Handle with Care!

**Handle with Care!** is the fourth episode from *The Cuphead Show!*.

## Synopsis

After Mugman's handle breaks off, the brothers visit a greedy shopkeeper and get creative while on the hunt for glue.

## Plot

Cuphead and Mugman have a blindfolded pillow fight in their living room. While Mugman is blindly pirouetting across the room with a pillow in his hands, they both heard a smashing sound. Cuphead sees that Mugman's handle has broken off. Cuphead tries to denying anything is wrong, but Mugman knows something is up. He goes to the mirror and sees his missing handle. He freaks out. Cuphead notices that Mugman can still feel it if someone touches the disembodied handle. Mugman takes his handle back and splutters with fear. Cuphead calms him down and tries to think of ways to reattach it. Spit has no adhesive hold, tape is not strong enough and honey attracts bears.

Poor Mugman feels it is all over, and that a mug without a handle is just a bowl; he does not want to be Bowlboy. Cuphead insists all is not lost. They get into an argument, then realize they need glue to reattach the handle. They find it, but it is stuck to a mass of objects. Cuphead decides they can just get glue from Porkrind's store, but Mugman cannot go out in public without a handle, and besides, Elder Kettle has already seen him in this state. Mugman decides to disguise himself as a bride, with Cuphead scattering petals for him, but a gust of wind blows the disguise off. Bowlboy offers a compliment, but Mugman is not in the mood.

They arrive at Porkrind's and the merchant agrees to sell them some glue. Cuphead gives Mugman new ideas for a handle, but he just wants his old one back. Porkrind comes back from his search but tells the boys he is out of glue, and does not get a shipment for three months. When he and Cuphead return home, Mugman sulks on the couch. Cuphead tries to cheer him up, but his frequent reactions to the sight of Mugman's broken handle are not helpful. Elder Kettle comes in and gives Mugman a pep talk, claiming that this was simply Mugman's "baby handle" breaking off, and that he will grow a "man handle" overnight while the "handle fairy" takes the broken handles. Cuphead gets excited and breaks off his handle. While the boys sleep, Elder Kettle glues the handles back onto them.

Cuphead and Mugman are overjoyed the next day about their "man handles". They salute with their own heads in celebration, but their heads shatter.

## Cast of Episode

* Cuphead
* Mugman
* Elder Kettle
* Porkrind (debut)
* Bowlboy (debut)

## Trivia

* In the game, Mugman can get his handle broken by choosing to give his and Cuphead's soul to the Devil, which inevitably triggers the false ending. However, only part of Mugman's handle breaks, whereas here, Mugman loses his entire handle.
* This is the first time that Cuphead and Mugman have their heads removed from their bodies in the show. The second is in Dangerous Mugman, where Porkrind decapitates the two boys with his hammer in a dream sequence.
* This episode's title comes from the "Handle with care" messages that appear on the containers of fragile products.
* The toast's toaster, an unused boss in the game, makes a cameo in the episode. Quite the deep cut.