Telephonies

Telephonies
Season 1, Episode 6-A
Episode name pun on: "Telephone" and "phonies"
Airdate:	December 23, 1998
Credits
Director:	Genndy Tartakovsky Craig McCracken
Story:	Clayton Morrow
See also
episode transcript	image gallery
Episodes
Previous "Abracadaver"	Next "Tough Love"
Rating

"Telephonies" is the first half of the sixth episode of Season 1. It first aired on Cartoon Network in the United States on December 23, 1998.

Synopsis

The Gangreen Gang invade the Mayor's office and begin making crank calls to the Powerpuff Girls, sending them on a wild goose chase as they suspect that Fuzzy Lumpkins, Mojo Jojo, and HIM are committing crimes. But when the three villains investigate further, the Gangreen Gang soon find themselves at the end of the villains' wrath.

Plotline

One morning, The Gangreen Gang, with their juvenile activities, decide to pull some crank calls on random citizens of Townsville, including the Narrator, thus interrupting the usual intro. After Arturo tricks the Professor into thinking he's won ten million dollars and keeps him on the line indefinitely, and Big Billy botches up a bad joke about his name, an inspired Ace hatches a scheme---to get the Mayor to leave City Hall, leaving the Powerpuff Hotline unguarded. With Grubber's help impersonating Ms. Bellum, the crew manages to sneak in while the Mayor has been tricked into overseeing the supposed grand opening of a local mall.

They then call the girls, first saying that Mojo Jojo is hatching an evil scheme, but as the girls crash in through his roof, they find him confused (after a quick beating)---he was simply taking a nap after reading the newspaper. Confused and embarrassed, they head back home. Then the phone rings a second time, exclaiming that Fuzzy Lumpkins has "gone plum crazy". But again (and after another quick beating) they find Fuzzy to be innocent---he had been taking a bath. Still, a bit confused, and a tad upset as they think that the Mayor is pulling their legs, the girls sheepishly leave an enraged Fuzzy and race home again. Soon, the hotline rings again. Still cranking the girls for laughs, the Gangreen Gang convince them, despite Blossom's initial suspicion, that HIM is up to something evil as well.

HIM in his exercise clothes.

Rushing over to HIM's living space, they find that HIM's simply exercising along with a tv program. The girls are cautious and question HIM about what's going on but HIM assures them that he doesn't know anything and politely brushes the girls off; he even goes on to explain that he does take pride in staying in shape.

As the girls leave, however, HIM angrily calls fellow villain Mojo, who is already speaking to Fuzzy about their recent incidents with the girls; Fuzzy is quite sore at the girls for harassing him during his bath in the nude. Mojo connects Him to the conversation, and they all agree they should complain. Mojo mentions that despite the three of them being villains, they are still citizens of Townsville nonetheless. With that fact, HIM eventually dials City Hall, where the phone rings. Meanwhile, the Gangreen Gang have all fallen asleep, after having trashed the place and having copious amounts of pizza. Billy, who's awakened by the chiming of the phone, answers it, and he mistakenly tells HIM that it was he and the Gangreen Gang who had been making crank calls to the girls all day, through the Powerpuff Hotline, after tricking the mayor to leave his office.

Mojo, Fuzzy and HIM confront the Gangreen Gang in the Mayor's office.

Understanding the situation before them, Mojo, HIM, and Fuzzy all immediately rush over to the office and give the scared gang a senseless (but justified) beating for their crank calls and ruining their day. The Mayor then returns and finds them fighting in his office and he calls the girls later at night, but they don't listen to him, thinking that it's just another joke. The Mayor calls again, but Buttercup melts the hotline with her eye lasers. The episode ends with the trio saying goodnight to the Professor, who's still on hold on another phone, still thinking he's won ten million dollars.

Mojo, Fuzzy and HIM save the day.

So once again, the day is saved thanks to...Mojo, Fuzzy and HIM?

Characters

• The Powerpuff Girls (Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup)
• The Gangreen Gang
• Mojo Jojo
• Fuzzy Lumpkins
• HIM
• The Mayor of Townsville
• Professor Utonium

Quotes

Mojo Jojo: Alright, alright, Fuzzy, I heard you the first time... I know.[the line beeps] I kn... hold on, Fuzzy. There's someone on the other line. [Switches lines]

Him: [To Mojo Jojo on the phone; demonic voice] Mojo! It's me... [effeminate voice] Him.

Mojo Jojo: Yes, sir! What is it?

Him: [demonic] You won't believe what just happened.

Mojo Jojo: The Powerpuff Girls just broke in unexpected?

Him: WHAT?! How did you know?

Mojo Jojo: The same thing happened to me and Fuzzy Lumpkins. He's on the other line.

Him: Well, put him on!

[Mojo puts Fuzzy on the line]

Fuzzy Lumpkins: [shaking with fury] BUSHWHACKED IN MY BIRTHDAY SUIT!!

Him: This is an outrage!

Mojo Jojo: You are right. We're all citizens. Evil citizens, but citizens nonetheless.

Fuzzy Lumpkins: BIRTHDAY SUIT!! [Cries]

Him: We should complain!

Mojo Jojo: But to whom?

---

Big Billy: Hello?

Him: [demonic voice] I demand to speak with The Mayor.

Big Billy: He's not here right now. Can I take a massage?

Him: Do you know when he'll be back?

Big Billy: Uh...I don't know. See, Grubber tricked the Mayor into leaving so we could break in and use the Powerpuff hotline to make crank calls.

Him: Huh?! [effeminate voice] You don't say. Well, to whom might I be speaking?

Big Billy: Uh, this is Billy.

Him: Billy who?

Big Billy: Big Billy from the Gangreen Gang. Who is this? [Him hangs up the phone] Hello?

[A crash suddenly shakes the room, snapping the Gangreen Gang awake. Him, Mojo Jojo, and Fuzzy Lumpkins have come in, looking enraged]

Him: So, you guys like to make [demonic] crank calls.

[Him, Mojo and Fuzzy quickly beat up the Gangreen Gang]

Trivia

• How the Powerpuff Girls didn't think of visiting the mayor for their embarrassments in the first place?
• In this episode, Grubber can perfectly impersonate The Mayor and Ms. Bellum. However, in Buttercrush, he did a poor impersonation of Buttercup. It's possible that he improved over time.
• This episode has a few rare peeks into the villains' lives, showing that they're not involved in criminal activities 24/7---they seem to lead fairly "normal" lives for the most part.
  • Mojo Jojo: Sleeping after reading the newspaper.
  • Fuzzy Lumpkins: Taking a bath while playing the banjo.
  • HIM: Exercising.
• This is one of the few episodes where some of the main villains do something good.
• At the beginning of the episode, when Big Billy messes up a crank call, Ace attempts to save it and end it quickly, stuttering out "Prince Albert---the fridge!" This is a reference to two well-known crank calls: "Is your refrigerator running?" and "Do you have Prince Albert's head in a can?".
• This is the first episode to show villains that are against other villains.
• This is the first time the day is saved by someone other than the Powerpuff Girls, and one of the few times that villains save the day.
  • This is the first time that Mojo Jojo saves the day. He saves the day four other times after this.
  • This is the only time where Fuzzy Lumpkins or HIM saves the day.
• This is the only episode where the Powerpuff Girls and Gangreen Gang don't directly interact with each other.
• Blossom says that Fuzzy Lumpkins is clean. This is a figure of speech because clean also means innocent and Fuzzy is clean because he was taking a bath when they attacked him.
• In this episode, Fuzzy is shown with pink furred feet and legs, but for the rest of the series, they are hairless.
• This episode and Meet the Beat-Alls are the only two episodes where Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, and Him get along with each other.
  • Strangely, in this episode, HIM is the leader of the group, while in Meet the Beat-Alls, Mojo Jojo led the group. However, in Meet the Beat-Alls, Princess Morbucks joined the gang.
• When Mojo Jojo answers the phone, he addresses HIM as "Sir", hinting that Mojo Jojo recognizes HIM as being the number 1 of all villains in Townsville, unlike in "Custody Battle".
• Even HIM himself says to Mojo "It's me, HIM." Though it could be this way so that HIM's real name wouldn't be revealed to Mojo. 
• When the Gangreen Gang makes the third crank call on the girls, Blossom says "Hello, Mayor" in the same way Jerry Seinfeld would often say "Hello, Newman" on Seinfeld.
• When Mojo, Fuzzy, and Him arrive at the Mayor's office, Mojo is holding a weapon but does not use it.
• The episode could possibly be a homage to, or a parody of the story, "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" - The girls repeatedly think the mayor is calling them, only to realize that it's a joke. When an actual crime occurs, they assume he's joking again and they don't show up, leaving the villains on their own.
• Snake is the only member who didn't do any crank calls.
• HIM was the only villain in this episode, who felt neither annoyed nor disturbed by the Powerpuff Girls.
• Both Professor Utonium & the Mayor were the only two who fell for the crank calls.
• When Ace calls Café de Paris, he asks the Maitre d' of Café de Paris "Yeah, listen, do you have frogs' legs?" and the Maitre d' replies "But of course." This could be a reference to the commercial of the French mustard, Grey Poupon where two cars pull up and an Englishman in one car asks a French person in the other, "Pardon me. Would you have any Grey Poupon?" and the French guy replies "But of course!!"

Errors

• HIM smiles during the conference call with Mojo and Fuzzy.
• During the last scene, when the Mayor arrives back at his office to find Mojo Jojo, Fuzzy Lumpkins, and HIM fighting the Gangreen Gang, and phones the Powerpuff Girls on the hotline, it is clearly shown to be day through the window. However, in the Powerpuff Household, the girls are tucked into bed and it is shown to be night outside.
• When Lil' Arturo and Snake said "Aw, jeepers!", Grubber's mouth moves along with them.
• Grubber was the one mimicking the Mayor but when the gang hung up after they cranked the girls about HIM, Ace is the one putting the phone down.