Word girl down with word up

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The first season of the animated series WordGirl premiered on September 3, 2007, which was originally broadcast on PBS in the United States until January 2, 2009. The first season contained 26 episodes (52 11-minute segments).

Cast[edit]

• Dannah Phirman: Becky Botsford/Wordgirl, Claire McCallister, Chuck’s Mom, Edith Von Hoosinghaus, Pretty Princess.
• Chris Parnell: Narrator, Henchmen #1, Museum Security Guard, Exposition Guy, Mazo-Racer Driver
• James Adomian: Bob/Captain Huggy Face, Candlestick Maker, Timmy Tim-Bo.
• Jack D. Ferraiolo: The Butcher.
• Fred Stoller: Chuck the Evil Sandwich Making Guy.
• Cree Summer: Granny May.
• Patton Oswalt: Theodore “Tobey” McCallister III, Robots.
• Tom Kenny: Dr. Two-Brains, TJ Botsford, Warden Chalmers.
• Jeffrey Tambor: Mr. Big.
• John C. McGinley: The Whammer.
• Stephanie Sheh: Lil Mitten.
• Maria Bamford: Violet Heaslip, Sally Botsford, Leslie.
• Ryan Raddatz: Todd “Scoops” Ming, Tim Botsford, Gold Store Dealer.
• Larry Murphy: The Amazing Rope Guy, Reporter Stu Brisket, Zookeeper.
• Jen Cohn: Rich Old Lady, Female Bank Tellers, Ms. Champlain, Ms. Libri.
• Ron Lynch: The Mayor.
• H. Jon Benjamin: Reginald the Jewelry Store Clerk.
• Mike O’Connell: Grocery Store Manager, Big Left Hand Guy, User Car Salesman.

Episodes[edit]

* — This episode’s segments did not use verbal instructions to listen for two words that would be used throughout.

** — This episode is listed as a season 1 episode although it premiered during the second season.

References[edit]

Original airdate: October 5th, 2007

Chuck!: Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making guy tries to get the people he’s robbing to stop giving him sandwich-related things. This part’s associated vocabulary words are «traditional» and «confusing».

Down With Word Up: Granny May feigns injury to turn the townspeople against WordGirl. This part’s associated vocabulary words are «idolize» and «deceive».

«Chuck!» contains the following tropes:

• Change the Uncomfortable Subject: Becky does this twice in the episode to get her dad to stop talking about her being similar to WordGirl.
• Doomy Dooms of Doom: Chuck traps WordGirl and Captain HuggyFace in his Evil Breadmaker of Doom.
• Expecting Someone Taller: When WordGirl comes to save the gold store from being robbed by Chuck, the owner remarks that she’s shorter than he thought. She responds that she looks taller on TV.
• I Need to Go Iron My Dog: When she’s trying to get away from her dad so she can turn into WordGirl and stop Chuck, Becky tells him that she needs to «go to the yarn store to get some yarn for a yarn project».
• Only One Finds It Fun: Being the Big Eater he is, Bob is the only one who actually enjoys Mr. Botsford’s Beans a la Botsford.
• Poke the Poodle: According to Chuck, doing things like walking outside without shoes on a hot day or using hand soap to wash his face makes him «evil» and «out of control».
• Running Gag: Exposition Guy keeps looking for the police station at increasingly ridiculous places; first the grocery store, then the Botsford residence, then his own house.
• Tastes Better Than It Looks: Subverted. Mr. Botsford assures Becky that Beans a la Botsford is this, but he’s proven wrong when he actually tries it himself.

«Down With Word Up» contains the following tropes:

• Argument of Contradictions: Granny May and Mr. Botsford do this after she once again pretends that WordGirl pushed her, with Mr. Botsford pointing out that he clearly saw that she didn’t.
• Crocodile Tears: Granny May does this as part of her Wounded Gazelle Gambit after WordGirl «pushes» her.
• Dartboard of Hate: Discussed. The townspeople gossip that WordGirl has a picture of Granny May on her dartboard.
• Death Glare: WordGirl and Captain HuggyFace shoot one towards Granny May once she turns the duo into pariahs.
• Department of Redundancy Department: TJ’s song for WordGirl at the end doesn’t have much in the way of lyrical variety.

  TJ: [singing] WordGirl, with your awesome powers, you’re the awesomest girl! WordGirl, you’re awesome and pretty and awesome too!

• Easily Condemned: The citizens (with the exception of TJ) are quick to believe Granny May’s false claims about WordGirl attacking her and turn on the young heroine.
• Foreign Queasine: Apparently, they put hot sauce in tea in Barbronia.
• Gilligan Cut: As she’s being escorted away from WordGirl, Granny May claims that she’s not going to make a big deal out of being «pushed». Cut to her in a wheelchair telling a large mob of people about how WordGirl viciously attacked her.
• Glass-Shattering Sound: Exaggerated. The narrator’s singing at the end of the episode breaks City Hall’s stone dome roof.
• Gossip Evolution: The rumour spread in the crowd watching the Queen of Barbronia turns from «WordGirl wears an astronaut suit when she’s around old people because she’s afraid of catching their cooties» to «WordGirl’s going to knit a pair of booties for Granny May and make her wear them on her spacewalk».
• Hero with Bad Publicity: This is the first time in the series where WordGirl is made into a pariah by one of the villains.
• Insult Backfire: When TJ tells Becky that WordGirl’s «awesome» and she’s «not awesome», she’s just unimpressed with his lame insult and starts offering synonyms. When he tells her that she’s «totally regular», she just replies that it’s better than his last one.
• Look Behind You: Granny May steals the Queen of Barbronia’s crown by pointing and claiming to see WordGirl and Captain HuggyFace, distracting the crowd and the Queen.
• Only Sane Man: TJ is the only person who doesn’t buy Granny May’s claims that WordGirl is a bad person, pointing out the many times WordGirl has saved the city before.
• Ow, My Body Part!: After claiming that WordGirl pushed her, Granny May wails that her leg and hair hurt.
• Replaced with Replica: Granny May replaces the tiara on display at the jewellery shop and the Queen of Barbronia’s crown with an identical copies to steal them.
• Totem Pole Trench: WordGirl and Captain HuggyFace employ this trick, along with a big hat to get close to Granny May while they’re Heroes With Bad Publicity.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Granny May pulls this when she manages to deceive the citizens (except T.J.) into thinking WordGirl is a cold-hearted menace who hurts elderly people.