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It you
would like to know exactly how THE CINNAMON
BEAR story unfolds in the 26 chapters of
this 70 years old children's radio drama,
here is the synopsis.
CHAPTER 1: The Barton twins, Judy and Jimmy
discover the silver Star, which goes on the
top of their Christmas tree, is missing. It
is recalled that Uncle Ned took some of the
holiday decorations up to, the attic last
year and, after some pleading with Mother,
the twins are permitted to go up to search
for it. They don't find the star but they do
discover a number of other interesting
things, including a tiny, 4-inch-tall teddy
bear with a green ribbon around his neck.
Jimmy looks through an old seaman’s
telescope and sees the little bear move. He
introduces himself with his own song “I'm
the Cinnamon Bear with the Shoe Button
eyes.” Paddy O'Cinnamon, for that is his
proper name, tells the children their star
has been stolen by the Crazy Quilt Dragon
and offers to help them get it back.
CHAPTER 2: Paddy shows Judy and Jimmy how to
de-grow, that is, shrink to his own 4-inch
size, so they can fit into his very own
special airplane end they set out for
Maybeland. Shortly after take off, they are
overtaken by the old Stork. Terribly
thirsty, the bird taps into the plane's
'soda pop fuel tank. Out of 'gas,' our
adventurers are forced to land at the bottom
of Looking Glass Valley, whose sides are so
steep that no escape is possible.
CHAPTER 3: The Stork reappears, apologizing
for causing them problems and offering to
fly them to the top of the cliffs which
overlook the Root Beer Ocean. There they
discover Crazy Quilt, with the Star, sound
asleep. Awakening him with a Boo, the
frightened dragon falls over the cliff into
the ocean below. After he swims ashore, the
patchwork explains in song why one must
“Never Say Boo to a Crazy Quilt Dragon." He
apologizes succumbing to the temptation to
steal the shiny star. Unfortunately though,
he cannot return it because he lost it when
he fell into the Root Beer Ocean.
CHAPTER 4: Jimmy, Judy, Paddy and Crazy are
approached by a most peculiar group of
people. They are the Inkaboos, the blotter
people who are a bit touchy about their
boundary lines. After a brief struggle,
Crazy Quilt escapes but our three friends
are made prisoners. They are taken before
King Blotto and charged with trespassing,
the penalty for which is to be thrown into
the Immense Inkwell.
CHAPTER 5: The execution is delayed when
it's discovered that the Royal Executioner
is off for the day and his assistant can’t
recall the exact wording of the ceremony.
While the Inkaboos debate what to do, Crazy
Quilt returns with the Scissors Soldiers who
engage them in battle. In the turmoil, our
group escape on the back of the dragon, who
swims out to sea and safety. Judy spots the
Silver Star floating on the surface of the
water, but before they can recover it, the
ornament is swallowed by Wesley the Wailing
Whale.
CHAPTER 6: The Wailing Whale explains in
song why it enjoys ill health. Crazy Quilt
hits on the idea of tickling the
polka-dotted Wesley until he coughs up the
star. It works, but the star is, in turn,
caught by Samuel the Performing Seal, who
insists on Juggling it on his nose. One
final toss of the star into the air,
however, attracts Penelope the Pelican, who
catches the shiny bit in her beak and flies
off.
CHAPTER 7: Crazy Quilt swims our friends to
show to dry out. They meet an incompetent
magician, Mr. Presto, who, in demonstrating
his magical prowess, mistakenly pulls
Penelope from his hat. The angry bird
complains that when the magician so rudely
summoned her she dropped the star while
flying over the Island of Obi. The group
looks along the shore for a boat to take
them to Obi. They discover, instead, a
treasure chest and, moments later, they are
surrounded by a band of Pirates.
CHAPTER 8: Crazy Quilt flees again and the
rest of our friends are hustled into the
buccaneers longboat and, as prisoners, are
taken aboard the anchored pirate ship, the
Suzy Q. There they learn from Capt. Tatty
that their supposed captors are the Candy
Pirates and friendly follows indeed. The
pirates agree to sail to Obi. As they
approach the island's shores, they see
through a telescope a big Roly Poly
Policeman patrolling the beach. And on the
lapel of his uniform is pinned their Silver
Star.
CHAPTER 9: The pirates give them a small
boat to row to shore and then sail off. But
a Magic Wave prevents them from getting
through the surf. They try again a few
hundred feet down the shore and find the
water calmer. Landing on the beach they
return to find the Roly Poly Policeman, but
the star is gone from his chest. The Irish-brogued
cop explained that a fellow who said he was
a friend of theirs came to collect the star,
then ran on up the beach in the opposite
direction. From the policeman's description,
it could have been none other than Crazy
Quilt. Our group follows but as they are
running along the sand, Paddy O'Cinnamon
disappears.
CHAPTER 10: Paddy, it seems, crossed an
invisible boundary line, and so do the
children, reuniting the group once again. An
educated owl. Professor Whiz tells them that
he'd spotted Crazy Quilt run into the nearby
home of the feared Wintergreen Witch. They
follow but find the home empty, except for a
magical picture of a great forest. Stepping
through the frame of the Picture into the
woods, they meet tiny Fraidy Cat, who in a
wee voice tells of a great giant who lives
there. The trio and the kitten try to run
when the giant approaches.
CHAPTER 11: The Giant. Fee-fo is huge, but
gentle and a real friend. He takes Jimmy,
Judy and Paddy to the Goody Good Grove where
they have an elegant Banquet. As night falls
suddenly on the Magic Forest, they spot two
scary yellow lights in the darkness.
CHAPTER 12: The lights are really Crazy
Quilt's eyes. The witch has put him in a
trance. When they wake him, the three
friends learn to their dismay that
Wintergreen has stolen the star from Crazy
Quilt. Anxious to return to the witch's
home, but lost in the woods, Jimmy recalls
the whistle given him by Fee-fo. Three
blasts on the whistle will bring the gentle
giant to help. But when Crazy Quilt tries,
he inhales too deeply and swallows the
whistle.
CHAPTER 13: The dragon, however, still
manages to toot for help and Fee-fo arrives
to rescue them. He is too large to return
with them through the picture frame. The
four adventurers, though, confront the witch
in her home. Not only does the hag refuse to
return the star, she threatens to use magic
to transform them into all manner of
horrible things. She is horrified, however,
at her own reflection in Judy's pocket
mirror, and gives them back the star. The
children foolishly let Crazy Quilt put the
star in his hip Pocket. And when they return
to Maybeland from Obi, the dragon sits down
and crushes the ornament to bits.
CHAPTER 14: The dragon suggests they go to
the castle of Queen Melissa to get help in
repairing the star. The Grand Wunky, the
royal attendant, ushers them into the
presence of the beautiful and kindly queen.
CHAPTER 15: Queen Melissa writes special
instructions and seals them in an envelope,
telling Judy and Jimmy that they will help
them to restore their precious Silver Star.
But the instructions can be read only in
complete darkness. The Grand Wunky suggests
they may find total darkness in the Wishing
Woods, and directs them. Just inside the
woods, they encounter bathtub singer,
Snappersnick, the Crooning Crocodile. The
friends are horrified though, when
Snappersnick swallows the instructions.
CHAPTER 16: It turns out that the croc is
near-sighted, but can 'absorb' the contents
of any writing by eating it. He tells them
that Melissa's note tells them to go to the
Wishing Well. En route, they meet Oliver the
Ostrich, a Cockney fellow who loves eating
alarm clocks and bacon. Eventually they
reach the Wishing Well, but alas, Paddy
leans over too far and falls in.
CHAPTER 17: The only way to rescue poor.
CINNAMON BEAR is to use up the only wish
allowed them. Wearily Judy Jimmy, Paddy and
Crazy Quilt trudge back to see Melissa for
fresh instructions. But they come to a river
of mud and the awful Muddlers, who toss our
hero's into the quagmire.
CHAPTER 18: As they are about to sink
beneath the mud, they are rescued by the
Cockle Burr Cowboys. The wanglers,
fortunately, work for Melissa and, through
them the children speak to the queen again.
She is sympathetic and gives them new
directions. Leaving the cowboys behind they
set out across the Purple Plain toward the
Golden Grove, where they are to find the
Singing Tree and a further clue. But,
horrors, they hear bloodcurdling War whoops.
It's Indians!
CHAPTER 19: It's only Chief Cook'n
Bottlewasher, who has been attracted to
Crazy Quilt's colourful pelt, which he
wants. But Judy persuades him to take her
pocket mirror instead. Just when they reach
the Golden Grove, the evil Wintergreen
reappears. She demands the broken star and,
since Judy no longer has the protective
looking glass, Jimmy is forced to surrender
the pieces of the star to Wintergreen.
CHAPTER 20: A still angry witch is about to
turn our friends into bullfrogs but
discovers Queen Melissa has taken away her
magical powers. The Grand Wunky reappears
and forced the helpless witch to return the
star and takes the old hag away in custody
on the queen's orders. Tired, the
adventurers fall asleep under a tree. When
they awake, they discover a huge silk Flying
Hat.
CHAPTER 21: In the Fly Hat they take off for
the Snow Country. There, on Melissa's
instructions, they hunt for someone known as
Nicky Froodle. A W.C. Fields-sounding
snowman directs them to a nearby castle and
the little elf named Nicky. He tells them
that he will take them to someone who can
help them mend the broken star, none other
than Santa Claus himself.
CHAPTER 22: Santa makes the group welcome
and orders up his reindeer to take the four
adventurers to the shop of Jack Frost, who
quicker than quick, repairs the Silver Star
as good as new. He puts it on his window
sill to get good and cold, but when they are
ready to go, they find it missing!
CHAPTER 23: Jack Frost raises the window in
time to spot the Bad Dolls dashing away with
the star. Santa orders out the detachment of
tin soldiers to pursue the dolls. But bad
news, Captain Tintop radios back that the
troops are encountering difficulties. A
strange creature, never before seen in the
Snow Country, is aiding the Bad Dolls.
CHAPTER 24: Back in Santa's office, things
become clear. Melissa has warned that
Wintergreen has escaped from her exile and
has headed for the Snow Country.
Reinforcements are sent to the soldiers
battling the witch. In the meantime, Santa
takes his visitors on a tour of the North
Pole workshop. Then comes word that Capt.
Tintop has returned victorious… and with the
star!
CHAPTER 25: It's nearly Christmas now and
the intact star is back with Judy and Jimmy.
They are anxious to return to their home.
Crazy Quilt wants to remain at the North
Pole, but the children and Paddy are to
return in Santa's sleigh. Jimmy asks Crazy
Quilt to hold the star as he climbs up into
the sleigh. When he turns to ask the dragon
to hand him back the shiny ornament, our
friends discover he's gone... running away
as fast as he can!
CHAPTER 26: In Santa's sleigh, the all set
out in hot pursuit after Crazy Quilt, who is
headed straight for the North Pole. If the
dragon can climb the pole to where the Misty
Folk live, he will escape forever with their
precious star. Paddy clutches the dragon
frantically, then, in an inspiration,
hollers a loud 'boo!' Crazy Quilt tumbles
down the Pole. There is a wild scramble
and... The children suddenly hear Mother's
voice saying, “Wake up! You're all tangled
up in that old crazy quilt coverlet.” Mother
doesn't understand, of course, and Judy and
Jimmy wonder to themselves, was it all
really a dream? In gratitude to Paddy
O'Cinnamon for his help, they vow to find
the little stuffed bear a place on their
tree every year. As the final chapter ends,
they hear the feisty little fellow singing
his song.
“I'm the Cinnamon Bear with the Shoe Button
eyes.”
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