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"Man's Best Friend" is the 4th episode of season 2.

This episode is infamous for being banned by Nickelodeon; who refused to air it due to the violent content even for the series itself and scatology present within the episode. This episode is also believed to be a factor in creator John Kricfalusi and Spümcø's firing from the series.

Characters[]

Plot[]

One day, George Liquor is standing outside of a pet store, watching Ren and Stimpy sleep in the window and gets the idea to adopt them as his pets. Upon arriving home, he introduces them to their new abode: a fish bowl from which the fish was rudely thrown out (and stole George's car as a result). The next day, Ren and Stimpy awaken to find George Liquor dressed as a drill sergeant to train them to be proper pets. Their first lesson is house training by doing butt-push-ups on a newspaper. Ren fails, but Stimpy easily does his business while reading about mudslides. He is given a cigar-shaped dog treat as a reward. Next they are taught discipline. To learn discipline, first they have to learn to disobey. George Liquor tells them NOT to go anywhere near the couch, then instructs them to do just that so they can be punished. When he begins to become enraged by them not following his orders, Ren freaks out and collapses to the floor sobbing, and a terrified Stimpy hurls himself onto the couch as George had instructed, only to be yelled at. Stimpy is scared, thinking he is going to be punished. Instead, George compliments him for following orders and gives him another dog treat. Then George asks Ren to ask him for punishment. But George insists that Ren is too "soft" for punishment and instead gives him 20 dollars and tells him to take the car and see a movie as well. Ren points out that the fish already took the car and it looks like George is going to be enraged. Instead, he gives Ren another 20 dollars for being a smart mouth.

Banned

Ren prepares to beat George Liquor senseless with an oar.

Lastly, he teaches them go to protect their "master". But before they learn to defend, they have to learn to attack. Wearing a padded suit, he urges the two of them to attack him. Stimpy refuses because George is his "kind and beloved master", but Ren, who is sick of George Liquor and their treatment, picks up an oar and maniacally begins beating him up with it, much to Stimpy's horror. Again, Ren expects George to be enraged. Instead, he is impressed and calls him a champion and produces cigar-shaped treats for all of them. The episode ends with the three of them dancing with the cigar-shaped treats clamped between their teeth.

Production[]

Music[]

  • In an 18th Century Drawing Room – Raymond Scott (title card)
  • Dramatic Sting #9 – Dan Kirsten [OGM] (Starring George Liquor)
  • After the Ball – Erik Markman, Charles K. Harris [OGM] (George Liquor looking at Ren and Stimpy through the pet shop window)
  • Links and Interjections (II – 1 -10) – Alan Braden (“Gosh, look at the cute little rascals.”)
  • The Whistler Overture – Charlie Brissette [based on “The Whistler and His Dog” by Arthur Pryor] (George Liquor skipping home)
  • Sunshine Patrol – Tom Elliot [OGM] (“Welcome home, boys.”)
  • Teenage Party – Erik Markman [OGM] (fish drives away)
  • Holidays – Dan Kirsten [OGM] (Ren and Stimpy in a fish bowl)
  • Drama Link (n) – Hubert Clifford (morning)
  • Reveille – Richard Myhill (“Roll call!”)
  • The Red White and Blue – Lee Jacobs [CPM] (George Liquor’s rigorous training program)
  • Verdi: The Anvil Chorus – Lee Ashley [OGM] (Ren pushing his butt against the newspaper)
  • Eerie Emotional – Philip Green [Capitol Hi-Q] (Stimpy holding the newspaper)
  • In an 18th Century Drawing Room – Raymond Scott (Stimpy dancing)
  • Gounod: Funeral March of a Marionette – Lee Ashley [OGM] (“Today’s lesson is discipline.”)
  • Declamatory Chords – Alan Braden (George Liquor tempts Ren and Stimpy to get on the couch)
  • Mechanical Industrial Underscore – William Loose [Capitol Hi-Q] (“Get up on that couch!”)
  • Fire (JB-28) – William Loose, Jack Cookerly [Capitol Hi-Q] (George Liquor screams at Stimpy)
  • Terror – Alan Braden (Stimpy jumps on the couch)
  • Tension Tag #1 – Dan Kirsten [OGM] (George Liquor looks like he’s gonna kill Stimpy but hugs him instead)
  • Links and Interjections (II – 1 -10) – Alan Braden (“It’s discipline that begets love!”)
  • In an 18th Century Drawing Room – Raymond Scott (Stimpy gets a treat)
  • Hollywood Holiday – Frank Samuels (“Are you afraid of a little discipline?”)
  • Tension Tag #1 – Dan Kirsten [OGM] (“Oh, a smart-mouth, huh?”)
  • Moment Musical – Raymond Scott (attack lesson)
  • Twilight in Turkey – Raymond Scott (Ren hits George Liquor with a boating oar numerous times)
  • New Years Eve in a Haunted House – Raymond Scott (end of lesson)
  • In an 18th Century Drawing Room – Raymond Scott (Lawn Cigar doggie treats)

Censorship[]

  • Originally, a scene where George Liquor leg-wrestles with Ren and Stimpy was going to be in this episode, but never got past the storyboards.[1]
    • After Spümcø was fired, Games Animations eventually produced it using archive audio and Rough Draft Korea's animation services. Ultimately, legal troubles with John Kricfalusi's ownership of George Liquor prevented them from ever airing the footage.[1]
  • The master used by TNN, which was also used for the DVD, inserts a commercial fade after George yells at Stimpy for sitting on his couch.

Trivia[]

  • "Man's Best Friend" was originally going to air on August 22, 1992 during the second season, but due to the episode being banned by Nickelodeon for excessive violence (Ren beating up George on-screen), tobacco references, scatology (the "lawn cigar" treats), and issues involving the production schedule, it did not see airtime until Adult Party Cartoon.
  • The episode debuted on TV as an episode of Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". Notably, this broadcast had a TV-MA rating.
    Screenshot 2016-09-23 at 2.59

    Screenshot from TNN/Spike airing with TV-MA rating.

  • Spike's official episode lineup on their website considers "Man's Best Friend" a part of Adult Party Cartoon, but this episode is not counted as one of the three episodes from this series that didn't air in the U.S.
    • George, however, was meant to make an appearance in Adult Party Cartoon, during an episode in which he and the pair go camping. However, this episode was never produced due to the show's cancellation.
  • This is the first episode where George Liquor is voiced by the late Michael Pataki. Previously, he was portrayed by Harris Peet.
  • This episode was meant to take place before "Dog Show", as George had apparently trained the duo by that point.
  • John Kricfalusi considered this episode the turning point for Nickelodeon to let him go, but it was later revealed that constant missed deadlines, as well as creating a hostile work environment, were the main factors of his termination.[2]
  • Even though this episode is still banned on Nickelodeon, a clip from the episode was used in a YouTube video uploaded by NickRewind called "Stimpy’s Pet 🤡 Ren & Stimpy | NickRewind".

References[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story - Thad Komorowski
  2. http://whataboutthad.com/2014/11/25/chugging-on/
Episode List
Pilot
Big House Blues (Pilot)
Season 1
Stimpy's Big Day!The Big Shot!Robin HöekNurse StimpySpace MadnessThe Boy Who Cried RatFire DogsThe Littlest GiantMaroonedUntamed WorldBlack HoleStimpy's Invention
Season 2
Ren's ToothacheRubber Nipple SalesmenSven HoekHaunted HouseMad Dog HoekIn The ArmyMan's Best FriendBig Baby ScamDog ShowMonkey See, Monkey Don'tPowdered Toast ManFake DadOut WestStimpy's Fan ClubThe Great OutdoorsThe Cat That Laid the Golden HairballSon of StimpyA Visit To AnthonyThe Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen
Season 3
To Salve And Salve NotA Yard Too FarCircus MidgetsNo Pants TodayRen's PecsAn Abe DividedStimpy's Cartoon ShowJimminy LummoxBass MastersRen's RetirementJerry the Bellybutton ElfRoad ApplesHard Times for HaggisEat My CookiesRen's Bitter HalfLair Of The Lummox
Season 4
Hermit RenHouse of Next TuesdayA Friend in Your Face!Blazing EntrailsLumber JerksPrehistoric StimpyFarm HandsMagical Golden Singing CheesesA Hard Day's LuckI Love ChickenPowdered Toast Man vs. Waffle WomanIt's a Dog's LifeEgg YölkeoDouble HeaderThe Scotsman in SpacePixie KingAloha HöekInsomniac RenMy Shiny FriendCheese Rush DaysWiener BaronsGaloot WranglersRen Needs Help!Superstitious StimpyTravelogue
Season 5
Ol' Blue NoseStupid Sidekick UnionSpace DoggedFued For SaleHair of the CatCity HicksStimpy's PetRen's BrainBell HopsDog TagsI Was a Teenage StimpyWho's Stupid Now?School MatesDinner PartyBig FlakesPen PalsTerminal StimpyReverend JackA Scooter for YaksmasSammy and MeThe Last Temptation
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