Bug It On is the first segment of the third episode of the animated TV show 'Growing Up Creepie'. It's followed by the segment 'The Case of the Mysterious Moth' with both airing on the twenty-third day of September in the year 2006. In this short subject Creepie helps the middle school's cheerleading team beat it's rival after the rival team stole their routine.
Plot[]
The short opens with a shot of Middington Middle School that closes in on the gym interior where the cheerleading team is practicing. Budge is enjoying the show, and asks Creepie if she thinks it's interesting how the pom-poms match the outfits they are wearing to which she tells him that their brains probably match too. Meanwhile an individual hiding beneath the bleachers in a different cheerleading uniform watches with binoculars. Budge muses about joining the Cheerleading team and Creepie tells him that he'd probably look nice in one of the sweaters before she notices her brother Matt the Gnat in a sticky fly trap again.
While Creepie goes off to help Matt in the rafters the spying student finishes sketching out the cheerleading teams routine and leaves for her own school. Budge notices Creepier has gone into the rafters and as Matt is freed he tells Creepie about the sneaky girl before flying away. A dragonfly that's been buzzing around ends up distracting the girl atop the stack of cheerleaders and causes the formation to fall before buzzing away. The team's tumbler injures her leg in the fall and Chris Alice, the team leader, wonders who she's gonna get to replace her before also noticing Creepie in the rafters of the gym. As creepie jumps down from the rafters Chris Alice inducts her into the team and Creepie just rolls with it as Fudge takes the opportunity to jump in as well much to the disapproval of the other cheerleaders who see him as the school's geek and Creepie as the school's creep.
After school creepier returns home to find her adoptive parents, Caroleena the Mantis and Vincent the Mosquito dancing. The site is curious enough for her to ask what they are doing to which Caroleena explains that it's their anniversary and her father's taking Caroleena dancing. The two wanted to brush up on the Jitterbug before heading out. She asks Creepie how school went and Creepie tells her that it went well, she made it on the Cheerleading team. The two are too caught up in the celebration of their union to make note of anything odd about that news as Creepie heads up stairs to her room without being able to talk to her parents about having been reluctantly inducted.
The following day Fudge is disheartened at having been consigned to the role of Mascot when he was really looking forward to doing Cheerleading. Creepie still unenthused about being part of the team is asked to show them her best cheer. She tells them she probably can't cheer like they do to which Chris Alice tells her to never say can't when one can say try. Creepie then relays a poem in the pose of a cheer with a melancholy tone. One in which I spider gloats over it's trapped victim. Needless to say, it only enforces her status as the school's creep. Two of the cheerleaders, girls from the Flora and Fauna Club, convey to Chris Alice that such doesn't even count as a cheer but Chris Alice is insistent on getting Creepie to work with the team due to gymnastic skills.
Chris Alice decides to privately coach Creepie on giving a cheer to make it work out. Meanwhile Matt has been watching and sees the dragonfly from earlier and gives chase all the way to Upperborough Middleschool. There the 'sneaky girl' from earlier is telling her Cheerleading team that she has the moves to beat the Middlington team and Matt realizes that the sneaky girl stole the routine and buzzes off to tell Creepie.
At the tri-state Cheerleading Competition Fudge shows himself to be more comfortable with his role, hanging out with the other mascots while relaying puns regarding the mascots forms. Until he sees an impressive gator mascot and starts having an actual conversation in admiration of the design. Chris Alice motivates her team and Budge concludes the conversation he's having as the Upperborough Dragonflies perform first. Matt hadn't gotten back to Creepie in time to tell her and thus it's here the Middlington Bullfrogs learn what's happened and that the Dragonfly who disrupted their practice is actually the mascot for the rival team. Matt arrives after the fact and Creepie starts thinking of a plan of action while Chris Alice freaks out. She tells the teams he has an idea and wants the others to follow her lead to avoid disqualification. Two members threaten to quite the team before doing that and Chris Alice reminds Creepie that her cheers are not very cheerful. Creepie heads up towards the stage reminding Chris Alice to never say can't when you can say try. This much as Chris Alice's induction of Creepie was, leads to a social situation where the team kind of has to go along with Creepie to avoid a scene as they've been called up to perform next. The performance, while unorthodoxly shocking, manages to win the team a prize.
Arriving home Creepie calls out to tell her parents that she's back from the competition. Vincent asks if she won the competition and she presents her father with the trophy and he goes to put it on display with anniversary well wishes. Her mother, Caroleena, comes to congratulate her and Creepie tells her she's got something for her. In a jar she's captured the Dragonfly but doesn't tell her mother the details, just offers it as an anniversary gift for her and Caroleena decides she'll save it as an after dinner treat.
Bug Bites[]
In the educational ending portion of the segment Creepie talks about the acrobatic flying ability of the Dragonfly, how it's unique wing structure allows it to fly backwards, upside down, and side ways.
Continuity[]
The episode aired prior to "Fields of Screams" but it's narrative takes place after the events of that segment.
Trivia[]
- Skipper the Tarantula Boy is among those in the audience of the competition.
Production[]
The film was written by Sharon Schatz Rosenthal with the storyboard being done by Trevor Wall.