"The Environ-Mentals" is the eight episode of the first season of Pepper Ann. It aired on November 8, 1997.
Plot[]
Pepper Ann tries to make the 'Clean Up Lupkin Park' talent show the coolest event of the year, while trying to hide an embarrassing family tradition. Meanwhile, Milo's art gets him beat up, criticized, and chased down by everyone in town.
Synopsis[]
Pepper Ann reminisces on when she was seven, she and Lydia would perform "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain (Dance Hall Remix!)" while dressed in red sequin dresses and beehive wigs. She states that now she is twelve she is aware of how dumb it was. In the present, Lydia finds the dresses and has her and Moose perform with her. While Pepper Ann enjoys it, she does not think it is cool and tries to hide it from everyone. At school, the students must present a new banner for the "Clean Up Lupkin Park" event. Milo's becomes infamous as it apparently scares everyone (it is never shown) and throughout the episode tries to get people to understand it only to get a similar reaction.
Aunt Janie reveals her plan to make "Clean Up Lupkin Park" fun, but Pepper Ann bluntly admits to her no one actually likes to clean up and that she should add a show of some kind. Mistaking her words, Janie decides to add a talent show and, with Lydia's support, they decide to have Pepper Ann set it up, much to her chagrin. While Janie announces her new plan at the Environ-Mentals gathering, Lydia comes in with ideas of her own that end up getting unanimous support from the other members which slightly bothers Janie. Pepper Ann and Nicky begin auditioning candidates (which include JoJo, Vera, Cissy, and Ned) for the talent show who, in Pepper Ann's eyes, are seen as being lame. However, she passes them anyway as she does not have the heart to turn them down.
Pepper Ann decides to spruce up the talent show by inviting Craig Bean and his band to perform to which he agrees. However, while getting to the show, Craig spots a sidewalk drawing of Milo's, which shocks him into losing his voice. Nicky deduces Pepper Ann's avoidance of the talent show and tells her that if she likes doing what she does then that is all that matters, though Pepper Ann still thinks she needs to keep her reputation clean. Milo begins doing caricatures at the event and once again gets criticized. A large and intimidating boy is upset by the caricature he drew of his girlfriend and begins chasing Milo. Janie finally stands up to Lydia's constant changes and demands and says that all she cares about is protecting the environment and does not want the media attention that she is trying to enforce.
The talent show is turning into a disaster and Pepper Ann is fed up. When Lydia and Moose come in suggesting that they use their talent to save the show, Pepper Ann shoots them down as she does not want to be embarrassed. She encounters Milo, who is still being chased, and the two share a heart to heart resulting in Milo embracing his art and Pepper Ann deciding to do the show after all. Pepper Ann, Moose and Lydia perform to a hip-hop version of "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain" as they are joined on stage by Milo, Nicky, Janie, JoJo, Ned and the angry boyfriend in a spectacular finale. As Pepper Ann summarizes what she has learned, Janie reveals that they need to clean up the park. Pepper Ann, Milo and Nicky start cleaning up well into the night.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Kathleen Wilhoite as Pepper Ann Pearson
- Jeff Bennett as Craig Bean (no lines), Ned Diggity, Artsy Guy*, Annoyed Boy*, Large Boy*, Additional Voices
- Danny Cooksey as Milo Kamalani
- Clea Lewis as Nicky Little
- Pamela Segall as Moose Pearson
- April Winchell as Lydia Pearson, Blind Lady*, Blonde Environ-Mental Girl*
Additional Voices[]
- Paddi Edwards as Vera Groober-Schwartz
- Tino Insana as JoJo Diggity, Guide Dog*
- Bebe Neuwirth as Bronte Bladdar
- Kath Soucie as Cissy Rooney, Crying Girl*, Caricature Girl*, Additional Voices
- Susan Tolsky as Janie Diggity, Artsy Guy (scream)*
* Marks an uncredited voice role
Non-speaking Appearances[]
- Ms. Ford (mentioned)
- Trinket St. Blair (does not speak)
- Dieter Liederhosen (does not speak)
- Keyboard Girl (does not speak)
- Drummer Guy (does not speak)
- Alf (cameo)
- Constance Goldman (cameo)
- Cossie Van Tuttie (cameo)
- Crying Girl (cameo)
- Lamar Abu Dabe (cameo)
- Loco Yono (cameo)
- Milicent the Militant (cameo)
- Tessa and Vanessa James (cameo)
- Timmy (cameo)
Desk Gag[]
"All right, Mardi Gras beads!"
Goofs[]
- When a group of kids walk up to Milo's doorstep and become unfortunate witnesses to his sidewalk art, Loco Yono is inexplicably present, being driven to tears by Milo's unsightly work. This is likely a result of the animation staff mistaking the character for a child (due to her small stature).
- At one point, a younger version of Milicent the Militant (as seen in a flashback from Food Barn) is shown walking on the streets.
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the first of a few things:
- The first episode since "Ziterella" to be a 22-minute episode as opposed to two eleven-minute segments.
- The first appearance of "Artsy Guy" Tifty Reginald, the curator of Hazelnut's Own Museum of Art (HOMA), who will become a reoccurring character in future episodes.
- The first appearance of Uncle JoJo since the first episode.
- The first time Pepper Ann is seen without her glasses.
- The first time Ned Diggity is portrayed as part of the Pearson family, albeit indirectly.
- The first time the Crying Girl is portrayed by Kath Soucie instead of Cree Summer-Francks.
- A handful of running gags are established in this episode:
- This episode also marks the final episode in the first season in which all of the main cast is present.
- When Nicky finds Pepper Ann searching for the "Dance Hall Remix!" version of "She'll Be Comin' Round the Mountain", she brings up M.C. Poser as a coverup. This is a play on hip-hop artist, M.C. Hammer.
- Early in the episode, Pepper Ann gets macaroni stuck in her hair and it remains there for a number of scenes. However, when Moose finally brings it up, she ironically does not have any macaroni visible in her hair.
External links[]
