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Do Not Pass Gnome
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Season: 1
Production code: 21a
Broadcast number: 21a
Written by:
Jeffrey Scott
Broadcast Information
PBS Kids Premiere:
January 17, 2000
Paired with
"Treasure Hunt"

Do Not Pass Gnome is the first segment of the twenty-first episode of the first season of Dragon Tales.

Summary[]

Max accidentally breaks Emmy's yo-yo after he is seriously told not to touch it. After visiting Dragon Land to meet their dragon friends, they meet a gnome named Simon who says he can fix Emmy's yo-yo after they win a game named Simon Says.

Plot[]

Emmy is showing off her new yo-yo and a few tricks to Max. He asks her if he could try it out, but Emmy refuses, stating that Max might break it because he doesn't know how to use one. Without missing a beat, Max grabs the yo-yo when Emmy wasn't watching and tries to play with it, but hits it against the floor, breaking it... to Emmy's anger. Max suggests going to Dragon Land to see if Ord or Cassie could fix it.

Emmy and Max arrive while Zak & Wheezie were getting tied up in a jump rope. Wheezie tries fixing the yo-yo using bubblegum and Ord tries to use sticky tape... all to no avail. Emmy was about to lose hope when a gnome named Simon appeared before the gang. He offers to fix Emmy's yo-yo if the gang could win a game of Simon Says. When Cassie asks how to play, Simon replies to just do what he says, but only when he says, "Simon says." He demonstrates by saying, "Simon says, 'Touch your nose.'" And they do.

Simon then sets up a carpet with a few colored spaces, explaining that doing what Simon says will move them forward, but if they move without him saying, "Simon says," will cause them to go back, He interviews and tricks Max into getting on the carpet without saying "Simon Says." Unfortunately, the rule was that moving without Simon saying "Simon Says" was going back, but that square was the back, so Simon magically makes many more carpet squares appear, much to Zak's dismay. The gang was about to go ask Quetzal to fix Emmy's yo-yo when Max was glued to the squares. Realizing that Max would never win the game on his own because he didn't listen to directions well, the gang decide to join Max and walk all the way back to the beginning of the carpet upon Simon's command.

Simon begins the game again and instructs the gang to move forward three squares successfully. He then tries to give them a Dragonberry Cookie as a reward, but doesn't say "Simon Says." Ord, really liking dragonberries, is the only one who falls for this, which costs the gang two squares, much to their sorrow. Simon cheers the gang up by instructing them to tickle their armpits, making them laugh, but doesn't correctly tell them to move forward four squares. Max falls for this, causing the gang to go back to square one. Cassie implores Max to listen carefully and not make a single move unless he hears Simon say, "Simon Says." He promises he'll try.

The gang start over with Simon correctly instructing them to touch someone's tail right-handed. Max almost uses the wrong hand, but corrects himself (actually, Emmy says so) on time as Simon correctly instructs the gang to move four squares forward without letting go. The gang accomplishes this, and Simon Says to do the same thing again with the left hand. The gang gets twisted up as they do this, but they succeed. Simon incorrectly tells the gang to let go, and Max falls for it yet again. Emmy tries to stop him but (also) winds up costing the gang two squares when she lets go of Wheezie's tail. Zak is pessimistic that the game is taking too long, but Wheezie and Cassie resolve to pay extra attention in order to succeed.

Simon starts to make risers with the squares to make a slide game, and the gang correctly move five squares forward until Cassie acts without Simon's word, ending the slide game and sliding the gang down the path further forward. Impressed that the gang did well with that game, Simon challenges the gang to a low game: to limbo their way forward without touching the limbo sticks. Throughout as much as possible, Zak and Wheezie (the latter just loving this game) bang on a drum, and the latter performs her limbo song. The gang goes through the first limbo stick successfully, but Ord hits the second one, halting him at his position. Zak & Wheezie, Cassie, then Emmy bump into the third through fifth sticks respectively (actually, Wheezie succeeds, but the limbo stick is touched to Zak's nose, ending both their turn and her limbo song), leaving it up to Max to continue forward. Max ducks low enough for the sixth stick, but struggles with the final stick. He crawls low and moves slowly to clear the final limbo stick.

For Max clearing the limbo game successfully, Simon instructs the gang correctly to take a shortcut to the end via Knucker Hole (starting on one of the squares). On the other side, the gang lands two squares away from victory, but Zak incorrectly believes they will be tricked into starting over. Simon, however, tells the gang correctly to move to the end. They do so, and he tells them they've won and can get off the carpet, but Max tells everyone to stop because he realized that Simon failed to say "Simon Says you win," telling that he listened carefully for the correct prompt. Realizing that Max was listening the whole time, Simon correctly tells the gang that they have won, and that Max won a 100% fully-repaired yo-yo for Emmy.

Satisfied that her yo-yo is repaired, Emmy and Max return home, and Max apologizes for breaking it, promising to listen carefully. Emmy decides to challenge Max to another Simon Says game of her own (only as "Emmy Says") to see how well Max could listen. Her instructions are to stand on one foot and touch his nose. However, when Max is about to fall, he plays the game back by saying, "Whoa! Max says 'look out!'" and falls on her, and they laugh.

Cast[]

Trancript[]

Do Not Pass Gnome (transcript)

Memorable Quotes[]

  • Ord: Hey, Max, Emmy, whatcha doin'?
  • Max: I broke Emmy's yo-yo.
  • Ord: Oh, that's terrible. What's a yo-yo?
  • Emmy: It's a cool toy you tie to your finger and move up and down.
  • [She tries to demonstrate, but it falls apart]
  • Emmy: Uh, it was a cool toy.
  • Ord: You don't need string. See?
  • Simon: What's your name, kiddo?
  • Max: Max.
  • Simon: Where you from, Max?
  • Max: The playroom.
  • Simon: Okay, Max from the playroom. Just step into the first square, and let's play.
  • [He does, and the buzzer sounds because...]
  • Simon: Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't say, "Simon says!" You'll have to go back!
  • Ord: But there's no back to go to!
  • Simon: That's what you think.
  • [He magically causes many more carpet squares to appear behind.]
  • Zak: Oh, no!
  • Max: Oh! My feet are stuck!
  • Simon: Of course they are! Once you're on the path, the only way to get off is to win the game!
  • Simon: Okay. Simon says, "Go all the way back!"
  • Ord: That wasn't so hard!
  • Simon: Of course not! And for doin' what I told you, you each get a bite of this scrumptious dragonberry cookie!
  • Ord: My favorite!
  • Others: No, no, no, etc.
  • [Ord starts to take a bite of the cookie, but it vanishes, and the buzzer comes in.]
  • Simon: Ah-ah-ah. I didn't say, "Simon says!" Simon says, "Go back two squares!"
  • [The offscreen audience groan.]
  • Cassie: You have to listen, Max! Really, really hard! Don't do anything unless you hear him say, "Simon says!"
  • Max: I'll try.
  • Wheezie: [throughout the limbo game] Go go go! Low low low! To jiggle a stick is a big no-no! Bend your back until it cracks and do the limbo!
  • Max: Wait. He didn't say, "Simon says, 'You win!'"
  • Simon: Max from the playroom, you are absolutely right! Tell the viewers how you figured that out!
  • Max: Easy. I just listen real hard.
  • Simon: Well, listen real hard to this! Simon says, "You win!"
  • Emmy: Thanks, Max. My yo-yo's good as new!
  • Max: Sorry I broke it, Emmy. From now on, I'm gonna try to listen to what you tell me.
  • Emmy: Okay. I'll give you a test. Emmy says, "Stand on one foot." Emmy says, "Touch your nose."
  • Max: Whoa! Max says, "Look out!"

Home Video release[]

VHS[]

Goofs[]

  • When Max steps on a square without Simon saying "Simon says", his foot gets stuck on a gooey spot on the square. After Simon sends the gang back to the beginning of the square track, his foot gets unstuck with ease. It is unfortunate this can be possible to happen without any of his friends helping him get his foot unstuck.
  • In the slide game, when Simon says, "Now two more" (again without saying "Simon says"), the gang are on the yellow square-step (with a blue one being next and a red one after that). However, in the shot where Cassie jumps onto the red square, the rest of the gang are already on the blue square. They were never shown having walked onto it.

Notes and Trivia[]

  • Moral: Listening carefully is really important.
  • The bell sound effects heard in the Simon Says game were taken from The $100,000 Pyramid, a classic game show formerly hosted by the late Dick Clark, which Sony produces.
  • This is one of the few episodes to not be released on DVD.
  • This is the fourth time someone breaks someone else's belongings. The first being in "A Liking To Biking," after Ord breaks Max's bike when he tried it. The second time being in "A Smashing Success," after Max accidentally breaks one of Emmy's dolls by pulling his flashlight string too hard while it was tangled to the doll's arm, and the third time being in the same episode, in which Emmy accidentally breaks Wheezie's trumpet while she plays music with it when the dragon friends go and get a snack. Even though Emmy is afraid of telling Wheezie about the trumpet incident, Wheezie blames Zak (then Cassie) for breaking it instead. And the fifth and last time being in "The Grudge Won't Budge," after Wheezie accidentally breaks Zak's flute and Zak refuses to forgive her for apologizing.
  • The slide game was the last time a player takes a command where Simon doesn't say "Simon says," the second time it is not Max's fault (the first was Ord trying to eat a dragonberry cookie), and the one such foul where Simon does not send the players back any number of squares.
  • Throughout the whole limbo game, that game's theme music continues even after Zak and Wheezie are no longer drumming, and Wheezie is no longer speaking out the lyrics to the song.
  • Speaking of that game, Cassie is the only player who does not fall all the way back upon touching the limbo stick.
  • This was the first episode to air in 2000.
  • This is the first time a yo-yo broke. The second time being in "Bad Share Day," when Zak and Wheezie's yo-yo broke. The third time and last being in "Bully For You", when Spike's yo-yo broke.
  • The episode title is a play on word on the Monopoly chance card "Do Not Pass Go!".
  • In an accident in jumping rope, part of the rope is wrapped around Zak's neck. In real life, it is a choking hazard.
  • Simon would later appear again later in The Silly Song.
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