, but she then squirts from one of the flowers on her shoes straight into his mouth.
- Technical Euphemism: When Lincoln is suffering from a Potty Emergency, he says that he has a "pressing engagement".
- Toilet Humor: The pilot is focused on Lincoln attempting to use the bathroom, followed by Lincoln using Lily's dirty diaper to chase Lori out.
- The Voiceless: Lisa has no lines in this short.
