"The Copycats" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the British-American animated sitcom The Amazing World of Gumball. Directed by Mic Graves and written by series creator Ben Bocquelet alongside Tobi Wilson, James Hamilton, James Huntrods, and Joe Markham, the episode premiered on Cartoon Network in the United States on February 6, 2017.
| "The Copycats" | |
|---|---|
| The Amazing World of Gumball episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 5 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Mic Graves |
| Written by |
|
| Story by | Ben Bocquelet |
| Production code | GB517 |
| Original air date | February 6, 2017 |
In the episode, the Wattersons discover a family of knock-off counterparts—the Chi Chi family—who mimic their every move. To force the imitators to stop, the Wattersons escalate a series of increasingly dangerous and bizarre stunts, eventually pushing both families to their breaking points.[1]
Plot
edit| External videos | |
|---|---|
 | |
 "The Copycats" (Official Clip) on YouTube |
While grocery shopping, Gumball and Darwin encounter Chi Chi and Ribbit, two children who mimic their every word and action.[2] The situation escalates when the rest of the Watterson family discovers their own doppelgängers. Gumball realizes that the copycats are the stars of a Chinese animated series, The Incredible World of Chi Chi, which is profiting by imitating the Wattersons' lives.
After a confrontation results in a stalemate, the Wattersons attempt to encourage the copycats to be original through a musical number, "Copycats", but the imitators simply perform a mirrored version of the song. Anais concludes that the copycats are physically and narratively bound to follow their lead. To force them to stop, the Wattersons engage in increasingly life-threatening stunts, betting that the copycats' lack of "plot armor" will eventually catch up to them.
The conflict culminates in a high-speed truck chase toward an unfinished bridge. While the Wattersons narrowly escape the resulting explosion thanks to Anais' quick thinking, the copycats—who lack an Anais counterpart—plunge into the gorge. The following day, all traces of the Chinese series have vanished. The episode ends on a meta-note: while celebrating their uniqueness, the Wattersons "glitch" and suddenly speak with new voices, a reference to the real-life transition of the show's voice actors.[3]
Production
editThe episode marked the final performance of Jacob Hopkins and Terrell Ransom Jr., who were replaced by Nicolas Cantu and Donielle T. Hansley Jr. due to the original actors' voices changing as they aged.[4][5]
The episode was specifically designed as a parody of Miracle Star (三元奶粉), a Chinese advertisement campaign and animated series that had been accused of plagiarizing the show's character designs and animation style. During the production of the episode, the creative team sought legal counsel to ensure that their designs for the "Chi Chi" family—while clearly satirizing Miracle Star—remained distinct enough to avoid copyright infringement claims from the creators of the parody's subject. This created a "meta" legal layer, where the show had to legally protect its right to parody its own imitators.[6]
In a 2025 retrospective, creator Ben Bocquelet reflected on how episodes like "The Copycats" allowed the team to address industry challenges through metafiction.[7]
Satire of Miracle Star
editThe episode was produced as a satirical response to Miracle Star, a Chinese animated series that was criticized for plagiarizing The Amazing World of Gumball. Prior to the episode's release, media outlets reported that the show would explicitly feature these "bootleg" characters to address the controversy.[8]
Reception
edit"The Copycats" received critical acclaim and is frequently cited by critics and fans as one of the series' most inventive episodes. It was praised for its bold meta-commentary on intellectual property theft and its direct response to the Miracle Star plagiarism controversy.
Reviewing the episode for Mattalahmode, critics noted that the premise was "brilliant" and exceeded high expectations, particularly praising the "Copycats" musical number for its clever mirrored animation. The episode's climax—a high-stakes truck chase—was highlighted as one of the darkest and most effective action sequences in the series.[9]
Legacy
editIn a 2025 interview regarding the series' revival, the production team noted that the narrative techniques used to transition lead actors—first perfected in episodes like "The Copycats"—remained a core part of the show's creative philosophy.[10]
References
edit- ↑ "Shows A-Z - amazing world of gumball, the on cartoon". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ "The Amazing World of Gumball: The Copycats". The Futon Critic. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ Milligan, Mercedes (February 6, 2017). "'Gumball' Sounds Off on Copycats". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ Bocquelet, Ben [@benbocquelet] (February 6, 2017). "Huge thanks to @HopkinsJacob5 and @TerrellRansomJr for their amazing work. Welcome @NicolasCantu and @DonielleHansley!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via Twitter.
Series creator Ben Bocquelet welcoming the new voice actors for Gumball and Darwin.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ↑ "Cartoon Network's "The Amazing World of Gumball" Returns with All-New Episodes Starting Monday, February 6" (Press release). Cartoon Network. January 30, 2017. Retrieved March 11, 2026 – via The Futon Critic.
- ↑ Staff (July 7, 2014). "Interview with Ben Bocquelet, creator of 'The Amazing World of Gumball'". Skwigly. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ "The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball Creators Discuss Reviving the Past". Tell-Tale TV. July 21, 2025. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ Atkinson, Jacob (February 4, 2017). "'Gumball' will meet 'Miracle Star' bootleg characters in new episode". Blasting News. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ Edwards, Matt (February 6, 2017). "The Amazing World of Gumball Review: The Copycats". Mattalahmode. Retrieved February 20, 2026.
- ↑ Murphy, Jackson (2025). "INTERVIEW: Inviting You To "The Wonderfully Weird World Of Gumball"". Animation Scoop. Retrieved February 20, 2026.