Candace asks Phineas and Ferb to make a device that attracts Mom to their home so she can finally see what they're doing and bust them. However, her plans are ruined when Doofenshmirtz invents a Baby-Cry-inator to make Roger undesirable as mayor.
Tropes:
- Answer Cut: "Where did it go? WHERE DOES IT ALWAYS GO?!" (Cut to the Mom Attractor walking into the sunset cradling the Baby-Cry-inator)
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Doofenshmirtz complains that his brother is popular with everyone: "Babies, voters, dogs, cats, guys with shovels, giant squid... you name it!"
- Binocular Shot: Candace looks through her binoculars to spy on her brothers, unaware that they are right in front of her.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Candace uses Doof's "It's working! It is functioning properly" catchphrase.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Among the women drawn by the Baby-Cry-Inator during "We Are the Moms" are some of the writers working on the show. (Aliki Theofilopoulos is the woman at the storyboard, while Joe Orrantia is the man leaning on the wall. Both of them co-wrote the episode. Dan Povenmire and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh are sitting at the table.)
- Continuity Nod:
- The Mom Attractor uses elements of things that Linda loves in order to attract her. These include her Love Handel cassette tapes, a copy of the album she made as Lindana, and her hat from when she was crowned Meatloaf Queen at the Danville Meatloaf Festival.
- Candace mentions the skyscraper from "The Doof Side of the Moon" and wonders where it went. The scene then cuts to the moon, where the skyscraper is still stuck to it on the far side.
- Doof refers to Roger as his "goody two-shoes brother".
- When Doofenshmirtz explains his scheme, he admits that he's already done a scheme involving babies.
- A Day in the Limelight: For Candace in the a-plot.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: Lawrence sings along with the "Quirky Worky Song" while cooking.
- Ear Worm: Doof has a song stuck in his head that goes "Gonna mallet, mallet, mallet in the mornin'", but he's not sure where he first heard it.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: One of the moms invading D.E.I. is Bridgette Oshinomi.
- Gone Horribly Wrong: Dr. Doofenshmirtz's plan backfires when the sound of the Baby-Cry-Inator sets off the maternal instincts of every mom in Danville, who swarm his lab looking to comfort the baby.Doofenshmirtz: There's too many mommies! Do something!
- Happy Dance: Candace does an "awesome dance" when it looks like the Mom Attractor is working. It gets a Dark Reprise after she fails once again.
- Hope Spot: Linda is almost at the Flynn-Fletcher house, then she hears the Baby Cry-inator and runs away.
- Horny Vikings: One of the elements of the Mom Attractor is Linda's lucky viking helmet.Candace: Why does she have one of those?
Ferb: Women are a mystery. - Instant A.I.: Just Add Water!: The sound of the Baby-Cry-inator causes the Mom Attractor to become self-aware.
- Last Grasp at Life: Played for laughs. When the moms of Danville descend on Doofenshmirtz's lab, Doofenshmirtz raises his hand as he gets overwhelmed by the mothers.
- Let Me Get This Straight...: "You [Phineas and Ferb] are going to allow me [Candace] to pick you are gonna build today?"
- Missing Steps Plan: Doofenshmirtz's plan doesn't lay out how he's going to take over the Tri-State Area after the people get upset - but he doesn't seem to notice.Doofenshmirtz: I know it sounds complicated, but I thought this one through. Babies cry, everyone's unhappy... and I somehow take over. (Beat) It's foolproof!!!
- Mondegreen Gag: When Candace suggests her brothers build a "mom attractor", Phineas at first thinks she said "mama tractor", like a big mother tractor and its baby tractors.
- Politicians Kiss Babies: Dr. Doofenshmirtz's plot is to discredit his brother, Mayor Roger Doofenshmirtz, by using his Baby-Cry-Inator whenever Roger tries to kiss a baby.
- The Power of Rock: When the Baby-Cry-inator wails, all the mothers of the Tri-State Area march to Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc. to the music of the power anthem "We are the Moms" sung by former American Idol contestant Jen Hirsh.
- Sarcasm-Blind: Phineas asks Candace, "Well, you know how we build something every day?", and Candace, acting surprised and shocked says, "No!" Phineas, taking her literally, explains how they make something every day.Candace: I'm aware of the concept, Phineas. I was just being sarcastic.
Phineas: Really? Wow, that was pretty good! I totally fell for it. Ferb, I totally fell for—
Candace: Anyway... - Spanner in the Works: The only reason the Mom Attractor becomes ineffective last second (and also self-aware) is because of Doof's Baby Cry-inator, as Phineas puts, "Nothing attracts moms more than the sound of a baby crying."
- Stock Scream: When all the mothers leave Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc., one of them can be heard yelling, "MY WATERMELON!!!"
- Subverted Catchphrase: When the gorilla enters Doofenshmirtz Evil Inc., Doof is naturally confused.Doofenshmirtz: What is this? Some sort of weird, Latin gorilla, cha-cha-gram? ¡Hola! (Perry puts on his hat) ¡Ay, caramba! PERRY THE CHA-CHA-GRAM!?!? I mean, "Platypus", obviously you're Perry the Platypus.
- There Was a Door: Perry's hovercraft is in the shop, so Monogram and Carl give him a fruit hat, which attracts a gorilla that will take him where he needs to go. The gorilla bursts through the wall (and later, the floor) when arriving at Doofenshmirtz's building; Doof gets upset at the gorilla for not using the door.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Phineas and Ferb are missing for the second half of the episode after the Mom Attractor becomes self-aware.
