"My Shiny Friend" is the 19th episode of Season 4.
Characters[]
- Ren
- Stimpy
- Mr. Horse
- Muddy Mudskipper
- Fire Chief
- Wilbur Cobb (pictured)
- Kowalski (head shown)
- Cow
- The Chicks
- Mole
Summary[]
Ren is forced to deal with Stimpy's obsession of watching television.
Plot[]
One day, Stimpy is watching T.V. Ren is supposed to go to work and thinks that Stimpy shouldn't spend all day watching television. So, Ren tells him to do the ironing. Soon after Ren leaves, Stimpy ignores him. Later that night, Ren comes home from work and finds Stimpy watching The Three Stooges. Ren tells Stimpy to cook tonight's dinner for the both of them. However, Stimpy cooks dinner by watching the show Cookin' with Chicken, and the chicken catches on fire by accident. Later on, Ren goes to answer the door, and a troop of firemen come in and eat the chicken with Stimpy while watching Fire Patrol. Later, Ren finds that Stimpy won't let anyone else sleep with him, reserving the space for the TV instead. Calmly, Ren kicks the TV out, and then Stimpy. The next day Ren tells Stimpy to play with his friends instead of watching television. Stimpy does as he's told. However, Ren catches Stimpy and his friends watching Muddy Mudskipper atop a tree. Ren then buries the T.V. underground. Later on, Ren goes underground and catches Stimpy, along with a mole, watching T.V. Ren takes the T.V. above ground, runs up to it with a shovel, and destroys the television set. Unfortunately, this causes Stimpy to have an emotional meltdown. Ren slaps Stimpy to make him calm down. Stimpy calmly tells Ren that he "went a little crazy" but is alright. Later that night, Ren reads while Stimpy sits in a chair. Stimpy asks to use the restroom multiple times for some reason. Ren then knows something is wrong after Stimpy tells him that he has to go do 'Number Three'. He peeks in through the keyhole and sees Stimpy pull a T.V. out of the toilet. Stimpy watches it for hours. Ren then kicks the door down, and sees Stimpy on the floor. Stimpy is shown glowing and green. Ren then finds out that he's been overdosed on television. Ren then puts Stimpy somewhere where he can't hurt himself anymore: the basement.
Ren finds Stimpy after he overdoses. Notice the gloves error.
With Stimpy gone, Ren sits next to a fireplace reading a book called Poems and listening to Italian opera music while shedding tears. In the basement, Stimpy has a nightmare that Muddy Mudskipper chases and eats him. Stimpy then wakes up and prays to God, yelling "I want my TV!". Ren doesn't hear him as he's fallen asleep. After a year, Ren is impressed with his friend's behavior and finally decides that Stimpy is cured and releases him. Ren goes to work and Stimpy promises not to watch T.V. Keeping his word, Stimpy goes inside and plays dice at a bargaining table with his friends, meaning that his addiction has transferred to gambling instead. Then the episode end with Stimpy offscreen saying "Craps!".
Trivia/Errors[]
- The episode was featured in the movie The Cable Guy.
- The German dub changed the ending line to "Bingo!", presenting a different outcome on Stimpy's gambling.
- A picture frame containing Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble is visible at one point.
- When Stimpy does Number one, a paper placed on the door says "men". But when he does Number two, the paper says " boys", and when he does Number three, the paper says "girls".
- The Italian opera song Ren listens to at the fireplace while reading is "Vesti La Giubba" (translation, "Put On The Costume") from the Italian opera, Pagliacci (translation, "Clowns").
- During the bathroom scene, Ren can be seen wearing gloves.
- At one point in the episode, Ren hums the nursery rhyme "Fiddle-Dee-Dee" ("The fly married the bumblebee"). This is most likely a reference to Burl Ives' "Mother Goose Songs" in Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck and Other Children's Favorites. This marks the second episode the song has been referenced, the first being "Stimpy's Invention", during the song, "Happy Happy, Joy Joy!" by Stinky Whizzleteats.
- On Ren and Stimpy's mantle is the head of a Lummox, presumably Kowalski, along with a picture of Wilbur Cobb.
- This is the only episode Bill Wray directed to not be laid out and animated by Mr. Big Cartoons in Australia. Rather, the layouts were done in-house at Games, and the animation done by Toon-Us-In right in the USA (though ink-and-paint/camera work was still done overseas by Yeson Entertainment).
- This episode is not on Paramount+ due to it featuring a Raymond Scott music track ("In an 18th Century Drawing Room") and the clearance rights involving it.
- The scene with Ren holding a shovel has become a popular internet meme.
Production Notes[]
- Although this episode premiered on January 21, 1995, it was actually produced in 1994 according to the credits. It was also the last episode produced in 1994.
Production music[]
- Fairground Organ – Len Ranle (title card)
- Muddy Mudskipper Show Theme (opening)
- Mild and Bitter – John Fiddy, Otto Sieben (“Hey Muddy, don’t hit me with that mallet!”)
- Slip ’n Slide – Stephen Bulla, Jeff Kidwell (Ren comes home from work)
- Bat Stabs – David Farnon [CPM] (Ren turns his head)
- Mild and Bitter – John Fiddy, Otto Sieben (Ren goes into the living room)
- What a Goof! (a) – Richard Myhill (Stimpy nods)
- Drama Link (g), (d) – Hubert Clifford (“TV, TV, TV, TV!!!”)
- 60’s Party 1 – Steve Byrd (Drag Your Butt on the Carpet)
- Bat Stabs – David Farnon [CPM] (Ren turns around again)
- In an 18th Century Drawing Room – Raymond Scott (“Still watching TV, eh?”)
- Open and End Fanfare – Nino Nardini (“Okay housewives, it’s time for Cooking With Chicken!”)
- O Sole Mio (a) – Janos Lehar (Cooking With Chicken begins)
- Dramatic Cue (d) – Ronald Hanmer (chicken cooking himself)
- ? (“Man, smell that hickory flavor!”)
- Inferno – Fredric Bayco (firemen rush in)
- High Destiny – Laurie Johnson (firemen watching TV with Stimpy)
- Blue Blood C – Gregor Narholz (Ren’s angry)
- Wishful Thinking – Richard Myhill (Ren’s ready for bed)
- Horror Chords (c) – Paddy Kingsland (Stimpy’s asleep with the TV)
- Francesca Da Rimini – Symphonic Fantasia After Dante Op 32 – Peter Tchaikovsky, George Wilson [CPM] (Ren’s about to snap)
- Going Cuckoo (a) – Len Ranle (Ren kicks out the TV and Stimpy)
- Nursery Rhyme Bells – Len Ranle (Ren’s alone in bed)
- Mountain Dew (a) – Graham Preskett (“Grab ahold of the undercow and squeeze.”)
- Summer Dreams A – Mladen Franko (“Now run along and play with your idiot friends.”)
- Quirky Jerky – Richard Myhill (“Look at him go, daddy’s little simpleton.”)
- Muddy Mudskipper Show Theme (heard from the tree)
- Backchat – Mac Prindy, John Fiddy, Christopher Laurence (Ren runs up the tree)
- Thirties Rose – Ib Glindemann [CPM] (Stimpy and friends laugh)
- Descriptive Items 10 – John Fox (tuba)
- Backporch Blues (a) – Richard Myhill (Stimpy and friends are thrown out of tree)
- Jagdsignale Q – Alfred Kluten (mourning the loss of the TV)
- Chapel Hymn 2 A (For the Young) – Johann Crueger, Otto Sieben (“Ah.”)
- Vibe Link (a) – Richard Myhill (tunnel into the Earth)
- Point of Departure I – Gregor Narholz (“Ren! No!”)
- Symphony No. 4 in F-Minor Op.36 Finale: Allegro Con Fuoco – Peter Tchaikovsky (Ren running up to the TV and destroying it)
- Marking Time – Laurie Johnson (Ren exhausted from destroying the TV)
- Only Lovers Know A – Mladen Franko (“Please! Must have TV!”)
- Chinese Drunk – David Farnon [CPM] (“Must… put it back… together!”)
- Wargames Link (c) – Keith Mansfield (“Snap out of it!”)
- Mists of Illusion – Gilbert Vinter; Harp Gliss 1 – Otto Sieben (Stimpy dizzy after Ren’s slap)
- Chinese Drunk – David Farnon [CPM] (Stimpy convincing Ren that he’s okay)
- Flowers of the Thorn (Sting) – Brian Peters [CPM] (that night…)
- Boys and Girls – Brian Peters [CPM] (all three times Stimpy goes to the bathroom)
- Declamatory Chords – Alan Braden (“NUMBER THREE?!”)
- Stealth by Night – Jack Coles (“I’m back, and he doesn’t suspect a thing!”)
- Dark, Damp and Dripping! – Len Ranle (Stimpy pulls TV out of the toilet)
- Muddy Mudskipper Show Theme (heard throughout)
- The Sword of Damocles – Jack Beaver (“Oh no! He’s overdosed on TV!”)
- Love Scene C – Mladen Franko (“There there, old pal.”)
- Vesti La Giubba – Ruggiero Leoncavallo (Ren listens to this and cries)
- Muddy Mudskipper Show Theme (heard during Stimpy’s dream)
- Point of Departure H – Gregor Narholz (“MUDDY!”)
- Vesti La Giubba – Ruggiero Leoncavallo (Stimpy runs up the stairs)
- Balow, My Babe – Patrick Gowers (Stimpy prays)
- Dingles Regatta – Brian Peters [CPM] (One Year Later)
- Franks in Town – Ib Glindemann [CPM] (Stimpy at the betting table)