Mouse Rat rules! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the funniest and most iconic moments in one of the most beloved sitcoms around. Consider this your spoiler alert!
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00:00 "There was no one on the other end of that phone call, but soon there will be. Welcome to the
00:04 Dreamatorium." Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the funniest
00:09 and most iconic moments in one of the most beloved sitcoms around, Parks and Recreation.
00:14 "What I said was, give me all the bacon and eggs you have. Do you understand?"
00:21 Consider this your spoiler alert.
00:23 Number 20. Andy's Band Names
00:26 "Spread your wings and learn to fly." "Horses don't fly."
00:29 "That's why I'm telling them, learn to fly."
00:33 Andy's dreams of becoming a famous musician have reaped some unfortunate, if hilarious, results.
00:38 He and his fellow players named their band Scarecrow Boat, and had hopes of making it
00:42 outside of Pawnee. "In just a minute, Scarecrow Boat is gonna rock it out. Please be patient
00:46 while we rock out the equipment setup." In the show proper, they changed it back to Mouse Rat,
00:51 but that was far from the only switch up they had in their history. Some of their most hilarious
00:56 monikers include God Hates Figs, Everything Rhymes With Orange, Puppy Pendulum, Nothing Rhymes With
01:02 Orange, and Death of a Scam Artist. Andy also tried to have the band carry his name with titles such
01:07 as The Andy and Andys and Andy Dwyer Experience. No group needs to go through this many names,
01:13 but hearing the laundry list of options sure is hysterical. "Then we were God Hates Figs,
01:18 Department of Homeland Obscurity, Flames for Flames, Muscle Confusion."
01:23 Number 19. Meeting Mona Lisa Saperstein
01:26 "For the record, would hit it, would hit, would hit, hard pass."
01:31 "Tom, who is this person?" Jean-Ralphio Saperstein may be the best worst character on the show,
01:39 depending on your point of view, with iconic one-liners that have made internet history.
01:43 As it turns out, so is his twin sister. "The worst!"
01:47 "She's the worst in the world." We first meet Mona Lisa when she's hired by Tom Haverford as an
01:55 assistant. She proves to be a bad hire as she slacks off tremendously, leaving us in stitches.
02:02 When Tom plucks up the courage to speak up, she's into it and the two begin an unlikely
02:06 relationship. Like her brother, however, her foibles are a source of comic genius. Remember
02:12 when she and Jean-Ralphio launch into an improvised "Don't Be Suspicious" song when the latter fakes
02:17 his death? What would the internet do without you, Mona Lisa? "Did I order the what for the what,
02:21 what, what, what, what are you even talking about right now?"
02:25 Number 18. Calzone poisoning. "Chris, I'm dying." "I was dying earlier today,
02:32 and then I died. Now I'm dead." There never was a tale of more hysterical woe.
02:39 Ben Wyatt's obsession with calzones is practically unparalleled, and we're sure they've had many
02:45 lovely moments together over the years. But like many tragic love stories, theirs ends in blood,
02:51 sweat, and, well, indigestion. "And I cracked the bottom of the toilet bowl." "Oh God, don't say
02:56 that." When he finds a wedding caterer that serves mini calzones, it seems like a dream come true.
03:01 But the higher you rise, the farther you have to fall. And sure enough, he, Chris, and Ron get
03:07 food poisoning after consuming them. Only Tom is spared, having chosen not to partake. The whole
03:13 segment is painful. You can practically sense their suffering, leaving us chuckling through tears.
03:19 We feel for them, but it's too funny to ignore. "The calzones betrayed me." "Never again, guys.
03:26 As God is my witness, they're dead to me." Number 17. Ron flees from Tammy Won. "If you're gonna
03:33 stay here, there are three rules you need to follow. One, no talk about Tammy. One, two,
03:39 no talk about Ben. Three, no talk." Ron Swanson is a man of sense, order, and foresight. He's
03:45 prepared for any and all kinds of disasters. So, when he finds out that his ex-wife Tammy,
03:50 the first one, not the second one, has returned, he wastes no time. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
03:55 Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, Ron, what's going on?" "My ex-wife Tammy is back." "Yeah, I saw her in
04:00 the courtyard." "No, my other ex-wife Tammy. Tammy Won." He pulls Leslie aside, informing her that
04:05 he's going to use all his accrued 228 personal days to solve this problem. He's not messing
04:11 around, which makes it all the more humorous. This isn't the last time Ron has trouble with
04:16 women named Tammy either. Let's not forget that he and Tammy too end up in jail. Here's also the
04:22 drinking contest involving his mom. One thing is for sure, if Ron and Tammy's are involved,
04:28 it's sure to be a chaotic, entertaining time. "Godspeed."
04:36 Number 16. Andy's Codenames. "Also, from now on, we'll be using codenames. You can address me
04:42 as Eagle One. And, codename, been there, done that. April is currently doing that." Here's a
04:48 bit that's so amusing, it's become a meme. Clearly, Andy's inventiveness with names extends beyond
04:54 simple band names. A few days after a pie is thrown Leslie's way, Andy, as Burt Macklin,
04:59 is on the job protecting the city council candidate. Part of his investigation, for some
05:04 inexplicable but hilarious reason, involves giving the gang codenames. These names, however,
05:10 are not what you would call appropriate. Though Andy seems oblivious to that fact as ever.
05:15 Let's just say that Ben is justifiably relieved to be called Eagle Two. "Donna is. It happened
05:21 once in a dream. Chris, codename, if I had to pick a dude. Ben is Eagle Two." "Oh, thank God."
05:28 Leslie's codename though? Clearly, Andy takes honesty to a whole new level. It's priceless.
05:33 "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it as a position."
05:36 Number 15. Gay penguin wedding. "Pawnee Zoo recently purchased two South African black-footed
05:42 penguins, Tux and Flipper. And as part of our zoo promotion, we are going to give them a marriage
05:47 ceremony. Because they mate for life." Love is love, and no one comes to know that better than
05:53 Leslie Knope. When promoting the Pawnee Zoo, she accidentally mistakes two male penguins for a
05:58 male-female pair and officiates their ceremony. "I'm sorry?" "Tux and Flipper are both boys,
06:03 so you should have pronounced them husband and husband, technically." "That's awesome."
06:07 Overnight, Leslie wins the approval of Pawnee's queer community. Unfortunately, anti-LGBTQIA+
06:15 organizations are less than approving. Eventually, she gets sick of the homophobia and stands by the
06:20 nuptials. She even ends up driving the penguins to a zoo in Iowa where gay marriage is legal.
06:25 The core social premise here isn't anything to laugh at, but the penguin plot of it all amps
06:30 up the comedy. Indeed, it's so nonsensical and absurd, you can't help but giggle. We love an
06:36 ally, even an accidental one. "Oh look, six legs! I should take them on a water slide.
06:40 They might die, but it would be so cute!" Number 14. Burt Macklin and Janet Snakehole. "Think about
06:47 it as role-playing. That makes it sexy." "That could be fun." Andy and April make for the most
06:55 entertaining power couple. Granted, they come up with these playful personas individually at
07:00 different points earlier in the series, but it isn't until the fight where they truly come to
07:04 marvelous life together. "Hello, strange person who I have never met before. Who are you?" "I'm
07:10 Janet Snakehole." April's Janet Snakehole is a very rich, very fancy woman, but she isn't innocent
07:17 in this life. Andy's Burt Macklin, meanwhile, was an FBI agent framed for presidential ruby theft.
07:23 To say they commit to the bit is an understatement. Honestly, we forget these are alter egos and not
07:29 real people. If all the world's a stage, Andy and April make for the most hilarious role players.
07:34 "Freeze! FBI!" "No! Leave me alone!" "Hands in the air!" "I didn't kill anybody, and I didn't burn down
07:41 the building either. My sister did, but now she's been eaten by wolves!" Number 13. Ron Pulls His Tooth.
07:48 "Here's Tom. Please bring silverware." "Please bring cooked steak. This is ridiculous." We've
07:53 already discussed how Ron Swanson is a man's man who means business. He also gives his co-workers
07:59 valuable lessons, namely showing them they can't mess with him, often in ways that have us gasping
08:04 for air. During a meeting, he notes that his tooth is hurting him. "You okay, Ron?" "Just a little
08:09 tooth pain. I'm fine. Continue." But come on, he doesn't like dentists, so why would he trust one
08:15 to fix it? Instead, he decides to pull it out himself. His swift dispatch causes Tom to faint
08:21 and many of his colleagues to flee in disgust. Relatable. Of course, the real gag is that Ron
08:27 only pretended to pull his tooth out. It's the lesson that counts. Never has a man's display of
08:32 fortitude been more uproarious. "Dentist pulled the tooth out yesterday, but it's always a good
08:38 idea to demonstrate to your co-workers that you are capable of withstanding a tremendous amount
08:44 of pain." Number 12. Ben's Claymation. "Check this out. I'm teaching myself how to do claymation
08:50 videos. Isn't this just so cool? It is so cool!" "Ben is massively depressed." Ben's unemployment
08:58 stint leads him down some dark but ultimately hilarious paths. In a spiral, he turns to
09:04 claymation. Though Chris may be worried, Ben is adamant that he is not depressed. "I've known you
09:10 a long time, and right now you need help." "With my claymation?" "With your life." His frenzied
09:18 expression trying to convince us he's okay while showing off his little clay dude is something you
09:22 have to see to believe. He eventually gets a serious reality check when he realizes how short
09:27 the project, Requiem for a Tuesday, actually is, but we digress. Ben's creative side knows no bounds,
09:33 as just two seasons later he comes up with the cones of Dunshire Game. This endeavor ends up
09:38 being more fruitful, but the claymation moment lives in our heads rent-free, and somewhat
09:43 ironically, it cheers us up daily. "No, no, no, no, I'm not. You see, in my head, I thought that
09:50 was really, really cool. I emailed Leslie two days ago and I compared it to Avatar, Chris." Number
09:57 11. Ron on Pawnee Today. "Hi, my Yorkshire Terrier has chewed up the legs on my kitchen table.
10:04 Is there a cheap way to repair that?" "Great question." Is there anything our man Ron can't do?
10:10 When Leslie is unable to be on Pawnee Today to promote a fundraiser, he volunteers to fill in
10:14 for her. He can, after all, speak in full sentences and not cry. Since host Joan becomes rather
10:20 indisposed, Mr. Swanson once again saves the day with his no-nonsense straight talk and ineffable
10:26 Ron-ness. "Now I will take your calls, apparently. Yes." "Hey, Joan, settle a bet for me. Who's the
10:32 sexiest couple in history? Arpatz and K-Stew or Bieber?" The ensuing show, You're On With Ron,
10:40 proves that he could and would make the most hilarious host in another life. He takes people's
10:45 calls, gives honest advice, and above all, promotes the gala. It's impossible for us to keep a straight
10:51 face as it unfolds, especially because of his deadpan style. What a trooper. "I've seen three
10:57 movies in my life. Bridge on the River Kwai, Patton, and Herbie Fully Loaded. My girlfriend's
11:03 kids love it. It's pretty funny. Next caller." Number 10. Leslie has network connectivity issues.
11:11 "Is she sick? Are you sick?" "No." "Yeah, she's sick. That's why I'm wearing this and misting myself
11:18 with hand sanitizer." How can something as simple and seemingly not funny at all as the flu lead to
11:24 such comic hilarity? Although Leslie gets the flu, this doesn't stop her from trying to perform her
11:29 duties. With her so insistent on working, Andy tries to look up her symptoms, and his conclusion
11:36 is unbeatable. "Leslie, I typed your symptoms into the thing up here and it says you could have
11:41 network connectivity problems." We still burst out laughing whenever we see the scene. It turns out
11:46 that Chris Pratt improvised this line, which makes it all the more impressive. It's nothing fancy,
11:52 just pure, unfiltered comedic gold. And exactly the kind of ridiculous thing Andy would say.
11:57 We're thrilled it was left in the final product. "And I would counter with my own question, which is
12:02 why is half of your face all swirly?" "Okay." Number nine. The coffee machine. "So, who broke it?
12:13 I'm not mad, I just want to know." This iconic cold open has become a beloved and oft-referenced
12:19 Parks and Rec staple, and for good reason. It features another one of Ron's lessons. He begins
12:25 by asking his co-workers who broke the coffee machine. As Leslie tries to say it was her and
12:30 others shift blame, the scene dissolves into chaos. It is, however, all going according to Ron's
12:36 maniacal but hysterical plan. You see, he was the one who broke it, and jumped at the chance to throw
12:41 a wrench in the office camaraderie. "I broke it. I burned my hand, so I punched it." We're dead. The
12:48 case of the coffee machine showcases everyone's comic talents and personalities, and we achieve
12:53 maximum hilarity. "I predict 10 minutes from now, they'll be at each other's throats with war paint
12:58 on their faces and a pig head on a stick." Number eight. Tom's food list. "Have a food rule number
13:03 six. Never eat anything with the sauce I have to dip myself. Drizzle it on for me, I'm not your maid."
13:09 If Tom Haverford's personality were boiled down to one word, it would be eccentric. Pessimists see
13:15 the glass as half empty, optimists see it as half full, and Tom just wonders why it contains boring
13:21 old water instead of super water. "Forever young, I wanna be forever young. Do you really wanna live
13:30 forever?" These bursts of eccentricity are not uncommon for Tom, but here we're given a special
13:36 treat with a long cut of goofy names he gives food. The glow in his eyes as he informs the
13:41 audience of each quote-unquote brilliant nickname is utterly priceless. It's a wonderful display of
13:46 comedy, making us giggle at every turn. "Zerts are what I call desserts. Tray trays are entrees. I
13:53 call sandwiches Sammies, Sandoozles, or Adam Sandlers. Air conditioners are cool blasters
13:58 with a Z. I don't know where that came from. I call cakes big old cookies." Number seven. Elderly
14:03 sex ed. "I have an idea. Let's pretend that we're old people and we can ask Anne our grossest most
14:09 perverted sex questions." Parks and Recreation knows how to be sentimental one moment and dive
14:14 into the finer points of intercourse for elderly folk the next. As the scene makes evident, senior
14:20 citizen intimacy is a very real thing. "Are these old people really having sex with each other?"
14:25 "Yeah, what'd you think they were doing?" "I don't like that. We're just talking about it."
14:28 Apparently, one of the writers decided this phenomenon was a great niche topic to exploit
14:32 during the sex education episode of the series. We're sorry for anyone who made the mistake of
14:37 watching this episode with their parents. But for everyone else, the moment was a hilarious treat
14:42 that for better or for worse became forevermore ingrained in our minds. "I'm Marsha Langman and
14:48 I'm here to say that sex before marriage is never the way. I wait until marriage and then some to do
14:54 it. If you decide to sin, you'll rue it. Word." Number six. Tom and Jean-Ralphio give a tour of
15:01 Entertainment 720. "This guy just started a business. He's my friend. It would really help
15:04 him out. Plus, I'm gonna oversee everything and make sure it goes great." "Okay, Tom, we trust you."
15:11 As we've established, Tom Haverford has a tendency towards eccentricity, and his business venture
15:17 slash complete disaster with Jean-Ralphio perfectly exemplifies this. Their tour reads like a Dos
15:22 Equis commercial, except instead of listing off crazy stories from their past, the duo lists off
15:28 ridiculous activities that Entertainment 720 would help accomplish in the future. "Why do we keep our
15:32 petty cash in a clear plastic toilet bowl? I don't know, maybe because we're flush with cash." Only
15:39 one reasonable question is asked during the entire tour. Shouldn't you focus on building your client
15:45 base? And it's answered with a simple no. Tom's flair would eventually work for him, but in this
15:51 instance, it is unrealistic, unfocused, and ultimately highly amusing. "First you set up the pond, then
15:58 you're reeling the fish. Big D hit me! Uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh! Come on! We're living the dream." Number five, Garth Blunden's Star Wars
16:07 filibuster. "The Pawnee charter shall not be changed, not today, not ever!" Well, what would a show about
16:14 government be without a Mr. Smith Goes to Washington-esque filibuster scene? Garth Blunden,
16:19 played by Patton Oswalt, doesn't see eye to eye with Leslie regarding some outdated Pawnee laws,
16:24 and he takes to the city forum to stand up for what he believes in. Given Oswalt's self-proclaimed
16:29 obsession with Star Wars, he was given free reign to describe his vision for episode 7 in the nearly
16:34 nine-minute filibuster scene, which we highly recommend viewing uncut. "If he holds the reality
16:40 gem, that means he can jump from different realities. This will be our link to the Marvel
16:46 universe from the Star Wars universe." Living in a post-episode 7 world, it looks like his vision
16:51 wasn't entirely accurate, but fans of both Star Wars and Parks and Rec have much to enjoy in this
16:57 impressive rant. We're still not sure how the extras behind Garth are not in stitches. "After a
17:02 beat, Luke says Darth Vader was my father, but Ben Kenobi was my master, and he cuts Hannibal
17:07 Lecter in half." Mr. Blunden. Number four, Leslie finally meets Joe Biden. "Oh, I just remembered,
17:13 I uh, kind of got you an engagement present." "Is it a waffle tower?" "I mean, it's a little
17:18 better than that." Girls growing up in the 80s may have idolized the likes of David Hasselhoff
17:22 or Harrison Ford, but not Leslie. Her heroes, and at times erotic fantasies, are far more likely to
17:28 take place on Capitol Hill than the Hollywood Hills, and one silver-haired fox has stood out
17:33 above the rest of Ms. Nope as the gold standard for men. "You're, my, my, my name just came out
17:42 of your mouth." "Well, yeah, it did." "Well, this isn't happening." Thanks to her dutiful husband,
17:48 Leslie gets a brief chance to interact with Joe Biden, and viewers get the opportunity to laugh
17:53 at her bewilderment. She speaks just slightly too loudly and answers just a little too quickly when
17:59 spoken to, and several seasons of built-up love for Joe pay off in this one hilarious scene. "Thank
18:04 you, Mr. Vice President." "You're welcome." "You don't let anything happen to him, do you understand
18:09 me? He is precious cargo." Number three, Treat Yo' Self. "Oh, what do you want to do?" "Donna
18:16 Tella, T-Mobile. Three words for you, treat yo' self." With what is debatably the most quoted
18:23 adage of the entire series, we're shown that the good life should be accessible to everyone,
18:28 at least for one day a year. Donna and Tom have chameleonaire tastes on a Costco budget,
18:33 but for 24 hours, this does not matter to them. "Clothes." "Treat yourself." "Fragrances." "Treat
18:38 yourself." "Massages." "Treat yourself." "Mimosas." "Treat yourself." "Fine leather goods." "Treat
18:43 yourself." "It's the best day of the year." "The best day of the year!" The prop pieces and outfits
18:48 brought in for this gag are uproarious and over-the-top hilarious. It's difficult not to
18:53 feel the characters' glee as they indulge themselves again and again and again. "Treat yo' self."
18:58 Culminating in Ben Wyatt crying in a crime-fighting costume, this episode is, in and of itself,
19:04 its own special treat. "Thank you. I really needed this. I gotta treat myself."
19:14 "Uh-oh, Batman's crying." Number 2. Snake Juice. "Please, this is important. I'm launching my new
19:23 high-end Kahlua-style liqueur. Snake Juice." Snake Juice is another Tom Haverford/John
19:29 Ralphio exclusive, guaranteed to taste great and ensure an even better night.
19:34 It's often hilarious to see friends you've known for quite some time get hammered in a social
19:38 setting. And here, we get to see these on-screen comrades get wasted on what's basically rat poison.
19:43 "I believe an ounce of that would literally kill me." Sadly, we weren't given a drunk Donna clip,
19:49 but the others are hysterical and so on point. In particular, Ron Swanson is at his most memorable
19:55 whenever he does something that's highly un-Swanson. "My name is Ron Swanson. In general,
20:01 I try never to speak with people, but I have been drinking this snake juice thing,
20:05 and it's damn good. You should buy it." Tom, the yin to his yang, helps extract this,
20:10 allowing us to enjoy the hysteria of the evening while skipping out on the morning after.
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20:39 Number 1. Ice Walking to the Platform
20:43 The art of the cringe has been mastered in recent years, particularly by TV mockumentaries.
20:57 Creativity is key when it comes to anything, and that's proven when a campaign rally,
21:02 an ice rink, and a luxurious red carpet that's just a little too short come together to create
21:06 one of the funniest scenes in Parks and Rec history. For two minutes, we are barraged with
21:22 prop pieces, adding to the awkwardness. The three-legged dog, the ironic background music,
21:27 the stage that's erected far too high. Nothing goes horribly wrong, but nothing goes right either.
21:34 Awkward humor doesn't get much better than this, and it's hard not to feel sorry for
21:38 these fictional characters who just can't catch a break. Between the gales of laughter, that is.
21:50 Which scenes from the show had you swiveling in your chair with laughter?
21:53 Let us know in the comments down below.
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22:11 [outro music]