The Fairly OddParents: "Foul Balled/The Boy Who Would Be Queen" - Nick Knacks Sample Platter

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Hey, it's that episode of The Fairly Oddparents that cracked all those eggs! We take look at a cartoon about gender that feels more important today than it did twenty-two years ago.
"Here By Accident, Staying On Purpose" by stevetwisp
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"The Trans Fairly OddParents Episode" by Lily Simpson
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[@wraithgames]

I am SO happy you mentioned "Here by Accident, Staying on Purpose"!

[@emmavoid]

100% this!

[@daelen.cclark]

That bathroom gag aged really well, surprisingly. Overreacting is as old as humanity.

[@MrMike855]

The fact that the episode portrayed Chester as freaking out about basically nothing is quite refreshing. Not to mention A.J. being attracted to Veronica and "Timantha" being more tomboyish than the average girl.

[@morbidsearch]

There was an episode of Pepper Ann where her sister got carried out of the girl's restroom by mall security who thought she was a boy. Foreshadowed all the incidents of cis women being harassed in bathrooms because someone thought they were trans.

[@daelen.cclark]

@@morbidsearch Transphobic security guard?

[@christianlech1084]

That The Fairly OddParents of all shows did an episode about gender norms being a societal construct is, in hindsight, something that is a nigh-miracle given what the rest of the show is like. As a FOP aficionado, I can affirmly say that the rest of the show plays stock gender stereotypes and roles HARD straight. To just give you a taste, the Valentine's Day episode from one season has Timmy wishing a world without girls, leading to males and females being separated into their own half of the world. Almost immediately, the male side of the world becomes a disgusting rathole while the female side becomes a cleanly utopia. Oh and soon, pretty much all of the males and females soon begin craving the other gender/sex even though they don't know what the other gender/sex is. Also, Trixie's interest in boys stuff is never brought up again after The Boy Who Would Be Queen. As for Foul Balled, this is actually arguably the defining episode for Chester as it's the first episode to reveal that his living conditions are pretty dire. Within a few episode, Chester being poor would become his main character trait and joke.

[@icky_sticky_mars]

great comment 👍

[@jaggerguth4391]

Chester has a good backstory for why he's so bad at Baseball, Mainly because his father is a disgraced Baseball player who has to wear a brown paper mask over his head in shame. Hell, their last names is literally "McBadbat"

[@christianlech1084]

​@@icky_sticky_mars One of the few things I feel the much reviled live action sequel did well was playing to gender stereotypes much less and occasionally even subverting them (in one episode, Cosmo likes a medieval romance soap while Wanda likes an action show).

[@billyweed835]

I love how Butch Hartman, a man who is, by most accounts, fairly conservative and kinda a dick, managed to make not one but two shows that a lot of people I know credit with cracking their eggs. It's like that one ProZD skit with the bad guy who keeps accidentally doing helpful things

[@pixer415]

"Bob Dole would make a great president" -Butch Hartman, 1996

[@josephmonasky9495]

​@@pixer415He really said that?

[@visual_Memories]

Had this episode on VHS with a bunch of other Nicktoon selects. I wore that player way out as I'd fall asleep to the same tape pretty much every night. This. *This* explains a lot.

[@RainbowMilk1996]

I like how AJ's love language is giving dead frogs to potential crushes.

[@bakomusha]

After watching a crazed Irishmen watch the entire series it's crazy how much of a blimp tis episode is on the grand scale of the franchise, how it is undone by season 3 and how Trixie vanishes from the show utterly soon after. And for being a 'nothing' episode to the series it is MASSIVELY important to a lot of people. Not just for our trans homies, but for fanfiction, and webcomics. Hell one of the best webomics I've ever read spun of from this episode. (No not Here by Accident, but another one I can't talk about on YT.)

[@meaninglez100]

Honestly, these sorts of episodes about gender norm deconstruction weren't even that uncommon in the 90's and 00's. So all this panic and regressive reactionary stuff, from people my own age, feels especially strange

[@LARKXHIN]

Anyone can be redpilled even those our age.

[@Saintnick90]

Funny how I seem to remember a time when girls being into sci-fi or horror or Quentin Tarantino movies not only didn't cause people to bat an eye but also made them "cooler" in the eyes of some dudes, and now some reactionaries treat it as a personal attack if a girl or woman dares to like Star Wars or video games. Was it always that way, and I just didn't notice it? Or are those gatekeeping assholes just a loud vocal minority and most of the world doesn't actually care? Meanwhile, when I was a kid, if you knew a boy who liked to play with dolls or read The Babysitters Club, that kid would always be made fun of. I'm glad we're slowly moving out of that stigma where guys liking "girly" things is seen as taboo, especially in the wake of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the Barbie movie. We still have a long way to go, but I'm glad these discussions on traditional gender-based hobbies and interests are taking place. Personally, whatever harmless thing makes someone else happy is none of my concern. Also, LOL at the news coverage of a fire at the "gender reveal parties" mention.

[@MrMike855]

It's always been a double standard where boys are mocked for liking stereotypically feminine things, but girls can (usually) get away with liking stereotypically masculine things. These weirdo reactionaries do talk about how women are apparently becoming less feminine, but they lose their shit at the "feminizing" of men. Likewise, almost all of their transphobia is focused on trans women, while trans men are rarely talked about (outside of "rapid onset dysphoria" maybe).

[@jaggerguth4391]

1 Day ago?

[@Saintnick90]

@@jaggerguth4391 Patreon perks.

[@zaralobnerold]

Fun fact Steve Marmel actually went to my 2nd college (UW Madison, Wisconsin) and I currently run a lgbtq+ group there with my 2 friends/the cutest couple ever. Both of which are girls. UW Madison would later appear as a location in Danny Phantom.

[@weirdotzero7065]

Well, that explains why Wisconsin was so prevalent for the first 2 seasons.

[@josephmonasky9495]

​@@weirdotzero7065What any of that mean?

[@JesusMartinez-rr2ry]

On one hand, I absolutely praise this episode for just straight up saying how gender stereotypes are just one of the stupidest concepts human society had thought of. But at the same time, it's from the same series that introduced us to the flaming trainwreck that is Love Struck, which threw all development out the window.

[@shikonaori]

The utterly casual mention of this episode being 22 years old just made me crumble into dust 😂💀

[@gligarguy4010]

9:40 Excuse me sir, but GBA Video slapped back in the day.

[@DigiRangerScott]

I will say: Fantastic Frankie Muniz performances for both segments.

[@Wack.d]

What? No, that can't possibly be right *googles* Holy shit what

[@DigiRangerScott]

@@Wack.d Jason Marsden’s first episode was Abra-Catastrophe

[@christianlech1084]

​@@Wack.d Frankie Muniz played Chester from the start all the way up to late in the third season. Marsden first filled in for Muniz for Abra-Catastrophe but then fully replaced him after The Secret Origins of Denzel Crocker.

[@thezenitsufan1249]

Why did Frankie Muniz stop voicing Chester?

[@DigiRangerScott]

@@thezenitsufan1249 Considering how production can be it could’ve been so far in advance for a July 2003 episode that maybe Malcolm in the Middle and his other movie commitments kept him away.

[@purpisfulnanogetic4251]

I really love this episode bc as a kid I learned it was ok to like comics (I’m afab) and for boys to like manicures. I learned there was no need to judge. And I hate how nowadays people, esp to girls, have to tell them what to like. They’re just things. The ep made me feel good to know I’m ok as is.

[@jackomon1129]

Nice to see Lily Simpson getting a shoutout, would also recommend watching their Simpsons video

[@JetstreamGW]

Honestly, though... When Cosmo and Wanda got swapped and leaned into stereotypes... Did anything really change? Cosmo being prissy and difficult isn't a female behavior, it's a Cosmo behavior! :P And Wanda's often pretty dismissive of his shit. Because she should be. Shut up, Cosmo.

[@Iinneus]

You know what really frustrates me about this episode? It is the _epitome_ of everything that frustrates me about the "status quo" format. Like, this is definitely a tired concept, but god, do you know how badly I wish every day that this had had some kind of larger impact on the series? Instead, the episode _has_ to end with Timmy and Trixie putting away their secrets and never revisiting them, and Trixie says "i have to hide my masculine interests" and she... does. That's it. The conclusion is that Timmy and Trixie put away their interests and return to their gender roles and never speak to each other again unless we need "bitchy, unattainable popular girl that everyone has a crush on" as a trope that day. So much potential left on the table... I'll spend my whole life thinking about it.

[@0b13F4st3]

What you just said is exactly why I feel that this episode is completely meaningless, when it comes to how the continuity of "Fairly OddParents" (or semi-lack thereof) functions. Of course that isn't to say that the episode "didn't" have a positive impact on certain people from within this fandom. But had Butch Hartman not been so up his own ass about trying to make the show funny for the sake of it, and if the writers had put more thought into actually developing the characters beyond how they're presented. Then "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" would have been much more meaningful for the show itself, than it actually is.

[@CoolEric258]

This episode really was a game-changer for baby Eric. It's probably the reason why I'm so self-assured in liking what I like and not worrying about gender norms as I got older.

[@Xepscern]

Shout out to all the Trans people who had their eggs violently cracked by Timmy dressed feminine and Trixie dressed as masculine

[@jaggerguth4391]

Too bad Elmer let Ned Flanders in to use his "Fladerization" gun to turned Trixie Tang into a Jerk...

[@0b13F4st3]

Not just her, but basically every single character in the entire show. (Plus they got much more idiotic to the point where "Fairly OddParents" was more cringey than funny.)

[@AJ-xc4qe]

Real talk, I actually always shipped Timmy with Veronica more than either Tootie or Trixie. And I still wish (ha!) both Trixie and Veronica could’ve been more fleshed out as the show went on. Personally, most of the school kids could’ve been interesting if they focused on them. It feels they wanted us to hate them, especially Veronica and justify Timmy not being interested in her. Especially when she seems to get frequently bullied by her own peers. I know fans love Tootie more and I get the appeal and I would’ve been interested in how that relationship developed if it was at least natural. But if you’ve seen Timmy and Tootie’s relationship, you’ve seen every relationship where one of them is a nerdy and clingy stalker. Timmy never reciprocated Tootie’s feelings unless there’s a couple scenes excluding the live action movies I don’t remember but it feels like the show is telling Timmy that he owes her his love just because she likes him unlike Trixie and has a shitty home life with Vicky. It’s the cliche “hero getting with the homely girl who he actually gets along with vs the pretty girl who he only likes for her looks”. But this episode establishes Trixie was basically forced into traditional femininity (even if that’s based on the whole “not like other girls” trope) that she had more depth to her than what Timmy saw. In FOP’s case especially, it feels like they’re telling Timmy to give up on his dreams of being with Trixie because she’s too shallow or just not interested and that he should settle for Tootie. It’s so mean spirited and cynical to say in a kids show which was always one of the show’s biggest problems. And it’s super weird they pushed that so much that they have kids in the future and it’s why I don’t love Channel Chasers as much as everyone else does. Elmer’s other show, Danny Phantom, had the same exact set up almost bar for bar but worse with Paulina not getting ANY real depth and Sam being unlikable in her own right and not telling Danny how she feels even after she loses him to someone else. Valerie should’ve been Danny’s endgame and I still stand by it. Comparing her to Tootie, Veronica admittedly isn’t much better with Trixie as demonstrated by the internet episode, but it’s because she wants her life. The popularity, the respect and Timmy to have a crush on her. I would’ve wanted to see an episode where she stood up to Trixie, Tad and Chad and eventually become a part of Timmy’s friend group and endgame love interest. I just think it’s more compelling for an average kid who no one understands to bond with a popular girl who isn’t as popular as she would’ve wanted to be and isn’t treated much better than how the rich kids treat him. At least Braceface and As Told By Ginger did something similar to this.

[@0b13F4st3]

@@AJ-xc4qe - Unpopular opinion time. Due to all the ridiculous shipping drama I saw when I anonymously browsed through DeviantArt as a teenager, I don't actually ship Timmy Turner with * anybody *, not even with any of the girls he's been paired with in the show's original (Season 1-6) canon. And because of that, I headcanon Timmy adopting a life of celibacy/staying single as an adult, due to getting sick and tired of all the relationship drama he'd never want to deal with ever again. By that logic of course, it would theoretically mean that Tommy and Tammy from the ending of "Channel Chasers" would have to be his future test tube babies for this headcanon to work? But that's just my personal take and you don't have to agree with it.

[@0b13F4st3]

Having just written my previous comment, I realise that it probably wouldn't make sense considering Tammy wears Tootie's glasses... That is unless you take this idea into account. What if Tommy and Tammy's surrogate mother was "a completely different woman" who was a platonic friend of Timmy's that he met at college, who "happened" to wear glasses that were similar to Tootie's and had long hair similar to Trixie and Veronica?

[@0b13F4st3]

Again, you don't have to agree with what I said in those two comments. It's just some food for thought I've wanted to share for years, but didn't have the confidence to share it until now.

[@blackcatcoffee4693]

Would if be possible if you did episodes based on James the cat (1984) and flower stories (1975)

[@MSP10julia]

Ah, yes “Timantha” sounds like a perfect cute girl’s name! 🥰

[@drinkinglotsofsoda]

Tim and Samantha mixed .. not so weird

[@rogerklotzisme]

The Boy Who Would Be Queen made me realize I was trans.

[@daelen.cclark]

That’s awesome!

[@nevermindgaming6848]

That's not how it works dude like at all it's coming off like you're like being transphobic

[@PlayStationGMR]

What does Trans mean

[@futureghostsmusic]

Lmaooo the fire during "gender reveal parties"

[@ZidaneWarner]

1:20 Never change your sense of humor.

[@emmavoid]

Honestly, the top-tier trans theory for Fairly Odd Parents is that Timmy is a trans boy who wished for everyone to forget they ever thought he was a girl- but any trans theory is good! between this and danny phantom, i'm always happy to think about known-transphobe butch hartman falling back-asswards into making trans stories, lmao

[@Justin-Hill-1987]

Butch Hartman backpedaled big time, when he used his status as a born-again Christian conservative to his advantage...

[@cyberdraco001]

If this episode(The "The Boy Who Would Be Queen" part anyway) and Shadowverse Flame taught me anything, is that it's ok for Guys to like feminine things and Girls to like masculine things. And yes gender norms are Bull Dodo.

[@twkreviews6683]

Agreed on the Lily Simpson analysis. Her videos are rad AF.

[@bluebaron6858]

Internet

[@genemelendez368]

Weird timing. This got uploaded around the same time Quinton Reviews uploaded his video on the FOP live action movies

[@TheEman590]

And the anniversary of when the show debuted as a full series

[@jbcatz5]

That’s fast turnover for him since he just released his Dan Schneider video

[@jaggerguth4391]

I could compared "The Boy who would be Queen" to Camp Runamuck's "Tomboy" episode, Which also features a character who changed their Gender to go do something that is not in their Gender roles. The difference is that "The Boy who would be Queen", When it's not being Subjected to Elmer's trademarked humor, Gives us the clear moral that it's okay to have interests outside from your gender roles and it doesn't matter what other people think. "Tomboy" Doesn't even do that Moral. Instead it's just 22 minutes of Camp Runamuck Staff treating "Girls liking Boys stuff" as some sort of disease.

[@googamp32]

Greg, PLEASE stop trying to make me feel old. I saw this episode when it premiered.

[@Wack.d]

I remember where I was when this episode premiered!

[@shikonaori]

Lol for real though. I was not ready to realize this ep is old enough to drink

[@bendonatier]

I haven't gone back and watched TFOP in a long time, not since I was still in middle school really. Seeing this pop up, I was worried, because I knew it could be a fairly mean show, and like you said, Butch Hartman wrote this. I'm glad to see it wasn't a "The past was a mistake" It's just a shame that in this case the present is.

[@mikevltg3]

I've always heard that the switchover of colors associated by gender had to do with WW2, since...certain camps would label queer men with pink triangles. Someone must have had a moment with that and tried to dissociate.

[@Idran]

As far as I can tell from a quick search, it didn't actually happen until around the 1950s, mostly because of major female cultural figures who preferred pink? _Especially_ Mamie Eisenhower, who was a fashion icon in the 50s and was incredibly well-known for her pink outfits.

[@Superlad9494]

​@@Idran and I thought that it had to do with Sleeping Beauty's funny argument too...I mean that one was so hilarious Walt actually said "animate that now." Which is still 1950's and we still have that flamewar...sidenote: Aurora looks better in blue.

[@darktetsuya]

foul balled: wait how are they down by 29 runs? is there no mercy rule? anyway guess it doesn't matter. definitely appreciate what it was trying to do, and yeah shocking it was coming from butch considering the stuff I'd heard in recent years... can't speak on the trans stuff but I am definitely an unironic fan of hello kitty and her friends.

[@DigiRangerScott]

I think rule of funny for the little league and there not being a mercy rule in the majors are both the major factors here.

[@Rhomega]

I've read Jesus and John Wayne by Kristin Kobes Du Mez, which discusses masculinity back in the old days. Parents were warned of their sons doing feminine things, because that might make them guy, and were encouraged to buy guns for their sons to secure their masculinity.

[@blaa6]

I should really request something one day. Maybe La Tigressa from El Tigre.

[@lancejackson8286]

RIP James Earl Jones.

[@vgtrp]

I said it before and I say it again, gender roles are bullshit. Anyway, this is when Fairly Oddparents was at its peak. Unfortunately, later seasons would keep adding new characters and make existing characters insufferable. It probably wasn’t the writers’ intention to help kids with their gender identity, but if it did help more power to the people that came out thanks in part to this episode.

[@hpalpha7323]

fairly oddparents was a pretty good show

[@AJ-xc4qe]

5:53 get his name right, Trixie!

[@CartoonTriper]

also a of how Trixie will evolve as a character for good, but sadly, she become a attention dependent b**ch when Timmy wishes to him and her (and his fairies) are the only one in the planet

[@jaggerguth4391]

Flanderization at it peak.

[@0b13F4st3]

@@jaggerguth4391 - More like at it's worst, if we're being honest here?

[@BrawlSnorlax]

Even if Timmy is a CIs guy in canon I like protring her as a a Trans fem lesbian in my fan fics.

[@TylerCaswell-kh6ny]

Can you please do the episode boy toys or the rugrats episode the baby vanishes please please please

[@meltdownremix1996]

I haven't watched this episode in... probably about 20 years when I was a kid... God the march of time is relentless... I find it interesting what a big deal it's made of Traditional Gender Interests, while not seeming to care much for the fact that Timmy through the whole series is the kid wearing pink the whole time. I know a lot of people who interpret Timmy as trans, not just because of this episode, but because of that episode showing that his parents fully planned on having and raising a girl, going as far as to buy everything pink including clothes for the future (the very same he wears in the cartoon), and their general disinterest and lack of love for Timmy having them wear those clothes regardless of what he would actually like as he grew up. Of course, nothing canonical or even intentional on the writer's part, but much like Danny Phantom, it's easy for people who grew up with uncaring parents AND turned out to be trans to connect the dots.

[@liittlemiissd]

Could you check out Camp Camp?

[@mightyfilm]

Ah, back when the show wasn't just painfully repeating all its gags over the episode and everyone spoke in a normal tone of voice instead of shouting. I love this show and all, but sometimes you have to remind yourself that it WAS great at one point. And I'm generous with that, too. The bad flash animated season with Chloe was the only season I openly hate. Except the first Share Bears episode. Why was that the ONLY good episode that season?

[@SylviaRustyFae]

7:44 I want to offer a counterproposal for the stereotypisation of the fairies Wish granting fairies, in Fairly Oddparents anyways, exist directly bcuz of kids imaginations. Kids do indeed take in a lot of the toxic ways of seein gender from the grownups around them, and in many ways Timmy/Tammy sees their fairly oddparents as the grownups around them in a way; just the cool grownups that give them whatevs they want, and sometimes what they didnt know they wanted like this ep :3 Ti(Ta)mmy no doubt imagines that stereotype of what gender roles are for adults, no doubt sees it in its own way played out amongst other adults (be they their parents, their friends parents, teachers, doctors, babysitters, relatives, or strangers). So ofc they wud emphasise those stereotypes when swapped bcuz, esp at the start of this ep; Tammy still fully believes there is such a thing as a "girl brain" and "boy brain" in the sense that the two mean one mustve diff interests Wando and Cosma bein so stereotypically sitcom gender roles **makes sense** when you imagine those two fairly oddparents as the work of a childs imagination; and not entirely separate from how the child sees the world around them

[@Idran]

I only know even this much from Quinton Reviews, but I thought fairies existed because of anyone believing in them at all, not just children? And that that's part of why they taunt Crocker so hard, because his belief alone is a huge pillar of support for them to keep existing.

[@SylviaRustyFae]

@@Idran It may be more anyone believin in them that makes them real; but it def counts for children imaginin them, and even then, its not like adults like crocker who believe in fairies are gonna not believe in tradtl gender roles heh

[@radd1865]

This ep is definitely an outlier for FOP as far as gender roles go, but that doesn't mean it's not welcome.

[@catholiccontriversy]

Who aree you trying to fool with the cliff hanger at the end? Anyone watching your channel at this time knows what happened to FOP. The only way people won't know what happened to FOP is in 10 years when you cover it on the main series

[@DigeeTheGenie]

BILLIONFOLD! Inc! (daka daka daka daka) FREDIERATOR!

[@tylerferguson3193]

Hope you're having a good day

[@badusername765]

Robot Jones did it better

[@bullmonty764]

"Well, you know what I think?" "Who cares what you think; you're a girl now! *laughs*" I don't know why but that sudden blast of based Cosmo is outright hysterical

[@theangryleftist]

This is off topic but does anyone remember on nick jr I believe there were shorts about how things are made and things similar. I have been searching for years for the short of how drinking glasses are made. It shows sand being melted down into glass and everything. I believe it was played to just music but I could be wrong