"Journey to the Center of the Lungfish" is an episode from the second season of Bump in the Night.
(Aired on September 23, 1995)
Plot[]
The episode opens up in The Boy's bedroom, with The Boy carrying a large tank in his arms. He is followed by Little Sister, holding a Cute Doll in her hand. Little Sister starts begging her older brother, anxiously wanting to see what's in the tank. The Boy said that he is not telling, because in his room, she can't come in. Little Sister is disappointed and stomps her feet.
The Boy puts the tank down on a dresser next to his bed, he then says that he got it from his science teacher. It it revealed that the creature in the tank is a large light purple Lungfish, the creature starts wheezing loudly and the Boy thinks it looks kind of sick. The Boy tells the little Lungfish not to worry and it will be safe with him.
Later that night, the Lungfish is sleeping and wheezing. While the Boy is asleep, Mr. Bumpy springs out from under the bed, announcing "Here's Bumpy!" Squishington appears looking worried, he finds Bumpy and rushes over to him. Squish is accompanied by Molly Coddle, the worried Squish ask Bumpy if he is alright, and tells him that they heard "wheezing."
Mr. Bumpy then puts his hand to his ear and listens to the loud wheezing sound. Squishington and Molly are frightened and huddle together, while Molly pats Squishington on the head. Bumpy hears the sound and then says he loves the sound of wheezing in the morning. Molly tells Bumpy that they thought the wheezing came from him, Bumpy then says he wished it was him and says even he can't wheeze with that kind of "gusto."
Squish then says that whatever the sound is, it's coming from up there, on the dresser. The trio then take a peek on top of the dresser, and they see the big purple Lungfish and they gasp in astonish. Squishington comes towards the tank and presses his hands on the glass. Squish looks at the creature and ask "what is it, why is it here" and "why is it wheezing". Bumpy looks at the creature through the glass and Molly follows after her friends. Bumpy claims he doesn't know what it is and he believes it looks like a fancy sock.
Molly then says the scientific name "order dipnoi or dipneustei" also known as a "common tropical fresh water Lungfish". Bumpy is confused by the creature, he then ask how can it be a fish when it is not even in water. The Lungfish then wheezes loudly at Bumpy, the little green monster is provoked by this and thinks the fish is trying to contradict him. Bumpy angrily talks through the glass, he calls the fish "lung head" and tells the fish if it "has something to say, say it, don't wheeze it."
The Lungfish then starts wheezing at Bumpy and making funny noises, Bumpy then snaps and angrily yells out that he has a "hunka hunka burning rage." Bumpy then leaps into the air, Molly is worried and ask Bumpy what is is doing. Bumpy is show on top of the tank trying to shake it and rock it, he then ask "Wheezer" if it has anything else to say now. Squish tells Bumpy to look out, telling him he is flirting with disaster, the fish tank then tilts over and falls off the dresser, Bumpy screams and hits the floor.
Molly and Squish looks down from the dresser, the tank has knocked over and Bumpy is lying on the floor aching all over. Bumpy looks inside the tank, asking where "Wheezer" go, and says that he wants to do that again. Molly then ask Bumpy doesn't he have feelings for the poor Lungfish, Bumpy then claims of course and that's why he wants to do it again.
Squish then tells Bumpy that maybe the Lungfish doesn't like falling from great heights, most creatures with breakable parts do not. Bumpy then starts acting arrogant and ask what will the fish do to him, "get mad? breath on me? swallow me whole?" Just then, the Lungfish pounces from behind and swallows Bumpy in one gulp. The Lungfish then wheezes loudly and opens its mouth wide, Molly and Squishington scream and the Lungfish devours them too.
Inside the Lungfish, Mr Bumpy, Molly and Squishington are screaming and sliding down a long purple tube, probably the esophagus. They land inside the large stomach, with big fleshy walls, ribs sticking out from the walls and various objects lying around including satellites and a shipwreck. Squishington concludes that they are in the stomach, he cries out that this is awful, he then touches the slimy fleshy wall and says he hates the decor.
Molly then gets angry at Bumpy and says that it is all his fault from taunting the Lungfish. Bumpy then defends his case and tells Molly that she can't deny the Lungfish is a "killer", or a "swallower". Bumpy then announces that he can't stand being swallowed. Bumpy then starts acting anxious and becomes claustophobic, Bumpy then cries out there is "No way out" and they are "trapped".
Bumpy then starts acting beserk, his eyes become bloodshot, his pupils dilate and he squeals in horror. He starts clawing at the ground and begins bouncing off the walls. Bumpy continues bouncing, rolling, flipping out and giggling manically. Molly sees that Bumpy is flipping out and says they have to do something, Squish then pulls out a walky-talky and says he will call of an airstrike.
Mr. Bumpy then jumps into the air and slams into a wooden figure head, Bumpy then calms down and tells his friends that he found something. Molly then ask Bumpy if he found a way out, Bumpy say no, and says he found a whole wad of gum.
Just then, a creepy old voice is heard, up on an old ship wreck, a yellow Silverfish dressed as a pirate appears. The Silverfish has a grey beard, a wooden leg, an eye patch and a hook. The Silverfish Pirate claims that the trio have come to ravage his vessel and demands to battle. Bumpy is confused, and ask who was that guy and what did he mean, Bumpy turns around and is shocked, the Pirate then pushes a cannon and aims it towards them.
The trio are frighten and cower to brace themselves, just then a pole sticks out of the cannon with a flag labeled "bang." The Pirate is still angry and tells them not to tangle with "Captain Jetlag", he pushes the cannon out of the way, he then slips and falls off the deck and lands on the group below. The group are now dizzy and in a daze, Captain Jetlag then stands up thinking that they ganged up on him. The Captain then says he likes to brawl and wants to fight them, he then accidentally punches himself in the face and blacks out.
The Captain wakes up facing the trio, Molly tells him that they are not pirates. Captain Jetlag ask what is wrong with Molly's eye, and his eye patch breaks off. He then ask how can he trust them, Molly then gets an idea and ask Squishington to show him his tattoo. Squish then smiles bashfully, he then lifts up the fleshy folds on his arm like a sleeve, revealing a little anchor tattoo. Squishy then tells the viewers that it is only an "iron-on".
Captain Jetlag is impressed by Squishington's tattoo, he then believes that the trio are "sailing folk", revealing that he also has an anchor tattoo on his arm. They have earned the Captain's trust, and he welcomes them with a group hug, even though they are reluctant.
Molly Coddle then introduces herself, she then introduces her friends Squishington and Mr. Bumpy. Molly then says that they were swallowed by, then the Captain interrupts her saying that he was also swallowed by "The Wheezing Beast."
The Captain continues talking about chasing the creature, until the "whale" up and swallowed him whole. Squishington tells him that it is a Lungfish, not a whale. The Captain learns this and mutters to himself no wonder he couldn't find the spout.
The stomach begins to rumble and quake, Bumpy ask what is going on. Yellow green liquid then starts spiraling down like a whirlpool and the Captain is saying the stomach is emptying itself. Bumpy leaps onto the ship, the Captain jumps aboard and helps Molly up, and he pulls up Squishington too.
The Captain tells the group this is the big one and to prepare themselves, the ship begins spiralling down the green yellow vortex and they scream. Meanwhile on the outside, it shows the Lungfish and he lets out a big burp.
Back inside the stomach, it shows the ship rocking and sailing down the tunnel. Molly cries out to the Captain that they are caught in the rapids and ask what should they do. Captain Jetlag then announces to "man down the mailboxes" and "batten down the sheep", it then shows Bumpy with a pair of fluffy white Sheep on leashes, while Bumpy puts letters inside mailboxes.
While traveling down the dangerous rapids, Molly looks down at the ship and seeing it is breaking apart. The Captain says that they caught him off guard and says that the ship isn't sea worthy yet. He opens up a treasure chest labeled "emergency", and grabs a hand full of hammers.
He then gives the trio each a hammer and tells them to hammer for their lives. Bumpy, Squish and Molly then try to hammer down the broken wooden planks. Bumpy tries to hammer down a floor board, but then a board spring up underneath him and he is flung into the air.
Bumpy then grabs onto the bow of the ship, he cries out "monster overboard" and screams out for help, Squishington then calls out to Bumpy that he will save him, he tosses over a life persevere and Bumpy catches it in his mouth, while Squish pulls him back in.
Captain Jetlag is steering the ship while Molly is being a look out. Molly looks through a pair of binoculars and sees their are two tunnels ahead. On the left side is safe while on the right side there are yellow jagged claw like spikes.
Molly cries out that the large intestine is dead ahead and they have to stop, the Captain then says no and he will not rest until the whale is in harpoon's eye. Molly sees that the Captain has gone mad and they will be digested for sure and she can't let the Captain do this.
Molly and Captain Jetlag then start fighting over the steering wheel, the Captain then tells the "one sided dolly" that there is "no turning back now". Molly then pushes the Captain into the treasure chest and she takes over steering the ship.
Molly then says there is only one chance and tells Bumpy and Squishington to hang on. Bumpy grabs onto the side while Squish grabs onto Bumpy's ankle, Bumpy looses his grip and they begin sliding to the other side. Molly turns the ship to the left side, the ship sails into the dark tunnel and the scene blacks out.
Bumpy and Squish are lying on the floor, Bumpy gets up feeling triumphant and cries out they are alive. Bumpy helps Squish up, and Squish mutters that he hopes to see his beloved toilet bowl again. Bumpy turns to Molly, realizing that she saved their lives. Bumpy then ask what happened to the Captain, Molly then lifts up the treasure chest to let him out, saying he is okay.
Mr. Bumpy believes that it will be smooth sailings from now on, just then a large yellow tentacle reaches out and a scary hissing noise is heard. Squish sees this and is terrified, he cries out I don't think so and flees. Molly calls out to Bumpy to look behind him. Bumpy turns around, he screams in horror and his body breaks into pieces. Bumpy screams out that it is a giant hairy Land Squid, he then mutters to the viewers that it's just the thing to ruin your day.
Bumpy screams and runs to his friends, the Land Squid grabs onto the mast and snaps it off, Squishington screams and the mast luckily misses him. The delusional Captain sees the Land Squid, believing that it's the great whale coming back to finish him off.
Bumpy is faced with the giant yellow tentacles, the Squid grabs Bumpy, while Bumpy ties up the tentacles into a "pretzel knot". Bumpy cheers "Ta-da", he then tells the viewers not to ask him how he did it.
The Gigantic Land Squid continues attacking the ship, the Squid starts reaching out and grabbing the group. Molly breaks free from the Squid's grip, she then spots another tunnel, with the jagged yellows spikes again. Molly points out that it's the large intestine and this time there is no way out.
Captain Jetlag says that they are doomed, Squishington cries out that he is too young to be digested. Bumpy is distraught and says it can't end like this, and says there got to be another way. Bumpy then pulls out the wad of gum he found and comes up with an idea.
Bumpy then starts chewing on the piece of gum and blows a bubble, he then tells everyone to quickly blow a giant bubble. Bumpy then starts puffing and blowing the bubble, while Molly, the Captain and Squish help to blow the bubble bigger. The bubble is now gigantic and Captain Jetlag quickly grabs the empty treasure chest.
Just then, the yellow spikes in the large intestines start ripping the ship to shreds. The group ties the broken mast and the treasure chest together to build a hot air balloon. Molly tells the group to hurry, now that the ship is disintegrating. The ship continues to be shredded by the intestine, Bumpy, Squish and Molly jump into the treasure chest. Squish then ask "what about the Captain", while Jetlag then says farewell to his friends and says that he must go down with the ship.
Molly tells the Captain that "fool hearty bravado isn't necessary" and they are saved. Bumpy accidentally puts the rope down, Molly tells Bumpy not to take off yet but it is too late. Bumpy says he doesn't know how the work this thing and they begin to float away. The yellows spikes destroy the ship and the Captain slowly goes down with the ship, where he is assumed to perish.
Back on the outside, "Wheezer" the Lungfish continues to wheeze, just then a large pink bubble starts forming out of his mouth. The Bubble bust and Bumpy, Squish and Molly are shot out and slam into the wall. Bumpy is dizzy and says that they did it, Bumpy cheers out that they are free at last. Squish and Molly cheer with joy and high five each other.
Mr. Bumpy then announces that he will never taunt a Lungfish again, saying that is a Bumpy vow. Bumpy then ask "Wheezer" if he heard that, the Lungfish is covered in pink blobs of bubble gum, then the Lungfish sticks his tongue out and blows a raspberry at Bumpy. The little green monster is provoked by this, Bumpy ignores the vow he made and decides that two can play at that game.
Bumpy then blows his tongue back at the Lungfish, creating a raspberry blowing contest. The Lungfish blows his tongue out again, while Bumpy fights backs, he takes a deep breath and blows a louder raspberry. Wheezer then takes a deeper breath and blows his tongue out longer. Just then, Captain Jetlag comes rolling out of Wheezer's mouth.
The Captain realizes that he is save, but is confused by how. Mr. Bumpy tells the Captain to "never underestimate the value of a good taunting". Bumpy then takes a deep breath and blows out his tongue, Molly, Squish and Captain Jetlag then join in and they all start blowing out their tongues together, ending the episode.
Trivia[]
- The Boy and Little Sister are shown wearing casual clothing instead of their usual pajama's.
- Little Sister is shown holding a Cute Doll. Instead of being an animated character, the Doll is seen in inanimate "toy mode."
- When the Boy puts down the tank, we get a small glimpse of his face, including an eye and his nose, but the front view of his face remains a mystery.
- When Mr. Bumpy gets angry at the Lungfish, he yells out "I got a hunka hunka burning rage", this is a reference to the Elvis Presley song "Burning Love."
- Captain Jetlag is voiced by Jim Cummings, his voice sounds like an impression of Tim Curry.
- It is revealed that Squishington has a secret tattoo, however he tells the viewers that it is only a fake.
- The character of Captain Jetlag is similar to Captain Ahab from "Moby-Dick". Even Jetlag believed that the Lungfish was a whale and was confused why it didn't have a blow hole.
- The name of the pirate ship is the "S.S Nausea", and the wooden figure head is in the shape of a mermaid with her finger pointing at her mouth in disgust, as if she is going to throw up.
- Goofs: In the scene when Captain Jetlag, Mr Bumpy, Molly and Squishington leap aboard the ship, for about several frames, you can see wires suspending the stop motion puppets.
- The Land Squid from "Hocus Dopus" returns in this episode, except the Squid is now gigantic in size.
- Captain Jetlag cries out "Holy Harryhausen." Ray Harryhausen was an American visual effects creator, writer, and producer famous for creating stop motion films.
- When Molly, Bumpy and Squish begin to float away, this is similar to "The Wizard of Oz" when the Wizard takes off in his hot air balloon without Dorothy and he says he doesn't know how to make it come back.
- Mr. Bumpy cheers "Free at last", which is a quote from Martin Lurther King Jr. from his famous I Have a Dream speech.
Quotes[]
Molly Coddle: Bumpy, this is all your fault. If you haven't been taunting-
Mr Bumpy: ME? What about the Lungfish! Can't deny he's a killer! Or anyway a swallower... And if there is one thing I can't stand is being swallowed!
Mr Bumpy: Looks like smooth sailing from here on end, huh?
Squishington: I don't think so!
Molly: (gasp) Bumpy! Behind you!
Mr Bumpy: (screaming) GIANT HAIRY LAND SQUID! ... Just the thing to ruin your whole day.
Gallery[]
