The Girl Who Cried Gnome

File:GIRLGNOME.png

Zim after spotting Moofy at his doorstep.

The Girl Who Cried Gnome is an episode of Invader Zim, originally produced as episode 22B. While not airing on Nickelodeon in the US, this episode aired on the Nicktoons Network on July 15, 2006.

Plot

A manipulative Girly Ranger named Moofy attempts to sell cookies to Zim. He freaks out, and sends up his gopher cyborg, which only burrows some holes in the yard and then dances in front Moofy before being sucked into a giant purple vortex in the sky. Moofy gets her foot stuck in one of the holes.

Soon, the media is calling it a "tragedy", and a crowd gathers. Even the President Man comes out. However, Moofy can get out of the hole; she's merely dramatizing her problem to get free press (which Dib notices) and she screams whenever someone tries to get near her. Zim is at first alarmed at the crowds and press, but then formulates a plan to destroy the world, using her as catalyst.

Dib tries to warn President Man, who okayed Zim's use of a giant nuclear-powered shaking machine to get Moofy out, which would destroy Earth's surface. President Man could care less, until Dib bribes him with cookies. They are now going to tunnel Moofy out, which will also reveal Zim's base. So Zim goes outside and pulls Moofy out. At the same time Dib gets his foot stuck in one of the gopher holes for real but everyone leaves. Zim unleashes the same Robot Gopher on Dib which actually does something useful for Zim this time.

Trivia

• The idiotic Presidentman is voiced by frequent guest-star Jeffrey Jones. [1]

• The character Nick from GIR Goes Crazy and Stuff and Zim Eats Waffles is seen being placed in the Voot cruiser by GIR.

• The title is a reference to the children's story The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

• If you look closely, in the tent when the Presidentman is talking to Dib you can see a coat hanger in the back of his shirt.

• Some of the rescue team that comes to save Moofy aren't wearing pants.

• On the DVD animatics, it revealed an alternate ending: the paramedics that take Moofy away are actually vampires.

• According to Jhonen Vasquez, Nickelodeon felt that the rescue team on this episode was a parody of the rescue team from 9/11.

• The media circus in this episode is similar to that which sprang up around Jessica McClure in 1987.

• Zim's Robotic mom Says "who wants muffins?" but when the door is closed she is not there.

• When Zim is working in his base (as seen in the above screenshot) the Cyborg Squirrels from Tak: The Hideous New Girl can be seen inside the tank he is studying.

• This episode marks the final appearance of the Roboparents.

Quotes

• [The robotic gopher dances in front of Moofy and disappears into a hole in the sky.]
  Zim: I don't remember programming that...

• GIR: You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits? You gonna make biscuits?
  Zim: No Gir, never. I never want you to mention biscuits ever again.

• Greg: Hey! This isn't money! This is ham! You can't pay for cookies with ham!
  Dib: Why was there ham in my pocket?

• Zim: Get off my lawn, cookie beast!

• Zim: GIRL WITH COOKIES! GIRL WITH COOKIES!

• Moofy: You wanna buy some chocolate covered ninja star cookies, mister? HUH?!

• Announcer: Alll the way from President Land, I give you: President Man!!