Prank Callers

Prank Callers is the ninth episode of season one of Regular Show. The episode attracted 2.088 million viewers worldwide, standing as the fifth-most viewed season one episode. Tim Curry guest stars as the voice of the Master Prank Caller.

Synopsis
Mordecai and Rigby are sent back in time to 1982 after prank-calling the wrong guy.

Plot
Mordecai and Rigby are watching a funny video about a famous prank caller who is nicknamed, "The Master Prank Caller," on WooHoo, when they decide to pick up the phone and become prank callers themselves. The victims are Pops, Skips, and Benson, and always using the term "Joe Mama" on each call (from the MPC on WooHoo). They attempt to prank the Master Prank Caller himself, but Benson furiously storms in and destroys the phone as a "prank." They instantly decide to use Pops's phone. They find him ironing a shirt, but he is too busy actually taking a call with "Joe Mama." Pops allows them to use his old 80s phones, but warns them of the possibilities of brain tumors.

Mordecai and Rigby each wrap tinfoil around their heads (to prevent brain tumors) and call the Master Prank Caller. Mordecai goes first to prank, joking that he had 50 pizzas that the MPC "ordered", but he had actually ordered 50 pizzas along with hot wings that he needed brought over. He quickly hangs up and Rigby goes next. He passes himself off under the pseudonym of "Stan", but ends up adding "Stanminson" when he is asked for a surname. The MPC warns them to stop calling him, or they would pay. Mordecai and Rigby still attempt to prank him, but to no success. They finally get a call from the MPC, who tells them that he had warned the two, and says, "The 80's called! They want their cell phones back!" to which Mordecai and Rigby are sucked into the phone and transported back to the 80's.

When they are spit out of the phone, they think they are back at the park. Mordecai asks a nearby Pops to "tell Rigby everything's fine", to which he turns revealing his more younger face and then they discover that they are in the 80's. Mordecai and Rigby are surprised at Pops's difference and his not knowing of them, and find a couple of B-boys dancing. Rigby tries asking them if they noticed anything strange, only for them to get "barfed out" and leave. It is then Rigby finds out they are in the 80s, more specifically, 1982. They try to call the MPC and apparently send him to the 60s, but the MPC escapes out of the phone (being a literal cell phone with arms and legs) and begins dialing himself. Mordecai and Rigby escape with a golf cart, with the MPC hot on their track. They are called again by the MPC, who says that the 80s still wanted their phones back, to which Mordecai and Rigby are instantly dressed in 80s apparel to their grave horror. They get a second call to which Rigby begs him to leave them alone, only to get dressed in heavier apparel along with Mordecai, whom desperately tells Rigby to call someone...

...who turns out to be Pops, Skips, and Benson in the present time. Rigby explains the situation to Pops, who passes it onto Benson, who hears about the problem. He thinks it's a prank, and from this, all three are transported to 1982 and reappear on the back seat of the golf cart. As they are driving they accidently hit a younger pops ( which probably explains why he is a scatter brain in the present.). The MPC appears right by the five in a limo, even attacking them by running into their side. Skips instructs Mordecai to hold the wheel steady, as he leaps onto the MPC's limo, and later on claims its utter destruction. The MPC breaks out still, as the five run directly into an electronics store. Mordecai hatches a plan using a tape recorder...

Everyone runs back and hides in the bushes as the MPC calls. Mordecai's recording plays, keeping on saying things like, "Hello?" as if no one was there. This angers the MPC, whom reappears and finds out he was pranked. While he cries out, he is ambushed by everyone. Despite his struggles, the MPC cannot break free. Mordecai finally instructs Rigby to hit the power button. Rigby scurries up the MPC and pushes the power button, and the MPC, powerless, falls to the ground. Moments after Mordecai and Rigby celebrate their title, a bright light protrudes from the MPC, which Mordecai claims is the way out.

The five find themselves in a long hallway full of doors leading to certain years. After a while of searching, Benson finally finds the door leading to the present time. The MPC gets their attention, being old and wrinkly. He pleads for Mordecai and Rigby to take him with them, which they accept to do.

In the end, all three prank Benson, transporting the chair he was sitting on back to the 70's.

Character

 * MordecaiPrankcallers.png
 * Rigby
 * Benson
 * Pops
 * Skips

Minor Characters

 * Master Prank Caller (antagonist)
 * Old Lady (computer picture)
 * 80's Electronics Store Employee

Trivia

 * This is the first time that Rigby uses the word "crap."
 * Goof: When Benson ripped the phone out of the wall, he was beating up the voicebox with the phone handle. You can see the phone handle not broken, but when Benson's done beating up the phone, the handle is broken and ripped.
 * WooHoo (the site Mordecai and Rigby watch The Master Prank Caller on at the beginning) seems to be a crossover parody of the sites, Yahoo! and YouTube.
 * This is Tim Curry's second appearance as a voice actor for a character, let alone an antagonist; the first time was in Meat Your Maker as the evil Hot Dog leader.
 * Creator of the show, J.G. Quintel, claims this is his favorite episode of the series so far.
 * This episode is focused on prank calling which is based on two popular prank callers:
 * The first one is The Jerky Boys which are a comedy duo that do prank telephone calls and other related skits.
 * The second one is Tube Bar which is a series of recordings of prank calls from the 1970s which was inspired by Matt Groening for the running gag of The Simpsons.
 * Also, Mordecai and Rigby were sent to the 1980s which is also one of the years where The Jerky Boys and Tube Bar prank calls can be heard.
 * By getting hit with the golf cart in the past explains Pops's weird behavior, though another cause would be from using his '80's phones, which causes brain tumors.
 * Mordecai and Rigby are sent back to 1982, which is the year J.G. Quintel was born.
 * One of the 1982 themed costumes Rigby wore looks like the oufit Michael Jackson wore in the music video of Thriller, but there are a few changes.
 * Also, in Latin America the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain was mentioned.
 * Tim Curry voices The Master Prank Caller while Mordecai and Rigby are pranking him, but when he is shown for real, Sam Marin voices him.
 * Running Gag - Mordecai and Rigby keep making prank phone calls.
 * This is the first time that Benson's apartment is shown.
 * Muscle Man and Hi Five Ghost didn't appear in this episode.
 * When they were traveling through the room with several doors with dates above them, and when they get to the present door, the present door didn't have an actual date because it would make things seem weird for the viewers.
 * This is the first episode in which Benson turns red during a continuous shot, although he turned from red to dark red in The Power during one shot.
 * This episode aired with Meat Your Maker when it premiered as a preview of Cartoon Network Canada on Teletoon.

Gallery


The gallery for Prank Callers can be viewed here.

Bromistas