Madame Wardrobe (episode)

Madame Wardrobe is the tenth episode of ObjectTales. This is loosely based on the French novel "Madame Bovary".

## Plot

The show opens up with Mario alone with Jerry driving a vehicle in the background. When Jerry drives up, he says that it's his new "Soo-Vee Action Jeep", a thing that Jerry has been wanting for a long time. He also says that he needs the "Soo-Vee Action Camper." Wondering how much stuff that Jerry needs to be happy, Mario asks for a story based on Jerry's desires for new stuff. Hearing Mario's request, the French Feather Dusters come by and tell the story of "Madame Wardrobe."

In the story, Madame Wardrobe is a very sad lady because she is ungrateful for all the things she owns. Everyday, her butlers (Mario and Jerry) come to her tree house to help her around the house. One day, after she cries over things that she doesn't own, Madame Wardrobe, Mario, and Jerry look out her window and see a new store being built. Then, three crooked salesmen (The Lamps), come by and say that they represent a new store being built down the street, called the Stuff-Mart. They then begin to manipulate Madame Wardrobe (through song) that she will be very happy if she buys a lot of items that she doesn't need. Madame Wardrobe agrees to go shopping, much to Mario's dismay.

On the way to the stuff mart, Madame Wardrobe and the rest of the gang notices a poor little girl (Annie) celebrating her birthday with one piece of pie that her family could only afford. She then sings about being thankful for what she has. Madame Wardrobe begins to wonder what makes her happy despite being dirt poor, but forgets upon entering the Stuff-Mart. Once inside the giant store, she begins to buy a lot of useless products and has them shipped to her house. At the food court, Madame Wardrobe notices a little boy (Little Tommy) excited about a train set that he's always wanted, but his dad says that he can't afford it and asks if he'd like a ball instead. The boy says yes to the ball, and sings the same song the poor girl sang earlier. Wondering why the children who don't have a lot are happy and she is grumpy while she has a lot, Madame Wardrobe realizes that they have happy hearts and that buying a lot of useless things isn't making her any happier. She dismisses the Lamps and heads on home.

As the trio head on out, they notice that Madame Wardrobe's house is tipping over from the excessive amount of bought items. The gang get in shopping carts (except Jerry, who is in a carrying basket) and head over to the house to stop the remaining deliveries from flooding the house. As they head there, the back door begins to open all the items begin to pour out and land in the lake behind the house. Mario thinks that her house is alright, but right on cue, the sudden loss of weight causes the house to be flung across the town and crash-land upon impact.

Later that evening, after the disaster, Madame Wardrobe is comforted by her butlers, the poor girl's family, and the little boy with his dad at the picnic table. They begin to sing the same song that the poor girl and the little boy sang earlier and Madame Wardrobe believes that everything will turn out alright in the end.

Back on the countertop, Mario and Jerry are sad about the story, that they start crying. The French Feather Dusters appear again and, now in a bossy manner, remind them that they need to wrap up the episode as soon as possible. Then, they head over to Xwerty for the bible verse of the day. The Bible verse is Proverbs 15:27a: "He who is greedy for gain troubles his own house." Jerry decides that he will not get the camper for his jeep and will be happy for what he already owns as the show ends.

## Trivia

* The kitchen sink being the last item is a visual gag on the term "Everything but the kitchen sink".
* Toaster ovens are miniature ovens that work the same way as a regular stove-top one.
* This episode was the first for several things:
	+ The first appearance of Madame Wardrobe, as well as the first episode of her and Mario's relationship.
	+ The first episode Annie appears with other characters known as her parents. She first appeared in The Toy That Saved Christmas with her (Grandpa) Joe Coatrack.
	+ The first episode John Wahba and Daniel Patrick O'Brien worked on.
	+ The first episode to update the cold open by featuring Mario and Jerry speaking with more up-to-date voices.
	+ The first episode to feature the 1998 logo and opening montage.
* This episode was the last for several things:
	+ The last episode Eddie Olsen worked on. He's been working on ObjectTales at Big Hive since Where's Neptune When I'm Terrified?.
	+ This was also the last episode where Zack Nawrocki was given an editor's credit, but only during the His Cheeseburger song.
* Zack Nawrocki read the interactive storybook version on King Joe and the Ducky.
* This is the second episode where Mario and Jerry don't receive a letter from a real kid who needs help.
* Aside from the end, the continuity on Madame Wardrobe's hair when she's in the store is off. After Lamp One tells them its time to shop, she her blonde hair. But when he suggests to her about dropping he stuff at her house, she has her regular hair.
* The poster depicts the Goo with electric powers, which he never displayed in the episode he was in.
* This episode continues the "End of Funniness" story arc started in the previous episode, in which the disastrous results of "The Song of the Cebú" saw Funny Songs with Jerry cancelled until further notice, while management fielded other ideas for mid-show songs.
* Towards the end of the episode, Mario and Jerry are seen crying without any tears in their eyes.
* The Lamps as salesmen is likely a reference to what Lamp One was in the Forgive-o-matic segment.
* The way Mario said "Whaddaya suppose that is?" is in the same manner Percy said in the first Captain Timerpants episode.
* Jerry Lewis, born in Newark, NJ, was a comedian and actor, known for his works such as 1963's "The Nutty Professor". He was known currently for hosting telethons supporting the Muscular Dystrophy Association. He passed away on August 20th, 2017.
* The way Jean Claude narrates some parts in rhyme is a similar manner towards the Madeline series (a children's series about a little girl in France, and the narrator would rhyme in a dime).
* Jeep is a car manufacturer.

## Goofs

* The inside of Wardrobe's mouth is missing while shopping through the aisles.
* When Jerry drives, he is first seen without a mouth.
* The shadows on the train set are out of place.
* As the camera turns during Little Tommy and his dad singing, the flags and carts in the background were buzzing. The shadows were flickering as well.
* When Madame Wardrobe moves while sitting, she often clips through the cushion.
* After Wardrobe gets off the cart, the feather duster driver glitches a bit.
* Annie in one shot is shown with no mouth.
* After most of the stuff falls out of the house, both Mario and Madame Wardrobe are smaller than how they were from the previous shot.
* The air compressor clips through the wall when it flies out the door. Also in the same shot, one of the wood supports for the house glitches a bit.
* When the house is flying, there is a black hole in the middle of the house's wood ground.
* When Little Tommy and Annie are shown singing in the end, the plate is missing and then it reappears. They are at the end in one shot in the further away shot they are back in the middle of the table.
* Still waters are shown.