Rise of the Zitboy

Why was there bacon in the soap?! — Zim

Invader Zim Episode
Rise of the Zitboy
Chronology
Previous:	Planet Jackers
Next:	Invasion of the Idiot Dog Brain
Information
Episode No:	Episode 07b
Production No:	08a
Airdate:	August 31, 2001
Credits
Writer(s):	Frank Conniff Roman Dirge

"Rise of the Zitboy" is the 2nd segment in the 7th episode of the first season of Invader Zim. It first premiered on August 31, 2001, on Nickelodeon.

Plot Summary

SPOILER WARNING OF DOOM: This section or article may contain spoilers!

While Zim is working in his lab, he is alerted to an intruder's presence and quickly goes up to check it out. He discovers a very large and suspicious ceramic squirrel in his front yard, which he soon realizes is Dib in disguise.

Although failing, Dib informs Zim that his home's security system is flawed. Zim denies this, believing that nothing can breach his defenses... at which point a pizza man arrives and ironically walks past him unscathed. The delivery man gives GIR his pizza as Zim reenters his house pondering whether or not his security system actually is breached as Dib claims.

In a messy frenzy, GIR consumes his pizza, which disgusts Zim by its smell and then hugs Zim while covered in grease. Immediately upon removing GIR from himself, Zim orders GIR to bring him soap (or "cleansing chalk", as he calls it) to remove the grease on his face only to discover the soap contains bacon in it.

After Zim is done yelling at GIR, the latter suddenly notices that a pimple has developed on the affected area of Zim's face. Ignorant of what a pimple is, Zim is quickly briefed by GIR, who shows him an infomercial of a product to treat it: Acne Blast. GIR immediately produces a tube of the cream, which he begins to eat, only to have it taken away by Zim.

However, instead of treating his pimple, the cream only causes it to expand and grow. Horrified, Zim chastises GIR, only to discover his robot assistant is swimming inside his monstrous zit. After Zim orders GIR to get out of it, the little robot complies, then resumes sucking the Acne Blast.

While Zim is pondering the negative implications of the pimple's presence, GIR draws a face on the pimple. As Zim shakes GIR away, however, the afflicted Irken accidentally discovers that the pimple has hypnotic powers when GIR becomes mesmerized by the pimple's bobbing. Dressing it in a small purple suit, he dubs his pimple "Pustulio."

Pustulio at his largest form.

Coming to Skool, Zim tests out Pustulio's hypnotic powers on the skool children who all fall prey to Zim's control. Looking from a distance, Dib follows Zim as he leads the children back into class. Jumping heroically into class (about 2 feet), Dib unsuccessfully attempts to break the children away from the pimple's hypnotic control and is quickly captured by one of Zim's hypnotized henchmen, Torque.

Unable to fight Pustulio's hypnosis, Dib confesses to Zim the weakness in his security system. However, while enjoying his success, Zim's zit swells to the size of the classroom and bursts all over the Skool. Zim mockingly thanks Dib for the information and leaves to tighten his defenses, their classmates are confused as to what happened while Miss Bitters tells Dib he can't leave the Skool until the mess is cleaned up with about 1/3 of a sponge.

End of Spoilers: There are no further spoilers for this section or article. You can breathe now.

Facts of Doom

Cultural References

• When Zim is leading the children past Gaz, you can see she's reading a book called Punch Club, which is a reference to the novel Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk. Aside from drawing pigs in "Bloaty's Pizza Hog", this is the only instance that Gaz has engaged in a recreational activity other than playing video games.

Trivia

• In this episode, it's discovered that the blue square on GIR's torso is a hidden storage compartment.
• Apparently, Zim can rub himself with bacon and hold it to show GIR without having the horrible effects of meat burning him (Bacon is considered meat). This implies that not all meat products are hazardous to Irkens.
• Pustulio seemed to have a different effect on the Skoolchildren than on GIR, as the skoolchildren stayed hypnotized without Pustulio looking at them.
• This episode marks the second time something considerably gross happens to Zim in an episode. The first was in "Career Day".
• Near the end of the episode, Zim claims he will plant a few more Lawn Gnomes, but it's the same amount of lawn gnomes in the later episodes. However, he could have meant as security in his underground labs.
• Richard Steven Horvitz's favorite line is "WHY WAS THERE BACON IN THE SOAP?!?!".
• Pustulio's name is most likely a play on the word "pustule", which is a term for any pimple or blister-like  elevation on the skin.
• Zim for once left Gaz alone, hinting that he knew that there was no point in trying to hypnotize her, seeing that all he was doing was bothering her.
• According to the Interview with the Writers, Roman Dirge said that this is the episode he's most proud of and that Jhonen Vasquez was all up for it. Vasquez wanted to have this episode made and even gave out Pustulio T-Shirts.
• This episode re-aired on Nicktoons during the Holladays 2015.

Things You Might Have Missed

• The box Zim picks up in the closet is labeled "Headless Bodies, Gears, Circuits".
• In the Acne Blast commercial, after the teenage boy has cleared his face of acne, he attracts two women at the same time. They are Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, making a cameo appearance.

Changes and Cuts

• Two more kids were to have a bigger role in the hypnosis of the episode. First was controlled to eat anti-matter, while the other was to hit Ms. Bitters and would've been slapped afterwards.

Inconsistencies and Animation Errors

• When Zim is screaming at Dib about his security system, the front door is open. However, when the pizza delivery man rings the doorbell, it is closed.

See also

• Rise of the Zitboy (Transcript)
• Rise of the Zitboy/Screenshots