It's A Wishful Life/References

Episode	Trivia	Appearances	Gallery	Transcript

Alternate Dimmsdale

• According to Jorgen, the following is what would happen if the world was without Timmy:

1. Mr. and Mrs. Turner are rich thanks to their actress/director/producer daughter Sophia.
2. Francis is a star football player who only bullies people on the field, and treats smaller students with respect. He also has tan skin instead of gray skin.
3. Mr. Crocker is a muscular and impressive professor at Harvard University Dimmsdale Branch.
4. A.J. graduated High School at the age of 5 with a full head of hair and attends Harvard University Dimmsdale Branch.
5. Cosmo and Wanda are Chester's fairy godparents, who has perfect teeth and lives in a triple-wide trailer.
6. Vicky is Dr. Bender's assistant, and she gives kids laughing gas, "taking away pain rather than causing it", even though she keeps her evil smile.
7. Elmer doesn't have a boil.
8. Mr. Bickles succeeded in creating a ballet version of "Waterworld".
9. The Chicago Cubs win the World Series (alluding to the fact they haven't won it since 1908 until 2016).

Trivia

• This was one of the most hated episodes of the series for it implies that everybody's lives are miserable and bleak due to Timmy. As a result of the negative reception revolving this episode and its implications, series creator Butch Hartman and his staff have since apologized for the unfortunate implications of the episode. This might be why this episode rarely airs in reruns.
  • Even if this episode was not well received, it's not the worst rated in the series, with that title going to The Big Fairy Share Scare!, the first episode of season 10 with a rating of 3.1/10 on IMDb.
• This episode is similar to a Sonic Sez episode. In the Sonic Sez episode, Coconuts becomes fed up with being Robotnik's slave and decides to quit but Sonic convinces him otherwise. Whereas, in this episode Jorgen is basically telling Timmy it's better for him to be under-appreciated than to be thanked for his good deeds.
• Mrs. Turner goes to her own shrub-bush replica of herself made by Timmy, approaching it with a pair of pruning shears and complains by saying "and my butt is not that big!" as she frantically trims it down. This is a quick jab at her hip/butt area changing size is every episode from slim to curvy.
• Although Jorgen explained to Timmy that Mr. Crocker's life was better in the alternate universe because he didn't exist to ruin his childhood, this is most likely an error, as if Timmy hadn't traveled back to March of 1972 in the episode The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker!, Crocker would have been doomed anyway, as it was actually the Cosmo of that era who was about to reveal his secret.
• It is revealed that laughing gas has no effect on Jorgen, likely because fairies don't need to breathe. Jorgen mentioned to Timmy that laughing gas couldn't make him laugh, only pain can do that (he had faked being affected when Timmy sprayed it in his face). This is why Jorgen was already back to normal by the time Timmy had changed everything to how it was before he made his wish.
• Interestingly enough, the episode never shows how the lives of three of Timmy's potential love interests, Tootie, Trixie Tang, or Veronica are affected by his never being born. This may imply that the main assertion in the episode, that the world would be better off without Timmy, is simply a method to teach a lesson and not to be taken as being true.
• Mrs. Turner is wearing the same formal gown from Parent Hoods, but it is blue instead of pink.
• On April 1, 2005, this episode aired on Nickelodeon US, but as part of a april fools prank. Every time a character said 'Timmy' or 'Timmy Turner', it would cut to this commercial. A month later on May 10, the episode officially premiered.
• The plot is similar to a Johnny Bravo episode.
• Moral: Don't do nice things to get appreciated. You should do them because they're the right thing to do.

Allusions

• It's A Wonderful Life - The episode's title is a reference to the 1946 film.
• Butch Hartman - The fact that the Turners put their daughter "Sophia" could be a reference to Butch Hartman's daughter, "Sophia Hartman".
• The World Series - In the Alternate Universe, Jorgen states that without Timmy, the Chicago Cubs win the World Series.
  • However, in real life, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series in 2016. Thus ending their 108-year drought of the World Series Championships.

• Harvard University - In the Alternate Universe, Crocker is seen working at the "Harvard University Dimmsdale Branch". The name of the university is an obvious pun on Harvard University.
• Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark - In the Alternate Universe, one of Crocker's female students has the words "Love You" written on her eyelids, which references the scene where one of Indiana Jones' female students has the same thing.
• Jaguar - The name of the computer Timmy gives to A.J. "XK-90" is a reference to the Jaguar XK and the fact that it was produced since the late-90s.
• Waterworld - The ballet Mr. Bickles is producing is an adaptation of the 1995 film starring Kevin Costner.

Running Gags

1. Timmy trying to do a good deed for somebody. When that person sees it, they say "It's..." and Timmy assumes it is something positive and uses positive descriptions to see if that is what they will say. The person will however say a negative response to the deed due to something that Timmy was unaware of.
2. Jorgen saying "Not exactly." when Timmy believes that without him in someone's life that person's life is how he assumes it will be.
3. People saying "Kevin, forgive me!"

Goofs

The error of the bush shaped like Mr. and Mrs. Turner after Mrs. Turner angrily cuts the said bush.

• Mrs. Turner angrily cuts the bush shaped like Mr. and Mrs. Turner and the leaves from the bush fall onto Timmy. However, after she does so, when the overview of Timmy’s lawn is shown, the said bush is back in one piece.
• Sophia Turner is not wearing the pink hat which was bought for Timmy before he was born when Mr. and Mrs. Turner thought they were going to have a daughter, which was seen in "The Secret Origin of Denzel Crocker!" May be justified within the context of the episode.

Quotes

Timmy: Why I oughta...! (Cosmo and Wanda scream and think Timmy is going to hit them with the fishbowl) do that right now (Timmy leaves with the dirty fishbowl).

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Timmy: I wish I was never born!

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Mr. Turner: Kevin, forgive me!

Production Notes

• Although this episode along with "Timmy's 2-D House of Horror" aired on May 10, 2005, they were produced in 2004 according to the credits.
  • This episode completed production on March 19, 2004.

References

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