Gumball: This hamster's so old it should be classified as a mineral. I don't wanna be the kid responsible for him when he turns into dust!
Principal Brown puts Darwin and Gumball in charge of the school's hamster, Chris Morris, for the weekend, but he accidentally gives them a clump of his waxed off hair and they don't notice the difference until the next day.
Tropes:
- Baby Talk: Gumball and Darwin each go into this with the lump of hair and the real Chris Morris.
- Behind the Black: Principal Brown was not alone in his office when he gave himself that wax job, but only noticed Darwin and Gumball once they were on-screen. Lampshaded when Principal Brown asks the two how long they've been standing there ("Long enough for curiosity to turn into regret," is Gumball's answer).
- Big "NO!": Gumball yells out several "nos" of increasing length as he realizes the hamster he'd been kissing was a lump of wax and body hair.
- Blipvert: A montage of Gumball and Darwin happily playing with the hair lump is interspersed with brief shots of Principal Brown pulling off the hair then live-action footage of body hair, all of which interrupts the music.
- Bowdlerization: The version shown on Cartoon Network Latin America and the Brazilian Portuguese dub edits out the following:
- Miss Simian bursting in Principal Brown's office, yelling "Romance, now!" and their loud, obnoxious flirting, which Gumball and Darwin are forced to listen to was edited on the Brazilian dub, the Latin American dub, and on Cartoon Network's Arabia channel.
- Cartoon Network Arabia edits the part where Penny pictures Gumball as a muscular man being paternal to the clump of hair he thinks is Chris Morris, along with Penny fanning herself and giggling.
- The Good-Times Montage of Gumball and Darwin having fun with Chris Morris (actually Principal Brown's body hair) was cut to remove the scene of Gumball, Darwin, and "Chris Morris" enjoying a bath and all the live-action shots of body hair to remind viewers that the duo don't have an actual hamster (the removal of the latter pretty much kills the joke/intention of that scene): while the CN Latin American version reduced the montage to almost nothing (only the part where Gumball and Darwin give "Chris Morris" ice cream and the end where "Chris Morris" is feared to be dead were shown on CN Latin America), the Brazilian Portuguese dub removed the entire scene.
- Brain Bleach: Gumball says he might try bleaching his eyeballs after seeing Principal Brown's (briefly) waxed body. Darwin and him trying to repress that memory seems to have backfired, being part of the reason it took so long to realize the "hamster" they'd been taking care of was the lump of hair Brown threw on the floor.
- Broken Record: "need a taste of it- taste- taste- taste"
- Class Pet: Gumball's class has a positively ancient hamster as a pet. Like most animals in Elmore, he is sapient, and doesn't want to be a pet anymore.
- Companion Cube: The lump of Principal Brown's hair which Gumball and Darwin mistake for the real Chris Morris.
- Cringe Comedy: Gumball and Darwin have to witness Principal Brown wax himself and flirt with Miss Simian after she burst in and yells, "Romance, now!"
- Foreshadowing: Gumball shows Penny how he's really marriage material by showing his care for "Chris" while Darwin starts to show unusual feelings about Gumball being with Penny more than with him. Both are things would become highly relevant to the plot of the next episode.
- Furry Reminder:
- Gumball is worried they'll get in trouble if people found out they left the hamster at school.
Gumball: People hate animal cruelty! We'd get our butts kicked.
Darwin: Wouldn't that be animal cruelty?
Gumball: Yeah, it's a vicious circle.- Gumball uses one of his claws as a Hollywood Glass Cutter with Darwin's mouth as the suction cup. Then the wall surrounding the hole falls around them.
- Gumball briefly has green cat eyes with slit pupils while tracking down the hamster.
- Hair Reboot: Principal Brown tries to wax his body to impress Ms. Simian, but his hair grows back completely about a second later.
- Happy Dance: Gumball does a dance with lots of twirling after his date with Penny goes well.
- Hurricane of Excuses: As Darwin is bugging Gumball to let him come along to his date with Penny.Darwin: I got nothing to do!
Gumball: Well, you can look after Chris Morris.
Darwin: What? No, I got stuff to do!
Gumball: You just said you had nothing to do—fine, I'll look after him then. - I Die Free: Chris Morris happily lays down to die of old age once he finally reaches the sunlight. Turns out he didn't die, which surprised him, so he settles for Riding into the Sunset.
- Low-Speed Chase: Chris Morris is so slow that when Darwin and Gumball try to chase him, they keep running past him until they try going "90s internet slow"
- Mistaken for Dog: Gumball, Darwin, and Penny all think the clump of Principal Brown is a hamster, treating it like a pet and even talking to it extensively.
- Outrun the Fireball: After Chris Morris turns a lamp and Bunsen burner into an explosive trap, Gumball and Darwin are forced to outrun the explosion. They dramatically jump too soon, then the wall of flames engulfs them.
- Placebo Eureka Moment: Darwin explains his feelings about Gumball and Penny to the ball of hair he thinks is Chris Morris, and thanks it for helping him realize he's been putting his own anxieties on his brother, even though an actual hamster wouldn't have said anything either.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Chris Morris goes off into the sunset, he is so slow that Gumball and Darwin decide to take their leave.
- Sequel Episode: This episode is sort of a bridge between "The Shell" and "The Bros". Gumball's first outing with "Chris Morris" is going on a date with a shell-less Penny while Darwin's first outing with "Chris" is mainly using the little ball of hair as a way to verbally express his buried feelings about spiraling into a Friend Versus Lover situation with Gumball.
- Third Wheel: Darwin almost does a Type 1 to Gumball and Penny's date, but is promptly Defied by Gumball.
- Translation: "Yes": Inverted. A single squeak from Chris Morris is first subtitled as "You kept me imprisoned for an eternity. But today, at the sunset of my life, I shall walk proud and free. To a new life of happiness and abundance and I shall see the daylight once more."—he's already finished talking and started walking away by the time half that was on screen. Later played straight, a series of several indignant squeaks becomes "Forget you."
