Darby, Solo Sleuth

Darby Solo Sleuth was the first half of the final episode of the first season of My Friends Tigger & Pooh released to television in the United States. It was originally broadcast on August 16, 2008, but had previously been released on the DVD Friendly Tails on March 4, 2008.

Darby and Buster are the only two Super Sleuths to answer the Sleuther Siren, summoning them to Kanga and Roos' house. There, they discover that Pooh, Tigger and Roo are sick with colds and that Kanga needs lemons for a special soup to help everyone feel better.

Opening
Darby reads the title display with a questioning tone in her voice. The screen fades to black, then opens again, indicating that the episode has begun. As a butterfly flies by, Darby giggles while hiding behind a tree. She turns around and waves to the viewers, explaining that she's playing hide-and-seek with her dog, Buster. "Shh," she says, urging the viewers to be quiet so that Buster doesn't find her. Buster sniffs around and then barks, indicating that he has found Darby. "Good job!" she praises him, suggesting that maybe they should call the game "hide-and-sniff," then giggles slightly. Just then, the Sleuther Siren sounds. Buster barks again and Darby says that they've got a case. The two run off for the Changing Tree.

Darby looks around and notices that she and Buster are the only ones there. This is what she says: "Okay, now this is really weird. No sign of Tigger and Pooh. Well, whatever this case is, it looks like we're gonna have to solve it all by ourselves. First thing to do is slap my cap." She puts on her cap and Buster barks. She asks if we're ready to say the oath and then recites it, all by herself, with one bark from Buster. "Any time, any place, the Super Sleuths are on the case!" Buster barks again and shakes to flip his tags over to a question mark. Darby pulls out a telesope and takes a look at the Finder Flag, which shows Kanga and Roos' house.

Cure-a-Cold Soup
She and Buster head there and they find Tigger and Pooh there too. Darby waves to them, saying that she's glad to see them. "Likewise, Dar-buddy," says Tigger, and then coughs. Pooh is holding a box of tissues, and they're both wearing scarves and sniffling. Pooh asks her why she's wearing her Super Sleuth cap. "We have a case," she explains, asking if they heard the siren. Tigger explains that they can't hear much right now because their ears are stuffed up. "To go along with the stuffing in our noses," notes Pooh. Tigger explains that they've both got some bad colds. Pooh then says, "Although I don't suppose that there are any good colds...AH-CHOO!" he sneezes into a tissue. The angle changes to show Kanga in the background, putting Roo to bed. Darby says she's sorry, then asks why they're there if not for the case. Kanga explains that they're there for some of her special soup. She directs Pooh and Tigger to a table and sits them down to rest, then starts stirring a large pot. She says that they've apparently caught the same cold that Roo has. Tigger explains that that Kanga's Cure-a-Cold soup is the "bestest" thing for the "worstest" colds. Kanga chuckles slightly and says, "Well, it certainly does seem to make everyone feel better." She then explains that she's missing the most important ingredient, fresh lemons. "So that's why you called the Super Sleuths!" realizes Darby. "You need lemons!" Kanga explains that Rabbit usually brings her more when she runs out, but for some reason, Rabbit hasn't been around lately. Darby tells her that she's going to find Rabbit to get the lemons. "And we'll help yaaa.. Ah, AH-CHOO!" says Tigger, letting loose a loud sneeze. "No way, you guys!" exclaims Darby. "You need to stay indoors and keep warm. But don't worry. Darby-Sleuth is on the case!" She leaves, and Tigger asks for a tissue. Pooh asks him if he needs to blow his nose. Tigger says that he doesn't, it's just that he gets "all tearified" thinking of Darby out on a case by herself. He wipes his eyes, then sneezes.

No Lemons at Rabbit's
The scene changes to Rabbit's place, where Rabbit is out in his garden, singing a little tune to himself. He asks why Pooh and Tigger aren't with Darby, noting that it looks like she's on a case. Darby explains that they have colds, and that Kanga needs lemons. "I don't grow lemons," says Rabbit. He explains that the lemons he gets come from Beaver, who trades them to him for his vegetables, but he hasn't seen Beaver lately. "So that means we have to go find Beaver, all by ourselves," realizes Darby. Rabbit offers to come with her. "Just let me..." he says and starts to push a wheelbarrow of carrots. "Ah, Ah, AH-CHOO!" he sneezes, and flies backwards. "Oh dear," he says. Darby tells him that he might be getting a cold, and that he should get some rest. "If you're sure," agrees Rabbit. "Good lu, Good lu, AH-CHOO!" "Feel better, Rabbit," says Darby. She leaves with Buster.

Beaver's Out of Lemons
As Darby walks along to find Beaver, she says that it's great having us along. "It'd be really lonely being on a Sleuth case by ourselves." She says it's a good thing that it's a simple case. "All we have to do is find Beaver and he's always at the stream building his dam." Darby arrives at the stream, but Beaver is most definitely not there. "Where could he be?" she wonders. Buster barks and Darby, interpreting his barking, says that we need to "Think, Think, Think," just as if Pooh and Tigger were there. The "Think, Think, Think" sequence plays and then Buster barks excitedly and runs over to what appears to be a set of footprints. Darby praises him and the two follow the tracks and find Beaver, who is singing his "Work, Work, Work" song. This is how he sings it: "Work, work, work, the whole day through. Work, work, work, that's all I seem to...Ah, Ah, AH-CHOO!" He tries to balance the remains of a tree on a point, but it falls over when he sneezes. "Beaver, we've found you!" says Darby, running over, noting that he apparently has the same cold as the others. "A cold?" questions Beaver. He says he thought it was hay fever, but then again, his nose has been running so much, he thought of entering it in a foot-race. Darby laughs and says, "You should really get some rest. It's important to take it easy when you've got a cold." He says that rest sounds like a good idea and lays down. Darby tells him that before he falls asleep, she was wondering if he could help with the case. She explains that they're looking for lemons for Kanga's Cure-a-Cold soup. He says that he's fresh out of fresh lemons. Darby groans, but Beaver says that he can tell her where he gets them from. He gets them from the lemon tree, which is in the meadow, near a giant rock lollipop. "What could that mean?" wonders Darby as Beaver falls asleep.

A Giant Rock Lollipop Landmark


Darby says, "We'll just have to head for the meadow and look around. We'll figure it out when we get there." The scene changes to show Eeyore. "Ah, Ah, Ah, AH-CHOO!" he sneezes. He's at Kanga's house and he says rather gloomily, "Caught a cold. I don't suppose I could have some of your special Cure-a-Cold soup." Kanga tells him that she's making some right now and that it'll be ready once Darby comes back with the lemons from Rabbit. Just then, Rabbit walks up, apparently there for some of the soup too. He explains about how he doesn't have any lemons, so he sent her to go find Beaver. "The poor kid," says Tigger. "Out dere in da Wood all alone." He asks Pooh to pass him another tissue and Pooh asks if he's again getting teary-eyed. "Nah, this time I gotta blow my nose," explains Tigger and he does.

The scene changes back to Darby and Buster, who are in the meadow and are looking around, trying to figure out what Beaver meant by a "giant rock lollipop." Suddenly, she spots a strange rock formation that does indeed look rather like a lollipop. She and Buster go take a look and indeed, right beside the GIANT rock formation is the lemon tree. Darby is excited to pick the lemons, but realizes that it could be a problem because the lemons are up really high. She decides to try climbing the tree. She struggles and then slides down. "I guess I won't climb the tree," she realizes. She says she wishes Pooh were there because he's really good at climbing. Buster barks and jumps. "Good idea, Buster," says Darby, thinking that maybe she could jump to reach the lemons. She tries that, and she almost reached a lemon but it didn't work. She says she wishes Tigger were there because he could easily reach the lemons by bouncing. Buster whines and Darby comes up with another idea. She thinks that maybe if they can't get to the lemons, they could instead get the lemons to come to them. Buster gives a little "Huh?" Darby begins shaking the tree, singing a little tune to go along with it.

Shakity shake, shake the tree

Shake it all around

If we shake, shake the tree

The lemons will fall down.

Soup is Served


"It's gonna work!" she exclaims, saying that we just need to sing a little louder and shake a little harder. She repeats the verse and catches two lemons, and Buster catches another. Satisfied, she and Buster head back to Kanga and Roos'.

Back at their house, Kanga tells her that the lemons are just perfect. It's time for soup. She begins dishing it out. Pooh sniffs at it and he says that he's starting to feel better already, just smelling it. Tigger tells Darby that he's "proudful" of her for "solveratin'" the case all by herself. She accepts the compliment, but notes that she wasn't totally on her own because she had help from Buster and us too. She thanks us. "Now say it with me!" she says. "Another mystery is...Ah, ah, AH-CHOO!" she sneezes. Everyone looks at her and Eeyore says, "I guess we're gonna need another bowl." Buster sneezes too. "Better make that two bowls," says Darby. And everyone laughs as the scene cuts to show Kanga and Roo's house from the outside. "I get it," says Pooh. The screen fades to black.

Characters

 * Darby
 * Buster
 * Winnie the Pooh
 * Tigger
 * Kanga
 * Roo
 * Rabbit
 * Beaver
 * Eeyore

Crew

 * Director - Don MacKinnon
 * Written by Dean Stefan
 * Storyboard by Broni Likomanov
 * Story Edited by Brian Hohlfeld