Over a 104-day-long summer break that we all envied as kids, Gen Z’s beloved triangle and rectangle-headed brothers Phineas and Ferb did what most of us tried and failed to do – embody the spirit of carpe diem or seize the day to its fullest potential. Whether it was building a city-wide roller coaster, getting their mom’s favourite band back together, or creating a portal to Mars, the boys and their motley crew of friends from the show always got away with having (often dangerous) fun, despite their sister, Candace’s, best efforts to ‘bust’ them to their mom.
With the show recently returning for a fifth season after a decade-long gap apart from a movie in 2020, Gen Z is abuzz with excitement. For master’s student Sudheeksha Easwar, despite its consistent pattern – the show always felt fresh. “You always know how it is going to end but the impact was in how exactly it would end – how would Candace try to get Linda (their mom) to see what the boys were doing, and what crazy way would it disappear – that was my favourite part of my show. I remember one episode where Dr Doofenshmirtz makes a dancing ray and it hits the boys’ invention. It gets up and dances away, leaving Candace to explain that to her mom,” she laughs.
Many enthusiasts of the show point out that the show’s humour, a mix of absurdity, cheeky one-liners, and sometimes dark-ish humour was different from other cartoons airing at the time, “Compared to shows like Tom and Jerry or Chota Bheem, the humour in Phineas and Ferb was very fresh and different – there was a lot less spoon feeding,” says Anand Mahadevan, an engineer. Ritika Mudabidri, a content writer, adds, “The humour was able to ride a very fine line between being for kids and adults. The writing is so sharp that it holds up even when you watch it as an adult.”
Many are, in fact, still watching the show or revisiting parts of it as adults, seeking nostalgic and fun sources of comfort. Mudabidri, who casually watched the show as a child confesses, “I truly engaged with the show as an adult, when I was going through phases in my life where change was inevitable, and especially during the lockdown. Watching a couple of episodes every day just put me at ease.”
The boys’ daily adventures are all set to some iconic and memorable songs. You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who didn’t at least know the words to the show’s theme song. Esha Karthi Raj, a psychology student notes how much of a phenomenon the show’s songs are, saying, “Watching the show is a universal experience that almost everyone in my generation had and people still reference the theme song. I still listen to the songs and it is also one of the main things that helps me connect with others who like the show because everybody loves them.” Easwar agrees, saying, “They are still part of my playlist. When I read some reassurance, I listen to Come Home Perry, when I want a proper metal headbanger, Somebody Give Me a Grade or E.V.I.L B.O.Y.S, and of course all the Love Händel (a fictional band in the show) songs.”
In the last 10 years, while the creators Dan Povenmire and Jeff ‘Swampy’ Marsh were off making other popular cartoons like Milo Murphy’s Law, the internet kept the show alive with meme culture . Easwar explains, “When I was a kid, I used to finish watching it and forget about it but now, certain phrases like Doofenshmirtz saying ‘Perry the Platypus?’, have become iconic as a meme. I share them every time I see them.” Raj adds, “Had it continued on and not stopped, I don’t think that it would have given people time to create this kind of discourse and nostalgia around it.”