| Sleep Trouble | Gallery | Transcript |
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"Sleep Trouble" is a Season 5 episode of Rugrats.
Characters Present[]
Character Mentioned[]
Character Introduced[]
Summary[]
After Stu tells Tommy and Chuckie the story of the Sandman, they decide to catch him before he can put sand in their eyes. - Description from Klasky Csupo
Plot[]
On a very windy day, Chuckie is staying over at Tommy's house, since Chas will be out late attending a party. Chas provides Didi with everything Chuckie needs, but while they are talking in the kitchen, they see a weather report about how winds that night will reach over 30mph. Chas worries, saying that Chuckie gets scared during storms at night (and almost lets slip that he would be even more scared). Didi insists that Chas go to the party and have fun. Meanwhile, Tommy and Chuckie build sandcastles in the sandbox, using Stu's pitcher of lemonade to make the sand stick together better.
Later that night, Stu gets the babies ready for bed. He decides to tell Chuckie and Tommy a story about the Sandman. He tells the babies that the Sandman turns himself into sand to creep in through the cracks under doors, then sprinkles magic sand in people's eyes so they fall asleep. Tommy falls asleep to the story, but Chuckie panics that "The Sandyman" is evil and will get them late at night by burying them in magic sand. Tommy is positive nothing will happen, but after hearing noises from the windstorm outside, he suggests they sleep in Stu and Didi's room. After a terrifying run down the hallway, they both crawl into Stu and Didi's bed. Didi wakes up, then alerts Stu that the babies got out of the crib. They figure the babies were scared of the storm, and go back to Tommy's room to help them get back to sleep. Stu and Didi try multiple methods, like lullabies and reading more stories, but Tommy and Chuckie stay wide awake. Eventually, Stu and Didi fall asleep on the floor.
Meanwhile, Chas goes home from the party, but the storm knocks out the power in his house. Feeling scared, he decides to go to the Pickles' house. Chas gets to the house and pounds on the door, trying to wake someone up to let him in. When that doesn't work, he tries going through the backyard. He trips on the pitcher from earlier and lands in the sandbox, where the still-wet stand sticks to his body.
With Stu and Didi fast asleep, and the noises outside getting louder and scarier, the kids decide to set various booby traps around the house, in an effort to prevent the Sandman from getting in. They find mashed potatoes and other squishy foods to put in the door cracks. But, Tommy realizes they didn't get to the back doors yet. It's too late as they see a sand-covered person in the house. They scream and run from "the Sandyman," and Chas tries calling their names and following them to let them know he's not dangerous. Chas then slips on the mushy food by one of the doors, which sends him flying into the wagon, and rolling down the stairs. Tommy and Chuckie see him in the basement, and Chuckie worries that "the Sandyman" will just be angrier at them. Tommy gets an idea, and brings Chuckie with him to get a bucket.
A few moments later, Chas is trying to get the wagon unstuck from his bottom. Tommy and Chuckie go back down the stairs with a bucket of water, aiming to wash "the Sandyman" away like a sandcastle at the beach. Chas turns around to see the babies, but the moonlight reflected on Chas' glasses make his eyes look red and scary. Tommy throws the water onto "the Sandyman," making him fall backwards into a pile of junk, and washing off the sand. Tommy and Chuckie see Chas in the pile and are relieved, thinking Chas came to help them. They are even happier seeing the little specks of sand on the floor, and think their plan worked. Chas picks up the babies and brings them upstairs.
After Chas puts Tommy in his crib, he changes into some of Stu's dry clothes and lights the fireplace in the living room. He talks to Chuckie, saying that they will just stay until the storm passes, and he'll comfort Chuckie if he gets scared (and vice versa).
Trivia[]
- This episode uses animation techniques to replicate the "Hitchcock Vertigo Zoom" as Tommy and Chuckie enter the Pickles' hallway.
- This is the second time where Chas is mistaken for the Sandman by Tommy and Chuckie; the first time was in "Beach Blanket Babies".