The 'Ren and Stimpy' Primer for Eediots Quiz

Answer: John Kricfalusi

Kricfalusi (pronounced 'kris-fa-LOO-see') began drawing low-budget cartoons for television before coming under the tutelage of animator Ralph Bakshi. Some of the shows he worked on include 'The Cosby Kids' and the revival of both 'The Jetsons' in 1985 and 'Beany and Cecil' in 1988.

He also goes by 'John K.' or the pseudonym 'Raymond Spum' if he doesn't like the end product (as in 'Nurse Stimpy'). Both Reccardi and Gomez have worked on a number of other cartoons, including 'Samauri Jack' and 'Mother Goose and Grim'. West provided the voice of Stimpy in the first two seasons, then took over Ren after John K.'s departure. You may also know him as the Honey Nut Cheerios' Honeybee and Phillip J. Fry in 'Futurama'.

Answer: True

Ren and Stimpy were originally intended as pets to an ultra-conservative American named George Liquor, who, indeed, figured prominently in two R&S episodes ('Dog Show' and 'Man's Best Friend'). But the executives as Nickelodeon hated George, so he was removed and the dog and cat took the center stage.

Answer: Höek

Ren Höek (pronounced 'hork' like in 'pork') is a certified Asthma-Hound Chihuahua. According to an interview with John K., Ren's name reportedly came from Kricfalusi's former landlord. Stimpy's name came frm John's college roommate, one 'Stimpy' Kadoogen (Stimpy will use the name 'Killer Kadoogen' in the wrestling episode 'Mad Dog Höek').

Answer: 'Big House Blues'

In this, the 'Ren and Stimpy' pilot, a narrator (later revealed to be a dog catcher) introduces the cat and dog, who were able to overcome their natural urge to fight each other and unite in the face of adversity. Nearly starving, they wind up in the dog pound, partying with all the other dogs until one named Phil is pulled away to be euthanized (or, as Jasper puts it, 'the Big Sleep').

At the last minute, the two are saved by a little girl who mistakes a hairball-encrusted Ren for a cute poodle. Stimpy also gets his first material possession, a litter box (which will figure in future episodes like 'Sven Höek' and 'Fire Dogs').

Answer: 'Planet X'

In 'Space Madness', Commander Höek and Cadet Stimpy are on a multi-year mission to the Crab Nebula, where Ren slowly goes mad and eats a bar of soap, thinking it's an ice cream bar. 'Marooned' finds the two crash-landing on a strange planet with giant tentacled brains and man-eating stinky cabbage.

In 'Black Hole', the two are sucked into an alternate universe and find a mountain of missing left socks.

Answer: Erases history

While Stimpy ponders whether or not to push the tantalizing History-Eraser Button, the off-screen announcer (also voiced by Billy West) appears on screen egging Stimpy on. Finally, Stimpy can't take anymore and pushes the button. Ren, Stimpy and the announcer all disappear (as does Ren and Stimpy's image in the title card at the end of the cartoon).

This is from the episode 'Space Madness'.

Answer: kvalitet

Okay, let's learn some Danish words. 'Bilist' refers to any car driver, a 'landman' is a farmer and a 'gæstebog' is a guest book. The word 'spümcø' has no meaning in the Danish language.

The animation company 'Spümcø' was founded by Kricfalusi, Bob Camp, Jim Smith and Lynne Naylor, who used it to produce the first two years of 'Ren and Stimpy' episodes, before John K. was fired by Nickelodeon in 1993. After that, Games Animation (now NickToons Studios) took over the remainder of the shows.

Answer: The Littlest Giant

Unlike 'Robin Höek', this time Stimpy takes center stage as a huge giant, but not bigger than all the other giants, who play cruel jokes on him. Fed up, a tearful Stimpy leaves the town of Hugevania, winding his way down to the little hamlet of Thumbsville, where Wee Ren is caught in the middle of a severe drought.

He wakes up one morning to find Stimpy still crying (and filling up Ren's well with his enormous tears). A grateful Ren offers to be Stimpy's friend, but has to put up with Stimpy's snoring (only his nose will fit in the house).

Answer: Because their parents are aliens

Not only are they aliens, but when the kids go to school, they shed their human skin and breathe dryer lint. Dr. Stupid often has to rely on his patented 'Stuponitron' helmet to guage the answer, even though it often has very little to do with the question.

Answer: Log

'Log' (from 'Blammo') is a parody of the old 'Slinky' commercial about getting kids fired up to buy a metal spring as a toy. Even the jingle echoes the old 'Slinky' song:

'Log rolls downstairs, alone or in pairs
Rolls over your neighbor's dog.
What's great with a snack and fits on your back?
It's Log Log Log!

(chorus)
It's Log, it's Log,
It's big, it's heavy, it's wood.
It's Log, it's Log,
It's better than bad, it's good.

Everyone wants a log!
You're gonna love it, Log!
Come on and get your log!
Everyone needs a Log!'

Answer: Stinky Wizzleteats

Wizzleteats was so named because of a line in 'The Littlest Giant' referring to a starving cow's 'wizzled teats'. Kricfalusi loved the phrase so much, he created the new character around the name for 'Stimpy's Invention', where he sings Stimpy's favorite song, 'Happy Happy Joy Joy'.

The spoken words during the song (like, 'I'll teach your grandmother to suck eggs') are references to lines used by Ives in his Oscar-winning role for 'The Big Country' in 1958. In fact, Ives himself saw the episode and offered to voice over the track for Kricfalusi. Ives, best known as the Snowman in the Rankin-Bass Christmas classic, 'Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer', died in 1995.

Answer: Clean the house and make a tasty dinner

In fact, when Ren returns home, both Stimpy and Svën are enganged in their favorite board game, 'Don't Whiz on The Electric Fence'. After threatening some bodily harm on the two for trashing the house, Ren decides to ruin the game by doing the opposite of what the name of the game says. This, of course, makes the house explode.

Answer: Huge pectoral muscles

One episode provided the answer to Ren's prayer. In 'Ren's Pecs', Ren was able to use Stimpy's gluteous maximus (his 'derriere') to get a manly chest and seek a career in Hollywood. This was a complete turn-around from 'Stimpy's Big Day', when Stimpy won a poetry contest for 'Gritty Kitty' Litter and starred on the 'Muddy Mudskipper Show'.

Answer: Frank Zappa

It was Zappa, tied to a barrel at the hands of the evil Muddy Mudskipper, who yells, 'Hey, I'm saved!' when Powdered Toast Man (Gary Owen) arrives in the nick of time. Other actors making guest appearences on 'Ren and Stimpy' include Jack Carter, Frank Gorshin, Alan Young, Stan Freberg, Dom DeLuise, June Lockhart and Gilbert Gottfried.

Answer: Unwashed lederhosen

For the uninitiated, lederhosen is the national costume of men in Germany and Switzerland (particularly Bavaria), basically consisting of knee breeches and suspenders, all made of leather.