| The Berenstain Bears and the Baby Chipmunk | |
| Season 1, Episode 11a | |
| Series: The Berenstain Bears (2002) | |
 | |
| Air date | February 3, 2003 |
| Written by | Alice Prodanou |
| Directed by | Scott Glynn & Gary Hurst |
| Preceded by The Berenstain Bears and the Green-Eyed Monster |
Followed by The Berenstain Bears: The Wishing Star |
“Baby wild things make good pets for a while, but in time must be let go with a smile.”
—Sister Bear
The Berenstain Bears and the Baby Chipmunk is the first segment of the eleventh episode in season one of The Berenstain Bears. It first aired on February 3, 2003 and is based on the book of the same name.
Summary[]
Sister adopts a baby chipmunk, which she later names "Brown Eyes". Papa tells her that chipmunks don't belong in the treehouse, but lets Sister keep it until its mother returns.
Plot[]
Brother and Sister are out in their front yard tossing a baseball back and forth. Brother prepares his "over the shoulder twister", and Sister readies herself to catch it. When Brother tosses the baseball, it flies toward Papa's hammock and lands near a tree. He remarks his throw could use some practicing, with Sister adding that chasing the ball would also help. She goes to get the ball and notices a little chipmunk sleeping on a clump of leaves, as well as attracting Brother, Papa, and Mama's attention.
Sister tries to pet the chipmunk, but Papa stops her and states that the chipmunk belongs outside so its mama could find it. Brother then calls Sister away, to which she grabs the baseball and leaves. Later, Mama notices Brother plays catch by himself while Sister watches the baby chipmunk. She tells Mama that the baby chipmunk's mother hasn't returned, concerning Mama. It starts to get dark and Sister asks Mama if she could take the baby chipmunk inside. Papa reminds her that the baby chipmunk is a wild animal and must be left outside. However, he changes his mind as he notices several storm clouds moving in, to which Sister jumps for joy, but Papa adds that they're watching the baby chipmunk for one night only. He wraps the baby chipmunk inside a paper towel and Sister carries it inside.
Inside the house, the cubs notice the baby chipmunk nibbling on its paw. Mama improvises and has Sister fetch one of her dolls' baby bottles with Brother finding something for the baby chipmunk to sleep in. She takes the chipmunk to the kitchen to get it something to eat. In the kitchen, Mama prepares some milk. Sister runs into the kitchen carrying a small plastic baby bottle while Brother runs in carrying a small box. As Sister gives the chipmunk the milk, it opens its eyes, delighting the cubs. Brother suggests naming the chipmunk "Chipzilla", but Sister insists on naming it "Brown Eyes". Brown Eyes then goes to sleep and Sister places it inside the box.
The next morning at breakfast, Sister gives Brown Eyes some more milk and it falls asleep. Later that day, Papa returns to the treehouse from cutting wood and leaving out nuts for the mother chipmunk. Sister returns home from school and goes to give Brown Eyes its milk. She remarks that all Brown Eyes does is eat and sleep, and Mama adds that it's natural for babies to do that. Sister then says that papas do the same thing, prompting Papa to respond; "Hey! I heard that!"
Upstairs, Sister introduces her dolls to Brown Eyes and it tries to nibble on one of them. The next morning, the cubs run into the kitchen to find that the box Brown Eyes slept in is empty. Sister becomes worried and she and Brother run about the house looking for Brown Eyes. After looking everywhere, they run into the kitchen and Sister tells them they can't find Brown Eyes. Papa reminds her that Brown Eyes is a wild animal and it belongs outside. Suddenly, the sugar jar top starts shaking, and Brown Eyes leaps onto Brother's face. Papa again reminds Sister why wild animals belong outside. Sister promises she'll take good care of Brown Eyes, and Papa agrees to let her keep Brown Eyes. Mama then tells the cubs that Brown Eyes isn't a baby anymore and has them go fetch some nuts for it to snack on.
It becomes quite busy for the Bear family, as Brown Eyes eats various nuts, nibbles on a chair Papa is making in his workshop, and bites into three apples that Papa tries to eat. Later, while Mama is knitting, she sees three balls of yarn rolling out of her nearby basket and sees Brown Eyes coming through the hole it made. It then runs up Papa's leg and bites on it, causing Papa to jump out of his chair. Mama has Brother join her in the kitchen to make honey apples while Papa sits with Sister and reminds her that Brown Eyes isn't a baby anymore. Sister comes to realize that Brown Eyes is a wild animal and agrees to put it back outside where it belongs.
The next day, Sister places Brown Eyes next to the tree where she found him and sadly watches as it leaves. Shortly after, Brown Eyes returns with its mother and two other chipmunks and they race into the hole inside the tree. It then comes back out to say goodbye to Sister as she returns to the treehouse and Brown Eyes goes back inside the tree with the acorn it picked up.
Appearances:[]
- Papa Q. Bear
- Mama Bear
- Brother Bear
- Sister Bear
- Brown Eyes The Chipmunk
Differences From the Book[]
- In the book, the story was focusing on Brother and Sister. In the cartoon, the story was focusing on Sister.
- Honey Bear doesn’t appear in the cartoon unlike how she appeared in the book this episode was based on.
Trivia[]
- This is one of the few episodes where a character cry.
Gallery:[]
