One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock is a 1996 episode of the television series Animaniacs that features an episode-long Slappy Squirrel sketch in which Slappy gets committed into a Cartoon Motion Picture Rest Home after she watches too many talk shows.
Slappy tries to watch TV, but all of the channels have shows with ridiculous concepts. Eventually, their constant ads and scheduling times cause Slappy to have a breakdown. Skippy tries to take care of the house for her, but when he leaves her alone to go to school, Slappy nearly burns their tree down by toasting her hat. She is subsequently committed into the Cartoon Motion Picture and Rest Home. Just like he did when they were at their old tree, Skippy visits Slappy at 3:01 PM everyday. However, her condition doesn't improve, although she does shed a tear after Skippy tells her that "I'll love you forever, Aunt Slappy."
However, a social worker, who was called by Skippy's teacher over concerns about Skippy mentioning Slappy's breakdown, comes to the house, and upon discovering Slappy is no longer living with Skippy, takes him away to an adoption village. When Skippy fails to show up at the rest home at 3 PM, Slappy snaps out of her daze and frantically looks for him. Finally, she escapes the rest home and rescues Skippy.
Trivia[]
This was the only episode of Animaniacs that had an episode-long Slappy the Squirrel sketch.
Freakazoid is on the cover of the TV Guide issue that Slappy is reading at the beginning.
Slappy calls herself "A regular Speedy Gonzales" referencing the famous Looney Tunes cartoon of that name.
The title is an obvious parody of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest".
When Skippy first leaves home for school, he utters Mindy's catchphrase, "Okay, I love you, buh-bye!"
A picture of Buttons can be seen in the same shot.
An elderly version of Woody Woodpecker and Wally Walrus can be spotted at the retirement home (credited Woodpeckerman and Walrusman), as well as elderly versions of Minnie Mouse (named Rena Rat), Donald Duck (called Quacky Duck), Goofy (called Doofy) and Mighty Mouse (called Rocket Rat).
Elderly versions of Tom and Jerry can be seen chasing each other around the rest home. Jerry is white in this episode, even though in the Tom and Jerry cartoons, Jerry is orange-brown.
Hello Nurse appears as one of the nurses at the retirement home.
This has gone down in history as the most emotional episode of Animaniacs (and to some degree, Slappy Squirrel: According to Tom Ruegger, they had never attempted using heart and emotion in Slappy segments).
Wakko can be seen on the TV when Skippy first appears in his aunt's house.
A common fan rumor maintained that this episode was originally a pilot for a Slappy and Skippy spinoff series much like Pinky and the Brain, but there is no basis to the rumor. Tom Ruegger writes: "If a series came out of that half-hour Slappy cartoon, we would have been thrilled. But that was not the intention or goal."
Being an all-Slappy episode, it did not start with the regular Animaniacs intro, but opened with the extended 1995 Slappy Squirrel title sequence, and also had a special end credit sequence with Slappy's theme. This unique opening and closing is likely what sparked the "series pilot" rumor.
This episode was largely based on Tom Ruegger's memories of visiting his aunt at a nursing home.
A sped-up, high-pitched "Kabong" sound from Hanna-Barbera's Quick Draw McGraw can be heard when the cuckoo clock hits the Old Pig on the head in the Laundry Chute at the Cartoon Motion Picture Rest Home (this episode was first aired one month and three days prior to the merge of H-B's parent company, Ted Turner's Turner Broadcasting with Time Warner, which in turn led to the transfer of its various properties to Warner Bros.). This sound effect would later be reused in Acquaintances.
On Netflix, this episode was erroneously listed as the final episode of “season 2” (On Netflix, Season 2 was made up of all episodes from Seasons 2 and 3).