Sumo of the Opera

Main Characters

Supporting Characters

Minor Characters

Cameo Characters

Plot

The opening countertop sequence finds Bob alone with a cucumber sock puppet named Lutfi. Larry, we learn, is on his way to do charity work but is having trouble getting there. He calls Bob from a payphone with only 3 quarters left and tells him everything that had happened to him. Bob and Lutfi need to convince him to persevere rather than giving up and coming home.

The first segment, "Going Up!", is a silent film short based on Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stooges. Three Stooge-like veggies are assigned to deliver a piano to a mansion at the top of a hill. While his fellow workers give up on the seemingly impossible task, Larry perseveres and is rewarded for his eventual success.

The Silly Song that Larry sings talks about homophones in a parody of Schoolhouse Rock.

In the second segment, Lutfi presents a story about the origin of St. Patricks Day. Done in the style of a flannelgraph, the story tells about Maewyn Succat, a young English boy who is kidnapped by pirates and sold as a slave in Ireland. His new life is miserable and he spends his days in constant prayer, even as those around him celebrate paganism. When God tells him it's time to leave, Succat runs away and returns to England by way of France. Back at home, Maewyn continues his scholarship and dreams that the people of Ireland are begging him to come back and teach them about Christianity. Succat grows up to become a bishop, is rechristened "Patrick", and fulfills his destiny to return to Ireland and teach the Word of God.

Finally the main segment begins. In Sumo of the Opera, Larry stars as the Italian Scallion, a Sumo wrestler who has difficulty taking anything seriously. He succeeds in injuring his sparring partner Po-Ta-To as a result of his clowning around when Po slips on a banana peel and falls from the ring, injuring his back

He is admonished for his joking by Mikey (Pa Grape), who accuses him of being weak, lacking ambition, and never completing what he starts. When young Hadrian (Junior Asperagus) reminds him that he has not yet fixed his bike. Meanwhile, Apollo Gourd, the champion, is looking for an opponent now that Po has been injured. The prize is a new "Tiger Bike". Wanting the bike for Hadrian, Scallion accepts the challenge. Mikey agrees to become his trainer on the condition that Scallion does everything he says.

Scallion starts out well and trains hard, but when things get difficult, he quits. However, when Scallion sees Hadrian emulating him he realizes that he must set a good example and persevere. He returns to his training with relish and eventually is ready for his match with Apollo Gourd, though naturally no one gives him a chance. However, Scallion does surprisingly well in the match. He lasts longer in the ring than anyone ever has against Apollo. When they both tumble out of the ring at the same moment, the match is called a tie. Unfortunately this means that Apollo remains the champion. In spite of this, Scallion is victorious for having persevered and even completes the repairs to Hadrian's bike.

Back on the countertop Bob asks Larry if hes going to keep on keeping on, he instead gets a busy signal and a recorded message telling him to hang up. Larry then arives telling Bob he has contenued and completed his chairity work.