Mimi and Linus van Pelt's Big River Rescue

"*You forgot about your good friend Girl!
And you're lucky fishing pole.
I'm sorry, Linus. We DO need to help others. Even when it's not easy.
I forgive you, Mimi.*"
— Linus telling Mimi that they need to help others

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**Mimi and Linus van Pelt's Big River Rescue** is the second VeggieTales special, marked as the show's tenth episode, and the second installment of the Mimi and Linus van Pelt's Adventures series. It is a sequel to It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown.

## Plot

The episode opens on a wooden pier next to the mighty Mississippi River, Lucy van Pelt is playing a banjo and whistling a lively tune while sitting on a rocking chair, before she greets the viewers and introduces himself as "Lucy van Pelt, storyteller". She then tells the viewers that it's the perfect night for a story set on the Big River. Lucy then taps a case with his banjo, which causes the case to open up, before a screen then comes up from the case. Lucy then explains, via the screen, that the Mississippi River is the biggest river in America, starting from the woods of Minnesota to New Orleans, also explaining that a drop of water that falls into Lake Itasca up there will be in the Gulf of Mexico 90 days later. She then says that most people like to get down the river a little quicker than that, and that this is the story about just a fellow who did just that, before saying that they're going to take a trip on the Mississippi, before she gets on a canoe being manned by a little boy Indian named Rerun, who greets her with "Hello, Kemosabe".

Lucy then says that there's not a soul out at night and that they have the river all to themselves, before she starts singing a song about traveling down the Mississippi River with a trusty Indian guide, though Rerun prefers the term, "Native American". A trio of female Homecoming girl cheerleaders then come by in a canoe of their own before they say a cheer that goes, "Gonna take a trip on the mighty Mississipp! Gonna take a little trippy on the mighty Mississippi!", to which Lucy then says, "Must be a slumber party". After the pea cheerleaders had gone down the river, Lucy then resumes singing about taking a little trip down the Mississippi, though when Rerun tries singing along, Lucy tells him not to sing so loud, before telling the viewers that their story starts at "Dooley and Sons Lumber Camp", explaining that Mr. Dooley (played by Mr. Nezzer) was in the tree removal business and that he had a way of removing anything (or anyone) who lumbered in his way, which he demonstrates by pulling out a small sapling. Mr. Dooley then tells all of the carrot loggers to work better and harder at cutting down the trees. Four carrot loggers try to pick up a large log, but it is much too heavy for any of them, just as Otto (played by Scooter Carrot) comes up, while Mr. Dooley asks him what the holdup is. Otto explains that they're having trouble with this log, so Mr. Dooley tells him to call Cousin Dolly, which Otto is hesitant to do, before Mr. Dooley tells him, "Now!"

Otto then whistles, just as a loud thumping sound is heard, before Lucy Wayne explains that Dolly is strong as an ox and twice as tall and that she struck fear into anyone who laid eyes on her. One of the carrot loggers then faints after that. Cousin Dolly van Pelt then asks Lucy if she knows her, to which Lucy tells her not to mind her because she's the narrator. Mr. Dooley then tells Dolly that she's not paying him to stand around, before Otto tells him that he's not paying him at all. Dolly then starts to push on the log up a ramp leading to a sluice while Lucy explains that unlike the other loggers, Dolly was not an employee of "Dooley and Sons Inc", also explaining that 5 years ago, she was caught in Elk River, Minnesota with 1100 lbs. of stolen turkey jerky. As the sole witness, Mr. Dooley testified against Dolly in court and that Dolly didn't go to prison, instead she was sentenced to 3 years of community service at, of all places, "Dooley and Sons Lumber Camp". Dolly then pushes the log into the sluice, while Mr. Dooley praises for the work before giving her a piece of turkey jerky, which Dolly is not happy about.

The sound of someone yelling is suddenly heard after that, before another carrot logger approaches Mr. Dooley telling him that there's been an accident. When Otto asks what happened, the carrot logger says that someone named Silverstein got a splinter, which Otto is surprised to hear. Mr. Dooley and Otto then follow after the carrot logger, but not without Mr. Dooley telling another carrot logger named Steve to keep an eye on Dolly, but unfortunately, Steve does not do as Mr. Dooley tells him so he leaves, which gives Dolly a chance to escape from the lumber camp. When Mr. Dooley and Otto return, they're surprised to see that Dolly is gone, before Mr. Dooley asks Lucy why she didn't stop her. Lucy then says, "I'm the narrator, I'm not supposed to get involved". Soon, Mr. Dooley, Otto, and Steve then start chasing after Dolly, while some barking sounds are heard, before Mr. Dooley asks Otto if that was his dog barking, but Otto tells him that it was Steve, because he likes to bark when they chase things. The trio then continue the chase, all while Dolly is hiding a tree before she runs off after that. Steve is then howling while standing in front of a bush, but it turns out that there was a bear hiding in the bush, which scares the trio away. Dolly continues running, until Mr. Dooley, Otto, and Steve find her again before the chase resumes once again until Dolly reaches the river. Fortunately, Dolly grabs hold of the sign for "Dooley and Sons Lumber Camp" and uses it as a makeshift raft before she floats down the river. Mr. Dooley is angry that Dolly has escaped, before he notices Steve drinking a smoothie.

The next morning, further down the river, Lucy explains that not every day on the Mississippi was quite so exciting nor every situation so rife with turmoil. The scene then switches to two 9-year-old boy and the 10-year-old girl named Mimi and Linus van Pelt, who are doing some work on the land they're living on, explaining that they're homesteading. Lucy then explains that when the U.S. government settled the West, they cut it into little pieces of land called homesteads and that if you could live on a homestead for 5 years without starving or getting run off by bears, the government would give it to you, also saying that Mimi and Linus have been living on their homesteads for 4 years and 362 days and that, come Friday, just three days away, the land will be theirs. Mimi then says that in three days, the land will be theirs while Linus says that their dreams are finally coming true. Mimi asks Linus for some nails, which are in Linus' tent behind his record collection. Lucy then explains that before MP3 players, there were circular vinyl discs called records. Linus' dream is to open a turkey jerky-themed amusement park, which he will call Jerkyland, before Mimi berates Linus for his obscure music while carrying two of Linus' records, which are "Bobby Roberts and his Happy Monkey" and "Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly", but Linus tells Mimi that Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly are not obscure because they sold over a million albums until Cousin Dolly disappeared 5 years ago. Mimi then tells Linus that the theme park business is capital-intensive and that it's hard to make any money, before Linus tells her that he's not in for the money, but for the action. Mimi's dream is to open his own tax office, though Lucy says, "What the girl may have missed in her business plan is that this is 1904, and the federal income tax will not be established until 1913. For the next 9 years, she will, in fact, have the market all to herself. What she will not have, is customers", before saying that she could tell Mimi this, but like before, as the narrator, she's not supposed to get involved. Mimi and Linus then see Lucy, wondering who she is, with Linus saying, "I think it was Colonel Sanders".

However, the duo then hear the sound of barking, which surprises them, before Mr. Dooley, Otto, and Steve approach them. Linus then asks Mr. Dooley where his dog is, before Mr. Dooley tells him that Steve likes to bark. Mr. Dooley then tells the duo that they're looking for a dangerous man before he accidentally holds up an "I <3 Puppies" poster, before he acknowledges his mistake and holds up a wanted poster of Dolly, before explaining that Dolly tore up a factory with her hands and that her heading to where Mimi and Linus are now, which Mimi and Linus are worried about. Mr. Dooley then gives Linus a signal flare, explaining that if they see Dolly, light it, and they'll come running. When Mimi asks why Dolly tore up the factory, Mr. Dooley answers that she was looking for something, and when Linus asks what it was, Mr. Dooley answers that it was turkey jerky, which Linus is surprised to hear. After Mr. Dooley, Otto, and Steve leave, Mimi and Linus are worried about the possibility of Dolly arriving. Otto then asks Mr. Dooley what they're going to do now, with Mr. Dooley answering that they're going to Muscatine, but Otto tells him that they have to get back to camp and that the boys won't know what to do without them. Back at the lumber camp, the carrot loggers don't know what to do until one of them suggests that they sing, so they all sing about how some men have jobs as dentists, cops, running delis, and running bicycles, but they're proud to be loggers.

Back at Mimi and Linus' camp, the duo are still worried, wondering why Dolly would come to their camp because they don't have any turkey jerky, but Linus says that he will once he opens Jerkyland. Mimi then says, "Well sure, but nobody knows that now... do they?" Linus then admits that he may have put a sign or two, or 29, which Mimi is shocked to hear, before asking Linus where he put them, with Linus answering along the river. Mimi is even more worried, before Linus says, "It's advertising, Mimi! My "Amusement Parks for Dummies" book says I have to do it!!" Mimi then says, "Well, does it tell you what to do when your advertising attracts a homicidal turkey jerky-loving maniac?!? Does it?!?!?" before Linus says that he doesn't know because he's only on Chapter 3. Suddenly, the sound of bushes rustling is heard, which surprises Mimi and Huck, before a flock of birds flies away, which Mimi is relieved by. However, Linus then sees something behind Mimi, Mimi realizes that someone is behind her before turning around to see Dolly, which scares the bejeebers out of Mimi and Linus. Dolly then says, "Do you know the way to St. Louie? I want to stay with my mama". Linus then panics, saying that they don't have any turkey jerky, before Dolly tells him, "I don't like turkey jerky". Mimi then tells Dolly that she and Huck don't like turkey jerky, but Linus says that he does and that he's building a whole theme park, before Mimi tells him to get the signal flare.

Mimi then talks more with Dolly, about how Dolly wants to sing with her mama, before Dolly tells her, "In St. Louie. She said, 'Meet me in St. Louie, Louie'". Mimi tells her, "But your name is 'Dolly'", before Dolly says that she likes to St. Louie, and tells Mimi that her name is Dolly van Pelt. Mimi then tells Linus again to get the signal flare, before calling Dolly as "Dolly van Pelt", before Dolly tells, "Mama Belle call me 'Cousin Dolly'", which rings alarm bells within Linus, before he walks over to his tent and retrieves his "Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly" record and when he shows it to Dolly, she becomes excited as he exclaims, "Mama!" Mimi is dubious, asking, "That's your mama?" before Dolly says, "And me, Cousin Dolly!" When Mimi and Linus are both skeptical that Dolly used to be the small girl on the front of the record cover, Big Jim replies, "I'm 9-years-old". Mimi then sarcastically says, "Sure you did", before telling Linus in Pig Latin "Et-gay the are-flay". Linus then goes over to his tent while loudly proclaiming that he's going to put the record away. Mimi then tells Dolly to take a nap on her raft, while Linus tries unsuccessfully to light the signal flare that Mr. Dooley gave him earlier. Linus then goes to retrieve the matches in Mimi's tent before he is able to light the signal flare, which causes it to shoot into the air while carrying Mimi's tent with it, before fireworks then go off, which Dolly is amazed by, before thanking Mimi for helping her, while Mimi tells her "It's the least we could do". Mimi and Linus then go into Linus' tent while Mimi angrily asks Linus what she's supposed to do for a tent with Linus telling her that he didn't know it was gonna do that, before Mimi asks him, "What did you think it was gonna do?!?" Mimi and Linus then look down at the reward poster, realizing that they can use the $100 reward money to buy Mimi a new tent and to be able to open Jerkyland. However, the two then hear what sounds like singing, before they look outside to see Dolly laying on her makeshift raft while singing in her sleep. Of course, Linus recognizes the song that Dolly is singing before he takes out his "Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly" record and places it on his record player as it starts playing the song that Dolly is singing, which is entitled "Happy River". After the song ends, Linus realizes that Dolly was telling the truth after all and that he really is Cousin Dolly, before telling Mimi that they should help Cousin Dolly get back to her mama, which Mimi is not happy about, saying that Cousin Dolly tore up a factory, but Linus refutes this by showing Mimi a record entitled "Cousin Dolly Sings The 'I'm Allergic To Turkey Jerky' Blues".

However, the sound of Steve barking and howling is heard, as Linus realizes that Mr. Dooley and his posse have returned, before telling Cousin Dolly to run, but Cousin Dolly is still asleep. Mimi is still not happy about helping Cousin Dolly before Linus tells her that they have to save Cousin Dolly. Mr. Dooley, Otto, and Steve have soon returned to the camp while Mr. Dooley says, "Where is that big girl?" Steve sniffs around, while Mimi and Linus are still hiding inside Linus' tent, while Mr. Dooley says, "I should have known Cousin Dolly would try to get back to her mama someday!". This is more proof that Linus tells Mimi that Cousin Dolly really is telling the truth. Otto then notices the spot where Linus inadvertently lit the signal flare while inside Mimi's tent, before the tent then starts hopping before the trio notice the hopping tent and chase after them, but the tent is able to hop onto the raft that Cousin Dolly is sleeping on, before the raft then floats away from the shore. When Mr. Dooley tries to get Otto and Steve to go after Cousin Dolly, Otto says that he can't swim while Steve can only doggy paddle, which Mr. Dooley is frustrated about before he yells out, "I'll track you down if it's the last thing I do!" Cousin Dolly wakes up when she hears this voice, asking if it's her mama, but Mimi tells her that that's not her mama, before Linus adds that they're gonna find her for her. Lucy then says that all Mimi could think about was the $100 dollars that she just lost and the fact that if she wasn't back at that homestead by Friday when the man from the government showed up, she was gonna lose a whole lot more.

Mimi then wakes up to find that it's morning, but when she turns over to see Cousin Dolly still asleep, she becomes surprised before asking Linus where they are. Linus answers that they're coming up on Davenport, at the same time trying to keep the raft evenly balanced when Cousin Dolly starts rolling over while asleep. When Linus says that they're making good time, Mimi disagrees, saying that they're making terrible time because they're not supposed to be going anywhere. After keeping the raft balanced again when Cousin Dolly rolls again, Mimi says that they have to get back to their campsite before the government man gets there and decides that they starved or got run off by bears. Linus then tells Mimi that he has it all figured out, because a couple of hours ahead is a town called Muscatine, which when they get there, they intend to put Cousin Dolly on the train to St. Louis, and they can walk back to their homesteads by Thursday in plenty of time, which Mimi reluctantly agrees with, saying, "Okay, Linus, Muscatine, but no further". While the trio are still traveling down the river, Mimi notices that it is a lovely day on the river, before Cousin Dolly rolls over again, causing the raft to capsize in the water.

Later, while the trio are still traveling down the river, Lucy then starts singing about how traveling down the mighty Mississippi is a lot of fun with a friend, at the same time that they are now fishing in the river. However, when Lucy and Rerun appear next to the trio, Linus also sings along, but Lucy stops him telling him that "this is the narrator's song", before Linus tells her, "I thought you were the chicken guy", which Rerun snickers out, while Lucy tells him, "Not a word, Rerun". Despite this, the song then resumes, as Lucy sings about how the river is her neighbor and her friend. When Mimi gets a bite on her fishing pole, Dolly goes over to help, but that causes the raft to tip over again, just as the song ends, at the same time that the Homecoming girl cheerleaders show up again with another cheer that goes, "Spell it! M-I-crooked letter, crooked letter, I, crooked letter, crooked letter, I, humpback, humpback, I!" Linus then muses, "Must be a slumber party", before Lucy sarcastically says, "Lovely". Linus then asks Dolly about how the bad man in the mask dumped the turkey jerky in her arms right when the police showed up, which Dolly confirms, saying that that's why she spent 5 years at the lumber camp. When Linus tells her that she only had to serve three years, Dolly tells him that Mr. Dooley thought that she couldn't count. Soon, the raft then comes upon Muscatine, which Dolly is happy, but just as Mimi is about to tell her what they're going to do, Dolly already knows what Mimi is going to say about putting him on a train to St. Louis. Mimi then tells Linus to run ahead and find the train station while she ties up the raft.

Linus then does just that as he gets off the raft and enters Muscatine to try and find the train station, as well as pick up some doughnuts, telling Mimi that everyone deserves doughnuts for a job well done. After entering Muscatine, LInus asks Jimmy Gourd where the train station is, before Jimmy tells him to head down the street yonder. After thanking the Jimmy for these directions, Linus heads on down towards the direction of the train station while admiring all of the beautiful sights in town. Linus then notices a baby with a signal flare, before noticing that everyone in Muscatine has a signal flare, all because of the fact that Mr. Dooley had apparently been there and warned everyone about Dolly, with Dolly's poster up in town. Linus then flees in terror after that. Meanwhile, Mimi and Dolly have been walking up the ramp while Mimi asks Dolly if she plays any football, adding that she has the size for it, but Dolly tells her no because she was in music. Linus then runs up while calling out for Mimi, just as the baby notices Dolly, before he starts crying while trying to get his signal flare started. Linus then bumps into Mimi and Dolly, which causes the trio to tumble back down the ramp before landing in their raft again. Linus then tells Mimi that they have to get out of Muscatine, and when Mimi asks him what's going on, Linus tells her, "BEWARE THE BABIES!!!!" Seconds later, a signal flare then shoots into the sky, which the baby was able to light by using a magnifying glass. Mimi thinks that no one noticed, but is proven wrong when more signal flares shoot off into the sky after that. Linus then worriedly says that everyone in Muscatine knows about Dolly, because the posters are everywhere, and that even the babies have signal flares, which Mimi is confused about, before Linus confirms it. However, Mimi then says that they had a deal that they would go as far as Muscatine and that they have to get back home or they'll lose everything. Linus says that even if they lose everything, he wants to help Dolly find her mama, which only frustrates Mimi even further, before Linus says, "Let's just get back on the river and think this over".

While the trio continue on down the river, a wagon being manned by the two thieves known as the King of Memphis (played by Charlie Brown) and his sister, the Duke of New Orleans (played by Sally Brown) is being pushed along the side of the river, all while the bakerchases after them while accompanied by a carrot policemen, telling the two thieves to come back with his doughnuts. The King and the Duke manage to evade rocks while in the wagon, but when they evade a tree, their wagon ends up rolling down the side of the bank before the wagon then flies into the air, while Lucy says, "Looks like these two rascals are in a heap of trouble". Mimi, Linus, and Cousin Dolly continue rowing down the river, until the thieves and their wagon end up falling into the river in front of them after that. When the two con men think that it was close, their wagon suddenly springs a leak as the King calls out to the trio to let them come aboard, but Mimi does not want to let any more passengers come aboard. Of course, the King tells them, "There could be a doughnut in it for you". Soon, the King and Duke have been let onto the raft, with Linus asking them if they really are a King and Duke, which the King confirms before Mimi asks them, "Of what?" The King then says, "My good friend girl, you are looking at the King of Memphis, and my good friend here, the Duke of New Orleans". Mimi then says, "But we don't have royalty in America", before the King tells her matter-of-factly, "Obviously, you've never been to the South". When the King asks Mimi and Linus who their "prodigious compatriot" is, which confuses Linus, before the King asks him, "Who's the big girl?" Mimi then tells him that that's Dolly, which the King and Duke recognize as Big Dolly.

Cousin Dolly then asks again, "Do you know the way to St. Louie?" before saying that she wants to sing with her mama. The King then says that St. Louis is the sight of the World's Fair before asking Cousin Dolly if that's where her mama is. When Cousin Dolly repeats what her mama told her, "Meet me in St. Louie, Louie. Meet me at the fair", the Duke says that she loves that song, before she immediately starts singing, "Meet Me in St. Louis", while the King says, "I thought her name is Dolly", before Mimi tells him, "She likes to sing at St. Louie, and her full name is Dolly van Pelt". When the King asks the Duke which town they're coming on next, the Duke answers, "I dunno", before the King then says that he and the Duke will be kind enough to escort them to St. Louis as well as giving Mimi and Linus train fare that will take them back where they came from, which Mimi is happy to hear that she and Linus will be able to get back to their homesteads on time. The King then says that at the next town, they will telegraph ahead to let Cousin Dolly's mama know that she will be coming home. After arriving at the next town, Mimi, Linus, and Cousin Dolly are waiting for the King and Duke to come back, while Mimi is asking where they are because they've been gone for almost an hour. Mimi wants to leave right now, but Linus wants to ride along just to be safe, but Mimi says, "Have you forgotten about my tax office? And Jerkyland? Isn't that what you've always wanted?" Linus answers that it is, but he wants to help Cousin Dolly too, though Mimi says that she didn't hurt Cousin Dolly and that she's not the one who sent her up the river away from her mama, and that she didn't hurt her so she shouldn't have to help her. Though Linus tells her, "Sometimes, not helping is the same as hurting", which Mimi says doesn't make any sense, before Linus tells her that if we see someone who needs help and we can help her, that's what God wants us to do, before saying that he's gonna make sure Cousin Dolly finds her mama, which only frustrates Mimi even further.

At that moment, the King and the Duke come back, telling the trio that everything is arranged and the telegram is on its way and gives the 10 dollars for train fare to Mimi and Linus. Linus then repeats to Mimi that he's gonna make sure Cousin Dolly finds her mama. After a bit of contemplating, Linus walks up to Cousin Dolly while repeating the statement again, before Cousin Dolly takes the money from the King and proceeds to go on her way again, but not without Mimi and Linus saying goodbye to each other. "Goodbye, Huckleberry Linus", "Goodbye, Mimi Sawyer". After Mimi leaves, Cousin Dolly apologizes for what happened, before Linus tells her, "Let's go find your mama". Meanwhile, while approaching the train station, Mimi says that there's no point in the two of them losing their land and that Cousin Dolly will be just fine without her. Soon, Mimi approaches the train station as she sets her fishing pole on the side of the building then comes up to the front window, just as the ticket seller (played by Schroeder) asks if he can help her. Mimi then tells the ticket seller that she needs a ticket, with the ticket seller asking her, "North to Dubuque, or South to St. Louis?" Mimi tells him North, before two kids run by and knock over her fishing pole. Lucy then walks by as Mimi asks her to pick up her fishing pole, but Lucy tells her, "I didn't knock it down, besides, I'm not supposed to get involved", before walking off after that. Mimi is upset that Lucy didn't help her before a wagon being pulled by Rerun breaks her fishing pole in half, which shocks her. Mimi then angrily says, "Listen, buddy! I hope you learn that someday, not helping someone can do the same thing as hurting them!" Because of this, Mimi began to whimper, and sobs hysterically while she realizes of what she has done. After Mimi says this, she realizes that she was wrong for not helping Linus in helping Cousin Dolly. When the ticket seller tells Mimi, "That will be $5.07", Mimi gives him the money, but tells him that she's going South to St. Louis, before she says, "Hang on, Cousin Dolly. Help is on the way!"

At the St. Louis World's Fair, Lucy narrates that everyone is heading there, before she says, "What? Where'd you want the story to end? The parking lot of a Kentucky Fried Chicken?" She then tells the viewers to trust her and that it will be fine, before she notices Linus, Cousin Dolly, the King, and the Duke approach the fair after that. Linus is amazed at the fair while the King tells him that most of it was built in his honor, with him being the King and all, before the Duke adds, "Yeah, me too". The King then tells Cousin Dolly that it's time to find her mama, before quietly telling the Duke, "But first, we need to lose the kid with a zig-zag shirt", which the Duke answers with, "I thought Charlie Brown is my big brother". The King then notices the Log Ride, which Cousin Dolly is amazed by, before the King tells Huck that if he looks closely, he can see Dolly's engraved in the log coming up. When Linus looks at the log he doesn't see anything, even when the King tells him to look closer. Linus looks closer but still doesn't see anything before the Duke gives him a nudge that knocks him into the log. Cousin Dolly is worried while the King says that there's so much to see at the fair. When Cousin Dolly asks Linus if he's okay, Linus answers that he's fine and that he'll help Cousin Dolly find her mama in a minute. The King then tells Cousin Dolly, "Here comes your mama now!", but it turns out that the King and Duke had actually telegraphed Mr. Dooley, who then shows up with Otto and Steve. Cousin Dolly then backs away while Huck yells out, "Leave her alone!"

The King and Duke then walk in front of Cousin Dolly, with the King telling Mr. Dooley, "Before we turn her over, there is the issue of reward". Mr. Dooley then grudgingly pulls out a stack of money and throws it to the King, but it turns out that Cousin Dolly had escaped and gotten into the hot air balloon which then floats away, while Otto yells out for Cousin Dolly to come back. Because Cousin Dolly had escaped, Mr. Dooley takes back the money from the King. When Linus asks Cousin Dolly where she's going, Cousin Dolly answers that she's coming to help him, before Linus says, "Oh, that's okay. I'm doing fine". The balloon ends up crashing into a part of the ramp for the Log Ride, breaking off a part of it. Mr. Dooley, Otto, Steve, and the two carrot policeman still follow after the balloon, before Mr. Dooley tells Otto to get him a signal flare. In the Log Ride, Linus notices that he is now nearing the part of the ramp that got broken. The signal flare then shoots into the air and strikes the balloon, causing it to deflate and send Cousin Dolly flying into the air. Linus then yells out, "Goodbye, mother! Goodbye, father! Goodbye, turkey jerky!" Linus then falls over the edge of the broken ramp at the same time that Cousin Dolly falls out of the hot air balloon, but fortunately for Linus, he is saved at the last minute by Mimi who had used her fishing pole to reel him in. Mimi then apologizes to Linus for not helping Cousin Dolly and that they do need to help others even when it's not easy. Mimi and Linus then look up in time to notice Cousin Dolly still falling until she falls into the Ferris Wheel, which then starts spinning around faster and faster, before the Ferris Wheel then throws Cousin Dolly into the air, sending her flying once again, this time towards the amphitheater.

Meanwhile at the amphitheater, Mama Belle (played by Madame Blueberry) is singing about how the river is blue because it's full of her tears and that she hasn't seen Cousin Dolly in years, until Cousin Dolly crashes down right next to her. When Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly see each other, they become joyous, happy to be back together again. Of course, the King and Duke then approach the amphitheater, telling Mama Belle that Cousin Dolly is a wanted criminal, which Mama Belle is offended by, before Mr. Dooley tells Mama Belle that Cousin Dolly belongs to him. When Mr. Dooley isn't looking, Lucy holds out her banjo in front of Mr. Dooley, before Mr. Dooley then trips over it, which causes a bunch of turkey jerky to fly out from his clothes in front of him. A merchant (played by Scallion # 3) then runs up while telling the officer that someone ran off with all of his turkey jerky, before Lucy tells the policemen to reexamine the Elk River Turkey Jerky Case and that they have a new suspect on their hands. When it's revealed that the real Turkey Jerky thief is Mr. Dooley, Mr. Dooley tries to escape, but Lucy, after borrowing Mimi's fishing pole, is able to reel him in. As a result, Mr. Dooley is arrested, while he angrily tells Lucy, "I thought you couldn't get involved!", before Lucy says, "Well, that's just it, when you see that someone needs help and you know you can help 'em, you just have to get involved".

After that, Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly then sing a reprise of "Happy River" while Lucy explains that things ended up pretty well and Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly were making music again, even releasing a brand new album, which is entitled "Together Again! Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly". Soon, Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly are singing on a stage on a steamboat that is traveling down the river, while a lot of people have gathered around to hear them sing. Down below, the King and the Duke are looking for food when they approach a table that has a plate laden with doughnuts, before the same baker from before recognizes them and starts chasing after them after they have taken the entire plate of doughnuts. Lucy and Rerun then walk up to Mimi and Linus while Lucy says that everything worked out pretty well, but Mimi asks what will become of her and Linus because they've got nothing left but one tent and a broken fishing pole. Fortunately, Lucy tells Mimi and Linus that she does have a nice piece of land down by the river and that she hardly uses it except for strumming her banjo on the dock, before asking them if they want to set up their businesses there. Linus then asks Lucy, "Isn't that where you raise your chickens?" before Rerun starts snickering again, but Lucy once again tells him, "Not a word, Rerun", before saying that it's chicken-free. Because of this, Mimi accepts, saying that she'll have a tax preparation office up in no time, before Lucy tells her that he's been meaning to talk to him about that. Mama Belle and Cousin Dolly are still singing the song, while everyone, including the Homecoming girl cheerleaders, Otto, and Steve, also sing along with the song as well, before the song ends after that, and thus ending the episode.

## Characters

### Main Characters

* Mimi
* Linus van Pelt
* Charlie Brown (King of Memphis)
* Sally Brown (Duke of New Orleans)
* Schroeder (Ticket seller)
* Dolly

### Supporting Characters

* Mr. Nezzer (Mr. Dooley)
* Scooter (Otto)
* Barking Steve
* Lucy van Pelt
* Rerun

### Picture Cameos

* Bob the Tomato
* Larry the Cucumber

## Songs

* The Mighty Mississippi
* We're Loggers
* Happy River
* Meet Me in St. Louis (song)
* She's My Friend
* The River is Blue
* Happy River (Reprise)

## Home media

*Main article: Mimi and Linus van Pelt's Big River Rescue/Home video*
## Fun Facts

#### Moral

* Helping others is the right thing to do, even when it's not easy.

### Trivia

* The show's original title was "Mimi Sawyer and Huckleberry Linus van Pelt's Big River Rescue", but was changed at the last minute.
* The episode was originally planned to be released for February 21, 1998. However, it got finished early.
* This is the first episode for several things:
	+ The first appearance of Madame Blueberry.
	+ The first episode not to feature Bob and Larry, though they appeared as a picture cameo.
	+ The first episode where Mimi cries.
	+ The first episode where Linus's blanket is light blue.
	+ The first episode John Wahba and Daniel Patrick O'Brien worked on the episode.
	+ The first episode to not have countertop segments at the beginning and end.
* This is the last episode for a few things:
	+ The last episode Chris Olsen worked on.
	+ The last episode to use the Lyrick Studios logo on the spines.
	+ The last Mimi and Linus van Pelt's Adventures episode to be released on VHS, due to the general death of the VHS format in early 2006.
* There are a few differences between the pre-production and the final version:
	+ Lucy was originally going to be wearing a pilgrim costume.
	+ In the concept art, Mimi was originally going to have a shovel.
	+ Dolly shows her the legs in the concept art.
	+ Mimi's hair was blonde instead of yellow.
	+ The script shows Linus and Mimi are arguing about having some turkey jerky after Dolly tears up the factory, but Dolly never felt very happy about Linus and Mimi and she's going to scare them. This results Mimi crying and wailing.
		- The script also does not show Linus finding the signal flare during the conversation with Dolly.
	+ Originally in the storyboards and concept art, it was going to be an entirely new model for the girl with the yellow hair. That was probably Lila, who was mentioned in the final episode.
	+ There was also going to be a scene about Dolly and Mimi are talking something else besides the football in school or be in musicals, but was cut due to time constraints.
		- The script also does not list Linus, Mimi and Dolly tumbling down the ramp before going back to the raft.
	+ Charlie Brown and Sally were originally going to be the villains.

* + The cover to the 1999 re-release was going to look similar to the original cover but never came to be.
* Mike Nawrocki read the interactive storybook version on It Was My Best Birthday Ever, Charlie Brown.
* The episode was featured in *Heroes of the Bible!*: Mayflowers, Wright Brothers and Rivers (Oh My!) and Lessons in Handling Fear and Helping Others Double Feature.
* There exists an extremely rare early 2002 VHS reprint of this episode by Lyrick Studios/HiT Entertainment. It has a black tape with a white ink label, and it has a print date of March 15th, 2002.

### Remarks

* On the DVD and Netflix versions, some sound effects are missing from the original VHS release (e.g. a bird chirping after the opening credits).
	+ The original version of the episode with these sound effects was included on the *Heroes of the Bible!*: "Mayflowers, Wright Brothers and Rivers (Oh My!)" VHS and DVD releases.
* In the 1999 Word Entertainment VHS reissue and further reprints of this episode, the axis positioning and height of the characters was edited for some scenes.
* Despite Lucy saying she isn't suppose to be involved, she and Rerun technically did when teaching Mimi a lesson.
* Lucy has her banjo, despite not playing the guitar.
* There's no crossing by the station, as that would be hazardous in real life.
* It is unknown how Mimi and Linus got into the tent and before hopping to the raft where Mr. Dooley sees them.
	+ However, Dolly never got into the tent but only Mimi and Linus got into.
* Although not a goof, there are some shots where Linus is seen without his shoes.
* What does I.P.T (Infant Potty Training) have to do with banishment to the Island of Perpetual Tickling?
	+ I.P.T in this case would actually stand for "Island Perpetual Tickling", not "Infant Potty Training".
* In the original 1998 VHS cover, the episode's title and the characters look similar to the prototype VHS cover of Madame Blueberry.
* The previews option has a preview for the episode itself.

### Goofs

* When Dolly first approaches to Otto and Mr. Dooley, she is seen clipping into the door.
* Lucy's dress floats in one shot.
* In various shots, Dolly's beret appears to clip into her head when she's running away from Mr. Dooley, Otto and Steve.
* When Mimi and Linus are doing some work on they're homesteads, the brim on Mimi's hat turns blue before briefly returning to purple color.
* When Mimi says "Can I borrow some more nails?", something black appears on the right side of her nose and flickers in the shot afterwards.
* After Linus takes off the mascot jerky hat, one of his fingers on his hand clips through.
* While Mimi says "Right. Hey, have you thought any more about joining me in my new business? There's a lot of action in tax preparation", an animation error featuring a question mark on Mimi's mouth can be spotted for one frame before the shot shifts to Linus.
* The inside of Mimi's mouth wasn't colored black while she's trying to hang her tax preparation.
* The poster appears to flicker when Mr. Dooley says "Wrong poster".
* When Linus says "It's advertising, Mimi! My "Amusement Parks for Dummies" book says I have to do it!", Mimi's hat twitches.
	+ Various shots show Mimi's skirt disappears as she is screaming with Linus.
* The record player that Linus puts the record on it suddenly disappears when Mimi tells Linus that Dolly tore up a factory.
* When Linus says "Too late! They're here!", when he and Mimi run away from Dooley, Scooter and Otto, Mimi twitches for a bit before the tent is hopping to the raft.
* In She's My Friend, Lucy has her dress, but in the next shot she is back to her pajamas, and then is back in her dress again in the next shot.
* When Linus panics as he runs over to Mimi and Dolly at Muscatine and when they tumble down the ramp, he is seen at the top of the stairs, but he's at the bottom before he starts paddling.
* Mimi's shoelaces are twisted like a bow. In some shots, her shoe laces are changing from bow to bunny ears, and then change back in the next shot.
* When Mimi says "I...no! Linus, I said I’d go to Muscatine. That’s it. I did my part! We’ve got to get back home, or we lose everything!", her hat is clipping through the tent until she begins to feel frustrated.
	+ On a similar note, she manages to lose her bow on the back of her skirt but gains it back in her next shot.
* The background hills shots are shown at inconsistent angles. One shot shows in a lower position, but the shots after that show the hills back to their normal higher position. Also in one shot of the background hills, a sun can be seen zooming across behind the background.
* The Croatian and Slovenian dubs leave out Mimi, Linus and Dolly making noises while colliding down to the ramp.
	+ Linus also doesn't scream before he is about fall down the log ride in the Croatian and the Slovenian dubs, although he still moves his mouth as if he did.

## Miscellaneous

### Etc.

The original 1998 VHS Front CoverMALVPBRR1998VHSBack.jpgThe original 1998 VHS Back coverMALVPBRR1998VHSSideSpine1.jpgThe original 1998 VHS Left Side Spine CoverMALVPBRR1998VHSSideSpine2.jpgThe original 1998 VHS Right Side Spine CoverMALVPBRR1998VHSTop.jpgThe original 1998 VHS Top Spine CoverMALVPBRR1998VHSStickerLabel.jpgThe Original 1998 Sticker LabelThe 1999-2000 Word Entertainment Reprinted VHS front coverThe 1999-2000 Lyrick Studios Reprinted VHS front coverThe 2000 Word Entertainment Reprinted VHS front coverThe 2000 Lyrick Studios Reprinted VHS front coverThe 2002 Lyrick Studios/HiT Entertainment Reprinted VHS front coverThe 2002 Warner Home Video/WEA reprinted VHS Front CoverThe 2003 Word Entertainment Reprinted VHS Front CoverBigRiverRescue2004VHS.jpgThe 2004 Sony Wonder Reprinted VHS Front CoverThe Original 2003-2004 Reprinted DVD Front Cover