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WHO THE HECK IS WHOMPY WHOMPERSON!?
―Principal Prickley


"The Story of Whomps" is the first segment of the twenty-second episode of Recess.

Synopsis[]

T.J. invents the word "Whomps" in order to avoid getting in trouble, only for the complete opposite to happen.

Plot[]

As recess starts, when T.J. and Lawson prepare to play baseball, T.J. tells the 5th grader that he "whomps". Lawson takes this as an insult, but T.J. and the gang explain that "whomps" means nothing and explain that back in 3rd grade, when T.J. and Vince were forced to face the wall for saying "boogerhead", they came up with "whomps", believing that if they said it they wouldn't get in trouble. By the end of the story, the school bell rings, causing T.J. to says "This whomps", at which Ms. Finster takes him to Principal Prickly's office. Gretchen is doubtful they can punish T.J. for a made-up word. However, Prickly thinks its a new swear word and constantly cuts off T.J. when he tries explaining it's just gibberish; Finster is behind this, having assured Prickly it's bad language. T.J. gets detention LV 5 when he says "whomps" in protest.

Angered that his word had been twisted into something ugly, T.J. decides to get even by spreading "whomps" throughout the school's vernacular, resulting in Prickly's office becoming stuffed with students caught saying it. After sending all the offenders out, Prickly decides to use his hotline to the Board of Education, getting Special Agent Mr. White to come to Third Street.

T.J. is summoned again to Prickly's office, where he finally get to explain to White that his word means nothing. Mr. White appears to understand but as soon as T.J. is out the door, White tells Prickly that "whomps" would be as bad as when kids invented "dang" to replace a certain bad word and spread like wildfire and the only way to stop it is by making an example of T.J. (Clearly this guy takes his job TOO seriously.) Outside, T.J. proudly announces to the student body that no one will ever get in trouble to for saying "whomps", but suddenly a helicopter appears, ordering him to freeze as a pair of B.O.E. agents seize him.

Later, as a crowd of students protest in favor of T.J. outside the County B.O.E. courthouse, White subjects T.J. to a kangaroo court and pleads with Superintendent Skinner to expel T.J. with extreme prejudice so no child would ever invent a new swear word. Before Skinner could pass judgment, Ms. Grotke brings in her old professor, Reginald Dice Weathersby Ph.D, a slangologist, to speak on T.J.'s behalf. Unfortunately, Dr. Dice talks like a hipster, confusing everyone before getting into a wrestling match with White. Their fight stops when T.J. whistles and asks to defend himself. He explains he understands both the defense and prosecution's arguments, defends that he created his new word to stay out of trouble and declares that the whole trial "whomps". This gets White all worked up but Skinner is amused by "whomps", defining it as funny (because likely it's obviously harmless gibberish) and others in the courtroom find their own definitions, resulting T.J. being declared innocent. As everyone celebrate, Spinelli tells T.J. that this is a hollow victory, as he wanted to prove that "whomps" means nothing, but everyone has a meaning for it. As the episode ends, Prickly complains to Finster, "This whomps."

Cast[]

Trivia[]

  • In overview the majority of the episode was caused by Finster. Being as old as she is, she knows what swear words are; it's likely she either thought "whomps" was a new swear word or was abusing her authority to simply make T.J. miserable.
  • Mr. White claimed that Dang was a word that "got away from him" and became an everyday word. This is impossible as the oldest instance of the word being used was in 1797.

External links[]


v - e - d
Recess-logo
Media
Recess (Videography) • Recess: School's Out (Soundtrack) • Recess: All Growed DownRecess: Taking the Fifth GradeRecess: Miracle on Third Street"Lax" (Lilo & Stitch: The Series crossover episode)"Codename: Electric Haircut" (Fillmore! crossover episode)
Characters
T.J. DetweilerVince LaSalleAshley SpinelliMikey BlumbergGretchen GrundlerGus GriswaldCaptain BradleyCornchip GirlThe KindergartnersThe DiggersHustler KidErwin LawsonMiss GrotkeMuriel FinsterBecky DetweilerDr. Phillium BenedictMenloBrockPeter PricklyKojakMiss SalamoneButchAshley ArmbrusterAshley BouletAshley QuinlanAshley TomassianFenwickBrandon the SingerGelmanKing BobChuckoJockoRandall WeemsKing Freddie IICheaySpencerThe MegansThe BrittanysThe TylersBob and Flo Spinelli
Episodes
Season One: "The Break In/The New Kid" • "The Experiment/The Great Jungle Gym Standoff" • "Jinxed/Officer Mikey" • "First Name Ashley/To Finster with Love" • "King Gus/Big Brother Chad" • "My Fair Gretchen/Speedy, We Hardly Knew Ye" • "I Will Kick No More Forever/The Kid Came Back" • "The Pest/The Legend of Big Kid" • "The Box/The Trial" • "Teacher's Lounge/Randall's Reform" • "Rainy Days/The Great Can Drive" • "The Voice/Kids in the Mist" • "Parents' Night/Swing on Thru to the Other Side"

Season Two: "The Break-up/The Hypnotist" • "Mama's Girl/Outcast Ashley" • "The Game/The Lost Ball" • "Gus' Last Stand/Operation Field Trip" • "The Challenge/Wild Child" • "The Substitute/Gretchen and the Secret of Yo" • "The Girl Was Trouble/Copycat Kid" • "Operation Stuart/Pharaoh Bob" • "The Story of Whomps/Weekend at Muriel's" • "Economics of Recess/Omega Kids" • "Yes, Mikey, Santa Does Shave" • "Bad Hair Day/Dance Lessons" • "Principal for a Day/The Beauty Contest"
Season Three: "One Stayed Clean/A Genius Among Us" • "Dodgeball City/A Career to Remember" • "Kindergarten Derby/The Bet" • "Space Cadet/Stand Up Randall" • "The Shiner/Lord of the Nerds" • "That Stinking Feeling/My Funny Valentines" • "The Barnaby Boys/Buried Treasure" • "The Library Kid/The Ratings Game"
Season Four: "The First Picture Show/The Big Prank" • "Hustler's Apprentice/The Spy Who Came in from the Playground" • "Gus' Fortune/Rumor Mill" • "Recess is Cancelled/Tattletale Heart" • "The Madness of King Bob/Call Me Guy" • "Prickly is Leaving/Randall's Friends" • "The Biggest Trouble Ever/The Rules" • "Gus and Misdemeanors/A Science Fair to Remember" • "Mikey's Pants/Here Comes Mr. Perfect" • "Good Luck Charm/Diggers Split Up" • "Schoolworld/Bachelor Gus" • "The Dude/Partners in Crime" • "The Candidates/This Brain for Hire" • "Spinelli's Masterpiece/Nobody Doesn't Like T.J." • "A Great State Fair/The A.V. Kid" • "Yope from Norway/Bonky Fever" • "Don't Ask Me/The Secret Life of Grotke" • "The Fuss Over Finster/Soccer Boy" • "Fort Tender/Germ Warfare" • "More Like Gretchen/Prince Randall" • "Me No Know/Good Ole T.J." • "Chez Vince/Tucked in Mikey" • "Old Folks Home/Some Friend"
Season Five: "The Coolest Heatwave Ever/No Strings Attached" • "Beyond a Reasonable Scout/The C Note" • "The Army Navy Game/Big Ol' Mikey" • "The Principals of Golf/All the Principal's Men" • "Lawson and his Crew"
Season Six: "Terrifying Tales of Recess" • "Kurst the Not So Bad/League of Randalls" • "Mundy, Mundy/Lost Leader"

Locations
Third Street SchoolOld RustyFifth and Sixth Grader ClubAshley's ClubhouseKing's Jungle Gym
Songs
We Shall Not Be MovedBorn to Be WildGreen TambourineDancing in the Street
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