Dust Bunnies

(A "Nogglevision" episode)

Stu: (enters house with Tommy and Chuckie) What a day, huh guys? A fun afternoon at the park, a little ice cream, and now we lie down for a nice long na- (sees house with furniture covered and moved) Uh oh. Deed's spring cleaning. Okay, think fast Pickles. I'll drop the boys off, sneak out the back, and Didi will never know I was- Hi honey!

Didi: (enters room) Oh, good Stu. You're home. (kisses babies in crib) . Now I need you to move all the furniture in the foyer so you can sweep under it. Then after that you have to do something about that garage and-

Stu: But Deed!

Didi: Stu, honey, if we don't do it now the dust bunnies are going to take over the house! (parents leave room)

Chuckie: The, the dust bunnies?

Tommy: You know what bunnies are Chuckie! They're those soft fuzzy "aminals" that eat carrots and stuff.

Chuckie: Well, if they're so nice, why is your mom and dad so worried about 'em?

Angelica: (enters room) They're worried 'cause dust bunnies aren't nothing like regular bunnies. Dust bunnies are big, slimy, horrible monster bunnies! Tommy and

Chuckie: Huh!

Angelica: See these? (points to footprints in rug) Dust bunny tracks!

Tommy: They sure got big feet.

Angelica: Not big - "humungrous"! Dust bunnies grow under the carpet all year long and can only escape when parents move the furniture. That's when the bunnies go searching for their "favortist" snack in the world: sweet, tender, little babies! (visualization of her tale; "Nogglevision" portion starts) They feel around with their long sticky ears and then they come after you. Hop hop hop! And when they get you, they wrap you all up in their dust and drag you back to the kingdom of dust!

Chuckie: (first see him in the visualization being dragged by the bunny) No, no, no! No, no! Don't take me away! ("Nogglevision" portion ends; back to reality) Don't, no!

Angelica: It's too late Chuckie! The dust bunnies are out looking for delicious babies. And when they find you, they'll take you away and soak you in juice and stuff until you're soft and tender. And then the Dust Bunny King will eat you all up!

Chuckie: Ah! There's gotta be some place we can hide Tommy!

Tommy: Wait, Angelica! If the dust bunnies only live under the carpetthe carpet, then that means we'd be safe in the kitchen, right?

Angelica: Uh, sure... the kitchen. Too bad it's all the way on the other side of the house. I guess you'll just have to stay here and get eaten by the dust bunnies! Have a nice day. Hahahahah--- (leaves room) Stu in another room moving furniture)

Stu: Uh, I don't see why just can't clean around the furniture. I mean, what can be under here that's so- wah? (sees missing magazine in the dirt) Wow.! Hey, the Inventors Weekly Christmas issue! I wondered what happened to that. Hmm.. (sweeps dust into bin and takes magazine to read it)

(cut to Tommy and Chuckie in play pen in other room)

Chuckie: Uh, what are we going to do Tommy?

Tommy: Well, we're not going to wait here to get eaten! We're going to get to the kitchen.

Chuckie: But how? You heard Angelica! The dust bunnies are under the carpet.

Tommy: Then we won't touch the carpet. We'll go on top of the furniture!

(pulls screwdriver from within diaper and opens side of crib)

(babies walk on furniture to avoid carpet; long sequence of getting to kitchen; Chuckie almost falls at one point; Tommy swings shoes on the ironing board that falls down to become a plank, bridging a gap)

Tommy: Piece of cake!

(as walking across Tommy almost loses balance; once arrive on final chair, they spot a suspicious shadow under a desk)

Tommy and Chuckie: Hh! Dust bunny!

Tommy: We're trapped.

(cut to Didi in other room with boxes)

Didi: Huh.. Stu, would you hurry and get these boxes down the garage for me? Stu, Stu?

Stu: (in another room reading the magazine he found) Right, I'm on it.

(cut back to the babies)

Tommy: We're gonna have to make a run for it Chuckie!

Chuckie: But the dust bunny?

Tommy: I think it's sleeping. Maybe if we tiptoe really quiet it won't wake up. It's either that or we wait to get eaten! Are you with me Chuckie?

Chuckie: Uh, I'm with ya. Oh, why does it always have to be me?

(rolls a block at them)

(Angelica peers from behind a door)

Angelica: So, they think they can escape do they?

(rolls a block at them)

Tommy: We're almost there Chuckie. Just a few more steps and we'll be...

Chuckie: (falling on the block, then on Tommy) Waaaa!

Tommy: (falling into the dust pile that they think is a dust bunny) Ahhh! The dust bunny's got me!

(flails in dust)

Chuckie: (runs to Tommy) Oh, Tommy!

(then runs away into kitchen without seeing fate of Tommy)

Tommy: Hey, this isn't a dust bunny! This is just dust!

Angelica: (now standing over Tommy) Heheheheh- Of course it's just dust. There's no such thing as dust bunnies. You babies will believe anything!

(surprised by Didi voice)

Didi: Stu, Stu?

Stu: Hi honey!

(Angelica runs to hide)

Didi: (sees Tommy in dust pile) Oh no, Tommy! What happened? Are you all right? Where in the world did this pile of dust come from?

(picks him up)

Stu: Uh, gee Deed. I mu I'm going to give Tommy a bath. Come on sweetheart!

(goes up stairs with baby)

Didi: Well, don't miss it again. I'm going to give Tommy a bath. Come on sweetheart!

(goes up stairs with baby)

Stu: (sweeping dust) Gee, I don't see what the big deal is. It's just a little pile of, uh... (sees his paddle ball) Hey, my old paddle ball! I wonder if I can break my old record of 299!

(puts down broom to play)

Didi: (from upstairs, looking down) And Stu, when you're done sweeping, I still need you to carry those boxes to the garage!

Stu: (hits head with hand) Uh! Sure, Deed.

(Stu leaves, Angelica appears and gathers some dust in a bucket)

Angelica: Hahahah... one baby down, one baby to go!

(cut to Chuckie in kitchen, scared; Angelica enters)

Angelica: Hi, Chuckie!

Chuckie: Wah!

Angelica: How's it going?

Chuckie: Oh, Angelica! It was horrible! The dust bunny got Tommy and it's all my fault! I let Tommy down when he needed me most.

(Stu enters with boxes)

Stu: Excuse me kids. Gotta put these in the garage.

(enters garage)

Angelica: Oh Chuckie. Aunt Didi and Uncle Stu are going to be so sad when they find out Tommy's been eaten! Oh well, I guess they can have a new baby.

(skips away)

Chuckie: No, there's gotta be something I can do.

Angelica: Hmmm... well, maybe if you hurry, you might be able to save him. But to do it, you're going to have to go to the kingdom of dust and fight the dust bunny king "hisself."

Chuckie: Bu-... go to the kingdom of dust? But , where is it?

(crash, see Stu emerge from garage with dust cloud)

Stu: (coughing) That garage is dusty! All done Deed. I'm gonna go back to, uh, sweeping!

(starts playing paddle ball as walks away)

(cut to Angelica and Chuckie in garage; Chuckie sitting on a skateboard with tools in hand)

Angelica: Are you sure you want to do this Chuckie?

Chuckie: Uh, no, but I gotta do it.

Angelica: Then here you go.

(puts down bucket and pushes Chuckie off ramp) Say "hi" to the Bunny King for me.

Chuckie: (as enters tunnel) Uh! Don't worry Tommy! I'm coming to save ya!

Angelica: (runs to opening on other side with bucket) Okay, Chuckie. Get ready for your big dust bunny surprise.

(cut to Chuckie inside tunnel, batting away rags; sees something at end that looks like a monster; rag falls on face)

Didi: There you go sweetie. All clean. Well at least you are. Just stay put for a second, honey, while Mommy cleans the bathroom.

(Tommy goes away, walks down stairs)

Tommy: Chuckie, where are you!

(cut back to Chuckie, fighting a rag)

Chuckie: Get off me! A light, that must be where the bunny king lives. Don't worry Tommy! I'm coming!

(cut to Angelica, outside tunnel)

Angelica: What's taking him so long?

(looks into tunnel and gets run over by Chuckie gets run over by Chuckie and the skateboard) Ow!

(Chuckie runs into a pile of clothes)

Chuckie: (fighting the clothes) I'll get you Dust Bunny King!

Tommy: (entering garage) Chuckie!

(cut back to Mom in bathroom)

Didi: Okay, Tommy. Mommy's all done! Now why don't we... Tommy?

(cut to her downstairs entering room)

Stu: (playing paddle ball) One, two, three

(misses ball) Shoot!

Didi: Stu? Have you seen... (hears screams) The kids! Oh!

(both run to garage)

(cut back to garage; Chuckie fighting the clothes; grabs a sweater)

Chuckie: Ah hah, I got you by the ears! You give me back my friend.

Tommy: Don't worry Chuckie! I'll help you!

(joins the fight with the clothes)

Angelica: Hey, you're ruining my whole plan.

(babies knock into a spade that knocks a ball onto a plank with the bucket of dust that propels it onto Angelica's head)

Angelica: Uh oh...

(gets covered in dust; coughs)

Chuckie: Tommy! I saved you! Can you ever forgive me? I "runned" away and let the dust bunnies get ya!

Tommy: But Chuckie-

Chuckie: But now I saved ya and you're all right! (keeps hugging friend) I did it even though I was really really scared.

Tommy: But Chuckie-

Chuckie: I faced the Dust Bunny King and I won. Does that mean I'm a hero!

Tommy: (sighs, exasperated) Yeah, Chuckie. You're a hero, and you're my "bestest" friend.

Didi: (picking Tommy and Chuckie up) Oh, Tommy, it looks like you need another bath. And you too Chuckie! Oh, take care of these two honey.

(passes them off to Stu)

Stu: Sure thing Deed. Come on sports!

(walks out of room)

Angelica: Um, Aunt Didi. If the babies are using the tub, where am I going to take a bath?

(cut to babies having fun in tub, Dad washing them)

(cut to Angelica being washed in a bucket in the yard by Didi)

Angelica: Stupid babies!