The tenth episode of the ninth season of Rugrats (1991).
Bestest Of Show
The Pickles, Finster, and Carmichael families enter their pets in a pet show.
Hold the Pickles
When Taffy says she doesn't like dill pickles while ordering a burger at a fast-food restaurant, the babies think she's referring to Dil.
"Bestest of Show" provides examples of:
- Absent Animal Companion: For this episode only, Susie is shown to have a pet gerbil named Herbie, who can ride a tricycle.
- Always Someone Better: Angelica secretly sees Herbie as this to Fluffy, because Herbie is able to count and ride a tricycle. Sure enough, Herbie wins the Best Pet category, while Fluffy doesn't win any of the categories.
- Feud Episode: Stu and Chas compete against each other over whether Spiffy or Puppy will win the trophy.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Early in this episode, Angelica tells the babies that Spiffy and Puppy are never going to win the contest because babies can't win anything. At the end of the episode, Spiffy wins the Most Friendly Pet category and Puppy wins the Most Unique Pet category, while Fluffy is the only pet at the show who doesn't win any of the categories.
- Pet Contest Episode: The babies and their parents go to a pet show in this episode. The Pickles family enters Spiffy, the Finster family enters Puppy, Angelica enters Fluffy, and Susie enters Herbie.
- Senior Sleep-Cycle: Lou falls asleep when he is tasked with looking after the babies and the puppies, allowing the babies to wander off and try to train the puppies on their own.
- Series Continuity Error: The Finster puppy is still being referred to as "Puppy" despite the previous episode focusing on giving her a proper name.
- Toilet Humor: Early in the episode, Chas says that he loves going to pet shows, then steps in some dog poop and says, "Except for that part."
"Hold the Pickles" provides examples of:
- Alliterative Name: Boingo Burger.
- Bland-Name Product: Boingo Burger is the show's equivalent to McDonald's, as it is a fast-food restaurant with a clown for a mascot.
- Burger Fool: Taffy's friend Britannica has a job at Boingo Burger. Although she seems to enjoy her job there, her manager does not, and sees her as a slacker despite all the hard work and friendly service she does.
- Continuity Nod: When Tommy worries that Taffy doesn't like Dil, Chuckie asks him why he thinks that. Tommy reminds him that they didn't like Dil much at first.
- Extreme Omnivore: When Phil is served his Wacky Meal, he not only eats his burger, but the wrapper as well, which Lil tells him he's not supposed to eat.
- Here We Go Again!: At the end of the episode, Taffy tells Britannica that she likes dill pickles after all, and that it's sweet pickles that she doesn't like. Upon hearing this, the babies dig in the trash can.
- Kids' Meal Toy: Taffy takes the babies to Boingo Burger for lunch, and buys each of them a Wacky Meal, which comes with either a cheeseburger or Reptar nuggets. The babies also discover that the Wacky Meal comes with a toy. Kimi's is a miniature teddy bear, Tommy's prize is a miniature figure of Reptar, Chuckie's is a miniature head of Boingo Burger's clown mascot (much to his horror), and Lil's is a finger trap.
- Literal-Minded: Early in the episode, Taffy tells Britannica not to put any pickles on her burger, saying that she doesn't like dill pickles. Tommy overhears and believes she's referring to Dil.
- Sticky Situation: Dil becomes sticky as a result of the babies covering him in ice cream toppings in an attempt to make him sweet. This results in Britannica having to take him to the kitchen to clean him.
- Unconventional Food Usage: When the babies overhear Taffy saying she doesn't like dill pickles, they think it means she doesn't like Dil. Upon hearing that she likes the older babies because they're sweet, they put ice cream toppings on Dil to make him sweet.
