Phineas Flynn

"So, Ferb, what should we do tomorrow? There's a world of possibilities. Maybe we should make a list!"

- Phineas to his stepbrother.

, also known as Dinner Bell by Buford, is a boy in the Flynn-Fletcher family. He is the son of Linda Flynn and stepson of Lawrence Fletcher. His sister is Candace, and his stepbrother is Ferb. He is friends with Buford, Baljeet, and Isabella, who has a strong crush on him (if he returns it is so far unknown). He has a strong bond with Perry, their pet platypus, and he always wonders where he is.

An incurable optimist, Phineas constantly looks on the brighter side of things. He is as well extremely smart, creative, and persistent, causing him to build immensely large inventions and activities with the help of his stepbrother. He is kind, which sometimes has an effect on his plans.

Early life


Born in America in the 90s, Phineas lives in the town of Danville. As a baby, Phineas’s mother, Linda, met and fell in love with Ferb's father, a British archaeologist named Lawrence Fletcher at a Love Händel concert. Eventually the two got married, and Phineas and his sister, Candace, gained a step-dad and a stepbrother named Ferb. ("Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together")

Phineas was raised in what is called a "blended family", but being since he lived like this his whole life, it felt more as a normal, average, American family. Phineas and his sibling are such sometimes confused by their mother as being their stepfather's birth children, such as being told they have his imagination ("It's About Time!").

Phineas has visited Little Duffer's, the only mini golf place in Danville, since a young age. Phineas has always been small, but adapts well ("Put That Putter Away").

Phineas, while living on Maple Drive, met several friends. One was Isabella Garcia-Shapiro, who has a huge crush on him. She participated in his summer plans supposedly since the beginning ("Rollercoaster", "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror").

Every year since about when he was a baby, Phineas and his family, along with several friends, will visit Clyde and Betty Jo Flynn's house, dubbing it "Camp Phineas and Ferb." ("Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!", "The Ballad of Badbeard")

Early months
One of Phineas' first plans was training monkeys to juggle bicycles (in the Original Story Pitch, a little bit before building the Coolest Coaster Ever. An early activity he participated in was going to a state fair and going on a "lame" roller coaster, which only went up a few feet, then dropped down in and was over after only about 3 seconds ("Rollercoaster").

On the first day of one summer, Phineas built an extremely large rollercoaster, dubbing it the Coolest Coaster Ever. After this, he built a beach in their backyard and remodeled Mount Rushmore for Candace's birthday ("Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo", "Rollercoaster", "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror", "Candace Loses Her Head").

Phineas was famous for a day due to his formation of the band Phineas and the Ferb-Tones, a mega one-hit wonder band. His band included Ferb Fletcher, and Fireside Girls Troop 46231. The band was offered by mega record company Huge-O-Records to be a client, but passed it down a la diva-tantrum. The band performed for the last time at Googolplex Mall, performing Gitchee Gitchee Goo with Phineas' sister, Candace ("Flop Starz").

Phineas was one of the first successful time travelers, reconstructing a time machine in the local museum. Traveling to 300 million B.C., Phineas and Ferb were accidentally accompanied by Candace. The time machine was destroyed by a T-Rex, and while Candace completely lost it, the boys took the time to practice patience, and waited for a message Phineas sent to get to the present. After a while, Isabella and her Fireside Girls troop showed up and rescued them. A lightning bolt struck the power cord on the machine, providing enough power for them to return back home ("It's About Time!").

Phineas is responsible for reuniting the band Love Händel for one night in honor of his parents' wedding anniversary. Phineas had no trouble convincing Danny, but needed to convince Bobbi Fabulous and Swampy through song. Eventually, the band finally performed ("Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together"), and it seems they have stayed together, as they were featured in several episodes afterwards as well.

Phineas and his step-brother went into space, in order for them to see a star that their father named after them. Their sister accidentally tagged along, and the three went on a perilous journey through the galaxy. Surviving an asteroid field and other dangers, they ran out of fuel and stopped at an asteroid where a milkshake bar stood. There, Phineas and Ferb found out that it was really a star and that they owned it. After a while, they returned home, where Phineas was asked to go to a dance by Isabella. And he accepted stating that he and Ferb will see her there, because he didn't realize she meant a date with just the two of them ("Out to Launch").

Middle months
As the middle months approached, Phineas and his friends formed Aglet Aid to raise awareness for Phineas' new found joy, aglets. The aid proved successful, and raised awareness all through Danville. A concert raised bigger awareness, but all memory of the day was erased thanks to Heinz Doofenshmirtz ("Tip of the Day").



He and his brother's interest in the creature "Nosey" caused them to go searching for it at Lake Nose on their trip there. Riding the boat Nosebud, they eventually found the beast and learned he was a kind and gentle creature, but allowed him to live his life in peace away from the eye of the media ("The Lake Nose Monster").

They as well helped their friend, Baljeet, with building a portal to Mars for his science fair project ("Unfair Science Fair"), ("Unfair Science Fair Redux (Another Story)).

A few days later, Baljeet asked them for their help with winning a giant watermelon contest. During this time, Heinz Doofenshmirtz caused the entire universe to grow large, but everything seemed normal to Phineas and everyone else, as it did not look different ("Attack of the 50 Foot Sister").

Phineas received a new pet, Goldie. He and Ferb built a backyard aquarium for her, complete with whales, dolphins, and octopi to keep her company. Dr. Doofenshmirtz's creation froze the aquarium, and it was released into the wild after being accidentally (and unknowingly) pushed by Candace ("Backyard Aquarium")



Phineas and Ferb discovered an alien named Meap in their backyard one day. Phineas states that Meap is the one of the most adorable things in the world. When Meap ran off, Phineas went out to search for him with a tracker while Ferb repaired his spaceship. He later revealed to Isabella that he thought she was very cute. They discovered that Meap was really an intergalactic security agent, and helped him defeat his nemesis, Mitch ("The Chronicles of Meap").

One night, while Phineas and Ferb are sleeping, Perry disappears into his lair and is told by Major Monogram that he will be assigned to a new villain, and also, a new family. Perry then leaves the following morning, leaving Phineas in a state of depression and sadness. Phineas decides to host an awareness campaign (much like he did for the aglets) and sings a song about Perry. Perry then arrives, cheering Phineas up automatically ("Oh, There You Are, Perry").

Phineas, Ferb, Candace, their parents, and Isabella get shipwrecked on a deserted island after a storm. Lawrence asks Phineas and Ferb to help build a shelter where they can stay inside, and Phineas and Ferb do so. However, they overdo it and instead makes some sort of vacation home. Despite that they were only doing what their dad said, Candace tries to bust them (the only reason being that she's angry they didn't build something that would reach the mainland).("Swiss Family Phineas")

On a visit to the beach, Phineas, Ferb, Isabella, Baljeet, Buford, and their uninvited "friend", Irving goes out to look for the lost city of Atlantis ("Atlantis").

On Tri-State Area Unification Day, Phineas and his friends decides to hijack the parade to show what Tri-State unification is all about, making giant floats of themselves, and even have Love Handel preform. Buford makes several attempts to interrupt the parade, but Phineas took precautions and managed to escape his traps. After the floats had literally floated away, Phineas and his friends continues the parade by simply pulling wagons ("Hip Hip Parade").

Adult life
In the 2020s, twenty years after they built the Coolest Coaster Ever, Phineas had earned an award that was presented to him in Switzerland. Prior to that, either he or Ferb married Isabella, as she was introduced to Candace's future children as "Aunt Isabella". Which of the two married her was not stated ("Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo"). The adult version of him was never seen but was mentioned, like Ferb's adult version.

Personality and traits
"I like to keep moving forward."

- Phineas

As a child, Phineas has a large amount of optimism. He pushes forward every time he makes a daily plan. This is what lets his plans succeed, as most children would simply give up once the plan calls for challenging tactics. Usually, Phineas will see the bright side of life, and when faced with a challenge, Phineas will simply find a way to get through it ("The Fast and the Phineas", "Hip Hip Parade").

Phineas attempts to inspire others with his optimism. Mostly, he does this with his sister Candace, such as when they were in Paris ("Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs To You!"). Others he tried to inspire were the members of Love Händel, who wouldn't believe him that they truly did still have fans ("Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together").

He has many friends, almost all of whom have participated in his nearly impossible plans. For example: going on an adventure to find a buried treasure, riding on a rollercoaster, and having fun at a beach; all of which his friends have done with him ("The Ballad of Badbeard", "Rollercoaster", "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror") Even someone like Buford, who might otherwise be an adversary, regularly participates in the plans and also attends their family's "camp" ("The Ballad of Badbeard", "Get That Bigfoot Outa My Face!").



Phineas has shown his kindness several times. Many of his summer plans are because he wants to help someone. For example, he built a haunted house in order to scare the hiccups out of Isabella. Another time, he carved in Mount Rushmore Candace's head for her birthday ("One Good Scare Ought to Do It!", "Candace Loses Her Head").

Other things he has done to help others that show his kindness are helping Django Brown paint the Unpainted Desert for his dad, creating a "Rainbow-Inator" for Isabella so she can finally see a real rainbow, and going on a chase after a disc that Candace needs to bust them ("Oil on Candace", "Hail Doofania!", "Traffic Cam Caper").

Phineas, most likely because he is a still a young boy, can be oblivious to romance at times. The greatest example is the fact that Isabella has a crush on him and is sometimes obvious about it. Phineas, however, still has no idea. Once, Isabella cut a paper string while standing next to Phineas that featured his face and hearts, and he just seemed confused. Another time, she tells him "You had me at our grandchildren", and Phineas falls for it when she corrects herself to "steaks." When in Paris with Isabella, he completely missed her hints of romance, as he was too focused on fixing their plane. His concept of romance is especially simplistic, missing the subtle complexities and figures it could be plugged into a formula ("Run Away Runway", "Comet Kermillian", ("Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to You!"), ("That Sinking Feeling").

Phineas has a very perky attitude, not very easily annoyed, and in only rare cases has shown any sign of exasperation, such as when his sister completely ignored him and put herself in danger ("Out to Launch"). So far, the only times Phineas has shown to be dismayed or exasperated is when Santa proclaims Danville naughty, when Baljeet's wailing interrupts his summer morning, and when Candace dismisses his X-ray glasses("Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!", "The Baljeatles", "No More Bunny Business"). But he truly got angry and shouted at Candace in Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs To You! because she wouldn't swallow her pride and ride a tricycle.

All Phineas wishes for Christmas is to be like Santa Claus, revealing his very loving and caring personality ("Phineas and Ferb Christmas Vacation!").

Phineas also seems to have problems lying to Isabella, he scratches/rubs his ear nervously. Since he never aims for mischief, he has no reason to lie. However, once, Phineas lies to Isabella in order to protect her from Khaka Peü Peü. ("The Beak")

At one point in the summer, Phineas couldn't think of a way to get off of the island they were on and had a mini-mental breakdown. He lost belief in his abilities and gave up. Isabella inspired him, and he regained hope and proceeded to think of a way to get them off of the island. ("Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs To You!")

Ferb Fletcher
"Well, a brother is a brother, but I couldn't have asked for a better one than Ferb. You know what I mean?"

- Phineas

Ferb is not just Phineas' stepbrother, he is his best friend. If it wasn't for Ferb, the wild and crazy days that they have together would not happen. Phineas is very kind to Ferb. Phineas often tells people anything that needs saying (as Ferb doesn't talk much and is more of a "man of action") and once asked Ferb to go to a store, but not before handing him a note with what they wanted on it (so Ferb didn't have to ask) ("Rollercoaster").

The two have known each other almost their whole life, and spend almost every second of the day with each other. They carry a strong, loving bond that holds them together through thick and thin ("Phineas and Ferb Get Busted", "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together").

Perhaps the greatest example of the two's everlasting friendship is when Phineas states that he couldn't ever ask for a better brother than Ferb ("Rollercoaster").

Candace Flynn
"You may be a pain, but you are my brother."

- Candace



Candace is Phineas's biological sister who always tries to expose their schemes. Phineas never seems to be worried, upset, or angry when she yells, "I'm telling mom!" (Occasionally, he will affably reply, "Okay, tell her what?") In fact, he just thinks that all they're doing is innocent (which it is). He appears to love Candace very much and always treats her very nicely despite the fact that she rarely gives them that kind of treatment back when it comes to their schemes, and often offers her a prominent role in one of the plans he devises, assuming that she will have fun ("Rollercoaster," Flop Starz," et al.).

Additionally, he admires her to some degree and seems oblivious to her fears and discomforts. Many of his plans are attempts to help her (example: learning to parallel park), and he was very concerned about what they were going to do on her birthday. Candace sees herself as the only adult in the family and is constantly trying to get the boys in trouble, but she often quickly puts aside her threat to call Mom if she sees potential benefit for herself (usually involving Jeremy) or for someone important to her (example: saving her parents' anniversary) in their scheme. Despite trying to get them busted, her actions seem motivated merely by resentment that they can get away with such spectacular schemes, and not any real malice, though her resentment seems to grow as the series progresses. This usually makes her look bad. She does begin to partake in some of Phineas & Ferb's summer projects as the series continues, but the "urge to bust" is still on her mind ("Rollercoaster", "Traffic Cam Caper", "It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World", "Candace Loses Her Head", "Not Phineas and Ferb").

Linda Flynn-Fletcher
Linda is Phineas's biological mom. He is always polite and honest to her. She never questions the boys because every time they do something, it almost magically disappears, mostly due to Dr. Doofenshmirtz's crazy inventions. Linda seems to think it's all their spectacular imaginations.

He cares for her extremely, and has gone to such extents as to making a huge bash for her birthday. He was also very concerned and even a little guilty when he forgot about it ("Mom's Birthday").

Lawrence Fletcher
Phineas is very kind to his step-dad and, since he's known him as a dad all his life, calls him "Dad". Lawrence has come across Phineas and Ferb's schemes, but it does not faze him. Lawrence and Ferb have a strong physical resemblance, most notably an "F" shaped head. However though, even more resembles his grandfather ("It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World", "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together").

Perry the Platypus
"Oh, there you are, Perry."

- Phineas

Perry is Phineas and Ferb's pet platypus. Perry goes on different spy missions without either of them knowing. He usually ends up cleaning up their daily plan before Mom gets home. Phineas usually explains that platypuses like Perry "don't do much". Phineas appears to care extremely for Perry ("Rollercoaster", "Oh, There You Are, Perry," et al.).

Phineas often queries where Perry goes when they can't find him, as he asks "Where's Perry?" (or something to that effect). This could be because he wants to make sure he's safe ("Rollercoaster"). It seems that Phineas has a stronger bond with Perry than Ferb does, but only very slightly.

Friends
Phineas is very popular around Maple Drive. The other neighborhood children enjoy his and Ferb's activities, nearly always taking part in them. This is possibly how he met his more close friends ("Rollercoaster", "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror", "Raging Bully", "Gaming the System").

Phineas normally takes on his activities with a main "circle" of friends. Buford Van Stomm is in this group; in the past, he more so bullied Phineas, though the two became very close friends after some time ("Gaming the System", "Raging Bully").

Baljeet is another. He asks for Phineas and Ferb's help regularly, even setting up a "Baljeet signal" hologram for them to speak in needed situations. Phineas helps him happily ("Attack of the 50 Foot Sister", "Unfair Science Fair").

Plus, he has a friend named Irving, who is the self-proclaimed fan of Phineas and Ferb. He isn't as main as Buford, Baljeet, and Isabella, but is aminer than Django Brown. (Hide and Seek) (What Do It Do) (Atlantis)

Another friend to a lesser extent is Django Brown ("Jerk De Soleil," "Greece Lightning," "Oil on Candace").

He was briefly friends with Carl, but was unaware that he was undercover for a O.W.C.A. mission. (Undercover Carl)

Fireside Girls Troop 46231 act in the group, under work for their troop leader, Isabella. They have helped Phineas and Ferb 52 times as of "Isabella and the Temple of Sap" ("The Fast and the Phineas", etc.)

Isabella Garcia-Shapiro
"Isabella, you're the best!"

- Phineas thanking Isabella with a hug

Skills
Phineas displays a multiple amount of skills. He has shown to have a large imagination that spans far as it can go, which he uses to do his daily activities. Phineas has a natural curiosity, and he also has great engineering skills, though, he usually lets Ferb do more of the building.

Phineas also has skill at singing. He sings or has a line in almost every song in the series, which he sings with fluency and skillfulness. He can also play a large number of instruments, including the stand-up bass, the guitar, the organ, the piano, and the tambourine. He also owns a scooter, which he rides well ("Bowl-R-Ama Drama"). It is also shown that Phineas is a good detective, shown in "Finding Mary McGuffin". It is also shown that he can describe things very well, also shown in this episode. He seems to be somewhat fluent in Spanish. Unlike other kids, he has a very special talent: He can do the impossible.

Catch Phrases

 * (After someone says that isn't he young to be doing something...) "Yes, yes I am," and sometime "No..." and "Well, I don't think so..."
 * "How serendipitous,"
 * "Hey, where's Perry?"
 * "He's a platypus; they don't do much."
 * (Normally after Isabella asks "Whatcha Doin?") "We're building a...", "We're making a...", or "We're..."
 * "Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!"
 * "Oh, there you are, Perry."
 * "Well that can't be good."
 * "I like to keep moving forward."
 * "Seize the day."
 * "Whatcha Doin?" (sometimes)

Voice
Vincent Martella (who was known for his work in the sitcom "Everybody Hates Chris") had been chosen to voice Phineas for the pilot episode, and onward. Vincent originally auditioned 5 months before he was chosen, but got no feedback. Co-creator Dan Povenmire was handed a tape of Vincent in Everybody Hates Chris and summoned Martella to voice Phineas for the pilot. He designed a wacky voice which the creators deemed wild and crazy. But the creators feared he would tragically lose this when his voice changed, but Vincent was able to retain the wacky and crazy sound, albeit sounding slightly lower than the pilot Phineas.

Background Information



 * In the Original Story Pitch, which became the episode Rollercoaster, there was a line where Candace refers to Phineas as a 9 year old. However, after testing with audiences revealed a wide age range identified with the character, producers decided to keep their ages vague. Phineas' age is now officially "less than 15" (Dan Povenmire Correspondence). However, as of "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo", both boys are stated to be approximately 10 years old. They time-travel twenty years into the future, and Future Linda states that Phineas and Ferb are 30 then. Therefore, they are around 10 at present.
 * Phineas is the same age as Ferb. The reason the boys are stepbrothers is because producers wanted them to be the same age, but not twins, and be more than just friends.
 * Phineas's motto is "Keep Moving Forward", just like.
 * Phineas's other motto is "Seize the day", which is a line in Today is Gonna Be a Great Day
 * Phineas is named after Phileas Fogg, the main character of the Jules Verne story Around the World in Eighty Days, whose name is sometimes erroneously given in adaptations as Phineas Fogg.
 * In "Vanessassary Roughness", he was shown sitting in the front seat of Mom's car; in America children must be of age 12 or older to sit in the front seat of a car and must be at least 4'10.
 * In "Traffic Cam Caper", you can see Phineas, along with Ferb yawn for the first time after finishing their dinner when they became tired.
 * Phineas has been shown to show more affection to Isabella as the series progressed, in Rollercoaster, he is shown having no idea of her crush on him, but in Gaming the System, That Sinking Feeling, The Beak, and Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs To You! Phineas has been shown to return her feelings for him.
 * In a couple of the early episodes, Phineas's eyebrows are black. In the later episodes, though, they are red.
 * Likes his mom's cooking (tacos in "Journey to the Center of Candace" and Fried Chicken in "Flop Starz").
 * Likes chocolate cake (Finding Mary McGuffin).
 * Phineas can play an array of different instruments, including the guitar and violin ("Flop Starz", "The Fast and the Phineas", "The Magnificent Few", "It's a Mud, Mud, Mud, Mud World", "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together", "Crack That Whip", "Tip of the Day", "Don't Even Blink", "Oh, There You Are, Perry", "The Baljeatles", "Phineas and Ferb's Quantum Boogaloo", "Phineas and Ferb Musical Cliptastic Countdown", "No More Bunny Business", "Robot Rodeo").
 * So far (in U.S. aired episodes), Phineas has not considered Irving his friend ("Friends, bullies, Irving") ("What Do It Do?"). But in "The Doof Side of the Moon" Phineas says he is glad to have Irving on the team.
 * Phineas owns an MP3 ("The Magnificent Few").
 * Phineas appears to be ambidextrous as he can play a guitar with both hands.
 * Phineas's distinctive head shape was referenced in the June 17, 2010 installment of the Lola comic strip by Todd Clark.Phineas's appearance in Lola.jpg
 * According to Candace, Phineas, along with his brother Ferb, smell like motor oil and confidence ("Robot Rodeo").
 * Phineas seems to be getting taller as the series goes on, which is not at all unusual considering his age. Generally, he is shorter than Isabella and taller than Baljeet. In most of Season 1, he is much shorter than Isabella. In Season 2, he is generally as tall as Isabella. In parts of Phineas and Ferb's Christmas Vacation, Phineas and Ferb: Summer Belongs to You!, The Beak, and Bubble Boys, he is taller than Isabella (though it should be noted that this is inconsistent throughout these episodes: sometimes Phineas is taller, sometimes Isabella is taller). In the Christmas special, this could possibly be explained as Phineas having a quick growth spurt, as that episode takes place during the winter after the summer the rest of the series takes place
 * Is a fan to the movie series "Space Adventure "("Not Phineas and Ferb ","Nerds of a Feather ")
 * Phineas can solve complicated math questions. ("We Call It Maze")

Memorable Quotes

 * "Hey Ferb, I know what we're gonna do today!"
 * "Either we need more days of summer, or more of us."
 * "Greetings, movers and shakers!"
 * "So, Ferb, what should we do tomorrow? There's a world of possibilities. Maybe we should make a list!"
 * "Well, that's serendipitous."
 * "What do I look like, a fool?" (Wearing a royal fool outfit)
 * "Have we learned nothing from Mary Shelly's Frankenstein?"
 * "Nah. I like to keep moving forward."
 * "Come on, Ferb. If we let a little heat stop us from having the best day ever, then the morning DJs win."
 * "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages; may I present to you a spectacle most of the morning in the making! The coolest... coaster... EVER!"
 * "Look! They've started their own overpriced coffee franchise! That's so '90s."
 * "Follow up single? Who do you think we are? Some two-bit hack who will keep writing new songs just because you'll pay us obscene amounts of cash!? Phineas and the Ferb-Tones are strictly a one-hit wonder! Good day to you, sir!"
 * (in Candace's imagination) "Good thinking, Ferb. We'll put these decoys up so Candace thinks we're doing nothing. And then while Candace isn't looking, we'll do something!"
 * "Oh my gosh, Ferb. I can't believe it! I've never noticed how soft our carpets are."
 * "We rotate out with the board of selectmen."
 * "What do you say Ferb, it'll give you a chance to work on your seaweed rap, ya know (Makes rapping noises).
 * Clive Addison! We're your biggest fans!
 * "Bless you Perry the Platypus!"

Behind the Scenes
Phineas was originally drawn on a piece of butcher paper in a restaurant by Dan Povenmire. He was the first character of the show created.

As shown in the Original Story Pitch, Phineas was intended to be slightly feistier, having a little obnoxious attitude, like an annoying little brother. This can be shown in the title song for the pitch, where he responds to "Driving our sister insane!" with "(It's a short drive...)". He appeared to act slightly more annoyed with Isabella's crush on him, which is another difference (him knowing of the crush).

Phineas was named when co-creator Dan Povenmire looked at the first drawing of him (which he referred to as "this triangle kid") and decided that he looked like the final name. Thus Phineas was born.

Phineas' voice actor, Vincent Martella, makes his voice high pitched to do Phineas. His actual voice is slightly different and deeper. Martella is most famously known for by his work on the show Everybody Hates Chris.

Dan Povenmire stated in an interview about Phineas:

His confidence makes people think, "He must be a prodigy." Nobody ever asks him if he's too young. He'd never lie to an adult or try to get away with anything. He's just motivated by fun. If he thought mom would actually dislike the things they're doing, he would probably stop, but since he's never gotten in trouble for it, he doesn't think of it as getting into trouble.

Allusions

 * Phineas' name can be a reference to the novel Phineas Finn.