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Hold it right there, mate. |
Tickle Crabs (also known as Ticklecrabs) is the twentieth episode of the second season of Bluey.
Synopsis
Bingo and Bluey please-face Dad into playing Tickle Crabs-a game to which Mum happily abandons him.
Hiding in his towel to get into the house, these unstoppable crabs chase Dad all over in their quest for tickles.[1]
Realising his one true love won’t help him in his futile attempts to hide, Dad grits his teeth and laughingly drives them all the way back to the ocean to cast them in himself.
But a freak wave starts sending them right back! To his great joy, Mum swoops down as a seagull and carries them off to give him a break–in a beautiful display of true love in action.
When Dad brings a pair of tenacious tickle crabs home from the beach, nowhere in the house is safe! His only hope of escaping their tickles is with help from his true love.[1]
Episode Recap
Bandit and Chilli are on the couch, and it's been ten minutes since a kid ran inside and asked the former a question. Well, that's about to change - in comes Bluey asking him if they could get married. Not happening - he's already married to her mum, for she's his true love, and true love not only is forever, but they are always there to help when needed.
Time to put this to the test.
Much to the parents' dismay (Chilli runs out the room), Bingo starts the episode's title card and is ready to play a game of tick-
Oh, never mind.
Bandit doesn't budge. It's now time to break out the serious please face. The girls put on their best please face while giving their dad a bit of a sarcastic tinge to their words. Now Bandit budges, remarking that the pleasework was indeed impressive. Now the game of tickle crabs and the title card is on.
Bandit is resting on the beach at the deck at the backyard. However, he's lonely, calling out for his true love. He returns home (getting in the car for real life) not knowing he's now harbouring two tickle crabs. Bandit sleeps on the couch - perhaps he could dream of meeting his true love- Tickle! Bandit is awakened to the feeling of tickles on his belly.
Bandit is chased throughout the house and has a rude awakening when he realizes that not only do the tickle crabs do their job well, but they're also rather smart. He has to survive the onslaught of tickles, no matter the cost. Still, his true love remains unknown. By the pantry, he finally one-ups the crabs by gluing them to the wall, though the crabs undo the glue and continue the tickles. Bandit bolts to the pantry, and oh, hey, it's Chilli!
Chilli has been hiding in there ever since earlier, and Bandit sets the scene: his name is Telemachus and he's looking for a true love who can save him from the crabs. However, Chilli tells him that his true love probably has her own problems to deal with, bolting out right afterward. It seems Bandit now has to deal with the crabs by himself.
Alright then - Bandit will do it himself. Bandit drives back to the beach and tosses them away into the waves. Now they're gone! Bandit takes in the scenery, finally free of the- wait, here comes the tickle crabs! However, Bandit witnesses the arrival of a beautiful seagull, Chilli, who takes the crabs away and confirms she's his true love.
However, Bandit now needs half a hour on the couch.
Appearances
Trivia
- This episode's title card appears twice. It is shown briefly the first time, before cutting back to the plot abruptly, and is shown again before the game begins.
- Bluey doesn't do her dance from the opening sequence in the credits. Instead, she dances like a crab, but unlike other credit scenes, Bluey remains the same spot, even when running like a crab.
- The episode title isn't spaced like on most guides.
- At on demand services, the intro is muted while the Heeler family is dancing, and there's no text.
- While in the car, Bandit sings a personal rendition of the American folk ballad, "Oh My Darling, Clementine"
- The music in this episode is "Hora Staccato" by Grigoraș Dinicu.
- According to the creator, during several interviews, the game was originally called “Pinchy” where kids would act as crabs. This is changed to tickle crabs to make the game less torturous for parents
- Additionally, this is to avoid “on-screen pinching”. As pinching is considered unsuitable
- Long Dog: There are two long dogs in this episode:
- The first is green and appears behind one of the hedges when the tickle crabs are washed back in.
- The second is the recurring oblong shadow.
- When this episode aired on Disney Channel in the US, it was paired with The Show and Escape.
Goofs
- After Bandit flees from Bluey & Bingo towards the kitchen, and as he's throwing fruits, the second orange mysteriously disappears a bit after his hand phases through some grapes.
- The window briefly switches from transparent to opaque towards the end of the episode.
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