Based on Night of the Living Dummy III, book #40 of the original Goosebumps series.
Trina and Dan are used to having dummies around. But when their father brings home a new dummy named Slappy, things take a scary turn.
The episode provides examples of:
- Adaptational Alternate Ending: A far more pleasant one. The book ends with Trina and Dan getting Grounded Forever for all the terrible things that Zane and Slappy framed them for, Trina giving Slappy to Zane as a present as revenge for getting them in trouble, and a strong implication that Slappy is going to make Zane's life just as much of a hell as he did for them. In the TV version, Zane's misdeeds are exposed to the parents (while Slappy does none himself here), clearing Trina and Dan's names. Zane is punished with several hard chores for it, but afterwards, he and his cousins admit both their faults to each other and reconcile. After a close encounter with Slappy the following night, Zane leaves with his Uncle on pleasant terms with his cousins, even expressing interest in having them come visit them on the holidays. All's well that ends well. Except Zane turns his head 180° right back at them...
- Adaptational Badass: Slappy now has the ability to bring other dummies to life, and turn people into dummies, still awake and aware, but unable to move without a puppeteer. Though he's still mostly a cruel prankster, this makes him far more dangerous than he was in the book series at the time. (He'd eventually gain the latter ability in Goosebumps HorrorLand, but was explicitly taught how by another villain, and in practice only transforms the victim's head.)
- Adaptational Karma: Zane is caught redhanded, clearing Trina and Dan's name and he is given the same punishment Trina and Dan's parents gave them for when they were thought to be guilty: long and hard chores. Though once he's paid for his crimes, he's forgiven and on good terms with his relatives, resulting in a much more pleasant goodbye than in the book.
- Body Surf: The ending implies that Slappy managed to possess Zane after getting blown up.
- Composite Character: In the book Trina tries to cast the the spell to stop Slappy by reading the magic words backwards only to bring the rest of the dummies in the attic to life. After thinking that the dummies are after Trina and Dan the dummies end up attacking Slappy for mistreating them. In the episode only a single dummy named Rocky comes to life to attack Slappy for being mistreated in the end.
- Demoted to Extra: Uncle Cal. In the book, he stayed at Trina and Dan's along with Zane, but in the adaptation he merely drops him off and doesn't appear again until the ending.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: A case of "wrong place, wrong time" for Slappy. After he is thrown out of the attic window by Rocky, he then gets blown apart by lightning being absorbed by the house's lightning rod. And moments after he boasts that he's invincible.
- The Don: Rocky is fashioned to look like a 1930s gangster in this episode, while in the book he was just a dummy with the Face of a Thug and dressed up with black pants and a striped shirt.
- Exorcist Head: The episode ends with Zane doing this, saying "I'll be seeing you real soon", and turning his head back around to face forward.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Rocky destroying Slappy, who brought him to life, renders him lifeless again in a Keystone Army manner.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Zane's camera. In the book it was smashed by Slappy to get Trina and Dan into trouble, but in the TV episode it remains intact as here Zane is the one who does all the mean acts (including trashing his room and ruining the family dinner, both of which were done by Slappy in the book). So it wouldn't make sense for him to smash something so dear to him (which in the book, Trina points out to Dan, which helps convince them Zane is no longer responsible.)
- Whacky Sound Effect: The final confrontation between Trina, Dan and Zane against Slappy is filled with these.
