The Top 5 Unusually Heavy Episodes of 1980s Cartoons: #4


#5 | #4 | #3 | #2 | #1

Today’s installment is quite a departure from yesterday’s, but still noteworthy, especially given its series context.

#4: My Gummi Lies Over the Ocean, The Gummi Bears
Originally broadcast November 29, 1986
Written by Doug Hutchinson, Jymn Magon, Bruce Talkington, Art Vitello and Mark Zaslove

Plot summary (from imdb.com):
When Tummi builds a boat, Gruffi tries to convince him to dismantle it, but reluctantly agrees to one trip. This trip takes an unexpected turn when they end up on an island inhabited only by another Gummi Bear – an artist by the name of Gusto.

What made it so heavy (includes spoilers):
Gusto Gummi, who made his debut in this episode, was lounging on the beach a dozen years ago when the beach simply fell away, leaving him trapped on an island in a hole in the ocean. Since that time, he had tried to build a bridge to get away, but eventually resigned himself to the idea that he was doomed. Accepting his fate, he decided to make the best of it and his artistic talents — by carving a giant dragon into the side of a volcano.

So the idea of an island trapped within a hole in the ocean was already pretty awesome. Pile onto that the idea of a giant stone sculpture of a dragon that would breathe fire as the life-threatening volcano erupted. Then factor in a life-and-death scenario. That right there was far beyond anything The Gummi Bears ever attempted to touch with a typical episode.

But it went beyond that, because underlying Gusto’s project was this idea that years and years of work were going to create something that, in order to achieve its final purpose, would be destroyed. It was even somewhat suicidal — Gusto refused to allow Gruffi to dismantle his scaffolding to build a bridge off the island, because doing so would ruin his chances of finishing the dragon. This was my first exposure to the idea of creating art for the sake of art, and it came via a Saturday morning cartoon devised to sell candy. Although the irony of the second revelation didn’t hit me until years later, the first idea was absolutely mind-blowing to me.

Key scene:

GUSTO: I’ve carved this dragon into the side of this volcano for a single reason. Get this — every day the lava rises a little bit more. Soon, it will pour into this cave, and in that fateful hour, my creation will actually breathe fire!
TUMMI: But isn’t this dangerous?
GUSTO: Bah, I wear goggles. Let’s eat!
[…]
GRUFFI: Hey Gusto, what’s more important, finishing this statue or getting off this island?
GUSTO: Wait, I know this riddle, give me a second…

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3: