The Case of the Missing Rugrat

The Case of the Missing Rugrat is the second segment of the fifteenth episode of season 2, and the fifty-fourth Rugrats segment overall.

Characters Present

 * Tommy
 * Lou
 * Max
 * Emma and Clarice Pendragon
 * Fish
 * Manager 5
 * Man with Car
 * Stu (mentioned)
 * Didi (mentioned)

Synopsis
''After finishing his grocery shopping at Greenstreet's supermarket, Grandpa places Tommy into a Duesenburg, an old car, just for show. He only turns his back for a second, and Tommy is gone. After intensive searching, Grandpa traces Tommy to "Grey Gardens" at 1531 Selma Dr., home of Emma and Clarice Pendragon, a couple of old, blue-blooded ladies who have adopted him as their son.''


 * - Description from Klasky Csupo.

Plot
While shopping at a grocery store, Grandpa Lou places Tommy in an old Duesenberg car to imitate his old days as a private eye. However, the car is driven away by a butler named Max, and Tommy is taken away to a mansion occupied by two crazy sisters named Clarice and Emma Pendragon. The sisters believe Tommy has been brought to them as the rightful heir to their dead father's legacy, and raise him under the name Bostwick. As Tommy tries to escape, he befriends a parrot whose name he thinks is also Tommy; but the parrot gives them away to the sisters. Lou questions employees of the grocery store and other nearby stores who find him suspicious, but eventually give him enough information to find his way to the Pendragons' estate, which is called Grey Gardens. After some persuading, the sisters believe Tommy really is Lou's grandson, and bid farewell to "Bostwick," who shows Lou a mischievous smile, indicating he liked being upper-class for a while.

Trivia

 * Several classic movies are referenced in this episode. The sisters' heavily made-up appearance is based on What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, and other elements are based on Sunset Boulevard. The name "Grey Gardens" is based loosely on a documentary called Grey Gardens, which focused on the life of two reclusive relatives of Jackie Onassis.
 * On the 1997/2001 reissues of the Tommy Troubles VHS, this episode is included as a bonus episode despite it not being listed on the box art.
 * The car that Grandpa Lou was fascinated with is a 1940s Duesenberg.
 * The car that Grandpa Lou tried to and eventually failed to save from being hit by the shopping cart, is a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.
 * Tommy is the only Rugrat to appear.
 * Lou is the only parent to appear in this episode.


 * Moral: Don't take rides from strangers.