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The Case of the Missing Rugrat Gallery Transcript


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[]

Characters Mentioned[]

Characters Introduced[]

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 Emma and Clarice Pendragon. The sisters believe Tommy has been brought to them as the rightful heir to their dead father's legacy, and they decide to raise him under the name Bostwick. As Tommy tries to escape, he befriends a parrot. The parrot ends up giving away their hiding place to the sisters. Lou questions employees of the grocery store and other nearby stores. While they initially find him suspicious, they eventually give Lou enough information that he finds 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 snobbish pose followed by 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 (including the butler, Max) 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 Kennedy 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 is fascinated with is a 1940s Duesenberg.
  • The car that Grandpa Lou tries to and eventually fails to save from being hit by the shopping cart, is a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.
  • Tommy is the only Rugrat to appear in this episode.
  • Lou is the only Rugrats parent to appear in this episode.
  • This is the second time Tommy was kidnapped. The first time was in "Ruthless Tommy". Although in this episode, he was accidentally left in the car by Lou and the people who found him showed genuine care for him.
  • Moral: Don't get into a car that is not yours.
  • According to one of the photos in Lou's wallet, Tommy has possibly been to Russia or another part of Europe.
    • Russia would be more likely as Tommy's grandparents on his mother's side are originally from Russia.
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