Chowder is determined to get a special trimmer for Knishmas this year, but his desires change when Mung is forced to make a tough decision. An interesting stop-motion section starts us off with Gazpacho ice skating and talking about his excitement for the upcoming Marzipan City holiday "Knishmas." He explains that during the event, the people build schmingerbread houses for the legendary Knish Krinkle, who leaves presents if he enjoys the offerings. A baby who Gazpacho says represents the pure eyes of a child asks what happens if Krinkle doesn't like a person's house; Gazpacho horrifies the child by replying that Krinkle would fly into a rage. Gazpacho tries to cheer up the kid with a snow globe, which transitions us to Marzipan, where Mung Daal and Shnitzel are getting a Knishmas tree from Arbor (it's his cousin). Mung silences Shnitzel's singing as they go to find Chowder at a store, looking at what he wants for Knishmas: an Electric Broccoli Trimmer with Detachable Non-Electric Cauliflower Trimmer. Chowder is confused when Mung says he can't afford it, pointing out that Knish Krinkle will bring it; Mung suggests he not get his hopes up, and Chowder declares that the trimmer shall be his. He rushes off to see Knish Krinkle, coming across Stilton and Gorgonzola, with the latter mocking him for believing in Krinkle; he says only babies do. Gorgonzola points out that "Knish Krinkle" is sitting in Gazpacho's booth for some reason, but Chowder refuses to stop believing. Chowder is frustrated with the long line, and Endive arrives with Panini, who immediately starts flirting with Chowder. Endive brings up how Krinkle never shows up at Mung's house; Chowder says Mung told him Bigfoot breaks in and breaks his schmingerbread house each year. Angered, Mung flings Chowder away to see "Knish Krinkle," and claiming he's great at making schmingerbread houses, he declares that it'll be Chowder's best Knishmas ever, then nervously walks away from the unimpressed Endive. Shnitzel jumps in during Chowder's opportunity, claiming he's not too old like "Krinkle" says, and frustrates Chowder by rambling off a long list of things he wants. Chowder bumps him out of the way to tell "Krinkle" what he wants, having him pinky swear that he'll get the trimmer he wants; this leaves Mung even more nervous. Back at home, Chowder excitedly tells Truffles what happened before, but she starts halfheartedly confirming what Endive said, before Mung interrupts her with a kiss. She convinces Mung that Chowder is old enough for the truth, and he admits to the boy that in the past, Knish Krinkle has often disliked his schmingerbread houses; this and his tail are Mung's greatest shames. Chowder declares that this year will be different, as he's destined to have the trimmer, and his belief inspires Mung to make a better schmingerbread house than ever. Mung has Chowder change into his work clothes to begin building the house; he accidentally brings out some wrong pictures before revealing the correct blueprints. The group begins singing their own version of "Oh Christmas Tree," here "Oh Schmingerbread House," where they detail the building process; each of 50 houses they attempt collapses. Suddenly unsure of this idea, Chowder decides that he needs a backup plan, running out in fear after failing to realize he was shouting his plans out loud. Mung's next attempt is as much a disaster as the previous ones, and he declares that Knishmas is ruined because of Shnitzel, accepting a bit of blame on himself. Truffles suggests that Mung simply go buy a schmingerbread house, but he says his pride is too big to swallow; she asks if he really wants to be the one to disappoint Chowder on Knishmas morning. This causes Mung to imagine Chowder waking up to a destroyed house on Knishmas morning, then angrily declaring that Mung has failed him for the last time before saying "goodbye forever." He realizes he has to do this for Chowder, and Truffles demands that he go now, so he heads into the frozen city to go to Endive's. Chowder's rush to find a backup plan got him to run through the city, ending up at Endive's just in time to see Mung go inside and request a schmingerbread house from the smug Endive. She has him repeat the order multiple times, once into a camera "for posterity," and after expressing immense joy at Mung finally admitting she's the better chef, she sends him away. Upset, Chowder declares that he can't let Mung swallow his pride and needs to do something, just before Panini runs up with mistletoe and gives him a kiss. Chowder decides he needs to get to Knish Krinkle, as when he tires from running, Panini's quick thinking gets them back to Gazpacho's booth. There, Chowder requests that "Krinkle" eat Mung's schmingerbread house, as his mentor's happiness is more important to him than a trimmer. Touched by Chowder's selflessness, Gazpacho shouts that he can't live the lie anymore and removes the costume, running off while tearfully saying he doesn't make dreams come true. Though Panini knows it was obviously a costume, Chowder believes Knish Krinkle spat up Gazpacho and is now dead. He decides they could use the "lifeless skin sack" and pretend to be him, but since it's too big for just them, they need a third person; he gets help from the freezing Gorgonzola. As Mung tearfully sets out the schmingerbread house, the kids prepare for their plan, but this holiday night is about to take a an unexpected turn. I don't watch this special as much as some of the others, like Ed, Edd, n Eddy, but it's a good, creative take on making a show-specific holiday for the season.
The story is pretty simple at it's based, being the classic idea of a character wanting something for Christmas, only to have a change of heart later in the special for the good of another. Here, of course, this idea is then bolstered with typical Chowder comedy, adding in eccentricities like Panini's mistletoe actually having a toe as part of it. The idea of a schmingerbread house celebration is a unique variation of what we have for Christmas, especially since making a house that Knish Krinkle dislikes will cause him to wreak destruction at your house. The art style for Chowder lends itself well to the holidays, giving us creative Christmas-themed designs for the "unmoving plaid" trope used for the characters' clothes. For me, Shnitzel's winter clothes are the best example of this, being a beautiful red with lovely designs, but everyone has something about their outfit that gives interesting visuals. Now some of the humor in this episode definitely isn't for everyone; there are definitely some that didn't get me, laughing, some because they were at a point where I started to dislike the show. Others work well though, like the double fakeout of Mung pulling out the blueprints for his schmingerbread house, and his repeated failed attempts at making a house. There is an odd moment near the end of the episode that goes counter to what a typical Christmas special would, but it's obvious that this was for comedic purposes. Aside from that joke, this episode has typical Christmas joy as the characters try to celebrate and be happy together. Chowder wasn't for everyone back when it aired, but if you were a fan of the show, you might get some nostalgic fun from watching this special.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI love the entertainment side of things. Video games, tv shows, superheroes and movies are my passion and I'd love to get the news out for things I enjoy. My contact page has links to my social media, so if you enjoy what I have to say, likes, shares, comments, and follows are always greatly appreciated! Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
|