| The Carwash | Gallery | Transcript |
|---|
"The Carwash" is a Season 4 episode of Rugrats.
Characters Present[]
Characters Mentioned[]
Synopsis[]
When the Rugrats are left in Chas' mini-van as he enters a carwash, will they get soaked before their dads get them out? Definitely, if Angelica has any say in the matter! - Description from Klasky Csupo
Plot[]
It's around lunchtime, and Chas returns from the new automated car wash, proud of his clean car. Stu is washing his car the old-fashioned way (by hand), which he prefers.
Chuckie tells his friends about the car wash. Chuckie is, naturally, terrified of it, and was glad his dad "rescued" him from having to be in the car while it went through. Phil and Lil, however, disagree. They say their mom allowed them to stay in their car, and it was a lot of fun. Tommy wants to experience the car wash now, too. When Angelica antagonizes them, they accidentally get Stu and Chas's clean cars dirty. Chas decides to return to the car wash for it to be clean, despite being there less than an hour ago. Because Stu doesn't want to spend the entire day washing his car, he accompanies Chas and brings the children along as well.
While Stu and Chas pay, the kids are still in Chas's car. Chuckie is still horrified by the car wash, while the others want to experience it. Angelica wants it to be a "big kid" experience only, but because Chas hasn't returned, they're all going to go through the car wash.
Chas has been arguing with one of the car wash employees, because he had been there that morning, and thus feels entitled to a discount. Suddenly, Chas realizes he never took the kids out of the car, panics, and overreacts. He hijacks another man's car in the line so he can rescue the babies.
In the car wash, Tommy, Phil, and Lil love the experience, which disappoints Angelica because she had tried to scare them. Nobody notices Chas exit the other man's car inside the car wash, causing Chas to experience the car wash a bit too personally. Angelica, in an attempt to really frighten the babies, opens the moon roof just before the top of the car is to be washed. Chas is horrified, but he can do nothing. Tommy starts to cry with Chuckie, Phil & Lil over go home because we're done for. Angelica and Chuckie fight over the moon roof button, and Chuckie successfully wins and closes the moon roof. Finally fed up, Angelica accidentally presses the sunroof button, which caused the moon roof to open once again, right as the top of the car is to be washed; Angelica is horrified.
We fade to later on; the car is all clean. Finally, Chas manages to exit the car wash (getting sprayed by wax in the process). His car has exited ahead of him. When one of the doors is opened, water and soap bubbles flow out from within. Chuckie has decided the car wash isn't scary after all and had a lot of fun with his friends. Stu has changed his mind about the car wash as well and informs Chas he plans to take his car there every weekend from now on, much to Angelica's chagrin.
Goofs[]
- In one scene, Angelica is seen sitting in a car seat. Yet in every other scene, she's not.
- When the Rugrats are gasping when they see the car wash up close, Angelica doesn't have any teeth.
- TV guides and digital retailers refer to the episode as just "Carwash."
- When Chas tries to get up after being knocked off his car inside the car wash, his car disappears when he gets struck by the curtain inside the car wash.
Trivia[]
- It's against many automatic car wash safety regulations to allow people, let alone children, inside a car once the wash starts. This is because (as you saw in this episode), the car wash is operated by a belt that hooks the car to its frame and if the car is accidentally or purposefully put into a drive gear, it could cause lots of damage to the car and the riders inside of it.
- This is the first of two Season 4 episodes where Stu wears a red t-shirt, blue shorts and yellow sandals, the other being The Smell of Success.
- The windows and the sunroof inside Chas's van are ajar when the car is inside the wash. The babies would have most definitely been seriously injured or even killed because of this.
- Angelica is seen riding in the front seat. However, it's illegal to have children under the age of 13 and/or under 120 lbs. or 5'5" to sit up there, due to car safety regulations regarding young children.
- The original working title of this episode was "Carwash Monster".
- Moral: Don't be afraid to try something new.
- The sound of Tommy crying will later be reused in "Big Showdown" & "Who's Taffy?."
