Podgy’s insatiable appetite leads to him getting locked in a crate full of biscuits (cookies to you Americans), and Rupert gets dragged along for the ride trying to save him. It’s not long before the two are trapped on a desert island about to be cooked alive by a tribe of crocodiles.
First appearance of the Professor’s Sky Cycle.
This episode provides examples of:
- Adaptation Species Change: For
obvious reasons, the cannibals are changed to anthropomorphized crocodiles instead of the dark-skinned native humans from the comic strip story. - Adapted Out: Algy was the companion in the comic strip story “Rupert, Algy, and the Cannibals.” He doesn’t appear at all in this version.
- Ascended Extra: Podgy takes the role Algy had in the original comic strip version.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: The Serpent King leads his people to save Rupert and his fellow captives because Rupert saved him (“a service for a service”).
- Cannibal Tribe: Setting aside that all the parties involved are different sapient species...
- Captured by Cannibals: Rupert, Podgy, and the human crew get captured by not-very-talkative but clearly intelligent, reasoning crocodiles who plan to eat them all.
- The Cavalry: The Serpent King and his friends.
- Hope Spot: Podgy’s plan to convince the crocodiles to release him so he can help them make their stew and free his friends behind their backs almost works. Almost...
- It's All My Fault: Podgy laments how all the danger he and his friend are in happened because he broke into that biscuit factory. He’s 100% right.
- Lethal Chef: Rupert (hey, nobody’s perfect).
- Literal-Minded: After the snake calls himself the Serpent King and Podgy quips “And I’m the prince of Nutwood!”, the Serpent King sincerely calls him “Prince of Nutwood.”
- The Load: Discussed In-Universe — Podgy is well aware he’s this to Rupert and apologizes profusely for getting him into this mess.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Both played straight and subverted. The tribe of crocodiles is depraved enough to eat sapient beings alive, but the army of snakes is honorable and helpful.
- Sapient Eat Sapient: This is what you get when you combine the Captured by Cannibals cliché with a Lions and Tigers and Humans... Oh, My! world.
- Snakes Are Sinister: Podgy initially believes this trope is fact, telling Rupert the Serpent King can’t be trusted. Good thing Rupert disagrees.
- Supreme Chef: Podgy (no surprise).
- Work Off the Debt: The crew put the boys to work for stowing away.
