Phineas and Ferb: 10 Best Meta Moments, According To Reddit
Many animated shows are marketed for children, but that often does not stop writers and animators from creating well-rounded characters who utilize dry and witty humor that goes right over some viewers' heads. Phineas and Ferb, which ran on Disney Channel from 2008 to 2015, is no exception. The matter-of-fact dialogue and meta-commentary included in the show have kept it around even years after the finale, with a lot of love for it being found on TikTok.
The show encompasses 4 seasons, 2 crossovers, and 2 films full of fourth wall breaks, self-aware jokes, and references to the fact that it is animated and not real life. Many fans have taken to Reddit to discuss their all-time favorite meta moments, pushing the boundaries within every 11-minute episode.
10 104 Days Of Summer Vacation?
The theme song of the show opens by saying there are "104 days of summer vacation" and the episodes almost always take place during the summer. With 189 episodes, it is simply not possible for the show to only occur over one summer, and the writers are fully aware of this.
Redditor chrismsenpai included a screencap from the season 4 episode "Fly on the Wall" where Dr. Doofenshmirtz, one of the best children's cartoon characters, says "The summer keeps going on and on. It feels like it's been going on for, like, four years!" The show was never afraid to call out their logic mishaps and fans like Euthy love it saying, "Phineas and Ferb always had the best 4th wall breaking humor."
9 Title Sequence Nods
The opening title sequence quickly sets up how catchy the songs in the show will be, but also just what kind of antics Phineas and Ferb will get into during their summer vacation. While some visual or lyrical references ended up being whole episodes, others were never explicitly shown.
With the lyrics "so stick with us 'cause Phineas and Ferb are gonna do it all" it seemed predestined that they would in fact do it all. In the episode "Swiss Family Phineas" Candace watches Ferb give a monkey a shower and he responds, "yep, had to be done." Redditor Neefew notes the inclusion of "a dodo and mention[ing] Frankenstein's (monster's) brain" in a very matter-of-fact manner because the writers were simply checking the boxes.
8 A Neverending Formula
Phineas and Ferb is a unique episodic show, where its formulaic approach is a part of the DNA. In each episode they will build an invention, Perry will fight Dr. Doofenzshmirtz, and, seconds before Candace can bust the boys, Doofenshmirtz's invention will inadvertently destroy the boys' work.
Redditor ZeeEllToons thinks fans "revere [the show] for its strong character development, clever writing, formula subversion" and because it will always follow the same pattern, the writers can flip it on its head. Sometimes Phineas and Ferb make the invention quicker than usual, like in the episode "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford". In one of Ferb's few quotes, he says "that usually takes us an entire montage" calling upon the way the formula usually works.
7 Not On This Channel
What is and isn't allowed to be said on television, especially for younger audiences, has never stopped writers from finding their way around it. There is a specific gag in the episode "The Inator Methods" where the friends are riding around on planets, naming off each one. Buford sits atop Uranus, but pronounces it "Ooo-Rah-Nos" to which Bajeet tries to correct him on his pronunciation stating "that's not how it's pronounced!"
In response, Buford says "it is on THIS channel" referencing the Disney Channel. Redditor a-scott-s-tot points out that moment writing, "I had to pause, contemplate, then slow clap." It is one of the many times the show referenced which channel it was aired on, and the limitations brought with it.
6 Jeff McGarland
Phineas and Ferb is a show that is not afraid to include inside jokes and references that everyday viewers might not understand. One of the show's co-creators, Dan Povenmire, worked on Family Guy as an illustrations director, often in charge of the many musical sequences. There he worked closely with creator Seth MacFarlane.
Redditor aMockie points to the episode "Birds of a Feather" where Doofenshmirtz pitches to Jeff McGarland: Big Shot TV Exec saying they love "the obvious reference to Seth McFarlane with a character actually voiced by McFarlane himself." Jeff then goes on to suggest giving Perry a girlfriend which was a note Phineas and Ferb creators originally got from Disney.
5 Visual Gags
Utilizing the medium of animation can result in a lot of interesting visual elements not always possible in live-action. Phineas and Ferb building the best inventions every week is plausible when animated. Though Phineas and Ferb is renowned for its smart writing, it also capitalized on visual running gags that offered a surprise for the viewer.
A specific visual gag pointed out by fans happens in the episode "Summer Belongs to You" when a graphic that reads "You're Watching Television!" appears on the screen, blocking some of the action. Phineas stops the moment, addressing the graphic with "Hey, do you mind? We have a visual gag going on here!" Redditor dsiluiel writes "I love the running gags on this show, especially the meta and fourth wall breaking stuff" which are all combined into this one moment.
4 It's A Cartoon, Sir
Regardless of the medium, art often treats itself as real life. That isn't quite the case for Phineas and Ferb. The show will constantly call out its own logic issues and remind the audience when a solution to a problem was too easy.
A screencap posted by PuffyDrumhead acts as the perfect example. In a moment in which Major Monogram is giving Perry his mission an argument ensues. The solution to the mishap is simple, and Carl says "it's a cartoon, sir" to which Monogram responds "What did I tell you about breaking the fourth wall, Carl?" Moments like these are small but stick out to fans like this Redditor who wrote "This is one of the quotes that made me fall in love with this show! Great writing."
3 Catchy Songs
It is no question that Phineas and Ferb had some of the catchiest songs that stuck inside fans' heads. Some of these musical moments still pop up on Tik Tok fairly often. The songs also allowed the writers more opportunity for meta-humor within the lyrics.
Redditor whatisabaggins55 writes about the song "Moon Farm" from the episode of the same name. In it, a Disembodied Reggae Space Voice sings as the characters dance around in space. The voice then stops and calls out Baljeet for forgetting the marshmallows at home which starts a fight before Phineas interjects "Bajeet, can you please stop arguing with the soundtrack?" Redditor Reach-for-the-sky_15 adds "The music was definitely ahead of its time."
2 Just The Right Amount of Silly
Phineas and Ferb is a show built off of not taking itself too seriously. Whether it be Doofenshmirtz's countless "inators" or the boys' response to the question "aren't you a little young for this" with "yes, yes we are", the show is aware of how far it is from natural logic. Perry the Platypus, the secret agent, is a character that exists outside of logic.
He and Dr. Doofenshmirtz's consistent battling is entertaining but also results in some great fourth-wall breaks. Often in battle, Perry will make eye contact with the audience, conveying the perfect response without a single line of dialogue. Many fans like this Redditor love Phineas and Ferb because "it's got a certain self-aware factor to it and is just the right amount of silly."
1 A Call To Action
The post-credit scene is very prevalent in movies and tv now, mostly thanks to Marvel. However, a good tag for an episode of TV has been around for ages. Phineas and Ferb often use the tag to replay the song from the episode or do another gag, but sometimes they address the audience.
In the episode "Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror" the credits end with the singer Rusty Springs singing a "happy little cowboy song" before he falls down the steps. The credits continue rolling and he says "you go ahead and read the credits, I'll just wait down here" offscreen. Many fans like whatisabaggins love how "they broke the fourth wall so much" over and over again in new and exciting ways.