"Sprig's Birthday" is the second segment of the sixth episode of the third season of Amphibia, and the eighty-sixth episode overall.
It premiered on November 6, 2021, alongside "Mr. X".[1]
Synopsis
Anne tries to give Sprig a great Earth birthday.[1]
Plot
Sprig contemplating his life while wearing his birthday mud crown.
Anne is busy researching with Sprig of a way to get him, Hop Pop and Polly back to Amphibia, when Hop Pop and Polly suddenly enter her room. They give Sprig a mud crown because as it turns out, it's his 11th birthday. This surprises Anne as she didn't know it was his birthday, so she decides to make things right and plans to make this the greatest birthday he's ever had. However, in Amphibia, birthdays are more for reflecting on their life while wearing a mud crown.
But the Plantars are no longer in Amphibia, are they? So Anne is set to make her best friend's Earthbound birthday fun and memorable. The two set out to the mall, the Santa Monica pier, and a Mexican restaurant before hitting a park's carousel and the Griffith Observatory. After everything, Sprig thanks Anne for the fun of the day, but says the birthday was so fun, it was definitely in his Top 3 birthday celebrations, much to Anne's surprise.
Sprig and Anne having fun for his Earth birthday.
Anne sets out determined to make sure that the birthday ranks number one, and her dad takes them to an open area in the hills where hot air balloons are ready to take off, even though their balloon is made from an old horror movie promotional piece, and they're in the basket beneath a giant, terrifying clown.
However, high wind alerts keep them grounded, and their guide tells them they can't take off until the winds die down, BUT they can go sit in the basket anyway and pretend they're flying. Which they opt to do, and give the fire a little blast so they'll lift off. Hey, they're still tethered to the ground right? They can't go far. Until a gust of all that wind is so strong it pulls the tether out of the ground and they take off towards downtown Los Angeles.
As a result, Anne attempts to control the balloon while Sprig uses his frog tongue to try and steer the balloon.
After bailing out the balloon and landing (mostly) safely, Anne gives Sprig his gift, a telescope that is engraved with his name on it, and apologizes for not being able to give him the best birthday ever.
Sprig looking at the telescope Anne got him.
Sprig explains that the day is top 3 because he got to spend time with his best friend, Anne, and the other top two consist of the birthday when he was actually born, and the #2 spot is when his mom and dad gave him the hat that he wears all the time. They go home not realizing that they had forgotten about Mr. Boonchuy as the episode ends.
Cast
- Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
- Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
- Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
- Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
- Brian Sounalath as Mr. Boonchuy
Additional voices
- Matt Braly as Hot Dog Customer
- Brian Sounalath as Mariachi Singer
- Eden Riegel as Emily, Comedian Lady
- Roger Craig Smith as Blair the Balloonist, Tyler's Boyfriend
- Troy Baker as Birthday Guy, Helicopter Driver, Scared Patient
- Bill Farmer as Blonde Man
- Jeff Bennett as Tyler, Glasses Man, Hot Dog Owner
Mentioned
Title in other languages
| Language | Title | Translation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Latin American Spanish
|
El cumpleaños de Sprig | Sprig's Birthday | |
 Bulgarian
|
Рожденият ден на Сприг | Sprig's Birthday | |
 German
|
Sprigs Geburtstag | Sprig's Birthday | |
 European Spanish
|
El cumple de Sprig | Sprig's Birthday | |
 Japanese
|
スプリグの誕生日 | Sprig's Birthday | |
 Polish
|
Urodziny Skrzeka | Sprig's Birthday | |
 Thai
|
วันเกิดสปริ๊ก |
Transcript
| For a full transcript of "Sprig's Birthday", click here. |
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
Trivia
- Viewership: This episode was watched by 0.39 viewers on its premiere.[4]
- This episode premiered two days before Matt Braly's own birthday.
- This is the only episode set on Earth in which no one poses a threat to the safety/wellbeing of either Anne or the Plantars.
- Instead, the only conflict in this episode is a moral one between Anne and Sprig.
- Although they are briefly endangered by the runaway hot air balloon.
Revelations and significant events
- The way birthdays are celebrated in Amphibia is by wearing a mud crown and reflecting about their life for only a moment. Although it seems they can get gifts as well since Sprig got his iconic hat as a birthday present from his parents for one.
- Sprig turns 11 years old as of this episode.
- It is revealed that Sprig's parents gave him his hat.
- This is the second episode that Polly and Hop Pop only appear at the beginning while Sprig appears throughout the entire episode after "Thai Feud." Both episodes focus on Sprig.
Continuity
- Anne is implied to not understand the purpose of birthdays, due to Sasha's years-long manipulation of her reaching its peak on birthdays.[5]
- Anne celebrates Sprig's eleventh birthday by visiting various places, emulating what Sasha controlled her to do in "Reunion".
- The TV guys in the episode "Thai Feud" reappear in this episode, and it is revealed that they are dating.
- The girl named Emily from the episode "Adventures in Catsitting" reappears in this episode.
- Sprig gives Anne a friend-punch, like they did in "Best Fronds". Anne even notes that it has been a long time since it happened.
- Anne gives Sprig a telescope for his birthday, indicating that he likes stargazing. He was also seen using a telescope in the Season 2 credits sequence.
Allusions
- The Divine Comedy - Anne reads the Inferno chapter in figuring out how to get back to Amphibia.
- It - The hot air balloon clown is a reference to the Stephen King horror novel and film adaptations.
- In-n-Out Burger - The restaurant isn't shown but a bag in the dumpster Anne and Sprig were in below is called Out-About Burgers, which also is popular in the west of USA.
- Matt Braly - The character ordering hotdogs is himself.
- Party City - The store Anne and Sprig go to in the mall is called Party Village, which the store Party City sells Disney themed party supplies.
- Book of Garfield comics (Garfield hates Mondays) - Anne's dad reads a book of Monday's cat comic. An actual comic book by the creators of Garfield in real life.
- The Muppets - A poster with Kermit the Frog playing a banjo appears several times.
- Uber - The man who shares his birthday with Sprig drives a "Guber" car, which is an obvious parody of the transportation service.
- Santa Monica Pier - Anne and Sprig visit this place during the Birthday Montage.
- Griffith Observatory - Anne and Sprig visit this place at the end of the Birthday Montage.
Errors
- When Anne and Sprig are in the pedal boat, Sprig's goggles are white.
- After Sprig gives Anne a friend-punch, the flame on the second I on his sweater turns into a regular dot for a few scenes.
- Amphibian birthdays are stated to be celebrated by the birthday person wearing a mud crown and reflecting on their life for only a brief moment with no apparent gift-receiving, yet in "Croak & Punishment", Sprig is shown to have gotten Ivy Sundew a Blue Moon Shell as a birthday gift, thus contradicting aforementioned lore. Although he did say his parents also gave him a birthday gift as a tadpole being his iconic hat. It's possible that gifts are sometimes given for birthdays but not expected.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "November 2021 Programming Highlights". Disney General Entertainment Content (October 22, 2021).
- ↑ Ducker, Danny [@DannyDucker] (November 6, 2021). "Episode storyboard sequence". SlideShare.
- ↑ Boyle, Caitlin Rose. "AMPHIBIA REVISIONS". Boyle's website. “S3E11, Sprig’s Birthday - C/U by me, boarded by Forosha & directed by Jenn Strickland”
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Metcalf, Mitch (November 9, 2021). "Saturday 11.6.2021 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals". Showbuzz Daily.
- ↑ Matt Braly, Adam Colás, Jack Ferraiolo, Gloria Shen (writers) and Derek Kirk Kim, Kyler Spears, Bert Youn (directors) (July 18, 2019). "Reunion". Amphibia. Season 1. Episode 20. Disney Channel.