The Cuddly Toy

## Episode guide

**"The Cuddly Toy"** is the sixteenth episode of the first season of *Nate Is Late*.

## Synopsis

As Nate and Malika cross the park, a soft toy (Bunny Nubbins) asks them for help.

## Plot

The duo begins their morning with Nate returning a DVD Malika how loaned him, commenting he liked the film but wasn’t fond of the ending. Malika is shocked since she found it moving but Nate states he too much of a tough guy for things like that, though an amused Malika is doubtful and thinks he’s really a softie at heart. As they make their way through the park, they suddenly hear someone call for help and find it coming from a small plush rabbit toy on Nate’s leg. Malika thinks it’s a toy that has a recorded message, but the toy proves her wrong when it chastises her for pulling it’s pull string. The duo are surprised the toy can talk, which the rabbit claims they always could, but don’t in front of human due to rules they follow. It’s only breaking said rules because of an emergency, explaining that it fell out of its owner’s backpack and wishes to be returned to them, pleading for their aid. Nate is reluctant but Malika manages to convince him to help, especially since the toy rabbit’s owner is heading to school too which should make their task easier.

The toy introduces herself as Bunny Nubbins as they travel. Malika askes what her owner, whom she calls “Riri”, looks like. Nubbins describes him as a sweet kid and coincidentally enough she spots him nearby…who turns out to be Terry. The duo goes to return Nubbins to him, but Terry is utterly aggressive to them when they call out him and claims Nubbins isn’t his even though his nickname is on one of its paws. When Nate persists, Terry does admit it is his but, not wanting to appear soft to the two, claims he threw it away before he pushes Nate aside and heads off, though does hesitant for a moment before continuing. Nubbins is saddened by this action but soon becomes panicked as she claims the other toys will come to take her after Terry made this proclamation. Nate thinks she’s exaggerating, but Nubbins is grabbed the moment the duo looks away, barely catching a glimpse of her being pulled into a bush. The two give chase, managing to follow her trail of sequins on the ground to an old, abandoned toy store. They head in and look around, eventually finding the toys gathered in a council of sorts.

The head, an elephant toy, congratulates her on a job well done and allows her some downtime before she’s to be assigned to another child. However, Nubbins confesses that she isn’t really to leave Terry just yet, but the head refuses to hear It, claiming Terry is grown up and forces Nubbins to stay at the store. Malika tells Nate they have to help her, knowing Terry didn’t mean what he said. In order to blend in, she has Nate dress up in a raccoon costume and go over to the crowd, claiming to be a plus-sized model in need of repair while Malika sneaks around. She alerts her presence when she accidently steps on a rubber duck forcing the toys to go prone, Nate following suit to play along. Malika feigns wanting to claim Nubbins and Nate as her new toy. But can’t lift Nate up making the other toys suspicious. Nate drops the act and the two run for it with the toys giving chase. They nearly manage to get to the exit, but the elephant plush comes after them in a toy plane and drops marbles to make them slip and fall, the toys all dogpiling on them afterward.

The duo ends up tied down to the floor after and confronted by the leader who will allow them to leave on two conditions, they don’t tell anyone what they saw, and they have to leave Bunny Nubbins behind. Malika refuses but Nate surprisingly accepts his terms and the two are freed. Malika angrily thinks Nate abandoned Nubbins, but Nate reveals he has another plan which is to get Terry to prove that he is still Nubbins owner himself. They find Terry coming from Cosmo’s reading a comic book, Malika swipes it and leads him to the abandoned toy store where they duck into which Terry follows. The two split up, Malika grabbing Nubbins while Nate leads Terry to the council, forcing them to go prone once more since Terry isn’t privy to their secret. Terry manages to catch up to Nate and is about to pound him. But Malika arrives and shows him Nubbins.

Terry once more denies wanting it, snatches his comic back and starts to leave until Malika pulls the pull string on Nubbins which plays a melody. This halts Terry as he remembers having Nubbins since he was a baby, causing him to hesitant. Nate and Malika feign needing to get to school and leave Nubbins on the floor as they make to leave. Once out of sight, Terry quickly picks Nubbins up, apologizing for leaving her behind and leaves with her as Nate and Malika watch. When Nate tears up a little, Malika gets him to admit he liked the end of the movie she loaned him. The duo confronts the council about their misjudgment which the toy elephant concedes and apologies for his actions, willing to wait for Bunny Nubbins to rejoin them when she’s ready. The duo then legit notice they’re going to be late and rush off, Nate promising the toys they won’t tell anyone their secret.

They get to school and are met by Principal Prudence, though to her surprise, Terry comes running up not long after. He tells her what the duo did, but they deny anything and just claimed they saved a rabbit. Not really knowing who to believe, she just lets the three in to go about their school day. As Terry is in front of them, Nubbins pops out of the backpack and winks at the duo as they do their usual high

## Characters

- ***Main***

* Nate
* Malika
* Bunny Nubbins
* Terry
* Jumbo
* Principal Prudence

- ***Cameo***

* Cosmo (Seen sleeping at the shack after Terry buys a comic book from it.)

### Allusions

- ***Toy Story***: The toys mentioning the rules of not letting the humans see them moving is similar to the movie series, ***Toy Story***. As well as toys trying to get back to their owners and vice versa.

- ***Gulliver's Travels***: After Nate and Malika are captured by the toys, they're tied down similar to what happened to Gulliver by the Lilliputians in his story.

## Gallery

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## Transcript

Click here to view the transcript for this episode.

## Names in other languages

* **Basque:** Koneju Mondeju
* **French:** Le doudou de Riri
* **German:** Das Kuscheltier
* **Mandarin (China):** 亮片兔
* **Spanish (Spain):** El peluche de Terito

 Season 2 | 1. "The Lady of the Lake" • 2. "The Thunderbird" • 3. "The Crocodile Man" • 4. "The Golem" • 5. "The Hairdresser" • 6. "The Mood Enhancer" • 7. "The Chess Game" • 8. "The Drone" • 9. "The Astronaut" • 10. "The Gorgon" • 11. "The Dimensional Rift" • 12. "The Reptilians" • 13. "The Enchanted Bracelet" • 14. "The Ink Thief" • 15. "The Tiki" • 16. "The Puppet" • 17. "The Mandrake" • 18. "The Vampires" • 19. "The Sphinx" • 20. "The Pendulum" • 21. "The Giant Fish" • 22. "The Wedding Dress" • 23. "The Home Spirit" • 24. "The Great Pili-Pala" • 25. "The Endless Recess" • 26. "The Chicken Cop" • 27. "The Kitsune" • 28. "The Collector" • 29. "The Kappa" • 30. "The Beanstalk" • 31. "The Demigod's Test" • 32. "The Glitch" • 33. "The Tiny Tops" • 34. "The Magician's Top Hat" • 35. "The Chromapix" • 36. "The Gingerbread Family" • 37. "The Alphabet Agency" • 38. "The Wild Beasts" • 39. "The Return of the Cuddly Toys" • 40. "The Race Car" • 41. "Inside Professor Toybos" • 42. "The Asteroid" • 43. "The Time Travellers" • 44. "The Nebulons" • 45. "The Witches' Convention" • 46. "The Kobolds" • 47. "The Superstars" • 48. "The Goblin's Cousin" • 49. "The Golden Crown" • 50. "The Scarecrow" • 51. "The Banana Peel Part I" • 52. "The Banana Peel Part II"