OPERATION: CATS (Crazy Aged Tyrant Stinks)

mini-synopsis: Numbuh Four accidentally destroys one of Numbuh Three's stuffed toys, which can only lead to bad things.

summary:

one of Numbuh Three's favorite toys, Mr. Huggykins, is not only life-sized and huggable, but says, "i love you" when embraced. which, by necessity, annoys the bejeezus out of Numbuh Four. when Numbuh Three steps away from Mr. Huggykins, Numbuh Four approaches and punches the "cruddy doll." several times. and breaks it. and as Numbuh Five so aptly puts it, "man, you are so busted." but Kuki comes up with an appropriate punishment: she dresses Numbuh Four up in a Mr. Huggykins costume, and forces him to play the part of the busted toy. Wally does so very unwillingly, and flatly refuses to say "i love you" when hugged. Numbuh Three bursts into tears, and Numbuh Four marches off, right into the CATUH-PLUNK, which, as its acronym explains, "chucks alotta things up high." Numbuh Four is chucked into the Crazy Old Cat Lady's house, where he is mistaken for a cat by the Cat Lady (due to the Huggykins outfit) and adopted immediately.

the other operatives go an a mission to save him, all but Numbuh Three, who is still angry. they succeed in removing him from the Crazy Old Cat Lady's house, but she follows, calling them "catnappers." she summons her hundreds of kitties, who merge to form a giant bio-mecha kitty (i really don't know how else to describe it!) which she pilots in pursuit of the KND. she (they?) manages to swat Numbuh Four out of the rescue ship, and reclaims him for her own, but then (cue dramatic music) Numbuh Three shows up, demanding the return of "Mr. Huggykins." she accomplishes this by blasting an arsenal of her toys (hooked up to rockets) at the Cat Lady, and retrieves Numbuh Four. to thank her, Numbuh Four says "i love you" to her in his best Mr. Huggykins imitation. Numbuh Three, (along with a myriad of 3/4 fans,) squeals in delight. however, the fight is not over, as the Cat Lady's army of cats reforms, and she continues the chase. the CATUH-PLUNK is put to use again, and the cats are scattered throughout the neighborhood. they land on their feet, though, so it's okay.

2x4 technology of the day: the CATUH-PLUNK: (Chucks Alotta Things Up High Powered Largely Using Nebulized Ketchup)

quotable quotes:

Numbuh Four: "i am not a kitty cat! i'm Mr. Huggykins--i mean, i'm a kid in a Mr. Huggykins costume!"
Cat Lady: "aw, you almost sound like you can talk!"

bizarro's blathering: while many point to CATS as a landmark 3/4 episode (note the "i love you" remark) i find it necessary to point out the dramatic irony. (pardon the pseudo-intellectualism.) first, Numbuh Four destroys one of Numbuh Three's toys, and Numbuh Three gets mad, which results in Numbuh Four landing in deep, uh, doo doo. then Numbuh Three destroys a whole bunch of her toys to save him. significant? you be the judge. of course, one might argue, why didn't Numbuh Three just use the rockets without attaching her toys to them for a kamikaze mission? but let us not question.