Hollywood Hop Pop

"Hollywood Hop Pop" is the first segment of the eighth episode of the third season of Amphibia, and the eighty-ninth episode overall.

It premiered on November 20, 2021, alongside "If You Give a Frog a Cookie".

Synopsis
Hop Pop tries to make it as an actor in Hollywood.

Plot
Anne decides to take the Plantars on a special tour through Hollywood. Devotees will recall that Hop Pop has a passion for acting and is also surprised that humans give actors such respect, something that he didn't experience while he was back in Amphibia.

Early on, we are reminded that Mr. X is after them so they must lay low as best they can, and despite Hop Pop's interest in acting, Anne reminds him not to pursue it while here on Earth. However, he is already accidentally in line for an audition.

He happens to find himself with a real human doppelganger, almost The Prince and the Pauper style, an elderly actor named Humphrey Westwood. The pair have a discussion about acting, and Humphrey is getting called into the audition when he says most actors get a rough start in Hollywood and gives up his spot for Hop Pop. He goes in and gives a poor read, but inadvertently gives up a new catchphrase when saying "Say What?" in shock to the product whose commercial he is auditioning for.

The group all gets home and is stunned to immediately see Hop Pop hawking joint cream on the television. His catchphrase takes on a life of his own, and within hours it seems, he is already on a T-shirt and other merchandise.

But again, they need to lay low, and we see Mr. X catching up on some T.V. binging, when an ad pops up (he didn't spring for the ad-free subscription) featuring Hop Pop.

The chase is now on as Mr. X discovers where it was filmed, and inconveniently for Hop Pop, he's already on his way there to accept an offer from the hippest director in town, Mitch Harper, in his office in the studio water tower.

Hop Pop makes his escape on a golf cart with Mr. X in pursuit, and Anne with Sprig and Polly through the backlot of the studio.

Hop Pop gets enough of a lead, and runs into Humphrey at his day job, a janitor at the studio. Returning the favor, he suggests Humphrey goes to the meeting in lieu of himself. Again with a Prince and the Pauper style switch, Mr. X chases Humphrey into the meeting, only to be disappointed and fooled yet again while Hop Pop and everyone made their escape.

Cast

 * Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
 * Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
 * Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
 * Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
 * RuPaul as Mr. X
 * Wallace Shawn as Humphrey Westwood
 * On Braly as Mrs. Boonchuy
 * Brian Sounalath as Mr. Boonchuy, Tyler (credited as additional voices)

Additional voices

 * Matt Braly as Purple Shirt Man, Cart Driver, Lord Frankerton
 * Zehra Fazal as Female Auditioner
 * Sam Riegel as Mitch Harper
 * Eden Riegel as Casting Call Girl, Movie Director
 * Troy Baker as FBI Agent
 * Kari Wahlgren as Female Photographer

Non-speaking cameo

 * Emily

Other characters

 * Jenny

Trivia

 * Starting from this episode onwards, the opening sequence is updated with a few changes:
 * The shot of comatose Marcy is replaced with the Core-possessed Marcy from the previous episode.
 * The possessed Marcy also takes King Andrias' place in the final shot of the supporting cast, with King Andrias being smaller.
 * The old man who resembles Hop Pop during the intro is revealed to be named Humphrey Westwood.

Continuity

 * Mr. X is shown taking care of the frogs that Mr. Boonchuy swapped out with the Plantars during the episode named after him.
 * Anne kicks Hop Pop out of a vehicle, like she did twice during the episode "Quarreler's Pass" and at the end of the same episode.
 * Lady Franklin and Lord Frankerton from "Fight at the Museum" and Tarantulad and Buffer Fish from "Spider-Sprig" have cameos during the episode.
 * Mr. X is fooled by the Plantars and prompts the FBI forces to believe Mr. X misled them again, referencing Mr. X being fooled and humiliated in his debut episode.
 * Hop Pop mentions the time his last acting tryout failed from the episode "A Caravan Named Desire."
 * Anne’s eyes nearly pop out, last time that happened was in “Mr. X”

Allusions

 *  - Two posters on Mr. X's refrigerator feature the host of the drag competition series, RuPaul (who is the voice actor of Mr. X). The poster with racing flags also resembles the first season's promotional poster.
 *  - Two of the magnets on Mr. X's refrigerator are the rocket and alien spaceship from the classic video game.
 *  - One of the magnets on Mr. X's refrigerator is the franchise's.
 *  - The show that Mr. X is watching, Judge Julie, is a parody of the real-life courtroom series.
 *  - The walk around characters at the Chinese Theater and Walk of Fame are based on the puppet characters from the long-running children's television series, presumably based on Elmo.
 * - The studio lot Hop Pop is invited to resembles the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank. The water tower has the same color scheme as it was portrayed in , as the home of the Warner Brothers and their sister, Dot.
 *  - At the last scene, the title card, "The End" appears with a red background, similar to the one from Tom and Jerry.
 *  - One of the old men in line for auditions resembles Master Roshi.