Original air date: 3/8/2002 (produced in 2001)
Episode number: 9a
Timmy's friends are getting rid of their old toys, but Timmy's reluctant to get rid of his Crimson Chin toy, so he wishes himself doll-sized for one last adventure with his action figure. Tootie ends up finding Cosmo and Wanda who were in doll form, and Timmy must go into Vicky’s house to rescue them.
Received a novelization in the chapter book Timmy Turner, Action Hero!
This episode contains examples of:
- A Shared Suffering: Timmy realizes that Vicky is abusing Tootie like she abuses him.
- Actually Pretty Funny: In the novelization, Timmy decides that the water balloon Tootie threw at him was amusing and laughs with everyone else.
- Big Sister Bully: Surprising no one, Vicky is this to Tootie. She regularly destroys her little sister's toys, and when hearing how the toys belong to Timmy, her favorite victim, she goes for a more destructive weapon despite knowing her little sister is in love with him.
- Blackmail: Vicky blackmails kids into doing her housework.
- Blatant Lies: Timmy tries to tell Tootie that he's not interested in girls. This was after it was established he had a crush on Trixie Tang.
- Brats with Slingshots: Timmy, Chester, and AJ use them in this episode.
- Chekhov's Gun: Chester launches his retainer near the beginning. The Crimson Chin doll later finds it and uses it to destroy the lawn mower that nearly cuts Timmy apart.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Cosmo reminds Timmy that Tootie is deserving of sympathy since she has to endure Vicky's bullying far more often than he does.
- Establishing Character Moment: This is Tootie's first appearance outside of the Oh Yeah! cartoons, and she's quickly established as Timmy's Stalker with a Crush. The end of the episode also points out that as Vicky's little sister who lives with her, she endures Vicky's hell on a regular basis.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Subverted. When Vicky thinks Doidle has peed in the house, she chews him out since he's been trained to not go in the house, showing she has at least some decency and standards... but then she reminds him he's only allowed to pee outside or at Timmy's house.
- "Everybody Laughs" Ending: In the novelization.
- False Friend: Subtly implied when Chester and AJ find what they think is an action figure of Timmy, only to prepare to destroy it just like the other toys.
- Fourth-Date Marriage: Played for Laughs. Tootie's game with her toys consists of her toy version of herself immediately marrying her toy version of Timmy. Cosmo and Wanda are surprised at how strong her crush on Timmy is.
- Growing Up Sucks: Downplayed. Timmy eventually feels remorseful about getting rid of his Crimson Chin doll, wanting to play with it again, but eventually realizes why he grew tired of it and is later willing to give it back to Tootie.
- Incredible Shrinking Man: Timmy shrinks down to toy size.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Timmy and the boys are cruel to Tootie, but the episode makes plain that Timmy is not in the wrong for not reciprocating the feelings of someone he's just not interested in.
- Jerkass Realization: That said, Timmy realizes he also shouldn't be so cruel to Tootie just for having a crush on him, especially since she comes from a truly terrible home life and learns that her feelings for him are often her form of refuge from it. While Timmy still gives Tootie some false hope, he still agrees he must genuinely be nicer to her on principle.
- Karma Houdini: The only form of comeuppance Vicky receives for her bullying of Tootie is her inability to melt the now-made-indestructible Crimson Chin doll Timmy gives to Tootie.
- Kick the Dog: The boys rain water balloons on Tootie when she comes looking for Timmy, who later realizes this was an awful thing to do. Even when Tootie asks if she can simply come to the treehouse to dry off, she gets another balloon as a reward.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The episode ends with Timmy getting a water balloon thrown at him, and he admits he deserved it for what he did to Tootie.
- Living Toys: Cosmo and Wanda bring the Crimson Chin doll to life.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Subverted. Timmy being nice to Tootie leads to his friends helping throw a water balloon at him for being nice to a girl, but Timmy admits he deserves it for how he treated Tootie.
- No Romantic Resolution: Tootie doesn't win over Timmy, who lies that he isn't interested in girls yet but leads her on to think he might be in a year. Tootie doesn't mind, too frazzled by even a chance of having her feelings returned.
- Pet the Dog: Timmy gives Tootie some hope that one day he might reciprocate her feelings, claiming that he's not interested in girls yet but will be in a year's time.
- Politically Incorrect Hero: The boys aren't just trying to get rid of Tootie with water balloons because of her crush on Timmy, but because she's a girl. At the end of the episode, Chester and AJ don't help water balloon Timmy because he deserves it (as Timmy himself admits), but because he was nice to a girl.
- Shout-Out: The premise of Living Toys, an older sibling bullying their younger sibling by destroying their toys, a violent dog mauling the toys, and a theme about outgrowing toys are all clear homages to the Toy Story franchise.
- Single-Target Sexuality: While playing with her toys, Tootie has her toy counterpart tell Timmy she's willing to wait for him forever. Being told Timmy won't be interested in girls for a year only makes her excited she now has a window for when it could happen.
- Snarky Inanimate Object: Invoked by Timmy's final wish for the Crimson Chin doll he gifted to Tootie. He makes it both indestructible and insult Vicky every time she messes with it.
- Stalker Shrine: Tootie takes Cosmo and Wanda to add to hers.
- Still Sucks Thumb: Timmy sucks his thumb after Cosmo and Wanda in their doll forms are taken by Tootie while he's still toy-sized. Chester and AJ see him in this state and think he's a Timmy Turner action figure with "thumb-sucking action."
- The Tape Knew You Would Say That: Near the end, when Timmy is comforting Tootie, the doll has a oddly specific action phrase."I’m totally into the idea of you giving me to Tootie. This way, she’ll always have a littlepiece of you she can smother and choke with love."
- Too Kinky to Torture: Sentient beings getting forced into each other's faces would usually be painful or inconvenient at best, but Cosmo doesn't mind since he's getting to kiss his wife repeatedly. Wanda ends up on the bad end of the deal, receiving the brunt of the unintentional abuse from Tootie.
- Treehouse of Fun: Timmy's treehouse, which gets an upgrade thanks to Cosmo and Wanda.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: Tootie unknowingly causes the episode's conflict by stealing Cosmo and Wanda, and Chester and AJ make it worse by launching Timmy (who they think is a toy) out of the treehouse.
- Water Guns and Balloons: Timmy, Chester, and AJ use these on Tootie when she tries to come over. At the end, Tootie uses one on Timmy.
