Top 10 Best Episodes of Disney's Recess

Spinelli is the toughest member of the gang, so it’s totally scandalous when her first name is revealed to be … Ashley. When she’s outed by the devious Randall, Third Street’s cool girl clique forcibly inducts her into their ranks, for the good of the Ashley name. Spinelli’s friends and fellow fourth graders are determined to free her from her new life, whatever it takes. It’s fun to see Spinelli in a new light but satisfying that she’s never swayed by the Ashley worldview. She’s still our Spinelli, whatever she looks like.

For an elementary school kid, running into your teacher outside of school will never not be weird. Seeing them as human is simply out of the question. However, “Recess” does attempt to humanize the adults occasionally. In “To Finster with Love,” the school’s strictest teacher gets her chance at romance. In “Weekend at Muriel’s,” we bear witness to a whole weekend in her life. When Miss Finster offers to babysit Spinelli, bunion scraping, old-timey music, and liver and sprouts are all on the agenda. But after learning that Spinelli thinks she’s boring, the fierce old lady reveals a whole new side to her personality – and her guest even finds herself having a good time.

“Recess” has a vernacular all of its own, from the Ashleys’ catchphrase to T.J.’s oft quoted expression, “tender.” “Whomps” is another T.J.-ism, and here we find out he invented it in the second grade, to avoid getting in trouble for cursing. It’s a word that means nothing, but the grown-ups soon decide it must have some offensive meaning and proceed to have it banned. Which of course only causes the word to spread like wildfire. T.J.’s a sucker for a cause and takes on the fight for the right to play around with language and create your own slang. The moral of the story? Freedom of expression is a good thing – and sometimes a funny word is just that.

It would take a lot to break the spirit of T.J. Detweiler Jr., but in “The Box,” Miss Finster almost manages it. “The Box” is her brainchild, a promising new punishment designed to separate rule breakers from their peers and place them within the confines of four lines painted on the ground. At first the kids mock the idea, but when T.J. becomes the first to earn himself ten minutes of solitary confinement, it proves to be a surprisingly effective deterrent. The episode is a smart, memorable installment with some great jokes.

The gang get off the playground and into the world of pageants in this Spinelli-centered episode, where the “Miss Congeniality” vibes are strong. The Ashleys enter Spinelli into the “Little Miss Blush” contest as a prank, but – never one to shy away from a challenge – Spinelli resolves to actually try and win the thing. Vince, who never met a competition he couldn’t get invested in, takes on the role of coach and his scenes are a hilarious highlight. With a strong team behind her, Spinelli makes it further than anyone expects, but the ending still comes as a surprise.

All work and no play makes Third Street School a gray and depressing place, when the government decides to test out an experimental program of no recess. Unusually, the kids are largely passive here. They’re subject to the whims of the board of education while the social commentary plays out. In an attempt to make a statement and look impressive, the board picks a fail-safe school to test out their joyless scheme. But the joke’s on them when test scores plummet – as anyone with any common sense could have predicted. It’s not the most feel-good episode but it definitely has something to say.

The genuine friendship between the gang is one of the things that makes “Recess” so special. Gus is the newest member of the group, but every one of the guys still has his back – and on picture day, they prove it. Gus is an army kid who has never had a class picture, so his friends commit themselves to keeping him dirt free, risking their own cleanliness in the process. As the day progresses the playground becomes a warzone, and by the time the fourth grade is called up, there’s only two kids left standing. The twist ending might just have you tearing up.

In the world of “Recess” the kids are running a society all their own, so sometimes it’s easy to forget they’re like, nine years old. In “The Experiment” we get a reminder, when the gang are horrified by Butch’s horror story of his older brother kissing a girl. The mysterious kid imparts a dire warning – kissing is the future. Shocked and disturbed by these revelations, it’s soon suggested that the gang should draw straws and try some kissing of their own – purely as an experiment. T.J. and Spinelli are the chosen victims and the whole school gathers to see the results. It’s a goofy little episode but guaranteed to make you smile.

This show loved to tackle a big theme and in this episode it takes on capitalism. T.J. is out sick for a week and returns to discover there’s a new currency on the playground – Monstickers. Without stickers, you’re nothing – even lying on the grass incurs a fee. Forced to sell his hat to Menlo (who has family stickers) T.J. commits himself to working his way up the ladder. Getting nowhere fast, he starts paying littler kids to do his work for a lower price and taking his cut off the top. The writing is whip smart and it’s fun to see T.J. embrace his inner evil dictator.

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

In Which T.J. Is Captured by the Kindergarteners

Gus Makes His First Appearance & Learns to Stand Up for Himself

Third Street School Mourns the Passing of Speedy, the Fourth Grade’s Pet Hamster

Miss Grotke Goes Out Sick & T.J. Has a Battle of Wills with the Substitute Teacher

The Gang Are On a Mission to Discover the Secrets of the Staffroom

The spirit of rebellion and protest has always been strong with this show and “The Great Jungle Gym Standoff” is one of the most feel-good examples. When the school decides it’s time to tear down the playground jungle-gym – affectionately christened “Old Rusty” – the kids choose to make a stand. Though the teachers try their best, the kids will not be moved. When their parents are called in to make their offspring see reason, they instead join in the show of solidarity. Ultimately, the people get what they want – preserving their nostalgia, while creating something new.

Which “Recess” episode do you remember best? And who was your favorite character? Share your favorites in the comments!