The Ren & Stimpy Show’s 5 Best (& 5 Worst) Episodes, Ranked According To IMDb

Back in the day, it seems like kid-based networks could get away with way more than what is acceptable today. Subtle adult jokes or moments were above the young viewers’ heads, but nonetheless, these shows were adored by all age groups. In particular, The Ren & Stimpy Show fits that.

The Ren & Stimpy Show received critical acclaim and had great reviews overall. But like any other television show, not all episodes can be perfect, especially one with so much controversy surrounding it. For fans of a show that may or may not have aged perfectly, why not relive a Nickelodeon classic, for better or for worse?

10 Best: Ren’s Toothache/Big House Blues – 8.7

“Ren’s Toothache,” is the 11th episode in the second season and is a learning lesson for the little ones watching. Ren doesn’t like to brush his teeth, so he ends up with a toothache. After a wacky story about the “Tooth Beaver” and some mildly disturbing scenes of Ren’s nerve damage, he gets a new tooth thanks to Stimpy.

“Big House Blues” is a pretty special episode since it was the first that was made for the franchise. It was used in 1990 to promote the show at festivals before it became popular. This episode explains the woes of Ren & Stimpy, and how they came to meet as strays on the street. Before they take their “big sleep” at the pound, they’re both adopted by a little girl and are put in a happy home.

9 Worst: School Mates/Dinner Party – 6.7

Technically, all of The Ren & Stimpy Show episodes are rated fairly high but some that miss the mark. In “School Mates,” Ren’s friend Chuck stops by for a visit but viewers find out Chuck was mean to him when they were younger. The episode is a jumble and doesn’t really seem to have a point. Chuck is appalled that Ren is living with a cat, but ends up being friends with Stimpy at the end.

In “Dinner Party,” Ren narrates how to properly host a dinner party, which is not proper at all. There’s a lot of belching, sloppy messes, and a slight hint of expected food poisoning. This is nowhere near one of the best episodes, but it gives the viewers a chance of what not to do when they invite houseguests over.

8 Best: Sven Höek – 8.8

Near the middle of season two, a memorable episode called “Sven Höek” was born. Even though it has some good laughs and a decent storyline, it is, without a doubt, one of the most censored episodes in the franchise. There are multiple versions of this installment, and the original might not be suitable for younger viewers.

An older audience might appreciate the unedited version, and the intensity of Ren’s outbursts at Sven and Stimpy, because they are both equally stupid and have messed up the house. The re-worked version was a winner, and even though the original might be hard to find, it’s worth a watch to really gauge how far it goes.

7 Worst: Cheese Rush Days/Wiener Barons – 6.7

“Cheese Rush Days” is less than impressive. Ren & Stimpy find themselves in the desert in hopes of getting rich fast by finding their own nuggets. Things get a little graphic as they’re trekking across the plains. In the end, Ren leaves Stimpy behind, but karma comes back to him when he realizes his findings aren’t worth anything.

In “Wiener Barons,” Ren & Stimpy were homeless again, and this time, they go to Canada for jobs. They think they can make some money in the wiener industry, and when they try to cross the border, a burly man in a fur hat tells them to “go back to where they came from.” It received some hate based on the xenophobic attitude of the border guard.

6 Best: Stimpy’s Fan Club – 9.0

Some episodes of the franchise were divided into two installments, but some, like “Stimpy’s Fan Club,” take up the entire allotted time. It was smart to extend this one because it is one of the best. Even though Ren is mad at Stimpy about one thing or another, Stimpy is a likable cat. So much so, that in this episode, he receives quite a bit of fan mail.

Ren gets jealous because he doesn’t have any of his own, and Stimpy kindly offers him a role in his fan club writing back to admirers. This is a famous episode based on the memes that have come from it. Ren’s slip into jealous insanity is done well, though it’s kind of horrifying.

5 Worst: Hair Of The Cat/City Hicks – 6.6

“Hair of the Cat” is about Ren’s allergies, and the cause is shockingly Stimpy’s hair. What’s a cat to do when he’s allergic to his best pal? Suffer through it and hope it goes away. It’s another episode in which Ren is miserable, which isn’t anything new.

In “City Hicks,” Ren & Stimpy live out in the middle of nowhere, harvesting all types of dirt for harvest. When plants start to sprout, Ren has a meltdown. Even the dust mites couldn’t save their dirt mounts, so they have to travel to the city for dirtier pastures. This episode has nods towards murder, immigrants, and racism, none of which are appropriate.

4 Best: Space Madness/The Boy Who Cried Rat! – 9.0

In “Space Madness,” Commander Ren & Space Cadet Stimpy want to travel the cosmos. Instead, Ren experiences “space madness,” while Stimpy tries to remain calm. He has to guard the History Eraser button to assure they aren’t erased from history. With the help of the narrator, Stimpy can’t take it anymore and pushes it.

In “The Boy Who Cried Rat,” Stimpy and Ren are low on cash and decide to play a little Cat and Mouse so they can eat and get paid. Ren plays a mouse, and when Stimpy finally catches him, the tides turn, and the family asks Stimpy to eat him. He does, and before he does, Ren tickles his tongue and they have to fess up.

3 Worst: Hard Times For Haggis – 6.5

Haggis MacHaggis makes several appearances throughout the series. Here, Haggis is forced out of his home when his show is overrun by Ren & Stimpy’s. Alone and on the streets, Haggis decides to end his own life by jumping off a bridge after he realizes his dog Whacky doesn’t even love him anymore.

Before Haggis jumps, he realizes he can “Rent-A-Thug” to take out his competition. It doesn’t turn out well for any of them when the thugs try to ruin Ren & Stimpy’s show, but instead, makes the stand-in puppets famous. In the end, Ren & Stimpy can be seen eating glass, while being repeatedly beaten over the head by Haggis.

2 Best: Black Hole/Stimpy’s Invention – 9.1

Even though things don’t end well for Ren & Stimpy in “Black Hole,” that doesn’t mean the storyline isn’t entertaining. The duo travels through space and accidentally goes through a vortex to another universe. Before they know it, they are turning into creatures and other forms. They need to get back to their own dimension before time runs out.

In the season one finale, “Stimpy’s Invention,” Stimpy has had enough of Ren’s sour behavior. He decides to build a device to change it, along with other gadgets such as a “Cheese-O-Phone.” One of the most famous scenes in the entire series happens when Ren puts on Stimpy’s latest invention called the “Happy Helmet.” This leads Ren & Stimpy to break out in song and dance to Happy, Happy, Joy Joy until Ren reverts back to his old self.

1 Worst: It’s A Dog’s Life/Egg Yolkeo – 6.5

The duo is in the pound, ready to pass away. Before that can happen, an old lady adopts them. When Ren & Stimpy get there, they realize the old lady’s current dog is dead. In the end, Granny asks her butler to feed them gravel in a disturbing scene. They get away, but are captured by the cops and are given a choice to go back to the pound or back to the old lady’s home, which leads to a plot twist in a hated episode.

“Egg Yölkeo,” is a bit more PG, but lacks in other areas. Ren is Renwaldo and Stimpy is Stimpleton, his assistant. Like Pinocchio, Renwaldo wants a son and decides to make one out of egg yolks. Egg Yölkeo isn’t much, but he makes noises. Kidnapped to perform in Las Vegas, Renwaldo goes to find him. Egg Yölkeo ends up being torn apart by fans and is left with just his head. Stimpleton ends up eating him, while Egg Yölkeo says one last “I love you,” to his father.