For the 1993 horror classic feature, see Man's Best Friend (film).

Man's Best Friend is an episode of Ren & Stimpy.

The episode was produced for the Second Season of the original Ren and Stimpy show to introduce the character of George Liquor, Ren and Stimpy's owner. Work had completed on the finished episode, but Nickelodeon disliked the episode to such a degree that they outright refused to air it. For a long time, the episode was only seen via a circulated bootlegged VHS copy. Reportedly, plans were made to rewrite and reanimate the episode for the fifth season of the show. It is featured, uncensored, in the DVD release of the first and second seasons of the original show, billed as "The Banned Episode".

It has been rumored that this episode was the catalyst that led to the firing of John Kricfalusi and the Spumco Animation team by Nickelodeon, while Games Animation, Inc. was created from several old Spumco employees, in order to replace them.

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Directed By John K.

Story By Vincent Waller and John K.

Storyboard By Chris Reccardi

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George Liquor finds Ren and Stimpy in a pet shop and decides he needs some "lower life forms" to keep him company. Once home, he dumps a fish from his bowl and stuffs his newly acquired companions into it. The homeless fish flops his way outside, into the driveway and makes off with the car.

At sunup, George rouses the two for some military-style pet training. Paper training is first on the list. While Ren fails to churn out any results, Stimpy excels... much like the "poopies" scene from Big Baby Scam. The reward for any job well done is a rubber chew toy called a lawn cigar. He receives one and is overjoyed.

Then comes ^*obedience lessons.The philosophy here is that in order to behave, one must learn to do the opposite first. So with that the two are instructed to get on the couch, forbidden property to all non-humans. They are hesistant; Ren is absolutely frozen. George screams at Stimpy to get on and make him mad before he gets really mad. He leaps onto the couch and it seems as though the hard part is over with until George bellows at him to get off. George congratulates him and delivers the line "it's discipline that begets love!" A traumatised Stimpy melts through George's hands onto the floor. Once again he is rewarded with a lawn cigar, but is this time less than enthusiastic. George then picks on Ren's apprehensiveness for a little discipline. He even gives him $20 for a movie. Ren talks back and gets sarcastic with him. George turns bright red and looks about he is ready to explode, but instead awards him with another $20. The scene ends with a shaken, bewildered chihuahua.

How to be a good attack dog is last in the heavy handed course. George is in a padded suit and wants them to beat him up. It is Stimpy this time who cannot follow through, but Ren is all too happy to help. It is a rather violent beating, and probably why the episode was banned, and George goes down. Ren lets loose a triumphant, psychotic laugh and starts gloating to a simpering Stimpy. George regains consciousness and lauds Ren as a champion. Everyone gets a cigar and conclude the cartoon with a happy cigar dance.

Ren and Stimpy episodes