The Ren and Stimpy Show is easily one of the best cartoons ever made. At its peak in 1992, I was in second grade. I had a friend who watched it regularly. I, however, had “a mother who loved me” (her words), and as soon as she saw 30 seconds of the show, banned it from our household. It makes sense when you consider I was seven and seeing scenes like this one:
Luckily, my grandparents lived in the same town and either ignorance or years of experience made them less heavy-handed on the Ren and Stimpy restrictions. So every chance I got, I would head to my grandparents around the time Ren and Stimpy was on and watch there.
At the time, I thought that it was the funniest thing in the universe. To this day, I can’t help laughing at the disgusting, absurdist humor.
So to help you guys appreciate it as much as my 7-year old self does, here are the 10 greatest episodes from worst to best…
Note: All plot synopses and images are pulled from IMDB. Rankings are my own.
#10 Stimpy’s Big Day / Big Shot
Stimpy wins a competition that takes him to the Big-time in Hollywood. Ren, left at home, begins to miss Stimpy more than he ever would of thought. Will Stimpy, rich and successful, remember Ren and return home?
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#9 Stimpy’s Pet / Ren’s Brain
Ren and Stimpy find an abandoned circus clown at their doorstep. While Ren DOES NOT want to keep him, Stimpy pleads and begs until Ren agrees. Ren’s status as Lord of the Manor is challenged. Stimpy, the mad scientist, replaces Ren’s brain.
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#8 The Great Outdoors / The Cat that Laid the Golden Hairball
Camping at a lakeside wood, Ren and Stimpy go about making a pleasant camping trip. Faced with dehydrated food, mosquito squadrons and eccentric skinny dippers, the great outdoors shows that it has it’s share of challenges for the pair. Next, Ren exploits Stimpy’s hairball habit upon hearing that the price of this rare commodity is soaring.
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#7 The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen
The pioneering spirit is abound in this re-telling of the colonization of the north American continent. With the motto “We Always Get Our Butts Kicked!”, Ren and Stimpy set out across forests, deserts, mountains and vast snow fields atop lumbering yaks. Can they tap into the nation’s vast natural resources to bring about prosperity?
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#6 Out West / Rubber Nipple Salesmen
Ren and Stimpy find themselves amid the Wild West, where they run up against a Sheriff and Deputy who’s favorite past-time is hanging people. They then hit the road as salesmen, going door-to-door to sell Rubber Nipples.
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#5 In the Army / Powdered Toast Man
The Ren and Stimpy Show S2 E01 – In the Army by comic-freak
Note: Couldn’t find these anywhere to buy, so here they are to stream for free.
Ren and Stimpy join the Army, where they begin basic training under a very demanding Drill Sargent. We then follow the unusual and bizarre adventures of “Powdered Toast Man” as he is called on for various rescue missions.
#4 Sven Hoek
Ren & Stimpy VOSTFR – (S02E02) Sven Hoek by Erenesse
Ren is excited when his cousin, Svën, is coming over for a visit, until he finds out that Svën is an idiot just like Stimpy.
#3 Stimpy’s Fan Club
Ren’s jealousy drives him to distraction when day after day, the mailman dumps mountains of fan mail addressed to Stimpy only. Stimpy appeases Ren’s feelings of worthlessness by appointing him president of the Official Stimpy Fan Club. Can Ren put his feelings aside in order to perform the delicate duties involved in receiving and replying to the inexhaustible stream of Stimpy’s fan mail?
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#2 Space Madness / The Boy Who Cried Rat!
On their journey through space, Ren and Stimpy find that the true danger is “Space Madness”, a cabin-crazy condition that Ren succumbs to. Next, in a sick tribute to classic animation, the two cook up a ploy to act as a rodent removal service. Ren becomes the mouse, and Stimpy as the cat. They take their services to suburbia with mixed results.
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#1 Black Hole / Stimpy’s Invention
Commander Hoek and Cadet Stimpy are sucked into the hideous vortex of a black hole. Now as inhabitants on a new planet, and constantly mutating, the pair solve an age-old mystery after being tipped-off by a familiar smell. Next, Stimpy in his naive optimism, invents an emotion-controlling helmet. Ren, whether he likes it or not, is now the involuntary test-subject.
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Did we leave any episodes out? Let us know in the comments…
