"The Carpetsnaggers" is the eleventh episode of Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers. It aired on May 7, 1989 on Disney Channel.
Plot[]
The homes of the wealthy are being robbed by flying carpets under the control of Professor Nimnul.
Synopsis[]
One starry night, a young boy named Jimmy is tucking his dog Elmer in for the night in his doghouse with a new carpet for it. However, no sooner does Jimmy head to bed, Elmer is awoken by the carpet trying to pull itself loose from where it was nailed down, leading to the entire doghouse being lifted up and flown away through the night sky.
Elsewhere, the Rescue Rangers are on patrol on the roof of Officer Kirby and Officer Muldoon's squad car, but both the Rangers and the cops are getting tired due to there being little action on the night shift. At least until Elmer's doghouse flies past in the opposite direction, then Kirby turns the cruiser around and takes off in pursuit, pushing every horse under the engine hood to keep up with Elmer until he makes a sharp left turn at a T-junction, while Kirby, unable to stop in time, slams the cruiser into a fire hydrant on the curb, totaling the squad car, while the Rangers are flung off onto the geyser from the ruptured hydrant. Spotting the doghouse getting away, the Rangers get help from some pigeons to pursue it, only for the doghouse to get impaled on a flagpole on top of a large skyscraper. With the doghouse's structural integrity compromised, the Rangers work quickly to save Elmer from a potentially lethal fall. Once safe and back on the ground, Elmer takes the Rangers back to their HQ before heading home himself, deciding to sleep under Jimmy's bed from now on after what he just went through. When Gadget questions why kidnap a dog like what they witnessed earlier, Chip decides to investigate further.
The next morning, the Rangers are at the police precinct, where Kirby and Muldoon are being given a good ribbing by Sgt. Spinelli over what happened last night that led to them totaling their cruiser, accusing them of screwing around when the city was being burglarized, mentioning that the stolen loot was on carpets that were taken as well. Overhearing this, the Rangers decide to investigate further, tracing the location the carpets came from according to the police reports to a store named "Ali Bimble's Carpet Emporium". Watching the employee struggle to pull a heavy carpet out of the front door of the store, the Rangers are surprised when the carpet comes to life and floats into the back of the delivery van before it departs after the worker jumped in himself. Following the van to his latest client, the Rangers watch as the worker places all the valuables on the carpet in one room, despite the worries of the owner, then rushes off to do the other rooms. That night, the Rangers are surprised to find that the carpets have electronics wired into the fabric, before the carpets come to life, roll up their collected loot, and make their escape, with one taking off with Gadget and Dale still on-board. After Gadget and Dale end up on another carpet carrying stolen money and gold, and Gadget points out the electronics in that one as well, Monterey has Gadget short out the electronics with his lucky horseshoe magnet. As the carpet drops out of the sky, Chip and Monty catch Dale and Gadget with the Ranger Plane before following the carpets back to Ali Bimble's.
There, they find that Ali Bimble is really Professor Norton Nimnul in disguise, using the carpets to rob the city blind during the night. He's about to enjoy some of his newly-acquired ill-gotten loot, and discover the Rangers, when he hears a customer arrive, quickly getting back into his disguise as Ali Bimble to see them. The client, the rich Vonda Clutchcoin, who's having her hair done while browsing the store, requests Nimnul to provide some of his carpets for a gala she's holding that night at her mansion, mentioning that money is no problem as she'll pay handsomely for the delivery. Seeing the jackpot his carpets could score from Miss Clutchcoin, Nimnul gets right to work on making them, unaware of trapping the Rescue Rangers within one of his carpets as he works.
After the carpets are delivered to the Clutchcoin mansion, Nimnul disguises his delivery van so he can be nearby and watch all the guests come in, seeing all the potential loot he'll get from them. Inside, the Rangers get out of their predicament thanks to Monty using his magnet to get a knife to cut himself free before freeing Chip, then Dale and Gadget. Gadget suggests making an electromagnet to short out the carpets, while Monty suggests nailing them down so they can't move. Chip suggests they do both to cover all their bases: Gadget builds her electromagnet while the other Rangers nail down the carpets. Outside, Nimnul decides to sneak in to get a closer look at his potential jackpot, but ends up discovering the Rescue Rangers when they unintentionally nail his foot down while they work. Sending his pet rug to capture them, once they are caught, Nimnul orders his rug to take them up to a couple thousand feet, then drop them, but Gadget manages to short it out with her electromagnet and Zipper ties a loose thread to a tree branch, safely flinging the Rangers back into the Clutchcoin mansion just as Nimnul activates his carpets. Thanks to Monty's idea, the carpets can't move, but when Nimnul decides to increase the power, he causes the entire Clutchcoin mansion to be lifted into the air. Panicking, he tries to turn off the carpets, but breaks the dial, forcing him to make a run for it back to his hideout at Ali Bimble's.
Gadget tries to use her electromagnet, but gets shocked instead as there are too many carpets too short out. When the mansion approaches a narrow gap between some skyscrapers, Monty spooks the guests so that they tilt the mansion to one side or the other to get through. Meanwhile, Kirby and Muldoon are in a new squad car on stakeout in an alleyway when Nimnul roars past in his van. They are about to pursue when they see the mansion following him. Despite Muldoon's hesitation, seeing a chance for redemption for their earlier ridicule, Kirby hits the lights and siren as he roars after Nimnul and the mansion.
Nimnul makes it back to his hideout and rushes inside to cut the main power to his carpets, but the mansion is now hovering directly overhead. The Rangers brace themselves for impact as the mansion crashes on top of Ali Bimble's and the surrounding area as Kirby and Muldoon pull up in their cruiser moments after impact. The two officers run up to the front doors, only to open them in surprise as the unharmed guests from Vonda's party emerge to head home. As Vonda comes out as well to see them off, Kirby and Muldoon, despite their initial confusion, head inside and discover all of the stolen loot, along with a dazed Nimnul, thus providing them enough evidence to arrest Nimnul, redeem themselves for before, and return all the stolen goods to their rightful owners, while the Rescue Rangers smile and laugh at another job well done.
Cast[]
- Corey Burton as Dale, Zipper, Rich Fop
- Peter Cullen as Monterey Jack, Officer Kirby, Officer Muldoon, Rich Man, Mover
- Jim Cummings as Professor Norton Nimnul, Sergeant Spinelli, Elmer, Rich Fop
- Tress MacNeille as Chip, Gadget Hackwrench, Jimmy, Vonda Clutchcoin
Trivia[]
- This episode has Kirby and Muldoon driving a patrol car much different in appearance to the one they use in other episodes. The one they use in other episodes they appear in, such as "To The Rescue", is the standard issue for the police force with a red and blue light bar. The one they use in this episode has a solid red light bar and appears more compact from the usual cruiser.
- This episode also has some footage used in the intro for the series, such as when Kirby and Muldoon spin their cruiser around to start their pursuit in the early part of the episode.
Memorable Quotes[]
- “Muldoon: (snores, grumbles) This coffee's not doing a thing for me...
Kirby: Well, there's not much to keep awake for.
Gadget: Golly, car patrol is usually exciting.
Monty: (drowsily) You're right there, Gadget. Shoulda stayed home and had ourselves a holiday.
Chip: There's no telling when a case might pop up, Monterey. We have to stay alert!
Dale: Ouch!
Chip: You could be missing something!
Dale: Oh, we're almost home! What am I gonna miss?” - ―Slow night for both the Rescue Rangers and the cops, until Dale tempts fate
- “Muldoon: Is that what I think it is?!
Kirby: At least it's action. Call it in!
(Kirby spins the cruiser around as he hits the lights and siren and takes off in pursuit. The Rescue Rangers hang on to the light bar for dear life as Kirby and Muldoon roar after the flying doghouse, pushing every horse under the hood to full power to keep up. The doghouse quickly makes a tight left turn at a T-junction and rockets off down that street.)
Kirby: Man! That thing can turn on a dime!
(Kirby and Muldoon then realize they're about to hit the fire hydrant on the curb and shout in horror before their cruiser slams headlong into it, totaling the cruiser, killing the siren, and flinging the Rescue Rangers off the roof onto the geyser spurting up from the ruptured hydrant with startled shouts. Kirby and Muldoon then stagger out the driver-side door to prop their backs on the side of their destroyed patrol vehicle.)
Rescue Rangers: Whoa!
Muldoon: Oh, the Captain is going to love us for this one...” - ―So much for the pursuit
- “Sgt. Spinelli: Well, if it isn't Muldoon and Kirby. (scoffs) Seen any Unidentified Flying Doghouses this morning? (laughs)
Kirby: Cool it, Spinelli. We heard it all from the Captain.” - ―Kirby and Muldoon are never going to live down what made them wreck a perfectly good cruiser
- “Sgt. Spinelli: (groans) Dump those files here! (eats some cheese snacks) While you boys were playing Demolition Derby with mutts from Mars, half the city was burglarized! They even took the rugs the goods were sittin' on!”
- ―Spinelli gives Kirby and Muldoon a good scolding for not doing their job and wrecking a cruiser while crime ran rampant overnight
- “Your wish is my very expensive command.”
- ―Nimnul just hit the jackpot with robbing Vonda Clutchcoin
- “(Kirby and Muldoon are on stakeout in an alley with a new cruiser when Professor Nimnul roars past in his van, heading back to his hideout)
Kirby: Get out your ticket book.
(Then they spot the Clutchcoin mansion flying after Nimnul)
Muldoon: Uh, don't suppose we could skip this one?!
(Kirby simply grins wickedly before hitting the lights and siren and roaring after Nimnul, seeing a chance for redemption from the previous pursuit)” - ―This time Kirby and Muldoon are not going to wreck their cruiser and are going to catch the bad guy
Gallery[]
Video releases[]
DVD