4/30/08: “Ruby’s Bird Bath” (c. 2006)A few readers noticed that Dramarama’s
ode to Earth Day marks the date as April 21st, even though we now celebrate the very important event on April 22nd. We don’t know why that changed. We just know that environmental activists don’t really worry about consistency.
On the other hand, things are very consistent with episodes of
Max & Ruby. The show is based on a series of children’s books, which probably also repeat the same story about these lovable bunnies. Ruby is the sensible older sister. Max is the rebellious toddler. Ruby has a task she wants to complete. Max undermines things by insisting on some strange detour, while intoning a different mantra each time.
“Ruby’s Bird Bath” is inherently typical, as Ruby sets out to earn an Environmental Badge as part of her Bunny Scout activities. “My bird bath will be all natural,” she proclaims. “Bath toy,” Max responds, placing one of his favorites into Ruby’s artificial pond.
Ruby informs Max that there’s no place for man-made devices in the utopia she’s creating. She removes the toy, but no birds arrive. Ruby figures out what’s wrong. “You can’t have an environmentally-correct bird bath,” she explains, “without water lilies.”
Ruby adds some, but then finds that Max has contributed a toy submarine. She removes the offensive element and scolds Max. “Bath toy,” he rebuts. Ruby still doesn’t get any birds to visit. “If I was a bird,” she declares, “I couldn’t wait to take a bath in my bird bath!” All good environmentalists have that sense of empathy.
Ruby decides to add some bulrushes. Or cattails, if you prefer, but it’s kind of neat to see a cartoon bunny talking about “bulrushes.” She sets them up, but that pesky Max (with a cry of “Bath toy!”) strikes while Ruby is distracted. He sends in a toy battleship—or maybe it’s an oil tanker—that promptly knocks over the plants.
Ruby again tries to reason with Max: “There’s no place for bath toys in an environmentally-correct bird bath!” It’s too bad that Max doesn’t have a better vocabulary. Then he could explain that he wants no part of Ruby’s environmentally-correct world if Max can’t enjoy his bath toys there. Instead, he says, “Bath toy!”
Ruby returns to pondering the ungrateful nature of Nature: “Why haven’t any birds come yet? My bird bath is environmentally perfect!” The pressure’s on, because her Bunny Scout leader will be visiting at any minute. Fortunately, a flock of birds suddenly arrives. This is because Max has struck again, and put a rubber duck into the bird bath.
The birds are really interested in Max’s rubber duck—which is most likely loaded with phthalates. Those are the wonderful chemicals that make plastics so flexible, and which environmental activists are currently trying to ban. Never mind that our parents and grandparents were teething on phthalates with no consequences. The environmental activists have found a new scare tactic. As the activists would explain, “There’s no place for phthalates in an environmentally-correct bird bath!”
Max & Ruby may be just a cartoon, but you can say the same for the environmental movement.
Max & Ruby is certainly more realistic—especially if we consider Max to be the descendants of the bunnies who built the Alaskan pipelines that were supposed to kill off all the local caribou and moose. The caribou went on to use the pipelines as a mating device. Max’s rubber duck will probably lead to some hot animal mating, too.
The Bunny Scout leader doesn’t notice Max’s rubber duck. She’s too busy being impressed by all the real birds. The lady can’t figure out Ruby’s secret: “However did you manage to attract so many birds? Was it the rocks? Was it the water lilies? I know—it was the bulrushes!”
Like any good environmentalist, Ruby commences with some spin. “It was all that,” she replies, “and a little something extra.” That’s smart, Ruby. Keep the facts vague. Anything else might interfere with your funding.
Make it your own: There’s some weirdness with
Max & Ruby. “Ruby’s Bird Bath” was originally on the
Max & Ruby: Max and the Easter Bunny DVD collection, but that went quickly out of print. Meanwhile, hardcore
Max & Ruby fans are bitter about the show’s changed direction since debuting in 2002. This episode is supposedly one of the lesser ones. We don’t really have a position on that controversy. If you’re curious about
Max & Ruby, though, it’s shown
every day on the Noggin network—with “Ruby’s Bird Bath” currently being aired about once a week.
And speaking of
rubber ducks and mating…
