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"Musk Ox Mania" is the 26th and final episode of Season 4 of the PBS Kids show Wild Kratts. It is the 118th episode of the series overall. It premiered on April 14, 2017. On October 10, 2017, "Musk Ox Mania" was first released on DVD as part of Wild Kratts: Wild Winter Creatures!
In this episode, Chris loses his creature souvenir collection. Retracing his steps, he realizes that he must have lost it in the Arctic, and recalls him and Martin's previous adventure in the Arctic tundra as they search for the collection. Meanwhile, Zach Varmitech is also after the souvenir collection, hoping to put an end to Chris and Martin's Creature Powers.
Synopsis[]
While the Kratt Brothers are being charged by an angry rhinoceros on the African Savanna, they decide to use a harpy eagle feather from Chris's creature souvenir collection to activate Harpy Eagle Powers and fly out of harm's way. However, Chris forgot his souvenir collection on the Arctic tundra during the events of "Baby Tooth & Kid Musky". To find the valuable collection, the Wild Kratts travel to the Arctic and search for the collection using the Creature Powers of the musk ox. However, the team will have to hurry, because Zach Varmitech is also after the creature souvenirs!
Plot[]
The episode begins with a live-action segment, which shows the Kratt Brothers in the Arctic tundra of North America during the winter. They examine the musk oxen’s adaptation of winter survival, including shaggy fur and their strength in numbers. Afterwards, they ask their "What if?" question and the show transitions into the cartoon segment.
In the African Savannah, the Kratt brothers are chased by an angry black rhinoceros after Martin sits on it, mistaking it for a rock. Unable to outrun the angry pachyderm, they resolve to activate their Creature Power Suits with Harpy Eagle Power to fly away. Chris searches in his backpack for the harpy eagle feather in his creature souvenir collection. However, the collection is nowhere to be found, rendering the Kratts cornered. Fortunately, Aviva and Koki are able to use the robot arm to save Chris and Martin from being walloped by the rhino (at the cost of Chris’ shorts).
At the Tortuga, Chris frantically searches for his souvenir kit, but is unable to find it. Retracing his steps, Chris recalls their adventure in the Arctic during the previous summer with Baby Tooth, the arctic wolf pup, and Kid Musky, the musk ox-calf, in which he last used his souvenir kit. The crew flies in the Tortuga to the Arctic, ready to find the kit.
Meanwhile, in Zach’s skyscraper, Zach examines his “finders keeper’s” collection filled with stolen items. He decides to spy on the Wild Kratts to find something to steal from them. Although he’s initially uninterested in their endeavors to find Chris’ souvenir collection, he eventually decides to steal it so that the Kratt brothers can’t use their Creature Powers to interfere with his plans, and flies to the Arctic after the Kratts.
Landing in the tundra, the crew finds that winter has arrived, trapping Chris’ collection under the snow. Retracing his steps again, Chris recalls when he and Martin used Musk Ox Power to help Kid Musky’s herd fend off Baby Tooth’s pack; he found and caught a piece of shed musk ox fur, and — following his return to the wolf pack and his reactivation of Arctic Wolf Power — placed it in his souvenir kit. Martin then warned Chris of a fierce musk ox-battle, prompting him to take the souvenir kit with him to the fight. Chris and Martin bear witness to Headbasher, the leader of the herd, confronting a challenger that seeks to take over. Headbasher headbutts with the challenger causing a loud rumbling that attracts Aviva, Koki, and Jimmy Z. Eventually Headbasher defeats the challenger, protecting his herd.
In the present day, Zach arrives in the Arctic to spy on the Kratts. The Kratts recall their attempt to have a headbutting battle in their Creature Power Suits. However, because the crew hadn’t made any observations about the durability of musk oxen skulls, Koki deploys an airbag to stop the fight. In the present day once again, Chris remembers the last time he used the collection; To help Aviva update Musk Ox Power by analyzing the musk oxen DNA. They observe the re-informed skull and air-pocket, as well as the thick bone that protects the skull and brain from injury. Using the new version of Musk Ox Power, Chris and Martin have a headbutting battle, and do so without injury.
In the present day, Chris realizes that the collection could have fallen out during him and Martin’s fight, leaving it to be trapped under the snow in the valley. Using a Creaturepod GPS, Aviva and the brothers head to the valley to find the collection, unaware that they’re being tailed by Zach and his Zachbots . In the valley, the group finds the musk oxen. They observe the herd huddled together to keep each other and themselves warm from the freezing cold temperatures. Aviva and Chris offer to serve as wind blockers, but without the musk oxen’s fur, they are exposed to the cold. In the center of the herd, Martin finds an older Kid Musky, and witnesses the musk ox’s eating habits of digging through the ice to find food. However, he finds Chris and Aviva frozen, and spots Zach and his Zachbots trying to steal Chris’s collection. The three head down the hill to confront Zach for his attempted theft, but Zach refuses to give up.
To stop him, Martin and Chris activate Musk Ox Power. They use the musk oxen’s digging powers to search for the kit under the snow, and the headbutting power to fend off the Zachbots. However, one of the Zachbots is still able to find the collection and Zach declares victory. Chris and Martin try to convince Zach to give him back the collection, but the evil inventor refuses. At that moment, a pack of arctic wolves appears over the hill, including an older Baby Tooth, who mistake Zach for a musk oxen’s due to his furry jacket. The Zachbots protect Zach from the herd in a musk ox-style protective circle, but Headbasher also mistakes Zach for a musk ox, and charges at him for battle, destroying his Zachbots. Zach is eventually forced to take off his jacket and surrender the creature souvenir collection to save himself from getting eaten by Baby Tooth’s pack.
With Chris’ souvenir kit back, the crew declares their Creature mission accomplished and bids farewell to their animal friends. However, the Tortuga flies away, leaving the Kratts behind by accident. Fortunately, the brothers are able to collect the harpy eagle feature from the souvenir collection and finally activate Harpy Eagle Power to catch up with the Tortuga.
The show transitions into the ending live-action segment, which shows the Kratt brothers get back in with the musk ox herd, witnessing their speed and headbutting abilities, as well as their layered fur coats and digging abilities. Afterward, they conclude the episode by saying “Keep on creature adventuring; we’ll see you on the creature trail!”
Characters[]
Animals[]
Animation[]
Featured animals are in bold
Mentioned[]
Note: Mentioned animals are linked to Wikipedia.
Trivia []
- This is a sequel to the episode, "Baby Tooth & Kid Musky," taking place in the winter following that episode.
- “Musk Ox Mania” appears to take place roughly a year after "Baby Tooth & Kid Musky" and "A Creature Christmas," as indicated with Kid Musky's maturity into a yearling.
- Baby Tooth and Kid Musky are shown to have grown up into juveniles in this episode, making this one of the few episodes where a baby animal friend is shown to have aged.
- It's possible that this episode takes place immediately after the events of the previous episode, "Cheetah Adopted," as the brothers are still on the African savannah.
Key Facts and Creature Moments[]
- A musk ox headbutting battle.
- Musk oxen have super reinforced skulls with honeycomb air pockets for cushioning, and four inches of thick bone where it attaches to the hard horn.
- Musk ox wool is eight times warmer than sheep's wool.
Home Media[]
DVD[]
- Wild Winter Creatures!
- PBS Kids: 15 Frozen Tales