The thirteenth and final episode of the second season of Tiny Toon Adventures, and the seventy-eighth overall.
Buster and Babs welcome the viewers to the show, telling them they're presenting the pilot of a new series focusing on Elmyra Duff and her family.
The episode begins on Hidden Terrace (which has an "OR" written over the "ACE" on the sign), where at Elmyra's house, Elmyra's father, MacArthur, is making a clean-burning fuel from cholesterol. When he pours an egg yolk into a beaker, this causes an explosion that blows a hole in the roof of the house that awakens Elmyra's baby brother Brick, whom Emily, Elmyra's mother, is watching over. Brick notices his teddy bear outside his crib and uses his brute strength to bend the bars on his crib. He then crawls out of his crib and knocks over a table, which prompts Emily to call the rest of the family to help her calm him back to sleep.
Elmyra's older sister, Amanda, is on the phone, talking to her unseen friend, Stephanie. Emily calls her over to help her calm Brick back to sleep, much to Amanda's ire. Amanda tells Stephanie that she is lucky to live in a family whose parents are always gone, and without brothers, sisters, or pets. She kicks the door to the bedroom of Duncan, Elmyra's younger brother, who is pretending to be a superhero called Ninja Boy. Emily calls for him, and he jumps through the closet leading to Elmyra's bedroom. Elmyra is playing with Furrball, who is dressed in a tuxedo, and using stuffed animals as an audience for her new show, "The Elmyra Fun Show". She welcomes Duncan and introduces Furrball as her assistant, Fuzz, before spinning him in the air by his tail. Emily calls for Elmyra, and Duncan runs out the door. Amanda hands the phone to Queegee, the maid, and as Duncan slides down the stair rail, the phone cord retracts like a bungee, sending Queegee flying out Amanda's window. In the living room, Brick crawls under the rug, causing Emily and Amanda to run into each other. Elmyra walks down the stairs, spinning Furrball in the air by his tail. She trips over Brick, causing Furrball to hang from the chandelier. Duncan runs to the other side of the rug, and Emily tosses him a pacifier just as Brick crawls out. Duncan catches the pacifier and puts it in Brick's mouth, calming him back to sleep, much to the family's relief.
A scorched Mac comes down with an announcement to his family, who all shush him so that he won't wake the sleeping baby. Queegee walks in through the open window, and Emily asks her to take Brick to his bedroom so he can sleep. Queegee does so, and Emily asks Mac why he's scorched. Mac tells her and the rest of the family that he has made a new scientific discovery; a clean-burning fuel made from cholesterol. Emily is impressed, and decides to call the news station so Mac can appear on the news. Mac tells her that his new fuel is just a prototype. As Emily dials the phone, Elmyra asks her if Mac will be on TV, but Amanda sarcastically tells her that the news station will be coming by to give her her own show. Elmyra, unable to understand sarcasm, really believes what Amanda said and imagines her on the set of her new show, "The Elmyra Fun Show". She then decides to go back to her bedroom to rehearse, and looks for Furrball, who is still swinging from the chandelier. He jumps onto the curtains and slides down them. Elmyra thinks Furrball likes heights, and decides to give him a high-wire act. She then carries him up the stairs, slamming his head against the bannisters the entire time.
On the Fairly Active News Network, Teeny Tonny, the newscaster, holds the transcript up to the camera until the director tells her to read it. She reads over it, explaining that MacArthur Duff claims to have invented a clean-burning and inexpensive fuel, and the Fairly Active News Team will interview him at 6:00 P.M. tonight. Arthur Jabba, the owner of the Happy Sunny Oil Company, shuts off the TV, realizing that a clean-burning fuel could put his company out of business, and he sends his two minions, George and Leonard, over to Elmyra's house to capture one of the family members and hold them for ransom.
Outside Elmyra's house, Duncan, in his Ninja Boy persona, guards the house, which Amanda finds annoying, and she tells him to get a life. Inside Elmyra's bedroom, Elmyra is rehearsing for "The Elmyra Fun Show", with her as Paula Abdul and Furrball as Michael Jackson. She tosses Furrball across her bedroom, causing him to land in an umbrella can. She then changes costumes so she can be Madonna. She tosses Furrball across the room, and he runs away from her.
Duncan watches from his tree house as George and Leonard park their van outside Elmyra's house. Leonard pulls out a pack of Non-Acme Very Real Matches, wanting to light something on fire, but George informs him that they're involved with kidnapping, not arson. As Duncan watches George and Leonard get out of their van, Elmyra, who is now dressed in her normal attire, chases Furrball into George and Leonard's van. Leonard asks Elmyra who she is, and Elmyra introduces her and Furrball to him and George. She tells them that she wants to have her own television show, and asks them if they're the executives Amanda was talking about. George plays along, telling her he's the producer, and Leonard is the talent coordinator. Leonard is confused, and Duncan watches in horror as Elmyra is taken away. He tries to alert Emily that Elmyra has been kidnapped, but Emily think he's playing a game and doesn't believe him.
In the second act, Duncan decides to take matters into his own hands, and follows George and Leonard on his bicycle. They lead him to a warehouse, which is guarded by steel doors. He uses a pair of toilet plungers to climb up the steel doors. Inside the warehouse, Elmyra thinks it's a TV studio, and asks George and Leonard where the cameras are. George tells her that he and Leonard use hidden cameras because the cameramen are shy. George then tells Leonard to look after Elmyra while he calls Arthur. When Duncan reaches the top of the steel doors, he sees an angry guard dog trying to attack him. He then pulls out a rubber dog bone and tosses it at it.
George tries to call Mac to tell him that Elmyra has been kidnapped, and unless he surrenders the fuel formula to him, he won't give her back, but Queegee has answered the phone and doesn't take the situation too seriously. She hangs up, then Arthur calls George to ask him if he has the fuel formula yet. George explains to him that he and Leonard have Elmyra, but before he can go on, Arthur tells him to send a ransom note, and quickly.
Elmyra is now at a desk, believing that she is the host of "The Elmyra Fun Show" and Furrball, who is tied up in a rope, is her sidekick. She then introduces Leonard as her first guest. She asks him many questions, but he confusedly answers "no" to them. She then decides to give Leonard a makeover, and smothers him in lipstick. Outside the warehouse, Duncan is being chased by the guard dog, and knocks it out by holding the rubber bone up against the wall. He then uses the dog's collar to latch onto the chimney and climb up the building. Back inside the warehouse, Elmyra has put Leonard in earrings and a red wig, and George walks in, brining in the ransom note. Elmyra looks over it, thinking it's her contract. She signs it, and George takes it back from her, sitting on Furrball. Leonard tells George that if the cops trace the handwriting, they'll arrest Elmyra instead of them. Elmyra tells George to get off of Furrball, then introduces the cooking segment.
George runs over to Elmyra's house and slips the ransom note under the door, but Brick, who is in a walker, walks up to the note and eats it. Back in the warehouse, Elmyra cooks her Eggs Elmyra by pouring gasoline into a frying pan. She then asks Leonard if he can light the stove for her, since she's not allowed to play with matches. Leonard is happy to oblige, and causes an explosion that makes Duncan lose his balance and fall over. Duncan then overhears Elmyra screaming and thinks she's in trouble, when in fact, Elmyra is doing a scream test, claiming it to be how all Hollywood Hopefuls get their start. The Guard Dog has awakened, so Duncan tosses a rope down to a tree and decides to head back home to alert the rest of the family.
In the third act, the phone rings, but before George and Leonard, hoping Mac has called, can answer it, Elmyra answers it. Arthur is on the other end, and he is not happy with George and Leonard. He tells her to tell them, "No more snafus or you're sunk!", and George and Leonard realize that they have to get the fuel formula fast. Elmyra has just been reminded that the itty-bitty baby care segment of her show is next, and asks which one of them will wear the diaper. Upon hearing this, Leonard tells Elmyra that George will wear the diaper, as he flunked potty training.
Back at Elmyra's house, the Fairly Active News Team has arrived, and rings the doorbell. Emily asks Queegee to get the door, but Queegee misunderstands and brings her the door. Teeny Tonny walks in, and Emily is happy to meet her. She introduces herself, and tells Teeny to come in. As Queegee tries to put the door back, the cameraman runs over her.Back at the warehouse, Leonard answers the phone, but talks into the wrong end. As a result, he can't hear Arthur call him. George takes the phone from him, and Arthur yells at him. George tells Arthur that he and Leonard won't fail again. Arthur hangs up upon hearing this.
Back at Elmyra's house, Mac, Emily, Amanda, and Brick are being filmed for an interview. As Mac begins, Duncan runs in, trying to alert him, Emily, Amanda, and Brick that Elmyra's been kidnapped. Amanda and Emily keep interrupting him, and when he tries to alert them again, he is drowned out by the sound of a parade outside Elmyra's house. Everyone turns their attention to it, and the parade tells them that Elmyra has been kidnapped, and the only way to get her back is to surrender the fuel formula. Emily panics, as she and the rest of the family don't know where Elmyra is. Duncan tries to tell her that he knows where she is, but Emily continues panicing. She then wonders if Duncan knows where Elmyra is, but Duncan stares at her, unamused.Duncan leads the family, the news team, and the cops to the warehouse, where George talls Arthur, telling him that the Duff Family got the message. He asks him if they can take Elmyra back now, but Arthur refuses to let them until they have the fuel formula. Elmyra then removes her hairbow with a gerbil skull in it, and shows a sketch involving her imaginary friend, Mr. Skullhead, which is drawn in pencil with little to no color. In the sketch, Mr. Skullhead gets a part on a movie called "Steam Roller From Heck", wherein he gets flattened by a steamroller. By this time, George and Leonard have had enough, and run outside to surrender themselves to the police. Elmyra follows them, and asks the Fairly Active News Team if they've come for the taping of her show. Emily is so happy to see Elmyra again, but Elmyra, still oblivious to her kidnapping, tells her that she hasn't even seen the show yet. George and Leonard tell the police to take them to jail so they won't have to be near Elmyra. The Police Chief asked them whose idea it was to kidnap Elmyra, but at first, George and Leonard refuse to rat Arthur out. When Elmyra reminds them that they still have twelve more episodes of their show to tape, they tell the Police Chief Arthur's name, address, and fax number. Elmyra is then disappointed that they won't continue her show.
That evening, the Fairly Active News team does a report on the rescue of the kidnapped Elmyra, and interviews her. An oblivious Elmyra welcomes the viewers to the Elmyra Fun Show, and introduces herself and Furrball. She then thanks George and Leonard for helping her get her new show. Arthur, George, and Leonard all watch the news report from inside their jail cell. Arthur finds this a cruel punishment, and George and Leonard laugh at him. Elmyra then says, "And now, on with the show!" as the episode ends.
This episode provides examples of:
- Angry Guard Dog: One guards the warehouse.
- Art Shift: Elmyra's "Mr. Skullhead" sketch is drawn in pencil, with little to no color.
- A Boy, a Girl, and a Baby Family: Amanda and Elmyra are the girls, Duncan is the boy, and Brick is the baby.
- Bratty Teenage Daughter: Amanda. She talks rudely to both Elmyra and Duncan, telling the latter to get a life, and even tells her unseen friend, Stephanie, that she is lucky to live in a family whose parents are always gone, and without brothers, sisters, or pets.
- Chubby Mama, Skinny Papa: Emily and Mac, respectively.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Arthur Jabba. He owns the environmentally-unfriendly Happy Sunny Oil Company, and wants to get rid of Mac's fuel formula to keep his company in business.
- Credits Gag: Hey, kids! - Did you spot Waldo?
- Early-Bird Cameo: Mr. Skullhead, Elmyra's imaginary friend, debuts in this episode. He would later become a recurring character on Animaniacs, most notably in the "Good Idea, Bad Idea" sketches.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Elmyra acts as the foolish sibling to Duncan's responsible sibling. Elmyra wants to pursue an acting career, but has mistaken George and Leonard for a pair of TV executives, whilst Duncan wants to be a superhero and tries to rescue Elmyra from dangers she is otherwise oblivious to.
- Getting the Baby to Sleep: The explosion from Mac's clean-burning fuel awakens the baby, causing him to go on a mini-rampage in the living room. Emily calls the rest of the family over to assist her in calming him back to sleep, which Duncan eventually does by putting a pacifier in his mouth.
- Grammar Nazi: Mr. Jabba hates when something is phrased in double negative.
- Kid Hero: Duncan, in his Ninja Boy alter-ego.
- Literal-Minded: When Emily asks Queegee to get the door for her, Queegee pulls it off its hinges and brings it to her.
- No Name Given: Elmyra's baby brother doesn't seem to have his own name, but according to his model sheet, his name is Brick.
- Not Now, Kiddo: Duncan gets this treatment when he tries to alert Emily and Mac that Elmyra's been kidnapped.
- Phone Aholic Teenager: Amanda is seen on the phone, talking to her unseen friend, Stephanie, and is forced to call her back when Emily needs her help calming Baby Brick back to sleep.
- Poorly Disguised Pilot: This episode, as well as its follow-up episode, "Grandma's Dead" were meant to serve as part of a series focusing on Elmyra's previously unseen and unmentioned family. Although the series never got picked up, Elmyra did eventually end up starring in another show, which her family got left out of.
- Prefer Jail to the Protagonist: George and Leonard kidnap Elmyra Duff and hold her for ransom in exchange for her father's fuel formula. Elmyra thinks their hideout is a TV studio and her antics drive George and Leonard up the wall, to the point where by the time Duncan and the police show up, George and Leonard beg for the police to take them to jail. Of course, since the kidnapping was Mr. Jabba's idea, they rat him out and he is arrested as well.
- Pyromaniac: Leonard loves fire and constantly asks his partner George if he can burn things. When they kidnap Elmyra and take her to their hideout (which she thinks is the studio for a TV show starring her), at one point, she asks Leonard to light the stove for her, since she's not allowed to play with matches. Leonard is happy to oblige and ends up blowing the hideout because Elmyra poured gasoline into the frying pan.
- Rube Goldberg Device: Mac is shown to have one while inventing his fuel formula.
- Sarcasm-Blind: When Elmyra asks Mac if he will be on the news the day of his new discovery, Amanda tells her, "No, they're coming over to give you your own show, Elbow-head!". Since Elmyra is unable to understand sarcasm, she really believes what she just said, and as a result, she thinks that George and Leonard are the executives for her new show and their warehouse is the studio for the show.
- Shout-Out:
- George and Leonard were named after the characters of the same name from the 1937 John Steinbeck novel, Of Mice and Men.
- Elements of the plot — specifically a kidnapping victim making their captors so miserable they're glad to be rid of them — draws from The Ransom Of Red Chief.
- Squashed Flat: Happens to Mr. Skullhead in his sketch, when he is run over by a steamroller.
- Stock Footage: This episode begins with reused animation from "K-ACME TV", except with new dialogue reflecting that Buster and Babs are presenting an episode centered around Elmyra's family. This is particularly noticeable because "K-ACME TV" was animated by Wang Film Productions, while the rest of this episode was animated by TMS Entertainment.
- Super-Strong Child: For a baby, Brick has brute strength, which he uses to bend the bars on his crib and go on a mini-rampage in the living room.
- Superheroes Wear Capes: Duncan wears a black and red cape while in his Ninja Boy persona.
- Terrible Trio: Arthur Jabba, George, and Leonard.
- Watch Where You're Going!: Emily and Amanda bump into each other while trying to catch the baby.
