Fire Dogs (The Ren & Stimpy Show)

"Fire Dogs"
The Ren & Stimpy Show episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 3b
Directed by	John Kricfalusi
Story by	John Kricfalusi
Production code	RS-04B
Original air date	September 29, 1991 (1991-09-29)
Episode chronology
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List of episodes

"Fire Dogs" is the 8th episode of the first season of The Ren & Stimpy Show , that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on 29 September 1991.

Plot

Ren and Stimpy are homeless and starving to such a point that the two are forced to eat Stimpy's used kitty litter. Fortunately, Ren has a bucket of "Dalmatian Paint" that allows both him and Stimpy to be painted the colors of Dalmatian dogs. The duo apply for jobs with the Fire Department. Ren is attacked by the violently psychotic Fire Chief, who briefly mistakes him and Stimpy for circus midgets. The duo are hired as firefighters, which provides with income for food. A fire breaks at an apartment building and a character known only as Mrs. Buttloaves drops her giant baby and menagerie of unlikely pets such as a horse, walrus and an elephant out the window. Ren is sent to save Mrs. Buttloaves, but faints as he afraid of heights, so the woman grabs Ren and climbs. The weight of Mrs. Buttloaves, as well as Stimpy repeatedly turning the crank, results in the ladder breaking, and causes both her and Ren to fall violently to earth. Stimpy puts out the fire by dumping a load of his kitty litter via a helicopter. The Fire Chief, impressed by their hard work, awards Ren and Stimpy the "Sacred Golden Fire Hydrant Helmets" for their bravery. Stimpy declares that he is "so happy he can hardly contain himself", and a nearby voice agrees with him. The episode ends with a reveal of a line of fidgeting dogs, wanting to use Ren and Stimpy's new helmets as a bathroom, with Mrs. Buttloaves at the very end of the line.

Cast

• Ren – voice of John Kricfalusi
• Stimpy and News Reporter – voice of Billy West
• Fire Chief – voice of Harris Peet
• The Baby – voice of Cheryl Chase
• Mr. Horse – voice of John Kricfalusi
• Mrs. Buttloaves – voice of John Kricfalusi

Production

John Kricfalusi stated that Fire Dogs was "written in an afternoon" as to fill the quota of episodes ordered for the first season in October 1990. ^[1] Bob Camp called "Fire Dogs" "a regular cartoon, lots of mayhem and running around and physical humor. It's not the usual bizarre fare". ^[1] The episode was by all accounts rushed at the Spümcø studio with as little work as done as possible. ^[1] Instead of being drawn in and painted at the usual sub-contractors for the first season, namely the Lacewood studio of Ottawa or the Carbunkle studio of Vancouver, the task was sub-contracted out to the Fil-Cartoons studio of Manila because Fil-Cartoons was the cheapest sub-contractor. ^[1] Despite the rush, "Fire Dogs" was still late. ^[2] Much of the footage intended for "Fire Dogs" was vandalized beyond repair at Fil-Cartoons. ^[3]

Reception

The American journalist Thad Komorowski described Fire Dogs as an episode that featured "amateurish drawing and animation" that reflected its troubled production. ^[1]

Books and articles

• Dobbs, G. Michael (2015). Escape – How Animation Broke into the Mainstream in the 1990s. Orlando: BearManor Media. ISBN   1593931107.
• Komorowski, Thad (2017). Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media. ISBN   978-1629331836.

References

1. Komorowski 2017, p. 107.
2. Komorowski 2017, p. 113.
3. Komorowski 2017, p. 123.