Line #62 Recap/VeggieTalesEpisode6TheToyThatSavedChristmas


1	-->'''The Toy That Saved Christmas'''
2	-->'''Episode number:''' 6
3	-->'''Original release date:''' 10/4/96
4
5	----
6
7	-->'''The Toy That Saved Christmas'''
8
9	The scene opens to a snowy night sky before the camera pans downward across a bunch of trees before stopping at a house. Inside the house, George is telling his granddaughter Annie a story, ending with "And so the pig and the giant lizard brought the boy back to his family at the bowling alley, and they all lived happily ever after. The End." After George finishes this story, Annie compliments her grandpa for the story and asks him to tell her another one. George isn't too sure about that, saying that Annie needs to get some sleep because tomorrow is Christmas. Annie then begs George to tell her one more story, and though George still tries to resist, Annie still insists that George tell her another story, a Christmas story. George finally gives in and decides to tell Annie one more story before bedtime, before he says, "What are grandpas for anyway?" Annie is happy that George is finally going to tell her another story.
10
11	At first, George is unsure what Christmas story to tell Annie, until he thinks of a story and asks Annie if he ever told her about "the town that didn't get Christmas". Annie is surprised, thinking that they didn't have Christmas, but George corrects her, saying that they didn't get Christmas, but had Christmas, saying that they loved all the packages and the toys, before adding that everyone in town didn't understand what Christmas was all about. George then remembers that the name of the town was Dinkletown, before adding that he used to deliver the mail there. The camera then pans outside the window to the forest scene, before cutting to a flashback, as George is seen driving through the snow in his mail truck before he approaches the little town of Dinkletown. George then narrates that the children of Dinkletown loved to see him around Christmas time because they all thought that they were getting something.
12
13	Laura Carrot then starts singing "I Can't Believe It's Christmas", before Percy Pea and his little brother Li'l Pea also start singing as well. Soon, Laura Carrot, her little brothers Lenny and Lou, Junior Asparagus, and Percy Pea and Li'l Pea then crowd around George, just as he picks up a long package from the back of his truck. George then tells the children that he only has one package and that it's for House number 4, before trying to find which house is House number 4. The children then sing about the joys of Christmas that await for them, while George, who is stumbling around with the package falls over next to a snowman that stands in the center of town. When George looks up, the snowman's head then falls over before landing on the package, sending it flying through the air until it lands on the roof of another house, which prompts George to try and retrieve the package. The children then resume singing once again, before George then starts ramming his head against the support post of the house, which causes the package to come loose and slide down the house, before George finds himself sliding across the snow. The children also land on the package as well before the package then slides right into House number 4. When George wonders where the package went, he then sees that the package finally made it to House number 4 and says that it was easy, before he falls over after that.
14
15	Inside House number 4, the children open up the package, noting that it has a button and that they should push it. When the button is pushed, the package turns out to be a collapsible Christmas tree with the ability to unfold itself. After the Christmas tree is set up, the children suddenly hear the TV turn on, before noticing a Christmas commercial where Mr. Nezzer is dressed up as Santa Claus, asking the children if they don't know what they want for Christmas, before telling everyone that they need a toy with a buzzsaw built right into his right hand, before telling them that they need Buzzsaw Louie. Mr. Nezzer also adds that Buzzsaw Louie also knows the true meaning of Christmas and that by pressing his nose, he says phrases like "Christmas is when you get stuff" and "You need more toys". Mr. Nezzer then tells the children that as soon as their parents phone in and order Buzzsaw Louie, one of his trained penguins will deliver him right to the door. Mr. Nezzer then says to take it from him (as Santa Claus) and his elf helper (played by Mr. Lunt) that children won't be happy unless they have Buzzsaw Louie, the only toy with a working buzzsaw and the true meaning of Christmas. Buzzsaw Louie then says "Billy has more toys than you", before the TV screen turns to static once again.
16
17	After the commercial ends, the children of Dinkletown then start begging to their parents to get them a Buzzsaw Louie, as they start crying and whining about it. From atop his lookout tower, Mr. Nezzer notices that it is working. When Mr. Lunt wonders why his boss wanted the children to act all whiny, Mr. Nezzer explains that the only way that the children's parents can get them to stop crying is to buy them lots of toys and that since he's the owner of the Nezzer Toy Factory, he'll make out like a bandit. Mr. Lunt then comments that Mr. Nezzer is wily, with Mr. Nezzer noting that he's even more wily than his brother, Nebby K, before stating that everyone will know that he, Wally P. Nezzer, is the wiliest Nezzer of them all. Mr. Nezzer then tells Mr. Lunt to fire up the assembly line because they have money to make and that it's what Christmas is all about.
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19	Annie then interrupts the story, protesting that that's not what Christmas is all about, but George tells her that he knows that but Mr. Nezzer was confused, as was everyone else because of his TV commercial. George then adds that the kids were whining and the toys were flying off the assembly line, just as Mr. Nezzer planned, with Annie saying that it must have been the worst Christmas ever. George then says that it would've been if it hadn't been for what happened next. When Annie wants to know what happened next, George narrates after that that while one of Mr. Nezzer's penguins was testing the noses of each of the Buzzsaw Louie dolls, one them winced because he did not like the sounds of those words that was coming out of his own head. When Annie says that Louie was just a toy, George {{Hand Wave}}s it with, "Maybe he was wired different, who knows?" before saying that that night while all the other toys were waiting to get sent out, this particular Buzzsaw Louie doll was doing some serious thinking.
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21	This Buzzsaw Louie doll then starts singing "Grumpy Kids" lamenting about how all of the kids are acting grumpy and being greedy, saying that this is not what Christmas means, before noting that there must be more to Christmas, but doesn't know what. Louie then pushes on the side of his box, which causes his box to fall off the shelf and land on the floor. A penguin acting as a security guard shines his flashlight into the storage room, trying to find out what all the noise was, but can't find anything. After the security penguin leaves, Buzzsaw Louie breaks out from his box before he starts to run towards the back door of the factory. After exiting the factory, as soon as Buzzsaw Louie takes his first step on the steps, he slips before he falls down the stairs and ends up rolling down a hill while getting caught in a snowball before he ends up at the bottom of the hill after that.
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23	-->'''Silly Songs with Larry'''
24
25	Larry starts singing the song "Oh, Santa", while proclaiming his excitement about how Santa will be coming soon and that he has a plate of three cookies for Santa. Larry then hears the door knocking, but when he opens it, he finds a bank robber (played by Scallion # 1) who wants to rob Larry's dimes and nickels, before Larry says that he's not a banker and that he doesn't have a bank or dimes and nickels. Larry then offers one of three cookies (a Christmas tree-shaped one) to the bank robber, who changes his tune. The door knocks again, but when Larry answers it again, he finds a viking (played by Pa Grape) who wants to take Larry's land and burn his crops and steal his horses, with Larry saying that he doesn't have land, or crops, or horses. Larry then offers another one of his cookies (a star-shaped one) to the viking, who also changes his tune. The door knocks again, this time, revealing an agent of the IRS (played by The Peach), but Larry slams the door on him. This time, the real Santa (played by Bob the Tomato) shows up, before noticing that the bank robber and the viking have both his hat and belt, respectively, before he angrily chases them out the door. The IRS agent then enters the house before he takes the last cookie (a bell-shaped one) and hops out, before Larry says, "Merry Christmas!"
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27	-->'''Act 2'''
28
29	Meanwhile, Bob, Larry, and Junior are out sledding in the snowy mountains, when they suddenly come across a blocked-off trail. Junior and Larry bail out from the sled, but Bob is still in the sled, which then crashes into the gate. When Larry sees if Bob is alright, Bob says that he wanted to play Mousetrap, thinking that it's safer than going sledding. Larry then notices that the trail they were sledding on leads to the Puggslyville bridge, which collapsed a while back. Junior then calls Bob and Larry to attention, before the trio then notice the same Buzzsaw Louie doll from the previous night laying in the snow. When Junior presses his nose, he says "You need more toys", with Larry saying that that's the true meaning of Christmas.
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31	However, the trio then hear Buzzsaw Louie say "No, it's isn't", which confuses them, before they discover that this Buzzsaw Louie doll was the one who said that, before he tells them that Christmas is not about whining or begging for more toys. When they ask him what it's about, Louie says that he doesn't know, but then he says that he will soon because he's on an adventure. Junior then tells Louie that they can help him before Bob says that he knows someone that can help. When Annie asks George who this person is that they were referring to, George then answers that it was him, which confuses Annie, before George narrates even further that "three boys and a funny little toy show up at my front door, wanting to know the true meaning of Christmas". George then invites them inside, gives them hot cocoa, and reads to them from the Bible the story of the very first Christmas, explaining that Shepherds were guarding their sheep before being approached by an angel who tells them not to be afraid because he brings them news that Christ the savior has been born. He then reads even further that this angel was joined by others who start singing "Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, good will towards men". When Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie are confused, George then explains to them that that baby was Jesus and that that night was the very first Christmas, before explaining to them that Christmas isn't about getting, it's about giving, and that it's especially about a baby named Jesus who was the greatest gift of them all.
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33	Back in Annie's room, Annie praises George for being so smart, before asking if it's the end of the story. George tells her that it isn't saying that the boys and Louie now knew what Christmas is about, but everyone else in Dinkletown is still in the dark about it. When Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie arrive back to Dinkletown, they find that it's become much more worse than it was before. Junior then says that they need to tell Dinkletown what they know about Christmas, with Louie adding that the commercial didn't just go to Dinkletown, it also went everywhere. When the quartet don't know what to do, thinking that Christmas is ruined, Junior comes up with the idea to get into Mr. Nezzer's toy factory. The quartet then begin to make their way towards the direction of the toy factory.
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35	When Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie approach the toy factory, Bob doesn't know why they're here, with Louie saying that he just got out and that he doesn't want to go back in. Junior then says that ItsTheOnlyWay to save Christmas. The quartet then enter the toy factory before they run down the hallways past where a penguin is washing the dishes in the kitchen. They continue making their way down the hallway when the security penguin from before is suddenly marching down the hallway, patrolling the hallway for any suspicious activity. Fortunately, the quartet manage to avoid detection by hiding against the wall, and Buzzsaw Louie acting as a figurehead on a drinking fountain. After coming out from their hiding place after the security penguin has passed through the hall, Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie then continue through the hall again until they are able to find the TV studio that Mr. Nezzer used to air his commercial.
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37	The quartet then film their own commercial, with Junior explaining to everyone in Dinkletown (and everywhere else) that Christmas isn't about being selfish and begging for more toys with there being much more to Christmas. Junior then has Louie explain to everyone about the story of the first Christmas. This makes everyone in Dinkletown feel even more happy. However, when Mr. Nezzer looks through his telescope, he notices that the children are not whining before asking Mr. Lunt why they aren't whining, with Mr. Lunt answering that he does not know. When Mr. Nezzer looks through his telescope again, he is able to see a glimpse of Buzzsaw Louie explaining about the true meaning of Christmas, before proclaiming "Somebody's trying to ruin my Christmas!" Louie then concludes that what he just explained is what Christmas is really about, before Junior then says that "if we remember that, this will be the best Christmas ever!" while Mom and Dad Asparagus are proud of their son. However, Mr. Nezzer, Mr. Lunt, and a whole multitude of penguins approach Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie, before capturing them, which causes the TV screen to turn to static. Dad Carrot then looks out the window towards Mr. Nezzer's lookout tower after that.
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39	Back inside the delivery room of the factory, Mr. Nezzer has tied up Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie (almost identical to how he tied up Rack, Shack and Benny back in [[Recap/VeggieTalesEpisode4RackShackAndBenny the fourth episode]]), saying that they're the ones trying to ruin his Christmas. Bob then tells him that they were just trying to let everyone know what Christmas is really all about. Mr. Nezzer doesn't care about that, saying that the only thing kids want to know about Christmas is that they'll get more toys and that he wants to keep it that way. Mr. Nezzer then tells the quartet that he's going to send them on a little trip, trying to decide where to send them, while suggesting Wibblestown or Bumblyburg. When Larry tells Mr. Nezzer not to send them to Puggslyville because the bridge is out, Mr. Nezzer decides to send them there anyway. Before Mr. Nezzer can send the quartet to Puggslyville, he asks them that if the people of Dinkletown really cared about what they told them about Christmas, where are they? However, his question is answered when Junior's parents, the Carrot family, and the Pea family show up to confront Mr. Nezzer. Mr. Nezzer tries to pass everything that he did and said as a joke, before asking what they're going to do. Laura Carrot then hops up to him, before it is then revealed that she actually has a present for him. Mr. Nezzer is surprised that Laura gave him a present, before he sees that the present is a teddy bear, which he loves very much. Unfortunately, while he's holding the teddy bear, he accidentally pushes the button which causes the plunger to push the sled that Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie are still tied up in, sending them through the tube that leads to Puggslyville. When Mr. Nezzer takes notice of this, he has Mr. Lunt get him another sled, before he slides down the tube after the quartet.
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41	One of the penguins named Harry pushes an alarm button that calls for 6 other penguins as they each grab a sled and start to slide down the tunnel after their boss. The quartet is still sliding down the tunnel with Mr. Nezzer and the penguins sliding down after them. Bob then asks Larry to try and reach the knot of the ropes, but when Larry does so, accidentally activates Louie's buzzsaw, which he uses to cut the ropes and free him and his friends. After the ropes have been cut, Louie then says that anyone who has hands start tying, but because Bob, Larry, and Junior don't have any hands, Louie then realizes that he's the only one who has hands, before he ties the ropes together. Once the ropes are all tied, Louie then tosses the rope as it lands on the top of a nearby tree, which causes the sled to get pulled out of harm's way. Mr. Nezzer is thrilled to see that the quartet are safe, before realizing that he is now in trouble as well, as his sled crashes through into the forbidden area of the Pugglsyville bridge.
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43	Louie then runs out in the path of the penguins as 6 of them pass by him, before Harry then crashes into him. Louie then crawls to the back of Harry's sled before using his buzzsaw to make the sled go faster, before the other penguins also get into a V-formation as a result. Mr. Nezzer's sled then flies off the edge of the broken bridge, while Louie and 6 of the penguins (Harry fell off his sled) grab each other by their feet. Harry then steps forward before he also grabs the chain. Louie is able to grab Mr. Nezzer by the back of his pants, saving him from falling to his death. However, they are now stuck on the bridge, but fortunately for them, Bob, Larry, and Junior had told George and he arrives in his truck using a winch to pull up Mr. Nezzer, Louie, and the penguins. Annie then asks if it was a good Christmas after all, George replies that it was a great Christmas, before narrating that after arriving back in Dinkletown, everyone was able to exchange gifts and have a good time. When Annie asks what happened to Louie, George explains that Louie decided to move to Dinkletown, before adding that he at first wanted to have his buzzsaw removed, before discovering that he can use it in woodworking. George then explains even further that the best part was that the people of Dinkletown finally understood what Christmas really meant, before we hear Junior singing "Away In A Manger" (Originally, it was the Peas singing "He Is Born The Holy Child"). George then concludes that it was the best Christmas ever, before the episode ends.
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45	----
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47	'''Character Introductions:''' Annie the Onion, Percy Pea, Li'l Pea, Baby Lou, Harry the Penguin
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49	----
50
51	!Tropes:
52
53	* AnAesop: Christmas is about loving and caring for your fellow man, not for getting more stuff.
54	* BadassSanta: Implied at the end of "Oh, Santa!", when Santa chases after the robber and viking to get his outfit items back.
55	* BaitAndSwitch: Right before Mr. Nezzer could launch the group, an angry mob of parents and children storms into the delivery room, intending to give him "what [he deserves]" for preaching the wrong meaning of Christmas. And what he is given... is a teddy bear.
56	-->'''Laura Carrot''': (steps forward; serious) ''Mr. Nezzer?'' (expression shifts to a smile; holds out a gift) Merry Christmas!
57	* BreakingOldTrends: It's the first episode without a countertop segment (Silly Song not withstanding).
58	* BrickJoke: Despite slamming the door in the IRS agent's face, "Oh, Santa!" ends with him slipping inside after Santa chases off the robber and the viking, and taking Larry's last cookie for Santa.
59	* ButWaitTheresMore: Mr. Nezzer quotes this trope word-for-word during the commercial.
60	* ChainOfPeople: Louie and the penguins do this in order to save Mr. Nezzer from falling to his death off the Puggslyville bridge.
61	* CommercializedChristmas: The whole marketing strategy for Buzz-Saw Louie.
62	-->'''Mr. Nezzer''': Buzz-Saw Louie also knows the true meaning of Christmas! All you have to do is press his nose...
63	-->'''Buzz-Saw Louie''': Christmas is when you get stuff! You need more toys!
64	-->[later]
65	-->'''Mr. Nezzer''': You just won't be happy until your parents get you a Buzz-Saw Louie, the only toy with a working buzz-saw, and the true meaning of Christmas!
66	-->'''Buzz-Saw Louie''': Billy has more toys than you!
67	* ChristmasEpisode: [[CaptainObvious Duh.]]
68	* DeliberateVHSQuality: Played with, as there were only so many ways to do this when the show was released on VHS at first to begin with. While typical staple effects like grainy picture quality and video imperfections are absent, all of the scenes that take place on the TV are deliberately rendered at a much higher frame rate than the rest of the episode to give it a videotaped look, and the camera work is also deliberately amateurish and shaky.
69	* DidntWantAnAdventure: "I wanted to play Mousetrap. You roll your dice, you move your mice. Nobody gets hurt."
70	* TheDoorSlamsYou: Happens twice to the bank robber in "Oh, Santa!"
71	* EarlyBirdCameo: Mr. Nezzer mentions Bumblyburg as a town to possibly send the group to, which is where the Larry-Boy videos take place.
72	* ForgotICouldFly: Louie doesn't even give a second thought about his buzz-saw, right up until Larry accidentally bumps it.
73	* ForgottenFramingDevice: Downplayed. George never stops narrating, but the cartoon ends after he finishes the tale without cutting back to him and Annie after he's done.
74	* FreezeFrameBonus: If you pause at the right moments when the characters first stumble upon Nezzer's TV studio, you can see a few props from past skits, such as the steak knives from "The Forgive-o-Matic" and the couch from "Love My Lips." Doubles as PropRecycling.
75	* GeorgeLucasAlteredVersion: Somewhere on the scale of this and ReCut. The episode originally suffered a major case of ChristmasRushed and TroubledProduction, with the creators being moderately unsatisfied with the initial product shipped to stores. The following year, a brand new cut was made, which significantly spiced up a number of major parts of the episode and cleaned up a lot of the rough animation that pervaded the original. Some of the changes include things like a new opening shot with a snowfall, a new design for George's car, a more elaborate set when the main cast is being taught the Christmas story, and silhouettes in the windows during the ending. While many of these changes were done simply to spice up the show a bit and rework its rougher elements, other changes were made due to the animators having learned how to do new effects since its first run (like particles and reflections).
76	* HumanSnowball: Happens to Louie when he falls down the stairs and ends up rolling down the hill.
77	* InstantAIJustAddWater: It isn't explained how one Louie became sentient when the others didn't. The closest George can figure is that he was wired differently.
78	* ItsTheOnlyWay: This is Junior's response when the others are unsure about entering Mr. Nezzer's toy factory.
79	* MyLittlePanzer: Buzz-Saw Louie, completing with working sawblade!
80	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Right as Mr. Nezzer is about to launch the group out of the delivery room of his factory, trying to decide which tunnel to use, Larry helpfully points out that Puggslyville's bridge is out, so he shouldn't use that tunnel. [[KickTheDog He does anyway.]]
81	* OhCrap:
82	** Mr. Nezzer gets this reaction when he sees that the sled he was riding on is heading right for the Puggslyville bridge, which is still under construction.
83	** In the 1996 release, the Viking says "uh-oh" in the Silly Song when he sees Santa coming down the chimney.
84	* OrphanedPunchline: At the start of the video, George ends a story with: "And so the pig and the giant lizard brought the boy back to his family at the bowling alley, and they all lived happily ever after. The End."
85	* PanUpToTheSkyEnding: The episode ends this way as Junior sings "Away in a Manger". The original 1996 release has the French Peas sing "He Was Born the Holy Child" instead.
86	* RescueReversal: Mr. Nezzer goes out to rescue Bob, Larry, Junior, and Louie, but they save themselves, so it's Mr. Nezzer who ends up getting rescued instead when the sled he was riding on goes towards Puggslyville.
87	* SavingChristmas: More like saving the ''meaning'' of Christmas.
88	* TakeThat: The IRS agent doesn't get past his intro in "Oh, Santa!" before Larry slams the door in his face.
89	* TrueMeaningOfChristmas: Buzz-Saw Louie tries to show the citizens of Dinkletown what Christmas is really about.
90	* TooDumbToLive:
91	** Larry, in this episode, when he mentions to Mr. Nezzer about Puggslyville's bridge being out.
92	** Downplayed: The robber in "Oh, Santa!" shows up to Larry's house and holds him up for all of his money. The issue is that he thinks Larry's house is a bank.
93	* TriumphantReprise: Over the credits, a new version of "I Can't Believe it's Christmas" plays, this time with the children singing about being excited to give gifts to their friends and families.
94	* WouldHurtAChild: Mr. Nezzer has no problem with sending the kids down a ravine for trying to ruin his plans.

Context Recap / VeggieTalesEpisode6TheToyThatSavedChristmas