Drusselstein



Drusselstein (DRUUS-əl-steen) is a fictional Eastern European country whose village, Gimmelshtump, is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz's natal location. It appears to be a parody of countries like Germany, Austria, Hungary, Transylvania (Romania) and Switzerland.

Location
In the episode "The Monster of Phineas-n-Ferbenstein" of Phineas and Ferb, Drusselstein was referred to as "the old country". In another episode, many people claimed Doofenshmirtz had "some kind of a German accent", implying that Drusselstein is in Germany, possibly one of the many states (such as Bavaria, Brandenburg, Saxony-Anhalt or Hessen). But, in the episode "The Doonkelberry Imperative", Drusselstein was shown to be a country of its own, directly across the Atlantic from Danville. However, Drusselstein appears to be on the east coast of the Baltic Sea as there is a route directly to the Atlantic Ocean, assuming that Danville is in the eastern United States.

The style of the buildings (Fachwerkhäuser), the food, the dress, and the Carnival (Fasching or possibly Oktoberfest) heavily imply that Drusselstein is somewhere in Bavaria, possibly near Munich. However, Doofenshmirtz's father wears odd viking-like clothing and speaks with a distinctively North German accent.

People
The people of Drusselstein live a very rural lifestyle. Children in Gimmelshtump like to play games such as Kick the Schtumpel, and other sports include Poke the Goozim (a large, brown, hairy, seemingly carnivorous creatures) with a Stick, and also baseball, as there is a Drusselstein minor league baseball team. The game that seems most important to the Doofenshmirtz family is kickball. It is especially important to Heinz Doofenshmirtz's mother, who gave all her love to Roger Doofenshmirtz, her youngest son because of his amazing kickball-skills. There are also many skill cranes in Gimmelshtump, which mostly contain rocks. Pastry delicacies include Doonkelberry cake and Doonkleberries (a berry fruit that usually grows there).The state still retains figureheads as head of state, including Princess Baldegunde, its 15-year-old princess identical in appearance to Candace Flynn.While most of the time, the people are happy (albeit except for Heinz Doofenshmirtz), poverty still exists.

At the end of "The Doonkelberry Imperative" the people of Drusselstein created a new holiday; in a honor for solving their central shaft problem, after Phineas and Ferb, and called it "Phineas and Ferb day" or "Ferb and Phineas day", which led the people to fight once again.

Beliefs
The people have a strong belief in black magic. Lawn gnomes are placed in front of each house to ward it off as a tradition. When lawn gnomes become repossessed, parents appear to do anything to make up for it, even making their children dress up as one. Their beliefs are so strong that Heinz had to let Balloony, his best friend, go because his father told him to stand still.

It is also possible that they believed in ghosts because Princess Baldegunde exclaimed "You are my Doppelgänger!!" as soon as she and Candace met each other. As it is an obviously Saxon culture, the state religion is most likely Christianity. It could either be Catholic or Lutheran depending on where in Germany it is (The South is predominantly Catholic, the North/East is mostly Lutheran and the West is a mix of the two).

Change is severely frowned up in Drusselstein as shown in the Holiday Special "Happy New Year!". To the point you couldn't change the channel, your underwear or your hairstyle without being arrested.

Language
The people of Drusselstein speak a language that has branched off from German (Deutsch). For instance, when young Doofenshmirtz was instructed not to move in a flashback in the episode "Lawn Gnome Beach Party of Terror", he was told, "Bewegen Sie nicht!" ("Do not move!"). The words "Das Kind ist ein Schnitzel!" ("The kid is a scavenger") and "Zu nah!" ("Too close!") were spoken by a townsfolk and Doofenshmirtz's father during a flashback in the episode "Split Personality".

Otherwise, characters generally speak English, such as the Gunther Goat Cheese's employee who told the young Heinz to lock up after his party was over in a flashback in the episode "Raging Bully". Althought that was probably not meant as if the populace spoke English, is rather used for convenience's sake and because it has no direct comedic use as opposed to the former example.

Department of Motor Vehicles and Goat Registration
Be prepared to wait in line here behind a goat. This is where Doofenshmirtz came to get his driver's license renewed with Perry the Platypus by doing the dangerous Drusselstein Driving Test Waltz.

Master Drakkenblad's Pretzel Palace
Doofenshmirtz got a summer internship here but was eventually ruled unworthy and shown the gate.

The Shaft
Drusselstein is powered by belts connected to a horizontal rotating shaft that extends the length of the country. At each end of the huge shaft is a gigantic treadmill upon which goats trod. The kids arrive to a country that has ground to a halt amidst an argument about the direction that the goats should walk.

Trebuchet
The country has a trebuchet--presumably for defense. As the planet is still distorted by Baljeet when the kids are ready to leave for home, they find the trebuchet a handy conveyance.

Zengle's Fruit Stand
The kids travel to Drusselstein to Zengle's to get doonkelberries so that Linda can make a doonkelberry pie.

Gunther Goat Cheese's
A parody of Chuck E. Cheese's, Gunther Goat Cheese's is the restaurant in Gimmelshtump, where Heinz threw his own surprise birthday party when he was 5 years old. The mechanical animals inside for birthday songs were: Count Wolfgang (caped wolf playing kettle drums), Betty the She-Boar (pig playing violin) and Ratputin (rat playing concertina). Also present were the lice, Olga and Chicago Joe (on a stool onstage), as well as an employee wearing what was presumed to be a Gunther Goat Cheese's mascot costume (goat).

Doofenshmirtz family home
It is Doofenshmirtz's parents' house. The Doofenshmirtz household is at least two stories tall and includes some parapets. We learn that before Roger was born, Heinz had toys to play with and even seemed happy.

Claw Machine District
Young Doofenshmirtz invested his fortune (one three-cent coin) here in an attempt to win his mother's love, but Roger merely added to his own love bounty.

Gimmelshtump Public Wetness Maker
Not actually a swimming pool, and it only contains water on alternating Thursdays. Doofenshmirtz learnt here from his father and all the other kids who passed the high-dive right of passage that he is a schnitzel.

Gimmelshtump
Gimmelshtump is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz's natal location. He grew up here with his family and his neighbor, Kenny, and created his best friend, Balloony, a balloon he acquired as a child at a carnival and then drew a face on it and sprayed it with a special lifelong lasting spray. It has been hinted that Dr. Gevaarlijk, Heinz's Evil Science 101 teacher, was also living here. It seems to be a rather poor, semi-rural area, located in Europe. It is also where Dr. Phineastein and Ferbgor lived many years ago. Love Händel appeared to have played a concert there too (although this can't be seen as realistic, as they were the same age as in the episode "Dude, We're Getting the Band Back Together" - it was more likely retroactively added by Doofenshmirtz during his flashback). Gimmelshtump life was very negative to Heinz Doofenshmirtz, thus, making him evil. It might have been positive to 2nd dimension Doofenshmirtz, because he only lost his toy train, "Choo-Choo".

Stumblegimp
Stumblegimp is situated in Drusselstein near to Gimmelshtump. In this village it is considered an irreverence to turn 90 degrees to someone.

Background Information

 * In the flashback when 2nd Dimension-Doofenshmirtz lost his Choo-Choo, his favorite childhood toy train, he is a 2nd Dimension Drusselstein.
 * Drusselstein literally translates as "stony rock" [from the German, Drusel (small rock or stone or geode) and Stein (stone)]. An appropriate name, judging by the terrain.
 * While Drusselstein is said by Ferb to be an Eastern European nation, it apparently borders the Atlantic, making this statement impossible.
 * In response to a fan's question about the country's name, Dan Povenmire said he usually spelled it as "Druelselstein", but this was before an official spelling had been selected.
 * In the special episode Phineas and Ferb: Mission Marvel, Red Skull stated to have a cousin who married a drusselsteinian, and declared that she is dead to him.