The Amazing World of Gumball: The Party

Junior high student cat Gumball Watterson, his family—including former goldfish pet turned walking pseudo-brother Darwin—and friends (such as a T-rex and a banana) are featured in this 12-episode compilation from the 2011-12 first season of the Cartoon Network-aired series. The titular episode, “The Party,” finds Gumball protesting too much about his love for Penny the moose (“Why are your eyes shaped like hearts?” asks Darwin. “Allergies…” swoons Gumball, as he gazes at Penny across the lunchroom), and then struggling to land another date to a coveted party. When Granny Jojo comes to babysit in “The Kiss,” Gumball is traumatized after her usual dreaded smooch accidentally ends up on his lips. In “The Secret,” Gumball and Darwin are locked in a bathroom where they share a secret. Also including “The Debt,” “The Goons,” “The Poltergeist,” “The Prank,” and more, this silly series is the smart equivalent of Funyuns for the brain. Bonus features include a character gallery. Recommended. Aud: P. (J. Williams-Wood)