Phineas and Ferb Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Phineas and Ferb Wiki

We can't forget Mom's birthday!

— Phineas Flynn

Today is Linda's birthday and Candace tries to make it the best birthday ever. But every time she does, Phineas and Ferb beat her to it. Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz tries to shrink everything that he hates so he never has to see them.

Episode Summary[]

Writing a song for mom

Candace writing a song to her mom.

Phineas and Ferb wake up, hearing Candace singing. They go to the music room, hearing her reciting a part about it being Mom's birthday. They realize they forgot her birthday and remembers several events when they said they can't forget it. Phineas says they should do something nice for her, with Dad out of town. They quickly come up with a string of plans to create Mom's perfect day.

Candace goes to serve eggs and bacon to Mom. However, Phineas and Ferb enter the room, slamming Candace into the wall. They give her the Mom Daily, Mom Weekly, Mom Bi-Weekly, and a half-caff-double-frap-mocha-choco-latte-mezzo- espresso. Phineas declares it's their mission to give her the best birthday ever. They leave and Mom comments she smells eggs and bacon.

Phineas calls some friends while emptying the piggy bank. Phineas sees Candace and asks her if she wants to man the omelet station. She says she is doing her own thing, and waits for them to ask her what it is. Phineas asks her what they are doing, and she states it's a secret. Phineas wonders where Perry is.

Meanwhile, Major Monogram gives Perry his mission. Dr. Doofenshmirtz is in his mountaintop castle laboratory where he's purchased suspicious items, including a giant metal sphere and two animatronic wax robots.

Back at the Flynn-Fletcher house, Candace finishes her homemade birthday card. Phineas and Ferb walk Mom to the kitchen and shows her a beautiful breakfast. Candace tries to give her the card but is interrupted by Phineas to present her birthday card. Candace states that it's big, but boring. Phineas and Ferb open the card and reveals a pop-up card with sound. Candace proceeds to eat the homemade card.

Shrinkspheria - widescreen

Dr. Doofenshmirtz's "Shrinkspheria", one of only a few of his inventions to not end in "-inator."

Meanwhile, Dr. Doofenshmirtz is at his castle, dusting a copy of The Unicorn Whisperer, the feel good movie of the year. Perry comes in through a window. Dr. Doofenshmirtz pretends to be scared, and then states he is not, and traps Perry with the two wax robots. He says he got them from a wax museum that went bankrupt, and likes it when dreams fail. He has noticed several things in the Tri-State Area he detests, such as blinking traffic arrows, ear hair, pelicans, and musical instruments that start with 'B'. He shows Perry Shrinkspheria. He was going to call it Shrinkinator, but has tired out the "-inator" suffix. He shows Perry how the machine works. He will put the name of something he hates and the machine shrinks it so he never has to see it again. He leaves Perry in the castle as he goes to his invention.

Phineas says they are glad Mom liked the card. They leave to prepare her presents. She hopes they don't go overboard with the presents. She wants a dress from the cute little sundress shop. Candace asks her if she wants the one with the polka dots and leaves to get her one.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz successfully shrinks the blinking traffic signs and proclaims he is an evil genius. Perry notices a rope holding up the chandelier above them. He gets a dart and spits it toward the rope, cutting it and making the chandelier fall. The wax robots melt and Perry goes outside. Candace goes back to the house with the dress. A traffic sign shrinks and the moth circus truck in front of her crashes into a hole, freeing the moths inside. They ruin Candace's dress.

Dr. Doofenshmirtz tries to shrink pelicans, but the button does not work. Perry shakes the antenna on Shrinkspheria. He tries to get Perry but he kicks Dr. Doofenshmirtz. Candace comes home and sees Phineas showing sundresses to Mom. Candace says it's okay, but not as good as the sundress she bought. The moths on the sundress come to Candace, causing her to scream and go inside. Mom hears Candace, but she does not see her.

Singing at mom's birthday

Candace and the kids performing "I Love You Mom".

Perry kicks Dr. Doofenshmirtz into the control, causing him to accidentally shrink all musical instruments that start with 'B'. Candace hides into the music room and gets the idea of using the gift of music to impress Mom. She tries to play the bass, but it shrinks. Candace tries to play the banjo, bassoon, bugle, bongos, balalaika, and bagpipes, but they shrink as well. She says she should have manned the omelet station. Mom invites a very dejected Candace to sit with her and the boys, who ask her to turn on the presentation. Perry causes Dr. Doofenshmirtz to trip and he turns off the switch on Shrinkspheria. The two wax robots come back in one body. They try to get Perry but crash into the machine, causing it to explode.

Back home, Mom asks Candace if she thinks the presentation is great, to which she unenthusiastically replies it is. Phineas then states what really makes Linda a good mother is the song Candace wrote and plays it for everyone to see. Candace realizes the boys had taped her singing "I Love You Mom" and compliment her on this. They bring Candace on the stage and she starts singing as The Fireside Girls join her. Mom thanks her for the act and wishes Dad could have heard it, as Candace tries to wish her happy birthday but Mom's comment reminds Phineas they have a satellite up-link with him.

Linda talks to her husband telling him of the great party the boys threw her and Candace's amazing song, which brings a smile to the latter's face. Candace then notices Perry coming to her and pets him, saying he missed all the fun.

Transcript[]

Read the transcript of Mom's Birthday.

Songs[]

Gallery[]

Click here to view more images from "Mom's Birthday".
View the image gallery for "Mom's Birthday".

Running Gags[]

The "Too Young" Line[]

None.

Ferb's Line[]

Phineas: Glad you like the card, Mom.
Ferb: It's a simple, post-modern fusion of origami and pop-up.
Ferb: Shooby-doo, shooby-doo
Line in song
Ferb: You're the one who stays calm
Line in song

What'cha doin'?[]

None.

Hey, where's Perry?[]

Phineas: Hey, Candace. Wanna man the omelet station for Mom's birthday?
Candace: I'm doing my own thing. (pause) Well, aren't you going to ask me what it is?
Phineas: Sure. Uh, what are you doing?
Candace: It's a secret.
Phineas: Hey, where's Perry?

Oh, there you are, Perry[]

Candace: Oh, hey, Perry. Where have you been? You missed all the fun.
(Perry chatters)

Perry's entrance to his lair[]

Perry spins a photo of himself on the wall to go through a secret small door behind it to his lair.

Evil Jingle[]

None.

Memorable Quotes[]

Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Behold, Perry the Platypus, Shrinkspheria! You like it? I was going to call it a Shrinkinator, but I've done that whole -inator thing before, it's just been done to death.
Dr. Doofenshmirtz: Pelicans. Terrible creatures. What are you— a bird or a garbage disposal?
Phineas: Ferb, are you hearing what I'm hearing? Candace singing! Early in the morning!

Candace: (singing a capella) Mom, it's your birthday, thanks for all the care and love you give. Yeah, yeah, that's alright! I like that! (continues singing)
Phineas: (gasps) It's Mom's birthday! How could we forget Mom's birthday? Where have all the days gone?
Flashback of Phineas riding a rollercoaster: We can't forget Mom's birthday.
Flashback of Phineas in search of a mummy: We can't forget Mom's birthday!
Flashback of Phineas herding cattle: We can't forget Mom's birthday.
Flashback of Phineas surfing: We can't forget Mom's birthday.
Flashback of Phineas singing: We can't forget Mom's birthday.

Flashback of Phineas being chased by a dinosaur: Isn't there something I'm supposed to remember?
Candace: (singing to self) Eggs and bacon, oh yeah...
Wax George Washington Robot: I can not tell a lie. I am melting.
Candace: Wait a minute! I can still give Mom the one thing the boys can't! The gift of music! Played on my good friend: the bass. (begins to play bass, but disappears because of Shrinkspheria) Huh. Oh well, it's a good thing I play the banjo! (banjo shrinks) It's a good thing I play the bassoon! (bassoon shrinks) It's a good thing I play the bugle! (bugle shrinks) It's a good thing I play the bongos! (bongos shrink)

Announcer: Five minutes later...

Candace: (frantic) It's a good thing I play the balalaika! (balalaika shrinks) It's a good thing I play the bagpipes! (bagpipes shrink) I should have manned the omelette station! (throughout this she talks with increasing desperation)
Wax Abraham Lincoln Robot: We can't seem to get a break.
Wax George Washington Robot: Your breath smells like candles.
Phineas: (referring to his mother's breakfast) Made with love.

Buford: And sweat.
Linda: And by sweat, you mean hard work, right?

Buford: Ehh... sure.
Doofenshmirtz: (referring to blinking traffic arrows) ...stop blinking, telling me where to go! Point. Point. Point. Point. Oh, I hate you!

Background Information[]

  • In the backyard beach flashback, Phineas and Ferb are wearing sunglasses and sandals (which Phineas removes before he goes in the water). In the episode itself, Ferb stays on dry land.
  • Because of Linda's birthday being important, this is one of the few times Candace doesn't try to bust Phineas and Ferb. Because Phineas and Ferb's activities throughout the episode were specifically for her, Linda is also aware of every one of the boys' Big Ideas in this episode.
    • Strangely, Linda does not question how Phineas and Ferb are able to make all of this possible. This is strange when comparing to all the times Linda doesn't believe Candace about all the crazy plans the boys come up with, considering that she is actually the focus of the boys' project.
  • If one looks closely at the wedding picture, a finger can be seen in front of the lens.

Production Information[]

  • Episode description from a Phineas and Ferb press release:[1]
Enterprising stepbrothers Phineas and Ferb set out to make the best birthday gift ever for their mom, but their sister, Candace, gets competitive, in an all-new episode of the hit animated comedy series "Phineas and Ferb," premiering SATURDAY, MAY 10 (8:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel. An original song performed by Ashley Tisdale ("High School Musical") is featured.
In "Mom's Birthday Episode," Phineas and Ferb want to give their mom the best birthday ever with a gourmet breakfast in bed, live musicians and a fashion show to rival Paris runways. Candace feels overshadowed when she thinks the special song she has been preparing for her mom doesn't measure up to the big bash her brothers are preparing. But the tables turn when the boys reveal their grand finale. Meanwhile Perry the Platypus works to thwart Dr. Doofenshmirtz's plot to use his De-Hatinator device to rid the world of all the things he hates.
  • This episode was accidentally broadcasted on February 29, 2008 instead of "Journey to the Center of Candace" in a few areas.[2] Since this was not an intentional stealth airing, it is not counted. Its official premiere was on May 10, 2008, as stated in the press release.
  • For unknown reasons, on some DVRs and other digital listings for this episode, it is listed as "Mom's Birthday Episode", while "Journey to the Center of Candace" is listed as "Journey".
  • This is one of the few episodes to end on a fade to black and quiet music instead of a huge guitar chord and cut to black.

Errors[]

  • In the multiple flashbacks Phineas has about remembering his mother's birthday:
    • One flashback is from "It's About Time!". This could possibly be an airing mistake, as "It's About Time!" was aired a day after this episode, but was produced before it. (Dan Povenmire has also stated that they must be careful for what they put in the episodes, because silly things such as this or "E.V.I.L. B.O.Y.S.", which named events that happened after the episode aired, will happen because Disney has their own reasons for airing episodes at different times.)
    • In the flashback of "Are You My Mummy?", Ferb's collar goes transparent for a split second.
    • During the "Rollercoaster" flashback scene, the passengers have changed, such as Isabella and Pedro no longer behind Phineas and Ferb, and is instead replaced by random kids, and Pedro moving to the third seat, with a dark skinned boy instead of a light skinned one. There are also seat belts when they fell off earlier. The safety bars are also gone, though they could be hiding.
    • In "The Magnificent Few" flashback, Phineas and Ferb are seen riding with cattle in the desert scene from the movie Phineas watched at the beginning, when they were really riding around downtown Danville. Their hats are also larger than the ones worn in the actual episode, and the harnesses are white instead of orange and purple respectively. Their horses are also the same, instead of Phineas with a reddish brown horse and Ferb with a tan one, and are larger than usual.
    • In the Flop Starz flashback scene, Phineas' guitar is red instead of yellow. Also, Candace and the Ferbettes are missing.
ERROR-Phineas' blankets are outside the bed

Why are Phineas' bed blankets on the outside of the bed?

  • When Phineas says "Are you hearing what I'm hearing?", his bed's blanket is drawn outside the bed.
  • When Phineas puts money in a piggy bank, some money falls onto the ground, but when Phineas and Ferb turn to talk to Candace the money that fell on the ground disappears.
  • When Phineas is handing Mom the magazines, he hands her Mom Biweekly when he says "Mom Weekly" and "Mom Sub-Weekly".
  • During the song "I Love You Mom":
    1. When Ferb thumbs up to Candace, his right arm is missing.
    2. When Ferb plays the drums, he still has the bass drum, although Doofenshmirtz made all instruments that start with B shrink.
    3. During Candace's verse "You're the one who stays calm", the sky becomes pale, but in the next shot, the sky is blue again.
    4. When Phineas and Ferb play the tambourine and maracas respectively, the disc beat and the drums are still heard during the song.
    5. When the Fireside Girls becomes the back-up singers, Gretchen isn't present.
    6. Isabella is shown on the stage performing, but she is also in the audience at the same time.
  • When explaining his scheme, Doofenshmirtz must type the thing he hates into the machine, but when operating the Shrinkspheria, there are buttons with symbols, making the typing redundant.
  • The glue spill color is seen as gray at first, then turns into beige.
  • Candace's hair disappears for a split-second when the moths began eating the sundress.
  • Candace is shown to bring eggs, bacons, and orange juice for Linda's breakfast. When she sneaks into Linda's room, the bacon disappears, and then reappears on Candace's mouth after Phineas closed the door. Also, the orange juice spills turns into a coffee spills when the camera starts to zoom at Candace's messed face, and there are only one slice of bacon instead of two.
  • Perry's beak changing color when camera zoom in and turn to normal again.
  • Shortly after the Shrinkspheria explodes, it is yellow under Agent P's fedora.
  • The buttons "ON" and "OFF" of the Shrinkspheria changes color several times.
  • When Candace says "It's a good thing I play the banjo" her mouth stops moving when she plays it.
  • When Candace is saying the instruments she plays (which all start with b) there is clearly an electric guitar on her piano.
  • The Pelican button on the control panel didn't move when Doofenshmirtz pressed it the first time.
    Kitchensurprise

    Katie does not appear, and Holly and Ginger's mouths do not closed.

  • When everyone in the kitchen says "Happy Birthday Mom", Katie is not shown.
    • Also, Holly and Ginger keep their mouths opened up after everyone said it.
    • Buford's mouth does not move when everyone says "birth-" line. Apparently, he only says "Happy day!".

Continuity[]

Allusions[]

  • The Horse Whisperer - There is a DVD in Doofenshmirtz's lair titled The Unicorn Whisperer, parodying the 1998 film. A later Phineas and Ferb episode also has an allusion to this one, called the "The Lizard Whisperer".
  • When the robots melt, the Star Spangled Banner, in the style of Jimi Hendrix, is played in the background.
  • The two wax robots' skeleton are similar to look like a skelecog, a type of cog in Toontown Online.
  • Movieland Wax Museum outside of Disneyland closed and held an auction of some of the figures. Doofenshmirtz got his figures from a bankrupted wax museum. Also a reference to The Hall of Presidents attraction.
  • The Wizard of Oz - The George Washington robot says the Wicked Witch of the West's dying words, "I'm melting!"

Trivia[]

  • Isabella appears in the episode, but she does not speak and only sings. This is the first time she only sings in an episode.
  • Candace can play the bass, banjo, bassoon, bugle, bongos, balalaika, bagpipes, and coincidentally almost every instrument that starts with B.
    • Candace apparently does not play piano or guitar (except the bass one) since she plays multiple instruments that starts with B.
  • This is the first time Candace says "Oh, there you are, Perry".

Cast[]

Main article: Credits
designates a character that did not appear in this episode

References[]

Previous:
"Leave the Busting to Us!"
Episodes Next:
"Crack That Whip"
v - e - dPhineas and Ferb
Season 1
"Rollercoaster" | "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror" | "Flop Starz" | "The Fast and the Phineas"
"Lights, Candace, Action!" | "Raging Bully" | "Candace Loses Her Head" | "I, Brobot"
"Run Away Runway" | "The Magnificent Few" | "S'Winter" | "Jerk De Soleil" | "Are You My Mummy?"
"Ready for the Bettys" | "I Scream, You Scream" | "Toy to the World"
"Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!" | "It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World" | "Mom's Birthday"
"Journey to the Center of Candace" | "It's About Time!"
"Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together" | "Tree to Get Ready" | "The Ballad of Badbeard"
"Greece Lightning" | "Leave the Busting to Us!" | "Crack That Whip" | "The Best Lazy Day Ever"
"Boyfriend From 27,000 B.C." | "Voyage to the Bottom of Buford" | "A Hard Day's Knight"
"Traffic Cam Caper" | "Bowl-R-Ama Drama" | "Got Game?" | "Comet Kermillian"
"Put That Putter Away" | "Does This Duckbill Make Me Look Fat?" | "The Flying Fishmonger"
"One Good Scare Ought to Do It!" | "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein" | "Oil on Candace"
"Out of Toon" | "Hail Doofania!" | "Out to Launch" | "Phineas and Ferb Get Busted!"
"Unfair Science Fair" | "Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)"
Season 2
"The Lake Nose Monster" | "Interview With a Platypus" | "Tip of the Day"
"Attack of the 50 Foot Sister" | "Backyard Aquarium" | "Day of the Living Gelatin"
"Elementary My Dear Stacy" | "Don't Even Blink" | "Chez Platypus" | "Perry Lays an Egg"
"Gaming the System" | "The Chronicles of Meap" | "Thaddeus and Thor" | "De Plane! De Plane!"
"Let's Take a Quiz" | "At the Car Wash" | "Oh, There You Are, Perry" | "Swiss Family Phineas"
"Hide and Seek" | "That Sinking Feeling" | "The Baljeatles" | "Vanessassary Roughness"
"No More Bunny Business" | "Spa Day" | "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo"
"Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown" | "Bubble Boys" | "Isabella and the Temple of Sap"
"Cheer Up Candace" | "Fireside Girl Jamboree" |"The Bully Code" | "Finding Mary McGuffin" | "Picture This"
"Nerdy Dancin'" | "What Do It Do?" | "Atlantis" | "Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!"
"Just Passing Through" | "Candace's Big Day" | "I Was a Middle Aged Robot" | "Suddenly Suzy"
"Undercover Carl" | "Hip Hip Parade" | "Invasion of the Ferb Snatchers" | "Ain't No Kiddie Ride"
"Not Phineas and Ferb" | "Phineas and Ferb-Busters!" | "The Lizard Whisperer" | "Robot Rodeo" | "The Beak"
"She's the Mayor" | "The Lemonade Stand" | "Phineas and Ferb Hawaiian Vacation" | "Nerds of a Feather"
"Wizard of Odd" | "We Call it Maze" | "Ladies and Gentlemen, Meet Max Modem!" | "The Secret of Success"
"The Doof Side of the Moon" | "Split Personality" | "Brain Drain" | "Rollercoaster: The Musical!"
"Make Play" | "Candace Gets Busted"
Season 3
"The Great Indoors" | "Canderemy" | "Run, Candace, Run" | "Last Train to Bustville"
"Phineas' Birthday Clip-O-Rama!" | "The Belly of the Beast" | "Moon Farm"
"Ask a Foolish Question" | "Misperceived Monotreme" | "Candace Disconnected"
"Magic Carpet Ride" | "Bad Hair Day" | "Meatloaf Surprise" | "Phineas and Ferb Interrupted"
"A Real Boy" | "Mommy Can You Hear Me?" | "Road Trip" | "Tour de Ferb" | "Skiddley Whiffers"
"My Fair Goalie" | "Bullseye!" | "That's the Spirit" | "The Curse of Candace"
"Escape from Phineas Tower" | "Lotsa Latkes" | "Ferb Latin"
"A Phineas and Ferb Family Christmas" | "Tri-Stone Area" | "Doof Dynasty" |"Excaliferb"
"Phineas and Ferb and the Temple of Juatchadoon" | "Monster from the Id" | "Gi-Ants"
"The Remains of the Platypus" | "Mom's in the House" | "Perry The Actorpus" | "Let's Bounce"
"Bully Bromance Breakup" | "Quietest Day Ever" | "The Doonkelberry Imperative‎‎"
"Meapless in Seattle" | "Delivery of Destiny" | "Buford Confidential" | "The Mom Attractor"
"Cranius Maximus" | "Agent Doof" | "Minor Monogram" | "What A Croc!" | "Sleepwalk Surprise"
"Sci-Fi Pie Fly" | "Sipping with the Enemy" | "Tri-State Treasure: Boot of Secrets" | "Doofapus"
"Norm Unleashed" | "Where's Perry?" | "Where's Perry? (Part Two)" |"Ferb TV"
"When Worlds Collide" | "What'd I Miss?" | "Road to Danville"
"This Is Your Backstory" | "Blackout!"
Season 4
"For Your Ice Only" | "Happy New Year!" | "Fly On the Wall" | "Bully Bust" | "My Sweet Ride"
"Der Kinderlumper" | "Sidetracked" | "Primal Perry" | "Mind Share" | "Backyard Hodge Podge"
"Bee Day" | "Bee Story" | "Great Balls Of Water" | "Where's Pinky?"
"Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown Hosted by Kelly Osbourne"
"Knot My Problem" | "Just Desserts" | "La Candace-Cabra" | "Happy Birthday, Isabella"
"Love at First Byte" | "One Good Turn" | "Thanks But No Thanks" | "Troy Story"
"Druselsteinoween" | "Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror" | "Face Your Fear" | "Cheers for Fears"
"Steampunx" | "Just Our Luck" | "Return Policy" | "Live and Let Drive" | "Father's Day"
"Imperfect Storm" | "The Return of the Rogue Rabbit" | "It's No Picnic" | "The Klimpaloon Ultimatum"
"Operation Crumb Cake" | "Mandace" | "Lost in Danville" | "The Inator Method"
"Tales from the Resistance: Back to the 2nd Dimension" | "Doof 101" | "Act Your Age"
Season 5
"Summer Block Buster" | "Cloudy with a Chance of Mom" | "Appetite for Adventure" | "License to Bust"
"Dry Another Day" | "Deconstructing Doof" | "Tropey McTropeface" | "Biblio-Blast!" | "A Chip to the Vet"
"More Than an Intern" | "The Aurora Perry-Alis" | "Agent T (For Teen)" | "The Haberdasher"
"The Candace Suit" | "Out of Character" | "Meap Me in St. Louis"
Specials
"Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to You!" | "Phineas and Ferb Save Summer"
"Night of the Living Pharmacists" | "Last Day of Summer" | "O.W.C.A. Files"
Films
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension
Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Candace Against the Universe
Crossovers
"Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel" | "Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars" | "The Phineas and Ferb Effect"
Advertisement