A Very Handy Vacation
Abuelito, convinced that Manny is working too hard, decides to take him for a weekend vacation to the scenic shores of Lake Nochanailin- without his tools. The tools are understandably miffed by this, and, seeking their own vacation, decide to stow away in Manny’s luggage.
Tropes include:
- Acting Unnatural: The tools do this when Manny walks into the shop’s main room with all his bags packed for vacation- after they’d just come up with a plan to go with him on vacation by stowing away in his luggage.
- Brick Joke:
- When Mr. Lopart goes to Kelly’s hardware store, he finds himself unable to locate Fluffy (who turns out to be hiding in a cardboard box). Later in the special, after he drives to Lake Nochanailin to tell Manny about his tools being missing, the exact same thing happens (this time, Fluffy was on top of his car).
- Dusty mentions wanting to waterski on Lake Nochanailin once when the tools leave in Manny’s luggage, and brings up waterskiing again at the end of the episode after Manny and the tools fix the crashed rowboat.
- Busman's Holiday: Abuelito tries to bring Manny on a vacation away from work (and away from his tools), but Manny ends up having to put his repair skills to use to fix a rowboat after it crashes.
- The Catfish: A literal catfish ends up fulfilling the metaphorical role, as when Manny gets it on his line it’s so strong that not only can he not reel it in, it ends up dragging his boat around the lake at breakneck speed and causing it to crash into the shore and break.
- Continuity Nod: The glue from “A Sticky Fix” can be seen being used as part of the boat repair.
- Extra-Long Episode: A single 22-minute story, while most episodes of Handy Manny are Two Shorts.
- Failed a Spot Check: Abuelito fails to notice the many and various signs that the tools have come with him and Manny to Lake Nochanailin (starting with the sound of Felipe yelling “quiet!” emanating from the luggage bag as he was going to pick it up), and spends most of the episode telling Manny (who does notice some of the signs) that they’re all in his head and he thinks about his work too much.
- Fishing Episode: Manny tries to enjoy some fishing with Abuelito while at Lake Nochanailin, but a particularly strong fish ends up dragging the rowboat around the lake and causing it to crash into the shore and split in two. Fortunately, Manny’s tools had stowed away in his luggage, and were able to help him fix the boat- and join in fishing once the boat’s fixed.
- Fishing for Sole: During “Playing In The Sun”, Stretch “fishes” with his tape and ends up reeling in an old boot.
- Furry Confusion: Mr. Lopart offhandedly mentions having lost some inanimate tools.
- It's Probably Nothing: Abuelito spends a great deal of the special insisting that Manny’s suspicion that the tools are there at Lake Nochanailin with them (in fact, they stowed away in his luggage) is just the result of his mind being too focused on work, and dismissing all indications to the contrary.
- Little Stowaway: Manny’s tools, upon hearing that Manny is going on vacation without them, decide to hide in his luggage so they can enjoy vacation at Lake Nochanailin.
- Miniscule Rocking: “Playing In The Sun” is 51 seconds long.
- Musical Episode: Downplayed, as one song is present which isn’t a normal part of a Handy Manny episode: “Playing In The Sun”, where the tools sing about the joys of being on vacation.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: Defied Trope, as the other tools shoot down Felipe’s idea for them to wear disguises in order to prevent Manny from realizing that they came with him to Lake Nochanailin; Felipe demonstrates this idea by giving himself a fake “mustache” with soot from the cabin’s wood stove.
- Punny Name: Lake Nochanailin. Try saying it out loud if you don’t get it. (If you still don’t get it: ”Lake Knock-A-Nail-In“)
- Stock Rhymes: “Playing In The Sun” rhymes “sun” with “fun” in the opening verse… and rhymes them again, no more than five lines later, in the chorus.
- Vacation Episode: The episode revolves on Abuelito bringing Manny on a weekend vacation to a cabin by the shores of Lake Nochanailin. His tools aren’t supposed to come, but they stow away in his luggage, try to have their own vacation, and Hilarity Ensues.
- Wound Licking: Mr. Lopart licks his finger after pricking it on Manny’s cactus.
