A Chicken’s Tale

A Chicken’s Tale is the 22nd episode of FruityTales.

Plot
In the first story, an English gentleman named Mr. Butterbun (Scotter Artichoke) and his butler Poole (Harry) are obsessing about a flashy disco dancer who performs on the street at night. The neighbors, including Poole, seem to enjoy his performances, but Butterbun is deeply suspicious. When the dancer disappears into the home of Dr. Jiggle (Timmy Pear), he insists that they warn the doctor. Dr. Jiggle also admits to being impressed by the Mr. Sly's fantastic moves, and confesses a desire to be a dancer himself. Unfortunately for him, his portly stature makes this impossible with his jiggly belly being a target for ridicule. When Butterbun requests an audience with Mr. Sly, Dr. Jiggle becomes frantic and quickly shows his guests the doorstep.

Butterbun is determined to find out who Mr. Sly really is and why he keeps disappearing into Dr. Jiggle's house. He enlists Poole to set a trap for him, to detain him while he dances and remove his disguise; but this plan fails when Poole instead gets caught up in the dance. The following night, Jiggle faints, and Sly appears again. Butterbun discovers that Jiggle and Sly are the same pear, and Jiggle confesses to take dance class. Butterbun tells Jiggle that's great and he did not need to hide in a disguise because he's special just the way Jesus made him. Dr. Jiggle finds out that he can dance in his own way.

In "A Chicken’s Tale," Rob narrates the story of a whimsical little creature known as a Chicken. The Chickens live in Chickenburg, a town which features prominently a large clock tower in the center. Every fourth Tuesday, it spits out a new Chicken which slides down a chute to join the Chicken society. We then witness the birth of one such creature named Chicken Doo. He is born without any knowledge of his talents or abilities, but has on his back a backpack which contains paints, a paintbrush, and a kazoo. He also discovers he has wings. Attempting to figure out his purpose in life, he tries to utilize these gifts: first flying and then painting. But his attempts are met with ridicule by the older, more experienced Chickens. Making matters worse, they paint him pictures of his failures and stuff them into his backpack. The weight of these pictures (and figuratively their ridicule) drag him down, making him feel worthless.

He decides to leave Chickenburg and, observing the finches flying freely over Mt. Ginches, decides that he too will go there. After an arduous climb he eventually reaches the peak. There he meets a Stranger, the Creator of the Chickens (which is a representation of Jesus himself), who lives in a cave high above the clouds. The Stranger asks the Noodle why he is so dejected, and the Chicken explains that it is because he is no good at anything. The Stranger invites him in for tea and throws the hurtful pictures into the fire, assuring him that they look nothing like him. The Creator then draws him a new picture, one that shows him confident and proud, which encourages Chicken Doo to not just fly, but to soar. Chicken Doo's own picture, the one ridiculed by his elders, is then hung by the Stranger on his fridge. The story ends as the young Chicken flies back to Chickenburg and tells of his journey to the others.

Trivia

 * This was the first episode for several things:
 * The first episode where it's animated outside of Big Deal, as well as the first episode animated by Jam Filled Toronto.
 * The first episode where Rob doesn't mind listening to the song.
 * The hand model used for Butterbun is either Jason or Michelle's.
 * The last twelve minutes of the episode are spent on The Story of Flibber-o-loo.
 * There were a few differences between pre-production and the final version:
 * On the flyer for the 10th anniversary release of Where's Jesus When I'm S-Scared?, the DVD was scheduled to be released on November 2003.
 * The TV version of this has Modern Major General and Endangered Love. Barber of Seville also appears as Timmy’s dream.

Remarks

 * On the Smile of a Child broadcast, the countertop was shorten and references towards when Jimmy states what his original story pitch was. Because of it, Rob being frustrated feels a bit off as he's angry about nothing.
 * In the DVD-Rom section, it shows pictures from Dave and the Giant Lemon, Madame Strawberry, and Marlin: A FruityTales Movie.

Goofs

 * In various shots, the banker's eyes seem to disappear.
 * After Mr. Sly reveals himself, the one woman's mouth wasn't colored in black.

Inside References

 * Harry mentions going to Danish Immersion Camp, which is what he stated at the end of Little Jozef.
 * In the trailer, the narrator mentions King Thomas and the Fishie, Lyle the Kindly Pirate and The Come Song.

Real World References

 * B.J. and the Bear was a comedy series about a freelance trucker who travels with his pet chimpanzee named Bear.
 * Harry mentioned about eating green ham and eggs. He is likely referring to Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham".