"Sven Hoek" (stylized "Svën Höek") is an episode of the second season.
Characters
Log Commercial
- Log Announcer
- Action Logs
- Log of Arabia
- Officer Log
- Athletic Log
- Cheerleader Log
- Sergeant Log
- Agent Double-O-Log
- Log Lion Tamer
- Singing Log
- Mysterious Log from Mars
- Armchair Quarterback Log
- Injured Civil War Log
- Lion
- Doctor
Gritty Kitty Litter Commercial
- Muddy Mudskipper ("The Muddy Mudskipper Show" intro only)
- Gritty Kitty Litter Announcer
- Shaving Yak
- Live Crab
- Junior Barbell
- Fish Clip
- Ren Hoek
- Stimpy
Plot
Ren's cousin Sven visits, but he turns out to be just as stupid as Stimpy. The two bond over disgusting personal possessions, and Ren is horrified by the fact that they are wearing inflated rubber gloves on their heads (Stimpy claims that they are "Lodge Brothers" of the "Loyal Order of Stupids"). Much later, poor, exhausted Ren is going out to work, although it is not explicitly stated what his job is, and the two are left in the house together, with Ren telling them to behave. After Ren comes home from work, he finds the house in shambles, with the majority of the living room being covered in cat litter. Ren shrugs it off, being relieved to be home, however, he sees that both Sven
and Stimpy violated his material possessions, including putting bubble gum on his opera records, opening his collection of deadly/incurable diseases and painting his fossilized dinosaur droppings as if they are Easter Eggs. Ren angrily confronts the two in what seems to be one of his highest peaks of anger and threatenly tells them he is going to tear their lips off, gouge their eyes out, tear their arms out of their sockets, and hit them then laugh over them shortly after, in a very eerily calm voice. Before he can act on his threats however, he decides to go to the bathroom, demanding them to stay right where they are. He comes across a boardgame Stimpy and Sven were playing, called "Don't Whiz on the Electric Fence" realizing they like the game, Ren precedes to urinate on it, while laughing maniacally only to end up electrocuted, causing the house to explode. The episode ends with the three being transported to hell where Satan asks Ren, "So, you whizzed on the electric fence, didn't ya?" and the jingle playing.
Watch Episode
Censorship
This episode is arguably one of the most censored episodes in the entire run of the series, with multiple different versions and deleted scenes (both before and after broadcasts).
- After word broke out of the original airing of the episode being criticized by John K. for much of its score and sound effect volumes and choices, Bob Camp mixed this episode again in post-production later in the series with different music cues and quieter sound effects. This version would eventually be used for all subsequent reruns (sans Spike TV) and can be spotted on the Sony Wonder VHS "Classics II" and Laserdisc "Classics I & II" and on the Time-Life DVD release. However, once John K. released the Paramount "The First and Second Seasons: UNCUT" set with his deleted scenes put in, he messed up and included the original broadcast version with the audio mix he hated.
- Originally, in the sequence where Ren threatens Sven and Stimpy, there was meant to be a scene where Ren threatens to "grind their bones into putty." This was scrapped and never made it into the episode, and only exists as a production sketch.
The original sketch showing the aforementioned threat.
- As shown by the pencil test footage, as well as early workprint copies, there was a longer version of the Magic Nose Goblins scene, where Sven says; "Ya, and I finally get a good look at them!" and the pan showing the Nose Goblins is longer. This was possibly shortened for time.
- The devil seen at the end of the episode was originally going to be George Liquor, to the point that he is voiced by Michael Pataki, who also voiced Liquor.
- All airings of the episode alter the litter box scene and go to a commercial break right after Stimpy closes the closet doors, completely omitting the circus scene. In the aforementioned alternate music version, the music stops when Sven finds Stimpy and jumps into the litter box. Then, some sort of symphony plays and the scene ends when Stimpy closes the closet and play circus with Sven. This scene is restored on the Paramount DVD's (albeit with the original soundtrack).
- The scene where Ren is threatening both Sven and Stimpy by telling them he will gouge their eyes out was cut and never aired on TV. However, it is reinstated on the Paramount DVD, where the scene was reinserted from a electronic time-coded VHS tape (hence the time code, noticeably grainy footage, and suddenly-changing music) due to Nickelodeon supposedly destroying the other master copies containing this scene.
- However a version of this scene without a time code can still be found online albeit in 240p and still has the music change.
- The scene where Ren explains that he will tear their arms out and the part where Sven and Stimpy roll the dice has a minor cut to them for probably timing (or in the case of the arm tearing, probably to not put a deep image of it).
- According to Bob Camp, another deleted scene from Ren's long threat to Sven and Stimpy involves Ren threatening to boil their skin. This scene was rejected, and can only be found as part of the storyboard.
The storyboard showing Ren's "skin boiling threat."
- Every version of this episode is actually the Games Animation version of the episode. The original version made by Spumco wasn't completed and was destroyed by Games Animation. The original version was supposed to have a different title card with Alfred Hitchcock music, and had the scene were Ren says "I'm gonna gouge your eyes out!" and the scene where Sven and Stimpy are playing in the litter box. Only a timecode and pencil cut of this original Spumco version exists.
- This episode was banned from rotation by the early 2010's, as it was not present on Amazon or Hulu and not rebroadcast on The Splat/NickSplat (despite clips often showing in promos) or on MTV in 2016, most likely due to the disturbing nature of the climax.
Trivia/Goofs
- Not only do Sven and Stimpy have the same basic character design and personality, they are also both voiced by Billy West.
- Goof: The zipper is not seen until Ren needs it.
- Stock footage from the farewell segment from Nurse Stimpy is used. Also, this is the first episode to use footage from past episodes. However, Stimpy's eyes are edited from looking right to looking down at his nose goblins.
- This is the first episode to use digital ink and paint instead of traditional cel, unlike other episodes that have used the old animation style. However, a scene from Stimpy's Big Day using the Muddy Mudskipper theme song was used as a segment, and it used the traditional cel animation as of the episode being made in season one along with the Gritty Kitty Litter scene from Stimpy's Big Day. However, stock footage from a past farewell segment from the end of Nurse Stimpy was used in the scene of Stimpy showing Sven his nose goblins; so it is still cel animation.
- The final sequence is often considered the best moment of the series by fans, and a few even consider it one of the greatest moments in all of animation.
- This is the first episode to air after Spumco got fired from production and the first episode to be finished by Games Animation. Games Animation made the intro at the beginning instead of a title card and added the music into the episode, and provided the animation for the Farewell Segment, which marked Billy West's first ever portrayal of Ren, prior to the airing of Monkey See, Monkey Don't.
- Stimpy breaks the fourth wall during the litter box scene, as he notices the audience watching him and Sven and gets offended, as "it is private."
- The part when Ren almost hits Stimpy with a baseball bat for his stupidity is popular for Youtube Poops. In Youtube Poops, when Ren hits Stimpy with the baseball bat, the screen goes black and Stimpy's screaming can be heard with banging and hitting sounds.
- This is the first and only episode to have Billy West voice Ren in the "What Do We Do 'Til Then" segment. So this is the last episode to use this segment sadly. However, both John and Billy voice him in that segment.
- Goof: In the scene when Ren says he's going to tear Sven's and Stimpy's lips out, Ren's arm goes missing for a frame.
- John K. hates the opening title sequence.
- The accordion player in the opening title sequence is Bob Camp.