Paper Route Bout

General	Script	Gallery

"My Favorite Martian"

Premiere Order "Paper Route Bout"

"The Old Switcharooms"

"Dee Dee and the Man"

Production Order "Paper Route Bout"

"The Old Switcharooms"

Paper Route Bout
Season 2, Episode 29a
Episode name reference to/pun on: {{{pun}}}
Air date	September 4, 1998
Production number	228a
Written by	Mr. Lawrence
Storyboard by	Daniel Krall
Directed by	John McIntyre Craig McCracken (art direction)

Paper Route Bout is the first part of the 3rd episode of season 4. In this episode, a group of bicycle delinquents dressed as ninjas cause vandalism to a neighborhood, in addition to meddling Dee Dee's paper route. It is up to Dee Dee to stop them.

Plot

In the morning, Dee Dee goes around the neighborhood throwing papers to her friendly neighbors. She goes home and places the newspaper for Dad in front of the door, but the paper lands in the nearby puddle. Up the street, a bicycle gang in ninja costumes bursts into the neighborhood throwing papers at windows, animals, and humans. The humans spill their coffee as a result. Dee Dee watches as Dad gets hit by a newspaper and have coffee spilled all over him as a result.

Dee Dee travels through the neighborhood looking at the damage the bicycle gang did. She then goes to find a hideout and chastises the gang for what they did. In defense, the bicycle gang throws multiple newspapers at Dee Dee's face. Dee Dee heads back home with a dazed look on her face. In the neighborhood, the neighbors complained about the gang messing up their properties, nightwear, and animals. Dad comes up with an idea on how to counter the bicycle gang. He suggests that the entire neighborhood should attack the gang. Dee Dee suggests that they should have a contest. Dad reluctantly agrees to the idea. He calls for the ninja clan to come to the neighborhood, and a contest commences.

At the neighborhood, Dad explains the rules for the paper route contest, and both Dee Dee and the ninja race around the neighborhood. At the first house, Dee Dee's newspaper lands in a tree and the ninja's newspaper hits a flock of birds in the sky. At the second house, Dee Dee's newspaper lands in a birdbath and the ninja's newspaper flies over a squirrel, and the squirrel throws its acorn back at the ninja in retaliation. As the contest went on, Dee Dee's newspapers land in different places, while the ninja's newspapers break windows and statues. At the last house, Dee Dee throws a newspaper and it lands on the welcome mat. The ninja tries to put the newspaper in front of his house, but is stopped by a man on a unicycle carrying small animals and Chinese food. The ninja stops and smiles. He looks at the house, the cart, and the ninja clan behind him. The man on the unicycle runs away and the ninja chases after him. Both the man and ninja crash, and Dee Dee is the winner of the contest.

The ninja clan is mad at their ninja bike rider for losing the contest. As punishment, he is given a newspaper and whacks himself on the head with it.

Quotes

• Dee Dee: Father?
• Dad: Dee Dee......My child.
• Dee Dee: FATHER!!!
• Dee Dee: Uh, Dad? Don't you think you're overreacting, it's only a little coffee.
• Dad: Yeah, but it was pretty hot, you know.
• Woman: This was my favorite nightgown, and they got coffee all over it!
• Two Guys: And they broke our favorite mug!
• Man: And they hurt my cat.
• Dad: THIS CAN'T GO ON! We can not stand by and watch as our neighborhood is overrun by these....these MANDALS! They must be hunted down and destroyed like the dogs that they are!
• Dee Dee: Dad, you can't do that!
• Dad: I can't? Oh, well, then, we should have a contest or something.

Trivia

Notes

• This is the first episode of Dexter's Laboratory where Dexter & Mom didn't appear.
• When Dad suggests the Paper Ninjas be hunted down, the reason Dee Dee says he can't do that is because it would be murder.
• At the end, one of the Paper Ninjas gives the one who lost a newspaper, and he hits himself with it before falling to the ground. This is a reference to seppuku, a form of punishment by suicide where a dishonored samurai would thrust a sword through his heart.

Production Notes

• Although this episode, "The Old Switcharooms" and "Trick or Treehouse" aired on September 4, 1998, they were produced in the same year according to the credits, they were also the first episode to be produced during 1998.