The special focused on two children named Kevin and Holly who, after moving into their new house, find an old map in an attic that leads them to a place called the Isle of Wild. Once the two children arrive at the island, they are met up with a whole host of multicolored creatures called Wild Puffalumps. The Puffalumps that they meet on the island consist of Toucan, Elephant, Walrus, Monkey, Tiger, Rhino, and Panda. The special focused on a race to find the buried treasure hidden on the Isle of Wild, with Kevin joining up with Elephant, Walrus, and Tiger, and Holly joining up with Toucan, Monkey, and Rhino. After reaching the site of the treasure, Panda is able to remind both teams that they both win and, working together, the group digs up the treasure, which is revealed to be sunglasses for Kevin and Holly. At the end, the whole experience seemingly turns out to be all just a dream, until Kevin and Holly realize that they're still wearing the sunglasses that they received.
The special was also notorious for the fact that whenever any of the Puffalumps uttered the word "Wild", the lenses of their sunglasses would always flash the world "Wild".
Tropes found in The Wild Puffalumps include:
- A Dog Named "Dog": Downplayed, as each of the Puffalumps' names are the animal that they are based on.
- All Just a Dream / Or Was It a Dream?: After Kevin and Holly have dug up the buried treasure, which is actually sunglasses, they end up back in the attic again, just as their mother tells them that it's time for dinner. They think that it's all a dream, until they realize that they're still wearing the sunglasses that they got on the Isle of Wild.
- Amazing Technicolor Wildlife: The Puffalumps on the Isle of Wild consist of a pink toucan, a sky blue elephant, a dark blue walrus, a yellow monkey, a maroon tiger, a magenta rhino, and a white and cerulean panda.
- Argument of Contradictions: Toucan and Elephant get into one of these twice in the special. The first time when they were arguing about how to get to the treasure, and the second time when after both teams arrive at the site of the buried treasure.
- Aside Glance: Toucan looks directly at the viewers, after the raft that he, Holly, Monkey, and Rhino were riding in passes under a stream of water.
- Big "NO!": Elephant and Walrus both give off one of these when the raft that they, Kevin, and Tiger are riding in goes over the waterfall.
- The Big Race: The special focuses on a race to get to the treasure.
- Big "WHAT?!": Toucan gives off one of these in response to Holly's suggestion that they help Monkey repaint the forest.
- Call a Smeerp a "Rabbit": The Puffalumps look like standard jungle animals, though their names are actually the species of animal that they are based on.
- Deadpan Snarker: Toucan appears to show shades of this at times.
- Glad I Thought of It: Toucan does this several times in the special. At one point, he actually says the trope name word-for-word.
- Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal: The Puffalumps only wear Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses.
- Mucking in the Mud: At one point, Holly and Toucan are piloting their pogo sticks through some mud, when Toucan trips and ends up getting all muddy, losing his pogo stick in the process.
- Remembered I Could Fly: Averted, as Toucan is not once seen being able to fly, and he never even gives a second thought about flying.
- Verbal Tic: The Puffalumps have a habit of saying "Wild" in a drawn-out, echoing tone, which causes the lenses of their sunglasses to repeatedly flash the word "Wild".
- Wrong Parachute Gag: This happens to Toucan, when he has on what he thinks is his parachute, but is actually his lunch bag.
- "You!" Exclamation: Toucan and Elephant both do this when they see each other at the final leg of the race.
