We may remember Bob for singing a lot of great songs on the show, and for effortlessly pulling off the pull-over sweater look for a number of decades. But what we should also remember him for are the many over the top and decidedly humiliating outfits he was thrust into over the years. The writers probably thought it would be the peak of comedy to stick the street’s most straight-laced resident into the dumbest costumes conceivable. And you know what? They were absolutely right.
But which ones are the best of the best? The time has come for us here at Tough Pigs to decide once and for all, using various bits of technological go-goggery to scientifically concoct a definitive list. Or, more accurately, the completely subjective opinion of someone whose name is Shane with no rubric whatsoever.
#10 – Whatever This Is
This is at the bottom because I honestly don’t know what to make of it. Is he a clown? A scarecrow? A painter who woke up in a hay bale? There’s no clear character choice here!
#9 – Banana
Yes, Bob as a banana; a Bob-nana, one might say. He looks quite silly, but I’ll admit, not very nutritional.
#8 – Fish
In the 90s, the show did a number of soap opera-y episodes where the cast acted out some kind of story, and Bob often had the most ridiculous part. In this production of “The Princess and the Stick,” Bob plays a fish. His outfit is great, but his commitment to character is flawed. Fish can’t breathe outside of water. C’mon, Bob!
#7 – Bob the Blob
In this sketch, Bob sneaks onto Oscar’s Grouch talent showcase “Real Grouches” by pretending to be a Grouch named Bob the Blob. He ruins the proceedings by playing his flute beautifully. Bob may seem like a pushover, but he’s not above debasing himself on local TV just to pull one over on his neighbor.
#6 – Bumblebee
Bob gets roped into Placido Flamingo’s all-animal opera and is forced to wear a giant bumblebee costume. Extra points for his wonderful high-top sneakers. But this wasn’t the first time Bob was forced to do this…
#5 – Spider
In a previous episode, Placido gets Bob to dress up in an even more elaborate spider costume for an opera. It looks great, and the episode features a scene where Bob scrambles on the sidewalk, gets locked out of his apartment, and all his friends see him dressed as a giant bug man. It’s my worst nightmare.
#4 – Cool Guy
Comedy gold, right here! It’s Bob… dressed as somebody actually cool! Move over, “Who’s on First,” this is the height of comedy!
#3 – Strong Bob
Even better is meek, mild-mannered Bob now boasting gigantic muscles and a He-Man hair-do. Sadly, he’s not strong enough to take on an enchanted banana stuck in a stone. But is he able to type with boxing gloves on? Wait, no, wrong character.
#2 – Prairie Dawn
In this episode, Prairie Dawn gets a cold on the day of her latest pageant and cannot participate. Her friends agree that the show must go on, but what’s a pageant without Prairie? That’s where Bob comes in, donning a blue dress, bow, and falsetto voice as he plunks away at the piano. And it’s one of the best things to ever happen. But not quite the best. That honor goes to…
#1 – TriangleBob TrianglePants
Of course this is number one. It’s an all-around terrific premise. Bob delivers as much SpongeBob-like enthusiasm as he can, dressed in a terrific triangular outfit, and singing an insanely catchy song about himself. What’s not to love?
And there you have it, another victory for science! Thank you, science, for being a reliable way to prove whatever dumb nonsense we need. And thank you, Bob, for showing us you can still be silly no matter how old you get.
Click here to dress as an insect on more than one occasion for the sake of the opera on the Tough Pigs forum!
by Shane Keating
