Original air date: 2/23/1992 (produced in 1991)
Black Hole
Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy are sucked into a black hole and as they look for a way out, loads of bizarre things happen to them.
Stimpy's Invention
Stimpy wants to try out each of his new inventions on Ren, and after his "Stay Put Socks" work a little too well, decides that he needs to make Ren happy...
Black Hole contains examples of...
- Acid-Trip Dimension
- Better to Die than Be Killed: Facing a slow death by mutation in an inhospitable dimension, our heroes decide to implode themselves.
- Body Horror: Something in the black hole is making Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy mutate into bizzare creatures.
- Captain's Log: The episode opens with one, as the Commander reports the dire black hole situation he and Cadet Stimpy are facing.
- Everything Explodes Ending: Or rather, Everyone Implodes Ending.
- Hope Spot: Our heroes have until 5:00 to reach the nearest portal out of this dimension. They make it with just seconds to spare and board the bus, only to get kicked out for not having exact change. To rub salt in the sound, Stimpy only realizes he did have exchange change in his pocket after the bus leaves and the two decided to implode themselves.
- I Can See My House from Here: Said by Stimpy after they climb the mountain of missing left socks.
- Imagine Spot: The Commander pictures himself being awarded a massive cash reward and the Nobel Peace Prize for finding all the world's missing left socks.
- Irony: The Commander and the Cadet can't board the last bus out of the dimension because they don't have exact change. After the Cadet has set themselves to implode, he finds that he had change in his pocket the whole time, even commenting on how ironic it is.
- Landfill Beyond the Stars/Super-Sargasso Sea: Commander Hoek discovers the place where all the world's missing left socks end up.
- Oh, Crap!: When all options to avoid getting sucked into the black hole fail, the computer has only one suggestion: scream. The Commander and the Cadet oblige.
- Trapped in Another World
Stimpy's Invention contains examples of...
- And I Must Scream: The Happy Helmet, a device which forces the wearer to smile and be happy 24/7 against their will, all while they're perfectly aware that they should not be this happy.
- Animation Bump: This is by far the most polished episode of the first season, with some great animation by Carbunkle Cartoons. The animation of Ren under the influence of the happy helmet is particularly fluid and intricate. Not surprisingly, the episode took nearly a year to produce.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Ren demands that Stimpy hand over what he's holding behind his back. Stimpy obliges by putting the Happy Helmet on his head.
- Big "WHAT?!": Ren shouts this when Stimpy first asks for help with his inventions.
- Bowdlerization: Some of Ren's crazy poses didn't make it into the cartoon if it was going to be made at all. Shame; those poses are hilarious.
- Also, whenever this episode is shown on BBC Two in the UK, they will cut out the part where Stimpy displays the Cheese-o-Phone. Who was offended by this and how is anyone's guess.
- The shot of Ren rolling up his newspaper like an angry father about to wallop his son as Stimpy is about to put the Happy Helmet on him was also cut from reruns.
- Butt-Monkey: Ren is more of one than usual.
- Cheer Up Episode: A demented take on this trope. Stimpy tries to cure Ren from being "unhappy" through a mind control device.
- Curse Cut Short: "YOUUU SICK LEETLE MONKEY! WHY I OUGHTA-!"
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Forcing someone to undergo an ostensibly pleasurable experience against that person's will after having been repeatedly rebuffed, all while that person knows something is happening to them that shouldn't be.
- Dramatic Thunder: Done with Stimpy at the start of his inventing sequence, when he removes his goggles to reveal his determined expression, lightning flashes in the background.
- Evil Laugh: Stimpy, while not exactly evil, does some pretty scary laughing as he's trying out the helmet.
- Fighting from the Inside: Throughout the episode, Ren tries to fight the power of the Happy Helmet. Eventually he manages to get enough control to get a hammer and destroy the helmet.
- Genius Ditz / Mad Scientist: Stimpy, of course!
- Getting Smilies Painted on Your Soul: "It's the Happy Helmet, Ren. Now you'll always be happy!"
- Gosh Darn It to Heck!: When Stimpy asks Ren if he's angry (as Ren is strangling him), Ren screams "'YER DARN-TOOTIN', I'M ANGRY!!"
- Hard-Work Montage: When Stimpy is at his lab creating the Happy Helmet.
- I Warned You: In one of the lyrics, Stinky Wizzleteats insists he warned someone that he'd shoot, but that person didn't believe him. WHY DIDN'T THAT PERSON BELIEVE HIM?!
- I'll Kill You!: "You filthy swine! I will KEEL YOU!!"
- Jerkass Has a Point: One of the few episodes where Ren's outrage at Stimpy is completely justified. Subjecting someone to body and/or mind altering scientific trials without their consent is unethical and in many cases, illegal.
- Laughing Mad: From both Ren and Stimpy.
- Lyrical Dissonance: The spoken word sections of "Happy Happy Joy Joy" become more and more distressing, eventually devolving into Word Salad Lyrics.The little critters of nature. They don't know that they're ugly. That's pretty funny, a fly marrying a bumblebee. I told you I'd shoot, but you didn't believe me! WHY DIDN'T YOU BELIEVE ME?!
- Marionette Motion: Ren's movements under the helmet are funny and scary at the same time.
- Mind-Control Device: The Happy Helmet.
- Neck Lift: Once free of the Happy Helmet, an enraged Ren grabs Stimpy's neck with both hands and holds him above the ground.
- Nightmare Fetishist: Turns out being angry is what makes Ren happy.
- No Celebrities Were Harmed: Stinky Wizzleteats, the singer of the "Happy Happy Joy Joy!" song, is based on folk singer and actor Burl Ives. The increasingly disturbing lines from the song are taken from Ives' role in The Big Country. Ives was invited to sing the song himself, but was unavailable (John K. performed the song in his place), later admitting that he'd have loved to have done it.
- Slasher Smile: The episode closes on Ren doing this, as he is legitimately happy over being so angry.
- Stepford Smiler: Ren has a tortured smile on his face while under the effect of the Happy Helmet.
- Understatement: As an enraged Ren is practically choking him to death, Stimpy refers to him as angry.
- Universal Translator: One of Stimpy's inventions is the Cheesophone, which lets one communicate to cheeses, regardless of their foreign tongue. "Go ahead, Ren. Say something in Limburger."
- The Un-Smile: Ren while wearing the Happy Helmet, as he is literally being forced to be happy.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: While he did have good intentions to bring happiness to Ren, Stimpy placing a device on him that made him happy all the time was a bit too much.
- Written Sound Effect: When Ren throws the Cheesophone at Stimpy, you can see the world "Splat!" as it hits him.
- "You!" Exclamation: After the shaver invention wreaks havoc on his fur, Ren shouts this at Stimpy.
- Your Mom: “I’ll teach your grandmother to suck eggs!”
