"Loss of Face" is an episode of the stop motion animated series, Bump in the Night.
(Aired on October 8, 1994)
Plot[]
The episode begins in the bathroom with Squishington, who is feeling depressed and having self esteem issues. He is tired of seeing his same "blue, boring old face" everyday, but he tries to think positive and says "it might as well be a clean blue boring face".
He lathers up his face and wipes his face clean with a wash cloth, he takes the wash cloth away but it is revealed his face is entirely wiped off. Squishington realizes his face is gone and panics and runs away looking for someone to help him.
Later, a Silverfish crawls up from the under the floor and finds the wash cloth with Squishington's face. He is delighted and takes the wash cloth away.
Meanwhile in the kitchen, Mr. Bumpy is eating breakfast with a pile of socks and hot sauce. Bumpy sees the faceless Squishington running around and Bumpy thinks it's an alien invader. Bumpy surrenders to the alien Squish and then gets excited and begs to be taken captive. Squishington finds a marker and writes "I am Squishington" on the floor, and Bumpy realizes that the faceless creature is his best friend.
Bumpy ask Squish what happened to him and wants him to communicate, Squish tries acting out what happened by Bumpy doesn't understand one single thing. Bumpy then slaps on novelty glasses on Squish and uses him like a ventriloquist dummy, but Bumpy says he still doesn't look right. Bumpy then pulls out his "Señor Yam Noggin Kit" and puts various facial accessories on Squish. This attempt doesn't work so Bumpy draws a smiley face on Squish with the marker and he is able to speak.
Squish tells Bumpy that he was washing his face with a wash rag and lost his face. Bumpy then acts like a police man and ask Squish to show him the scene of the crime and the location of the missing rag. Bumpy then gives Squish a pile of paper work, Squish asks Bumpy how long is it going to take and Bumpy estimates about a year. Squish then gets upset because he doesn't want to be faceless for a whole year, he starts crying and his tears wash away the marker drawing.
Bumpy then redraws another face for Squish, this time this glasses and a mustache, Bumpy turns to the audience acknowledging that he is naughty. Squish then hears chanting from underneath the floor, Bumpy pulls out a stethoscope so Squish can hear better. Squish says it's sounds like the voices are saying "The Face, The Face", Mr Bumpy then gets a jack hammer and drills a hole in the floor and the two go down to investigate.
Under the floor, Mr Bumpy and Squish follow the voices, it turns out to be a group of Silverfish lead by the King Silverfish. They are chanting "The Face, The Face", they also have the wash rag with Squishington's face and are bowing and worshiping it. Squishington loses balance and falls, which draws the attention on the guards.
Mr Bumpy talks his way out and gives the guards a pile of paper work to sign. The guards are nervous about taking a test and Mr Bumpy tells them to take his time. Bumpy promise to get Squish his face back in no time, Bumpy then goes to talk to the king, claiming to be the "smoothest talking monster this side of the united nation". Bumpy then starts yelling "Give me the face", and starts shaking the King vigorously. The King calls the guards and Bumpy is dragged away.
Bumpy is tied up and dangling from a fishing line over a water pipe, while Squishington is hiding and watching in horror. Bumpy ask the Silverfish if they will let him down after he takes a look around, the Silverfish shakes their head "no" and Bumpy calls out to Squishington to go get help. Squish screams in fear and accidentally rubs off his drawn face, Squish starts running around blind and bumps into the altar where his face is kept and the wash cloth lands on Squishington's head.
The King orders the guard to seize the intruder, the Silverfish surround Squishington and remove the wash cloth from him. Squishington's face is reattached and he is normal again, the Silverfish gasp in amazement and immediately bow down to Squish. The King calls Squishington "The Foretold one" and the Silverfish begin to worship him.
Squishington is flattered by the Silverfish treating him like he's important, but Squish is too modest and says he is only a humble bathroom monster. Squish says he isn't the foretold one, Bumpy cracks a joke saying they might mean the "four toed one" and points out he has four toes all together. The King is not amused and Bumpy is dunked in the water pipe.
Squish goes up to the King, who then kneels down to him, Squish is happy the Silverfish are so nice to him and ask if they could free Mr Bumpy. The King says he would do anything for the "Foretold one," but he must lead the Silverfish to "The Place."
Bumpy says that Squish doesn't know about any place, so the King sentence Bumpy with "The Curse of a Thousand Screams." Bumpy is dunked three times and counts how many screams he has left, Squishington stops the Silverfish by ringing the gong and reluctantly tells them that he will lead them. The Silverfish cheer for the Foretold one, while Squish leads them to the place.
After walking around the house aimlessly, Squishington finally finds "The Place," which turns out to be a garbage bin. The bin is knocked over and the Silverfish feast on the garbage. Squishington feels proud that he lead his followers to the place of legend, but it turns out that the Silverfish don't care about Squish anymore. The Silverfish continue eating, while Squishington leaves feeling rejected.
Back in the bathroom, Squishington gives himself another look in the mirror, he feels a bit better and realizes that his face isn't such a bad face. He picks up the wash rag, about to clean his face, but then pauses remembering what happened last time. He puts the wash rag down and starts scrubbing his hair with a toothbrush.
But then, off screen Mr Bumpy is still heard being tortured and counting his screams. Squishington stops and realizes that he forgot Bumpy and the episode ends.
Trivia[]
- In the scene where Mr Bumpy puts a pair of novelty glasses on Squishington, he does an impression of comedian and film star "Groucho Marx."
- Mr Bumpy has a "Señor Yam Noggin Kit" which is a parody of "Mr Potato Head".
- The part when Mr Bumpy says "Da Plane! Da Plane!" is a cultural reference to the American television series, Fantasy Island.
- The King Silverfish (voiced by Jim Cummings) speaks in a voice similar to Western film actor, John Wayne.
- Molly Coddle doesn't appear in this episode.
Quotes[]
Squishington: (yawning and stretching) I am so tired of this face... It is the same "blue, boring old face" I have to look at everyday... (sigh) Oh well, I guess it might as well be a "clean" blue boring face.
Mr Bumpy: (scatting to himself) Remember, always start your day with a nutritious breakfast. (pours hot sauce on sock, eats it and his eyes bulge out) Ah! Yum! But it needs a scosh more hot sauce..
Mr Bumpy: (sees face Squishington and screams) It's a royally hunk of protoplasm! From beyond the galaxy! Call the police! Call the national guard! (deep voice) Call Horaldo...
Mr Bumpy: Okay! Mr Disgusting slime thing from another world! You got me! So go ahead! Start your sicko alien experiments!... (Squish trying to speak in a muffled voice) Take me to your space ship, I'm ready... (Squish voice muffled) I WANNA BE TAKEN CAPTIVE! Oh come on, come on, please. Take me, take me, take me, pleeeease. I surrender!
Mr Bumpy: (imitating Groucho Marx) "I can dance with you 'til the cows come home... On second thought, I'll rather dance with the cows 'til you come home!".. You didn't see my lips move did ya.
Squishington: It sounds like they're saying, "The Face. The Face."
Mr Bumpy: Are you sure they're not saying, "Da Plane! Da Plane!"
Mr Bumpy: Excuse me, Kingy... GIVE ME THE FACE! GIVE ME THE FACE! RIGHT NOW, GIVE ME THE FACE! SQUISHY HAS NEEEEDS!
Squishington: Me? Aww, no I'm just a humble bathroom monster. Shucks, I'm no "Foretold One."
Mr Bumpy: Are you sure they don't mean the "Four Toed One." Cause I got 'em. One, two, three, four.
Gallery[]
