Our adventure begins with narration from Ranger Jones,
JONES: "My mountains are especially beautiful this time of year, when Mother Nature paints the leaves purple and red and gold. And, being as this is the last day of October, tonight is Halloween! So, I guess I know where millions of you little witches and goblins are gonna be going, after sundown"
...What mountains; those two hills in the background?
Ranger Jones is an odd fellow. To begin with, he's the only character in the Buttons and Rusty series who breaks the forth wall (ie, speaks directly to the audience). Additionally, Jones has a 'vibe' about him that I just don't like. Although Jones never says anything bad, I cannot help but detect some measure of cynicism hides behind his pleasant demeanor. Just something about Jones is subtly condescending, as though he's secretly judging you. I dunno.
We cut to some children playing frisbee with their dog outside the trailer park's gift shop.
The kids have an encounter with Mable Sporn, the manager (?) of the gift shop, who (rightfully) criticizes the kids for not having their dog on a leash.
I think, in an earlier draft, Sporn was supposed to be one of the 'witches' of this special (based on how she's introduced here). Sporn's in her witch costume already, and comes across as gruff and a little paranoid (ie, she's liked only by those who really know her). Sporn also has a servile assistant named Sam. Together, these two would make reasonable counterparts to the actual villains of this story (Lulu and Lenny), one of who (Lulu) dresses as a witch. At the very least, my theory makes sense given the title 'Which Witch is Which'.
Anyway...
From their treetop vantage point, Buttons the Bear and Rusty the Fox observe the goings-on between Sporn and the kids. Unfortunately, Buttons and Rusty are noticed by the kids' dog, who chases them all the way to Ranger Jones's station! Jones 'rescues' Buttons and Rusty, allowing the two inside the ranger station. Here we're treated to some unnecessary (and inconclusive) back-and-forth about human encroachment of the woodland. *shrugs*
Anyway, we learn there will be a Halloween party tonight at the ranger station (more on this later).
Time to meet our 'witch'...
We cut to some burnt-out school bus being used as a hideout by our two villains: a short, fat man named Lenny and his girlfriend Lulu. Lenny is dressed in a bear costume (which looks suspiciously like Buttons), and Lulu is trying on a fake witch's nose,
LULU (sarcastic): "That's the scariest looking costume I ever saw, Lenny!"
LENNY: "Well, at least it's different, which is more than I can say for yours"
LULU: "This is one time when being *short is going to pay off"
*I don't get it :P
LENNY: "I can't wait till 7:30 rolls around, and everybody goes to the ranger's party"
LULU: "Except for two little trick-or-treaters who missed the party!"
The idea is these two are going to rob the trailer park while its residents are at the party. I dunno why the crooks'd need costumes to do this, but whatever. :3
We cut to the home of Buttons and Rusty, whereat dinner is almost ready. Their moms wonder where Buttons and Rusty could be (they're yet at the ranger station) and, through some awkward dialogue, the moms send George and Abner (their respective husbands) to go find the cubs.
Returning to the ranger station, we see Jones is carving a pumpkin, to the amusement of Buttons and Rusty,
BUTTONS: "That's neat, Jonesy"
RUSTY: "Say, Jonesy, uh, when does the party start?"
JONES: "Oh, after the kids are through trick-or-treating"
Jones explains the concept to Buttons and Rusty. The cubs are intrigued, but, of course, trick-or-treating (as well the party) is for humans ...not that this would stop them from trying.
Meanwhile, George and Abner happen upon Lenny in his bear costume and presume Lenny to be *Buttons. A chase ensues.
*earlier, some trick-or-treater thought Lenny was a lion... :P
The chase ends once Lenny removes the head of his bear costume. George and Abner are taken aback by this and flee in reaction.
The chase sequence is interesting, as it involves multiple characters, including Sporn and Sam (who don't like the idea of children running outside ...strange). Even so, this chase is mostly just padding (though it COULD have served a purpose ...more on this later)
It's worth mentioning Buttons and Rusty have yet to arrive home for dinner. :p
Night comes. The party at the ranger station is about to start, ut not before Jones has this to say to us,
JONES: "Well, it's 7:30; folks ought to be arriving any minute now. Oh, I suppose you're wondering why I didn't ask Buttons and Rusty to stay for my party. Well, even though they've come to be like family to me, I wouldn't dare mix a bunch of little kids with wild animals"
Very sage. Albeit, I don't really consider Buttons, Rusty, or most of the other animal characters as 'wild'. They seem ...fairly civilized? Skittish, yes, but the titular characters are effectively human insofar as their behavior and ability to speak, understand, and even read English (also, every human can talk to/with the cubs---not just Ranger Jones). I dunno... The only thing that really prevents actual animals from holding paying jobs and otherwise integrating into society is their inability to talk (but that's another discussion). ^^
Anyway, Rusty gets the idea to try trick-or-treating some random forest animals. It doesn't end well. After a bad experience, Buttons suggests he and Rusty return to the trailer park to see how the humans do it ...despite the fact the trick-or-treating period has ended. :P We cut to the ranger station whereat we see Sam has just dropped off a vanload of costumed kids and their parents.
As Buttons and Rusty never arrived home for dinner, their moms again send George and Abner to find the cubs, this time insisting they seek help from Ranger Jones.
We cut to Lenny and Lulu robbing the gift shop. The upper floor of the gift shop seems to have a bedroom (possibly belonging to Sporn), and is laden, for some reason, with gold jewelry, sterling tea pots, and fox-fur coats (Sporn must be rich! ...who'd've thought?). Buttons and Rusty, of course, can see inside the gift shop's bedroom, where Lenny and Lulu are taking inventory (it's dark outside, and the shop's lights are on).
BUTTONS: "Look! There's that grouchy lady in the funny hat!"
That it, Buttons is mistaking Lulu (in her witch costume) for Sporn (who's also dressed as a witch).
This next bit is a hard to explain, but here goes...
When Buttons sees Lulu through the window in her witch costume, Buttons mistakes Lulu for Sporn. When Lulu puts on the fox-fur coat she took from the wardrobe, Buttons (and Rusty, by extension) then believes Lulu to a fox in a funny hat. That is, Buttons thinks Sporn is inside the gift shop, as is the fox in the hat.
So, this could be the justification for the title, 'Which Witch is Which', save for the problem of the cubs not knowing (first of all) what a witch is, and neither do they suspect there are two persons in witch attire---they believe one is human, and the other is a fox. While there's obvious confusion here, it's not a matter of 'which witch is which'. :p
Conveniently, Sam pulls up to the shop in his van. He decides he needs to check the brakes, and so jacks up the rear wheels to check them. Sam departs here, as it seems he needs a tool that isn't in his van (the van remains on its jack).
Sam's arrival is noticed by Lenny and Lulu, who are still inside the gift shop. Lenny and Lulu see Sam has left the scene, and so the crooks decide to make their getaway in Sam's van ...which implies Lenny and Lulu walked to the gift shop with no way to transport their loot other than to carry it (their school-bus hideout doesn't work).
The cubs see Lenny and Lulu, ie., 'the fox and the bear' exit the shop, each with a large sack of plunder in tote,
BUTTONS (of Lenny and Lulu): "It IS a fox and a bear!"
RUSTY: "And look at all the trick-or-treat stuff *she gave 'em!"
*presumably Sporn, who (as we know) is at the party.
BUTTONS: "Let's ask [the fox and the bear] how they did it!"
Buttons and Rusty climb down from the tree.
Lenny and Lulu enter the van. They try to drive off, but hadn't noticed its rear wheels are still jacked off the ground (so the van is unable to go).
LENNY: "What's the matter with this piece of junk!?"
LULU: "Well, don't just sit there---get out and fix it!"
Both crooks exit the van, and see its rear wheels are jacked up,
LENNY (lowering the jack): "Ah-ha! No wonder!"
LULU: "Probably some Halloween prank"
...the crooks are too dumb to see the van's wheels are still spinning, despite no one inside to give them gas. The two don't have time to do much more as they have been spotted by the returning Sam,
SAM: "Hey, you *kids! Get away from that van!"
*they're too big to be kids, Sam! :P
Lenny somehow loses the head of his bear costume as he and Lulu are given chase by Sam.
SAM: "Come back here you *little brats!"
*Am I missing something? ^^
Buttons and Rusty run to the fallen head, resting just behind the van (the wheels of which are still spinning).
BUTTONS (looking at the costume head): "Those were *kids, dressed up as animals"
*Clearly I am :/
RUSTY (watching Buttons try on the bear head): "Hey! I got an idea! If kids can dress like us to go trick-or-treating, we could just wear nothing, and---"
BUTTONS: "And they'll think we're two kids in costumes!"
RUSTY: "Uh-oh! Somebody's coming!"
The cubs jump inside the back of the van. The jack drops, consequently, and the van begins to move with Buttons and Rusty inside.
Sam (apparently unsuccessful at catching Lenny and Lulu) happens by as his van rolls past. There's nothing Sam can do about it, so the van continues unhindered. The van rolls past the burnt-out school bus occupied by Lenny and Lulu,
LULU: "That van! It's running away!"
The partially-costumed Lenny and Lulu give chase to the van on foot. They somehow manage to catch up with it, and climb inside its cab doors. I guess the writers couldn't have the crooks use the rear doors, lest they discover Buttons and Rusty too soon. :P
BUTTONS (to Rusty): "People!? Now what to we do?"
RUSTY: "The moment they stop this thing, we run for it!"
LULU: "Peddle to the metal, Lenny!"
LENNY: "Next stop: New York City!"
Meanwhile, Sam radioes Ranger Jones about his stolen van.
SAM (on the CB radio): "A couple of kids stole my van, and they're heading your way!"
JONES: "But I thought all the kids were here at the party"
SAM: "Well, all I know is them two little brats in the bear and fox suits rode off in the van!"
JONES: "A bear and a fox!?"
JONES (to self/us): "No! They wouldn't... but then again!"
JONES (calling out into the crowd): "Hey, Mable! Carry on without me for a while---I got a little official business to take care of!"
What happens next is ...a song, about witchy confusion. The song comes out of nowhere, but it's at least interesting. It's sung in a duet which includes some alternating stanzas, with has lyrics such as these,
Can't tell, The baddie from the good I am so perplexed, Which witch has got the hex Cause they dress alike, From hat to shoe So I haven't got a clue Which is which, And who is who
The song furthers my theory that the original story likely centered more on Sporn and Lulu, such as in a case of one being accused of a crime committed by the other (with Sporn being the good 'witch', but misjudged based on her sour attitude)---(perhaps) Buttons and Rusty would know the truth (but would have to confess to being in the trailer park/up to mischief in order to prove the validity of their witness. Something like that. Otherwise, this story is more about phony foxes and bears vs. real ones. :P
Anyway,
We cut to Ranger Jones, speeding along in his jeep. Hidden in the backseat are George and Abner who, upon making themselves known, frighten Ranger Jones. Jones explains what's going on as best he can (I'd wish I knew why George and Abner were in the backseat of Jone's jeep ...but I think I'd rather not know). ^^
The van races by the jeep. Jones turns the jeep around in pursuit.
Recall the chase from before, when George and Abner met Lenny in his bear suit? George and Abner seem to have forgotten all about it, as they (and Ranger Jones) believe Buttons and Rusty are driving the van. :p Maybe the reader would say I'm wrong about this, but Ranger Jones was told by Sam that two 'kids' who looked like a bear and a fox steal his van---never once did George or Abner mention the human in the bear suit they saw earlier (so what else could they believe?).
In the van, Buttons and Rusty discover the crooks *aren't really kids---that they'd been stealing! D:
*proof the 'wild animals' are at least as smart as humans ...or at least smarter than Sam :P
Around this time, the crooks discover Buttons and Rusty, but before they can do anything about it, the van runs into a tree (conveniently) just outside the ranger station.
Luckily, no one's hurt (what? ...it's a kids cartoon!).
The crooks are arrested, and Buttons and Rusty are returned home.
That's it! :D
So... 'Which witch is which?' isn't ever a question in this special. Adults are confused for kids, and costumed crooks are mistook for real animals, but that's it. Well, I suppose an additional confusion would be in thinking this was actually a Halloween special. I mean, sure, it takes place on Halloween, and there's some trick-or-treating, but every bit of this could be written out and the story could be kept intact (crooks in a forest trailer park could dress as animals at any time---it worked in Jellystone, anyway).
Overall, this was a cute special (to look at---it's Buttons and Rusty, after all), but it's a hot mess, and hasn't much Halloween spirit ...which makes this more a trick than a treat (alas!). :P I mean, compare 'Which Witch is Which' to (say) 'Casper's Halloween Special', or Rankin-Bass's 'Mad Monster Party' ...and you'd see what I mean. :p
