| “ | Here it is, this may be the only place in the world to get Doonkelberries right now. | ” |
— Phineas Flynn | ||
When Mom is out of Doonkelberries for her famous Doonkelberry pie, the boys set out to find some for her. Meanwhile, Perry and Dr. Doofenshmirtz find themselves across the ocean as Doofenshmirtz returns home to renew his Drusselsteinian driver’s license. Back in Danville, Candace is convinced she has discovered the answer to her busting problem.
Episode Summary
Candace is sitting in her room, asking the “Phenomenon” why Phineas and Ferb’s inventions always disappear. As she asks for a sign, she bumps her head into the wall behind her, which drops a book about disappearing objects from the above bookshelf. Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb are sitting in the kitchen when Linda comes in, the boys would like a Doonkelberry pie but she's unable to find Doonkelberries in town, however, and not knowing where they come from, Phineas and Ferb search the Internet to find that Doonkelberries are the biggest export of Drusselstein.
At the front door, a package arrives for Perry from the O.W.C.A., which he opens. In it is a letter with a talking photo of Major Monogram attached. Monogram tells Perry that Dr. Doofenshmirtz is taking a trip to Drusselstein, and Perry must follow him there but giving him his attire. Afterwards, the package and letter self-destruct as Perry takes off after his nemesis.
In the backyard, Isabella and Baljeet help Phineas and Ferb build a trebuchet with which they plan to launch themselves to Drusselstein to collect the Doonkleberries themselves.
Meanwhile, Candace searches for a book in the Danville library called Disappearing Objects to help her bust her brothers. The librarian tells her, however, that it has been lent out to Heinz Doofenshmirtz. But Vanessa, who is visiting the library as well, tells Candace that Heinz is her father, and can help her look for the book in his house.
Perry arrives in Drusselstein, where he stops Doofenshmirtz. He informs Perry, however, that he isn’t doing anything evil today, but is simply renewing his driver’s license at the DMV. He then asks Perry to accompany him, which Perry accepts.
In Danville, Phineas and Ferb are ready to launch in the trebuchet. Baljeet uses a special machine to bring Drusselstein and Danville close together, which allows them to fly across rather than landing in the ocean. But when they finally reach Drusselstein and find a Doonkelberry stand, the seller tells them that they cannot export because the goat-powered shaft that powers Drusselstein's machinery is stuck, due to a feud between the people. The vendor explains that half the Drusselteinian population want their goats to walk to the right, and the other half want their goats to walk to the left, keeping the machine stuck from moving. Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella decide to try to resolve the conflict.
Doofenshmirtz and Perry enter the DMV and approach the desk. But much to Doofenshmirtz’s dismay, the receptionist tells him that he will have to take a driving test in order to be re-certified. Perry comforts Doofenshmirtz and holds his hand as they walk out to the test.
Vanessa and Candace go to Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated and begin searching for the book. Vanessa explains as they search in the main lair that her dad is an amateur inventor. But while they look, they unknowingly turn on some of Doofenshmirtz’s laser rays, which begin to make objects in the room, disappear.
Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella try to negotiate with the Left and Right People, but fail, as neither side is willing to change the direction their goats move. However, they get another idea. On a mountain, Doofenshmirtz sits in a car with Perry, about to take his driving test. The leader gives the signal, and a mountain goat butts into the car, getting the unready Doofenshmirtz started on the test. Doofenshmirtz drives erratically all over town while Perry, scared, holds on tightly until they reach the finish line, nearly destroying the car and the populace in the process.
Candace sees a laser ray on Doofenshmirtz’s balcony and looks through it, thinking it is a telescope. Seeing Phineas and Ferb’s trebuchet in the backyard, Candace calls Linda, who is in the kitchen. Linda turns around, but as she does so, Candace inadvertently hits the fire button on the inator with her elbow, which makes the trebuchet disappear. Candace disappointingly leaves and tells Vanessa, who has finally found the book, that it isn’t worth it.
Meanwhile, Phineas and Ferb explain that they can solve the problem of the machine. Ferb use a saw to cut at the shaft in the middle, causing it to technically be going left and right, solving the Drusselstinians’ problem. They are rewarded with fresh Doonkelberries, and then take the people’s trebuchet back home. The left and right side people argued again about which Phineas or Ferb’s name first of the day. Doofenshmirtz, having gotten re-certified, sees the Drusselstein trebuchet, and tells Perry he will take that home. Perry flies off, and Doofenshmirtz launches himself in his car towards Danville with the trebuchet. After eating pie, however, Phineas and Ferb see Drusselstein above them, and realize they forgot to separate Danville and Drusselstein. Baljeet fixes this using his machine again, causing Doofenshmirtz’s car to fall into the ocean, much to his dismay.
Transcript
Read the transcript of The Doonkelberry Imperative.
Songs
Gallery
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| View the image gallery for "The Doonkelberry Imperative". |
Running Gags
The "Too Young" Line
Drusselstein Citizen: You have brought peace to our land. Is there anything we can do for you? Phineas: Yes, yes there is. |
Ferb's Line
Phineas: We should cast our net a little wider than Danville. As Phineas types, his laptop pings. Bingo! Its looks like there are some in Drusselstein. Ferb: Drusselstein is a rustic Eastern European country, whose primary export is Doonkelberries. |
What'cha doin'?
Isabella: Hey Phineas, what'cha doin'?
Phineas: We're going to build a trebuchet to shoot ourselves to Europe. Isabella: Cool, gravity or a tension spring? Phineas: Well gravity probab... Wait, when did you learn about trebuchet mechanics? Isabella: Medieval Siege Engine Patch. (Holds up her Fireside Girls patch sash and points it out) It was my first one. |
I know what we're gonna do today!/Hey, where's Perry?
Phineas: Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today! Hey, where's Perry? |
Oh, there you are, Perry
None.
Perry's entrance to his lair
He receives his mission via mail and brief in a letter.
Evil Jingle
The Viking is right
Viking: The science is far beyond us! Man 8: The viking is right! By separating the shaft, you have united our country! |
Memorable Quotes
Linda: You boys ready for pie tonight?
Phineas: Doonkelberry Pie, our favorite! Linda: No, not doonkelberry pie. Everybody is out of doonkelberries, you can't find them anywhere lately. Phineas: Really, let me check. Phineas on his laptop checking. Linda: I'll be berry interested to see what you find. Phineas: Good one mom. |
Vanessa: Yes?
Candace: Vanessa? Vanessa: Doofenshmirtz is my last name, Heinz is my Dad. Candace: Doofenshmirtz, what's that like Chinese? Vanessa: It's Drusselsteinian. Candace: Right, from Drusselsteinia. Vanessa: I'm heading over my dad's house if you want to look for your book. Candace: Cool. |
Zengle: In our culture, turning your goats around is the mark of a coward! Neither side will back down. So it is, such as it has ever been, in Drusselstein, Land...of...the Shaft! I am done, now. |
Man with the red hat: Henceforth we shall call this day; "Phineas and Ferb" day.
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Background Information
- Episode first revealed on page 10 of the Across the 2nd Dimension Official Movie Magazine in an interview with Dan and Swampy and was at the time only known as Unnamed Drusselstein Visit Episode.
- It is revealed that Drusselstein is powered by a big central shaft.
- This episode reveals that Isabella's first patch is the "Medieval Siege Engine" Patch.
- Due to a line by Doofenshmirtz, it seems that Perry had an accident during his ride with Doofenshmirtz. "I'll pay for the dry cleaning on your Rockenhosen." - Doofenshmirtz.
- Doofenshmirtz's driving license expires on 30/12/2012.
- If Candace would've seen all of Doofenshmirtz inventions disappear when she and Vanessa put Doofenshmirtz's rays on the floor, she would've figured out that's how Phineas and Ferb's inventions disappear.
- At the 64th Primetime Emmy Awards, this episode was nominated in the category of "Outstanding Short-format Animated Program". This is the second episode to be nominated in this category, the first being "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein". It lost to Regular Show for the episode "Eggscellent".
- During the 2019 D23 Expo, Dan Povenmire revealed one line in this episode was the result of an animation error: on the storyboards for the show, incidental characters are labeled with numbers referring to a numbered character pack for the overseas animator. One of the background characters was accidentally misnumbered on the storyboards for this episode, leading the animators to place a Viking in a crowd scene. Rather than redo the animation, the team decided to turn it into a joke by having someone respond "the Viking is right!" This eventually became a running gag on the show, with a Viking randomly appearing in crowd scenes and an onlooker responding to what he had to say with "the Viking is right!"
Production Information
- This episode was aired on Disney Channel on Demand on March 23, 2012.
- This episode was paired with "Quietest Day Ever" when it originally aired on Disney Channel.
International Premieres
- TBA (Disney Channel Japan)
- May 16, 2012 (Disney Channel Latin America)
- July 7, 2012 (Disney XD Canada)
- July 9, 2012 (Disney XD Poland)
- August 7, 2012 (Disney Channel Brazil)
- August 9, 2012 (Disney Channel Israel)
- October 6, 2012 (Disney Channel Asia)
- October 21, 2012 (Disney XD Spain)
- December 22, 2012 (Disney XD Latin America)
- January 7, 2013 (Disney Channel Portugal)
Errors
- The entire plot of the shaft is incorrect. If the shaft would not turn, that can only happen if the goats on both ends are all turning in the same direction. By walking in opposite directions, they were already positioned properly.
- Ferb cuts the shaft from the middle. It being such a long and obviously heavy shaft, still doesn't fall into 2 seperate pieces.
- Phineas and Ferb made the goats go in different directions, but when their change of directions is being shown, both sides are going clockwise, yet people still think that they were going different directions.
- In the same scene, the mechanism on the right is turning in the opposite direction that the goats are moving in.
- Phineas does not address the problem that after their modification, half of the devices in Drusselstein will now spin in reverse.
- Since the devices are belt-driven, this can presumably be fixed by making half of the belts into figure 8s.
- There should be a gap between the two halves of the shaft to prevent them from butting together.
- When Perry throws the letter from Major Monogram away, Monogram's eyes and mustache are red.
- When Perry is in the car with Heinz, the flower on his rockenhosen is gone. In the next scene, the flower is back.
- When Doofenshmirtz is done with the driving test he is bald. Right after, his hair comes back.
- Just before Doofenshmirtz is about to start the driving test, the shot shows that he is on a cliff. The previous shot shows a longer road.
- When Candace mentions the rocket disappearing, it was actually Linda's fault that made the rocket fly away.
- She also mentions the stampeding cows disappearing, but the cows did not disappear, they were gathered back into a corral.
- When Zengle shows a map of Drusselstein, it is shown "sfa oe" instead of "sea of".
- When Isabella holds up her sash, the diamond patch is orange when it should be teal.
- When Candace goes to the library there is a stop sign out front that is printed backwards.
Continuity
- Candace mentioned the things Phineas and Ferb build disappears. ("Rollercoaster", "Out to Launch", "The Magnificent Few")
Allusions
- The disagreements between those who want the goats to move to the left and those who want them to move to the right satirizes the basic opposition of left-right politics. The two sides are depicted with blue signs for the left and red signs for the right, which are colors commonly used to represent the particular sides in the United States: blue for left (Democrats) and red for right (Republicans).
- The animated Dilbert series did something similar with lefties and righties (i.e., left- and right handed people) in the primitive country of Elbonia.
- A Wrinkle in Time - The way the world seems to bend when Phineas and Ferb travel via trebuchet is very similar to the way a tesseract is explained in this famous novel.
- The Big Bang Theory - The title of this episode is done in a similar style to a title of one that show's episodes.
- Silent Hill - In the opening, where Candace is wearing a pyramid hat on her head, this is a reference to one of the villains in said video game series named Pyramid Head.
- The car in which Doofenshmirtz does the driving test, resembles the much-derided and much-mocked Zastava Koral, otherwise known as the Yugo. This type of car is also seen in the 2011 Disney/Pixar film Cars 2 and the 2011 Disney Channel Original Movie, Good Luck Charlie, It's Christmas!.
- Inspector Gadget - The self-destructing letter is a reference to the episodes in the series Inspector Gadget, in which Gadget's letter self-destructs after being briefed. They are both, in turn, references to the self-destructing tapes in the original Mission: Impossible TV series.
Trivia
- First time Phineas, Ferb, and Isabella go to Drusselstein.
- First time we learn the address of the Flynn-Fletcher residence (2308 Maple Drive, Danville USA)
- First time Candace fires an inator that destroys evidence of the boys' creation, although this was not done intentionally.
- This is the first time Vanessa does does a parody of The Slacks's Evil Jingle, despite the fact she isn't evil. However, she does not mention her father's company, or even the word evil.
- The doonkelberries are mentioned again ("Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror", "Raging Bully")
- Fifth time Candace and Vanessa interact ("S'Winter", "Hail Doofania!", "Finding Mary McGuffin", "Phineas and Ferb Summer Belongs to You!")
- The picture of Doofenshmirtz's in his driver license is the same as the one in "The Lemonade Stand".
- Fifth time Candace goes to Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated. ("Fireside Girl Jamboree", "Ain't No Kiddie Ride", "Run, Candace, Run", Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension)
- This is the 18th episode which Perry doesn't battle Doofenshmirtz. ("Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!", "Traffic Cam Caper", "Put That Putter Away", "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein", "Oil on Candace", "Unfair Science Fair Redux", "Tip of the Day", "Thaddeus and Thor", "Oh, There You Are, Perry", "Undercover Carl", "I Was a Middle Aged Robot", "Nerds of a Feather", "Split Personality", "Run Candace Run", "Candace Disconnected", "Skiddley Whiffers", "Bullseye!")
- First episode in Season 3 and eighth episode overall that Baljeet appears without Buford. ("Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!", "Unfair Science Fair", "Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)", "Attack of the 50 Foot Sister", "Day of the Living Gelatin", "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo", "Undercover Carl")
- Second time Doofenshmirtz drives a lemon car. ("What Do It Do?")
- Candace wants to bust her brothers despite the fact they're not home yet ("The Fast and the Phineas", "Put That Putter Away", "Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)", "Attack of the 50 Foot Sister", "The Remains of the Platypus", "Perry The Actorpus").
- Second time Doof says "as long as you are here" ("Candace Disconnected")
- Third time someone talks to the "mysterious force" that makes Phineas and Ferb's creations disappear. ("Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!", Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension)
- This is currently the only episode that Candace doesn't interact with Linda in person.
- Candace doesn't interact with Phineas and Ferb nor does she see them in this episode.
Cast
- Vincent Martella as Phineas
- Ashley Tisdale as Candace
- Thomas Sangster as Ferb
- Alyson Stoner as Isabella
- Caroline Rhea as Mom
- Maulik Pancholy as Baljeet
- Dan Povenmire as Dr. Doofenshmirtz
- Jeff "Swampy" Marsh as Major Monogram
- Dee Bradley Baker as Perry
- Jennifer Grey as Svetka
- Olivia Olson as Vanessa
- John Hodgman as Zengle (credited under Additional Voices)
- Additional voices: Jennifer Grey, Matthew Lillard, Pamela Adlon, S. Scott Bullock, Carlos Alazraqui, Rob Paulsen
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