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"Happy Hanukkah, Howard Weinerman!" is the nineteenth episode of the second season (and seventy-first episode overall) of Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja and a holiday special. It premiered on December 3, 2014.
Synopsis[]
Howard must save Greg's Game Hole by learning the true meaning of Hanukkah.
Plot[]
The episode opens on Greg's Game Hole during Hanukkah, with Randy playing a winter holiday edition Grave puncher game, while Howard complains that his parents had gifted him socks for Hanukkah. Randy tries to explain to Howard how he's missing the meaning of Hanukkah, but Howard cuts him off, saying he doesn't want to hear it, while making a meta joke about being lectured about the "special holiday episode talk." As the two continue conversing, a robot suddenly crashes into the Game Hole and goes on a rampage, destroying all the arcade games in the store. Randy quickly ninja-outs and tries to stop the robots but only makes the situation worse when he throws electro balls into it, causing it to go haywire and crash into every games in a quicker fashion.
Greg is devastated by all the wreckage, with Howard joining him in his grieving. The Ninja asks aloud who could possibly be responsible for such an act of violence. At that moment, the camera then pans over to the side as McFist, Viceroy and the Norrisville building inspector are seen walk around inside, as McFist discusses on the renovation of the now destroyed Game Hole. Greg approaches over to them and informs them that the game hole is temporarily closed but will be in operation soon. However, McFist responds by making an inside joke prompting only him and Viceroy to laugh before explaining that he plans to buy the Game Hole and converting it into a shoe store for his wife, Marci. Greg refuses to sell the Game Hole, which is his source of income. However, McFist brings with him the city's building inspector, who states that according to city ordinance, for an arcade to retain its status as a gaming establishment, it must have at least one game in operation at all times, if not it shall immediately be condemned and sold.
However, one game still remains undamaged and with Howard volunteering to play it, it stalls the demolition, but this will only last until Howard loses the game. The Ninja questions Greg if he has any more arcade games, to which he replies that he does, located in his storage hole accross town. Ninja then plans to retrieve the games with Greg, while Howard keeps playing until they return to the Game Hole. After the Ninja smokebombs away with Greg, McFist begins to worry that the Ninja will interfere with his plan as he reveals the reason he needs the shoe store is to outperform his previous year's Christmas gift of a mobile lawnmower, which failed to win her interest and only succeeded in annoying her. Viceroy assures him that the Ninja will not be able to succeed as he intends to interfere with the help of his robots.
On the other side of town, the Ninja loads the last of the games onto Greg's truck, while he simply stands around using the excuse of someone needing to hold the tokens for his reason of not helping. As they set to return for the game hole, a small unit of Robo-Apes chase after the truck on snowmobiles. The Ninja manages to destroy all of them in brutal fashion, while successfully keep the truck safe. Greg rewards the Ninja with a free coupon, which had already expired the day before, but he states that it is the thought that counts. The Ninja realizes that McFist is trying to stop him, so he calls Howard to inform him of what has been going on.
But unlike Randy, who has to deal with Robo-Apes, Howard seems to be enjoying the situation he has found himself in as he is still playing the game without having lost since they left, and has amassed a small crowd to watch him. All the while he gloats as McFist is seething with rage, as he tries and fails to throw Howard off his winning streak. The building inspector tries to leave as he needs to attend his son's recorder recital for the holiday, but McFist forcibly keeps him from leaving. McFist then yells at Viceroy to stop the games from arriving or, as McFist states, that it would be a repeat of two Christmas ago, as a flashback shows a McFist presenting hand push lawnmower to his wife, which only made her annoyed. Viceroy then sends a giant robo yeti after the truck.
When the Robo-Yeti encounters the truck, it grabs the truck suddenly and forces it to a stop, causing the Ninja to forcibly be thrown off the truck and into the snow. It then holds the truck over its shoulder as it makes it way up McFist's pyramid. After quickly recovering, the Ninja demands the yeti to let go of the truck, to which it responds by sending the truck down the sloping side of the pyramid straight for the Ninja. Quickly leaping over the falling truck, Ninja uses his scarf to grab the tailend of the truck and tries to stopping with his strength, but quickly realises the futility of it and corrects his mistake by using his Air Fist from the front and gently slowing the truck down til it reaches the bottom. Greg also uses a built-in snow plow in the truck to drive through the snow and back into the road.
The Robo-Yeti, refusing to give up, chases after them, so the Ninja tries to persuade the robot to give up for the sake of the holiday, but it only by slamming the top of the truck, fortunately the vehicle remains undamaged and the Ninja then tosses a handful of Ninja Boom balls at the giant robot to no effect. While trying to think of a plan to slow the robot down, he sees a sign warning about icy roads, and consults the Nomicon for a solutions for icy roads. In a quick fashion the Ninja shloomps inside and vloomps back out in a second and receives the solution of using the Ninja Hydro Hand, which was previously used by Mac Antfee. He then quickly uses Hydro Hand, summoning water in the shape of a hand and shoots it on the road which immediately turns to ice, and freezes the surface of the road, causing the robot to slip its foot and crash into a light post, which results in a large explosion. The explosion causes the truck to veer off the road and crash into a wall, while Greg was unharmed by his airbag, the same cannot be said for his truck as it can no longer operate. With the Game Hole only a block away and the truck no condition to drive, Greg loses hope and thinks his business is over. However, the Ninja conceives of another plan after seeing the head of the Robo-Yeti siding on the iced road.
Back at the Game Hole, Howard continues playing without losing, while a crowd cheers him on, much to the annoyance of McFist, as he states that the first thing he would do after owing the building is destroy that game. At that moment, the Ninja and Greg arrive at the Game Hole, riding on an arcade game, as the Ninja uses a combination of Air Fist and Hydro Hand to freeze the piece of road in front of them, and propel themselves forward by blasting Air Fist behind, causing the arcade game to slide forward on the ice, thus making it mobile, through this with some slight maneuvering they were able to bring at least one game to the game hole. However, their arrival distracts Howard for a moment, causing him to lose the game. McFist erupts into cheers over his victory, noting that he did not want a repeat of three christmas ago, where he presents grass seeds to Marci, only to make her annoyed at the gift as usual.
However, McFist's victory is cut short when his step-son Bash begins playing the game that Greg and the Ninja had brought in. And with a game still in operation, the Game Hole still retains its game status as officially stated by the building inspector, after which he then leaves to attend his son's recorder recital, which he appears now to be excited for, even after he reveals that his son is seemingly not good at the instrument. McFist is momentarily enraged before quick becomes worried over what to do to gift his wife, when Marci appears at the Game Hole. McFist stammers at his words, trying to think of excuses, before Marci notices the dozen of boxes of shoes that McFist had with him, which he intend to fill the hypothetical shoe store with them. But Marci mistakes them to be a Hanukkah holiday present for her, and affectionately embraces him, so McFist chooses to correct her and goes along with her mistake. But his short victory is replaced with uncertainty as she then says she cannot wait to see what he would gift her for Christmas.
Later, Greg's truck is parked outside the Game Hole, seemingly now repaired with Robo-Apes unloading arcade games from the truck into the building, with Greg simply watching while commenting that he could help but simply doesn't want to help. Randy and Howard then walk away from the Game Hole, with Randy commenting on how Howard used one token last well beyond the usual game time of a single arcade game, and loosely connect it to the story of Hanukkah. To which it is revealed that Howard knows nothing about Hanukkah, and the episode ends after the Robo-Yeti's head winks and explodes.
Characters[]
Main characters[]
Secondary characters[]
Background characters[]
- Glenn
- Nameless Blond Boy with White Shirt
- Nameless Boy with Blue-Green Shirt
- Nameless Boy with Glasses and Blue Shirt
- Nameless Boy with Red Shirt
- Nameless Girl with Dark Red Hair
- Nameless Girl with Green Shirt
- Nameless Girl with Purple Sweater
Gallery
Click here to view the gallery.
Series Continuity[]
- The ability Hydro Hand, a technique previously used by Mac Antfee in "Enter the Nomicon" reappears as a new ability that Randy learns.
Trivia[]
- The title very likely refers to the shout of "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!" at the end of the classic holiday special, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
- Likewise, Randy's attempts to teach Howard about the true meaning of Hanukkah mirrors how Linus teaches Charlie Brown about the true meaning of Christmas in the "Peanuts" special.
- This episode confirmed that Howard is Jewish.
- However, this episode also reveals he doesn't care about Hanukkah, let alone its meaning. Conversely, Randy, despite not being Jewish, knows more about Jewish traditions and holidays than him.
- By combining Hydro Hand and Air Fist, the Ninja can create an attack/projectile-stopping palm.
- The Ninja has an ability to make ice by using the Hydro Hand.
- Although Hanukkah-based, this episode is the second Christmas-themed episode after "Silent Punch, Deadly Punch."
- This episode and "Snow-Klahoma!" were premiered for Disney XD's Holiday Log Jam.
- Both Randy and Howard break the fourth wall.
- This episode marks the first time Randy shloomps into the NinjaNomicon but is neither seen inside of it nor in the act of receiving a lesson from it.
- Lord Mech, who is the playable character in the arcade game Fight Knight, Wilhelm-screams the second time Howard loses.
- When fighting the Yeti bot, Randy says "Look, we could keep fighting here, but seeing as it's the holidays and all, how 'bout you just give up?", which is a reference to the similar meaning he said to the Christmas bots in "Silent Punch, Deadly Punch".
- Mort Weinerman and Mrs. Weinerman are indirectly mentioned by Howard in this episode.
- The Robo-Yeti breaks the fourth wall by winking at the viewers before it explodes at the end of the episode.
- This marks by far the only time a character who isn't Randy or Howard to break the fourth wall.
- Running Gag: McFist flashbacks to previous Christmases.