Chuckie's New Shirt

"Chuckie's New Shirt" is a Season 6 episode of Rugrats.

Characters Present

 * Tommy
 * Chuckie (a.k.a. Ralph)
 * Lil
 * Phil
 * Dil
 * Didi
 * Chas
 * Betty
 * Stu (cameo)

Summary
''Chuckie rips his shirt while playing ball, and Chas goes off to buy him a new one. Soon, he begins to wear the shirts his dad has picked out, but doesn't feel like himself. Because of this, Chuckie tells the Rugrats to call him "Ralph" and begins to assume a new identity. Will Chuckie/Ralph find a new shirt he likes as much as his old one and go back to normal?'' - Description from Klasky Csupo

Plot
The episode begins in Tommy's backyard as Didi fills a kiddie pool with water. Nearby, Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil are playing with Tommy's ball. Tommy kicks the ball, which rolls into Dil's reach. As Dil hugs the ball and drools on it, Tommy tells Dil that he and his friends were playing with the ball. Chuckie agrees with Tommy, and Phil tells Dil to give it back. Dil tosses the ball at Chuckie, and when Chuckie catches it, he complains about Dil's drool getting all over his shirt.

Chas comes outside with a banana nut cake he baked, and asks Didi and Betty if they'd like to test-taste it, as he's entering it in his company's annual mandatory bake-off. Didi tries to be nice as she test-tastes the cake, but Betty spits it out and outright asks Chas if he left the peel on. Wanting to make Chas feel Better, Didi tells him that if he'd like to win the bake-off, he might need a little help, and tells him to wait while she goes into the house.

As the babies continue playing with Tommy's ball, Phil tells Lil to toss the ball to him. Lil does so, but Phil doesn't catch it, and the ball lands in the bushes. Chuckie tells his friends that he'll get the ball, and as he tries to do so, his shirt snags on a branch. The branch rips a hole in Chuckie's shirt, and when Tommy walks up to Chuckie, Chuckie tells Tommy that he doesn't like the hole in his shirt, as he can now see his tummy. Tommy tells Chuckie not to worry, as he's sure Chas can fix it. Betty then calls the babies over so that they can play in the kiddie pool. Tommy, Phil, and Lil all run up to Betty, and as Betty helps Lil take off her dress, Chuckie runs up to Chas, who notices the hole in Chuckie's shirt when he takes it off. He then tells Chuckie that he'll take care of it. As Betty puts Lil, who is now dressed in her bathing suit, into the kiddie pool with Tommy and Phil, she tells Chas that kids are attached to their clothes.

Didi comes outside with her grandmother's chocolate cake recipe from the old country for the bake-off. The secret is a cup of potatoes mashed with a shoe, but she decides that they can use a fork instead. Chas thanks Didi and tells her that he's going to the store to buy the ingredients. He is sure this recipe is just what he needs to win the bake-off, and is excited about the grand prize; a year's supply of air fresheners. He then says goodbye to Chuckie and gives him a hug. Before he leaves, Chas tells Chuckie that he gives the best hugs in the whole world.

Some time later, Didi and Betty dry the babies off and change them back into their regular clothes. Chas returns with everything on the shopping list, plus a few new shirts for Chuckie. He then tells Chuckie to pick out his favorite while he, Didi, and Betty start the cake. Chuckie empties the bag of shirts, and he, Tommy, Phil, and Lil look over the shirts. Chuckie looks at a yellow shirt with a pig waving on it, then he tries on a yellow shirt with pink flowers on it, but decides against wearing it, and takes it off. He then tries on a white shirt, and Tommy giggles when he sees what's on it. Chuckie is horrified when he sees the clown head on the front of the shirt, so he takes it off and tosses it aside, then he puts his old shirt back on. He tells his friends that even though he liked trying on the other shirts, he still likes his old shirt the best.

As Chuckie and his friends go over to the drawing table, Chas and Betty watch from inside the kitchen. Chas is worried about Chuckie, as he's still attached to his old shirt. Stu then walks in, pushing Dil in his stroller up to the other babies. Dil then takes Chuckie's crayon, and as Chuckie tries to take it back, Dil grabs Chuckie's shirt, ripping the hole in it even bigger. Chas walks up to Chuckie, who is on the verge of crying. He picks him up and tries to calm him down, then sits him down on the couch. Chas takes off Chuckie's old shirt and dresses him in a white tank top. Chas tells Chuckie he looks nice in his new shirt, when Didi calls Chas over and tells him it's time to check on the cake. Since her grandmother always poked the cake with a broom straw, she pulled one for her, Betty, and Chas.

Chuckie walks back to the drawing table and tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil that he's returned, but they're all too busy drawing pictures to notice him. Chuckie asks his friends if they noticed anything different, and Lil says that she drew hairs on her house. Phil is impressed with Lil's picture, and says it also has ears. Chuckie tells his friends that he's wearing one of his new shirts, and Tommy tells him it looks nice. Lil says the new shirt looks very "prettyful", but Chuckie begins to reminisce about the good times he had with his old shirt, like the time he ate eleven popsicles in one day, and when he did his first somersault. He then says that without his old shirt, he doesn't feel like Chuckie anymore. Tommy tries to assure Chuckie that he's still his same old self, but when Didi sees Chuckie wearing his new shirt, she jokingly says that she hardly recognizes him. After she leaves, taking Dil with her, Chuckie tells Tommy, Phil, and Lil that even Didi thinks he isn't Chuckie anymore. Tommy tells Chuckie that maybe he'd feel more like his old self if he took the new shirt off. Chuckie tries to do so, and Phil asks him if he feels more like his old self yet. Chuckie tells him he doesn't; he just feels naked, and he puts the new shirt back on. Chuckie doesn't feel the same anymore, and tells his friends that he should be called a new name now. Phil suggests "Stinky", which Chuckie doesn't like, and Lil suggests "Twinkly" (as it reminds her of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star), which Chuckie doesn't like, either. Chuckie then tells his friends that he feels more like a Ralph, and he begins to cry as he walks away.

Tommy, Phil, and Lil all follow behind Chuckie, who tells them he doesn't want to be Ralph, and that he wants his old shirt back. Lil tells Chuckie that it's not such a big deal, addressing him as "Twinkly", and Phil tells Chuckie that he shouldn't get worked up over something as insignificant as a shirt, addressing him as "Stinky". An offended Chuckie asks the twins how they'd feel if Howard took away their favorite shirts with the ducks on them. The twins realize that they'd feel horrible if that happened, and they cry as they hug each other. Chuckie then decides to look at a book, as maybe his new Ralph persona can read. When the twins stop crying, Tommy tells them that it's up to them to prove that Chuckie is still his old self, with or without his old shirt.

In the kitchen, Chuckie tries to read from a book of Mother Goose Stories, when Tommy calls him by his name. As Tommy walks into the kitchen with Phil and Lil, Chuckie tells them his name is Ralph now. Tommy plays along, and tells Chuckie that he and the twins have an experiment. He tells Chuckie to close his eyes and open his mouth. Chuckie does so, and Tommy feeds him chocolate pudding. Chuckie likes the chocolate pudding, as it's his favorite treat. Lil then hands Chuckie a prune and tells him to try it. Chuckie does so, but finds it tastes terrible, and spits it out. Tommy tells Chuckie that if he likes chocolate pudding and hates prunes, then he must still be Chuckie. Chuckie asks Tommy if he really thinks so, and Tommy tells him he really does. Lil cheers, and Phil says that Chuckie's back. Chuckie thanks his friends, then notices the cake that Phil brought to celebrate. He sniffs it, and finds out that it is banana nut cake, but unknown to him, it is the same banana nut cake that Chas had Didi and Betty test-taste earlier. He tastes the cake, but then finds it tastes terrible and spits it out. Tommy asks Chuckie what's wrong, then Chuckie comes to the conclusion that his new Ralph persona doesn't like banana nut cake. Chuckie then decides to go outside to see what kinds of toys his new persona likes to play with. Now Tommy is starting to believe that Chuckie really did turn into Ralph.

Outside, Tommy walks up to Chuckie, addressing him as Ralph, and asks him if he'd like to play with him, Phil, and Lil, since Chuckie isn't here anymore. Chuckie tells them he would, and asks them what they'd like to play. Lil suggests that they play hide and seek, and Tommy finds this a great idea, as it was a game that Chuckie used to like. Lil then sees Didi pushing Dil in his stroller, and suggests that they play with Dil. Phil then reminisces about when Dil used to spit up on Chuckie, and Lil remembers that Chuckie didn't like that very much. Tommy then walks up to the sandbox, and asks his friends if they could play there. Chuckie walks up to Tommy and asks him if he's going to reminisce about how Chuckie used to like playing in it. Tommy tells him yes, and points out the spot where he always sat, and the spot where he shook the sand out of his pants. Lil then reminisces about the time Chuckie drew a picture of Angelica with no hair, and laughed so hard, grape juice squirted out of his nose. Lil finds this funny at first, but then she begins to cry, as she misses Chuckie. Tommy admits that he misses Chuckie as well, as does Phil. Chuckie feels offended, and asks his friends what they think about Ralph. Tommy tells Chuckie that he and his friends do like Ralph, but they really miss Chuckie. Chuckie tells them that he isn't Chuckie anymore, and it's something they're just going to have to get used to, so it's best for them to just forget about Chuckie. Phil then whispers to Lil that Ralph is a lot crankier than Chuckie, and Lil tells Chuckie a real crabby pants. Chuckie takes offense to this, and tells his friends that if they don't like Ralph, then maybe they shouldn't be friends anymore. He tells them that he's just going to go home with Chas when he comes back from the store, but then Tommy tells Chuckie that now that he's Ralph, Chas might not even be his father anymore. Chuckie realizes that Tommy might be right, and that Chas is going to come looking for Chuckie, but all he's going to find is Ralph. Chuckie wishes that he never ripped his shirt as he begins to cry.

Chuckie walks up to the back porch and sits on it as Chas returns from the store. He asks the other babies where Chuckie is, as he has a surprise for him. He asks Dil if he'd like to see what's inside, and Dil pulls Chas' glasses off his face. As he looks for his glasses, Chuckie recognizes Chas, but is worried that he isn't even his father anymore. He decides that he should at least give Chas one last goodbye hug, and does just that. Even without his glasses, Chas is still able to recognize his own son's hugs. This gets Tommy to realize that Chuckie is still his same old self, with or without his old shirt. Betty then brings in the finished cake. Chas is impressed with it, as is Didi, who is sure it will win the bake-off. Chas then suggests to have the babies test-taste, and asks them if they'd like to do so. Tommy tells Chuckie he's glad to have him back to being his old self, and Chuckie tells him he's glad to be back. He now realizes that his old shirt isn't so important after all. Phil begins to cry, and Lil asks him what's wrong. Phil tells Lil that he was just starting to like Ralph.

Before the babies begin to test-taste the cake, Chas reveals to Chuckie that he bought him a new shirt identical to his old one. Chuckie is so happy to see the new shirt, that he takes off his old shirt and puts his new one on. Chas then whispers to Didi that he bought six more shirts just like Chuckie's old one, and when Chuckie finishes putting his new shirt on, he is so happy to be wearing it, that he gives it a hug. Didi then hands Chuckie his piece of cake. Chuckie eats his cake, which splatters onto his new shirt as the screen irises out on it.

Trivia

 * Chas enters his companies annual bake-off with Minka's chocolate cake recipe (Secret ingredient: a cup of potatoes mashed with a shoe). Will he win the grand prize---a years supply of air fresheners?
 * This is the second episode where Phil cries on his own instead of with the other babies.
 * When Dil rips Chuckie's shirt, the hole that had been there previously isn't visible.