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"Hamhocks and Armlocks" | Premiere Order "Hunger Strikes" |
"The Koos is Loose" | 
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"Hamhocks and Armlocks" | Production Order "Hunger Strikes" |
"The Koos is Loose" |
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| Hunger Strikes | |
| Season 2, Episode 4a | |
| Episode name reference to/pun on: None | |
|---|---|
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| Air date | August 6, 1997 |
| Production number | 205a |
| Episode no. overall | 17a |
| Written by | Zeke Kamm |
| Storyboard by | Ace Conrad |
| Directed by | Rob Renzetti |
Hunger Strikes is the first segment of the fourth episode in season 2 of Dexter's Laboratory. It first aired on August 6, 1997.
In this episode, Dexter uses radiation therapy on himself to eat vegetables after he is omitted from having upside-down cake. However, as a side effect, Dexter transforms into a green-skinned monster if he doesn't consume vegetables after a period of time.
Plot
Dexter and his family are in the kitchen having dinner. When everyone finishes eating, Mom shows everyone the pineapple upside down cake she made after removing the cloche. She passes slices of cake to Dad and Dee Dee, but Dexter doesn't get any because he didn't eat his peas.
Dexter then forces himself to eat a pea, but spits out the aftertaste. He then excuses himself from the table and heads to his laboratory where he examines his taste-buds and notices that his vegetable tastes are low while his meat, dairy, and grain tastes are high. Dexter then heads into the gamma radiation room to alter his DNA.
After getting hit by a radiation beam, Dexter leaves and uses the taste-bud sensor. He notices that the "Plants" tastes are dangerously high while his meat, grain, and dairy tastes are low. Dexter then leaves his lab to go to bed, but his stomach starts growling and he heads to the kitchen to make himself a lettuce, broccoli, and cucumber sandwich. Following him searching the refrigerator and the cupboard, Dexter doesn't find any vegetables. He starts having stomach cramps then transforms into a green-skinned creature. Dexter then breaks a hole in the wall and heads to the supermarket where he rummages through the produce section satiating his hunger with various vegetables. After eating the produce, Dexter burps, reverts back to his normal form, and falls asleep.
The next morning, Dexter returns home. Mom scolds him for not being dressed and ready for school, prompting Dad to run out of the kitchen. At Huber Elementary later that morning, Dexter's teacher tells her class about Nutrition Awareness Week and that they're going to have several guest speakers come by, with Mr. Dancing Carrot entering the classroom shortly after. As he sings, Dexter mistakes his costume for an actual carrot and starts chomping at it, making Mr. Dancing Carrot scream in pain.
The lunch bell rings, and Dexter races to the cafeteria looking for some vegetables to eat. However, the lunch lady refuses his service because there were several other kids before Dexter and he cut in line. Angered, Dexter transforms and busts a hole in the school wall. Outside on the playground, he sees a lemon tree and makes his way over to it, destroying the jungle gym, sending the kids on the merry-go-round flying, and propelling a boy back into the school after landing on the teeter-totter along the way.
At the lemon tree, Dexter devours both it and the lemons, then burps back into his normal form. He races back home to his laboratory where he reverses the gamma radiation's effects. Mom then calls everyone down for dinner where she serves liver and onions, disgusting Dee Dee but delighting Dexter, who starts having more stomach cramps.
Appearances
Characters
Main
Minor
Trivia
Notes
- None known.
Episode Connections
- The unnamed female teacher that originated in the episode "That Crazy Robot" reappears in this episode.
Goofs
- When Dexter's plate is shown on screen the first time, it is empty, yet when Dee Dee points it out, the plate suddenly has peas on it.
Cultural References
- When hungry, Dexter turns into a creature that resembles The Incredible Hulk. His line; "You wouldn't like me when I'm hungry." also alludes to this.
- Mom 's line "How can you have cake if you don't eat your veggies?" references the Pink Floyd song Another Brick in the Wall, where an angry Scottish man says; "How can you have your pudding if you don't eat your meat?"
- During the frame showing the entrance to the supermarket, there is a coin operated kiddie ride that resembles the Flintmobile from The Flintstones.
- The song, "Veggies Are Your Pals", is sung to the same melody as the children's songs "The Farmer in the Dell" and "A-Hunting We Will Go".
Production Notes
- Although this episode along with "The Koos is Loose" and "Morning Stretch" are aired on August 6, 1997, they were produced in the same year according to the credits.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Arabic | الإضراب عن الطعام | Hunger Strikes |
| Japanese | もっと野菜を! | More Vegetables! |