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"Oh, not the CDA."
Mr. Waternoose
"2319!"
—Anonymous CDA operative

The Child Detection Agency (or CDA for short) is a group of monsters from the film Monsters, Inc.. They are a hazardous materials disposal team whose main job is to search and take away any type of children contaminant. They come in a wide variety of forms and all wear bio-hazard suits, to avoid contamination. If any human object appears in the Monster World, they arrive to destroy it using a metal dome that will cause whatever that's placed under it to explode harmlessly and decontaminate any who come in contact with such objects. Their decontamination methods are often painful: Anyone who has been decontaminated by the CDA will be forced to wear a plastic cone over their heads like a pet who has been given surgery and is not allowed to lick the wounds.

CDA Agent 001 is Roz, as revealed towards the film's end.

Monsters, Inc.[]

The CDA is first seen arriving at the Monsters, Inc. factory after Jerry calls the agents upon hearing Charlie's alert about a child's sock on George Sanderson's back. The agents arrive at the factory to remove the sock, which is then destroyed into smithereens, and its remains are vacuumed up. Then the agents decontaminate George by shaving his fur off, having him showered, and placing a cone on his head. The agents are seen again arriving at Harryhausen's after the Bartender calls the CDA about a human girl nicknamed Boo in the restaurant. They arrive at the restaurant and round-up almost every patron, including Celia Mae, for decontamination, and they envelop the restaurant in a gigantic green force field.

Mike, Sulley, Henry Waternoose, and The CDA

The CDA deployed in full force when all of Monstropolis became aware of the incidents of Boo's invasion into the Monster World, and the Monsters, Inc. facility was thoroughly searched for evidence. Upon learning that Mike Wazowski and Sulley are the ones who have brought Boo in, Mr. Waternoose tried to have the CDA arrest Mike and Sulley so that he could take Boo and forcefully extract screams from her, but they ultimately turned on him and arrested him when they learned that Waternoose would kidnap thousands of children to satisfy his own agenda. Roz, the clerk who works at Scarefloor F's front desk, is revealed to be their leader, who was undercover for two and a half years in an attempt to prove that the company had an ulterior motive. After Boo is returned home, her door is destroyed to ensure her safety. The CDA are last seen taking Waternoose to prison for his crimes.

When Sulley discovers that laugh is more powerful than scream, the Child Detection Agency no longer exists. In place of it, it becomes the "Comedy Detection Agency".[citation needed] Their job also changes to solving if a joke is funny or not. However, it's unknown whether or not this is actually canon, because as far as we know, that name was only mentioned in "Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor". Also, at the beginning of Monsters, Inc.: Laugh Factory Issue #4, the headquarters show the name "Crime Detection Agency" on the side. Similarly, they also were responsible for acting as ushers for the company musical play "Put That Thing Back Where It Came From or So Help Me". It could presumably be implied that CDA would have dissolved and disposed their biohazard suits if that happened.

Monsters University[]

MU-CDA-trailer 3

The CDA makes their first chronological appearance in Monsters University. Following Mike and Sulley's intrusion in the Human World, an emergency was declared and the CDA was dispatched to take charge of the situation. Roz is seen overseeing the operation.

Trivia[]

  • Their decontamination methods are often painful.
  • Despite their menacing appearance, they are extremely well-mannered, as they often can be heard "Coming through, please" and "Watch yourself" to bystanders.
  • Their name (Child Detection Agency) may be a take on the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency).
  • It is unknown what they look like under their biohazard suits. Even so, they resemble various "species" of monsters, so speculations can be made.
  • The CDA may also be the monsters' equivalent of the police, especially the SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) or the FBI, since they have the authority to arrest even high-ranking monsters for serious crimes.
  • The signal for the CDA, 2319, may be a reference to the letters "W" and "S", which are the 23rd and 19th letters of the Latin alphabet. WS may stand for "white sock", a common threat to monsters, which can only be ridden by the CDA. W and S are also the initials of Mike and Sulley's last names (Wazowski and Sullivan).
  • The organization bears many similarities to the real-life CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), due to their uniform (hazmat suits) and the nature of their work.
  • There may be at least 99,999 members of the CDA since their uniforms display five-digit numerals.
  • Agent 00002 is the only member who is revealed to be a father.
  • There are at least six different CDA body types.
  • Many of them have the same number, but this is an error. 
  • The number "2319" can briefly be seen on the side of a subway railcar in Soul, during the scene where Joe (in the cat's body) and 22 (in Joe's body) spot a person playing an instrument on the underground platform.

Quotes[]

  • "We can neither confirm nor deny the presence of a human child here tonight."
  • "Number One wants to talk to you."
  • "Can I get your autograph? [...] Could you make that out to Stephanie, my daughter?"
  • "DUCK AND COVER, PEOPLE!"

Gallery[]

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