Scouting in Popular Culture - TV

TV

  • 3rd Rock from the Sun episode "I Brake for Dick" (1997) US; Harry attempts to follow the ways of the Boy Scouts.
  • All of Us episode "Crime and Maybe Some Punishment" (2006) US; Bobby goes to a Fireside Kids jamboree.
  • American Dad! episode "Homeland Insecurity" (2005) US; Stan forces Steve to join the Scout Rangers to be prepared for the coming foreign invasion. However, the Scout clubhouse is a front for drinking and gambling by a bunch of partying delinquents.
  • The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) US; Opie was shown as a Cub Scout in a few episodes and as a Boy Scout in at least one episode.
  • Are You Tougher Than a Boy Scout? (2013) US; A reality series on The National Geographic Channel which pits a team of adult former Scouts against a team of Eagle Scouts in several outdoor competitions.
  • Armchair Theatre UK: Season 15, Episode 4 Brussels Sprouts-Boy Scouts (2 October 1973). Controversial drama about teenaged Scouts.
  • The Big Bang Theory episode "The Adhesive Duck Deficiency" (2009) US; After they run out of food, Leonard, Howard, and Raj go insane and develop a plan to raid a Cub Scout Troop to obtain more food.
  • The Brady Bunch episode "The Liberation of Marcia Brady" (1971) US; Marcia joins Greg's Frontier Scouts to prove she is equal to the initiation tasks. Greg then tries to retaliate by joining Marcia's Sunflower Girls.
  • Boardwalk Empire episode "Ging Gang Goolie" (2012) US; at a Boy Scouts of America breakfast in 1923 Washington, D.C., "Ging Gang Goolie" is sung.
  • Camp Lazlo (2005) US; An animated series about Bean Scouts at summer camp.
  • Dad's Army (1968-1977) UK; The character of Maurice Yeatman, the belligerent verger, is also the leader of the local Sea Scouts. The Scouts make brief appearances in several episodes, most notably The Big Parade (Episode 1 of Season 4, first shown 25 September 1970), and Come In, Your Time Is Up (Episode 4 of Season 8, first shown 26 Sep 1975).
  • The Fairly OddParents (2001-2013) US; Several episodes ("Scout's Honor", "Odd, Odd West", "Who's Your Daddy?", "Squirrely Puffs", and "Dinklescouts") feature a Scout-like group called the Squirrely Scouts.
  • Family Guy episode "The Son Also Draws" (1999) US; Chris gets kicked out of Scouts.
  • The Flintstones episode "Cave Scout Jamboree" (1964) US; While camping, Fred and Barney stumble upon a Cave Scout jamboree, and Fred helps out as a Scoutmaster.
  • Friends episode "The One where Rachel Quits" After Ross accidentally breaks a young girl's leg, he offers to make it up to her by selling her Girl Scouts-like cookies. The girl has to sell at least 400 boxes to go to Space Camp, mocking both the prizes offered by troops for selling the cookies, and the rising prices of the boxes in recent times.
  • Full House (1987–1995) US; DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle are all members of the Honey Bees in various episodes. The Honey Bees wear bee costumes, complete with stinger. A girl does the honey bee salute by moving her body in such a manner as to make the stinger move back-and-forth. They sell jars of honey rather than cookies.
  • Galactica 1980 episode "The Super Scouts (Parts 1 & 2)" (1980) US;
  • George and Mildred UK; episode In Sickness and In Health (October 1979). Mildred goes to hospital; George is invited next-door for dinner and allows his friend Jerry to entertain a "niece" at his house in the meantime. Mildred is released from hospital and ejects Jerry and partner; fortunately, the neighbours' son Tristram (in Cub uniform) has put up a tent in the garden that they can use.
  • The Golden Girls (1985–1992) US; In several episodes, Rose Nylund is the Cadet Master of a group of sunshine Cadets. Some members of the Sunshine Cadets are portrayed as committing mild acts of hooliganism.
  • The Goodies UK; episode Scoutrageous (1977). When Graeme and Bill find out that Tim is secretly a Scout, they become masked "bad scouts", which result in Scouting becoming an illegal organisation. Tim and the other Scouts are forced to hide from the "Scoutfinder General".
  • iCarly (2007–2012) US; In Season 2, Spencer tries to help a Sunshine Girl sell the most fudgeballs to win a bicycle so he can date her mother, who he also tells that his sister, Carly, was also a Sunshine Girl when she was little. Spencer ends up in direct competition with two other Sunshine Girls for the bike (who both look too old to be Sunshine Girls).
  • It (1990) US; Young Stan uses the Scout Oath and Scout Law as mantras against fear.
  • The Jetsons episode "Good Little Scouts" (1962) US; George goes camping on the moon with Elroy and Space Cub Troop 54.
  • Jim'll Fix It (1980) UK; This was a series where viewers wrote in and each episode several of the wishes would be realized. In one episode, a pack of Cub Scouts requested having their lunch somewhere unusual. The program sent them on the Revolution at Pleasure Beach Blackpool. The clip became one of the most requested on British TV shows. The situation was repeated in 2007 with the same participants for Jim'll Fix it Strikes Again.
  • Kim Possible (2002–2007) US; In several episodes, Pixie Scouts are mentioned and shown. A Girl Scout-style organization whose motto is "Pixies Stick Together!". They're mentioned to sell both muffins and cookies, the former of which Ron Stoppable says he loves. Pixies are either guided by a den mother, or in Mr. Barkin's case, a "Brigadier Pixie." Kim Possible (Ron's best friend who later becomes his girlfriend), was a Pixie Scout herself when she was younger.
  • King of the Hill US; In episode "The Order of the Straight Arrow" (1997) Hank and the guys take Bobby's troop camping, and induct them into the Order of the Straight Arrow, a parody of the Order of the Arrow. In "Straight as an Arrow" (2008), Bobby and his friends join the Order of the Straight Arrow; this time presented as a parody of a Boy Scout troop with no continuity to the 1997 episode.
  • Leave It to Beaver episode "Lonesome Beaver" (1958) US; 12-year old Wally and Eddie Haskell join the Boy Scouts but Beaver at age "seven and three-quarters" learns he must wait until he is at least 11. When Wally's troop goes on a weekend campout, Beaver is forlorn.
  • Lost In Space episode "His Majesty Smith" (1966) US; Doctor Zachary Smith (Jonathan Harris) recites the Scout Law in an attempt to free himself from the Androids, creatures who crown the most worthless man as king of Andromeda, as apart of their Festival of Sacrifice each year.
  • The Man Show US; The Man Show Boy dresses like a Girl Scout and attempts to sell cookies.
  • The Mighty B! (2008) – the main character of this show is a badge-obsessed Honeybee Scout who wants to become a superhero, the other scout troops are the Butterflies, the Black Widows, the Beavers, The Junebugs, and the Dragonflies.
  • Mockingbird Lane (2012) US; in this remake of The Munsters, Eddie Munster is a Wilderness Explorer.
  • Mork & Mindy (1978–1982): In an episode where Mork learns to say "No," a Girl Scout selling cookies bullies him into buying five boxes ("or else a sweet, little kid doesn't get to go to camp.") She then drops the cookie boxes on the floor as she storms out of Mindy's apartment.
  • NCIS: The character Timothy McGee is mentioned several times to have been a Boy Scout in his youth.
  • The New Normal episode About a Boy Scout involved the Boy Scouts of America membership controversies.
  • Nickelodeon's 14th Annual Kid's Choice Awards (2001) US; Destiny's Child appeared wearing BSA uniforms
  • Phineas and Ferb (2007) Isabella Garcia-Shapiro is a Fireside Girls troop leader.
  • Recess (2000) Phil is a Wild Screaming Woodchuck Scout who is always seen in uniform. In the episode "Beyond a Reasonable Scout" Mikey and Gus attempt to join as well.
  • The Replacements (2006) US; Riley is in the Jerky Girls.
  • In an episode of Totally Spies, a parody of the Girl Scouts called the Happy Girls are shown.
  • Scouting for Adventure, ongoing Outdoor Channel documentary series, US; about the values and activities of the Boy Scouts of America, showing outdoor Scouting activities such as rock climbing, backpacking, canoeing, whitewater rafting, merit badges, and campfire cooking.
  • The Simpsons episode "Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood" (1993) US; Bart joins the Junior Campers, a Boy Scout-style organization that's not affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America, and has a series of misadventures (mainly thanks to his father, Homer).
  • The Simpsons episode "A Star Is Burns" (1995) US; It's shown that Lisa's a member of the Girl Scouts, and Barney Gumble mistakes one her Girl Scout meetings for an AA meeting.
  • The Simpsons episode "The Bart of War" (2003) US; Bart joins the Pre-Teen Braves (Native American-themed) while his best friend, Milhouse, joins the Calvary Kids (Civil War Union Soldier-themed).
  • South Park episode "Cripple Fight" (2001) US; The boys join the Mountain Scouts with Big Gay Al as Scoutmaster.
  • South Park episode "Jewbilee" (1999) US; Kyle, Kenny and Ike go to a Jew Scout camp where Moses appears.
  • Squirrel Boy (2006) US; Andy and Rodney are in the Badger Scouts.
  • WarioWare, Inc., Dr. Crygor is in The Mighty Bean Scouts. In the episode "The Big Surprise", Mona is a member of the Ultra Dog Scouts. In "The Diamond City 10", 9-Volt attempts to join The Mega Volt Scouts, but is not allowed to join because of his regular anger rushes.

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