1.22 The Maze Badge
Duggee is the big star of the Maze Badge. I think it is a testament to the quality of Hey Duggee that we are at episode 22 before Duggee himself gets a standout appearance. While the Squirrels busy themselves with the meat of the adventure Duggee is stuck in the middle of the maze going through his junk. The cute things he discovers and the way he reacts shows us his fun side. Duggee’s sock puppets are a real treat.
Badge Design
A round hedge maze with Duggee in the middle.
Episode Summary
Episode written by Phillip Warner.
Opening Squirrel
Betty reading a book while eating breakfast.
Start
The Squirrels are all building a castle out of blocks together.
Set-Up
Duggee is planning to clean the workshop but it is full of boxes and junk so the Squirrels offer to help move them. As they carry the stuff outside, Tag calls it rubbish. Betty disagrees, you never know when you might need a novelty lamp. The Squirrels carry on bringing the stuff out while Duggee looks through the boxes. The junk includes:
- A novelty lamp.
- A novelty hat.
- A grandfather clock.
- A spare tyre.
- A box of sports equipment.
- The Dog queen painting which Duggee appears to have acquired from Lord Finagl’s castle.
- An old radio.
- Some cars and a snow globe.
- A puppet show.
- A goldfish.
- More sports equipment.
- Craft stuff.
- A spacesuit.
When the Squirrels finish they realise they have lost Duggee. Duggee finds himself at the centre of a box maze. Happy isn’t sure what a maze is but luckily Duggee has his Maze Badge.
Story
After an explanation, the Squirrels set off into the maze. In what must be a nod to the film Labyrinth they find the maze tricky. Meanwhile, Duggee is entertaining himself in the middle of the maze:
- He reads Betty’s chicken book with a cup of tea.
- He reads an old copy of Power Puppy.
- He plays with a bat and ball.
- He finds two sock puppets who have a romance.
- He plays the trumpet.
The Squirrels follow the sound of the trumpet to find Duggee. They can’t agree on how to get out of the maze but Duggee has the answer and he opens a door to the outside. Now they can clean the workshop and move the boxes back in.
Bridges
- A duster reveals a picture of Duggee.
- The sections where the Squirrels are getting lost in the maze are bridged by a top-down view of the Squirrels in the maze.
Close and Credits
Roly pops out of a box as Duggee hands him his badge. Duggee’s hand puppet is back.
Get your Badge
Kids love mazes. All the Duggee sticker activity books and many magazines have paper mazes to practise with but you can also get out and about with a real-life maze. There are all sorts of mazes across the country including hedge mazes, maize mazes, ground mazes. Go and check them out.