Stimpy's Big Day!

Plot

Ren and Stimpy share a caravan. Ren scolds Stimpy for watching too much television, especially The Muddy Mudskipper Show, which is presented as live action within the story. The show, sponsored by Gritty Kitty Litter, runs a contest requiring a poem praising the product in 40 million words or fewer. The winner receives $47 million, a lifetime supply of goat cheese, records of 1970s hit pop songs, and a trip to Hollywood to appear as a guest on the show.

Ren dismisses the contest as a scam and ends their friendship. Stimpy wins, and the presenters deliver the prizes. Ren regrets his actions and cries. In Hollywood, Stimpy meets Muddy Mudskipper, an actual mudskipper.

An interview before airtime becomes nonsensical. Stimpy undergoes a lengthy makeup session and appears on television, where the microphone gets stuck in his nose. Muddy comments on Stimpy's stupidity. A fictional log toy advertisement airs mid-episode. The story continues in "The Big Shot!".

Production

Production began in October 1990 to meet the August 1991 premiere. Most recruits had worked with John Kricfalusi on The New Adventures of Beany and Cecil in 1988. Painter Teale Wang recalled in 2009 that Kricfalusi recruited her by challenging her commitment; she accepted the job after he implied she preferred safety. Early Spümcø operated like a "mom-and-pop shop" until early 1991, when it became more conventional. Much of the episode was drawn by Kricfalusi and Lynne Naylor. Naylor simplified Ren and Stimpy's designs from their look in the 1990 pilot "Big House Blues", arguing the original style was too time-consuming and expensive for frame-by-frame animation. The pilot had an "underground" appearance that was abandoned for this episode. Naylor's simpler designs became the series norm, though Kricfalusi preferred the original look.

Reception

American journalist Thad Komorowski gave the episode four out of five stars. Karen Schomer of The New York Times noted in 1992 that the episode demonstrated the show's difference from other animated series through its gross-out humor, the characters' lack of goodwill, and self-awareness, which appealed to older audiences. Critic Matt Langer wrote that Kricfalusi referenced American cultural detritus and deliberately violated norms of good taste.