The Mattress

"The Mattress" is a Season 4 episode of Rugrats.

Characters Present

 * Tommy
 * Chuckie
 * Phil
 * Lil
 * Didi
 * Stu
 * Lou
 * Betty
 * Spike
 * Sergeant (flashback)

Synopsis
''Grandpa's forty-year-old mattress is giving him back trouble, but the Rugrats have a different explanation: there's a monster living in his bed, and it's trying to eat him! - Description from Klasky Csupo''

Plot
The episode begins with Tommy, Phil, and Lil eating from a box of Reptar cookies. Didi comes in, carrying Chuckie, who is holding a glass of water. Didi tells them that Chuckie has come to join their sleepover, and to play nicely. Chuckie asks Tommy, Phil, and Lil what they're eating, and Phil tells him they're eating Reptar cookies, and holds up one of the cookies and roars like Reptar. Scared, Chuckie swats the cookie out of Phil's hand, causing it to land in his glass of water. Chuckie watches as the water dissolves the cookie, much to Tommy's amazement. Just then, Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all hear a strange noise and gasp. Chuckie shudders and asks Tommy what that sound was. Tommy tells him he doesn't know, and Phil says that the sound may be the real Reptar in the kitchen. Lil worriedly asks if Reptar likes them, and Chuckie tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil that if there's a monster in the kitchen, they should let it eat whatever it wants.

Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all peer into the kitchen, and Chuckie tells Tommy that someday they'll get eaten by monsters. In the kitchen, Betty is trying to stretch Lou's arm out. Lou tells Betty that he just woke up like that today. As Betty pulls on Lou's head, Lou tells her his head doesn't bend that way. Betty tells Lou to relax, and Lou tells her that he can't relax with a stiff back, and her only making things worse. As Betty pulls on Lou and squeezes him, Tommy tells Chuckie, Phil, and Lil that his grandpa isn't a monster, but was the source of the sound. He then tells Phil and Lil that Betty is hurting him. Phil thinks that Betty is trying to pull Lou's head off, and Lil thinks that Lou needs new batteries. After Betty lets an exhausted Lou go, she tells him that she's never seen anybody in a worse shape than Lou's. She asks him if he's been sleeping on a beanbag chair, and Stu tells her he's slept on something worse. He then tells her to follow him to Lou's bedroom to show him his mattress. Lou follows them, angrily insisting that nothing is wrong with his mattress.

In Lou's bedroom, Didi looks down at Lou's mattress, and states that it is the reason why Lou's back is in such bad shape. Lou's mattress is shown to have been so overused, it has an imprint of his entire body in it. As Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all walk up to Lou's bedroom, Betty tries Lou's mattress out. She lays down on it, and sinks into it. As Stu pulls her out, he tells her that he's been warning Lou about the mattress for years. Betty, who is now out of the mattress, tells Lou that the mattress is the reason his back is in such bad shape. Tommy has witnessed this, then asks Chuckie, Phil, and Lil how a bed could hurt Lou. Lil tells him there may be a rock in it, but Chuckie tells Tommy it could be much worse. Tommy asks him what could be worse, and Chuckie tells him there could be a monster in Lou's bed, trying to eat him. Lou tells Stu and Betty that his mattress is still as good as it was in 1942. Stu tells Lou that mattresses should be used no longer than two decades, and that he needed a new bed back in 1962. Lou tells Stu that his bed is the best one he ever slept in, as it saved his life during World War II. In his flashback, at a war base, the colonel orders Lou, who is resting on a tarp, that he's going to the front lines. Lou tries to do so, but accidentally trips over the tarp, breaking his leg. The Colonel promptly sends Lou back home upon hearing this. An overweight yet muscular man with the surname Brickowski laughs at him, until the Colonel tells him he's going to the front lines in Lou's place. As Lou's flashback ends, Stu shows Lou a brochure for the Sleepmaster 2000 reclining bed, the latest in reclining technology. Lou scoffs at it and gives Stu back the brochure, telling him that he has to get ready for his Wombat Lodge campout. Stu then tells Lou that a night of sleeping on the ground will do his back a favor.

Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all sneak into Lou's bedroom, and find Lou's overused mattress. Phil asks Tommy that if the monster is in it, how come Lou hasn't been eaten by it yet? Tommy tells Phil that maybe the monster is trying to eat Lou, but Lou is too big for its mouth. Chuckie gulps in fear, then Tommy tells him, Phil, and Lil that all they need to do to get the monster to leave Lou alone is to find something smaller for it to eat. Chuckie then points out to Tommy that they, along with Phil and Lil, are smaller than Lou. Tommy realizes this, and tells Chuckie, Phil, and Lil that they need to find something even smaller than they are.

Stu sneaks into the kitchen, hoping not to be seen by Lou. He dials the number for the Sleepmaster 2000, and tells the manager on the other end that he wants to order the Sleepmaster 2000 bed. He asks the manager if they can deliver one to his house the next day, and the Manager tells him he can, much to his relief.

Meanwhile, Tommy carries Chuckie's teddy bear towards Lou's bedroom and sets it down by the door. He then tells Chuckie, Phil, and Lil that they're all going to hide, and when the monster goes to eat Chuckie's teddy bear, they'll lock him out, and then he'll have to leave. Chuckie gasps when he hears this, and tells Tommy he hopes the monster doesn't go to his house. Tommy shushes Chuckie and they walk away.

Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil wait for so long, they have all fallen asleep. As they sleep, Spike walks up to Chuckie's teddy bear, chews on it, and runs away with it. Chuckie then has a nightmare that Lou's bed really is a monster that ate his teddy bear, and tried to eat him as well. Chuckie awakens from his nightmare, and finds his teddy bear gone, with only its stuffing left behind. He wakes up Tommy, Phil, and Lil, telling them, "It's gone!". Tommy asks Chuckie if he means the monster is gone, but Chuckie tells him that the monster ate his teddy bear while they were asleep, and is still in Lou's bedroom. He then tells Tommy that they're all sleeping over in his house tonight, and is worried that they'll wake up in the monster's stomach. Phil and Lil tell Tommy they don't want to get eaten, either, and Tommy tells them that he has a new idea. He asks them if they remember when the water dissolved Phil's Reptar cookie, then tells them that if the water can dissolve cookies, it should also dissolve monsters.

Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all bring cups of water and pour them into the imprint of Lou's mattress. They all back away as Tommy tells them that when the monster awakens, it's going to be mad. They all hide in the closet, and when Lil peers out the door, she tells Tommy, Chuckie, and Phil that the monster isn't coming out. Phil tells her the monster might not be in Lou's mattress, and Tommy tells them there's only one way to find out. He, Phil, and Lil all charge toward's Lou's bed and jump on the mattress as Chuckie tries to open the door. Didi and Stu walk in, and Didi tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil to stop jumping on Lou's mattress. Chuckie cries, and Didi picks him up, telling him everything's going to be okay. Tommy, Phil, and Lil all pound on Lou's mattress, until Stu walks up to them and tells them it's their bedtime. As he carries them to Tommy's bedroom, Didi tells Stu to get rid of "that old thing." Stu jokes "You mean Pop?" and Didi tells him "Very funny."

That night, Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all have a hard time falling asleep. Chuckie tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil that all he ever used to have to worry about was bedbugs. Suddenly, they all hear a strange sound. Chuckie asks what it is, and Tommy tells Chuckie he doesn't know, but they're going to investigate. He pulls out his screwdriver and uses it to unlock the crib. They all peer out and see Lou's mattress as Stu tries to carry it away. Because they can't see Stu, they think the matters is moving all by itself. Tommy tells Chuckie, Phil, and Lil that the monster is leaving, and they won. They all cheer happily, and Chuckie tells them he knew they'd win. They all stare at him, knowing that isn't true, due to Chuckie's cowardly nature.

The next morning, Lou returns to find his mattress with the other garbage. He knew Stu was trying to get rid of his mattress, and is glad he returned early. He carries it back into Tommy's house, where Chuckie has awakened while Tommy, Phil, and Lil are all still asleep. Chuckie tells them to wake up, as he heard a sound. They all peer out the doorway and see the mattress being carried back up the stairs. Because they can't see Lou on the other side, they think it's moving all by itself again. Lil tells Tommy, Chuckie, and Phil that the monster has returned, and shuts the door in fear. Lou stops halfway up the stairs, saying that carrying a mattress is hard work on an empty stomach, and he has to get something to eat before he continues.

In Tommy's bedroom, Chuckie tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil that they're never going to get rid of the monster. Tommy looks out the window and tells Chuckie they will. Lil asks how, and all four babies look out the window together. They see the garbage truck (the one they’ve mistaken for a monster named Hubert) outside as the sanitation engineer tells the driver, Hubert, to pull up further. Tommy tells Chuckie that the only way to get rid of the monster is by feeding it to a bigger one. Chuckie then sees Hubert, and Tommy tells him that if Hubert can eat the rest of the stuff they don't want, he can surely do the same to the monster in Lou's mattress.

Tommy finds Lou's mattress halfway up the stairs, and tells Chuckie, Phil, and Lil to help him get it down. Tommy jumps onto the mattress, and Phil and Lil push a scared Chuckie onto it. This causes the house to rumble, which Lou notices when he drinks his coffee. He thinks the house is falling down. This rumble also awakens Stu and Didi. They think the house is falling down as well, and they have to find the babies and leave it as soon as possible. Lou peers out the kitchen doorway and sees Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil riding down the stairs on his mattress. The babies ride the mattress out the door, stopping it back onto the curb. The sanitation engineer puts the matrass in the garbage truck, which drives away. Lou chases after them and demands his mattress back. As soon as the garbage truck leaves, the Sleepmaster 2000 truck drives up. The driver comes out and asks Stu and Lou who ordered the Sleepmaster 2000. As Stu signs the bill, the driver smells Lou's coffee, with intent to drink it.

A few minutes later, the Sleepmaster 2000 is installed in Lou's bedroom, and Stu tells a stubborn Lou to at least try it out. Lou tells Stu that nobody asked for his opinion before they ordered the Sleepmaster 2000, but then Tommy crawls up to him and pulls on his leg. Lou tells Stu and Didi that they even told Tommy about the plan before they told him. Tommy giggles, and Lou decides that he will try out the Sleepmaster 2000 if it will make his grandson happy, then tells Tommy that he's trying it out with him.

Lou lies down on the Sleepmaster 2000, and quickly takes well to it. Stu tells Lou that he told him he'd like the Sleepmaster 2000. Lou tells Stu that he learned something from this experience; even war heroes like him need to keep up with the times. He, Didi, and Stu all walk out of his bedroom as Chuckie, Phil, and Lil all climb onto the Sleepmaster 2000. Tommy tells Chuckie, Phil, and Lil that he's glad they saved Lou from the monster in his old mattress. Chuckie then tells Tommy that now they can sleep wherever they want, and not worry about getting eaten. Just then, Phil presses a button on the control panel, causing the mattress to fold up between them. Tommy, Chuckie, and Lil all glare angrily at him, and he laughs nervously as the episode ends.

Goof

 * When the babies are jumping on Lou's bed, Lil's outfit is missing the duck and pocket.

Trivia

 * Moral: You have to get rid of something that's worn out and no longer works even if you've had it for a long time.
 * This is the fourth time Lou was shown when he was younger after "Grandpa's Date", "King Ten Pin" and "Sour Pickles".
 * This episode marks the debut of Lou's new flashback design. Where his old flashback appearances had a different hairstyle, rectangular glasses, a mustache and looked very similar to Groucho Marx, he now has a new hairstyle that looks exactly like his son Drew's, circular glasses and no mustache. This new design would be used for the rest of his flashback appearances.
 * Young Lou is voiced by Scott Weil in this episode. This is the only time in the entire original series where Lou was voiced by someone other than David Doyle and Joe Alaskey.