Fish Out of Water is the first episode of Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures.
Summary[]
Orange takes in a new pet that she initially thought would be easy to raise. But after her "fish" turns out to be a frog that grows too big to handle, she refuses to release it.
Episode Review[]
Strawberry and Orange are relaxing by the pond one day when Orange panics feeling something touch her foot. She finds a green fish in the water and both girls are smitten by it's cuteness. Orange decides to take it in as a pet. Strawberry isn't sure this is a good idea and suggests that she think it over longer, because eventually it will grow bigger and become harder to take care of. Orange is sure she can handle it though, and it wants to come with her anyway. She asks Strawberry if she trusts her and before getting a full answer, she scoops it up and heads off to show the other girls. Strawberry is still concerned, but she decides to let Orange enjoy herself and see what happens.
At Orange Mart, Lemon is admiring the adorable new pet as Orange announces his name is Stuart. They are joined by Plum and Raspberry and Orange starts to reconsider his name, calling him Todd now. She shows them a trick he learned and everyone is impressed.
Unfortunately, the novelty begins to wear off. Two days pass and he's already outgrown five tanks. One day, Strawberry is at Blueberry Books when Orange rushes in to ask about a book for fish. Todd has gotten sick and she doesn't know what to do. Seeing how worried she is, Blueberry asks for his symptoms and once Orange tells her what happened, Blueberry identifies that Todd isn't a fish- he's a frog. Orange is startled and leads them back to her shop to reveal his much larger size. Despite what Blueberry said, she stubbornly refuses to believe he isn't a fish. Strawberry suggests that Todd should be taken back to the pond but Orange refuses once more. His oversight in species doesn't mean anything to her, and she assures the girls that she can handle him.
The days continue to pass, and by this point everyone is beginning to get fed up with Orange and Todd.
Strawberry and Plum make their way to Lemon Salon when an outburst from inside surprises them. They open the door to find Todd sitting inside of a metal pan getting a bath, with Lemon trying to spray some perfume on him. She feverishly explains how Orange dropped him off earlier, and suddenly, he jumps out of the pan, throwing water everywhere as he escapes out the door. The trio chase after him until they find him at a waterfall, along with Orange Blossom, who assumes that Lemon was done. Seeing how frustrated she is, Strawberry tries to convince Orange that Todd belongs in the wild once more. Orange won't hear of it and leads him away, telling Lemon she will be back later, much to the other girls chagrin.
That night, nobody is able to get any sleep due to the loud croaking; the only exception being Orange. The Berry Girls come together and realize she isn't there, which they suspect to be the result of her chasing after Todd all day. She's too worn out for the noise to bother her. They are becoming grumpy throughout this ordeal, so they try to come up with an idea on how to calm him down so that they can sleep. Raspberry suggests they sing it a lullaby, which is only a temporary solution.
Seeing her friends are still in poor moods causes Strawberry frustration, and they head to Orange Mart. But they don't see Orange and prepare to leave, only to spot a swimming pool that she and Plum have been working on for Todd. Strawberry scolds Plum for encouraging Orange, but Plum argues that Orange promised to let her use the pool for water ballet class in exchange.
Later, Strawberry is in the middle of reading to Custard and Pupcake when she gets a call from a very upset Princess Berrykin. She runs to the Berry Works to find "Tad" sitting in the juice vat and causing a disturbance. Strawberry leaves to locate Orange Blossom, coming across the large mess Tad made near the pool. An upset Raspberry approaches her to reveal that Orange brought Tad over to help her with some pet fashions that she was inspired to create, but he ate her designs and they left. Orange didn't even apologize, she's not like herself as of late.
Eventually Strawberry manages to locate Orange, who is upset over Tad having run away. Strawberry gets her some tea to try to calm her down back at the Café, when Blueberry and several Berrykin rush inside to inform them that Tad is sleeping on the roof. They run outside to find a group of Berrykin stack themselves on each other for a better look -despite Strawberry's warning to be careful- causing Tad to wake up and hop off, carrying one of the Berrykin with him. The girls grab their scooters to give chase, and with some rope they manage to lasso Tad, then tie him somewhere nearby.
Strawberry is tired of this, and she tells Orange they need to talk. Orange grabs the rope and with Strawberry they take a walk down a nearby path, where Strawberry tells Orange that lately she's been forgetting to be considerate of others. She's been so focused on her new pet that she doesn't realize how unhappy everyone else has become. Orange tries to defend Tad's actions but Strawberry remains stern, pointing out that she isn't making him happy either. This isn't the life for him, a frog. He has to be set free. Orange begs for another chance, but being unable to convince Strawberry, she realizes she has no choice. But first she needs to do something about the mess he's made.
With that, Orange beings to make amends with everyone; cleaning up all of the messes and making sure to personally apologize. She also gives Plum permanent use of the pool as thanks for her efforts and because she doesn't need it, and she lets the Berrykin safely ride on Tad. Everyone is feeling better, but she knows that she still can't keep Tad. She doesn't want him to be unhappy. Strawberry feels Orange's sadness, and tells her that if she truly wants what is best for him, then she will make the right decision. Orange agrees and the girls lead Tad back to the lake where she found him. She removes his rope and watches as he hops away, causing her dismay because he didn't say goodbye to her. But seeing how happy he looks without anything to restrict him makes her feel a lot better. To make her friend feel better, Strawberry suggests they go out for a picnic. Orange takes her up on the offer.
Quotes[]
- Orange: I won't turn my back on him just because he switched... (sputtering) species!
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- Blueberry: Tad is doing his night croaking...
- Lemon: What about our night sleeping?
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- Strawberry: Sometimes the berry best things we need to do are the things we can't even see.
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- Orange: His name is Todd.
- Lemon: I thought it was Stuart.
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- Orange: I promise he'll be better behaved.
- Strawberry: He may be little now, but soon he will be more than what you bargained for.
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- Orange: SOMETHING TOUCHED MY FOOT! AN EEL, A SEA MONSTER!
- Strawberry: Maybe just a water plant, huh?
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- Orange: Well, he has growths...
- Strawberry and Blueberry: (looking at each other) BLEUGH!
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- Orange: I think I'll name you... Butch.
- Strawberry: Butch?
- Orange: He looks like a Butch.
- Strawberry: He looks like trouble. Cute as he is.
Lessons[]
Orange learns that adopting and raising a pet means more than admiring how cute it is. It is about taking responsibility for its behavior and actions and doing what is best for the pet, even if it means letting them go.
Trivia[]
- This episode marks the first time the girls are shown barefoot.
- Orange is the first Berry girl and character to appear in the series, while Strawberry is the first to speak.
- She is also the first girl shown crying in the series.
- In this episode, Plum's hair appears lighter than usual.
- The pool makes a reappearance during "The Mystery of the Disappearing Dog Show".
Goofs[]
- In Blueberry Books, there are some upside down pictures on a bookcase behind Strawberry.
External links[]
- Fish Out of Water at the Internet Movie Database