"Better Homes & Garbage" is an episode of the stop motion animated series, Bump in the Night. (Aired on September 24, 1994)
Plot[]
The episode begins in the bathroom, Squishington is asleep inside his toilet home, just then the earth begins to rumble and he wakes up. The toilet house starts shaking and rocking and Squishington is uprooted from his home.
He falls out of the toilet tank and is splattered over the floor, his porcelain vase's then fall on top of him and break. Squishington comes out of the shattered pieces and sees the bathroom has been completely ruined. It then shows a plumber leaving the bathroom and scratching his backside.
Later, under the bed, Squishington visits his friend Mr. Bumpy and tells him what happened to his home. Bumpy comforts his upset friend and tells him that he can stay with him until it is safe to return home. Squishington is touched by Mr Bumpy's hospitality and Bumpy tells him that they are the best of friends and he would do anything for him.
Squishington gives Bumpy a big hug and thanks him, he also promises Bumpy that he will pull his weight around, meaning that he will do his share of the work. Squish promises to help cleaning and cooking while living with Bumpy. Bumpy isn't concerned about doing work and would rather have fun, he searches through his mess and finds a remote control.
Bumpy shows Squishington his remote, which activates the tiny spores in his home, he pushes a button and mushrooms instantly grow from the floor. Squishington and Bumpy then start playing sword fight, with the mushroom caps as helmets and the mushroom stems as weapons.
Bumpy and Squish then start their battle, while moving around the mushrooms. Squishington knocks Bumpy to the ground, Squishington is about to finish the fight, but Bumpy tricks him and tells him that his shoe lases are untied. Squishinton looks down and Bumpy then whacks him with his weapon and Squishington's helmet breaks in two.
Squishington sneezes and says sorry for being allergic to mushrooms, Bumpy pushes the button on the remote and the mushrooms disappear. Bumpy tells Squish that it's okay, he then decides to have a nap and he starts snoring. While Bumpy is sleeping, Squishington observes Bumpy's home and see's it is a disgusting mess. He then has an idea to surprise Bumpy by cleaning up his nest, thinking he is helping his friend.
Later, Bumpy's nest is neat and clean, Bumpy wakes up in horror and thinks it is a bad dream. Squishington tells Bumpy he must be having a "day-mare", Bumpy is temporarily revealed but he sees that his home is still neat and tidy. He tries pinching himself to wake up but it doesn't work, he tries pinching himself harder but his arm then breaks off.
Bumpy then yells "has the world gone mad", Squishington takes Bumpy's arm and puts it inside a filing cabinet. Squish then helps Bumpy to the couch, saying that he's been scrubbing all the filth and grime, Bumpy is still in disbelief. Squish then tells Bumpy that he organized everything in alphabetical order in the filing cabinet. Bumpy tries searching for his missing arm by searching under "A" and finds random objects like "aarvark" and "anvil". Squish tells Bumpy to look under "L" for "Limbs", Bumpy finds his arm and is instantly re-attached.
Bumpy is glad to have his arm back, but he cries out that he misses his mess. Squish then has his feeling hurt, thinking that Bumpy liked what he did. Bumpy then tries to make Squish feel better and says he does like it, Squish is glad and says Bumpy will learn to love it and will become a clean living monster in no time. Bumpy then mutters to himself that he can mess it up later.
Later, Squish is wiping the floor while Mr Bumpy is reading a comic book. He blows his nose on the pages and rips it out and tosses it away, Squish then catches it in a waste basket and sets it down next to Bumpy, who is irritated. Bumpy can't take it anymore and wants his house to be messed up. Squishington then tells Bumpy that lunch is served and Mr Bumpy is excited.
Squish sits Bumpy down at the table and tells him that he has cooked a highly prepared meal, Bumpy ask if it taste good, Squish says the taste doesn't matter and what is important is that it's healthy. Squish lifts up the lid and it shows only a small carrot and a scrap of lettuce. Bumpy is confused by the tiny lunch, but Squish says it's high in fiber.
Bumpy then says he's trying to cut down and he'll have a sock instead, he searches the file cabinet again but can't find socks under "S". Squishington pops out of the drawer and tells Bumpy to eat some sweet potato pie and he can have a sock. Bumpy then pretends to eat the sweet potato pie and acts like it's delicious. Squish know Bumpy is acting and he feels unappreciated. Bumpy is frustrated and says he must have a sock, Squishington is heartbroken and Bumpy feels sorry, he then says he will eat it all up to make him feel better.
Bumpy then goes to the dinner table and eats everything on it, including the food, the candelabra and the table cloth. Bumpy then says he ate everything up and ask if he can have a sock, Squishington is annoyed and tells Bumpy that the sock is under "H" for hosiery. Bumpy gobbles up the sock and feels satisfied.
Later, Bumpy's stomach is gurgling, he tells it to be quite or he'll give it another candelabra to digest. Squishington appears by Bumpy's bed and is worried about him and gives him a pillow. Squishington then gives Bumpy hundreds of pillows until everything is buried except for his eyes. Squish then ask if Bumpy needs anything else, but Bumpy's voice is muffled under the pillows.
Squish then thinks Bumpy is cold and runs off to find something to keep him warm. Bumpy burst out of the pillows and begs Squish to stop smothering him, but Squish then wraps Bumpy up with a long scarf, a beanie and a pair of mittens. Squish then thinks Bumpy has a fever and goes to get the thermometer, Bumpy is getting annoyed saying that his best friend is trying to kill him with kindness.
Squish returns with the thermometer, which terrifies Bumpy. Squish thinks Bumpy is now delirious and goes to look for a circular saw. Bumpy finally snaps and jumps on Squishington's head and tells him not to help him anymore. Bumpy then tells Squish that he is driving him crazy, Squish thinks that he was just trying to help Bumpy by cleaning, cooking and comforting. Bumpy's eyes go bloodshot with rage and tells Squish that he like his nest messy.
Squishington and Bumpy are now both angry at each other, Squish tells Bumpy to go ahead and make a mess, but they will never ever be friends again. Bumpy says that will be fine with him, the two start calling names at each other like "dirty dirt ball" and "neat geek". Squishington grabs a suitcase and leaves Bumpy's nest in a fit of rage, Squish tells Bumpy to take a hard look at himself and see if that is the monster he wants to be. Bumpy doesn't understand what that means and tells Squish that he is too clean for his own good, and Squishington leaves.
Bumpy is re leaved that Squish is out of his hair and beings to relax on the couch. He starts playing with the mushroom remote, saying he's glad he doesn't have anyone to tell him what to do. Squishington returns to the bathroom, seeing it messy and filthy. Squish dislikes the condition of the bathroom but is glad to be away from Bumpy. Squish thinks he should give the bathroom a good scrubbing, but he feels tired and says he will clean up later.
Back under the bed, Bumpy has grown bored with playing with the remote and ask Squish if he wants to do something, but remembers that he is not here anymore. Bumpy realizes he feels lonely without his best friend. In the bathroom, Squishington rolled a giant ball of dirt and grime and decides to give the dirt clod to Mr Bumpy.
Squishington rolls the giant dirt clod under the bed, he calls out to Mr Bumpy, but see's that he isn't there. The dirt clod rolls from Squishington and the clod splatters all over the nest. The room has returned to it's messy filthy state, Squishington then feels lonely that he and Mr Bumpy are no longer friends. Squish doesn't know where Bumpy is and becomes worried that something horrible happened to him, or he made a new best friend.
Squishington is upset and thinks Bumpy replaced him, he runs out of the bedroom to try to find Bumpy. Squish returns to the bathroom and is surprised to see it perfectly neat and clean. Bumpy then appears with a dirty toothbrush, he surprises Squishington by cleaning up his place. Squish is in awe with his place cleaned up, and is amazed that Bumpy did this, even after he drove him crazy.
Bumpy then says that Squish may be a sneeze ball, but he is also his best friend, if he does want to be friends again. Squish then says he has been acting stupid and he tries a little too hard sometimes. A giant sign that says "Moral Alert" drops on Bumpy's head, and Squish says they hit the moral on the head pretty hard.
Bumpy and Squish are now friends again, Bumpy then gets excited and says they can go mess up his place, Squishington tells Bumpy that he already did. Bumpy is proud of Squishington for making a mess and can't wait to see it. Bumpy then wants to race Squish back to his place and says the last one there is a "rotten four week old tuna sandwich with grey gunk on it."
Bumpy runs off, and Squish turns to face the viewers, he says that he doesn't mind being last because Mr Bumpy loves "rotten four week old tuna sandwich with grey gunk on it." Squish then goes to follow his best friend, ending the episode.
Quotes[]
Squish: Bumpy! My bowl has been uprooted like a weed!
Bumpy: There there, my oldest and squishiest pal. You can stay here until it is safe for you to go back home! Make yourself comfortable my amigo! Me Gar-barg es su Gar-barg...
Squish: You'd do that for me?
Bumpy: Hey! We're the bosomest of buddies, buddy-o! I would give you the warts off my back, you know that!
Squish: Oh thank you Mr Bumpy (gives him a big hug) And don’t you worry, I promise to pull my own weight around here!
Bumpy: Don't sweat it, tough guy!
Squish: I’ll cook and clean and make my every moment a living shrine to pleasing you
Bumpy: Shrine, Schmine. Let's have fun!
Squishington: This place is... frankly disgusting. Mr Bumpy will be so happy when I clean his nest for him. He will thank me to pieces and I will have helped my friend.
Mr Bumpy: WHAT IS HAPPENING?! HAS THE WHOLE WORLD GONE MAD?!
Squishington: Good. And don't you worry. You'll learn to love it. I bet you're a clean living monster in no time.
Mr Bumpy: I can always mess it up later.
Mr Bumpy: I like my nest messy. I LOVE messy! It's FUNNNNN!
Squish: Well, well. Fine! If you want to be messy. Fine be messy. But if you do... I NEVER want to see you again! NEVER EVER EVER EVER! PLUS ONE!!
Mr Bumpy: Well that goes DOUBLE. FOR YOU. And If I ever see you again it will be too soon! CLEAN THING!!
Squish: Dirty Dirtball!....
Mr Bumpy: Neat Geek!
Mr Bumpy: Hey, Squish. How do you like the way I cleaned up your place?!
Squish: You did this for me? After the way I treated you?
Mr Bumpy: Well, you are a sneeze ball. But you’re also my bestest bud.
Mr Bumpy: Come on, I’ll race you to my nest! Last one there is a "rotten four week old tuna sandwich with grey gunk on it."
Squish: Even if I am last, that’s okay. I know how much he loves "rotten four week old tuna sandwiches with grey gunk on it."
Squish:Oh no no no no don't get up allow me
Mr.Bumpy: (stomach growls) Be quiet or I'll give you another candelabra to digest
Trivia[]
- The title for the episode is a reference to "Better Homes and Gardens", which is a popular magazine in the United States. It also shares the name of a lifestyle television program in Australia.
- This is the first time Mr Bumpy uses his "Mushroom remote". He uses the remote again in the episode "Danger- Unexploded Squishington."
- When Mr Bumpy says "Me Garbage es su Garbage", he is referencing a popular phrase "me casa es su casa", which is Spanish for "My house is your house."
- Mr Bumpy tells Squishington that he would "give (him) the warts off my back", this comes from the old saying "give the shirt from off my back" which means when a friend generously gives everything one possesses to another.
- When Mr Bumpy is searching through the drawer of things that start with "A", he pulls out an animal and incorrectly calls it an "Aardvark", when it is actually an "armadillo". An aardvark has large ears, a long nose with a pig like snout and a long sloping body with a long tail, while an armadillo has small ears, a small snout and a body covered in a leathery armor. The Armadillo appears again in the episode "Sock it to me" when various objects fall out of Squishington's mouth.
- Molly Coddle doesn't appear in this episode.
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