Bass Masters

Bass Masters is the eighth episode of the third season of The Ren & Stimpy Show that originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on February 19, 1994.

Ren and Stimpy are the hosts of a sports games show, Bass Masters. The duo go fishing for the Foul-Mouthed Bass. Wilbur Cobb escapes from the prison where he is introduced in Stimpy's Cartoon Show. Cobb poses as the "Indian guide" for Ren and Stimpy's fishing trip on the lake. Ren fails to capture any fish while Stimpy captures hundreds of fish. Stimpy says he can "speak fish". Albert the Foul Mouthed Bass arrives to criticize Ren for not speaking fish. Ren jumps into the lake to learn the language of fish and is promptly eaten by Albert who tells Ren he is "the dumb bass" (a phrase that when spoken sounds "dumb ass").

• Ren-voice of Billy West
• Stimpy-voice of Billy West
• Wilbur Cobb-voice of Jack Carter
• Fish-voice of Bob Camp
• Albert the Foulmouthed Bass-voice of Harris Peet

The episode was written in 1992 at the Spümcø studio by John Kricfalusi and Richard Pursel for the second season of The Ren & Stimpy Show.^[1] After Spümcø lost the contract for The Ren & Stimpy Show on 21 September 1992, the episode was assigned to the Games Animation studio, who held it over for the third season due to production delays.^[1] The director of Bass Masters, Bob Camp changed the story by shoehorning in the character of Wilbur Cobb who was not in the Spümcø script.^[2] The voice for Cobb was provided by Jack Carter, a prominent comedian of the 1950-1960s who was struggling financially in his old age.^[2] Bill Wray of Games Animation stated: "Cobb worked well for one cartoon when you first saw him. But Bob felt sorry for Jack, so he would cast him in as many cartoons as possible. So in a way there were two or three cartoons where he was just shoehorned in, just so Jack could get some work".^[2]

The American journalist Thad Komorowski gave the episode an unfavorable review, writing that the story was unfunny and that Wilbur Cobb was an unnecessary addition to the story.^[2]

• Dobbs, G. Michael (2015). Escape – How Animation Broke into the Mainstream in the 1990s. Orlando: BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1593931100.
• Komorowski, Thad (2017). Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story. Albany, Georgia: BearManor Media. ISBN 978-1629331836.