Recap / Little Einsteins S 1 E 3 Hungarian Hiccups

Airdate: October 10, 2005

Art: Tiger in a Tropical Storm by Henri Rousseau

Music: "Hungarian Dance No. 5" by Johannes Brahms^note  Dance No. 19 from that same set of 21 Hungarian dances is also featured

Rocket is going to compete in the Great Sky Race, a race against other planes bigger than him, including the sneaky and bullying Big Jet. But right before the race, Rocket comes down with a case of the hiccups and the team must find a way to stop them before the race starts!

Tropes:

• Alliterative Title: Hungarian Hiccups.
• The Big Race: The Great Sky Race, the race Rocket is competing in.
• Deus ex Machina: With none of the gang's attempts to stop Rocket's hiccups working in their favor and the race is just moments away, a little mouse wanders by, and Rocket is so spooked by it that his hiccups are scared away as well.
• Earn Your Happy Ending: Even though Rocket gets bullied by Big Jet at the beginning and spends much of the episode having his ability to take part in the Great Sky Race jeopardised due to his hiccups, he still ends up winning the race in the end.
• Establishing Character Moment: This episode is notable for marking the first appearance of Big Jet, who will eventually go on to become the series' most frequently recurring antagonist. When he first appears, he looms over Rocket and does three loop-the-loops around him before zooming off to prepare for the race, leaving Rocket feeling very nervous and intimidated.
• Eek, a Mouse!!: A mouse conveniently showing up at the geyser field is what ultimately ends up scaring Rocket's hiccups away.
• Hiccup Hijinks: Rocket's issue for the episode. He hops backwards whenever he hiccups, which will cause trouble if he races.
• Rule of Three: Before the mouse appears on the scene, the Little Einsteins make three unsuccessful attempts to frighten Rocket's hiccups away — the first with a pair of cymbals from Orchestra Ocean, the second with a tiger, and the third with a geyser at Yellowstone National Park.
• Say My Name: During the pre-credits stinger, Quincy peeks out at the audience and lets out a hiccup for himself, causing the surprised Leo, June and Annie to exclaim, "Quincy!!!".
• Sore Loser: After narrowly losing to Rocket at the finishing line, Big Jet looms over the Little Einsteins with angry revving sounds before storming off. The kids are left disturbed by their new enemy's actions.
• Triumphant Reprise: Rocket's race song from the beginning of the episode returns at the end, after he wins the trophy.
• We Will Meet Again: Big Jet hovers menacingly over the team after they beat him, as if he was saying, "I'll get you all for that one day". Sure enough, "Pirate's Treasure", two episodes from this one, marks the first of his many attempts to get his revenge on them for what they did to him here.