Joe n' Fro

*Everyone take out your spelling books, it's time for arithmetic.*
This article contains disputed canon, like the *Sideways Arithmetic* books or the cartoon. While officially produced and part of the *Wayside School* series, facts displayed here may not correspond with the main book series.

## General

### Airdate

December 18, 2007 (CAN)
August 29, 2008 (US, Nicktoons)

## Chronology

### Next

"Upside Down John"

"**Joe n' Fro**" is the second half of the ninth episode of the second season of *Wayside*.

## Synopsis

Mr. Kidswatter's yard beautification project displaces the wildlife near Wayside School, but Joe seeks to give them refuge in his afro.

## Plot

This episode begins on the schoolyard, with the students of Mrs. Jewls's class helping tear up the yard for Mr. Kidswater's yard beautification project. Louis is confused as to why beautifying the yard means cutting everything down, but Mr. Kidswatter explains that it's not cutting down, it's building up. He prepares to cut down a bush with his chainsaw, but a rabbit pops out, which he shoos away, before it's found by Joe. He begins to hack away at everything in the yard, including every bush, and a large shed. Todd asks if they need to cut down *everything*, and Mr. Kidswatter explains that they do for his new *gazebo!* He hacks down a tree, and the squirrel living in it is also found by Joe. With the yard now cleared, Mr. Kidswatter pronounces phase one of his plan complete and has all the students clean up the mess he left behind.

Later that day, Joe is seen putting a few leaves, nuts, and twigs in his hair before leaving. The students get upset that he's ditching yard duty, and when Dana says that he's doing less work than Myron, Myron decides to have a word with him. When Myron gets close to Joe, however, he ends up harshly sneezing, and he ends up announcing he think he might be allergic to Joe. In the classroom, Mrs. Jewls has everyone prepare their calculators for spelling class, but when Todd doesn't have one, he has to get an extra from Joe. Todd walks up to Joe, but is disturbed by the stench of his hair, and also how it keeps throwing nuts, leaves, and twigs at him. However, when Todd tries to tell Joe about his hair, Joe ends up repeatedly denying it.

In the cafeteria, Todd, Maurecia, Myron, Dana, and Stephen are sitting together and talking about Joe, complaining about his hair. Joe, unaware of the conversation topic, asks if he can sit with them, but they claim that the empty seat is reserved for Stephen's imaginary friend, Mr. Invisible. Todd admits he feels bad for lying to Joe, but Maurecia has no remorse. Stephen continues to laugh with Mr. Invisible, and Todd says it's okay for him to keep pretending, but Stephen insists he isn't pretending as he goes to solve a mystery with Mr. Invisible, who gets out of his chair and leaves a trail of visible footprints. Todd looks at Joe sitting alone, and wonders if he should tell Joe that he's sorry, but after seeing more leaves and twigs falling out of his hair, he changes his mind. Outside, Mr. Kidswatter is about to whack a gopher, when he's confronted by Miss Mush to cut it out. Mr. Kidswatter explains that he needs to do it for his exciting new *gazebo*, but Miss Mush, hearing his description, questions if he knows what a gazebo even is. Kidswatter insists that he does, and decides to get Louis to send a note to Mrs. Jewls's class to bring them all down for its big reveal.

Back in Mrs. Jewls's class, everyone is standing on the side of the room opposite of Joe, and Joe, having enough of everyone's mistreatment of him, decides to ask what they thing is wrong with him. Dana states that they like *him* just fine, and Myron explains that the issue isn't him, but his hair. Joe, however, states there's nothing wrong with his hair either, as more leaves and twigs fall out. The note reaches Mrs. Jewls, who rounds up everyone in the class to see the new *gazebo!* Joe, however, is not excited, realizing what this means for the yard, which is now revealed to be a barren wasteland, with nothing but a single, leafless bush in the middle. Mr. Kidswatter prepares to chop it down, but it's defended by a squirrel, who ends up fighting with him. Joe rushes to its defense, but Maurecia stops him, saying they want to save it, not scare it with his hair. While the squirrel manages to give Mr. Kidswatter a good walloping, Kidswatter fights back with a tractor, causing Joe to get back to running towards the squirrel.

Joe motions the squirrel towards his hair, and it hops in, though Mr. Kidswatter assumes it was just scared away. The other students celebrate the squirrel being saved, and Joe reveals that his hair has saved two rabbits and a chipmunk as well. Myron, remembering his allergy to chipmunks, realizes that that's why he's sneezing. The other students all apologize to Joe, and compliment his hair for being a nature refuge. Outside the schoolyard, however, a truck pulls up, and Louis retrieves a crate containing the *gazebo!* However, when it's opened, Kidswatter learns what a gazebo actually is, is unimpressed, and has Louis take it back. Mr. Kidswatter decides that everyone else should have to clean the schoolyard for him, but after objections from the students and wildlife, is forced to do it himself. Joe claims that that's how a yard should be beautified, and the episode ends.

## Characters

* Leslie
* Eric Fry
* Eric Bacon
* Eric Ovens
* Rondi
* Maurecia
* Yodana
* Todd
* Myron
* Mr. Kidswatter
* Louis
* Wildlife
* Joe
* Mrs. Jewls
* John
* Jenny
* Elizabeth
* Bebe
* Stephen
* Shari
* Incidental 050 (palette-swapped)
* Incidental 007 (palette-swapped)
* Incidental 002 (palette-swapped)
* Incidental 004 (palette-swapped)
* Incidental 024 (final appearance)
* Incidental 022 (final appearance)
* Incidental 013 (palette-swapped)
* Mr. Invisible (debut)
* Miss Mush

## Trivia

* This is the first episode of the cartoon where Joe is referred to by name.
* It is possible that the joke of calculators being used in spelling class is some weird, botched reference to the *Sideways Arithmetic* series, where math problems are written using words instead of numbers.
* Myron claims to be allergic to chipmunks in this episode, especially strange considering he had a pet chipmunk in the books. ("Pet Day")
* It is likely that, with Mr. Kidswatter's descriptions, he was thinking of a casino, which are known for being luxurious and exciting. However, the *main* feature of casinos, which is gambling, is never brought up, likely because *Wayside* is a children's cartoon.