"the electric company" is brought to you by... find your voice and share it, american greetings, proud sponsor of "the electric company." agreement from the u.s. department of education's ready to learn grant, and viewers like you, thank you. okay, here are your five words: tip -- when something tips, it leans over to one side. weight -- weight is how heavy something is. scale -- a scale is a tool you use to figure out how heavy something is. add -- when you add things, you are putting them together.

fabulous -- when someone or something is fabulous, it's really, really great. so we have tip, weight, scale, add, and fabulous. watch out for them in today's show. hey, marcus. oh, hey, keith. why are you watching nothing? nothing? that nothing is about to be rob robson! rob robson, the game show host? yes. hey! i'm rob robson! it's on! it's on! it's on! i entered my name to be in "tip it or dip it." let's find out who will be this week's contestants on "tip it or dip it." who will get the chance to win the fabulous prize of a year's supply of pickles? i really do enjoy pickles. paul, pick the first letter! pick an m. an m! yeah! if your name begins with the letter m, you're in the running, and by the looks of it, we have a lot of people

whose names begin with m. paul, second letter. a, come on, paul, pick an a! an a! yeah! yes! we have two names that begin with ma -- marcus barnes and manny spamboni. marcus and manny, we'll see you both tomorrow at the studio. but first, i have a very special announcement. for many, many, many, many -- some might say too many years, i've been the host of "tip it or dip it." but now i'm hosting a new show, "monkey see, monkey do," with paul the gorilla. we'll miss you, rob. so starting today we'll be testing new guest hosts for "tip it or dip it." the guest host who does the best job, gets the job. let's meet this week's guest host. maybe it's kobe bryant! maybe it's darth vader. the wonderful, the brilliant, the always fabulous, francine carruthers!

hello, tippers and dippers! no! yes! hey, you guys! ♪ ♪ the power we perfected is electrically connected ♪ ♪ so use it as directed and expect to be respected ♪ ♪ electric company electric company ♪ ♪ electric company... electric company! ♪ marcus, marcus, marcus... may the best lifelong fan of "tip it or dip it" win. zing! (cackling) that was weak, spamboni. (cackling) marcus, look at me. you're looking at the one-time champion of "friend or ant." yeah, you're like a legend. i know. so i have one piece of advice for you.

just forget about your opponents and focus on the pickles. i really do like pickles. "tip it or dip it" contestant's guide. i don't need that. i can play that game in my sleep. i've never seen it. can we still watch? okay. congratulations, contestant, and now let's meet our host for this week, the fabulous francine. hello, contestants! here's how to play "tip it or dip it." ♪ this is a scale. we will put up all the pudding on one side of the scale. the weight of the pudding, which is surprisingly heavy, will make the scale tip to one side. your job is to tip the scale using hot dogs, dirty socks, or rubber chickens. when you add enough objects to the other side, you will tip the scale and win, and you will need to put these three objects

in the basket, using either your knees, your elbows, or your chin. and remember -- remember, contestants, if you are not the first to tip the scale, you will have to dip that part of your body into a bowl of pudding. good luck! and we'll see you on "tip it or dip it." what is up with that double-wink? i need to talk to you about your double-wink. francine, how can i say this, it's not working. it's not working? it looks weird, like you got something in your eye, and america's not going to like it. i just want to make sure that i have my special game show thing, you know, like your spin and point. yeah, well you definitely need something special, but just not the wink. i'll be right back after these messages! francine! not now, manny! i'm thinking.

i want you to help me cheat. no, no cheating. but you love cheating. not this time... rob wouldn't like it. what if i help you come up with your fabulous francine thing? okay, we could cheat a little. (laughter) i'll be right back. soon, i'll have my special thing and then i'll be the greatest game show host ever. i'm back! now, francine, tell me what is more fabulous than windblown hair. windblown hair. slip into this spamboni hurricane bracelet fan, and with the touch of a button, voila. i love it. i hope rob robson chooses me to be the next guest host. really? you think you got the goods? watch this... it is time for the world's most exciting game show.

let us tip it or perhaps dip it. what do you think? a little flat. i think you'd better watch this. need a little something to make your sentences match your mood? a simple squirt of expression! can fit any mood. or like you had too much sugar -- now available in a convenient travel size...expression! "house of horrors," scene 12... and action! oh no, i've got to get out of here. cut! mummy, what was that? i was reading the lines from the cue card. yeah but, you need to be horrified. see? look at these exclamation points. that means that you need to add some feeling like -- oh no! i've got to get out of here!

oh no! i've got to get out of here! well, that had feeling, but the wrong feeling. remember, you have to sound scared, not excited! let's try it again. you can do it! and action! oh no! i've got to get out of here! and cut! way to go, mummy! mummy? where is he going? weird... i'm an actor, which means that i have to be able to play all sorts of different characters. take this line... now, i could perform that line in hundreds of different ways. let's see if you can guess my character, ready?

i was an ice cream loving lion tamer named ned. did you get it? oh, okay. well, here's another one... that time i was a space alien named nordeldorp, who doesn't have ice cream on his home planet. poor thing. here's another... that time i was the ice cream man's five-year-old son, clark. it's weird that clark calls his dad "ice cream man" but clark is a weird kid. let's see what else... oh! the ice cream man! and a note... (applause) thanks, ice cream man.

so what's happened so far? yay, i'm going to be on "tip it or dip it." me, too. and i'm going to be the host. uh-oh, hey you guys! let me explain how this game works. it's all about weight, and to measure this weight, we need a scale. a scale tells us how heavy something is. on one side of the scale we put pudding. more weight, more weight, more weight. the weight tips the scale to one side. let's watch the scale tip again. just look at it drop to one side. the players then have to add weight to the other side. if they add enough weight to the scale, it tips, and they win. those are the rules. they must not be broken. help me break the rules. okay. guys, i think i'm going to need some practice before the show. come on, let's go. you guys coming? no, no, we got to hang here. okay, see you later, shock. and we'll catch you later. get out, now. ♪

come on! come on! what are you doing? (yelling) ♪ ♪ i can't do it, i can't do this. ♪ (cheering) ♪ (cheering) ♪ (whistle blowing) okay, how are we going to cheat? i'll add this barbell to marcus' pudding. it's so heavy, he'll never be able to tip the scale, no matter

how many hot dogs, socks, or chickens he puts in there. gotcha. whoa! this is where it all happens. hey, paul! it looks so much bigger on tv. hey paul, where's the audience? (crowd cheering) there is no audience! it's game show magic, marcus. ♪ your windblown effect is fabulous. you've finally found your special francine thing. thanks, rob. i learned from the best. thanks for saying. let's get this started. okay, everybody. it's time to get to tipping and a-dipping. everyone, take their places in five, four, three, two --

ladies and gentlemen, welcome to "tip it or dip it." thank you, thank you. it's with great pleasure that i introduce tonight's guest host, the fabulous francine! ♪ thanks, rob. okay, who will win the grand prize of 365 pickles? let's meet our contestants -- manny spamboni! and marty farms. that's marcus barnes. okay, close enough. here's how the scoring works. the winner of the first round wins three points. the winner of the second round wins one million points. the winner of the third round wins one million four points. are we ready to play? paul, spin the wheel! ♪ ooh, knees and socks. that means you must carry socks with your knees.

you may only use your hands to grab socks from the bin and place them in the bowl. the first contestant to add enough weight to tip the scale wins the round. the loser has to dip his knees in pudding. (laughter) and go! and they're off. whose strategy will work? oh, it looks like marcus is a fast starter, but manny's got a fancy spin. backing up, he's backing up. hey, look at manny spamboni's hip hop. oh, oh, marcus is fading. is he fading? manny's got a lot of vibrancy in him still. marcus is dumping it in there. he's doing his signature hop. tips the scale first! and manny's won the round! that's three points for manny spamboni! and you have to dip your knees in pudding. my scale should have tipped! okay, less snipping, more dipping.

♪ oh, that must feel great. we'll be right back after these messages. how am i doing? good job, francine! i would try a few more chuckles, though. (laughter) something is wrong! i mean, marcus' scale should have tipped. i know. manny must have rigged it. he must have added more weight to marcus' scale. let's go check it out. and we're back! or not. oh, that's not right. manny is not playing fair. what a shame. you know what i'd like to do? i'd like to go over there and peck him on the shoulder. you know, not hard, just enough of a peck so he'd say hey,

hey, who just pecked me on the shoulder? you know what i mean? i do, but maybe you should cool down and watch this first. yeah, yeah, good thinking. sweet. whoa. this is awesome. ♪ ♪ reading with feeling and learning the meaning ♪ ♪ expressing the words will help you out ♪ ♪ when you're reading a story ♪ and a character speaks (yeah, c'mon!) ♪ ♪ you better read it with feeling ♪ ♪ or you might fall asleep ♪ so when they whisper a secret, go... ♪ i ate the last slice! ♪ or shout when they're mad... that wasn't very nice! ♪ laugh at something funny who put dresses on those mice? ♪ or cry when they're sad

♪ now you're reading with feeling ♪ ♪ and learning the meaning ♪ expressing the words is where it's at ♪ ♪ oh, now you see you're reading with feeling, it's a snap ♪ yeah! wow...i just found these stories i wrote when i was seven years old. i used to make characters based on all the little critters that lived in our garden. let's see, where are they? see, this is bruce, a ladybug. in my stories, he talked like this. "yo, just because i'm a ladybug doesn't mean i'm a lady. there are guy ladybugs too, charlie." for some reason, he called everybody charlie. eleanor -- the world's only earthworm who hates dirt. i imagine her voice like this.

"for once, can we just please stay in a hotel and get room service?" oh, my favorite character! courtney -- the opera singing daredevil moth. courtney would do these amazing flying stunts while singing. ♪ i am doing a flip in the air... ♪ i'll read you part of one of the stories. let's see, okay. suddenly, courtney the daredevil moth came in for a crash landing. ♪ look out... she said, then splat! she landed in the mud and everybody got filthy. eleanor said, "i am not pleased." bruce said, "don't worry, charlie, i'll clean you off with the hose." ♪ how nice of you, bruce... said courtney. bruce said, "charlie, just 'cause i'm not a lady, doesn't mean i'm not a gentleman." good point, bruce, good point.

i've made my decision. i'm not going to peck manny on the shoulder. oh yeah? how come? well look, i don't like that he added the extra weight to marcus' pudding bowl and that he's winning the game show by cheating, but -- and here's the important part -- pecking is not nice, and i'm a nice bird. you really, really are. hello, and welcome back to round two! are you ready to play? paul, spin that wheel! ooh, hot dogs and elbows. so the challenge in round two is to carry hot dogs with your elbows. the first contestant to tip the scale wins the round! the round is worth one million points! and go! it looks like they're off to a pretty even start. look at that technique.

marcus has dumped in his scale first, but manny's got some fabulous elbows that really can't be beat. who will tip their scale first? i can see the panic on marcus' face. manny looks cool as a cucumber. they're going, they're going, and manny wins again! good job! now manny leads marvin... marcus. sorry. ...a million and three to zero. sorry, melvin. marcus! whatever. now martimere has to dip his elbows in the pudding. crowd: ewww! no, it's awww... but don't be too upset, the last round is worth a million and four points! ♪

time out! okay, time out. i found this in my pudding. the extra weight kept me from tipping the scale. okay, what do you want me to do about it? nothing. francine, there's no such thing as timeouts. we're live on the air. you're on your own, manny. but -- hope you like pudding. see, without that extra weight, their pudding bowls would weigh the same, and marcus has a chance. all right. okay, welcome to round three! paul, spin that wheel! and the next challenge is chicken and chins. now it's time for some inspirational sports music.

♪ add a chicken... add a chicken... ♪ ♪ add a chicken... got to tip the scales ♪ ♪ add a chicken... add a chicken... ♪ ♪ add a chicken... 'til you tip the scales ♪ the little guy is faster, the rubber chicken master. now his pace is quickening; the boy is really chickening. the big guy's catching up, the little guy is checking him. good thing they're made of rubber, or the chickens would be pecking them. the big guy's going to win... once he gets these in. wait a sec, the little guy is breaking out the spin! ♪ the spin...the spin... the spin...the spin... ♪ and the little guy wins! (cheering)

let's see the final score. a million three... to a million four. marty barnes is our winner. rob, tell him what he's won. he's won a year's supply of pickles! that's right, you'll receive one pickle per day for an entire year! i really do enjoy pickles. and manny gets to dip his head in pudding. but i don't want to dip my head. it's okay, we'll help you. paul, get to dipping! super speed... (screaming) (laughter)

francine, that was fabulous! nothing to chuckle about, rob. this job is impossible. i always say that game show hosting is not for the faint of heart. we'll see you next time with a brand new host on "tip it or dip it!" boom! prankster planet! ♪ ♪ kapow! prankster planet! ♪ the wordsuckeruppernator is sucking up words ♪ ♪ so it's jessica and marcus to the rescue! ♪ ♪ there are 13 buttons to shut it down ♪ ♪ but pushing them all is up to you! ♪ ♪ boom! prankster planet! ♪ kapow! prankster planet! meanwhile in the city... as boy-wonder marcus uses his super map reading skills to uncover the secret location of the next off button... ...jessica uses her regular eyes to see on top of that -- building? what is that thing? that is mam -- manny's awesome museum!

i built it to show off all my amazing inventions. count vacula, the wordpufferuppernator, my word mangler, and as a bonus, to keep that off button away from you. (cackling) that's too bad. we really would love to visit your museum. you do have so many amazing inventions. okay, you can come in, as long as you really promise not to push that off button. both: we promise. here is a list of exhibits, a coupon for the gift store, and headphones for the audio tour. thanks for your support. (laughing) can you believe how easy that was, marcus? marcus? wow, manny has a gadget that turns gravy fries into cheesy fries? there it is! let's go! (screaming) what happened? this metal platform is connected to that platform. we tipped down because there's more weight on our side.

it's like a giant scale. right, do you have anything heavy you can put there so the weight will be equal and the scale will tip back down? all i have are these dumbbells. what? i like to exercise on the go. ugh! i guess i could get rid of these sandbags, this suitcase, this bowling ball, oh, and this souvenir anchor from the uss marcus. no, marcus! that's too much! both: whoa! sorry. hey you guys! go to pbskidsgo.org, press that off button! the electric company needs you! now let's hear your game sh... what? now let me hear your sorrow. (laughs) (deep laugh) okay, that's pretty good. and how about, uh... what was that? - i've been training for this... i was in training for this. that's okay. i'm sorry. yeah! yeah! whoo! whoo!

ader isn't just about being bossy, it's about collaborating. i'm fantastic at collaborating. are you okay with francine being team leader? what do you think, 600 cookies are gonna bake themselves? we're gonna need a bigger oven. help us. mix faster! is this how you collaborate? whoa! mr. loronald! hey guys. do you have my cookies? - let's go! we're in the wild with wild kratts. going where no human has gone before not anymore! hah-hah-hah heh-heh-heh ha-ha-ha-ha watch wild kratts! weekdays on pbs kids go! or anytime at p-b-s kids go dot org. "the electric company" is brought to you by...

find your voice and share it, american greetings, proud sponsor of "the electric company." agreement from the u.s. department of education's ready to learn grant, and viewers like you, thank you. looks like we both have a lot of catching up to do. well, visit pbskidsgo.org, where you can play a lot of games for your favorite characters, and win votes, too. well, go ahead, what are you waiting for? guys, i've been training -- i'm sorry. this is totally a blooper. (laughing) marcus... (laughter)

wild kratts is made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ wild kratts chris: we're here off the coast of south america, in the caribbean sea. it's us, the kratt brothers. i'm chris. and i'm martin. most fish spend the beginning of their lives drifting out there on the open ocean, floating around as tiny, microscopic fish together in a mass called plankton. they live that way until they're ready to leave the plankton. that's when they head to one of the most remarkable habitats on earth-- the coral reef. martin: and the coral reef has more different kinds of creatures living on it than any other habitat in the ocean.

let's see how many creatures we can find in one minute down there. ♪ chris: a moray eel! our first reef creature. these guys are ambush predators with a powerful bite. and look at that cool, twisty swimming style. martin: over there. boxfish. these guys are slow, but not many other fish eat them because their skin is poisonous. three. parrotfish. chris: four. a cowfish. martin: five. soldier fish. chris: six. tobacco fish. martin: ah! there are way too many to count. all different shapes and colors, the reef is alive with life. ooh, a blowfish! chris: i love these little guys. they're awesome and cute. and this type of blowfish is known as a porcupine fish. he's a simple little fish with one of the coolest, most incredible defenses in the entire ocean. uh-oh, our minute is up. martin: what-- but how many reef fish did we find? chris: a lot!

imagine if we could go along with the young fish as they journey to their home on the reef. and experience an incredible creature power that one of these fish uses to survive on the reef. what if? ♪ on adventure with the coolest creatures ♪ ♪ from the oceans to the trees ♪ ♪ the brothers kratt are going places you never get to see ♪ ♪ hanging with their creature friends ♪ ♪ get ready, it's the hour ♪ ♪ we're gonna save some animals today with ♪ ♪ creature power ♪ gonna go wild, wild kratts ♪ gonna go wild, wild, wild kratts ♪ ♪ gonna go wild, wild kratts ♪ gonna go wild, wild, wild ♪ cheetah speed and lizard glide ♪ ♪ falcon flight and lion pride ♪ ♪ gonna go wild, wild kratts ♪ gonna go wild, wild, wild kratts ♪ ♪ gonna go wild, wild kratts ♪ gonna go wild, wild, wild kratts ♪ ♪ go wild, wild, wild kratts

♪ ooh! (laughing) (laughing) ugh! (chris chuckling) hey, whoa! oof. ugh! (chuckling) wait till they see this. i found some really big balloons. hmm? where'd they go? whoa! whoa! ugh. aviva: yes! girls win! in a blowout. better luck next time, guys. hey, nothing like a water balloon fight to cool things off on a hot caribbean day.

good game, team tortuga. that water balloon came out of nowhere. so did that. look! aviva: uh-oh. guess who? donita donata. endangered animal fashion designer. what is she doing here? oh, let's see. looking for sea snake belts or clown fish earrings or who knows what. but definitely something not very nice to creatures. we'll go check it out. yeah, we're already wet, so we'll sneak up from bottom-side and find out what she's up to. (grunting) aviva: good luck. martin & chris: thanks. quick, hide! there's nowhere to go. let's go mini-sized, super-tiny. there. now, pretend you're a piece of floating sea scum. uh, you be the sea scum. i'll be a bubble.

nope. no fishies here, donita. it worked! they didn't see us. hey, chris, but we're not the only little guys down here. check it out. we're in a crowd of plankton. awesome! i've always wanted to be a part of the plankton, the basis of all sea life. oh, there are creatures that spend their whole lives floating around here, like amphipods. and millions upon billions of baby fish the size of a pinhead. imagine that-- spending the entire first part of your life just floating around in the open sea in a plankton swarm. it's a giant floating nursery for baby fish. (chuckling) hey, cute blobby buddy. this guy looks like he's old enough to leave the plankton soon. you're a little underwater blimp. i'll name you blimpy. but what kind of fish are you, anyway?

i don't recognize you yet. where will he live when he leaves the plankton? aviva: earth to kratt brothers. come in, tiny brothers. woo! distracted much? oh, sorry. got sidetracked in this plankton. it's like outer space in the sea. come on, you've got to figure out what donita is doing here. we're on it! whoa! both: whoa! it's a rip current. we're getting sucked into it! whoa! i'm swimming forward but going backward. chris, the miniaturizer. we need to get big to beat this thing. uh-oh, there goes the miniaturizer! we're part of the plankton now. well, blimpy knows where he's going. yeah, we're sticking with you, buddy.

but you do realize we could be going anywhere, right? we could end up completely lost! (gulping) aviva, koki, you've got to find us. just look for this kind of fish! hey, what kind is it? we don't know yet, but it looks like this. got it? just follow that fish. no! no, we didn't get it. whoa! no! they're out of range. yeah, somewhere in 17 quadrillion gallons of seawater. ocean currents take plankton all over the world, for thousands upon thousands of miles. they could end up anywhere. we'll never find them. but we've got to. yes, that greenish film. that's the plankton. we can't let it out of our sight. but what about donita? we can't let her out of our sight, either. aviva: if we lose the plankton, we might lose the guys forever. kick it, jimmy. follow that plankton.

gack! on it. are we there yet? where? uh, anywhere but in the middle of the ocean? nope. aviva: the plankton trail is shifting a little to the left, jz. righty-o. uh, i mean, lefty-o. got it. there are thousands of different kinds of fish larvae in plankton. how am i ever going to figure out what kind of fish that little blimpy guy is? type in "blimpy guy"? hmm. martin: water, water! nothing but water. we've got to land somewhere. anywhere. (gasping) colors! beautiful colors. dude, you're starting to see things.

hold it together. oh, wait, i see it, too. it's-- it's beautiful! ♪ chris: (chuckling) we've arrived! the coral reef! ha-ha! it's the ultimate destination. the place where most of the baby fish will end up calling home. oh, yeah. the big city of sea life. home to more different kinds of creatures than any other ocean habitat. make way for another reef dweller. blimpy is ready to leave the plankton and start living on the reef. i'm ready, too. let's do it, blimpy. wait. how will the gang find us here? we showed them what kind of fish to look for. if we stick with the fish, they'll find us. (gasping) jimmy, stop!

huh? stop the boat. reverse engines! (lever clicking) ugh! oof. a coral reef! wow. we almost ended up a shipwreck. chris and martin will be getting off here. i just know it. i'm glad you do, because i never know what those brothers will do next. they won't want to be drifting at sea forever, but they will stick with whatever type of fish we last saw them with. do you have an id on that little guy yet? not yet. the fish are all different sizes and shapes and every color imaginable: blue, green, orange, purple-- pink? yeah, pink too. no, pink! there. oh, that pink. donita donata pink. she must've been looking for the reef, too. jimmy, we're taking the amphipod. we're on a double mission: find the kratt bros and find out once and for all what donita is doing here. (door whirring and clicking shut)

good luck. both: thanks. martin: whoa, lots of hustle and bustle down here on the reef. is this the spot, blimpy? you want to live here? martin: blimpy likes it. okay, well, we're sticking with you, so... ...how about we move into this one, chris? not bad. let's check out the inside. martin: can't see much, but seems roomy. plenty of space. chris: you mean for three of us? who's that guy? oh, hi. heh-heh. uh, those are some big eyes. yeah. see, we didn't know this coral cave was taken, and so, we'll just-- we'll just be on our way. bye! whew! that was close, wasn't it, chris? chris? chris! brother! oof!

chris: he's friendly. (chuckling) it's a grown-up version of blimpy. so, that confirms it. blimpy is a-- blowfish! of course. we should've seen the resemblance. blimpy, this is, uh-- puffy. can i call you puffy? and puffy, this is blimpy. you're neighbors now. and even though you know it by instinct, puffy can show us all a few things about life on the reef, blowfish style. what are you blowing into the sand for? whoa! go on, blimpy. give it a try. just squirt a stream of water into the sand and i guess we'll find something important. hey, guys. that's weird. (gasping) oh, he found a crab! you better be glad he didn't find you, martin.

look at those teeth. he crunches through crab exoskeletons, no problem. oh, that's because those teeth are fused together into powerful crab-crunchers. hmm? uh, nothing to crunch over here. ♪ dispatching telescoping camera. (telescopic mechanism whirring) aviva: let's see what they're up to. i think she's designing some sort of hat. nice hat. yes, dabio. it's a fashion trend that's all the rage in europe: tiny, cute hats. but these are boring compared to my designs. this fish will make the perfect little hat. a fish hat? no! that's a new low for donita.

what in the world kind of fish could she want for a hat? this we got to see. actually, more like a crown. a sea crown for me, the fashion queen. see? oh, that's nice, donita. (chuckling) hey, little guy. oh, he's cute. mwah-mwah-mwah. (chuckling) arrr, but strong. ugh, will you just move for one second? mwah-mwah-mwah. enough already. get the hydro vacuum ready, dabio. hmm? we must keep searching for this fish. well, we know they're looking for a fish; we just don't know what it looks like. sounds familiar. i've been through 3,000 little baby fish and still don't know which kind the kratt brothers are with. woo-hoo! this is fun. yeah, it's even better than a trampoline. chris: hey, where did puffy go?

puffy? puffy? no way! a grouper. you didn't. puffy! puffy, it's you! you're all blown up like a giant spiky water balloon. nice defense. uh-oh. mayday! now we've got a problem. it's a great defense, and most fish know never to mess with a blowfish, but-- for those that don't, sometimes blowfish can get stuck inside a grouper's mouth, and then both fish could die. hang on, puffy. we'll get you out of there. okay, grouper, you might feel a prick. (both grunting) oh, if only puffy could deflate just a little bit. he's too scared. if he deflates at all, he thinks the grouper might swallow him. gah! whoa, these guys will eat anything! (screaming)

it's not working, martin. i'm going in. going in? where? through the gills. no, you're not! i'll push, you pull. okay, just remember: one wrong move and you're lunch. (coughing) pretty stinky in here. whoa! grouper breath. ready, martin? ready. go! (grunting) chris: got to get you free. ugh! (both screaming) martin: we did it. amazing that he can blow up three times his size. and look, now this grouper knows-- never mess with a blowfish. it's a fish-eat-fish world out here. yeah, and only the fish with good protection survive. and guess what? we don't have any. i hope aviva and koki are tracking us down somehow, because we just might not last.

(spitting) (telescopic mechanism whirring) (screaming) gah! (grunting) (mechanism clicking) hmm. finally i'm getting a view. hey, you look familiar. hmm. (gasping) it's you! got it! aviva: i know the fish donita is after. i know the fish the guys are with! blowfish. they're with a blowfish. and donita wants to make a crown hat out of a-- a blowfish! check this. oh, no. we better find those fish and the slippery kratt bros before donita does. follow that little guy. ta-da! ready, donita. oh, finally. let's go get my crown.

(laughing) i want my crown! dabio: where are you, fishies? fishy, fishy. koki: maybe he'll take us to where he lives or something. he just might lead us straight to martin and chris. here, grab the wheel. in the meantime, i'm going to figure out this blowfish defense power. it's unbelievable. they have stretchy, expandable skin like a balloon so when they gulp water, the volume of their body-- that's the space that it takes up-- grows bigger. just like this balloon does when i put water into it. and with your help, i'm going to make a blowfish power disc. koki: uh, aviva? you might want to-- (screaming) turn the water off first. hmm. thanks. yeah, that's some defense you have. you ever heard of a porcupine? you'd like those guys. hey, chris, blimpy's gone. i wonder where he went.

uh-oh. you recognize that eye? yep. (chuckling) fishy! spiky, crown-y fishy. get it, dabio. (grunting) oh, goody. vacuum pump on. (cackling) chris: oh, puffy! it's too strong! koki: there they are! chris, martin, hang on! chris: we're hanging-- but not for much longer. guys, you look like you need a good defense. blowfish power disc mini edition coming at you. martin: hurry up with that defense! whoa! (mechanism whirring) whoa! activate blowfish power!

♪ to the creature rescue! (laughing) (grunting) martin? yes! how was that? learned it from you. both: huh? uh, donita, there's clog. fix it, dabio. i fix it! martin: oh, no, i can't hold on. i'm slipping. no! (thudding) (trying to speak) martin: you've got to be kidding me. ow, ow, ow! martin kratt? what? donita: there! my fish! pose beam. oh, delightful. a crown hat fit for a fashion queen. doesn't it look sharp?

martin: donita, let that fish go. (trying to speak) hey, i'm as uncomfortable as you are, dabio. but donita, there's a way out of this mess. just let puffy go. i'll deflate and get out of here and believe me, everyone will be much happier. (trying to speak) oh, but it's so pretty. (trying to speak) oh, okay. promise? yes, yes, i promise. (water dribbling) blech! okay, now, that's a situation i never want to be in again. let's go, puffy. sorry. i had my fingers crossed. see? oh, come on! no fair. donita, you can't do that. i just did. i'm not giving up my crown. (telescopic mechanism whirring) ooh, i knew she'd pull something like that. puffy is a fish. she can't wear him on her head. he needs water, fast.

chris: well, let's get him some. i'm all set. send me in. ah. donita, you promised. so? so? so, you have to let him go. donita: do not, 'cause i'm a human and you're a fish. like i said before, nothing like a water balloon to cool things off on a hot caribbean day. blowfish blowout! dabio and donita: oh, no! no, no. (screaming) ugh. martin: puffy? oh, no, you're still stuck in donita's pose beam. (grunting) (electronic beeping) that's better. you're free, puffy. back to the water. yee-haw! ew! i'm soaked. we're out of here, dabio. this place isn't fit for a fashion queen anyway. dabio: yeah, let's find a crown that doesn't hurt so much.

that's a good idea. and leave the reef fish in the water, living free and in the wild. woo-hoo! ♪ well, it's almost mission accomplished. yeah, we saved puffy from becoming a crown. and we found you guys in 17 quadrillion gallons of water. and we got to know one of the greatest defenders on the reef. yeah, just one problem left: we're still miniature. that current could have taken the miniaturizer anywhere. huh? more crabs, puffy? the miniaturizer! (gasping) don't crush it! ha! sweet. thanks, puffy. (miniaturizer beeping) whew! we're back.

all right! okay, now it's mission accomplished. (giggling) so, the blowfish has an incredible defense that helps him survive the busy life on the reef, where there could be a friend or foe in any direction. let's head back to the reef and see what our porcupine fish pal is up to now. ♪ martin: now, where was he? chris: this rock wall looks familiar. this little cave around here-- there he is. hey, buddy. blowfish-- and reef fish in general-- tend to have basic territories around the reef. uh-oh. and somebody else's territory is around here, too: the moray eel. chris: he's on the prowl and heading straight towards the blowfish. our little porcupine fish better look out.

those moray eels are tough predators. they'll eat just about any fish they can fit into those big jaws. martin: but these slow and steady fish are pretty confident about their defense. chris: who wouldn't be if you could blow up into a spiky water balloon? nobody wants to eat that, whether you're a moray eel or this hungry grouper. martin: so, the little blowfish usually gets left alone to swim around the reef in peace. whoa, there are other puffer fish out here, too. chris: like this little banded puffer fish-- a green guy like me. martin: that little puffer fish is searching through the grass, looking for any tasty crustaceans that he can find. chris: and what do blowfish teeth look like? big, flat, grinding front teeth-- perfect for crab-crunching. ho-ho! i could spend all day on the reef.

if only we were fish we could. martin: hey, our goofy little porcupine fish pal is still down there. and we still have a little bit more air. let's go. we'll see you on the creature trail. keep on creature adventuring. this is a harpy eagle, one of the largest, most powerful eagles in the entire world. this bird, with its incredibly strong talons, can catch iguanas, coatis, sloths and even monkeys. this is one impressive predator. wow. and they look really cool too. i love harpy eagles. squirrels come in different colors: some black, some gray. but believe it or not, these are gray squirrels, even though they're black.

over most of north america, gray squirrels are gray. but why do some have black fur? it could be simply to keep them warm. some scientists have shown that in the winter, black squirrels are 11% warmer than the gray ones. cool. s her cubs alone? some scientists have shown that in the winter, these six-month-old cubs started their lives the size of chipmunks in their mom's winter den. now that it's spring, they're out foraging with her and learning all the good places to find food. she'll watch over them, teaching them everything she knows until they're about a year and a half old. that's when these black bear cubs will be ready to head off on their own. announcer: it's "curious george." we could put a garden on our roof. eggplant. [chatters] you don't plant eggs to get eggplant, george. announcer: it's "curious george,"

weekdays on pbs kids or watch anytime you want at pbskids.org. wild kratts is made possible by the corporation for public broadcasting and by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. thank you. ♪ to find out more about cool animals... and collect your own wild kratts creature powers... go to the wild kratts website... at pbskids.org. we'll see you there!