It wouldn’t be Psych without a hidden pineapple appearance - here’s where to spot it in Psych 3: This Is Gus. Out of all of Psych’s recurring gags, the hidden pineapple is the most beloved, with a pineapple of some sort appearing in every episode. The story behind Psych’s pineapple gag began with James Roday Rodriguez (Shawn) improvising a line in the pilot when he randomly picked up the fruit. The creators love it and found a way to incorporate a pineapple in any way possible since essentially making it Psych's 7th main character.
While the pineapples have made appearances in the flesh, as drinks, through spoken word, and as decorations throughout Psych’s installments, it all began in the pilot episode when Shawn picked up a pineapple and asked his dad if he should “slice this up for the road.” Both Psych: The Movie and Psych 2: Lassie Come Home share the same hidden pineapple appearances, each referencing the pilot episode with Shawn asking his dad if she should slice one up. While this was a great callback to where both the pineapple gag and Shawn’s psychic detective career began, Psych 3: This Is Gus doesn’t continue the trend, with the pineapple appearing in a new iteration.
Psych 3’s hidden pineapple is particularly difficult to spot, one that would typically garner a rewatch with a keen eye. Surprisingly, the pineapple doesn’t appear until the very end of the movie during Kurt Smith’s "Last Christmas" parody music video titled “Previous Holiday.” Psych 3’s hidden pineapple is seen during the music video in the cabin when Selene is decorating the tree, with a garland pineapple nearly blending into the other bright decorations on the branches. The exact timestamp to find the decorative pineapple is at 1:33:12, with about two seconds of visibility before going back to the Psych 3 characters in their ‘80s outfits.
The hidden pineapple is just one of many recurring Psych gags that have continued throughout the series and into the movies but is one of the most fun as it turns the viewers into detectives themselves. The other recurring gags found in Psych 3: This Is Gus include Gus’s nicknames - such as Burton Guster Rodriguez or Black Jack Arnold, the characters’ pervasive pop culture references, and Shawn and Gus’s “C’mon Son!” catchphrase. While such recurring elements are some of the greatest in-jokes for Psych fans, the pineapple has become a staple of the series, eventually becoming a trademark seen on posters and promotional materials.
While Psych’s "Last Christmas" music video parody is the most obvious (yet still highly subtle) pineapple appearance in Psych 3, there may be a few more pineapples scattered throughout. Since Steve Franks has been vocal about his intentions to continue Psych’s sequel movies to at least six installments, plenty more cleverly hidden pineapple appearances can be expected. With Psych 3: This Is Gus marking a new chapter of parenthood for Gus, it wouldn’t be surprising if Shawn and Jules stocked his son with pineapple-decorated onesies in Psych 4.