"Caterpillar Countdown" is the second half of the twenty-second episode in the first season of Stanley. It is one of the episodes featured on the VHS and DVD release of Spring Fever!
Summary[]
Stanley and his pets find a caterpillar in the backyard. After learning about them in the Great Big Book of Everything, Elsie is excited to see it change into a butterfly but finds it difficult to be patient and wait.
Plot[]
Stanley and his pets are out in the backyard, where Stanley is throwing a flying disc and Harry catches it while Elsie and Dennis rate his performance. The game then stops once Harry notices something in the garden, which appears to be a caterpillar munching on a leaf. Elsie wants to get back to the game, but Harry states that he’s too tired. They then notice that the caterpillar is forming a chrysalis. Stanley and Dennis explain it’s so it can sprout wings and turn into a butterfly. However, Elsie refuses to believe it, betting that if it does fly, she’ll take a bath in the birdbath.
To find out for sure, they all decide to look in the Great Big Book of Everything. They find that the caterpillar they found is, in fact, a monarch caterpillar, which in turn becomes a monarch butterfly. They also learn that monarch butterflies are migratory and fly all the way from America to down south in Mexico.
After finding out their lifecycle, Elsie becomes very excited to see the caterpillar become a butterfly. To prepare for it, she and the others make a welcome party for it. But she soon discovers that it’s taking longer than expected. Dennis states that it takes about 14 days (or 2 weeks) for butterflies to come out, which begins to aggravate her.
Later, Elsie starts playing a kazoo, hoping a nice song would make it come out. But it doesn’t.
After a week, it begins raining and Elsie is still waiting. This time, she tries bargaining by offering something if the caterpillar comes out right away. Stanley then comes out reminding her that she needs to be patient. Elsie doesn’t think she can make it, so Stanley leaves the calendar with her to keep track.
Several days pass, and Elsie continues to wait. Until finally, the two weeks have finished. Elsie is very excited and goes to wake up Stanley. He tells her that she still needs to be patient, which begins to drive her crazy.
Stanley and the others are all waiting for the butterfly to come out. The twins Marci and Mimi come by to watch with them. Unfortunately, Elsie reaches the point where she can’t wait anymore. So to pass the time, they all run around the yard, pretending to be butterflies.
Just then, the chrysalis begins to move and the butterfly comes out. Once the butterfly flies away, Stanley reminds Elsie about her ‘bath’ which she states as ‘just kidding about’. As much as she tries to back out of it, the kids put her in the birdbath. She then starts to have a bit of fun by splashing everybody.
Characters[]
- Stanley
- Dennis
- Harry
- Elsie
- Marci
- Mimi
Featured Animals[]
- Monarch Butterflies
- Monarch Caterpillars
Quotes[]
- Elsie: Stanley!
- Stanley: What?
- Elsie: It’s the day! We counted them all off! The butterfly’s coming out today!
- Stanley: I know. I know. But you still gotta be patient.
- Elsie: (starts shaking him) You are driving me crazy with this patience business!
- Stanley: Elsie!
- Elsie: (calmly) Okay, I’m under control now.
Trivia[]
- Moral: Good things come to those who wait.
- This episode is featured on the VHS and DVD release of Stanley Spring Fever!
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