Rabbit decides to force Tigger to have a bath, being sick and tired of him being dirty all the time whence jumping in muddy puddles. However something strange happens: Tigger's stripes get washed off. The Gang wonder where Tigger has gotten to because this newcomer can't be Tigger, because Tiggers have stripes. Maybe Tigger's a Rabbit?
Rabbit teaches Tigger how to garden and tells Tigger to guard his tomatoes, but a sad, hungry bug comes along and he lets him have a tomato. Soon Rabbit's prize-winning tomatoes and beautiful garden get munched and upon being kicked off duty, Tigger decides he's not a Rabbit. Tigger wonders if he's a bear, upon which Pooh prompts him to join in getting some hunny. But Tigger can't see with his bee protection mask on and is attacked by bees and Tigger decides he doesn't want to be a bear. Eeyore meanwhile confuses him further by referring to him as Tigger.
He's too big to be a Piglet so Piglet suggests dressing him up as a Christmas tree. Eeyore dubs this sight a Tigger tree. Tigger wonders if he is indeed a Tigger. The gang paint stripes on him, but they wash off in the rain. He leaves sadly into the night. On the inside he feels the same. Eeyore comes to him tells him he's still Tigger on the inside. It's all in the stuffing. He bounces in joy and his stripes start appearing as he rediscovers his inner self. After gaining his final stripe from bouncing Rabbit, he makes his leave, he has a lot of bouncing to catch up on, right into the muddy puddles!
This episode contains examples of the following tropes.
- An Aesop: Though you might look different on the outside, you're still yourself on the inside.
- Book Ends: The episode starts and ends with Tigger bouncing in mud puddles.
- Beyond the Impossible: A bubble bath somehow takes away Tigger's stripes and bouncing somehow makes them return.
- Comically Missing the Point: The animals' lack of object permanence comes into play yet again, when Tigger's stripes are washed off, they fail to recognize him without them (except Eeyore), and soon even Tigger himself begins to question it. Turns into Dramatically Missing the Point as Tigger's identity crisis starts to get Played for Drama.
- The Farmer and the Viper: When Tigger tries to pose as a Rabbit by protecting his garden, a bug pitifully begs for just one tomato. Tigger obliges out of sympathy and even protects it from Rabbit. As Rabbit predicted, the bug instantly brings others to feast on his entire patch of tomatoes, costing Tigger his job.
- Hope Spot: Pooh and Piglet paint stripes on Tigger, leaving him overjoyed at regaining his identity...only for them to wash off in the rain, depressing him further.
- Laser-Guided Karma: Tigger regains his final stripe by bouncing an annoyed Rabbit, who washed them off in the first place.
- Melancholy Musical Number: Tigger has one as he begins to question who he really is.
- Only Sane Man: Eeyore is the only one who recognizes Tigger without stripes and eventually delivers him the aesop about always being the same person regardless of looks.
- Punch-Clock Villain: Not really a villain, but Rabbit simply wants Tigger to get bathed for hygienic reasons and Pooh and Piglet are more than happy to help him.
