"Grubhog Day" is the first segment of the eleventh episode of Amphibia. It premiered on July 3, 2019.
Synopsis[]
During Grubhog Day, Sprig has to decide whether to uphold his responsibilities or have fun at the carnival.
Plot[]
A carnival, hosting all kinds of rides, games, and food takes place in Wartwood Swamp which everyone attends to. Polly explains to Anne that today is Grubhog Day, the holiday and annual festival where everyone takes a day off from work and celebrates the moment when the grubhog, a small pig like grub that comes out of a tree stump and predicts the weather when it sees its shadow. Sprig explains the best part of the holiday is enjoying all of the rides at the fair which he and the girls excited to do before Hop Pop appears to tell Sprig that he had him volunteer to watch over the grubhog after the previous one chosen to watch over "caught the plague". The Plantars have not watched over the grubhog due to one of their ancestors eating it, which resulted in him being shunned by the family. Sprig reluctantly agrees even though that means he will have to miss the entire fair. Sprig is forced to wear a suit and hat and given a scroll congratulating him, but adding "DON'T PULL A PLANTAR".
After Hop Pop and Polly leave, Anne confronts Sprig, knowing he does not want to watch the grubhog, which Sprig admits is true. Anne advises Sprig to tell Hop Pop his true feelings over this responsibility, but Sprig refuses as he wants to make his grandfather proud. As Sprig laments his inability to enjoy the fair and leave the grubhog unattended to, Anne suggests that they go on the rides with the grubhog in tow so that Sprig will technically be watching it. Together they go on numerous rides and do numerous carnival activities while avoiding Hop Pop and Polly. While riding a roller coaster, a misplaced nail causes the grubhog to be launched from the cart and land on the tracks. When Anne and Sprig come back around to get him, a buzzard flies off with the grubhog, scaring the two. They discover a socks and buttons stand and recreate the grubhog as a puppet to use just in time for the ceremony.
The ceremony, surprisingly, goes off without a hitch until they have to cut open the grubhog to examine its liver as part of the tradition (which Anne was not informed about). Sprig stops the execution and reveals that he lost the grubhog and that he just wanted to make Hop Pop proud of him. Hop Pop apologizes as he realized that he unintentionally put a lot on Sprig's shoulders. However, the town is upset that they do not have a grubhog to complete the ceremony, but that they did enjoy the puppets. Anne and Sprig start putting on shows nightly, redeeming the Plantar family name. Meanwhile, the grubhog is revealed to be in league with the buzzard as they fly off "to war".
Cast[]
- Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
- Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
- Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
- Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
- Stephen Root as Mayor Toadstool
- John DiMaggio as Iced Flies Vendor, Blue Frog With Hat
- Eden Riegel as Southern Accented Frog
- Paul Eiding as Socks and Buttons Vendor
- Sam Riegel as Dartboard Frog, Brown Overalls Frog
- Kaithlyn Robrock as Old Lady
Additional voices[]
- Piotr Michael
- Stephanie Sheh
- Ben Pronsky
- Feodor Chin
- Tara Strong
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Grubhog day is, of course, based on Groundhog Day, minus the killing of the hog.
- This is actually the first episode to be written and boarded in production of the entire series.
- The seats Anne, Sprig, and the grubhog ride on on the carousel are a Zappapede and a red mantis similar to the ones from "Anne or Beast?" and "Taking Charge".
- Anne is revealed to be good at puppetry.
- The Plantars had a family member in the past who botched the job of taking care of the grubhog by eating it before the ceremony, so the family shunned him for life and the villagers lost their respect for the family. By the end of the episode, the family has been redeemed.
- Hop Pop's warning to Anne not to stare into the Abyss references the famous quote from Beyond Good and Evil.
- This is the first episode of Amphibia to be centered around a holiday.
International premieres[]
- September 2, 2019 (Brazil)
- November 18, 2020 (Portugal)
International edits[]
- The word "shoot" is edited out of the Southeast Asian broadcast.
External links[]
- Grubhog Day at the Amphibia Wiki
