The twelfth episode of the sixth season of Rugrats (1991).
Ghost Story
Angelica tries to tell a scary story, but the other babies don't seem to get the point of scary stories, and make non-scary additions.
Chuckie's Complaint
Chuckie sees Reptar stealing cereal in a commercial and writes a complaint, but when Angelica turns it into hate mail, Chuckie thinks Reptar is mad at him.
"Ghost Story" provides examples of:
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: When Angelica makes Chuckie re-tell his part of the story, Chuckie says that the room was dark, the pillows were hard and lumpy, and the candy tasted yucky.
- Camping Episode: The babies and Angelica camp out in Tommy's bedroom during a thunderstorm in this episode.
- Crossover: The Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, another Klasky-Csupo production that aired on Nickelodeon appear in this episode, including Ickis, Krumm, and Oblina.
- Failed Attempt at Scaring: The kids are trying to tell a ghost story. When Chuckie tries ending the story on a Surprisingly Happy Ending, Angelica snaps at him to not do that and make a scary part of the story instead. So, he tries... but being a nervy two-year-old boy, the scariest things he can come up with are hard pillows and expired candy. No one is scared, but Angelica decides it will have to do.
- Friendly Ghost: Tommy takes on the form of one in Angelica's ghost story.
- Ghost Story: It's in the title.
- Key Under the Doormat: Near the end of the story, the babies find the key to the attic under the Welcome mat near the attic door.
- Shock-and-Switch Ending: Attempted in-universe; the kids are, as the title would suggest, telling a ghost story and Chuckie tries to end it with the protagonist going into a dark room in an apparently-haunted house, only for it to be revealed that the house wasn't haunted after all. He also adds pillows and candy. Angelica, however, tells him that he can't end a ghost story that way, so he makes it so it's no longer the end, and changes it so the pillows are hard and the candy is yucky.
- Wicked Witch: Angelica takes on the form of one in her ghost story.
"Chuckie's Complaint" provides examples of:
- Actually Quite Catchy: After hearing Angelica sing the Chocolate Cheese jingle several times throughout the episode, Didi wonders if they have any Chocolate Cheese and begins humming the jingle.
- Alliterative Title: Chuckie's Complaint.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: In the commercial for Reptar's latest
Direct to Video movie, Reptar's Revenge, the announcer describes Reptar as being mad enough to crush, destroy, and get even. - Chekhov's Gag: Before the babies go to the mall, Tommy suggests to Chuckie that he bring flowers to give to Reptar so that he won't be so mad, since it worked for Stu when Didi was mad at him. Near the end of the episode, the man in the Reptar costume, who is upset about his job, is given the flowers thanks to Dil pulling on Chuckie's pants, and thanks Chuckie for them by giving him a hug.
- Contrived Coincidence: Shortly after Angelica sends the letter she wrote to Reptar, a commercial for Reptar's Revenge airs on television, describing it as, "Someone has made Reptar very mad." The babies believe that Reptar got the letter and is angry
- If You Die, I Call Your Stuff: Chuckie tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil that they can have all his toys after Reptar eats him. Upon hearing this, Phil and Lil are excited and want to go home to play with them. Tommy, however, has a stronger will, and is determined to protect Chuckie from Reptar.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Because he can't write, Chuckie asks Angelica to write a complaint to Reptar for what he did in the Reptar Cereal commercial. When Angelica writes the letter in the form of hate mail and sends it, Chuckie regrets ever having asked Angelica to write the letter and spends the rest of the episode worrying what Reptar will do to him if he sees him.
- Nutritional Nightmare: This episode shows Angelica watching a commercial for her favorite candy bar, Chocolate Cheese. The jingle is as follows:If you like chocolate with gum underneath,
If you like caramel sticking to your teeth,
if you like the dentist drilling cavities,
Then you'll love Choco, Chocolate Cheese! - Rimshot: One plays after Betty says, "Good-bye, video sales", after the man in the Reptar costume gives Chuckie a hug to thank him for giving him the flowers.
- Tempting Fate: When Didi and Betty decide to take the babies to the mall to see Reptar, Didi decides that they can go as soon as Dil wakes up from his nap. As if on cue, Dil awakens, crying.
- There Was a Door: In the Reptar Cereal commercial, Reptar smashes through the wall of the boy's house when the boy refuses to eat his cereal.
- Walk Into Camera Obstruction: When Drew and Angelica are about to leave Tommy's house, Drew's nose fills the screen.
