"Very good, as usual."
Pedley, who has just returned from one of his frequent trips to seek inspiration for his paintings, has hung one of his latest pictures in the Great Hall. At Red's suggestion, Mokey hangs her painting of Lanford next to it. Overhearing her friends admiring Pedley's picture, while Gobo calls hers "typical Mokey," she runs off without hearing Gobo's and her other friends' admiring comments on her picture, or Pedley's remark that he wishes he could paint the way she does.Feeling overshadowed, Mokey confides in Lanford. Taking his advice to "stand up and fight," she decides to create "the best painting that this Rock has ever seen." The Trash Heap lends her a magic paintbrush, but Philo and Gunge warn Mokey that it's dangerous to those who use it for the wrong reasons: jealousy and pride.
Back at the Rock, Mokey tries the brush, which paints, in moments, a beautiful picture of Blossom Boulder. When she hangs it next to Pedley's painting, he calls it "very good, as usual." Misunderstanding Pedley's comment and still seeking to outdo him, she paints another picture, right then and there, in front of everyone. Pedley and the other Fraggles watch in awe as a portrait of a Doozer tower is produced in moments—but the brush, sensing Mokey's jealousy, sticks to her hand and begins dragging her around the Great Hall, refusing to stop painting.
Mokey, Red, and Wembley go to see the Trash Heap, who says, cryptically, "If you want to stop painting, just start painting." Wembley inadvertently figures it out, and Mokey realizes her folly. Using the tip of her tail, she manages to create a picture without the brush, this time painting for the joy of it. The brush comes unstuck, and Mokey returns it and gives the Trash Heap her newest painting.
This episode contains examples of:
- Advice Backfire: When Mokey sobs to Lanford that her friends loved Pedley's painting and called hers typical, he advises her to "stand up and fight" with a new painting. His advice backfires because Mokey hadn't heard Gobo's "typically great" comment on her picture, or Pedley's remark that he wishes he could paint the way she does.
- An Aesop: Creating art for the joy of it is a better reason than trying to outdo someone.
- Always Someone Better: Subverted. Mokey thinks her friends like Pedley's paintings better than hers. Unknown to Mokey, Pedley wishes he could paint the way she does.
- Animate Inanimate Object: The magic paintbrush, which, when Mokey uses it to try to outdo Pedley, sticks to her hand and begins dragging her around the Great Hall, refusing to stop painting.
- Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better: Mokey shows up Pedley by using the magic paintbrush to create a picture in moments, in front of everyone.
- Artifact Domination: The magic paintbrush bonds itself to anyone holding it who is jealous and prideful, and then it refuses to stop painting. This effect lasts only as long as the pride and jealousy of the bondee, though.
- Blunt Metaphors Trauma: Wembley keeps mixing up figures of speech. It ends up helping Mokey when the Trash Heap says that Mokey has painted herself into a corner and will have to paint herself out, and Wembley takes the comment literally.[Mokey watches from behind as Gobo, Wembley, Boober, and Pedley study her painting of Lanford.]
Gobo: Hmm, typical Mokey.
[Mokey gasps in horror.]
Wembley: Yeah. Once you've seen one of Mokey's, you've seen 'em all.
Mokey: I've... I've got to get out of here! [Runs off.]
Pedley: Once you've seen one, you've seen them all? What's that supposed to mean?
Wembley: Well, she paints the best pictures around. And once you've seen one of her paintings of anything, you've seen all the paintings you need to see about that thing. And... [He stops short, seeing the others shaking their heads.] No?
Gobo No, Wembley. Right idea, but wrong expression. - The Confidant: Lanford to Mokey.
- Continuity Nod:
- Pedley's painting in the Great Hall shows Sir Blunderbrain battling the Terrible Tunnel.
- Mokey refers to the baloobius (the fluffy end of a Fraggle's tail), a term first used in the episode "Scared Silly."
- In the episode "I Want To Be You," Mokey was painting a picture with the tip of her tail. She does so again in this episode while singing "Show Me," a song about her love of painting what inspires her.
- Cope by Creating:
- When Mokey thinks her friends prefer Pedley's paintings to hers, she decides to cope by painting a better picture than Pedley's.
- Later, she copes with the problem of how to get the brush to stop painting by painting a picture without it.
- Cryptic Conversation: The Trash Heap has one with Mokey when the latter visits her to ask her to take back the paintbrush.The Trash Heap: You're going to have to paint yourself out of this one.
Mokey: How? The problem is, I can't stop painting!
The Trash Heap: If you want to stop painting, just start painting.
Mokey: What?
Philo: The Trash Heap has spoken! Whatever it means. - Delicious Distraction: Right after she hangs her painting of Lanford in the Great Hall, Mokey's attention is caught by the Doozers' "Experimental Taste Site #5," which they have just finished building. It's a "complete success" with Mokey.
- Double-Meaning Title: Mokey has a "brush", or brief encounter, with jealousy of Pedley's talent for painting, and the Trash Heap lends her a magic paintbrush.
- Dragons Versus Knights: One of Pedley's latest paintings, which he has just given to Red, depicts Red as a knight in shining armor, facing off against a fire-breathing dragon.
- Driven by Envy: Mokey uses the magic paintbrush so she can produce better paintings than Pedley's.
- "Eureka!" Moment: Mokey has one when she's trying to get the brush to stop painting and Wembley reminds her that the Trash Heap said Mokey had painted herself into a corner and would have to paint herself out. She realizes that, since the brush has been doing all the painting, she has to paint a picture without it.Wembley: Well, gee, Mokey, I thought the Trash Heap made it sound kind of simple. I mean, you painted yourself into this corner, and all you have to do is paint your way out.
Red: Oh, that's just another expression, Wembley.
Wembley: What, again?
Mokey: Hold it! Red, I think Wembley's right!
Wembley: See? See? See? See?
Mokey: I've got to do exactly what the Trash Heap says. Come on! - Exercise Excuse: Mokey uses this when the magic paintbrush begins dragging her around the Great Hall.Red: Where are you going?
Mokey: Uh... nowhere, nowhere. Um... uh... yes. Yes, I just felt the sudden urge for a little exercise. Oh, all that standing in one place painting, I guess... [The brush drags her off in the opposite direction.] - Golden Moment: When Mokey rediscovers painting for the joy of it, she shares the Aesop of the episode with Red and Wembley.Wembley: [admiring the picture Mokey's started painting with her tail] Boy, that's already starting to look terrific!
Red: Yeah, better than anything Pedley ever did!
Wembley: Oh, yes, yes, yes!
Mokey: Oh... oh, Red, I don't even care about that anymore, you know? I'm just loving painting it!
[The brush comes unstuck, and she and Wembley share a Big Damn Hug.] - Help, I'm Stuck!: The magic paintbrush, sensing Mokey's jealousy of Pedley, sticks to her hand and begins dragging her around the Great Hall, refusing to stop painting.
- It Was a Gift: Lampshaded. As the episode begins, Mokey and Red are redecorating their room. Red has just hung a painting that has special significance to her because it was a gift from Pedley. It depicts Red as a knight in shining armor, facing off against a fire-breathing dragon.Red: Look at this painting Pedley gave me!
Wembley: Wow!
Red: He just got back from another one of his painting trips. - I Warned You: This happens when Mokey wants to ask the Trash Heap to take back the paintbrush, and Red and Wembley have to drag her there, since the brush is trying to pull her in another direction.The Trash Heap: Oh, but you told me you weren't that kind of Fraggle!
Red: What kind?
Philo: The jealous kind! - Lying by Omission: When Pedley wants to know how Mokey painted a picture of a Doozer tower in less than a minute, Mokey explains that it's the brush without letting on that it's a magic brush.Mokey: Ta-da!
Red: Amazing!
[The other Fraggles murmur in awe.]
Pedley: It really is amazing!
Red: Yeah!
Mokey: Yes... well, I knew you'd find that impressive.
Pedley: Impressive? I'm totally in awe! How do you do that?
Mokey: Well... finding the right tools does make a difference. However, that comes with experience. - Manipulative Bitch: The Trash Heap, who Philo and Gunge suspect of setting up the whole plot.Philo: Marjory?
The Trash Heap: Hmmm?
Philo: Did you do all that on purpose?
Gunge: Yeah. Did you plan the whole thing?
The Trash Heap: [chuckling] Boys, boys. How could you even think such a thing? - Meaningful Gift: Red loves the painting of her as a knight, especially since Pedley gave it to her.
- Meaningful Name: Blossom Boulder is a boulder with flowers growing all over it.
- No Sense of Direction: Uncle Matt shows Mokey the way to Blossom Boulder—or, at least, he's supposed to be the one leading. He walks right past the cave entrance, and Mokey has to say, "Excuse me, but isn't this Blossom Boulder?" And he has the same problem when he's ready to leave.Uncle Matt: Well, I know you're enjoying this, but I really can't stand around here yakking all day. Toodle-oo!
Mokey: Toodles!
[Uncle Matt walks offscreen.]
Mokey: Oh, um, you're going the wrong, uh...
[Uncle Matt walks back onscreen.]
Uncle Matt: Hmmm... [Looks around.] Ah! [Hurries off.] - Obviously Not Fine: When the brush starts dragging Mokey around the Great Hall and she pretends to be exercising...Red: Do you feel okay?
Mokey: Oh, fine, fine.
[The brush gives a sudden jerk, trying to drag her off again.]
Mokey: [whispering to the brush] Stop that! - One Man's Trash Is Another's Treasure: The Trash Heap, who is going to have a "Swap Meet and Garbage Gala" the next day, sings "Sure Ain't Junk."The Trash Heap: This is high-quality trash! Can we make a deal, or what?
- Out-of-Context Eavesdropping: Mokey overhears Gobo calling her painting of Lanford typical, then runs off without hearing him add "typically great." It doesn't help when Wembley says, "Once you've seen one of Mokey's, you've seen 'em all."
- Painters: Mokey and Pedley often paint pictures. Pedley takes frequent trips to seek inspiration for his.
- Plank Gag: On reaching Blossom Boulder, Mokey accidentally knocks Uncle Matt over with an easel she's carrying.
- Poor Communication Kills: Mokey runs off after hearing Pedley and the others comment on how typical her paintings are—just before they say how much they like them.
- Prehensile Tail: Mokey can use the tip of her tail as a paintbrush.
- Running Away to Cry: Gobo calls Mokey's painting of Lanford "typical," and Wembley adds, "Once you've seen one of Mokey's, you've seen 'em all." On overhearing this, Mokey runs to her room to cry.
- Sensitive Artist: Mokey is in tears when she thinks her friends called her painting of Lanford typical.
- Staircase Tumble: In a department store, Uncle Matt falls down one of the escalators.
- Terrible Artist: After overhearing them comment on her painting of Lanford, Mokey assumes her friends think she has become this.Mokey: [tearfully, to Lanford] They hate my paintings! And they just love Pedley's.
- Title Drop:The Trash Heap: You finally got over your little... uh... brush with jealousy?
- Unknown Rival: Mokey becomes this to Pedley. It's dropped by the end of the episode.
- Wrong Assumption: Mokey thinks Gobo's "typical Mokey" comment on her portrait of Lanford meant he thought the painting was only fair. What he meant was "typically great."
