Flea for Your Life is the fifth episode of the third season of Tiny Toon Adventures, the 86th in production, and the 83rd episode overall. It was written by Wayne Kaatz and directed by Ken Boyer and Tony Craig.
Intro[]
Buster says today they will be using a terrific but underused element. Plucky, thinking Buster is talking about him, goes onstage and takes a bow, but Buster says that The Flea Family are the stars of today's episode.
Summary[]
The Flea Family, still living on Furrball, is chopping down Furrball's fur. Furrball, who had previously befriended them and let them stay on him, is still having trouble tolerating the way they treat his body. When they chop down his fur, he itches, and he tries really hard to scratch, even going as far to have a piranha chomp on him! After Papa Flea and his son Flio have finished chopping down the fur, they carry it home, where Mama Flea and her daughter Itchy are making insect-sized fur coats for Boss Tick, who wants to sell them. Itchy hates this job, but is relieved to find the hair bin is finally empty. However, her relief is short-lived, as Papa Flea and Flio have arrived home with their freshly-chopped fur. Itchy faints, as she doesn't want to work anymore. Papa Flea then asks Mama Flea what's for dinner, and she tells him, "Cat. What else?" Papa Flea and Flio say, "My favorite!", and join Mama Flea and Itchy for their dinner. They bite Furrball's skin, and Furrball begins to itch, relieving himself by sitting in the blender and turning it on.
As Itchy and Flio sit down to watch television, Itchy's new friend Gnat arrives and asks the family if they want to cruise the Flea Market. Itchy agrees, as she needs a break from working for Boss Tick, and wants to leave before he decides to work anyone overtime. Just then, Boss Tick appears on their TV to announce that he will be working all his employees overtime. He also tells his employees that they will only receive their profits if they keep working. Itchy destroys the TV, and Papa Flea asks why she's so angry. Itchy explains in her song, that they're forced to work while Boss Tick lives in luxury on Byron Basset. Papa Flea calms down Itchy, and tells her that from now on, he doesn't want to hear another word about Boss Tick, not even letting anybody say the word, "Tick". The doorbell rings, and as Flio answers it, he finds out Boss Tick has arrived. Boss Tick tells the Flea Family that he, and his two employees, Flick and Flit, have arrived to collect the fur coats. He also tells them that he overheard Itchy's song. He likes her attitude, and decides to take her out on Sunday Night. Flick has overheard, and reminds them of their previous engagement. Itchy tells Boss Tick she wouldn't be caught dead on the same cat with him. Boss Tick, outraged, calls out the rest of his employees to make Furrball itch. Elmyra notices Furrball itching, and decides to take him upstairs to take a bath. Itchy pleads for Boss Tick to stop, but he tells her, "I wouldn't be caught on the same cat with you!", and turns away. Elmyra places Furrball in the bathtub full of water, and a wave beings to appear in front of the Flea Family and Gnat.
In the second act, scared Itchy runs over to Boss Tick, and apologizes to him and begs for him to spare her family's lives. Boss Tick calls off his attack, and Furrball stops itching. Elmyra thinks that Furrball was just having a nightmare, and takes him out of the tub.
Boss Tick, Flick, and Flit collect the rest of the fur coats and leave. Before he leaves, he tells them that if they work hard enough, they might end up becoming his in-laws.
As Furrball takes his nap, Itchy and Gnat climb to the end of Furrball's tail, and while Gnat tries to admire the view, Itchy is still upset over her engagement with Boss Tick. Gnat, annoyed with Itchy talking about Boss Tick, tries to remind him about the good he has done for insects everywhere, such as building Fleadom Hall. Itchy asks Gnat if he's ever seen it. Gnat tells her, "No," and Itchy tells him, "Neither have I." The reason being, is because he has her work too hard. She decides they should travel there to see if it's everything he says it is. They travel to Fleadom Hall, located on Byron Basset, and decide to take a look inside. At the entrance, the two guards refuse to let them in. Gnat argues, reminding them that the sign says, "For all fleas everywhere". One of the guards tells them, "Yeah, but it didn't say anytime!" Itchy decides to leave and come back when they have Boss Tick's permission, shoving a donut into one of the guard's mouths before she does. She decides to sneak in, by climbing up one of Byron's hairs. They look in the window and witness Boss Tick, Flick, and Flit loading up their safe. After deciding that his room could use another safe, he woos over Flick, and takes her and Flit out to dinner. Itchy finds out that Boss Tick is after her family's fortune. Gnat finds out that Boss Tick has enough money in his safes to buy a whole new dog and retire. He loses Itchy, but finds her inside Boss Tick's lair. Boss Tick, Flick, and Flit toast their new fortune, and are about to sing a song about it, but Itchy stops them by barging in and tells him she knows about his plan. Boss Tick sends two of his employees and muffles Itchy by taping her mouth. He then tells her to marry him or he will drown her family. Itchy reluctantly nods "Yes", much to Flick's disapproval. Boss Tick holds Itchy prisoner in one of the spikes on Byron's collar until their wedding tomorrow. Flit then tells Flick that she was supposed to marry him to get half of Boss Tick's fortune, so he could be the second-in-command. Flick tells her that they are going to exterminate Itchy so that she will marry Boss Tick instead of her. Gnat has overheard them, then flies over to the Spike, where Boss Tick has told Itchy that he is going to marry her tomorrow, and he will tell her family. Gnat tells Itchy about Flick and Flit's plan. He tells her that he will get the rest of her family so they can help her. Gnat flies over to a crying Elmyra holding a poorly-drawn picture of Furrball with a bindle, obviously implying that Furrball has run away. Gnat realizes that Itchy's family is on Furrball, who has been captured and taken to the Animal Shelter. Gnat rushes outside and witnesses Furrball being taken to the Animal Shelter.
In the third act, Gnat flies all night until he reaches the Animal Shelter. He finds Furrball playing a harmonica. On Furrball, the Flea Family is still sad over Itchy having gone missing. Flio tries to cheer his parents up by telling them they won't have to make fur coats anymore. Gnat arrives and Papa Flea asks where Itchy is. Gnat tells him that Itchy is being held prisoner by Boss Tick. Back on Byron Basset, Boss Tick is chasing after Itchy. Gnat decides that they have to get Furrball back to Elmyra's house so they can travel to Byron Basset and rescue Itchy. He helps the Flea Family by helping Furrball so that Elmyra will notice him. Eventually, Elmyra arrives at the Animal shelter, looking for Furrball, but she can't find him, and takes another kitten home instead. The Flea Family and Gnat make Furrball itch, and Elmyra notices him. She takes him out of his cell, and Furrball rushes back to her house so they can rescue Itchy.
Back on Byron Basset, Itchy is still yelling for help. Outside her spike, Flick and Flit have loaded a cannon of Flea spray and pointed it at her. Itchy continues to yell for help, as Boss Tick is getting ready for their engagement. He rushes outside to find Flick and Flit about to exterminate her. Boss Tick is angry with them, but they tell him they aren't taking orders from him anymore. Gnat snatches the key from Boss Tick's pocket, and uses it to unlock the door on Itchy's spike. He takes her back home to Furrball, where the Flea Family is happy to see her again. The Flea Spray cannon causes Byron to itch. Elmyra notices Byron itching and takes him upstairs to take a bath. The Flea Family and Gnat hear the water running, and are glad they don't have to deal with Boss Tick anymore, especially Itchy.
Allusions[]
- Boss Tick bears a striking resemblance to The Grand Duke of Owls of the 1991 Don Bluth film Rock-a-Doodle.
Trivia[]
- Throughout the episode, Byron was originally sleeping without a dog collar. When Gnat was trying to find help, Byron's collar appeared until the next scene, when it disappeared.
- Production-wise, this is the last episode until Tiny Toon Spring Break to be animated solely at Wang Films Productions. The remaining three Wang-animated episodes produced would also be animated at Cuckoo's Nest Studios.
- When Boss Tick is making a toast with Flit and Flick, he isn't voiced by Jim Cummings but rather Charile Adler.
Cast[]
| Voice Actors: | Character(s): |
|---|---|
| Charlie Adler | Buster Bunny |
| Tress MacNeille | Mama Flea |
| Joe Alaskey | Plucky Duck |
| Cree Summer | Elmyra Duff, Itchy, Flick |
| Frank Welker | Furrball, Byron |
| Rob Paulsen | Gnat, Flit, Animal Shelter Worker |
| Jim Cummings | Papa Flea, Boss Tick |
| Whitby Hertford | Flio |
Quotes[]
- Flio (After Itchy destroys their TV): "Does this mean we don't have to pay our cable bill?"
- Papa Flea: "Okay, okay. Tick isn't here now, so let's cheer up, huh? I don't want to hear another word about Tick. I don't want anyone even to say the word, 'Tick'!"
- (The doorbell rings)
- Papa Flea: "Who's at the door?"
- (Boss Tick is at the door)
- Flio: "That 'T' Word I'm not allowed to say."
- Papa Flea: "So she was a little off-key. Have a heart!"
- Itchy: "Attack."
- Itchy (after tripping over a stair): "Darn animators."
- Itchy: "Help! Help! Somebody help!" (to the toonsters) "And you thought I was the star of this episode, but I'm barely in act three."
Gallery[]
- Main article: Flea for Your Life/Gallery
Home Video Releases[]
