Maryoku Yummy - Build a Better Swingset and Ooka Times Two

I wasn't really planning on blogging Maryoku Yummy episodes--and I'm still not, but there are a few things about this one that I particularly liked and felt like mentioning here. The first half, "Build a Better Swingset," gets special mention for showing a good number of characters in hardhats and safety glasses (I don't know why, but cute characters are even cuter when they're in hardhats and safety glasses), and Young Fij Fij (so cute!).  Bonus points for having Yuzu completely fail at coming up with a rhyming catchphrase (something he usually does whenever he appears):

Yuzu: Need any help, Maryoku?  Using a hammer, drill, or ladder, Nonki and Yuzu are good... at... it all.

Nonki: It don't rhyme.

Yuzu: Hey, they can't all be winners.

The opening scene of the second half, "Ooka Times Two" is really why I'm making this post, as it's basically a spoof of every mad scientist movie ever made.  It starts in Nonki and Yuzu's workshop, with ominous organ music playing as they put the finishing touches on their latest invention.  Yuzu's expression is classic mad scientist, though his dialogue ("everyone is going to love this") isn't quite.  Until he tells Nonki to pull the lever, that is.  And it is, indeed, one of those ones.  Electricity surges, and their creation begins to rise as Yuzu cries out, "It's alive!"  Fade to black.  (They just made a robot, not an actual Yummy.)
I also liked this episode because it showed Maryoku finally cracking down on Ooka's goofing off.  It did feel a bit out of character, as she's usually more tolerant of Ooka's fun-loving side, but I imagine that Ooka's been ramping up her attempts to get out of work lately (as she greets Maryoku with "Isn't it a lovely Sunday?" and Maryoku immediately replies, "It's Monday" as if this isn't the first time), and even Maryoku has her limits.
Lastly, as part of a plan to get back at Ooka for tricking Nonki and Yuzu into using their robot to do her chores, the Yummies create The Wish Sitter Awards, and we get to see everyone (but especially Hadagi) glammed up.  The very end is a bit lame, but that's neither here nor there.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Episode Three

After the two-part adventure pilot, the rest of Friendship is Magic takes a turn toward the slice-of-life, and the series kicks this off with one of the most clichéd sitcom plots imaginable.  Despite this, the episode has a ton of good lines and some really awesome moments.

The Ticket Master

The episode opens with Twilight Sparkle helping Applejack bring in some apples, with the promise that if they do it by lunchtime, Big Macintosh will have to make good on his bet and walk down the street in one of Granny Smith's girdles.  Spike, meanwhile, searches for the perfect apple while riding on Twilight's back, and burps up a letter from Princess Celestia.  It's an invitation to the Grand Galloping Gala for Twilight and one guest, soon followed by the actual tickets.  Twilight and Applejack start freaking out about it, but Spike wants nothing to do with something as girly as a dance.  Applejack envisions herself setting up a stand there and drumming up enough new business to replace not only the barn's roof and the old plow, but Granny Smith's hip, as well.  That's a good enough reason for Twilight, but before she can formally invite Applejack, the two of them are ambushed by Rainbow Dash, who was napping in a nearby tree and heard the whole thing.  Knowing that the Wonderbolts perform at the gala every year, if Twilight took her, she could interrupt their performance, wow the crowd with her signature moves, and be invited to join the team.  But Applejack jerks Rainbow Dash away from Twilight Sparkle and tells her that she asked first, and when Rainbow doesn't back down, decides to settle this with a "hoof wrestle."  Twilight, however, points out that the tickets are hers, so she'll decide who to take.  Unable to figure out if "money for Granny's new hip" is a better reason than "living the dream," she backs out to get some lunch and make her decision later.  And Applejack and Rainbow Dash go right back to hoof wrestling.

On her way to get some lunch, Twilight is unintentionally tackled by Pinkie Pie, who ends up with the tickets on her face.  She starts freaking out, thinking they're bats(?), until she actually sees them, and then starts freaking out in song because the GGG is the biggest party ever, and she's always wanted to go.  She also assumes that Twilight is going to take her, even though Twilight has not actually said anything yet.  And then Rarity arrives, and when she hears about Pinkie going to the Gala, she starts going on about how wonderful the gala is, and how she's destined to meet "him" there.  Since neither Twilight nor Pinkie have any idea who this "him" is, Rarity spins them her own gala fantasy, a true Cinderella story that ends with her being introduced to, and eventually marrying, Princess Celestia's nephew.  She then fixes Twilight with a "How could you!" since Pinkie is apparently going and not her.  While Twilight sets the record straight, a bunny steals the tickets from Spike and takes them to Fluttershy, who is delighted (and not worried about a thieving rabbit in the slightest).  

Hearing that Twilight hasn't given the ticket away yet, Fluttershy tries to ask for the extra, but in her shy, roundabout way, such that Rarity interrupts her with an incredulous "You want to go to the gala?"  It takes prodding from her bunny friend to get Fluttershy to admit that she does want to go, not for the dance, but for the fancy garden that surrounds the whole place, full of the most beautiful flowers and animals, including "hummingbirds that can really hum, and buzzards who can really buzz."  Twilight seems to be leaning toward Fluttershy, but Rainbow Dash shows up to make sure Twilight doesn't give the ticket to any pony who isn't her.  Applejack, suspecting this, also arrives, to make sure Rainbow Dash doesn't try anything funny.  All five of Twilight's friends start to argue over who should get the ticket, even Fluttershy(!), until Twilight calls for quiet.  She reminds them that the decision is hers and hers alone, and she can't think straight with all that noise, or on an empty stomach.  So she shoos them all away so she can get some lunch for real this time.

Seated at a nearby cafe, Twilight agonizes over who to take, playing "loves me, loves me not," with a centerpiece daisy, then licking up the petals out of hunger.  When asked for her decision, she yells out, "I can't decide!" only to find it was the waiter (male French waiter pony with a mustache!!) asking for her order.  Taken with centerpiece, she orders a daffodil and daisy sandwich, while Spike, unable to get any rubies to eat, goes with the hay fries.  While they wait, Twilight tries to get Spike's advice, but he's very unsympathetic to Twilight's dilemma.  Twilight's specific problem is that she doesn't want to disappoint any of her friends, but even if she gave up her own ticket, three friends would still be upset.  Interestingly, she imagines Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity as the disappointed friends, meaning she's leaning more toward Applejack and Fluttershy at this point.  Her thoughts are interrupted by the arrival of lunch, and she sets up to eat her sandwich, hoping for some clarity with a full stomach.  But suddenly, all the other patrons run off, and the waiter asks if she's going to eat in the rain, much to her confusion.  She looks up to see why it's raining everywhere but where she's sitting, and who should pop out of the hole in the clouds but Rainbow Dash, claiming to have made the hole because they're such good friends.  Twilight easily sees through this, and, refusing to accept any special treatment until she's made her decision, asks Rainbow to close up the hole again.  Too bad she didn't think to eat her now-soggy sandwich before asking for the hole to be closed, but oh well.

Seeing the waterlogged Twilight, Rarity hijacks her friend for a make over at her salon, and the clip previewed on Yahoo ensues.  Twilight is at first quite taken with the outfit that Rarity forced her into (though Spike rejects his and runs off to the library), but when it becomes clear that Rarity is also just trying to get into her good graces and get the ticket, she flings the outfit back at its maker and goes off in search of lunch.  And she finds it immediately outside the door in the form of Applejack with an entire wagon full of apple treats (including apple brown betty, "The dessert, not my aunty").  Though sorely tempted, Twilight rejects the treats, and wails that not only are the favors not helping her decide, they're confusing her even more.  She makes a break for the library, but not even that is safe, as she finds Fluttershy there, singing the original MLP theme tune and cleaning up with her animal friends.  The little bunny, named Angel, even made a salad.  Twilight is certain that Fluttershy is just doing this for the ticket, but the pegasus assures her it's because they're such good friends...until Angel gives her a dirty look, and then she admits, yes, it's just for the ticket.  Twilight nearly gives into Angel's salad, but instead opens the door to kick Fluttershy and the animals out, only to be surprised by a burst of streamers and confetti.

That's right, it's Pinkie Pie's turn to butter up Twilight, which she does by throwing an impromptu party.  As the other partygoers toss Twilight in the air, Pinkie sings her a song that blatantly states the party is her way of getting the ticket, prompting Twilight to state, "At least the other ponies tried to be subtle about the ticket."  Mention of the ticket brings on every pony in Ponyville, it seems, who all try to woo Twilight into giving them the ticket.  Spike arrives on the scene to help Twilight escape the crowd, but unfortunately for him, there's only one thing they can do: a Benny Hill homage.  Yes, it's true, for the next thirty five seconds, Twilight and Spike continually elude the stampede of ponies through hiding, costumes, and just plain running, all while a knock-off of Yakety Sax plays in the background.  

Finally, both Spike and Twilight are cornered with no place to run.  The pressure causes Twilight to let loose a burst of magic that teleports both her and Spike back to the library, much to her own surprise.  They quickly lock all the doors and turn off the lights, but it's too late, her friends are already there!  The sight of them, eager and waiting (plus still not getting anything to eat) makes Twilight let loose a primal yell and word glurge about her indecision, not wanting to disappoint anyone, and the favors just making it worse.  By the end, her friends realize how selfish they've been, and they each apologize in turn, telling her it's okay if she gives the ticket to someone else.  Well, all except Rainbow Dash, who does a victory dance when she realizes everyone else gave up the ticket, making it hers by default.  But everyone else fixes her with a glare so strong, she backtracks and claims that her "signature moves" still need some work, so she doesn't need the ticket yet.  Now knowing what to do, Twilight has Spike take a memo for Princess Celestia, returning the tickets.  Her friends are shocked, but she explains that if they all can't go, she doesn't want to go either.  Spike appears to be sickened by this show of friendship, but it's actually Princess Celestia's rather prompt response: a note saying simply "Why didn't you say so?" and enough tickets for all of them.  To celebrate, the others treat Twilight Sparkle to dinner, a suitable way to make up for how they acted earlier.  As the ponies filter out, Spike notices that there isn't a ticket for him, and though he was adamant before about not wanting to go, he can't help but feel a little left out now.  Fortunately, Princess Celestia comes through, somehow managing to send it when he's alone, and thus only Applejack gets a peek at his joy.

I couldn't really do justice to this episode, since there just a lot of craziness that had to be seen, like the dance Granny Smith does in Applejack's imagination, or Rarity's fantasy courtship, and especially the Benny Hill chase.  But it's good to see that even with a completely predictable plot, the show still managed to surprise me.  Seriously, people were ready to declare the show a failure when the synopsis for this one came out, and the second episode hadn't even aired yet.  So yeah, glad to see Ms. Faust and the team came through with an episode that was not only fun to watch, but fun to rewatch, as well.

Now, the episode ends without us actually seeing the gala itself, leaving one to wonder how the actual thing compared to all the fantasies.  And does Princess Celestia actually have a nephew, or was he a figment of Rarity's imagination?  Considering that the only sister we know she has only just got back from the moon, and the fact that Rarity never mentions his name, I'm leaning toward the latter.  

Considering Celestia's quick response to Twilight's RSVP, it wouldn't be much of a stretch to say she probably set this whole thing up as a test, to see how Twilight would handle such a decision.  I guess when you're over a thousand years old, you get pretty good at Xanatos Gambits.  Also, didn't Rainbow Dash already have a chance to meet the Wonderbolts at the Summer Sun Celebration?  She was planning to show them her stuff there, and while their performance was most likely postponed due to the never-ending night, surely they didn't cancel it altogether?  Then again, maybe they did, and they were already too far from Ponyville to make it back for the Welcome Back, Luna celebration.  Hm.... perhaps an upcoming episode will have Rainbow Dash actually getting to join them and finding out being a Wonderbolt isn't all she thought it was?  Or maybe it will be, but she gives it up to be with her friends anyway.  Only time will tell.

Random Bits on my Favorites

I've only been able to catch Strawberry Shortcake's Berry Bitty Adventures sporadically, but since it's currently airing every weekday, I figure they'll lapse into reruns eventually and I'll see them all.  I'm not sure whether or not I'll blog them here, since I also figure that they'll be released onto DVD sooner or later.  After all, the episodes from Berryfest Princess and Glimmerberry Ball have already all aired as part of the series, so it's not hard to imagine that most of the episodes will be put together in similar "movie" fashion.  And it's just easier for me to write up a review when I have a DVD to work with, rather than a captured video.  In the meantime, I just want to say: Berrykin Bloom, stop rhyme-talking!  It's so annoying.  Also, I'm glad that Jadeybug finally got to talk, even if she didn't have a Spanish accent.

As I mentioned, Care Bears: The Giving Festival will be coming out soon, and to soften the blow of Princess Starglo debuting before her actual debut, Kidtoon Films is stepping up to the plate and showing Share Bear Shines during the month of November.  So that makes things a little better, I guess.  Is a DVD release far behind?  I certainly hope not.  Then again, there's no word on To The Rescue coming to DVD, and Kidtoon showed that back in April.

I've been enjoying Maryoku Yummy, though like SSCBBA, I only catch it here and there.  I'm really not that crazy about Inu.  I mean, Nozomu is a magical land, with crazy creatures; what do they need with dogs?  I also do not like Fudan, though he may be the answer to a quibble I posted when I first blogged about MY:

I mean, what if a kid wishes for an elephant for a pet?  Seriously, that kid is never going to get one, so that's a wish that will never get granted.

Fudan is a wish that has never been granted, and has thus gotten the hang of language (in that annoying like-a-toddler-but-not-quite way).  While most wishes just speak gibberish, I was amused to see that Hadagi apparently taught her wishes to say her name.  Most of the episodes I've seen have been fun, though I find it a little suspect that Maryoku often pulls tricks to make others learn their lessons, while if the others had done such a thing, they would have had to learn not to do that.  Best moment of the show so far: when Shika made a wish, and a little wish that looked like him was delivered. ^_^

And to close things off, someone wrote an abridged version of the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic two-part pilot.  They did the latest episode, too.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Episode Two

Picking up where the first episode left off, Night Mare Moon laughs maniacally over her Never Ending Night, as the mayor orders the guards to seize her.  Night Mare Moon is having none of this, and she shoots lightning at the guards before turning to mist and fleeing the scene.  Applejack finally loses her grip on Rainbow Dash, who takes off after the mist, but is unable to catch it.  She does catch sight of Twilight Sparkle taking off with an unconscious Spike in tow, and wonders what she's up to.

At the library, Twilight Sparkle tucks Spike into bed, pointing out that he was up all night and simply doesn't have the stamina for that (being only a baby dragon, after all).  But without her trusty assistant, she has no luck finding any info on the Elements of Harmony.  Rainbow Dash bursts in, accusing her of being a spy, since she actually seems to know what's going on.  Fortunately, Applejack followed Rainbow Dash and manages to get her off Twilight's tail, though she too wants to know what's going on.  So Twilight tells her and the other ponies everything she knows, and how she doesn't know what the Elements of Harmony are.  Just then, Pinkie Pie points out "The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide" on the shelf, conveniently under "E."  The book describes the five known elements: laughter, kindness, generosity, honesty, and loyalty, and mentions the mysterious six element, along with the last known location of the elements.  As Twilight reads all this, the misty Night Mare Moon eavesdrops outside, just in time for a cut straight to the Everfree forest.

The ponies hesitate outside the spooky forest (complete with theremin music) for a moment before Pinkie calls for them to get going.  Twilight tries to dissuade them, saying she'd prefer to go alone, but Applejack insists that they can't let a friend face such a creepy place alone, and in they go.  With a resigned sigh, Twilight follows after them.  The forest is unexplored territory for all of them, and rumored to follow different rules than the rest of Equestria.  Rainbow Dash takes advantage of the stories to spook the others, unaware that Night Mare Moon's mist has seeped into the ground beneath them.  As she goes for the big scare, the ground crumbles away, and the two pegasus ponies scramble to save the others.  Rainbow gets Pinkie and Fluttershy grabs Rarity's tail, while Applejack manages to find a root to bite into and stop herself.  But seeing Twilight  still falling and heading for a dropoff, she lets go and slides down to grab the unicorn, barely keeping her from falling over the edge.  She assesses the situation and tells Twilight to let go, which Twilight does not think is good advice.  Applejack assures her that it is, even telling her it's the honest truth.  Convinced by her sincerity, Twilight lets go, falls, and is caught by Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy together.  They lower her to the ground as Applejack jumps down on convenient ledges in the cliffside.  

As the ponies continue on their way, Rainbow relives the experience of saving Twilight, who doesn't appreciate this, though all quibbles are forgotten when a raging manticore appears.  Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash all take a turn fighting, unable to hear Fluttershy's quiet calls for them to wait.  It isn't until all the others gear up for a stampede attack that Fluttershy is able to get them to stop so she can approach the manticore and find the real problem: a thorn in its paw.  With the offending thorn removed, the manticore is as gentle as a kitten and the other ponies are able to get past.  As they leave, Twilight asks Fluttershy how she knew about the thorn, and Fluttershy replies that she didn't, but she knew that kindness would win out in the end.  Unseen by the ponies, the discarded thorn turns back into Night Mare Moon's mist.

As the ponies go deeper into the forest, the trees hide the moon from view, making it almost impossible to see anything.  The mist hides itself in the trees, creating terrifying glowing faces that surround the ponies.  Though the others scream in terror, Pinkie Pie just laughs and makes faces right back at the trees.  When questioned about her strange behavior, Pinkie replies with a jaunty song about laughing at your fears.

Twilight Sparkle: Tell me she's not...

Rarity: She is.

The song works, and soon all of them are laughing along, making the faces disappear and continuing through the forest.  Their quest is once again cut short, though, when they come face to face with a roiling river.  Before they can figure out what to do, the sound of weeping leads them to a nearby sea serpent who appears to be the reason the river is so wild.  He tells them of how his precious mustache was cut off by a "tacky little cloud of purple smoke," and his whole look is ruined.  Few of the ponies are sympathetic to his plight, but Rarity, of course, sees the true tragedy of this situation, and takes it upon herself to correct this "crime against fabulosity."  Using one of the serpent's scales, she slices off her own tail and uses her unicorn powers to graft it onto the serpent's face.  This overjoys the serpent, who doesn't seem to notice that it doesn't match the other half.  Rarity makes light of her sacrificed tail, claiming short tails are "in," but pointing out it will grow back.  With the serpent placated, the river is crossable again, but serpent makes a bridge out of himself for them anyway.

Not too long after, Twilight spots the ruins of the castle where the Elements of Harmony are said to reside and rushes toward it, not noticing that the bridge is out and nearly falling.  Rainbow Dash pulls her back and comments, "What's with you and falling off cliffs today?"  Pinkie wonders how they'll get across, and Rainbow  waggles her wings at her before flying across and picking up the fallen part of the bridge.  Before she can tie it, she hears a voice from the fog calling her name.  She is approached by three pegasi, who ask her to join the Shadowbolts as their captain.  Plying her with flattery, they get her to agree, just as soon as she ties up the bridge.  But the middle pegasus tells her "it's them or us!" and causes the fog to filter out the sound of her friends on the other side.  Rainbow Dash appears to choose the Shadowbolts, but does not, tying up the bridge and flying back to the others.  The Shadowbolts turn back into mist and slink off as the ponies cross the bridge without mishap.

Inside the castle, the Elements of Harmony are right out in the open, on display even.  Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash carefully take them off their pedestals and set them down in front of Twilight Sparkle.  Though there are only five, Twilight read that a spark will cause the sixth to be revealed.  She asks the others to stand back, and starts to use her unicorn powers.  As she concentrates, Night Mare Moon's mist sneaks in and whips up the Elements into a whirlwind.  Twilight leaps in to save the Elements just as the whirlwind collapses and disappears, taking her with it.  The others try to find her and spot a light coming from a tower on the other side of the castle.  This is where Twilight finds herself faced with Night Mare Moon, who has all the Elements in her possession.  She gets ready to charge at the evil alicorn, her horn shining with magic.  Night Mare Moon returns the charge, but before they can butt heads, Twilight teleports to the unprotected elements.  She hurries to create a spark, but Night Mare Moon whirlwinds over and sends the little unicorn flying.  

Despite her efforts, the elements seem to have been ignited, sparking and crackling with energy.  But all too soon they fall dead again, to Twilight's confusion.  With an evil laugh, Night Mare Moon stomps down hard, smashing each element into pieces.  Night Mare Moon berates Twilight for being a fool, declaring that the princess and sun will remain hidden forever.  Suddenly, Twilight hears the voices of the other ponies coming up the stairs, and has a spark of realization.  She tells Night Mare Moon that the Elements of Harmony are not so easily broken, not when their spirit lives on in the other ponies.  Indeed, the shards of the elements suddenly rise up and surround each pony as Twilight explains which element they represent and why:

Honesty - Applejack, for reassuring Twilight at the cliff

Kindness - Fluttershy, for showing the manticore a little love

Laughter - Pinkie Pie, for singing a catchy tune

Generosity - Rarity, for sharing her tail with the serpent

Loyalty - Rainbow Dash, for not abandoning her friends for fame and fortune

Night Mare Moon points out that they don't have the six element because Twilight's spark failed, but the fear in her voice is evident.  Twilight tells her that there was a spark, and then turns to address the other ponies.  The spark, she tells them, was inside her, the spark of realization she had when she heard their voices and finally understood that they were now her friends.  With this declaration, the six element appears overhead, shining with a light too bright for Night Mare Moon to withstand.  Twilight tells her that when the five elements are "ignited by the spark that resides in the heart of us all," the sixth element, Magic, is created.  So named, the sixth element flashes bright, and the shards of the other elements reform on each pony.  For most of them, it creates a collar, but Twilight Sparkle gets a crown.  The ponies come together and an enormous rainbow bursts forth, spiraling up toward the ceiling and then swooping down to surround Night Mare Moon, who lets out a Big No.  As the rainbow whirls around Night Mare Moon, Twilight's eyes open, glowing white....

The next thing anyone knows, all the ponies are passed out on the floor.  One by one they come to, and Rarity rejoices to see her tail has grown back.  So intent on her tail is she, she completely misses the fact that she now has a cool collar with a gem in the shape of her cutie mark.  The others find that they do, too, proof that they really did represent the Elements of Harmony.  Now that they're all up, Princess Celestia sees fit to show herself, appearing with the rising sun.  All the other ponies genuflect, but Twilight Sparkle rushes up for a pony hug.  The princess explains to Twilight that she knew about Night Mare Moon's return all along, and that Twlight would be able to unleash the Elements of Harmony, but not without true friendship.  Hence the 'make some friends' order.

With that out of the way, Princess Celestia approaches the defeated Night Mare Moon, who has returned to her true form of a small purple alicorn.  Celestia addresses her as Princess Luna, her younger sister (much to the shock of the ponies, but not the viewers at home).  She implores her sister to put their differences aside and for the two of them to rule together as they once did.  All the ponies lean forward, on the edge of their seats to see what will happen, Pinkie so much so that she falls over.  Princess Luna apologizes and the sisters share a pony hug, tears in their eyes.  The scene is so touching that Pinkie just can't hold back the tears, until, she realizes that a family reunion of such import is the perfect situation for a party!  

And so the Summer Sun Celebration becomes a Welcome Back, Princess Luna! party instead.  Spike and Twilight are reunited, and everything seems happy.  But Twilight is kind of bummed out, since she actually made some friends and now she has to go back to Canterlot.  No worries, though, for Princess Celestia sets forth a royal decree: Twilight Sparkle shall study the magic of friendship in Ponyville and report back to the princess.  And thus all ends happily, setting the stage for the rest of the series.

I gotta say, this ep was worth the wait.  I loved the way everything came together, and especially Pinkie Pie's song in the woods.  I had, in fact, just been wondering earlier that day whether there would be songs or not, and then the music started and I was so happy.  It's slightly disappointing that we're losing Night Mare Moon as a villain so soon (I was kind of hoping that she would just be slightly depowered, but still a threat, hanging out on the fringes of Equestria), but I suspected she would be redeemed.  I wonder how Princess Luna will play as a character, or if she'll just be in the background from now on.  I certainly hope not, what with all this build up.  Maybe there will be some night time adventures where she can act as a mentor in Princess Celestia's place.

Miscellaneous Screenshots:
Happy Dash
"You're kidding, right?"
Princess Luna feels remorse
Luna goggles at the wreath

Mystery Crochet-Along Clues Three and Four

Continuing with Bernat's Mystery Crochet-Along, clue 3 brought a stitch I hadn't used before, the v-stitch:

Unlike the previous two clues, we had to make 8 squares, though I only photographed two (and I'm probably going to make that the standard for posting).  The squares worked up pretty quick, although it's hard to see a distinct V with a chunky yarn.  Or maybe it's just me?  I'm not worrying about it.

Clue 4 was the first to have more than one color, and gave everyone a huge headache.  For some, it was all the ends to weave in at the end, while for others it was the annoyance of trying to figure out gauge.  It seems like everyone was modifying the pattern in some way, whether it was flipping it to make a mirror image, changing the triple crochets to doubles, or just stopping once they had 8 inches.  Even I had to go down a hook, and I changed the last row of triple crochets to double.  Fortunately, we only had to make four this time:

I really like the way the colors go together.  Kind of a southwestern look, don't you think?

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Preview Videos

Yahoo has a couple of clips from an upcoming episode of Friendship Is Magic, which I'm assuming is "The Ticketmaster" judging from the clips' content.  Technically there are four clips, but one is the opening theme again, and another is an animatic of the first scene, which is cool, but it pretty much plays out the same in both storyboard and fully animated form:

The last clip features Rarity, who I am coming to like, bit by bit.  Urge to make AMV.... rising....

AiCaL CPT - To The Rescue Movie

Thought I forgot about this, didn't you?  Well, not having my laptop set me back, and watching through Netflix wasn't exactly the most motivating experience in the world (it was the rewinding that really ticked me), but here it is, the first of the Care Power Team movies available in the states.

The scene opens at night, as various Care Bears arrive at a theater lit up by spotlights while a modified version of the AiCaL theme song plays ("We'll show you how it's done, ready set, Care Power on!").  Cut to backstage, where Grumpy and Oopsy make up the only stagehands.  Fortunately for them, Grumpy's created a remote control that will let him handle everything from the lights to the music to the curtain, though in demonstrating this, he accidentally starts the show a little early.  Hearing her cue, Share takes centerstage as the host of The Rescue Awards, where the best rescues of the year are honored.  And like so many hosts of award shows before her, she sees fit to open the show with a musical number, mostly about how she's the host.
To reward Oopsy for not messing up the opening number, Grumpy lets him use the remote for the next costume change, though this somehow teleports a wig that looks an awful lot like PJ's hair from Strawberry Shortcake - The Sweet Dreams Movie onto Grumpy's head.  Meanwhile, Share has continued on, and is announcing the nominees for Most Daring Rescue (Good Luck, Funshine, and Wish).  The winner, of course, is Funshine, which makes me wonder what kind of rescues Wish and Good Luck pulled off.  I really wish that each rescue had gotten a caption or something, so we'd at least have some fun Noodle Incidents to wonder about.  But ah well.  Since Grumpy's still fuming about the whole wig incident, he misses the cue to show a video of Funshine's daring rescue until Share prompts him.  And so the video begins.

Funshine's Rescue
The scene: An ordinary day in Care-a-Lot.  While innocently strolling along, Funshine spies Oopsy high in a tree and, despite Oopsy's protests, uses his badge to whisk him back down to the ground.  Whereupon it turns out he was only playing Hide and Seek with Bedtime.  Funshine is chastised, and Oopsy and Bedtime go back to their game.  Continuing on his stroll, Funshine comes across Share and Cheer, apparently fighting over a bit of rainbow.  To solve their problem, Funshine makes a sun that neatly slices the rainbow in half, which neither bear appreciates.  Turns out they were actually playing tug of war.  "But it looked like you needed help," Funshine tells Cheer, to which Share replies, "She did!  I was winning."  Chastised again, Funshine leaves the girls and continues on his way.  Elsewhere, Grumpy puts the finishing touches on his latest invention, a clean-o-matic, and sets it to work.  At first, all seems well, until the machine sets its sights on Grumpy... Hearing the spluttering, Funshine announces his intention to save Grumpy, but Grumpy, easily able to escape the machine, just sends him on his way, and not even all that grumpily.
All these false alarm rescues leave Funshine completely bummed out, which is observed by the Nimbits (ugh...).  Seeing that Funshine just wants to help someone, they provide him with an outlet by dramatically producing an unopenable jar of mayonnaise.  Funshine opens it easily, then asks the Nimbits what they're really up to.  They admit that they want to help him help someone, but Funshine doesn't see how.  So the blue one sends a bolt of lightning toward Grumpy's new machine, sparking it into action.  The machine runs loose and starts cleaning a sleeping Bedtime, so Funshine leaps into action.  Pleased that their plan seems to have worked, the Nimbits do some kind of weird secret handshake.
With a cry of "Take this, you cleaning machine of doom!" Funshine sends a ball straight for the machine, which breaks it completely into pieces.   Grumpy is not pleased to see the course of action Funshine has taken, especially when it comes to light that Bedtime was merely being tickled by the machine's feather duster.  While the others rag on Funshine for his latest blunder, the Nimbits butt in, protesting that they were just trying to help Funshine help someone, and continue quoting platitudes about helping until Funshine stops them.  The others call for a moratorium on Funshine "helping" people and driving them crazy, so Funshine agrees, specifically promising not to rescue anyone else that day.  But Grumpy gives him an exception to help him fix his machine.
Later, in the park, the other members of the Care Power Team are playing Hot and Cold, while the Nimbits sit above them.  Proving that they have learned nothing from the day's earlier events, they plot a "small rescue" to make Funshine happy, reasoning that as long as they don't touch Grumpy's machine, everything will be A-OK.  And so they create a small tornado that picks up Oopsy while he takes his turn as It.  They congratulate themselves on a job well done, but their congratulations is premature, as the tornado starts to pick up speed, creating such a gust that the Nimbits get sucked into it themselves.  The sudden wind does not go unnoticed by Grumpy and Funshine, but only Funshine hears the Nimbit's calls for help:

Funshine: Did you hear that?  Somebody's in trouble!

Grumpy: (dryly) For real this time?

But not only is the tornado much stronger, it's also much larger, so there's no denying that this is a real emergency situation.  Funshine and Grumpy head to the park, where they run into Share and Cheer.  Funshine calls for them all to follow him to the Care Power Station, but Bedtime, asleep on a nearby bench, is picked up by the tornado, unseen by the others.  At the station, Funshine assesses the situation, and decides their best bet is to use the cloud cars to go inside the tornado.  However, it turns out that there's a tornado inside the tornado, and that's where the Nimbits are.  The wind is too strong for the bears to get close enough to the Nimbits, so Funshine flies above the tornado and gets into the second tornado from the top.  The smaller tornado quickly sucks him in and sets his car to spinning, but luckily he has some kind of stabilizer button.  The stabilizer works long enough for him to get the Nimbits, but then it's back to spinning for all three of them.  In fact, they actually manage to spin out of the tornado, which is kind of "out of the frying pan, into the fire" for them, since they're now plummeting toward the ground at a rapid rate.  But Cheer quickly takes action, flies out of the tornado and creates a rainbow slide for Funshine and the Nimbits.  Grumpy helps out by making a cloud to catch them at the end.
Safely on the ground, the Nimbits ask Funshine how they can repay him, and he merely asks them to stop and think before they do something.  The Nimbits claim to have learned their lesson, but we all know that this is highly unlikely.  Funshine also asks them to help him get rid of the wind they created, and they head for the station.  Bedtime, meanwhile, was not actually sucked into the tornado, but was deposited on an archway, and is lifted again to land who knows where.  And so Funshine uses the Nimbit's life force to supercharge his belly badge and put an end to the tornado, gently dropping Bedtime in the process and setting Oopsy free (not that anyone seemed all that worried about him, anyway).  Funshine celebrates with the Nimbits by doing that stupid handshake thing with them.
But the story's not quite over yet.  After all, that tornado created quite a bit of damage in Care Square (somehow) which now has to be cleaned up.  Too bad Grumpy's automatic cleaner was broken earlier... but wait!  Sometime between the scenes, Funshine and Grumpy finished fixing it.  Grumpy starts it up and it goes to work...cleaning him again.  As if this weren't a hilarious enough note to end on, the clip finishes with Oopsy still playing Hot and Cold, unaware that everyone else has moved on.

Back at the awards ceremony, Funshine goes to accept his award and gets air-kissed by Share.  He thanks the Nimbits in his speech and then heads backstage.  Oopsy congratulates him, and Funshine says he hopes that he wins an award, too, but Oopsy is desolate because he's never been nominated, what with not having a belly badge and all that.  Funshine consoles him with talk of "there's always next year," which is enough for him.  As Grumpy gears up for another set change, Oopsy offers to take care of it, not with the remote, but by old-fashioned hard work.  Predictably, this ends with a piece of set almost falling on Grumpy.  Meanwhile, Share announces the nominees for Most Caring Rescue (Trueheart, Cheer, and Best Friend).  Give you one guess who won this one.  Once again, Grumpy misses his cue (still recovering from almost being hit by set) and the clip of Cheer's rescue starts up late:

Cheer's Rescue
The scene: Cheer's house.  While practicing weaving strips of rainbows into rescue blankets, Cheer hears a strange noise in her garden and spots a little pink bug (who sounds an awful lot like Wasabi) hanging precariously from a leaf.  Finding that the mini-blanket she just wove is the right size for a bug, she flings it toward the tree, just in time to catch the falling bug.  With the bug safe, she tells him to be more careful in the future, and sends him on his way.  But he keeps following her around, and when she learns that he's lost, she vows to take care of him.
Later, she shows off her new pet, dubbed Nibbley, to Funshine and Share.  While those two coo over the bug's cuteness, Grumpy arrives on the scene to question Cheer about Nibbley's origins.  His suspicions are not allayed by Nibbley's cute actions, and especially not by a surprise kiss.  Cheer just laughs at him and promises to care for Nibbley forever, leading to a montage of bear and bug having fun.  Once the montage is done, Cheer attempts to make Nibbley use a fork, but he just takes a big bite out of the table instead, much to her surprise.  Seems Nibbley has a bigger appetite than his small size would indicate, as he chows down on all the canned goods in Cheer's pantry, cans and all.
After a week, Nibbley is no longer a cute little pink bug, but a larger, slightly orange bug, though his appetite is as big as ever.  He munches on the stick Cheer threw for him, and claims her watering can when she promises him "a treat."  Share shows up for an impromptu visit, and seeing Nibbley lay waste to a plank of wood, she asks Cheer how long she thinks she can keep him.  Cheer is affronted that Share would suggest getting rid of a pet just because it isn't cute any more, but Share is quick to clarify: she's concerned for Cheer's livelyhood with such a hungry pet.  In an attempt to distract the bug, Share and Cheer take him for a walk, but this fails as Nibbley finds plenty to eat, including Bedtime's pillow, Funshine's apple, and Grumpy's stool (and his just-finished topiary).  The offended bears beseech Cheer to do something about her pet, but she doesn't even know what he is.  So it's time for a visit to the Smart Heart Library!
Flipping through some sort of bug compendium, Cheer spots Nibbley's baby form and takes out the book to show the others.  Turns out that he's a gobblebug, and everyone remembers what happened the last time gobblebugs showed up in Care-a-Lot.  Grumpy calls for Nibbley's deportation, but Cheer refuses to break her promise to take care of him.  She insists that Nibbley can't help it, but even Share is against a gobblebug living in their midst, especially when Oopsy accidentally sets Nibbley's mind to Share's garden.  The bug is off like a shot with the bears close behind.  Cheer refuses to let anyone stop him by force, but her commands aren't doing any good, either.  Nibbley takes the lead and thoroughly decimates Share's garden before anyone can stop him.

Surveying the ruined foliage, Cheer makes Nibbley apologize, and then apologizes herself for not learning about Nibbley sooner.  Things are looking grim, with the future apparently featuring a lot of Nibbley-caused destruction, until Share sparks the idea of making Nibbley a garden of his own, someplace far from Care-a-Lot where he can eat to his heart's content.  Cheer turns to the book again and reads that gobblebugs come from a cloud called Not-A-Lot where this is little to no food, hence their gobbling of whatever food they come across in other places.  With this in mind, the bears head to the Care Power Station to find the perfect place for Nibbley's garden.  Since Share knows the most about gardens, she picks out a cloud, and Cheer calls for everyone to get going.  They all pile into the elevator....and wait, since Grumpy hasn't joined them.  Grumpy protests that they don't need him for this, but Funshine yoinks him along anyway.
Once they reach the cloud, Share pulls out a handful of seeds to plant, which Grumpy points out is nowhere near enough for this hungry bug.  But Share uses her badge to multiply the seeds a hundredfold and plant them in the ground, whereupon she passes the baton to Grumpy, who brings forth a raincloud.  Then it's Funshine's turn to bring on the sun, and soon the plants are growing.  With the garden a success, all the bears cry "Hooray!" except for Grumpy, who asks, as only he can, "Do I have to say 'hooray?'"  And so, Cheer and Nibbley share a goodbye, and Cheer suddenly wonders about the other gobblebugs.  Well, wonder no more, Cheer, 'cause here they all come.  Nibbley goes to join his own kind, and even Grumpy is touched, though he blames it on allergies.

Cheer accepts her award and thanks her fellow nominees, along with Nibbley, now a full-grown gobblebug (and true to fashion, munching on his chair).  She then goes on to thank everyone she can think of, until Tenderheart leads her backstage.  Oopsy congratulates Cheer, and she offers to let him hold the statuette while she goes back to her seat.  Oopsy pretends to give an acceptance speech, but since the award is heavier than it looks, it throws him off balance and he tumbles into Grumpy, knocking them both down.  Grumpy comments that at least the remote was unharmed, only for the award to slip from Oopsy's hand, hitting a button on the remote that opens a trap door that Grumpy landed on.  He plummets to the area beneath the stage, with a mattress to break his fall but no way of getting back up once the trap door swings shut again.  Up above, Oopsy clamps a hand over his mouth, but Grumpy tells him to "go ahead and say it."
Unaware of the difficulties backstage, Share announces the nominees for Best Team Rescue (Champ and Amigo, Harmony and Love-a-Lot, and Grumpy and Bedtime).  Hearing that he and Bedtime won, Grumpy searches for an exit, but stops for a moment to get the rescue clip going (since he still has the remote).

Bedtime and Grumpy's Rescue
The scene: Care Square.  It's Pillow Appreciation Day, with pillow-shaped balloons and popsicles, among other things.  Oopsy's manning the Free Pillow booth, handing out a full-sized pillow to anyone who wants one.  And most bears do, much to Grumpy's consternation.  Rather than just wait in line, he pulls out his latest invention, a robot to hand out the pillows automatically.  Seeing this contraption, Oopsy is speechless, which Grumpy takes as gratitude, but in actuality, Oopsy would rather just hand out the pillows himself.  Once the line is taken care of, Oopsy sneaks behind and adjusts a screw on the robot's back, thinking that will slow it down and let him hand out some pillows.  Instead, it starts flinging pillows at everyone, hitting with extreme accuracy.  Sadly, this does not lead to a Care-a-Lot-wide pillow fight, but pillow pandemonium!
Grumpy quickly becomes aware that something is up with his robot, and goes in to find out what.  Oopsy confesses to trying to slow it down, to Grumpy's confusion.  And so Oopsy tells him that he didn't really want any help with his job, and Grumpy apologizes.  But enough of that, the robot is still going haywire.  Seeing Bedtime get hit (and then appropriate the pillow for better napping) gives Grumpy an idea, so he grabs Bedtime to help him with his plan.
Using an umbrella as cover from the flying pillows, Grumpy and Bedtime move in as close as they can get, then Bedtime uses his badge to make an autoharp that plays a lilting version of the CPT's theme, "Care Power On."  This sends the robot to sleep, as not even machines can resist the combo of a lullaby and comfy pillows.  Bedtime and Grumpy congratulate each other on a job well done, as Oopsy also succumbs to the lullaby.

With the clip over, Bedtime goes up to accept, but Share refuses to hand over the award without both him and Grumpy there, but no one knows where he is, and the crowd is getting antsy, so Share lets him give the acceptance speech at least.  Grumpy, meanwhile, is annoyed at missing getting his award due to still being stuck under the stage, and Oopsy laments not having his own belly badge to help.  But soon Grumpy finds a hatch that's unfortunately rusted shut.  Oopsy goes to try opening it from the other side, interrupting Bedtime's speech.  Without explaining anything, he asks to borrow Funshine's badge, so Funshine sends him a little sun, which Oopsy uses to slice open the hatch, setting Grumpy free!
The audience applauds Oopsy's rescue, and Grumpy goes up to get his half of the award and give his speech ("Thanks, I guess").  Oopsy congratulates the two of them for winning, and Grumpy assures him that he'll win an award someday.  But Share rushes on stage with a last minute Judge's Prize for Most Unlikely Rescue: Oopsy!  Unfortunately, since it's a last minute prize, there isn't an official statuette for him.  Oopsy is slightly disappointed, but still glad to have won.  But Bedtime has an idea, which he whispers to Grumpy, who in turn whispers it to Share, who frankly should have thought of it herself, c'mon.  She uses her duplication powers to make another statuette out of Grumpy and Bedtime's award, which she hands to Oopsy (guess he'll have to have it re-engraved later).  The rest of the Care Power Team (minus Funshine for some reason) joins Share on stage for a reprise of the award song, and Share closes the show by giving an extra hand to everyone who takes the time to show they care.  Grumpy lets Oopsy use the remote to finish the show, but predictably, he accidentally turns off all the lights instead.

And so that was Care Bears To The Rescue, a little taste of what the new series could have been.  IMO, the computer animated version never looks as cute as the 2D version, but it still has that Adventures in Care-a-Lot feel. No Grizzle this time around, but luckily for me, Grizzle does show up in the next movie, The Giving Festival.   And since that one will be released on DVD in November (thank you!), I'll wait until then to write that one up.