[MG10] Maggie's Brain

Maggie's Brain                                         Written by Matt Groening
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[$Id: mg10 1.1 92/07/12 13:18:07 raymond Exp Locker: raymond $]
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> Didja notice...
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    Voice credits:
        NANCY CARTWRIGHT as Bart
        YEARDLEY SMITH as Lisa

    Animators were Wes Archer, Bill Kopp, and David Silverman.

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> Assorted comments and observations
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Brian Howard {bh} gives the timing for this short as 1:27, whereas the
syndication package contains only 1:13 of animation.  All of Act Two was
cut.

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> Quotes and scene summary
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% B = Bart, L = Lisa, A = Maggie
%
% Bart and Lisa stand over Maggie's bassinet, the baby's arms and legs
% poking out over the top.

L: What a little bundle of joy!

% Peer inside the bassinet to see the aforementioned bundle of joy
% lying on her back, pacifier in mouth, arms and legs waving in the
% way that babies wave their arms and legs.

B: You can tell what it's thinking by its body language.
L: I think its body language is saying, ``I want to play.''

% Bart grabs Maggie's left foot and starts pulling its toes playfully.
% As he moves from toe to toe, he pulls them with more vigor.

B: This little piggy went to market.
   This little piggy stayed home.
   This little piggy had roast beef.
   And <this> little piggy had none.

% By this time, he seems to be trying to pull Maggie's toes off entirely.

B: And <this> little piggy cried wee, wee, wee...

% Maggie kicks him in the face.

L: I think its body language is saying, ``Game's over.''

% [End of Act One.  Time: 0:29]
%
% {Lisa: ``Let's try to communicate with it in its own language.''  Bart
% leans over and babbles; Maggie shoves a bottle in his mouth.
%
% [End of Act Two.]}

B: Look at it.  Just lying there.
L: I wonder how we look to it.

% The two peer into the bassinet.  Maggie's-eye view of the proceedings.
% Lisa and Bart are demons, Lisa with Medusa-like hair and claws, Bart
% with long sinewy hair and pointy ears.

B: Ooba-gooba-gabba!
L: You're our little sister!
B: Gooba-gabba, gooba-gabba!
L: One of us!  One of us!

% Back to reality.

B: Just think, Maggie.  Someday, if you're lucky, you'll grow up to be
   just like us.

% Close-up of Maggie, as she grows worried and sucks furiously on her
% pacifier.
%
% [End of Act Three.  Time: 0:50]

B: Do you think a little baby could possibly imagine what its future
   is going to be like?
L: I wonder if it has any hopes or dreams or fantasies.

% A giant Maggie stands in the room, on the wall a picture of a pacifier.
% She tickles the feet of tiny diapered Bart and Lisa lying on their
% backs in the bassinet, their arms and feet up in the air.

B: [giggling] No, man.  Please, we beg you!
L: [giggling] Leave our toes alone!
B: Don't tickle me!  Don't tickle me!
L: Help!  Help!  Help!
B: Come on!  Come on, man!

% Back to reality.

L: Maybe it's thinking how much it loves us.
B: I guess we'll never know.

% Push in on Maggie, lying helplessly in her crib.
%
% [End of Act Four.  Time: 1:13]
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Shorts summaries Copyright 1992 by Raymond Chen.  Not to be redistributed
in a public forum without permission.  (The quotes themselves, of course,
remain the property of The Tracey Ullman Show, and the reproduced articles
remain the property of the original authors.  I'm just taking credit for the
compilation.)