"Awhooooo!"
It's a Blue Moon night, and Junior asks his parents if he can try to play the Royal Kazoo. According to Gorg legend, only when a Gorg plays the Royal Kazoo under a full blue moon, before five Fraggle witnesses, will he know if he is to be a great Gorg ruler. Pa puts him off, though, and sends him outside. A few minutes later, Junior overhears Pa telling Ma that if Junior tried to play the Kazoo and failed, they would have to banish him to the swamp for a hundred years. To keep this from happening, Pa plans to put the Kazoo at the foot of his bed, then bury it in the morning.A shadowy figure (Cantus, standing behind a sheet on a clothesline) appears to Junior and tells him he could be a great Gorg ruler if he swears to play the Kazoo that night, before five Fraggle witnesses. Junior takes the Solemn Oath of the Gorgs that he will.
Junior sneaks into his parents' bedroom and manages to get the Kazoo, but it won't play. He puts it back so he won't be banished—but, remembering that he gave the Solemn Oath to play it, he wakes his parents and admits he tried to play the Kazoo and failed. Ma suggests that Pa teach him how to play. Pa reveals that his father never taught him how and that none of the Gorgs have tried to play the Kazoo, for fear of being banished. Pa suggests using the bellows to play the Kazoo. Junior, knowing that would be cheating, admits to Cantus that he doesn't know how to play the Kazoo. He tries anyway, without the bellows, while the Fraggle Five watch. To his amazement, it plays perfectly. Cantus explains that he was the first Gorg in memory to take a chance at playing the Kazoo, and that he succeeded because he kept his oath—which is the way of greatness.
This episode contains examples of:
- Achievement Test of Destiny: Playing the Royal Kazoo on the night of a full blue moon in front of five Fraggles determines what kind of ruler the Gorg taking the test will be.
- Big Shadow, Little Creature: Cantus invokes this while talking to Junior.Mokey: Does that shadowy figure remind you of someone?
- Character Action Title: The episode's title.
- Continuity Nod:
- Toward the beginning of the episode, Junior is telling a story to his radishes—including Geraldine, first introduced in "The Great Radish Caper".
- Junior takes the Solemn Oath of the Gorgs, introduced in "Junior Sells the Farm", to play the the Kazoo that night, before five Fraggle witnesses.
- Cryptic Conversation: Cantus tends to engage in this.Junior: [stammering] Who... who... who... who are you?
Cantus: You should be thinking less about who I am and more about who you are. - Cuckoo Finger Twirl: Gobo and Wembley secretly do this when Cantus tells them that they must help Junior.
- Curse Cut Short: Pa, who is wearing a dress while Ma's sewing it, tells Junior that he doesn't need to bother with the Kazoo.Junior: But, Pa, you must have played the Royal Kazoo.
Pa: Uh...
Junior: Now it's my turn to find out if I'm truly great!
Pa: Yeah, you're a truly great pain in the... [Ma sticks him with a pin.] Ow! Be careful with that pin!
Ma: Uh, sorry, sweetikins. You moved. - Dance Party Ending: The episode ends with the Gorgs dancing while Junior and the Fraggles joyfully sing a reprise of "Ball of Fire."
- A Day in the Limelight: Another episode focusing on the Gorgs.
- Don't Wake the Sleeper: Junior struggles to retrieve the Kazoo from his parents' bedroom—and later, to put it back—without waking them.
- Distinction Without a Difference: Pa does this when Junior points out that using the bellows to play the Kazoo is cheating.Pa: Junior, it's being creative. You can't play any other way.
- Dragged into Drag: Pa's not happy about having to wear a dress while Ma's sewing it.Pa: Oh, I hate being a dress model!
- Exact Eavesdropping: Junior overhears Pa telling Ma that if Junior tried to play the Kazoo and failed, they would have to banish him to the swamp for a hundred years and that Pa plans to put the Kazoo at the foot of his bed, then bury it in the morning.
- Gosh Dang It to Heck!: Pa's curse of choice is "Drat and Deuteronomy!"
- Honesty Is the Best Policy: Junior decides to just play the Royal Kazoo without using the bellows to help him.
- I Gave My Word: Junior says this after admitting to Cantus that he doesn't know how to play the Kazoo.Cantus: Why do you hesitate? The moon is full. It's time to play.
Junior: Well, I can't play it.
[He detaches the bellows from the Kazoo.]
Junior: But I gave my oath, so I'll still try. - It's Probably Nothing: Junior manages to get the Kazoo from the foot of his parents' bed, but his dropping it wakes Ma. She tells Pa she just heard something, but he says she must have been dreaming.Ma: But, Pa, don't you want to see if there's something in here?
Pa: Oh, not really. Why don't you just go back to sleep, and your brave kingy-wingy'll watch you all night.
[Pa and Ma lie back down, and Junior crawls out triumphantly with the Kazoo.] - Let's Duet: After Junior plays the Kazoo, without the bellows, he and Cantus perform a reprise of "Ball of Fire"—Cantus on his magic pipe, and Junior on the Kazoo. As they start to sing, the Fraggles join in, and Ma and Pa dance along.
- Magical Flutist: When Cantus is first seen playing his pipe, flowers start to open.
- Oh, Crap!: Junior, when he retrieves the Kazoo but can't get it to play.Junior: Oh, no! I'm gonna be banished!
- Pep-Talk Song: Cantus sings "Ball of Fire" to convince Junior that, by swearing to play the Kazoo, he could become a great Gorg king.
- Pinky Swear: Junior swears to Cantus, by the Solemn Oath of the Gorgs, to play the Kazoo that night, before five Fraggle witnesses.
- Quit Your Whining: Downplayed. Cantus says this when he first appears to Junior, though not unkindly.Cantus: Cease this weeping and get your chin up. Both of them.
- Right Behind You: Boober plans to tell Cantus he won't be a witness to Junior playing. Just then, Cantus enters, and Boober immediately changes his tune.Boober: Why does he need five witnesses? Who's for not going? I am! [Starts to leave.]
Mokey: Boober, wait, wait! If Cantus said to meet him, he must have a good reason for it.
Gobo: Yeah.
Boober: Well, Cantus better have a great reason if he thinks he's gonna drag me up to the Gorgs' garden in the middle of the night. And I'm going to tell him when I see him.
Cantus: [entering from behind] Tell me what?
Boober: [whipping around] Aaah! [Loud Gulp] Cantus... uh... I wanted to tell you... I have complete confidence in you.
Cantus: Thank you. - Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Inverted after Pa tells Ma that if Junior tried to play the Kazoo and failed, they would have to banish him to the swamp for a hundred years.[Ma gasps in horror.]
Pa: Well, don't look at me. I don't make the rules. I'm only the King. - So Proud of You: After Junior and Cantus begin to duet...Ma: I knew he had greatness in him!
Pa: Well, of course, my dear! He takes after me. - Title Drop:Junior: It's time to face the music! Or the lack thereof.
- Walk This Way: Cantus invokes this with the Fraggle Five, resulting in their imitating his regal gait.
- Weird Moon: The episode takes place on a Blue Moon night.
- You Can't Go Home Again: If Junior fails, he will be banished to the swamp for a hundred years.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Junior thinks he's just a dumb Gorg prince. Cantus sings "Ball of Fire" to convince Junior that, by swearing to play the Kazoo, he could be a great Gorg king.Cantus: You could be a great Gorg king.
Junior: Me? No, I'm just a dumb Gorg prince.
Cantus: [singing] You could be a coward. You could be a king.
You could be the kind of kid who teaches us to sing.
You could be whatever your little heart desires.
You could be a walkin', talkin', breathin' ball of fire!
