List of TaleSpin episodes
The following is an episode list for the Disney animated television series TaleSpin. The majority of the series and storylines are stand-alones and bear little significance in the order they are aired. The only recurrent themes are Baloo's drive to save money in order to repurchase his plane (the Sea Duck) and Rebecca's desire to make a profitable living. As with many animated series of the time, there was no formal conclusion to the series. A comic ran for a short period and was then discontinued as well.
Select episodes were first aired on The Disney Channel in the spring of 1990, as a preview for the series; these episodes' Disney Channel airdates are given separately.
Episodes
| No. | Title | Animation Director(S) | Written by | Storyboard | Original air date | |
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| 01–04 | "Plunder & Lightning: Episodes 1 through 4" | Robert Taylor, John Kimball, Richard Trueblood and Bob Zamboni | Alan Burnett, Len Uhley and Mark Zaslove | Viki Anderson, Larry Eikleberry, Sharon Forward, Warren Greenwood, Bob Kline, John Norton, Frank Paur, David Schwartz, Lonnie Thompson, Hank Tucker, Wendell Washer and Roy Wilson | September 7, 1990[1][2] | |
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In the series premiere, Baloo, an air cargo pilot, meets Kit Cloudkicker, a 12-year-old orphan, and takes him on as his navigator. He also loses his business to Rebecca Cunningham, a business major who becomes his boss. Meanwhile, Don Karnage, a notorious air pirate, uses a special gem stolen from Shere Khan's company, Khan Industries, to power a lightning gun and threaten Cape Suzette. The episode, which originally aired as a two-hour movie, re-aired in four parts from November 19 through November 22.
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| 05 | "From Here to Machinery" | John Kimball | Len Uhley | Sharon Forward and John Norton | September 10, 1990 | |
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Baloo loses a race to a robot pilot, putting himself and several other cargo pilots in Cape Suzette out of work. However, Don Karnage takes advantage of the robot pilot's inability to evade trouble, and it's up to Baloo to save the day.
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| 06 | "It Came from Beneath the Sea Duck" | Robert Taylor, John Kimball, Rick Leon and Bob Zamboni | Don Rosa | Ryan Anthony, Warren Greenwood and Roy Wilson | September 11, 1990 | |
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Kit volunteers to babysit Molly while Baloo and Rebecca go shopping. The babysitting is anything but routine as Kit and Molly deal with air pirates and a giant squid.
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| 07 | "Time Waits for No Bear" | Terence Harrison, John Kimball, Rick Leon, Bob Zamboni and Robert Taylor | Jeremy Cushner and Karl Geurs | Viki Anderson, Larry Eikleberry, John Norton, Ryan Anthony, Vic Cook and Sharon Forward | September 12, 1990 | |
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When Baloo is late one too many times with his deliveries, Rebecca makes him fly a guided tour, going past certain checkpoints at designated times. However, Baloo hears of a stolen crown and concocts a scheme to get the crown back while Wildcat flies the tour.
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| 08 | "Mommy for a Day" | Terence Harrison and John Kimball | Libby Hinson | Kurt Anderson and Hank Tucker | September 13, 1990 | |
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Molly becomes a surrogate mother to a flying creature that becomes large when it gets wet and small when it dries. This becomes more difficult when she has to protect the creature from the bloodthirsty poacher MacKnee.
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| 09 | "I Only Have Ice for You" | Bob Zamboni, Terence Harrison and Robert Taylor | Don Rosa | Hank Tucker and Roy Wilson | September 14, 1990 | |
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Rebecca takes over flying the Sea Duck after Baloo's license is temporarily suspended while trying to evade air pirates. The move causes havoc as Higher for Hire attempts to deliver a block of ice to a wealthy desert prince.
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| 10 | "Molly Coddled" | September 17, 1990 | ||||
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Covington, a notorious jewel thief, hides a valuable item in the Sea Duck. When he tries to retrieve it, however, he discovers that Baloo and Kit have cleaned out the plane and Molly has added the item to her doll collection.
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| 11 | "Polly Wants a Treasure" | September 18, 1990 | ||||
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Kit befriends a parrot, Ignatz, who claims to know about some buried treasure. Baloo meanwhile is upset when Rebecca charges him for the value of a shipment of expensive crystal, which was actually broken by air pirates.
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| 12 | "Vowel Play" | September 19, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo's bad spelling hampers Rebecca's attempt to go into the skywriting business. Meanwhile, a notorious criminal uses the skywriting to attempt to send coded messages to his henchmen and hold Cape Suzette for ransom.
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| 13 | "The Idol Rich" | September 20, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo competes with Colonel Spigot to acquire a valuable idol, but uses brains over brawn to get the idol back when Spigot takes the idol from him.
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| 14 | "Stormy Weather" | September 21, 1990 | ||||
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After Kit gets into an argument with Baloo about taking unnecessary risks, he runs away to join an air circus led by Daring Dan Dawson. However, Dawson makes Kit perform more dangerous and wilder stunts, and it's up to Baloo to rescue his navigator.
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| 15 | "Bearly Alive" | September 24, 1990 | ||||
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Rebecca misinterprets a phone call as news that Baloo is dying. When Baloo finds out, he decides to fly to the Bearmuda Trapezoid (a reference to the Bermuda Triangle), from which no pilot has ever returned.
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| 16 | "Her Chance to Dream" | September 25, 1990 | ||||
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When a debonair ghost ship captain sweeps Rebecca off her feet, she enjoys what she thinks is a dream. When Baloo and Louie decide to exorcise the ghost, Rebecca is forced to choose between her dream and her daughter.
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| 17 | "All's Whale That Ends Whale" | September 26, 1990 | ||||
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In a plot similar to that of Free Willy (although Free Willy came out in 1993), Baloo and Kit rescue a mistreated whale from a circus and give him his freedom.
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| 18 | "The Golden Sprocket of Friendship" | September 27, 1990 | ||||
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Colonel Spigot is charged with presenting a golden sprocket as a gift to the Mayor of Cape Suzette. However, Trader Moe wants to steal the sprocket, and it's up to Kit and Baloo to stop him and help Spigot.
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| 19 | "For a Fuel Dollars More" | September 28, 1990 | ||||
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Rebecca starts a midair refueling station, which is a hit with the pilots and boosts Higher for Hire's business. Trouble is, it significantly lowers business for Louie, who starts his own rival station to compete, and Baloo and Kit are caught in the middle.
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| 20–21 | "A Bad Reflection on You (Episodes 1 and 2)" | October 1, 1990 - October 2, 1990 | ||||
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In this two-part episode, Baloo gets an award from Shere Khan for being "the best pilot in the world." However, he lets that go to his head when he is selected for the Master Run, a dangerous route from which none of Khan's pilots that have flown it have returned. When they fly the Master Run, Baloo and Kit learn who is really behind the disappearances, as well as how the trick is done (performed with mirrors - literally). This episode featured the voices of both Alan Roberts and R.J. Williams as Kit.
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| 22 | "On a Wing and a Bear" | October 3, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo inadvertently lets his pilot's license expire, but has trouble renewing it when his examiner rattles him by requiring him to perform his actions alphabetically. He then learns that Don Karnage has teamed up with Shere Khan to create an oil shortage in Cape Suzette.
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| 23 | "A Star Is Torn" | October 4, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo is starstruck when he meets film star Kitten Kaboodle, and immediately signs on as her stunt pilot. Concerned for Baloo as his friend, Rebecca learns that the "accidents" on Kitten's set are no accidents.
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| 24 | "A Touch of Glass" | October 5, 1990 | ||||
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Wanting to cater to only the upper class, Rebecca puts up the Sea Duck as collateral insurance for what appears to be a valuable jewel shipment. However, Baloo loses the shipment -- and the Sea Duck -- to what turn out to be two con artists posing as a wealthy couple.
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| 25 | "The Bigger They Are, the Louder They Oink" | October 8, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo is upset when Rebecca gets a truffle-hunting pig instead of a new pontoon for the Sea Duck. Refusing to believe that her idea may not be good, Rebecca gets herself and the pig enslaved by pygmies, and it's up to Kit and Baloo to save her.
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| 26 | "A Spy in the Ointment" | October 9, 1990 | ||||
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Rebecca chides Baloo over being too gullible, but herself ends up being the gullible one when she helps a "spy" deliver a package.
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| 27 | "The Balooest of the Bluebloods" | October 15, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo learns he's actually a long-lost baron, but when he goes to the mansion that he has supposedly inherited, there are several attempts on his life.
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| 28 | "A Baloo Switcheroo" | October 16, 1990 | ||||
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In a plot reminiscent of Freaky Friday, a magical idol switches Baloo with Kit and Rebecca with Don Karnage. They are then involved in a race against time to get back to normal; if they fail, by sunrise they will remain like this forever.
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| 29 | "Whistlestop Jackson, Legend" | October 22, 1990 | ||||
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Legendary hero Whistlestop Jackson pays a visit to Cape Suzette and volunteers to do a special cargo run for Higher for Hire. However, Shere Khan, his longtime rival, has other plans.
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| 30 | "Double or Nothing" | October 24, 1990 | ||||
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When Baloo learns that Kit's life savings will pay for him to replace his favorite record, he offers to double Kit's money if Kit lets him "invest" it.
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| 31 | "Feminine Air" | October 30, 1990 | ||||
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Higher for Hire's business is suffering because its boss is female. Baloo decides to enter an air scavenger hunt, but only an all-female aviation club will sponsor Higher for Hire, so he disguises himself as a lady to do so.
Note: Baloo's female alias "Tan Margaret" is a reference to Swedish actress and singer Ann-Margret. | ||||||
| 32 | "Last Horizons" | November 1, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo finds the legendary "Panda-La" (a reference to Shangri-La), a mystical place, where he is warmly received. The reception, however, turns out to be a ruse, as Panda-La's inhabitants decide to attack Cape Suzette.
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| 33 | "Flight of the Snow Duck" | November 5, 1990 | ||||
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When Wildcat babysits Molly, she convinces him to take her to Thembria to see snow. Once there, however, they have fun, which gets them imprisoned because having fun is illegal in Thembria.
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| 34 | "Save the Tiger" | November 7, 1990 | ||||
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When Baloo saves Shere Khan's life, Khan offers Baloo anything he wants, a decision he quickly regrets when Baloo takes advantage of it.
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| 35 | "The Old Man and the Sea Duck" | November 8, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo suffers amnesia after he hits his head while taking a shortcut during a cargo run. He then lands on an island where an old pilot, Joe McGee, helps him remember how to fly.
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| 36 | "War of the Weirds" | November 13, 1990 | ||||
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Rebecca overworks Baloo to the point where he lies to her to get some time off. The lie escalates into a Martian invasion, which quickly becomes complicated when a trigger-happy colonel overhears the conversation over the radio. Title reference: War of the Worlds Animation: Sun Woo | ||||||
| 37 | "Captains Outrageous" | November 15, 1990 | ||||
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Kit introduces his friend, accident-prone Oscar Vandersnoot, to his club, the Jungle Aces, but Oscar needs an adventure to join. When Kit decides to get Oscar his adventure, he gets more than what he bargained for when Don Karnage kidnaps Oscar for ransom.
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| 38 | "The Time Bandit" | November 23, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo makes Rebecca think it's one day later than it actually is so he can get paid early. That one day, however, turns out to be significant as Rebecca then claims that Baloo missed important deliveries to Myopia and Thembria, and goes along to apologize on his behalf. The conflict quickly escalates, and only the arrival of Cleanser's comet can save Rebecca from peril. Title reference: Time Bandits Animation: Walt Disney France | ||||||
| 39–40 | "For Whom the Bell Klangs (Episodes 1 and 2)" | November 27, 1990 - November 28, 1990 | ||||
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In this two-part episode, Baloo and Louie go on vacation and get involved with archaeologist Katie Dodd, who is searching for the lost city of Tinabula. Thadeos E. Klang, a mysterious villain, is also looking for the city, but has his own plans for it.
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| 41 | "Citizen Khan" | December 3, 1990 | ||||
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Baloo and company visit one of Shere Khan's mining operations, which is overseen by a sheriff who mistreats the workers. When the workers mistake Wildcat for Khan, they kidnap him, but Khan learns of "his" abduction and goes to investigate.
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| 42 | "Gruel and Unusual Punishment" | December 4, 1990 | ||||
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To lose weight for the Pilot's Ball, Baloo goes to what he thinks is a weight loss camp, but the camp turns out to be a Thembrian prison. Title reference: the phrase "Cruel and unusual punishment" Animation: Walt Disney Japan | ||||||
| 43 | "Jolly Molly Christmas" | December 20, 1990 | ||||
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When Baloo learns that all that Molly wants for Christmas is for it to snow for her mom, he takes Kit and Rebecca on a mission to make Molly's wish come true. Title reference: Holly Jolly Christmas Animation: Wang | ||||||
| 44 | "My Fair Baloo" | January 7, 1991 | ||||
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Rebecca decides to shmooze with the upper class by booking a reservation on the "Spruce Moose" (a reference to the "Spruce Goose"). Trouble is, Baloo's crude, unrefined behavior causes problems, but he then has to save the day when the Spruce Moose is hijacked and then crashes. Title reference: My Fair Lady Animation: Sun Woo | ||||||
| 45 | "Waiders of the Wost Tweasure" | January 9, 1991 | ||||
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When Baloo delivers a package to Walla Walla Bing Bang, he runs into an old rival, Airplane Jane, and a battle for Walla Walla Bing Bang's throne between Princess Grace and her long lost cousin Prince Rudolf.
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| 46 | "Flight School Confidential" | January 10, 1991 | ||||
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When Kit, who yearns to be a pilot even though he's too young, hears that the flying age has been lowered to twelve in Thembria, he goes there... only to discover that the whole thing is just a ruse and the kids won't actually be flying. Title reference: High School Confidential Animation: Sun Woo | ||||||
| 47 | "Bringing Down Babyface" | January 17, 1991 | ||||
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A case of mistaken identity causes what would have been a routine prisoner transport to become a serious headache for Baloo as he is pursued by both gangsters and the cops. Title reference: Bringing Up Baby Animation: Sun Woo | ||||||
| 48 | "Jumping the Guns" | January 21, 1991 | ||||
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When a mishap during a delivery knocks out the sentries who man Cape Suzette's cliff guns, Baloo and an old codger named Barney O' Turret, who hasn't fired the guns in years, are forced to man the guns to stop Don Karnage and his gang from attacking.
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| 49 | "In Search of Ancient Blunders" | January 30, 1991 | ||||
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When Baloo and Wildcat deliver an Egyptian tablet to an archaeologist who plans to open her own Museum of Ancient History, the delivery becomes anything but routine as they look for a lost treasure and try to evade air pirates, traps and an ancient treasure guardian.
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| 50 | "Louie's Last Stand" | January 31, 1991 | ||||
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An overzealous Douglas Benson, one of Shere Khan's employees, forges Khan's signature to acquire several of Khan's assets to forcibly take over Louie's.
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| 51 | "Sheepskin Deep" | February 4, 1991 | ||||
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Desperate to attend a reunion for a grade school (from which he never graduated), Baloo goes back to school to earn his degree in time for the reunion. Title reference: "Skin Deep" Animation: Wang | ||||||
| 52 | "Pizza Pie in the Sky" | February 5, 1991 | ||||
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Rebecca leaves Baloo and Kit in charge when she attends a Better Business Boot Camp. Baloo takes advantage of this to team up with Louie to start their own pizza delivery business, but things quickly spiral out of control as they get the attention of the Health Department. Title reference: the phrase "pie in the sky" Animation: Walt Disney France | ||||||
| 53 | "Baloo Thunder" | February 6, 1991 | ||||
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When Professor Buzz, who works in Shere Khan's research and development section, is framed for stealing a top secret research project, Baloo and Kit work to clear Buzz's name and find out who the real culprit is.
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| 54 | "Bullethead Baloo" | February 7, 1991 | ||||
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When Baloo learns that he is "yesterday's news" and the new hot item is a character called "Bullethead," Baloo tries to regain the kids' respect by posing as Bullethead. Meanwhile, Shere Khan deals with a crazed robotics scientist and his Mechanical Electric Laborer (MEL) robot.
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| 55 | "Destiny Rides Again" | February 8, 1991 | ||||
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Baloo and Kit find themselves flirting with destiny as they encounter an Idol of Doom and El Gato, a villain who wants the idol for himself.
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| 56 | "Mach One for the Gipper" | February 11, 1991 | ||||
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After Baloo inadvertently picks up a package belonging to another pilot, Ace London, Ace blames Baloo for the mix-up and Baloo has to clear his name while also dodging air pirates.
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| 57 | "Stuck on You" | February 12, 1991 | ||||
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Baloo finds himself literally stuck to Don Karnage after an accident with a 55 gallon drum of glue. They race to return to get the glue removed, but have to dodge Rebecca and the other air pirates along the way.
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| 58 | "The Sound and the Furry" | February 13, 1991 | ||||
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Wildcat's love of animals shows itself when he befriends several small, furry creatures. The animals, however, are wearing radio control collars, which when activated causes them to take anything mechanical apart... especially airplanes.
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| 59 | "The Road to Macadamia" | February 20, 1991 | ||||
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When Baloo and Louie deliver a shipment to the kingdom of Macadamia, they are in for more than they bargained for with the kingdom's evil vizier. Meanwhile, they also fall for the king's attractive daughter.
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| 60 | "The Ransom of Red Chimp" | February 21, 1991 | ||||
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Louie's aunt, Aunt Louise, visits him and turns out to be more than a handful as she is just as much of a party animal as her nephew. She even goes after Don Karnage, who tries to kidnap her.
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| 61 | "Your Baloo's in the Mail" | February 22, 1991 | ||||
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When Rebecca wins a contest, she has Baloo mail the winning ticket for her. Unfortunately, Baloo spends most of the money on food rather than postage, and now has to help speed the mail along so it can get delivered in time. Title reference: the phrase "Your check's in the mail" | ||||||
| 62 | "Paradise Lost" | February 25, 1991 | ||||
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Baloo and Wildcat take an explorer to an island that looks deserted but restores prehistoric life when a magical river runs through it.
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| 63 | "The Incredible Shrinking Molly" | April 8, 1991 | ||||
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Molly finds herself caught in a mad scientist's lab and inadvertently gets herself shrunk. It's up to Baloo, Rebecca and Kit to go to the scientist's lab and find a way to get Molly un-shrunk. Title reference: The Incredible Shrinking Man | ||||||
| 64 | "Bygones" | May 3, 1991 | ||||
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When Baloo meets a pilot who claims he is Rick Sky, who had vanished some twenty years ago, Sky takes the Sea Duck to finish a mission he had failed to complete. Baloo has to evade air pirates, get the Sea Duck back, and find out who this mysterious pilot really is.
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| 65 | "Flying Dupes" | August 8, 1991 | ||||
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Series Finale: Baloo is asked to deliver a package, which is actually a bomb, to the Thembrian High Marshal. Meanwhile, Colonel Spigot is instructed to fly a plane but doesn't know how, and Baloo offers to teach him if he will complete the delivery for him.
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References
- "Special two-hour television feature 'Tale Spin: Plunder and Lightning' set to launch Disney's new animated series". press release. PR Newswire. August 14, 1990. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ""TaleSpin" Plunder & Lightning (TV episode 1990) - IMDb". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-02-14.
- "Additional Information about the TV Cartoon Plunder And Lightning". Bcdb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
- "TaleSpin (TV Series 1990–1991)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
- "TaleSpin - Episode Guide". TV.com. Retrieved 2013-10-20.
- "Tale Spin (a Titles & Air Dates Guide)". Epguides.com. 2011-07-31. Retrieved 2013-10-20.