Missed OG Ben 10 gag opportunity: “Laundry Day”
Watching through the OG series for the first time since my childhood, on S2:E10 and had what I thought was a funny idea. Free use if anyone wants to steal the idea!
One thing I randomly thought about while rewatching the original series: the main cast basically never changes clothes. Obviously that’s normal cartoon logic, but they could have turned it into an all time Max gag.
Episode setup: the Rust Bucket crew has to do laundry, and for once Grandpa Max is wearing a different Hawaiian shirt. Maybe it’s blue, green, whatever.
Ben immediately notices:
Ben: “Wait… Grandpa, are you wearing a different shirt?”
Max: “Laundry day.”
Gwen keeps giving max strange looks. Almost like he’s not her grandpa*
Then by the end of the episode, after the alien/monster fight ruins the alternate shirt, Max looks at it, sighs, and says: “Never liked that one anyway.”
He throws it in the trash, opens up the closet in the Rust Bucket, and it’s just 30 of his same normal red Hawaiian shirt.
Conversation ensues:
Ben: “You own more than one shirt?”
Max: “Of course I do.”
Gwen: “Grandpa… they’re all the same shirt.”
Max: completely serious, points at one of them
Max: “That one’s formal.”
Ben and Gwen stare.
*It is visibly the exact same shirt.*
Ben: “What makes it formal?”
Max: Different occasion.”
Then Ben grabs another one:
Ben : “What’s this one?”
Max: “Emergency formal.”
Gwen: “That doesn’t mean anything.”
Max : “You’d be surprised.”
I’m not saying this would have changed anything meaningful, but this absolutely would’ve lived forever as a meme and added to Max lore
*Please steal this for your animated adventure show if it fits and won’t be lame.*