"Circus Midgets" is the third episode of the third season of The Ren & Stimpy Show, and aired on November 26, 1993.
Characters[]
Summary[]
Ren and Stimpy learn why you should never hitchhike with psychotic circus midgets. In the end of the episode, Ren and Stimpy are saved by another driver... until they learn that the driver hates circus midgets.
Plot[]
Ren and Stimpy had been hitchhiking in the desert somewhere in southwestern America for three years when they were finally picked up in a tiny car by two diabolically cruel circus midget clowns, Shlomo and Momo. The two midgets arrange several evil pranks on Ren and Stimpy. Shlomo and Momo rob a gas station and take hostages, Kowalski, a cow, and a signing whale. During the police chase, the tiny car collide and the hostages manage to escape. Ren and Stimpy resume their hitchhiking trip, this time still in their clown getup, and are picked up by the circus midget-hating Fire Chief.
Production[]
Art[]
Music[]
- Entry of the Gladiators - George Wilson [CPM] (title card)
- Southern Bottleneck - Rick Fenn [CPM] (opening)
- Here and There - Gary Hughes ("It's a car! Smile, Ren, smile!")
- Tension Tag #1 - Dan Kirsten [OGM] ("Shut up! You've seen saying that for three years, so just shut up!")
- Here and There - Gary Hughes (a tiny car approaches)
- Finger of Fear - Fredric Bayco (Ren and Stimpy are pulled into the car)
- Volga Ice (A) - Igor Tuhmanov ("Was you laughin' at me and my friend here?")
- From the Cockpit - Garry Hardman ("Do we look like clowns?!")
- Terror by Night - Hubert Clifford (clown approaches Ren and Stimpy)
- Play the Game - Len Stevens (clown demonstrates his ability to make people laugh)
- Man About Town - Laurie Johnson (exterior of car)
- After the Ball - Erik Markman, Charles K. Harris [OGM] (Ren and Stimpy dressed as clowns)
- Entry of the Gladiators - R.A.F. Music Library (Ren and Stimpy try some stunts)
- Big Show Theme - Robert Sharples (jumping through fire hoop)
- Twilight in Turkey - Raymond Scott (gas station)
- Screw on the Loose - Tony Lowry ("Excuse me driver, could you let us out?")
- Drama Link (a) - Hubert Clifford (DENIED!)
- Twilight in Turkey - Raymond Scott (tons of stuff crammed into the car)
- Fast Getaway - David Snell (keeping the cops at bay)
- Relentless Chase - Keith Nichols (tire blow-out)
- Bluesy - Phil Green [Capitol Records] (Ren and Stimpy hitchhiking again)
- Saw Theme - William Trytel (Fire Chief is the one driving)
Trivia[]
- This is the first official Games Animation episode to be made rather than a leftover idea from Spümcø.
- This is also the first episode without any involvement with John K. after being fired from Nickelodeon on September 25, 1992.
- This is Jim Gomez's directorial debut.
- The singing whale from "The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen" makes a cameo appearance in this episode.
- A DVD commentary is included on the Seasons Three and a Half-ish boxset, featuring in-character comments by John Kricfalusi as Ren and Eric Bauza as Stimpy.
- This is the first, out of three episodes, to feature commentary by both Ren and Stimpy. The other two are "Big Flakes" and "Stupid Sidekick Union".
- This episode is not on Paramount+ due to the presence of a Raymond Scott music track ("Twilight in Turkey", heard three times in the episode) and the clearance rights involving said track.
Cultural references[]
- Shlomo is a caricature of Joe Pesci. The scene where he confronts Stimpy about laughing at him and Momo is a reference to Tommy DeVito's "clown" speech in the 1990 movie Goodfellas, which Pesci had played the role of.
Censorship[]
- Reruns starting in 2000 on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons had muted the sounds of Ren and Stimpy getting beaten up by the chief at the end, leaving just the music.