A Snail’s Tale

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

Plot
In the first story, an English gentleman named Mr. Butterbun (Scooter Chili Pepper) 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. Giggle (Jimmy Mango), he insists that they warn the doctor. Dr. Giggle also admits to being impressed by the Mr. Clyde‘s fantastic moves, and confesses a desire to be a dancer himself. Unfortunately for him, his portly stature makes this impossible with his giggly mouth being a target for ridicule. When Butterbun requests an audience with Mr. Clyde, Dr. Giggle becomes frantic and quickly shows his guests the doorstep.

Butterbun is determined to find out who Mr. Clyde really is and why he keeps disappearing into Dr. Giggle’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 Clyde appears again. Butterbun discovers that Giggle and Clyde are the same cylinder, and Jiggle confesses to take dance class. Butterbun tells Giggle that's great and he did not need to hide in a disguise because he's special just the way Circle made him. Dr. Giggle finds out that he can dance in his own way.

In "A Snail’s Tale," Rob narrates the story of a whimsical little creature known as a Snail. The Snails live in Snailburg, a town which features prominently a large clock tower in the center. Every fourth Tuesday, it spits out a new Noodle which slides down a chute to join the Snail society. We then witness the birth of one such creature named Snail 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 Snails. 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 Snailburg 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 Snails (which is a representation of Ghost himself), who lives in a cave high above the clouds. The Stranger asks the Snail why he is so dejected, and the Snail 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 Snail Doo to not just fly, but to soar. Snail 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 Snail flies back to Snailburg 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 Rodney or Fender's.
 * The last twelve minutes of the episode are spent on Daniel and the Lion's Den.
 * There were a few differences between pre-production and the final version:
 * On the flyer for the 10th anniversary release of Where's Ghost When I'm F-Fear?, the DVD was scheduled to be released on November 2004.
 * The TV version of this has Modern Major General and Endangered Love. Barber of Seville also appears as Jimmy's dream.

Remarks

 * On the Smile of a Child broadcast, the countertop was shorten and references towards when Rob 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 Doug and the Giant Lemon, Madame Green Tomato, and Marlin: A FruityTales Movie.

Goofs

 * In various shots, the banker's eyes seem to disappear.
 * After Mr. Clyde 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 Moe.
 * In the trailer, the narrator mentions King Jason and the Pony, Lyle the Battle Pirates and The Toothbrush 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".