Transcript for Win a Day with WordGirl[]
(Scene: The backyard of the Botsford residence. Becky and Bob, dressed in summer clothing, are hard at work weeding.)
Narrator: It's another perfect Saturday morning!
Becky: I don't want to squabble, but you might want to rethink that whole "perfect Saturday" line. (Bob squeaks in agreement. Becky groans.) Working on a Saturday... This day isn't perfect at all.
Narrator: Not if you're spending your morning ankle-deep in mulch, but if you're one of the kids just finding out about the newspaper's big writing contest...
(Cut to Tobey, Scoops, and TJ in quick succession. They're all reading the newspaper.)
Tobey: This is...
Scoops: ...just...
TJ: ...sooo...
(All three are shown in a split screen.)
All: ...perfect!
Scoops: (pushes Tobey's and TJ's sections of the screen away and clears his throat) Reading aloud. "The Big City Times is pleased to announce its first annual Big City Writing Contest"?! Oh! What are the details?! "Are you between the ages of eight and twelve?" Yes, I am. "Send us an original story, poem, or essay about WordGirl. The winning entry will--" (gasps) "--win a day with WordGirl"!
(Cut to Tobey.)
Tobey: This newspaper contest is the chance I've been waiting for! "Win a date with WordGirl"!
Narrator: Heh. Hey, don't you mean "Win a DAY with WordGirl"?
Tobey: (slightly flustered) O-of course. Day. That's what I said.
(Cut to TJ.)
TJ: (squeals in excitement)
(Cut to Scoops.)
Scoops: I'm a great writer! This contest is in the bag! Let's see. (clears his throat and starts writing) "It was the best of times, it was the worst of--" No! That's not good either!
(Cut to Tobey.)
Tobey: Now what shall I write about...? The story of good versus evil? The story of WordGirl and Theodore McCallister III?!
(Cut to TJ, who is rummaging through a drawer before pulling out a WordGirl pen. He clicks it.)
Pen: Word up!
(TJ happily leaves the room. Cut to Scoops. His pig is typing on the typewriter.)
Scoops: Wait! (stops the pig) I know what the problem is. I'm a reporter. A reporter needs to interview people first and find out what the story is! (gets out of bed and puts on his reporter's hat) All I have to do is hit the streets, and then I'll find my winning story!
(Cut to Tobey, who is lying on his bed.)
Tobey: The story of two sworn enemies and their secret admiration for each other. Wait. (sits up) This is no good. All my battles with WordGirl are old news. In order to win, I need a brand-new crime to write about! I must get to work right away! It's going to be a very busy day!
(Cut to TJ. He sits down with a notepad and his WordGirl pen.)
TJ: (writing) "Word... up." (smiles for a second before sitting back, looking disappointed)
(Cut to Becky and Bob, still working in the garden. TJ is sitting nearby.)
TJ: Uh, could you dig a little more quietly, Becky? I need total silence while I think while I think of the perfect WordGirl story. (sighs) I must win this contest. And you're distracting me!
Becky: Why don't you take your work inside, TJ?
TJ: I can't. Mother told me to stay here until I'm done writing my essay. (sighs dramatically) I just keep getting so distracted. Why do I live in such a distracting world when I need to create?!
Becky: Oh, please!
TJ: That's what you say. Every time you pick one of those dandelions, it's like--
Becky: Ugh! I don't want to squabble!
TJ: You don't want to squabble? I thought you didn't want to mulch.
Becky: I don't, but that's not the point. I don't want to squabble with you, which means to bicker noisily over something that isn't too important. Let's get back to work.
(They do so. Animals chitter in the background.)
TJ: Oh, nibble, nibble, nibble! Chitter, chitter! I can't work like this!
(The chittering is a squirrel eating an acorn. Becky and Bob get distracted by its cuteness.)
Becky: Aww, he's a friendly little guy!
TJ: Well, he's not friendly to my creative process, and I can't get anything done with all this noise! I'm gonna walk down to the library and see if I can still get a look at the giant robot they were talking about on the news. Maybe seeing WordGirl in person will give me the inspiration I crave.
Becky: Giant ro-- Wha-huh? (Bob slaps his forehead.)
(Scene: The library. People are fleeing in terror from four giant robots. Tobey is watching from a nearby rooftop.)
Tobey: Everything is proceeding according to plan! While I'm waiting for WordGirl to arrive, I can take notes for my winning story. (turns on a tape recorder) Army of giant robots. Handsome villain... Correction, devilishly handsome supervillain.
(WordGirl arrives at the scene.)
WordGirl: Call off your robots, Tobey!
Tobey: WordGirl! What a surprise!
WordGirl: Hmm. Why are you acting like my coming here is an unexpected encounter?
Tobey: Why, whatever do you mean?
WordGirl: Well, encounter means to meet up with something or someone, usually something or someone that you didn't expect, but you knew I was going to show up. I always do.
Tobey: And would you say it's kind of "our thing"? (holds out the recorder)
WordGirl: All right. There's definitely something weird going on. Spill it, McCallister!
Tobey: Well, there is this newspaper contest...
WordGirl: Yeah...?
Tobey: I... I thought we could get ice cream sundaes together, you know, when I win the contest. Or go for a bike ride around town. Or maybe you'd prefer bowling? We'll have the whole day together, won't we? We could do all three!
WordGirl: (angrily) You thought this was a good way to win the contest?! Tobey, I'm... I'm...
Tobey: Flattered, yes.
WordGirl: Gah! (flies off)
Tobey: (impressed laughter)
(Two robots are pulling the roof off the library and grabbing the bookshelves. WordGirl pulls one's head off and waves it threateningly at the other. It shakes its head and runs away, its arms detaching in the process. It runs into another robot, causing both of them to lose their heads.)
WordGirl: (holds two of the heads triumphantly) These robots are long overdue for the scrap heap! Overdue! Get it? (laughs)
(Meanwhile, Scoops is sitting in a tree, watching her through his camera. He takes pictures of the battle. Suddenly, the shockwave from a falling robot knocks him off the tree branch he's sitting on.)
Scoops: Heeeeelp!
(WordGirl tosses the heads away and flies off to rescue him, causing the two robots taking aim for her to punch each other in the head. She grabs Scoops just in time.)
Scoops: Phew! WordGirl! You saved me!
WordGirl: Phew! That was too close!
Scoops: Hey, while I have you here, (He pulls out a notepad. WordGirl massages her forehead in frustration.) do you have time to answer a few questions for this article I'm writing? You know, for the big contest?
WordGirl: Ugh!
Scoops: It'll just take a minute. Maybe an hour.
(Tobey slides down the fire escape.)
Tobey: Enough about him. Can we get back to MY story now?
(One of his robots raises a bookshelf to its mouth threateningly.)
WordGirl: Huggy, those robots are trying to eat the entire cookbook section! Let's go!
(She flies off, grabs the bookshelf, and smashes two robots' heads together. She flies into the library and puts the bookshelf back in place, patting the books. Captain Huggy Face squeaks in alarm as a robot grabs two other bookshelves.)
WordGirl: Hey, hold it!
(She pulls them out of the robot's hand, ripping it off in the process. She then uses the hand to smash the robot's head in. Suddenly, another robot hand grabs Captain Huggy Face off her back. As Scoops takes photos and Tobey grins evilly, TJ arrives at the scene.)
TJ: I can't just stand here! I am the president of the International WordGirl Fan Club! I've got to help! I've got to!
Tobey: I beg your pardon, but no, you do not "got to". You see, I must defeat WordGirl so I will have the best story for the newspaper's writing contest.
TJ: Oh, yeah?! Well--
(He's drowned out by crashing and whirring. Meanwhile, WordGirl gasps as the robots step on her, slowly overpowering her.)
Tobey: So sorry, I can't hear a word you're saying with all this racket! Let me just press pause. (He presses a button on his controller, and the robots shut down.)
TJ: (yelling) I said, "No way are you winning that con--" (covers his mouth, normal voice) Sorry. I said, "No way are you winning that contest, because I'm gonna win it."
(WordGirl starts lifting the robots. Scoops pops up next to her.)
Scoops: Um, WordGirl, do you have time for that interview now? I'd really like to win the contest.
TJ: Oh, you're not gonna win! I am!
Scoops: I'm pretty sure that I am.
Tobey: No, I am! (They continue to argue in the background.)
WordGirl: This has got to be the silliest squabble I've ever encountered!
Narrator: Oh, I love when she uses both words in the same sentence.
WordGirl: Hey, thanks for noticing! I'll tell ya, this is the last time I agree to one of these contests. I just don't need the publicity anymore, you know what I'm saying? Now where did we leave off?
Narrator: There was some squabbling going on.
WordGirl: Oh, right. (to the boys) Guys, the contest was supposed to be about writing, not winning! I'd be happy to spend the day with all of you. (All three light up.) I mean, all of you who are not totally evil!
Tobey: Hey, evil villains deserve to win contests too, you know!
WordGirl: You know what, Tobey? Villainous crimes against the library disqualifies you from entering the contest.
Tobey: What? What?! (reading from the newspaper) "All kids ages eight to twelve are permitted to enter the writing contest." Rules, rules, details, details... Ah, oh! "During the course of the contest, if any kid ruins... public property, they will be disqualified and will not be eligible to... win a date with WordGirl." (throws the newspaper down) Blasted rules! Well, fine then! Date or no date, WordGirl, I'm still going to defeat you! (prepares to press a button on his remote)
WordGirl and Narrator: It's not a date!
TJ: I'll save you, WordGirl! Word up! (He engages in a tug-o-war over the remote with Tobey. Scoops takes a picture of the two.) Hold on, it's gonna happen!
(Scoops takes a picture of WordGirl as TJ triumphantly raises the remote, then smashes it. The robot lifts its foot from WordGirl, but then slams it down on her again. The robot holding Captain Huggy Face drops him, but WordGirl smashes through the foot and catches him. One of the robots pushes another.)
Narrator: But what's this? Looks like some of the robots are starting to squabble.
(The robots start fighting each other as WordGirl massages her forehead.)
WordGirl: Quick, while they're distracted by the squabble, implement plan #176!
(WordGirl grabs the robots' hands and spins around, tangling them together. The robots continue fighting, to her annoyance. They quickly destroy each other, and WordGirl throws them to the moon, where they still keep fighting.)
WordGirl: Good work, Captain Huggy Face.
(The boys talk over each other.)
TJ: (points at Tobey) It was all his fault! I was trying to save you! How'd I do with the saving?
Scoops: Please. I'm a journalist.
WordGirl: (She clears her throat. The boys go silent.) Well, boys, I think we all learned a valuable lesson here today, didn't we?
Tobey: If you spin robots around, they get dizzy just like people. A definite flaw in my design, I agree. Must fix that.
WordGirl: Uh, I was thinking more like "Don't waste time squabbling over silly, unimportant things." Now, why don't you all try making something up for the contest? Writing about an experience is fine, but using your imagination can be equally amazing! And also, robot crimes are not okay.
(Mrs. McCallister bursts out of the library.)
Tobey: Oh! (laughs nervously) Hello, mother. You see, I was just entering a contest. (His mother drags him off by the ear.) Ow, ow, ow, ow! WordGirl, maybe we can still get sushi sometime-- Ow! Mom! Ow!
TJ: So, uh, WordGirl... (She flies away.) WordGirl?
Scoops: Where'd she go?!
(Scene: A doorstep. A newspaper is thrown onto it with a picture of WordGirl with Violet. Scoops and TJ walk by.)
TJ: I can't believe Violet got first place! With a poem! After everything we went through, she wins with a poem. A poem! Are you kidding me?! A poem...
Scoops: Let's see here. "A poem about chocolate chunk chewy-gooey cookies in the shape of WordGirl" by Violet Heaslip. "O, greatest superhero cookie, chewy-gooeys! I want another. Do you-ey too-ey?" Hmm. I don't know, but I think my mom's triple chocolate chunk cookies are the best cookies ever.
TJ: No, my dad's whoopie pies are the best!
Scoops: Cookies.
TJ: Whoopie pies.
Scoops: Cookies!
TJ: Dad! This guy's putting down your whoopie pies!
Narrator: Come on, boys. Let's not squabble, especially when my mom's lemon squares are the best! Heh heh. It's time to invite the audience back for another exciting encounter with WordGirl!
(WordGirl flies by, carrying Captain Huggy Face and Violet. All three are eating cookies.)