Ren & Stimpy: The Definitive First and Second Season Episode Log
compiled by Michelle Klein-Hass
with Jerry Beck
and further help from John Kricfalusi, Susan Lee Johnson and the staff 
at Spumco, Inc.

INTRODUCTION

	John Kricfalusi is a man with a mission. After being exposed 
to the classic cartoon shorts of Bob Clampett and Tex Avery, he has 
committed himself to the goal of reviving the energy and visual humor 
which permeated these artists' work while bringing it into a decidedly 
modern context. This quest began in 1979, after emigrating to the US 
from his native Canada. This was a period when creativity, energy and 
visual humor was a commodity in short supply in the American animation
industry. After more than a decade's hard work, both on other people's 
ideas and his own, his goal is within reach. John K., along with Jim 
Smith, Lynne Naylor and Bob Camp founded Spumco in 1989, and the 
cartoon studio is currently in pre-production on some new projects 
to follow up the show that put him and his studio on the map: "The 
Ren & Stimpy Show." 
	The purest expression of Kricfalusi's vision of "Cartoony"
cartoons remains the original episodes of this show. From 1990 to 
September 21, 1992, the date when Nickelodeon seized control of the 
show, John K. and his artists at Spumco practically rewrote the 
rules on how a cartoon was made. No toy manufacturers were calling 
the tune here, no sitcom writers were hacking out scripts with jokes 
cribbed from bad TV, the people involved in creating the show were all 
artists, as skilled with their pencils as they were with slinging 
gags.
	The characters of Ren Hoek and Stimpy have their origins 
during John K.'s very earliest days in Los Angeles working for the 
Saturday Morning animation mills. Bored with the vapid fare 
Kricfalusi was drawing, he would doodle his own characters and run 
around the studio performing improvised stories. Many of the 
characters he would later pitch to most of the film and TV industry 
had their origins in this, including a psychotic Chihuahua and a 
blissfully stupid cat.
	The Chihuahua got a name when one of John K.'s co-workers, 
Joel Fajnor, visited him at John's apartment in Van Nuys. Fajnor
began to laugh suddenly while looking at the mailboxes out front.
John looked at Joel and asked him what he was laughing at, and Joel, 
between gasps of laughter, could only point at one of the names on
the mailboxes...Ren Hoek. John explained that the building's manager
was named Ren Hoek, and that yes, he did have a bizarre name. "You
should call that Chihuahua character of yours Ren Hoek." said Fajnor
once he regained composure. The name stuck.
	Around the same time, John K. named the stupid cat Stimpy, 
after an art school roommate in Canada whose nickname was Stimpy 
Kadogan. By 1981, Kricfalusi and his creative partner Lynne Naylor 
began brainstorming about show ideas, some including those two 
characters. They created presentation art for the purpose of pitching
their ideas...which unfortunately fell on deaf ears at practically 
every place they turned.
	This creative team, which after they worked at Bakshi 
Animation on "Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures" included Jim Smith, 
finally found at least initially receptive ears for their ideas at 
Nickelodeon. In 1989, the network, a division of media giant Viacom 
International, was looking for ideas for children's animated series. 
Nickelodeon was famous at that time for a twisted, kid-friendly humor 
style which featured the kinds of stuff kids REALLY found to be funny: 
bodily functions, green slime, goop, gak and other disgusting stuff. 
Although some executives would later openly repudiate this style of 
humor, Nickelodeon reveled in that kind of gross but amiable humor,
epitomized by shows like "You Can't Do That On Television" and "Double 
Dare."
	Such an environment seemed ideal for the phantasmagorical 
Spumco Universe, where violence is impossibly Cartoony, and bizarre 
physical gags are the foundation of their unique brand of humor. Of 
course, things are not always what they seem.
	
PILOT EPISODE

"Big House Blues"
Completed by Spumco October 1990
Premiered theatrically in Expanded Entertainment's "Animation 
Celebration 1991" anthology roadshow.
Director: John K.
Story: John K., Jim Smith, Bob Camp
Storyboard: John K., Jim Smith, Bob Camp
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren Hoek), Billy West (as Stimpson J. Cat),
Jim Smith (as The Narrator and The Dogcatcher), Bob Camp (as 
Effeminate Dogcatcher), Henry Porch (as Phil the Dog) Brian Chin (as
Jasper the Pup) Cheryl (Chase) Hudock (as the Little Girl), Lynne 
Naylor (as Mom) and Pierre de Celles (vocal FX and Ren's hideous 
cackle). 
Animation services: Carbunkle Cartoons, Vancouver, BC Canada; Bardel. 
Animators: John K., Jim Smith, Lynne Naylor, Dave Feiss, Bob Jaques 
and Kelly Armstrong.
Ongoing characters introduced: Ren, Stimpy and Jasper the Pup.
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy get thrown in the Pound. It takes them a
while to figure it out, but they are in mortal peril. Just before 
their date with the Executioner, a Little Girl, mistaking a hairball-
covered Ren Hoek for a poodle, adopts Ren. Ren insists on Stimpy 
going with him, and the two find a new life in Atomic-age Suburban
Utopia.
Cuts made by Nickelodeon: A sequence where Ren, half asleep, romances
Stimpy. Upon realizing what he was doing, Ren washes his tongue in
the toilet, grumbling "have you no sense of hygiene?" Also cut was a 
scene when the Dogcatcher literally and figuratively Camps it up, 
wiggling his ample butt at the hapless pair.
Inside joke: "Fred Flintstone" and "George Jetson" dogs lurk in a 
background.

SEASON ONE

"Stimpy's Big Day/The Big Shot"
Original production numbers: RS01a-RS01b
First aired: August 1991
Director: John K.
Story: John K. & Vincent Waller
Storyboard: Jim Smith, John K., & Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren & Mr. Horse), Billy West (as Stimpy and
several Announcer-type voices), Harris Peet (as Muddy Mudskipper),
Cheryl Chase (as the Pool Babes), Darrin Sargent (as a TV  
Announcer), Jim Smith (as a TV Announcer) and Vincent Waller (as The 
Pillow)
Animation services: Lacewood, Ontario, Canada.
Ongoing characters introduced: Mr. Horse, Muddy Mudskipper.
Episode included these bumpers: "Log I," "Stimpy's Breakfast Tips,"
and "Goodbye I (Gritty Kitty)." (See Bumpers sidebar for credits)
Synopsis: Ignoring Ren's protests, Stimpy enters a poetry contest
sponsored by Gritty Kitty cat litter in hopes of winning $47 Million
and a guest spot on The Muddy Mudskipper Show. Stimpy wins, and
goes Hollywood, leaving poor Ren in the lurch. This ends up with 
Stimpy giving all his money and his TV contract up to return to the 
arms of his buddy Ren, proving that friendship conquers all.
Inside jokes: Another affectionate and totally on-the-mark spoof of 
vintage Hanna-Barbera TV animation in the "Stimpy & Muddy Show" 
segment. Also look for a Jim Smith-drawn caricature of John K.'s 
favorite movie actor, Kirk Douglas, literally popping up from out of 
nowhere.
Behind the scenes note: Mr. Horse's tagline, "No sir, I don't like 
it," according to John K., just popped into his head when he was 
boarding the sequence where he first appears. "The line just came
to me...it seemed like what a horse would say if he had to smell his
own dump."

"Robin Hoek"
Original production number: RS02a
First aired: August, 1991
Director: John K.
Story: John K. and Bob Camp
Storyboard: Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy), Harris Peet (as
George Liquor, the Sheriff of Dodge City), and Henry Porch (as the
Eyeballs).
Ongoing character introduced: George Liquor
Includes this bumper: "Powdered Toast Man I"
Synopsis: Stimpy can't get to sleep, and Ren won't read him a bedtime
story. So the illiterate cat "reads" it himself, making up most of the
action as he goes along. Robin Hoek and his merry men are introduced,
including the love of his life...Maid Moron, who is really Stimpy in 
drag. Robin defeats the evil Sheriff of Dodge City, and in the first
Gay wedding in cartoons since Bugs Bunny proposed to Elmer Fudd, Robin 
and Maid Moron are wed.
Behind The Scenes note: The "Man-Eating Monks" were almost not allowed
in the show, and furthermore were a compromise, since what John K. 
really wanted down in that moat were man eating clergymen. 

"Nurse Stimpy"
Original production number: RS02b
First aired: August, 1991
Director: "Raymond Spum" "There was no real director on this episode"
--John K.
Story: John K. and Bob Camp
Storyboard: Chris Reccardi
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren) and Billy West (as Stimpy)
Animation services: Lacewood
Includes these bumpers: "Secret Membership" and "Goodbye II (Magic
Nose Goblins)
Synopsis: Ren's sick. Really, grossly sick. Never fear, it's Nurse
Stimpy to the rescue! The whole cartoon revolves around Stimpy caring
for his ailing pal, often times ignoring the medical dictum to "First
do no harm." 
Cuts made by Nickelodeon: A whole bunch. Many potentially funny 
sequences were thrown out by Nick story editors, including one where
Ren is visited by "Dr. Leech" who is...yes, a giant leech with a lab
coat and a doctor's bag, who proceeds to suck Ren dry of blood.
Behind the scenes note: John K. withdrew his name from the credits
because he deemed the cartoon to be below his standards, not only 
because of the cuts, but due to artistic failings as well.
Personal note: The first time I saw this cartoon, I had a raging fever
and was fighting a stubborn Summer flu. Believe me, it made quite an
impression.

"Space Madness"
Original production number: RS03a
First aired: September, 1991
Director: John K.
Premise: Jim Smith
Story: John K. and Jim Gomez
Art Direction: Jim Smith
Animation Direction: Bob Jaques
Storyboard: Jim Smith and Chris Reccardi
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren) and Billy West (as Stimpy and The
Announcer)
Animation Services: Carbunkle
Ongoing characters introduced: Ren & Stimpy's alter egos Commander
Hoek and Space Cadet Stimpy.
Synopsis: After a setup where Stimpy is shown getting ready to watch
his "favorite live-action drama" Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy,
the characters are seen in the midst of their 36-year mission to the
Crab Nebula. 36 years is an awfully long time to be stuck in a little
spacecraft, and Ren begins to show the strain in a hilarious way. 
Behind the scenes note: The "History Eraser Button" ending barely
survived, and a further element of the end sequence, where Ren
and Stimpy go back in time to fix the damage they've done to history
was cut early on. Listen for a reference to Robert Mitchum's opening 
monologue from "Night Of The Hunter" in Ren's berserk rant.

"The Boy Who Cried Rat"
Original production number RS03b
First aired: September, 1991
Director: John K.
Story: Vincent Waller and John K.
Storyboard: Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and "Husband"),
Cheryl Chase (as "Wife") and Harris Peet (as George Liquor).
Animation services: Lacewood and Fil Cartoons, Manila, Philippines.
Ongoing characters introduced: "Husband" and "Wife." 
Includes this bumper: "Yak Shaving Day."
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy are bemoaning their starving wretchedness,
when suddenly, Ren comes up with a scam. Ren, posing as a mouse, 
sneaks into "Husband and Wife's" suburban house in the dead of night. 
The next day, Stimpy shows up at the door offering his services as a
"professional mouse catcher." Their scam is thwarted when Stimpy, 
attempting to simply eject Ren from the premises, is prodded to eat
his catch.
Behind the scenes notes: This cartoon was originally going to take 
place almost entirely in Stimpy's mouth. The Cat & Mouse set-up was 
actually stretched by Nickelodeon brass...it was not as much a part of 
the original premise as it wound up becoming in the finished cartoon.

"The Littlest Giant"
Original production number: RS04a
First aired: October 1991
Director uncredited
Story: John K. and Bob Camp
Storyboard: Vincent Waller and Bob Camp
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and the Big 
Giants)
Includes this bumper: "Log For Girls"
Synopsis: Another Stimpson J. Cat dyslexic fairy tale, this time 
bearing no resemblance to anything we had told to us as a kid. The
Littlest Giant, which of course looks like Stimpy, is driven out
of Hugevania by bullies. He then journeys forth to Thumbsville, where
he inadvertantly saves Wee Ren's drought-stricken farm when his tears
fill up the dry well. Joy, joy.
Behind the scenes notes: This episode was conceived as a sop to some 
nervous, PC-crazed execs at Nick who thought that Ren was too mean 
and that he and Stimpy should be more friendly. As such, this episode
was doomed from the very start to mediocrity. However, the close-up
of Wee Ren's cow, restored from her dehydrated state and sporting huge
udders, would have made Cartoonists suffering under the Hays Office
code (which forbade the depiction of cow teats) weep for joy.

"Firedogs"
Original production number: RS04b
First aired: October 1991
Director: John K.
Story: John K.
Storyboard: Jim Smith and Chris Reccardi
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren, Mr. Horse and The Big Woman), Billy West 
(as Stimpy), Harris Peet (as the Fire Captain) and Cheryl Chase (as 
the Baby).
Animation services: Carbunkle, Lacewood
Ongoing characters introduced: The Big Woman and The Fire Captain
Includes these bumpers: "Ask Dr. Stupid I (Your Parents Are Aliens),"
and "Goodbye III (Chase Your Tail)." (The latter bumper was written
at Nickelodeon)
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy, desperate and hungry once again, see in an
advertising poster for Fire Dogs potential salvation. Once our two
heroes don their Dalmatian paint and convince the Fire Captain that
they are Dalmatians and not circus midgets, they are hired. Stimpy
is pumped for the job, running endless laps, while Ren lounges 
around sipping coffee and eating doughnuts. The fire bell rings,
and Stimpy drags Ren off on a call with their fire fighting Higher 
Mammal owners.

"Marooned"
Original production number: RS05a
First aired: December, 1991
Director: John K.
Story: John K.
Storyboard: Chris Reccardi
Art Direction: Chris Reccardi
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy), and Cheryl Chase
(as the Sexy Chihuahua).
Animation services: Lacewood
Synopsis: Commander Hoek and Stimpy's craft has crashed on a surreal
planet, and the two go off and explore and run through almost the 
entire Star Trek cliche book. As is typical, Ren & Stimpy wind up
dying, this time being eaten by bizarre unicellular organisms in the 
gut of a giant Brainiac monster.
Behind the scenes note: The Braniacs were originally designed by John
K. and the original Spumco Big Shots for a children's game called
"Captain Quantum." The game, which was designed to teach children 
about the dangers of drugs, is now a collector's item.

"Untamed World"
Original production number: RS05b
First aired: December, 1991
Director: John K.
Story: Jim Smith and John K.
Storyboard: Jim Smith
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and the Seagull)
and Harris Peet (as the baby Soft Shelled Stimpy).
Animation services: Lacewood & Fil Cartoons
Includes these bumpers: "Ask Dr. Stupid II (Camels)," "My Little 
Brother" and "Goodbye IV (Crocostimpy)"
Synopsis: Marlon Hoek and his trusty assistant Stimpy go off to the
Galapagos Islands to study the process of evolution...and meet up 
with a whole slew of bizarre animals which all seem to look like Ren
& Stimpy.
Behind the scenes note: This episode has its origins in Smith and 
Kricfalusi's fondness for nature shows, and many hours spent watching
PBS and the Discovery Channel.
Historical note: This was originally thought of for the "Beany & 
Cecil" remake series that John K., Jim Smith and Lynne Naylor worked
on for ABC Entertainment and Clampett Productions. For example, the 
Soft-shelled Stimpy would have been a Soft-Shelled Capt. Huff N Puff,
a prospect which horrified the Powers That Be on that project. 
Needless to say, that premise was thrown out early on. 

"Black Hole" 
Original production number: RS06a
First aired: February, 1992
Director uncredited ("...because there was none!" -- note by John K.)
Premise: John K. and Jim Smith
Story: Bob Camp & Will McRobb 
Storyboard: Bob Camp
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy), and Harris 
Peet (as George Liquor -- presenter of the Nobel Peace Prize, and as 
the Rude Bus Driver).
Synopsis: Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy begin this episode in their
spaceship, caught in the gravitational pull of the eponymous Black 
Hole. They wind up on a mysterious planet, where none of the laws of
physics apply, and begin to mutate hideously. The rest of the episode 
is an exercise in just how strangely Bob Camp could draw Ren & Stimpy.
Behind the scenes note: "The characters were supposed to mutate in a 
progressive direction...to get weirder and weirder. They didn't, and 
no-one who worked on the cartoon seemed to know what it was about."
-- John K.

"Stimpy's Invention"
Original production number: RS06b
First aired: February, 1992
Director: John K.
Story: John K. and Bob Camp
Storyboard: Bob Camp and John K.
Animation Director: Bob Jaques
Additional Animation: Mark Kausler and Steve Markowski (on the "Happy 
Happy Joy Joy" dance sequence)  
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren and Stinky Wizzleteats), Billy West (as 
Stimpy). 
Animation services: Carbunkle
Includes this bumper: "High Fashion Log For Girls"
Synopsis: Stimpy, despite his stupidity, apparently has a knack for
inventing very strange but functional inventions. But does Ren 
appreciate this? Not when he's trying to read his daily newspaper,
that's for sure. So Stimpy goes back to the drawing board to invent
his most brilliant and demented invention: the Happy Helmet, a device
which allows him to control his friend's mind and turn him, at least
temporarily, into a blissful idiot. 
Behind the scenes note: The reason why this episode took so long from
inception to emergence was that many of the crucial gags that made it
so good took so long to get approved by the brass at Nick. The whole 
cartoon looked several times in the history of its making like it was 
doomed. Luckily, it survived.

SECOND SEASON: THE SPUMCO-PRODUCED EPISODES
        
"In The Army"
Original production number: RS5-2b
First aired: August 1992
Director: Bob Camp
Story: Bob Camp
Storyboard: Bob Camp
Voice Cast: John K.(as Ren), Billy West(as Stimpy), Bob Camp (as 
Sarge).
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy join the Army, and go into Boot Camp in this
cartoon, designed as a "generic" cartoon which Bob Camp could direct
and free John K. up to handle some of the more complex cartoons that
were in the works, like "Powdered Toast Man," "Stimpy's First Fart" 
and "Sven Hoek." Much of the humor revolves around Ren attempting to 
get around the watchful eyes of The Sarge.
Behind the scenes note: Ren's wild double-take when he was confronted
by Sarge emerging from the swamp was originally sketched out by John K.
 
"Powdered Toast Man"
Original production number: RS5-1b
First aired: August 1992
Director: John K.
Story: Richard Pursel & John K.
Storyboard: Jim Smith & Billy Wray
Voice Cast: Gary Owens (as PTM), John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as 
Stimpy), Jim Smith (as Mr. President), practically everyone else at 
Spumco (as the accident casualties) and Cheryl Chase (as Faithful 
Assistant), with a cameo by Frank Zappa (The Pope).
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Synopsis: Powdered Toast Man, the world's most misguided superhero, 
manages to make matters worse after he saves first a little grey 
kitten, then The Pope, then Mr. President himself. He then takes over 
the White House as the President goes off to recuperate, and 
re-kindles the Oval Office fireplace with the Bill Of Rights and 
the Constitution.
Cuts made by Nick: The scene where PTM burns those "dusty old papers"
got unceremoniously snipped from the cartoon when a grand total of 
three people complained, thinking that somehow John K. and Pursel were 
being malicious and subversive. Also because of a couple of viewer 
complaints, the character of The Pope was renamed "The Funny Guy In
The Pointed Hat" in the credits after it was re-edited.
Inside joke: PTM's glasses, which he wears in the introductory
sequence where he is working as "Pastor Toastman, the cool youth 
deacon" in his job as a Government clerk, are first shaped like the 
almond-shaped ones that have become a John K. trademark. In the next 
shot, he's sporting Buddy Holly/Elvis Costello-style hornrims.
Behind the scenes notes: Let's get this straight. There is a very 
important bit of social commentary thrown into this episode.
The point of this entire cartoon is this: don't look to a vigilante to 
solve your problems. The superhero you look for might just as soon 
cause you pain and put you in a worse position than what you were 
hoping he'd rescue you from. He might even go so far as to "relieve 
you of your basic human rights." The sequence that caused a grand 
total of three nervous mommies to complain is meant to shock people 
into thinking, not to offend for offensiveness' sake.
More notes: In the Beavis & Butt-head episode "Tornado," there is a
little sequence that may be a gesture of support for Spumco. In the 
Trailer Park, as the winds kick up and blow stuff around, one piece of 
debris that is visible a grand total of five times is a copy of the 
Bill of Rights. If you have a 4-head VCR, it should be a breeze (no 
pun intended) to see for yourself what might be a very subtle 
reference to the PTM debacle.

"Ren's Toothache"
Original production number: RS5-2a
First aired: August 1992
Director: John K.
Story: Bob Camp & John K.
Storyboard: Chris Reccardi
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and The Flies) 
and Vincent Waller (as the Tooth Beaver)
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Includes these bumpers: "Sugar Frosted Milk" and "Ask Dr. Stupid III 
(Queen Bean)"
Synopsis: If I was teaching hygiene at a primary school, I would use
this episode as perhaps the best possible argument for good 
toothbrushing habits. Ren gets annoyed at Stimpy's nightly dental
ablutions, but lives to regret his neglect, as his teeth all fall
out, leaving him with stinking, disgusting gum holes which even 
manage to put flies off of their litter box supper.
Behind the scenes notes: The comment made by one of the flies in 
response to Ren's oral stench, "Hey hey hey hey WE'RE TRYING TO EAT
HERE!" was actually made by an irate patron of Hollywood soul-food 
restaurant Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles (yes, you read right!) who
was trying to eat his lunch while John K. acted out a future R&S
story for his dining companion, former Spumco layout and storyboard
artist Chris Reccardi.
Personal note: Of all the Spumco R&S cartoons, this one is easily the 
one with the grossest gags. Some might have been potentially sicker, 
but as far as finished product goes, this one's the gross-out champ. 
If you're the squeamish type, perhaps a barf bag might come in handy.

"Out West"
Original production number: RS5-4b
First aired: September 1992
Director: Bob Camp
Story: Bob Camp & John K.
Storyboard: Bob Camp
Animation Director: Bob Jaques
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren and Mr. Horse), Billy West (as Stimpy), 
Jim Smith (as Abner), Bob Camp (as Ewalt), and Henry Porch (Backing 
vocals on "The Lord Loves a Hangin'") 
Animation services: Carbunkle
Some incidental music by Jim Smith. The song "The Lord Loves A 
Hangin'" was written by John K., Jim Smith and Bob Camp, and performed 
by Jim Smith, Bob Camp and Henry Porch.
Synopsis: It's a bad day out in the Badlands, as Sheriff Abner and 
Deputy Ewalt despair over their boredom and lack of people to hang for
amusement. So they advertise for villains to hang, and wind up with 
outlaws only slightly less stupid than they are, Three-fingered Hoek 
and Stupid The Kid. They send the two hapless desperadoes out to 
steal...well, Mr. Horse. This gives them a pretext to break out the 
ropes for a good old fashioned necktie party and hootenanny.
Cuts made by Nickelodeon: The line where Ren makes his gallows 
confession to Stimpy that "while you were asleep, I polished my boots 
with your tongue," originally was a reference to Ren soothing his 
saddle sores with Stimpy's tongue. Needless to say, the Nick story 
editors had conniptions over that one.

"Rubber Nipple Salesmen"
Original production number: RS5-4a
First aired: September 1992
Directors: Vincent Waller & John K.
Story: Vincent Waller and John K.
Storyboard: Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren and Mr. Horse), Billy West (as Stimpy, 
and "Husband"), Cheryl Chase (as "Wife"), and Harris Peet (as the Fire 
Captain)
Animation Services: Rough Draft Korea
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy go into business as door-to-door salesmen, 
peddling Stimpy's homemade rubber nipples. Ren attempts to sell the 
nipples to the Fire Captain, who whacks Ren with a shovel, flattening
him, then apologizes...again, he thought Ren & Stimpy were circus
midgets. Then, the two of them proceed to another house, where they
are confronted with a very fetishistic and very paranoid Mr. Horse,
dressed from head to toe in latex and keeping a terrified walrus for 
unnatural acts that could not be even hinted at on family television.
Finally, Stimpy gets his chance to sell, and demonstrates the many
unusual uses for rubber nipples to "Husband" and "Wife" from "The Boy
Who Cried Rat."
Cuts made by Nickelodeon: Right from the start, some Nick suits were 
very nervous about any episode with the word "nipple" in the title.
And a potentially hilarious sequence where George Liquor scales and
guts our heroes like fish was cut the minute Standards and Practices
got wind of it.

"Man's Best Friend"
Original production number: RS5-1a
First aired: Killed by Nickelodeon
Director: John K.
Story: Vincent Waller and John K.
Storyboard: Chris Reccardi
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren and the Goldfish), Billy West (as Stimpy) 
and Michael Pataki (as George Liquor)
Animation Services: Carbunkle
Synopsis: This cartoon is the one which made Nickelodeon so nervous 
that they opted to let it rot in their vaults rather than subject "the 
poor helpless children" to its out of control hilarity. Big mistake. 
Ren & Stimpy are snoozing in the window of a pet shop when George 
Liquor wakes them by pounding on the glass of the window. To impress 
him, they morph into very normal looking specimens of Chihuahua and 
Cat-dom, charming Mr. Liquor, who then takes them home and swears 
he'll make them "champions." So far, so good. Things start looking bad 
for our heroes when George puts his pet goldfish out of its bowl to 
make room for Ren & Stimpy. After flopping and gasping hideously, the 
fish takes off with George's car for parts unknown. The next morning, 
things really get grim. George begins his own peculiar brand of 
obedience training, stopping only after getting thrashed within an 
inch of his life by Ren. Paradoxically, the beating only serves to 
endear Ren to George, who declares him "a true champion," and rewards 
him.
Cuts by Nickelodeon: The whole episode. The Nickelodeon takeover of
R&S happened almost immediately after this episode was delivered. 

"Dog Show"
Original production number: RS5-3b
First aired: December 1992
Directors: Chris Reccardi & John K.
Story: Richard Pursel
Storyboard: Chris Reccardi
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren and The Big Woman), Billy West (as 
Stimpy and the Dog Show Announcer), Michael Pataki (as George Liquor), 
Cheryl Chase (Dog Sound FX), and Harris Peet (as The Poodle). 
Synopsis: This episode doesn't make much sense until you see "Man's
Best Friend," because there are several references to things that 
happen in that particular cartoon. Ren, referred to in this episode by
George as "my prize miniature Great Dane Champy" and Stimpy, who has
been dubbed "Rex," are put into a dog show. They survive pre-judging 
by Mr. Horse only to see Stimpy disqualified for an ingrown dew claw. 
Ren refuses to pose in final judging, which forces George to...better 
not spoil the suspense, right?
Cuts by Nickelodeon: George Liquor's name was partially bleeped in the
version which saw the light of day, for fear the kiddies might think 
that his name was actually "Lick Her" rather than Liquor. And a piece 
of static artwork, where George is shown to have a vestigal tail 
sticking up out of his butt, was altered because Standards and 
Practices thought the stump was supposed to be an erection.
Inside jokes: The owner of a yappy poodle is a caricature of cameraman
David Koenigsberg. You can also see, in a crowd shot, the Fire Captain 
and some other denizens of the Spumco Universe.
 
SECOND SEASON: EPISODES STARTED AT SPUMCO AND FINISHED AT GAMES
(NB: Some of these credits may be incomplete.)
        
"Sven Hoek"
Original production number: RS5-3a
First aired: November 1992
Director: John K. 
Story: John K. and Bob Camp 
Storyboard: Jim Smith & Bill Wray
Animation Director: Bob Jaques
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy, Sven Hoek and 
The Devil).
Animation services: Carbunkle (animation) and MetroCel (computer ink 
and paint)
Includes these bumpers: "Log IV," "Gritty Kitty Ad," and "Goodbye V 
(Blow Yourself Up)"
Synopsis: Ren Hoek's littermate Sven comes to visit, and Stimpy finds
that he and Sven have a great deal in common. They're both idiots, 
both faithful lodge brothers of the Loyal Order of Stupids, they both
have disgusting collections of their own excreta, and they both love
playing "the funnest game in the whole wide world...Don't Whiz On The
Electric Fence." This, of course, sends Ren into a tail spin.
Cuts made by Nickelodeon: The "magic nose goblins" scene was cut 
short, a very funny scatological gag was excised, and Ren's ending
tirade had several threats purged from it.
More notes: The sound mix on this episode is horrible, with the music
and sound fx often making the dialogue hard to hear. Also, as John K. 
told me in a conversation we had during the writing of this piece, the
writing credits were transposed before it was aired. "After the 
takeover, Bob put his name ahead of mine on the story credit even 
though he had little, if anything, to do with the story." Also, the
Games-added title sequence features a lederhosen-clad Bob Camp jigging
around with an accordion.
SPUMCO CONTENT: Almost everything in the episode
GAMES CONTENT: Music, sound effects and Nick-mandated editing.
        
"Big Baby Scam"
Production number unavailable
First aired: December 1992
Director: Vincent Waller
Story: Vincent Waller
Storyboard: Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and "Husband"), 
Cheryl Chase (Baby Sound FX and "Wife"),  Mike Fontanelli (as the 
Cop), Harris Peet (as the Tough Guy Baby)
Animation Services: Rough Draft Korea
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy, starving as they always are, watch two babies
drooling all over themselves in a playpen and decide that life as a 
baby would be an easy one. So they bribe the two babies to switch 
places with them, and strangely enough, neither "Wife" nor "Husband"
notice the very obvious change. All manner of baby grossness ensues,
until the tough-guy babies get picked up at the race track and the
scam is foiled.
Changes made by Nickelodeon: It is a pity that Games ruined the 
"family bath" sequence, something that made Nickelodeon uneasy with to 
begin with. John K. went into the audio recording facilities at Spumco 
and recorded a friendly little ditty to be whistled by "Grandpa." (Old 
Man Hunger from "Big House") Instead of using that, and defusing the 
uncomfortableness of having Grandpa hold "the Babies" after he is 
described earlier as "that horrible man," Games subbed one of their 
people whistling "Hall Of The Mountain King" from Grieg's "Peer Gynt,"
the same thing that Peter Lorre whistled as the child killer in "M," 
and which was also used for sinister effect in the version of "The 
Pied Piper of Hamelin" which starred Van Johnson. From a simply weird 
scene, Games turned it downright scary. In an April 30th, 1994
re-airing of this episode, the entire "family bath" sequence was 
excised, including the re-done whistling. 
SPUMCO CONTENT: Practically everything except editing, music & 
SFX.
GAMES CONTENT: The remaining stuff, and changes to the "Family Bath" 
sequence
        
"Haunted House"
Original production number: RS5-6b
First aired: December 1992
Director: Ron Hughart 
Story: John K., Bob Camp, Jim Smith & Rich Pursel
Storyboard: Jim Smith, Rich Pursel & Bob Camp
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren Hoek), Billy West (as Stimpson J. Cat 
and The Ghost), and Rudolph Porter (as Rudolph The Jazzman). 
Animation services: Color Key, Taiwan
Synopsis: A ghost hasn't (to use a tired cliche) a ghost of a chance
surviving the punishment as Ren & Stimpy bed down in a haunted house
and inadvertently torment the poor little dead guy. The Droopy-esque
ghost gets cooked like a hot dog; smeared with peanut butter, 
marmalade, fish eggs and fish when he disguises himself as a piece
of bread; used as a towel; and finally gives up and "kills" himself
by drinking poison after his repeated failures to scare Ren & Stimpy.
For all his troubles. the ghost comes back to life in the form of 
Rudolph The Jazzman, a large naked black guy who proceeds to roar off
in a vintage Caddie in a bizarre non-sequitur ending.
Changes made by Nickelodeon and/or Games: A reference to the famous 
shower sequence in "Psycho," originally conceived in color, had the
color removed from it with a computer process, turning a little 
throwaway gag into overdone satire of the worst kind. And the "Bloody
Head Fairy" was originally intended to be George Liquor in a tutu, but
as was originally cited, certain people at Nick hated George so that 
they nixed his appearance. Instead, a character based on Doug Funnie
from the Nicktoons series "Doug" was used.
Behind the scenes note: Rudolph the Jazzman, apparently after 
suffering vitiligo, appears in the third season episode "Ren's Pecs"
as the bully who kicks sand in Ren's face. The voice is not the same, 
but the character design certainly looks the same. Only whiter. 
More notes: This cartoon's premise was originally conceived as a story 
pitch for Tiny Toon Adventures.
SPUMCO CONTENT: Dialogue, Storyboards, all layout and backgrounds.
GAMES CONTENT: Editing, post production and music.

"Mad Dog Hoek"
Original production number: RS5-6a
First aired: December 1992
Director: Bob Camp
Story: Bob Camp
Storyboard: Bob Camp
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and The Announcer) 
Bob Camp (as Lump and Loaf Lout).
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea 
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy get in the ring as Mad Dog Hoek and Killer 
Kadogan in another of the "generic" cartoons thrown to Bob Camp. It's
a pity this didn't work very well...pro wrestling is ripe for parody,
and a spoof could be uproariously funny. Ren realizes early on that 
wrestling is painful stuff, even if it is choreographed, and opts to 
relax on the sidelines for as long as he can. Stimpy, on the other
hand, enjoys the maltreatment, and can't quite understand why Ren 
doesn't enjoy getting the crap beat out of him by the two Lout 
brothers.
Behind the scenes note: The challenge speech that Stimpy bellows out
at the end of this episode was actually word-for-word a fan letter
sent to Spumco by a kindergartener.
SPUMCO CONTENT: Practically everything.
GAMES CONTENT: Music, SFX and some editing.
        
"Son of Stimpy"
(Originally under production as "Stimpy's First Fart")
Original production number: RS5-8
First aired: (on MTV) January 1993 
(on Nickelodeon) December 1993
Director: John K. 
Animation Director: Bob Jaques
Story: John K., Rich Pursel & Vincent Waller
Storyboard: Peter Avanzino
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and Stinky The 
Fart) 
Animation services: Carbunkle
Synopsis: Stimpy is shocked when something noisy and fragrant emerges 
from his rear end, and is horrified when Ren can't explain what it is.
Stimpy becomes convinced that he can find this child of his cheeks, 
and proceeds to search for it, eventually wandering away from the home
he shares with Ren on an epic quest for his missing fart.
SPUMCO CONTENT: Almost everything
GAMES CONTENT: Editing, music and SFX
        
"Fake Dad"
(originally under production as "Big Brother")
Original production number: RS5-5a
First aired: February 1993
Director: John K. & Jim Smith
Story: John K., Bob Camp and Vincent Waller
Storyboard: Jim Smith
Voice Cast: John K.(as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy and the Fake Dad 
Representative), Harris Peet (as Kowalski). 
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea       
Synopsis: Stimpy decides that Ren needs to share his love with someone
other than his longtime companion, so he urges him to apply to become
a Fake Dad. (kind of like a Big Brother) The poor, fatherless waif
that Ren winds up with is a 400 pound gorilla of a 7-year-old named
Kowalski. Kowalski is on weekend furlough from maximum security prison
where he is being held for "crimes against humanity." Ren's patience 
is challenged again and again by Kowalski's behavior, but somehow 
Stimpy manages to keep him from giving him the same treatment as 
George Liquor got in "Man's Best Friend."
Cuts made by Nickelodeon: The last time I saw this cartoon, this 
episode was cut by not only some ham-fisted editing, but by physically speeding up the episode...running it at the wrong speed. It wasn't even done with the modern equipment that digitally slices the sound and picture so there is no pitch change...everyone sounds like they ran afoul of the dear departed Ross Bagdasarian.
SPUMCO CONTENT: Layouts, Storyboard, Dialogue recording.
GAMES CONTENT: Decision to re-edit, animation, post, music and Sound 
FX.
        
"Monkey See, Monkey Don't"
Production number unavailable
First aired: February 1993
Director: Bob Camp
Story: Bob Camp
Storyboard: Bob Camp
Voice Talent: Billy West (as both Ren & Stimpy) and others.
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Synopsis: Ren and Stimpy ponder the advantages and disadvantages of
moving upward on the ladder of evolution as they masquerade as monkeys
in the zoo. They learn the dubious joys of shared grooming, which Ren
is shocked to learn entails eating bugs off of your cage-mate's body.
Behind the scenes note: Even though some episodes that aired later on
have John K. on the soundtrack as Ren Hoek, this is the first track
recorded with Billy West doing a very bland, de-fanged version of Ren. 
Even though West is one of the most talented voice actors out there, 
there is absolutely nobody who can do Ren other than John K., because 
so much of what Ren is about has to do with John K...Ren really IS 
John's alter-ego, in some respects. It is comparable to what has 
happened with the attempts to find a new voice for Bugs Bunny...so 
much of Bugs was actually Mel Blanc's personality that not even his 
own son could carry on after his death. And in both the case of Ren 
Hoek and Bugs Bunny, the vocal characterizations are so tightly 
interwoven with the drawn "acting" that they are two parts of a 
single entity. It is as impossible to do justice to Ren Hoek without 
John K. as it is to do Bugs Bunny justice without Blanc. 
SPUMCO CONTENT: Story, Storyboard, and some layout by Spumco
GAMES CONTENT: Everything else.
        
"The Great Outdoors"
Production number unavailable
First aired: March 1993
Director: (at Spumco) Vincent Waller
(Games inaccurately gave co-directing credit to Ken Bruce)
Story: Vincent Waller and John K.
Storyboard: Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: Billy West (as Ren & Stimpy) and others.
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Synopsis: Ren & Stimpy go off on a camping trip. Predictably, Ren 
hates roughing it, but Stimpy absolutely enjoys himself. Skinny 
dipping, enraged mosquitoes the likes of which haven't been seen in
animated cinema since Winsor McKay, starting fires by rubbing two
squirrels together, and the dreaded "beaver fever" all figure in
this cartoon, which could have been a classic had it been completed
at Spumco. Both Old Man Hunger and The Big Woman make cameos.
SPUMCO CONTENT: Story, Storyboard and some layout
ROUGH DRAFT CONTENT: Completed layout, animation, ink and paint
GAMES CONTENT: Post, edit, dialogue and music
        
"The Cat That Laid The Golden Hairball"
Production number unavailable
First aired: April 1993
Director: incorrectly credited to Ron Hughart 
(It would have been directed by Vincent Waller if it had remained at 
Spumco)
Story: Bob Camp and Vincent Waller
Storyboard: Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: Billy West (as Ren & Stimpy), and others.
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Synopsis: Science discovers that cat hairballs are something of a 
panacea, and so Ren Hoek, seeing a potential goldmine in Stimpy's
detritus, puts him on a production line. He eventually licks himself
clean of fur, and has to use Ren's assistant Bubba for more raw 
material. Finally, after licking Bubba clean, Stimpy collapses, 
exhausted. Bubba is sent to find out what the matter is, and goes
exploring, "Fantastic Voyage"-style inside Stimpy's body. 
SPUMCO CONTENT: Story, Storyboard. The storyboard was blown up and 
used for the layouts on this cartoon.
GAMES CONTENT: Everything else

"Stimpy's Fan Club"
Production number unavailable
First aired: April 1993
Director: Games incorrectly credited Peter Avanzino. 
(If it was completed at Spumco it would have been one of John K.'s)
Story: John K. and Elinor Blake
Storyboard: Peter Avanzino, 
with Ren's Psychotic sequence boarded by John K. 
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren) and Billy West (as Stimpy and the Mailman) 
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Includes this bumper: "Secret Membership II (Contest Winner)"
Synopsis: Ren is incensed that Stimpy is the only one in the house who
gets fan mail. In a misguided attempt to help Ren not feel left out, 
Stimpy appoints Ren his fan club president. This, however, makes Ren 
even more jealous, and inspires him to respond to the fan mail with
a poison pen. The job gets to Ren so much that he goes berserk, waxing
predatory over just how easy it would be to wring Stimpy's neck in his 
sleep. The cartoon ends with Ren finally getting a piece of fan 
mail...albeit from Stimpy.
Behind the scenes notes: Although "A Visit To Anthony" and "Royal 
Canadian Kilted Yaksmen" were aired after this cartoon, this is the 
last track recorded with John K. doing the voice of Ren Hoek. 
SPUMCO CONTENT: Story, Storyboard and Dialogue recording
GAMES CONTENT: Everything else.
        
"A Visit To Anthony"
Original production number: RS5-7a
First aired: May 1993
Directors: John K. and Jim Smith
Story: John K. and Richard Pursel
Storyboard: Jim Smith
Voice Cast: John K.(as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy), Cheryl Chase 
(as Mom) and Danny Cooksey (as Victor the Bully), and featuring 
Anthony Raspanti (as himself), and Randy Quaid [added by Games 
Animation] (as Anthony's Dad).
Animation services: Rough Draft Korea
Ongoing characters introduced: Victor The Bully and his Dad.
(Anthony's Dad, who is actually modeled after John K.'s father Michael,
will re-appear in future Spumco projects)
Includes these bumpers: "Ren Hoek, Ace Reporter" and "World Crisis 
with Mr. Horse."
Synopsis: Young Anthony writes a fan letter to Ren & Stimpy, which
gets to them in their tree-stump cottage in Hollywood, Yugoslavia.
Our heroes decide to go visit their fan, and kiss their ample Slavic
brides goodbye, packing their costumes and swimming across the 
Atlantic to their destination: America. All goes well until Anthony
catches Ren taking his morning dump. The boy has an asthma attack, and 
Ren & Stimpy have to face their worst nightmare: Anthony's big, very 
manly Dad. A tangle with a neighborhood bully, Victor, results in a 
very frightening confrontation with Dad in the Den.
Behind the scenes notes: Anthony Raspanti is real, and so is the 
letter that inspired this story...the first fan letter to ever get
sent to Spumco. The letter inspired John K. and the rest of the Spumco
crew to get in touch with the boy, eventually inviting him to Los 
Angeles for a tour of Spumco's palatial headquarters and an 
opportunity to help a whole bunch of cool cartoonists make a cartoon.
It is a piece of Spumco's history that even now brings a smile to 
battle-scarred faces and a tear to traumatized eyes.
Fearless prediction: Anthony Raspanti will, in all probability, grow
up to be a cartoonist. Look for his work sometime in the 21st century.
Changes made by Nickelodeon: It was Nickelodeon's idea to hire on
Randy Quaid to voice Anthony's Dad. Also, there is a crucial bit of
setup which was left out of the cartoon when Nickelodeon took it over.
SPUMCO CONTENT: Dialogue recordings, models, storyboards and some 
layouts
GAMES CONTENT: Post, music, recording Randy Quaid's dialogue, and SFX
        
"The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen"
Original production number: RS5-5b
First aired: May 1993
Director: John K. 
(Chris Reccardi's name was added to the credits by Games)
Animation Director (and de-facto director): Bob Jaques
Story: John K., Bob Camp, Jim Gomez & Vincent Waller
Voice Cast: John K. (as Ren), Billy West (as Stimpy), The LA Gay 
Men's Choir (Singers on the Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen theme), and 
Harris Peet (as Sgt. McJasper The Pup).
Animation services: Carbunkle
Includes these bumpers: "Powdered Toast Man II" and "Sugar Toasted
Sod Pops"
Synopsis: The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen send Ren & Stimpy out to
explore the Canadian wilderness, in search of Canada's greatest 
natural resource. Along the way, our intrepid Yaksmen face all the 
cruelties of Nature, including enraged bees and spiders in the 
outhouse.
Interesting note: You would probably think that this cartoon would
not be well received in John K.'s native land. Actually, it's a hit.
The episode is one of the most popular among Canadian R&S fans, and
the Yaksmen Anthem became a hit on Canadian radio. The Canadian music 
video channel MuchMusic ran a music video version of the Yaksmen 
Anthem (taken from the episode ala "Happy Happy Joy Joy") and the 
video version was number one on its countdown for a few weeks. 
SPUMCO CONTENT: Story, Storyboard, Dialogue recording and 90% of 
layout.
CARBUNKLE CONTENT: Re-do of much of the Games-finished layout, 
re-timing, and all animation. (This episode marked the end of 
Carbunkle Cartoons' association with R&S)
GAMES CONTENT: Editing, post and music.

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