(Happy music playing)

An animated city is by a river.

A title appears on a green hill. Text reads: TVOkids and ABC presents Big Words, Small Stories

Children say, BIG WORDS, SMALL STORIES

Text reads: Corn Caper. Written by Lorin Clarke

Cris says, CORN CAPER

(Music playing)

Cris jumps on a trampoline. He wears a helmet over brown hair, and a green sweater and red pants. The cat, Crat, also wears a helmet and sits on the trampoline, reading a book.

Cris says, LET'S SEE WHO CAN JUMP THE HIGHEST.

Crat says, SORRY... READING MYSTERIOUS... DETECTIVE TRIPPLETHORPE... BOOK.

Cris asks, HOW CAN YOU WHEN I'M DOING AMAZING THINGS LIKE THIS?!

Cris bounces and Crat’s book goes flying.

Crat cries, AH! MY BOOK!

The book sails over a fence. Grandpa Rex opens a gate. He is bald with grey hair on the sides of his head and wears a yellow vest over a red turtleneck. He carries a cane.

Cris calls, GRANDPA REX! CAN WE GO INTO YOUR VEGGIE GARDEN TO GET OUR BOOK?

Grandpa Rex says, SURE! CAN YOU CHECK ON MY CORN? I CAN'T SEE WITHOUT MY GLASSES.

Crat picks up the book.

Crat says, AH, PHEW!

Cris says, WAIT. THERE WERE 3 ROWS OF CORN YESTERDAY. NOW THERE'S ONLY ONE.

Crat says, OOH! WE'VE GOT A REAL MYSTERY TO SOLVE!

Cris asks, WHAT'S HAPPENED? THIS HAS GOT ME ALL... ALL... PERPLEXED!

The colourful Sprinklers appear.

Yellow text reads: Perplexed

Sprinklers cry, PERPLEXED!

The Sprinkle Fairy flies in. She has grey hair in two coils on top of her head and holds a wand with a gold star on the end.

The Sprinkle Fairy says, PERPLEXED MEANS PUZZLED OR CONFUSED. LIKE CRIS AND CRAT HAVING NO IDEA WHY THAT CORN IS MISSING.

Cris asks, DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CORN?

The Sprinkle Fairy says, NOT A CLUE. AND I'D LOVE TO FIND OUT BUT I'VE GOT A YOGA DATE WITH THE TOOTH FAIRY. TOOODLES!

Crat says, COME ON! WE'RE ON THE CASE.

Crat takes a picture of a hole in the dirt. Cris writes in a notebook.

Cris says, NO CLEAR FOOTPRINTS. VERY ODD. WE NEED TO FIND SOMEONE WHO SAW WHAT HAPPENED.

Crat says, THE PLOT THICKENS!

Cris and Crat walk away. Two tiny Sprinklers plant a bean in the garden.

Aunt Delilah runs out of a building, carrying a full garbage bag. She has red hair and wears a pink shirt.

Delilah says, EXCUSE ME, DARLINGS! I'M TERRIBLY LATE! I'M PLAYING AN ONION IN 'A TALE OF TWO VEGETABLES'.

(Fake dramatic weeping)

Delilah hurries away.

Cris says, POOR AUNTIE. ONIONS MAKE ME CRY TOO. CROSS HER OFF THE LIST, CRAT. SHE'S ALWAYS AT REHEARSALS.

Cris’s Mom is in a kitchen. She has a bowl with two ears of corn.

(Gasp)

Cris says, MOM? YOU STOLE GRANDPA'S CORN?!
Mom says, I BEG YOUR PARDON? I BOUGHT THIS!

Crat says, YOU SURE ABOUT THAT? TWO ROWS OF CORN ARE MISSING FROM THAT GARDEN.

Crat takes a picture of Mom.

Mom says, I'VE GOT A BOWLFUL, NOT A SACKFUL. BUT I AM PERPLEXED. WAIT. THAT DOG NEXT DOOR IS ALWAYS EATING SOMETHING.

Mom gives Crat an ear of corn.

Mom says, HERE. TEST IF HE LIKES CORN OR NOT.

A brown dog sleeps outside the apartment building. Crat takes a picture of it. Cris puts the corn in front of the dog, but it gets up and walks away.

Cris’s dad comes out of the building. He has brown hair and wears a yellow shirt and blue tie.

Dad asks, HEY. WHAT ARE YOU TWO UP TO?

Yellow text reads: Perplexed

Cris says, WE'RE PERPLEXED, TRYING TO SOLVE THE CASE OF THE MISSING CORN. ANY IDEA WHO MIGHT HAVE TAKEN IT?

Dad says, IF I WERE TO GUESS, IT'S THAT CHIPMUNK! NOTHING'S SAFE. NOT MY SANDWICH, MY ICE CREAM, NOT MY TIE!

Cris says, CHIPMUNK? GREAT! THANKS!

The two tiny Sprinklers bring a hose to the garden. A pink Sprinkles sprays a yellow Sprinkler with water.

A chipmunk sits on a blue cap.

(Chipmunk chatter)

Crat says, OH! CORN UPSETS YOUR TUMMY?

(Upset noises)

Cris says, WELL, THANKS. SORRY WE ACCUSED YOU.
The chipmunk jumps away. It reaches back and steals Cris’s pencil.

Crat says, WELL, I GUESS WE JUST SIT AND WATCH THE VEGGIE GARDEN ALL NIGHT.

Cris says, I HAVE A BETTER IDEA. COME ON!

Cris puts a camera in the garden.

Cris says, ONCE THE THIEF IS ON CAMERA, WE WON'T BE PERPLEXED ANYMORE.

Text reads: Perplexed

The sun sets and rises. Cris and his family gather in the kitchen. Cris holds the camera.

Crat says, THE MOMENT OF TRUTH!

The camera shows Delilah picking corn.

(All gasp)

Everyone cries, AUNT DELILAH?!

Delilah comes in.

Delilah says, YES, DARLING HEARTS? WHAT IS IT?

Crat says, OF COURSE! THAT'S IT! AUNT DELILAH WAS REHEARSING 'A TALE OF TWO VEGETABLES'. CORN IS A VEGETABLE!

Cris says, IT'S ACTUALLY A FRUIT.

Delilah says, IT IS? GOOD GRIEF, I'M GOING TO HAVE TO REWRITE THE ENTIRE PLAY!

Cris says, YOU COULD JUST CHANGE THE TITLE?

Delilah says, CLEVER BOY. BUT YES, I HAVE BEEN USING GRANDPA'S CORN IN MY PLAY. IT LOOKS SIMPLY MARVELOUS ON STAGE!

Grandpa Rex says, OH DOES IT? WAIT! YOU TOOK MY CORN?

(Dramatic sigh)

Delilah says, I TOLD YOU ALL THIS IN A POSTCARD!

Grandpa Rex says, OH NO. MY GLASSES WERE BEING MENDED. I COULDN'T READ FOR DAYS! I ACCIDENTALLY ORDERED 200 CARROTS FROM THE SHOP.

(Laughs)

Rex asks, NEED CARROTS?

Delilah says, MAYBE THEY COULD BE IN THE PLAY INSTEAD!

(Music playing)

The two tiny Sprinklers stand in the garden. A flower suddenly sprouts and knocks one over.

Cris says, WELL DONE, DETECTIVE CRATTLETHORPE!

Crat says, NOW WHERE DID I PUT MY BOOK? EH... LOOKS LIKE WE'RE PERPLEXED AGAIN!

(Laughing)

(Music playing)

Credits read: Produced in Association with tvokids.
Executive Producer TVOkids Marney Malabar
Production Executive TVOkids Kirsten Hurd

Produced with the Association of The Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Executive Producer ABC Jan Stradling

Copyright 2021 Big Jump Productions Inc., Moody Street Kids Pty Ltd. and Telegael