Phineas and Ferb Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Phineas and Ferb Wiki

"So, we'll tie these ropes around our waists, and follow this blueprint to recreate it, then it's up to us to figure out how to get loose."
Phineas[src]

The Gordian Knot replica is a recreation of the Gordian Knot conceived by Phineas and Ferb so that they can partake in an untying challenge with their friends.

History[]

Phineas and Ferb decide to tie a knot as their project for the day. To Buford's perplexity, they clarify that their idea is to reproduce the Gordian Knot, a legend recounted by him to the others so they can remember it. Once the story is done, Phineas presents the plan to his friends; tying themselves on ropes to subsequently follow a blueprint to recreate the knot, getting them purposefully stuck inside it, where they must then figure out how to untie it.

As a failsafe measure, the boys tell Candace to call their mom if they get fully entangled. The plan proceeds smoothly as the kids begin forming the Gordian Knot, finishing it a while later. Despite Buford's protests, he is pulled within alongside the others so the game can start. Everyone breaks into song while carving their path through the messy structure, expressing the silly absurdity of their stunt.

Eventually, Phineas declares that only a few moves are missing for them to succeed in the untying. Frustrated about an unopenable safe, Candace cries out for her siblings to help, resolving to get her mother regardless of their situation. All of a sudden, a ray hits Candace, increasing her appetite enough for her to devour the licorice fabric of the knot, impressing the kids, and confusing herself in the process ("Knot My Problem").

Design[]

The Gordian Knot replica is a spherical knot structure formed by red and black licorice ropes. Many different types of ties can be seen in it, including closed bends, loop splices, bowlines, lashings, square knots, sheepshanks, and hitches.

Mechanics[]

The Gordian Knot replica is a semi-untiable knot designed to have a high number of steps to completely undo it. Its constitution allows the players to hang from multiple sides, bounce at will, swing on ropes, and perform other spring-based movements.

Background Information[]

  • When Phineas presents the plan to the group, Buford is bewildered due to a lack of an intro to it, alluding to the exposition there commonly is before a project is announced. In this case, this is provided shortly afterwards by Buford himself, who explains the myth.
  • Buford mistakes the phrase "doing the knot" for "doing the not", prompting Phineas to correct him twice. This is a nod to both words' pronunciation being the same, as the "k" is omitted in the former.
  • In Buford's narration of the story, he takes the role of Alexander the Great, who cut the Gordian Knot in one stroke. As explained by him, this action led to the idiom "cutting the Gordian Knot", used to describe a simple solution to a complex problem.
  • The boys' plan has the goal of turning them into the second people to tie the legendary knot, and the first to properly untie it. Per the legend, Midas, the son of farmer Gordias, was the one to place it in a post.
  • According to Phineas, the replica has two failsafes:
    • Having Linda solve it for them, since she is skilled with knots.
    • Eating the ropes, which are comprised of licorice.
  • To put together the knot, the kids do a specified set of moves:
    • Isabella and Buford do two loops from where they are standing.
    • Baljeet turns counterclockwise twice to dive five loops from the bottom.
    • Phineas and Ferb do a loop on themselves to connect their ropes.
    • Baljeet and Ferb twist to the right and wiggle towards the top.
  • Based on a line from the song, it can be inferred that the boys had obtained their blueprint from the internet.
  • During the final stretch, Buford manages to wrap his body into a knot. In response, he proclaims that he is a victim of circumstance.
  • Commenting on Candace's consumption of the Gordian Knot replica, Ferb states that her method is a solution not even Alexander the Great could have come up with, referring to the unorthodox genius of both answers.
  • The Gordian Knot replica appears in one of the scenes of the montage recounting the summer ("Last Day of Summer").

Appearances[]

Previous:
Dog Sensomatic Helmet
Big Ideas Next:
Rock Climbing Wall
v - e - dBig Ideas
Season 1
Coolest Coaster Ever | Backyard Beach | Phineas and the Ferb-Tones | 42
The Curse of the Princess Monster | Thumb Wrestling Arena | Remodelling Mount Rushmore | Brobots
Chamber of Invisibility | Microscopic Zoo | Robot Bean & Tea Leaf | Summer All The Time Collection
Cattle Drive | S'Winter | Big Top Cirque | Mummy | Secret Spy Adventure | Perry the Inaction Figure | Bigfoot
Candace Crusher | Shrinking Submarine | Time Machine | Tree House Robots | Grandpa's Dinghy | Chariot Race
Giant Ferris Wheel | Backyard Water Slide | Summer Roller Re-Match | Totally Sick Waterslide of Doom
Conk | Beach Submarine | Medieval Tournament | Escalator to the Moon | World's Largest Bowling Ball
F-Games | Kermillian's Comet | Miniature golf | Teleportation Device | Holy Mackerel | Mariachi tree
Haunted House | Platypus monster | Unpainted Desert | Phineas & Ferb Studios | Team Improbable
Rainbow-inator | Shooting Star Milkshake Bar | Flying Car of the Future, Today | Portal to Mars
Season 2
Nosebud | Animal Translator | Aglet Awareness | Growth elixir | Goldie's Aqueous Extravaganza
Gelatin monster | Big Ben Water Slide | Big and Obvious Ride | Chez Platypus | Platy-posterior | Jump N' Duck
Baseball Launcher | Cute-Tracker | Phineas and Ferb's backyard fort | Paper Pelican | Let's Take a Quiz
Phintastic Ferbulous Car Wash | Platy-Attracker 3000 | Tree Shelter | Shrinking Machine | Boat of Romance
The Baljeatles | X-Ray Glasses | Backyard Spa | Bubble Machine | Shlocko | Ha-Ha-Hut | Mix N' Mingler
Patch Chart | Contraption | Photo-transporter | Ferbalistic Groovatron 9000 | Phineas' Anti-Romance Rocket
Molecular Scrambler | Wedding of Bob and Tiana | Floating Pep Squad Mobile | Niagara Falls replica
Anti-Gravity Fun Launcher | Unification Day Parade | Kiddie Rides | Spinning Tops of Doom
Frozen Yogurt Machine | Robot Bull | Phineas and Ferb's Super Skate Course of Doom | The Beak
Pioneer Town | P&F Lemonade | Aqua Primates | Giant Jump-Roping Robot | Sun-Beater 3000
Holo-Projection Device | Spin Washing | Self-Balancing Monster Unicycle | Giant Maze
Max Modem and the Mainframes | All Terrain Vehicle | World's Tallest Building | Molecular Separator
Sick Day Video Game Backup System | Coolest Coaster Ever | Giant Jukebox
Season 3
Biosphere | Rover | Super Shoes | Balloon Race | Robotic Shark | Moon Farm | Super Computer | Funhouse
Best Phone Ever | Magic Carpet | Hair Style Machines | Bounce House | Worksite Slide | Spring Suction Cup
Stratospheric Ionizer | No Stop Truck Stop | Tour de Ferb | Giant Skiddley Whiffers | Football X-7
Giant Darts | The Tower | Spuds-a-lot | Ferb Latin | 12th Annual Phineas and Ferb Family Christmas
Giant Terracotta Warrior | Excaliferb | Mind Machine | Antius Maximus | Cheesetopia | Perrytronic 3000
Totally Tools Sponsor | Positive Reinforcement Machine | Anti-Gravity Maximus | Ninja Outfits
Warp Trebuchet | Giant Pillow Fight | One-Track Amusement Park | Super Sprinkler | Mom Attractor
Brain Booster | S'Fall | Flying Saucer | Jetpack Volleyball | Mind Flip | State-of-the-Matter Transfer Device
Nanobot Programmer | Highly Unconventional Vehicle | Giant Spring | Squirrel Camp | Blackout Invention
Season 4
Hockey Z-9 | New Year's Ball | Sorbet Machine | Giant Tire Swing | Dental Hygienosphere
Nedlington Nymph | Rutabaga Vehicles | Infinite Probability Generator | Mind Share device
Backyard Hodge Podge | Wading Pool | World's Largest Drop of Water | Dog Sensomatic Helmet
Gordian Knot replica | Rock Climbing Wall | Chupa-Copter | P.H.L.A.S.E.R.
Phineas and Ferb Ultimate Obstacle Course | Pyramid Sports | Bubble Washers | Foam Town
Scrapbook-aganza | Sky Tennis | Ultimate Batting Challenge | Ferb-o-graphic technology
Fletcher Family Flying Circus | Wind Amplification Device | Giant Fireside Girl Puppet | Picnicland
World's Largest Art Piece | Scent Diffuser | Galaxy 5000 | Rubberization Ray | Summer Sports
Dinner Date | Everything Ride | The Buford Van Stomm Time Catapult
Others
Platypult | Remote Control | Murphy's Law Suit | Giant Robotic Clown | Carbonator | Idea-Mashup Machine
Ninja Gloves | Anti-Gravity Ray | Digital Hacker | O.W.C.A. agent beacons
Advertisement