Sprig's Birthday

"Sprig's Birthday" is the second segment of the sixth episode of the third season of Amphibia, and the eighty-sixth episode overall.

It premiered on November 6, 2021, alongside "Mr. X".

Synopsis
Anne tries to give Sprig a great Earth birthday.

Plot
Anne is busy, researching with Sprig of a way to get back to Amphiba, and see’s Hop Pop and Polly give Sprig a mud crown, because it’s his Birthday and that he’s eleven years old making Anne that she didn't know. So she is on her way to make this the greatest birthday he's ever had. However, in Amphibia, birthdays are more for reflecting on their life while wearing a mud crown.

But the Plantars are no longer in Amphibia, are they? So Anne is set to make her best friend's Earthbound birthday fun and memorable. So the two set out to the mall, the Santa Monica pier, and a Mexican restaurant before hitting a park's carousel and the Griffith Observatory. After everything, Sprig thanks Anne for the fun of the day, but says the birthday was so fun, it was definitely in his Top 3 birthday celebrations, much to Anne’s surprise.

Anne sets out to make sure that the birthday was number one, and her dad takes them to an open area in the hills where hot air balloons are ready to take off, even though their balloon is made from an old horror movie promotional piece, and they're in the basket beneath a giant, terrifying clown.

However, high wind alerts keep them grounded, and their guide tells them they can't take off until the winds die down, BUT they can go sit in the basket anyway and pretend they're flying. Which they opt to do, and give the fire a little blast so they'll lift off. Hey, they're still tethered to the ground right? They can't go far. Until a gust of all that wind is so strong it pulls the tether out of the ground and they take off towards downtown Los Angeles.

Anne attempts to control the balloon while Sprig uses his frog tongue to try and steer the balloon.

After bailing out the balloon and landing (mostly) safely, Anne gives Sprig his gift, a telescope that is engraved with his name on it, and apologizes for not being able to give him the best birthday ever.

Sprig explains why it's top 3, because he got to spend time with his best friend, Anne, and the other top two consist of the birthday when he was actually born, and the #2 spot is when his mom and dad give him his hat that we see him wearing all the time. They were so busy that they had forgot about Mr. Boonchuy and he was so impatient as the episode ended.

Cast

 * Brenda Song as Anne Boonchuy
 * Justin Felbinger as Sprig Plantar
 * Bill Farmer as Hop Pop Plantar, Blonde Man (credited as additional voices)
 * Amanda Leighton as Polly Plantar
 * Brian Sounalath as Mr. Boonchuy, Mariachi Singer (credited as additional voices)

Additional voices

 * Matt Braly as Hot Dog Customer
 * Eden Riegel as Emily, Comedian Lady
 * Roger Craig Smith as Blair the Balloonist, Tyler's Boyfriend
 * Troy Baker as Birthday Guy, Helicopter Driver, Scared Patient
 * Jeff Bennett as Tyler, Glasses Man, Hot Dog Owner

Mentioned

 * Mr. and Ms. Plantar

Trivia

 * The way birthdays are celebrated in Amphibia is by wearing a mud crown and reflecting about their life for only a moment.
 * This episode premiered two days before Matt Braly's own birthday.

Revelations and significant events

 * Sprig turns 11 years old in this episode meaning that he was 10 years old when he debuted in Season 1.
 * Sprig was born sometime in 2009.
 * It is revealed that Sprig's parents gave him his hat.
 * This is the second episode that Polly and Hop Pop only appear at the beginning while Sprig appears throughout the entire episode after "Thai Feud."

Continuity

 * The TV guys in the episode "Thai Feud" reappear in this episode, and it is revealed that they are dating.
 * The girl named Emily from the episode "Adventures in Catsitting" reappears in this episode.
 * Sprig gives Anne a friend-punch, like they did in "Best Fronds". Anne even notes that it has been a long time since they did this punch.
 * Anne gives Sprig a telescope for his birthday, indicating that he likes stargazing. He was also seen using a telescope in the season 2 version of Anne's Theme.

Allusions

 *  - Anne reads the Inferno chapter in figuring out how to get back to Amphibia.
 *  - The hot air balloon clown is a reference to the Stephen King horror novel and film adaptations.
 *  - The restaurant isn't shown but a bag in the dumpster Anne and Sprig were in below is called Out-About Burgers, which also is popular in the west of USA.
 * Matt Braly - The character ordering hotdogs is himself.
 *  - The store Anne and Sprig go to in the mall is called Party Village, which the store Party City sells Disney themed party supplies.
 * Book of (Garfield hates Mondays) - Anne's dad reads a book of Monday's cat comic. An actual comic book by the creators of Garfield in real life.
 *  - A poster with Kermit the Frog playing a banjo appears several times.
 *  - The man who shares his birthday with Sprig drives a "Guber" car, which is an obvious parody of the transportation service.
 *  - Anne and Sprig visit this place during the Birthday Montage.
 *  - Anne and Sprig visit this place at the end of the Birthday Montage.

Errors

 * When Anne and Sprig are in the pedal boat, Sprig's goggles are white.
 * After Sprig gives Anne a friend-punch, the flame on the second I on his sweater turns into a regular dot for a few scenes.
 * Amphibian birthdays are stated to be celebrated by the birthday person wearing a mud crown and reflecting on their life for only a brief moment with no apparent gift-receiving, yet in "Croak and Punishment," Sprig is shown to have gotten Ivy Sundew a Blue Moon shell as a birthday gift, thus contradicting aforementioned lore.