The Animal Show- Walking-Stick and Ptarmigan Part 2

Jake: And now, let’s see what’s cooking in the kitchen with Yves St. La Roche.

Stinky: About that.

Jake: What is it?

Stinky: I unplugged the fridge and the oven.

Jake: Oh boy.

(cuts to Yves in his kitchen)

Yves: Bonjour, bonjour little animals out there! Today, we are going to cook seaweed and prawn. First, we check the refrigerator to see if we have the proper ingredients. (opens the fridge, but nothing is inside but a note) It’s a note. ‘Dear Yves, I have unplugged the refrigerator and the oven to save the planet from climate change. If you’re wondering what I did with all that food, I donated it to charity’. Well, good thing I have a Plan B: Peanut butter and banana sandwiches! (quickly makes a PB&B sandwich) Voila! A peanut butter and banana sandwich, made from freshly ground peanuts, ripe bananas, and non-GMO bread. Bon appetit! (takes a bite out of the sandwich)

(cuts back to Stinky and Jake)

Jake: And now, all the way from subarctic regions of North America, Greenland, Scandinavia, Japan, and Scotland…

Stinky: Scotland.

Jake: Please welcome Alasie the Ptarmigan.

Alasie: Hi, everyone. I bet none of you know what a ptarmigan is.

Jake: I do. We have some of those back at home.

Stinky: I have no clue.

Alasie: We rock ptarmigans are birds that live in cold habitats, though other species live in warmer areas.

Stinky: That looks like a chicken.

Alasie: Good observation, Stinky. Humans around the world give us different names, such as the snow chicken, the thunderbird, the hare foot, and the white grouse.

Jake: And what do you guys eat?

Alasie: Berries, leaves, buds, flowers, and seeds. Our babies, however, eat bugs.

Stinky: Let me guess: Ptarmigans are affected by climate change, as well.

Alasie: Correct, Stinky. With the planet getting warmer, it’s harder for us to find a proper habitat. Luckily, we find refuge in shady sites protected by wind, as well as tall mountains.

Jake: Can ptarmigans fly?

Alasie: As a matter of fact, we can! We may not look like it, but ptarmigan can fly for a mile until we get tired. I may not be a songbird, but can I still sing a tune?

Jake: Sure. And now, here is Alasie singing ‘Birds of a Feather’.

Alasie: Birds of a feather flock together

We live in every kind of place and weather

We fly, we run, we swim, we squawk!

There's emus, eagles, and chickenhawks!

Penguins, ptarmigans, ducks, and owls

And please don't use our feathers as towels!

Toucans, kiwis, woodpeckers, and the finch

The pelican can swallow fish in a pinch!

Skuas, falcons, sparrows, and puffins

And remember to never give a seagull muffins!

Bunnie: And now it’s time for the Animal Awards! Today, the animal with the most blubber.

Armstrong: What’s blubber?

Bunnie: It’s a type of fat that keeps polar animals, like Jake, warm in cold climates. Anway, could the winner be… the bowhead whale?

Armstrong: The polar bear?

Bunnie: The walrus?

Armstrong: Or the manatee?

Bunnie: And the winner is.. The bowhead whale!

Armstrong: Sorry that you didn’t win, Jake.

(cut to Jake crying)

Stinky: Jake, are you crying because you lost?

Jake: Not only that, I can’t find my storybook!

Stinky: Oh, that thing? I recycled it.

Jake: Stinky, this ‘saving the planet’ thing is getting out of hand. Turning off the lights, unplugging appliances, and recycling things we use on a daily basis are all noble acts, but doing too much of it can get on people’s nerves. Besides, it’s now so cold that Tizzy can’t come out of her hive.

Stinky: I guess I was trying too hard to save the planet. Can I at least only have half the lights on?

Jake: Okay, but can you get my book first and turn the generator back on?

Stinky: You got it! (runs around to scoop up the fireflies, turns the generator back on, and retrieves the storybook) Here’s your book, Jake!

Jake: Great, because today’s is about my cousin from Alaska: Humphry the Alaskan Brown Bear. “Once upon a time, there was a bear named Humphry. Humphry lived near a river with his wife and children, but one day, another bear arrived. ‘Hey you, there are fish in this river, and they belong to me!’ Said the rival bear. 'But my family lives here!’ Said Humphry. ‘There’s only one way to settle this: Fight!’ So the bears scratched each other with their sharp claws until the rival bear collapsed to the ground. ‘Okay, I get it. This is your turf. I’ll just have some honey, instead.’ And so, Humphry and his family continued to eat salmon, and they lived happily ever after. The end.”

Stinky: That was a good story, Jake, though it was a bit violent.

Jake: Sorry, Stinky. The animal world can be like that at times.

(cut to Armstrong and Bunnie in front of the habitat door)

Bunnie: Okay, Armstrong. It’s Habitat Time! Today, we’re going to the North Pole!

Armstrong: The North Pole, as in where Santa Claus lives? If that’s the case, I want two baskets of Choccy Hawkies, a chicken-scented seed bell, a beak warmer, my own Animal Award for Swiftest Bird of Prey…

Bunnie: We’re not gonna see Santa, Armstrong! We’re gonna see wild animals that live in the North Pole! (opens the door, and they end up in the North Pole)

This is the North Pole, Armstrong, though some humans call it the Arctic.

Armstrong: I know that guy. That’s a walrus, but why does it have scars on its body?

Bunnie: Walruses attack each other by using their sharp tusks.

Armstrong: Yeesh, can’t they just settle it by playing rock, paper, scissors?

Wow, that’s a huge dolphin!

Bunnie: That’s not a dolphin, Armstrong! That’s a beluga, a whale is all white.

Armstrong: Like a polar bear?

Bunnie: Exactly! Speaking of which…

There’s a polar bear, and he’s probably waiting for either a fish or a seal.

Armstrong: A seal? Polar bears eat seals?

Bunnie: Yes, but luckily, Jake is on a special diet that doesn’t have seals.

Armstrong: Are those cows?

Bunnie: No, you silly! Those are musk ox, but they are related to cows. Their thick fur helps them keep warm in such cold climates.

Armstrong: Hey, penguins don’t live in the North Pole! You’re lost!

Bunnie: That’s not a penguin, Armstrong! That’s a puffin. It may look like a penguin, but it’s actually part of its own family.

Armstrong: My giblets are freezing. Can we go home now?

Bunnie: Okay, Armstrong. Talk about a party pooper.

(Bunnie and Armstrong leave the North Pole and head back to the Animal Show studio)

For Habitat Time, it’s Bunnie Bear-

Armstrong: And Armstrong the chickenhawk.

Bunnie: Just back from the North Pole.

(Tizzy flies around Stinky and Jake again)

Tizzy: Quiz time!

Jake: And what’s the quiz this time?

Tizzy: Well, here it is! (cuts to the screen below)

The question is what is another word for reindeer? Give it a think. Back in a buzz!

(Cuts to Stinky and Jake trying to answer the question)

Stinky: Well, there’s Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, and Vixen.

Stinky: Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Nixen?

Tizzy: Maybe you should hear the question again! The question is what is another word for reindeer? The answer is caribou! Bee-lieve it, because it’s true!

Jake: Thanks for the quiz, Tizzy. That's all the time we have today, and until next time, keep seeing the world through the eyes of animals. Bye!

Author's Notes: Stinky trying to unplug everything in the studio is inspired by how I turn off everything in the house to save the planet, much to the chagrin of my parents.

In the Animal Show episode 'Rattlesnake', Armstrong reveals that his favorite treat is Choccy Hawkies, which are chocolate bars shaped like birds.

And if you're wondering whatever happened to Rhonda Rat (who took Tizzy's place in Season 3), she decided to join the Muppets. Just look at her design!

Jake's cousin Humphry is named after the Disney character of the same name: Humphry the Bear, who is best described as Sylvester from Looney Tunes as a pantomime bear. He only appeared in seven cartoons during Walt Disney's lifetime, four of which he co-starred with Donald Duck.

Next week, you'll learn all about invertebrates when the guest stars are a cockroach and a squid!