Children of the Spore

"Children of the Spore" is the first segment of the nineteenth episode of the first season of Amphibia, and the thirty-seventh episode overall.

It premiered on July 17, 2019, alongside "Anne of the Year".

Synopsis
Hop Pop is tired of Sprig, Polly and Anne's misbehavior and receives a special potion from the mysterious Apothecary Gary which supposedly cures them of their mischief, but with dire side effects.

Plot
Hop Pop is completing the final touch-ups of a battle-ship replica named The Green Lady in hopes of preserving it. He is being very careful and gets upset when Anne, Sprig and Polly smash his study window with a kickball, almost smashing his boat. He calls them inside to play a quiet game, but Anne, Sprig, and Polly begin playing "tongue tag" inside the house. Their roughhousing damages the model ship, causing an upset Hop Pop to visit Leopold Loggle's for tools to repair it. There he meets a hooded frog by the name of Apothecary Gary, a salesman who offers him a potion which he claims will make the kids behave instantly. Hop Pop is skeptical, but before he can say anymore Gary mysteriously disappears.

Outside the shop, Sprig, Anne, and Polly apologize for breaking the battle-ship replica earlier and promise to be on their best behavior. However, the kids quickly resume their roughhousing upon entering the house, breaking their promise and damaging Hop Pop's ship for the second time. As it reaches nighttime and Sprig, Polly, and Anne are asleep, Hop Pop smears the potion on their foreheads, but still has his doubts that it will work.

The next morning, Hop Pop calls the kids down for breakfast, which they appear at the dining table right away. As a result of the potion, the kids exhibit robotic behavior, monotone voices, a constant smile, and the ability to follow any command in record time. After ordering the kids to sit and stay quiet, Hop Pop finally works on his battle-ship replica. But he is soon uneasy about the kids' unsettling behavior, thus sending them outside to play. Hours later, night has fallen, and Hop Pop is very close to finishing the battle-ship. He still holds a feeling of suspicion about the potion as its effects begin to wear off Anne, Polly, and Sprig. Hop Pop quickly orders them to bed once their behavior starts to get out of hand. Swearing that this will be the final time of use, Hop Pop puts another dose of the potion on the kids once they have gone to sleep.

Moments later, Anne, Polly, and Sprig awaken and have undergone a zombie-like transformation, gaining glowing purple eyes and mushrooms sprouting from their heads. Becoming aware of the situation, Hop Pop is greeted by Apothecary Gary outside who explains that the potion he gave Hop Pop before consists of mind-controlling spores. Gary then reveals that he is a sentient mushroom with the ability to control the mind of a host and plans to take over all of Amphibia. Various mind-controlled townsfolk soon begin to emerge from the bushes, prompting Hop Pop to barricade the door, but to no avail.

Hop Pop takes the battle-ship and flees to Bessie's barn, but is shortly cornered as the infected citizens catch up to him. Just before he can be brainwashed, Hop Pop sacrifices the battle-ship by tossing it to unlock Bessie's stable. Bessie swiftly eats the mushrooms off the infected while Hop Pop engages in combat with Gary. Before his demise, Gary begs for mercy and claims destroying him will lead to the extinction of his kind, but is futile. The citizens and Gary's host (who's actual name is Lloyd) regain consciousness and return home. Hop Pop apologizes to Anne, Polly, and Sprig for using mind control on them and they apologize for not listening to him, promising to do so more often.

Jeremy is later seen consuming the spilled elixir and becomes infected.

Cast

 * Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
 * Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
 * Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar
 * Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
 * Tony Hale as Apothecary Gary
 * Brian Maillard as Leopold Loggle, Red-Eyed Frog (credited as additional voices)
 * Stephen Root as Mayor Toadstool

Additional voices

 * Sam Riegel as Neckerchief Frog
 * Katie Crown as Green Hooded Female Frog
 * Eden Riegel as Mind Controlled Female Blue Frog

Other characters

 * Bessie

Allusions

 *  and : This episode's title is a reference to the 1984 horror movie and the 1964 sequel to Village of the Damned. Both films center around hive-mind possessed children terrorizing a rural setting.