The Problem with Popplers

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Season 2 episode
The Problem with Popplers
A poppler
No.	28
Production number	2ACV15
Writers Patric M. Verrone Story Darin Henry
Directors Chris Sauve Gregg Vanzo
Title caption	For external use only
First aired	7 May, 2000
Broadcast number	S02E18
Title reference	Star Trek episode The Trouble with Tribbles
Opening cartoon	"Bold King Cole"
Sponsor	Molten Boron
Nomination(s)	Environmental Media Awards Comedy — TV Episodic, 2000 (won)
Additional
Commentary (Transcript) Transcript
Season 2
I Second that Emotion Brannigan, Begin Again A Head in the Polls Xmas Story Why Must I Be a Crustacean in Love? The Lesser of Two Evils Put Your Head on My Shoulder Raging Bender A Bicyclops Built for Two A Clone of My Own How Hermes Requisitioned His Groove Back The Deep South Bender Gets Made Mother's Day The Problem with Popplers Anthology of Interest I War Is the H-Word The Honking The Cryonic Woman ← Season 1 Season 3 →

"The Problem with Popplers" is the twenty-eighth episode of Futurama, the fifteenth of the second production season and the eighteenth of the second broadcast season. It aired 7 May, 2000 on FOX. After discovering very tasty snack called popplers on a distant planet, the Planet Express company goes into the industry of supplying these snacks to Fishy Joe's, however the popplers carry a terrible truth.

Contents 1 The Story 1.1 Act I: "We taught a lion to eat tofu." 1.2 Act II: "Parrots talk and we eat them, right?" 1.3 Act III: "Try our new, extreme walrus juice!" 2 Additional Info 2.1 Poppler song lyrics 2.2 Trivia 2.3 Quotes 2.4 Goofs 2.5 Inside References 2.6 Outside References 2.7 Characters 3 Episode Credits

[edit] The Story

[edit] Act I: "We taught a lion to eat tofu."

Returning from the Planet of the Moochers, the crew has no food. After some foraging they discover a delicious, bite size, motionless animal, and pack the ship full of them. the rest of the staff approve and Fry comes up with the name Popplers. Bender decides to sell them. Fishy Joe decides to sell them at his restaurant, paying them $1 a dozen. Soon over a million are sold. Hippies, led by Free Waterfall Jr., protest the eating of Popplers outside Planet Express. Leela discovers a week-old Poppler, it opens its eyes and calls her "mamma".

[edit] Act II: "Parrots talk and we eat them, right?"

Leela tries to stop people from eating Popplers, and has the rest of the crew join the protesting at Fishy Joe's. Joe, Free and Leela appear on Datenight with Linda to discus wether it's okay to eat Popplers, the young Poppler joins in. The Omicronians arrive and tell the world that the Popplers are their young and announce that they'll eat the people of Earth. Zapp and Kif begin negotiations with them. They make a deal stating that they'll only eat the Earthling that first ate one of their young, Leela.

[edit] Act III: "Try our new, extreme walrus juice!"

The eating of Leela is done on TV with a large audience. Zapp creates a plan to fool the Omicronians, Kif disguises an orangutan as Leela. Lrrr almost falls for it, but Free Waterfall Jr. interrupts and tells him the truth to save it. Ndnd eats it anyway. Leela is sent out to Lrrr, but the young Omicronian, now calling itself Jrrr, convinces him to stop. Lrrr eats Free, to the delight of the crowd, and becomes high. The Omicronians leave and Leela is safe. The staff has a feast of young animals to celebrate, including a veal, a pig and a dolphin, though they don't want to eat it because dolphins are intelligent this is different since he blew all his money on instant lottery tickets, so the crew has no problem eating it.

[edit] Additional Info

[edit] Poppler song lyrics

See List of song performances#Popplers Song

[edit] Trivia

• The start of the tradition of killing the Waterfalls.
• Brought to you by Molten Boron.
• 198 billion Popplers eaten.
  • The profit that Planet Express and staff would have received from the sales comes to $16.5 billion, where the money went is unknown.
• Fry and Leela's rarely-used given name and surname, respectively, are used.
• This episode was named #11 on IGN's list of Top 25 Futurama Episodes.
• This episode was named #10 on TV.com's list of Top 10 Futurama Episodes.
• The hippie's necklace looks very similar to the Esperanto jubilee symbol.

[edit] Quotes

Leela: Well, it's a type M planet, so it should at least have Roddenberries.
Fry: I'm experienced at foraging. I used to find edible mushrooms on my bath mat!
Bender: I found some rocks! You guys eat rocks, right?
Leela: No...
Bender: [invitingly] Not even if they're sautéed in a little mud?

Farnsworth: Hey! Unless this is a nude love-in... get the hell off my property!
Free Waterfall Junior: You can't own property, man.
Farnsworth: I can. But that's because I'm not a penniless hippie.

Farnsworth: Oh god they're back!
Amy: We're doomed.
Hermes: Doooooomed!
Bender: [Breathes in.] Doooooooooooooooooooo...

Brannigan: Hmm. A hundred and ninety eight billion babies in a few weeks. We'll need an army of super virile men scoring 'round the clock! I'll do my part. Kif, clear my schedule.
[Kif takes out an Etch-A-Sketch and shakes it.]

Lrrr: Where's the real female?
Brannigan: I'll never tell.
Lrrr: [cocks gun] Where is the real female?
Brannigan: I'll get her for you.

Ndnd: Would you like some human with your salt!?

Bender: Who wants Dolphin?
[The crew gasps.]
Leela: Dolphin? But they're intelligent!
Bender: Not this one. He blew all his money on lottery tickets!

Fry: [confused] Turanga?
Amy: That's her first name, Philip.
Bender: Philip?

Leela: Well this Poppler spoke to me.
Bender: Well maybe it's just like a parrot and only learned to talk as a parlour trick, like Fry.
Fry: Like Fry! Like Fry!

[edit] Goofs

• When Leela first discovers that Popplers are intelligent creatures she throws Jrrr down and licks her fingers. There are 5 "finger-licking" sounds, even though she only has 4 fingers.

• When the first batch of Popplers are sold and the sign starts working, it should count by twelve, as Popplers are sold in batches of twelve.

[edit] Inside References

• Fry: Leela! That's the second billboard you've crashed into this week!
  • Refers to the introduction sequence's billboard crash.

[edit] Outside References

• "Roddenberries" (see Quotes) and the term "Type M Planet" refer to the creator of Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry, and his creation.

[edit] Characters

(In alphabetic order)

[edit] Episode Credits