Stimpy's Invention

"Stimpy's Invention" is the twelfth episode and season finale of the first season of The Ren & Stimpy Show. It originally aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on February 23, 1992. It was written by John Kricfalusi and Bob Camp, with Kricfalusi serving as director.

In the episode, Stimpy creates a series of absurd and impractical inventions, much to Ren's frustration. When one particularly infuriates Ren, Stimpy mistakenly sees his anger as unhappiness and begins to "fix it" by inventing the Happy Helmet, a psychological control device that forces happiness. During a manic performance of Happy Happy Joy Joy, Ren briefly regains self-control and uses a hammer to destroy the helmet, ultimately confronting Stimpy.

The episode experienced a very troubled production and took a year to complete, due to frequent delays and revisions, high-quality animation, and clashes with Nickelodeon. Premiering as the final episode of the season, it received critical acclaim, with critics praising its animation and complex theme, especially the Happy Happy Joy Joy scene. It remains one of the most well-known and popular episodes of the series.