The thirty-seventh episode of the first season of Dennis the Menace (1986).
Ruff's Masterpiece
When Ruff ruins Mr. Wilson's painting, Mr. Wilson throws it away. To Mr. Wilson's shock, an art professor thinks the painting is a masterpiece worthy of being entered in a contest. He later has another painting made with help from another dog so he can enter the contest as well. His strategy works as he wins the contest, but Ruff causes the painting to be damaged, which leads his painting to be the winner after all. However, Mr. Wilson is reluctant to give up the trophy as it gets stuck on his head.
Going to the Dogs
The mailman delivers what Dennis and Joey think is Ruff's new doghouse, but it's really a magic booth that transports the three to Dog City, a world where dogs dress, speak, and act like humans. When Dennis and Joey are thrown in jail, it's up to Ruff to rescue them so they can get back to their own dimension.
Big Baby
Alice has Dennis look after Sylvester, the infant son of Mrs. Atkins, while she goes to the store to buy him some more baby food. Around this time, PeeBee comes to Dennis' house to show him his new super growth formula, which he keeps in a baby bottle since just one drop makes things bigger. When Sylvester gets ahold of PeeBee's bottle, he grows to an enormous size and causes havoc on the city. While PeeBee works on the antidote, Dennis has to get Sylvester back to his house before Alice returns.
"Ruff's Masterpiece" provides examples of:
- Accidental Art: Ruff creates what an art professor believes to be a masterpiece when he runs across Mr. Wilson's painting while playing fetch with Dennis. When Mr. Wilson hears about this, he gets another dog to make him a painting, and this strategy appears to work, as Mr. Wilson's painting wins first prize. That is, until Ruff damages it.
- Bee Afraid: Just after Mr. Wilson wins the art contest, a bee flies towards Ruff. Ruff backs into the podium, causing the trophy to fall on Mr. Wilson, blinding him and causing him to damage his painting.
- Disqualification-Induced Victory: Near the end of this episode, both Mr. Wilson and Dennis enter their paintings in an art contest. Mr. Wilson's appears to win at first, but then Ruff causes the painting to be damaged, disqualifying Mr. Wilson and leaving Ruff the winner by default.
- Yank the Dog's Chain: Just when it appears that Mr. Wilson is about to win the art contest, Ruff causes his painting to be damaged, disqualifying him and leaving Ruff the winner. When Mr. Wilson finds out, he refuses to give up the trophy, especially since it's stuck to his head.
"Going to the Dogs" provides examples of:
- Anthropomorphic Shift: While in Dog City, Ruff gains the abilities to stand upright and speak English. He unfortunately loses those abilities when he, Dennis, and Joey return to their home dimension.
- Fantastic Racism: The inhabitants of Dog City hate humans.
- Funny Animal: The inhabitants of Dog City are all dogs who stand upright, speak English, and wear clothes.
- Disguised in Drag: Ruff disguises himself as an old lady as part of his plan to break Dennis and Joey out of the pound.
- Firehouse Dalmatian: The firefighters of Dog City are all dalmatians.
- Interdimensional Travel Device: The mailman delivers a magical booth that Dennis mistakes for Ruff's new doghouse. When he, Ruff, and Joey get inside it, it takes them to Dog City.
- Jail Bake: When Dennis and Joey are imprisoned, Ruff disguises himself as an old lady and gives them a cake with a bone inside to saw their way out. Dennis asks Ruff why he couldn't have just brought a hacksaw instead, and Ruff tells him, "Never look a gift bone in the mouth!". Unfortunately, they all get caught by the guard and Ruff gets kicked out.
- Pounds Are Animal Prisons: Inverted; the inhabitants of Dog City hate humans and have them imprisoned in pounds.
- Prison Episode: Dennis and Joey get caught by a police dog and imprisoned in a pound, and Ruff has to break them out.
- Suddenly Speaking: While in Dog City, Ruff gains the ability to speak English. He unfortunately loses this ability when he returns to his home dimension.
- Tied-Together-Shoelace Trip: A variant; Ruff handcuffs the legs of two prison guard dogs, and when Dennis and Joey escape, the guard dogs trip when they try to chase them. They eventually run like they're in a three-legged race to catch up to Dennis, Joey, and Ruff.
- Through a Face Full of Fur: Ruff blushes when he realizes that he isn't wearing any clothes like the inhabitants of Dog City.
"Big Baby" provides examples of:
- Alliterative Title: Big Baby.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Sylvester grows to an enormous size as a result of drinking PeeBee's super growth formula. While in his giant state, Sylvester plays with a real car like a toy, pulls out a lamp post, and drinks the water from the water tower of a water treatment plant.
- Babysitting Episode: Alice babysits Sylvester in this episode, and has Dennis look after him when she goes to the market to buy more baby food.
- Full-Name Ultimatum: Near the end of the episode, Alice says "Dennis Mitchell!" when he tries to distract her to prevent her from going outside to see Sylvester, as he worries that Alice might see Sylvester in his giant state. Fortunately, Sylvester has shrunk back to his normal size by the time she gets out.
- ISO-Standard Urban Groceries: Near the end of the episode, Alice returns from the market carrying a paper bag filled with groceries.
- Kids Hate Vegetables: Just like Dennis, Sylvester does not like vegetables. When Alice tries to feed him his lunch of strained vegetables, he blows a raspberry at her and tosses what's left of the strained vegetables onto the floor.
- Ocular Gushers: Sylvester cries after Dennis scolds him for playing with a real car like a toy. Dennis then gets an umbrella to avoid being rained on by Sylvester's tears.
- Shout-Out: The theme tune to The Littles plays in the background when Dennis volunteers to look after Sylvester. Both series were created by Dic Entertainment.
- Straying Baby: After Sylvester drinks PeeBee's super growth formula and grows to an enormous size, he crawls his way to a water treatment plant, and Dennis has to get him back to his house before Alice returns from the market.
- Tempting Fate: After Alice leaves, Dennis tells Sylvester that moms worry too much, then asks him what could possibly happen in just a few minutes. Cue PeeBee coming to Dennis' house to show Dennis his super growth formula.
- Trail of Bread Crumbs: To get Sylvester back to his house, Dennis uses what's left of PeeBee's Super Growth Formula on some jelly beans and lays a trail of them for Sylvester to follow.
- Unfortunate Item Swap: PeeBee keeps his super growth formula in a baby bottle, since just one drop makes things bigger. Sylvester gets ahold of PeeBee's bottle and drinks most of the formula, growing to an enormous size as a result.
