Spin Fun Knowin' Ya

"Spin Fun Knowin' Ya" is the first episode of the Happy Tree Friends internet series, and thus, the first episode of Happy Tree Friends. This is also the episode that introduces Cuddles, Giggles, Toothy and Lumpy.

HTF's Episode Description
Spin Fun is the very first Happy Tree Friends episode! This show introduces the core character group and also sets up the theme of "innocent mayhem" that runs throughout the entire series. Lumpy is spinning the gang on a merry-go-round, only to have things spiral out of control. A clip of this show was seen in Jennifer Aniston's movie, "The Good Girl."

Plot
Lumpy takes Cuddles, Giggles, and Toothy to the park, where the kids ride on a merry-go-round. Lumpy spins them at a normal speed, until Cuddles tells Lumpy to spin them faster. Lumpy is only happy to oblige. At first enjoying the fast pace, the group soon realizes they got more than they bargained for. Toothy flies off the merry-go-round and collides into a tree, breaking his back and planting his teeth into the tree. Giggles is next as the pole she holds onto breaks from the merry-go-round, sending her hurtling towards a chopped piece of wood. She is cut in half and the pole impales her chest.

Cuddles has the strength to hang onto the merry-go-round, but he finally flies off when his hands break away from his arms. His body is sent flying into a nearby plane's active engine, shredding his body to bits.

Finally, Lumpy stops spinning the merry-go-round, exhausted from all the effort. The merry-go-round comes to a stop, and Lumpy sees Cuddles' severed hands still hanging onto one of the bars. Realizing what he had done to the children, he walks away, pretending not to notice.

Moral
"Don't forget to floss!"

Popcorn Video
The popcorn video of Spin Fun Knowin' Ya contains these annotations (they all have an acorn on them):
 * Special Pop Corn Video!: Just a statement at the start of the video to point out its the popcorn video.
 * Hide and seek is the number eight cause of accidental deaths among small animals: This is said as Cuddles pops out from behind the tree to wave in the intro sequence like "hide and seek". May also be a reference to the episode of the same name, where many HTFs are killed playing hide and seek.
 * Falling from trees is number four: A follow on from the previous point, this is still in the intro sequence and it appears as Giggles appears while upside down in the tree.
 * The number one cause of death is...: It ends in "..." to build tension, it follows on from the previous point and is finished by the next point.
 * Bullets coming out of guns at very high speed!: Follows on from the previous point and appears in the same place, it helps state hunting is the number one cause of small animal deaths.
 * Cuddles likes to wear bunny slippers: A reference to Cuddles always wearing bunny slippers.
 * Toothy has had tail enlargement surgery: A reference to Toothy's very large tail.
 * Lumpy is thinking about candy!: Possibly referencing Lumpy's immense stupidity.
 * The North American beaver can't fly...: This appears as Toothy is hanging on to the roundabout at high speeds, acting to build tension.
 * ...or go through trees!: Follows on from the previous point and appears as Toothy is slammed into a tree.
 * 80% of children hug playground equipment for dear life: This appears as Giggles is desperatly trying to hold on to the roundabout to avoid dying too.
 * This stunt took 23 takes!: Appears as Giggles flies into the log, is cut in half, and impaled in the chest by the roundabout pipe. This may be a reference to hollywood films constantly having to reset stunts, or it could be that it took 23 tries to get the naimation for this sequence just right.
 * Cuddles' thumbs are backward: Appears as Cuddles is desperatly trying to hold on to the roundabout, where his thumbs are shown.
 * Heavy breathing in...: Appears as Lumpy is spinning the roundabout frantically, and has a countdown:
 * 3
 * 2
 * 1
 * Panting!: At the end of the countdown and appears flashing exactly when Lumpy is panting.
 * Rabbit's feet are considered good luck!: Appears when Cuddles hands are revealed to still be gripping the roundabout as a joke.
 * Cuddles has gone on to star in a series of straight-to-video Ninja movies called "Paws Of Fury". Toothy is currently wanted in 7 states for impersonating a dentist. He was last seen in Ohio. Giggles has written a tell-all autobiography called "Tears Behind the Giggles". Lumpy went on to sponsor a bill in the Senate banning the parking of commercial planes near playground. To this day 5 lives have been saved: This appears after the episode ends. Cuddles' part pokes fun at him as a rabbit, Toothy's part pokes fun at his enormous teeth, Giggles' part references how happy and giggly she appears to be, and Lumpy's part references what had just happened to Cuddles in the episode.
 * 6 Lives: Lumpy's section stated he had saved 5 lives, now it is 6.

Deaths

 * 1) Toothy flies off a merry-go-round and slams into a tree, breaking his bones and back.
 * 2) Giggles flies into a chopped piece of wood, cutting her in half. She is then impaled by the merry-go-round's detatched bar.
 * 3) Cuddles flies off a merry-go-round and into a plane's engine, shredding him to bits.

Commentary
In the First Blood DVD a series of commentaries ran through out the episodes.

Rhode: Welcome to the Happy Tree Friends commentary! My name's Rhode Montijo with, um... I'll let everyone introduce themselves.

Kenn: Rhode Montijo: Director, Kenn Navarro: Animation Director,

Aubrey: Aubrey Ankrum, I just came up with the... the... half of the idea, early early on. Not much really, just kinda hanging out. Hi!

Warren: Uh...Warren Graff, writer

Jason: Jason Sadler, I'm one of the animators

Lippy: And 'Lippy', big fan.

Kenn: Well, Lippy does a voice.

Jim: Jim Lively, sound engineer.

Rhode: Woo! (claps)

(Everyone joins in)

Aubrey: So this is the first episode we animated.

Warren: And actually, I did the voice of Toothy, Warren Graff here speaking, and uh, we just thought, just thought we'd make each death kind of, you know, be bigger tha the last one so, oop, (refering to Giggles death as it happens on screen)see? That's just a little bit bigger than running into a tree.

Rhode: This was the initial episode that kicked it off for us, the, this is the one that we pitched as the, the main one and we got, the pilot and we got the rest of the episodes to come from it.

Aubrey: The rest is history and now we're soaking in fat cash.

Jim: (making a sound effect as Cuddles' hands slide off the bar)

Lippy: We're broadcasting from a golden island. I am covered in gold.

Warren: So, um,

Lippy: And ladies.

Warren: (Continuing on) Each episode started off with a very happy, um, um, moment I guess and ended with a nice message for the kids. (Said as the moral shows up) (Continues into the next episode)

Goofs

 * 1) In the beginning of the episode, Cuddles has white cheeks, but they later become pink.
 * 2) Also, in the beginning of the episode, Giggles does not show any buckteeth when her mouth is closed, but that changes soon after.
 * 3) The backs of everyone's ears have holes.
 * 4) When everyone is being killed, their buckteeth aren't visible.
 * 5) Even though Cuddles' hands are torn off by the force of the merry-go-round's spinning, severed hands fly out the back of the airplane engine.
 * 6) Even though the pole on the merry-go-round gets pulled off by Giggles, it reappears when Lumpy stops spinning the merry-go-round.
 * 7) Lumpy's antlers change directions at the end.
 * 8) Cuddles' hands aren't visible until the merry-go-round comes to a complete stop.
 * 9) When Toothy breaks his back, he loses the two hairs atop of his head.
 * 10) When Cuddles' hands are shown gripping the bar at the end, they are facing the wrong way.
 * 11) If Cuddles and Toothy were outstretched like they were, they should have hit Lumpy, but they didn't.
 * 12) If one pause nearly at the end there's a brief shot of Giggles holding the merry go round.
 * 13) In the beginning, whenever Giggles is shown from the back, her left ear appears to have purple marking.

Videos
Video:Spin Fun Knowin' YaVideo:Happy Tree Friends - Popcorn Video: Spin Fun Knowin' Ya

Trivia

 * This is the only episode where Giggles does not have a light pink streak on her head. Despite this, she appears this way during the intro of every first season episode she stars in.
 * This is the only episode where Toothy has two hairs on his head. Despite this, he appears this way during the intro of every first season episode he stars in.
 * This episode appeared in the Jennifer Aniston movie, The Good Girl.
 * This episode was recreated at the end of Blast from the Past. There are numerous differences between this episode and the scene in Blast from the Past including:
 * 1) In this episode, Giggles doesn't have the diamond mark on her head, Toothy has two stray hairs atop his head, and Cuddles' cheeks are white at the beginning. These are fixed in Blast from the Past.
 * 2) In this episode, Cuddles, Giggles, and Toothy have their mitten hands throughout the episode. In the future episode, their fingers can be seen in numerous instances.
 * 3) In this episode, only Cuddles laughs and tells Lumpy to go faster. In the future episode, he, Giggles, and Toothy all laugh as they tell Lumpy to push them faster.
 * 4) In the future episode, Toothy flinches after Lumpy begins pushing them faster, whereas he doesn't do that in this episode.
 * 5) In the future episode Toothy's expression changes before he flies off the merry-go-round, whereas in this episode it doesn't change until after he flies off.
 * 6) When Toothy flies off the merry-go-round in this episode, he flies in a different direction than he does in Blast from the Past.
 * 7) In this episode, when Toothy hits the tree his blood splatters in a design pattern. In Blast From the Past, his blood is splattered more spaced out.
 * 8) In this episode, the pole that Giggles holds onto is solid when it breaks off. In the future episode, when it breaks off, it is hollow.
 * 9) In this episode, Giggles is cut completely in half by the stump. In the future episode, her spinal cord connects the two pieces of her body.
 * 10) In this episode, one cannot see Giggles' teeth when she is cut in half, but they are present in the future episode.
 * 11) In this episode, chunks of Cuddles' body can be seen coming out of the airplane's engine. In the future episode, only his blood flies out the back.
 * 12) After Toothy and Giggles fly off the merry-go-round in this episode, Cuddles yells, "Alright! Alright! I don't wanna die!" whereas in Blast from the Past he shouts, "Oh my God, I'm gonna die! Not this old death again!"
 * 13) In this episode Lumpy is neither paying attention to the kids nor smiling. In Blast From the Past, he is both smiling and paying attention to the kids.
 * 14) In this episode, Cuddles' hands face the wrong way at the end. In Blast From the Past, they are facing the right way.
 * Despite being the first official episode of Happy Tree Friends, an unreleased (at the time) episode named Banjo Frenzy was produced a year prior. The designs of charcters (e.g., color, species, etc.) and animation is different from the regular series.