"We hug and we kiss all as one, one for all and all for one!"
— Gedda Carrot, The Fruit Basket
The album cover from the original 1998 show. Top row (from left): Graeni/Greenie Banana, Immi Pineapple, Guffi Banana. Middle row (from left): Anna "Red" Apple, Great Pumpkin, Eva Orange, Great Pumpkin. Bottom row (from left): Palla Pear, Maeja Strawberry, Gedda Carrot, Poddi Pear.
The Fruit Basket (also known as Ávaxtakarfan or Fruityland) is an Icelandic children's musical created by Kikka Sigurðardóttir. First performed in 1998, The Fruit Basket tells the story of eight (or nine) fruits who live together in a fruit basket. Immi Pineapple, who is the biggest of the fruits, is a cruel tyrant who plans to declare himself king of the entire fruit realm. Anyone who dares to disobey him is threatened with being thrown in the Rotting Hole. Poor Maeja Strawberry, the smallest fruit, is bullied by the other fruits and forced to clean up after everyone. Immi's plans are threatened when Gedda Carrot, a VEGETABLE, is accidentally placed in the fruit basket. The Fruit Basket was performed again in 2005 and in 2012 was adapted into a film, and to this day remains a favourite production for Icelandic schools. The show was rebooted in 2022 at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik.
Definitely not to be confused with Fruits Basket.
Watch the 2005 version (with English subtitles) here
The Fruit Basket contains examples of:
- Adaptational Ugliness: Immi is hit hard with this in the 2012 film. He goes from being a Hunk who attracts the attention of Eva, Palla, and Poddi (in the 2005 musical) to an overweight middle-aged man.
- Adapted Out: The Great Pumpkin (no, not that one) appears at the end of the 1998 musical to sing the finale song. She does not appear in the subsequent reboots, instead having Gedda and later also Mæja sing the song.
- Alto Villainess: (2005) Eva Orange, who can be counted as a minor villain until partway through Act 2, is played by Selma Björnsdóttir and has a stunning, sassy alto voice.
- Ambiguously Gay: Poddi. He and his sister Palla are best friends and do everything together, and they both stare at Immi with admiration during the "Immi Best" musical number. He is also the only character whose gender is the opposite of the grammatical gender of the word for his species.note
- Amusing Injuries: Palla accidentally cutting off Poddi's arm is Played for Laughs. His arm then reappears a short time later.
- (2005) Eva gets perfume sprayed in her eyes and setting powder in her mouth when Maeja tries to help her get ready. Eva is quite distressed but it's played for laughs.
- Award-Bait Song: Gedda's solo song.
- Big, Stupid Doodoo-Head: “Immi, krimmi, POOPY Immi”
- Big "WHAT?!": Immi when he finds out Gedda was not thrown in the rotting hole.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: The opening musical number introduces the setting of the show, and involves the characters directly addressing the audience.
- Break the Cutie: Mæja Strawberry is adorable, but is treated horribly by the other fruits. She finally has her Break The Cutie moment when the others refuse to let her sleep near them, and she sings the
Tear Jerker Einmanna (Eng: Lonely) before crying herself to sleep. - BSoD Song: Sung by Mæja about how she doesn't want to be lonely anymore.
- Bumbling Henchmen Duo: Guffi and Græni Banana
- Catchphrase: FANDALAGGAHOJ!
- “HEP TÚ HEP TÚ!”
- Colorful Song: The opening song, literally named “Colours” (Icelandic: Litir)
- The Cutie: Maeja, which makes the audience even sadder when the others treat her horribly.
- Gedda is constantly cheery and optimistic despite being discriminated against for being a vegetable.
- Palla and Poddi Pear could also count as they are children.
- Cucumber Facial: Eva Orange does this offscreen. One must consider the implications of this in a world where fruits and vegetables are sentient...
- Dark Reprise: (2005) "Immi Best" has a VERY angry reprise appropriately titled "Immi Verst" (English: "Immi Worst"). Like "Immi Best", but with a LOT more shouting.
- Defeat Means Friendship: Mæja and Gedda, along with the others, stop Immi from becoming king. However, instead of forcing him to leave or throwing him in the rotting hole, they decide to forgive him and by the end everyone is friends.
- The Diss Track: “You Must Do Everything” (Icelandic: Þú Átt Að Gera Allt), in which Red Apple and Eva Orange delightfully call Mæja ugly, dull, and proclaim that they are just so much better than her.
- Go Away (Icelandic: Farðu Burt) also qualifies.
Red Apple: Crawl into the dirt and live in harmony with the worms!
- Easily Forgiven: Immi is allowed to be friends with everyone in the basket despite never officially apologising.
- Actually, nobody ever really apologises to Mæja or Gedda and yet they are all forgiven
- Evil Is Bigger: Immi Pineapple is the biggest fruit in the basket. Mæja Strawberry, one of the heroes, is the smallest fruit in the basket.
- Technically subverted in the 1998 show but only at the very end when the Great Pumpkin shows up and is a good character.
- Evil Is Hammy: Immi Pineapple is the largest ham in the fruit realm (although he does have some competition)
- Evil Laugh: (2022) Guffi Banana at the end of Hep Tu.
- Fantastic Racism: The fruits are prejudiced against vegetables.
- And small fruits.
- And fruits that come from the trees.
- And anyone who’s orange. Does anyone actually like each other?
- And small fruits.
- Fell Asleep Crying: Mæja after singing Lonely (IS: Einmanna)
- Funny Background Event: In the 2005 version, when Immi is walking away from the other fruits to sulk after being mocked by the other fruits you can see Gedda attempt to leave the stage and crash right into Palla.
- Not technically an event per se, but if you look at Guffi at any point in the 2005 stage show then he's likely to be making a hilarious facial expression.
- More adorable than funny, but at one point in the 1998 version Immi runs off the stage. If you look closely, you can see Poddi waving to him.
- Friendship Song: Friends (IS: Vinkonur) sung by Mæja, Gedda, and Eva
- Fandalaggahoj also counts.
- Group Hug: Happens a couple of times in the 1998 production.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Immi in the 2005 show.
- Just about everyone in the 1998 show.
- Hakuna Matata: Sung by Mæja and Gedda about their newly-formed friendship, and their belief that everyone in the fruit basket can be friends.
- Half-Identical Twins: Palla and Poddi Pear are twins and act exactly like each other, finishing each other's sentences and even having the same aspirations.
- Happy Ending: Immi does not become king, the other characters forgive Immi, and everyone is friends! Too cute!
- "The Hero Sucks" Song: You Must Do Everything (IS: Þú Átt Að Gera Allt) for Mæja
- Hero vs. Villain Duet: The reprise of "Immi Best". Immi sings about how awesome he is compared to everyone else, and everyone else sings about how they want equality and friendship.
- Go Away (IS: Farðu Burt) for Gedda.
- "I Am Great!" Song: Sung by Immi about how awesome he is.
- "I Am" Song: "Immi Best" definitely counts as this - "because I am Immi Best, as you can see, I intend to become king of the realm".
- "Einmana" (English: "Lonely") also counts - "because I am so lonely"
- "Speglasalurinn" (English: "Hall of Mirrors") - essentially a song about how Eva Orange is clearly the prettiest.
- Incredibly Long Note: In "Speglasalurinn" (English: "Hall of Mirrors") from the 2005 stage play, Eva Orange hits the same high note for 12 seconds, seems to get stuck like that, and has to be slapped on the back by Palla Pear in order to make her stop.
- Could also be classified as Overly Long Scream
- In Name Only: The 2012 film could count as this, since the songs are in a different order (and sometimes sung by different characters) and various plot points have been changed.
- "I Want" Song: “Vaxtalagið" (English: "Growing Song”), all about how the pears want to grow taller than a tree!
- "I Want" Song: "Einmana"(English: "Lonely") also counts as one of these - "I wish to have friends, I want it so"
- Kids Hate Vegetables: A very literal example of this trope - Poddi and Palla happily join in with bullying Gedda Carrot.
- Large Ham: Not content to simply be the biggest fruit in the basket, Immi Pineapple is also the biggest ham. He constantly brags about how awesome he is, yells at everyone, and waves his scepter around in front of everyone. This is especially prominent in the original 1998 cast, where his actor hams it up to the max and is clearly loving every minute of it.
- Goofy Banana, being Immi's sidekick, does a lot of the same things that Immi does. He also constantly makes fun of Green Banana for failing to learn how to march in step.
- Minor Character, Major Song: Applies to the 1998 version of In The Right Light (IS: Í Réttu Ljósi); the Great Pumpkin appears only at the very end of the show to sing the big finale number.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Gedda Carrot manages to get Eva Orange on her side by reminding her that they are both orange. Gedda points out that since she is made fun of for her colour, Eva could be made fun of as well.
- Pointy Ears: Palla and Poddi Pear in the 1998 show.
- Quarreling Song: "En Frábær Hugmynd" (English: "What A Good Idea")
- Rhyming with Itself: Immi really likes to rhyme “mig” (English: me/myself) with itself in “Immi Best”.
- Eva also does this in her song.
- Sensitive Guy and Manly Man: Green Banana and Goofy Banana.
- Setting Introduction Song: Sung to the audience as the opening musical number.
- Ship Tease: During the "Immi Best" musical number, Immi air-kisses Eva, who is delighted. There is also an earlier scene where Red Apple says that Immi is going to crown himself king, and Eva says that she wants to be queen.
- Strawberry Shorthand: Mæja, a literal strawberry, is genuinely adorable.
- Sudden Humility: Immi gets a taste of his own medicine when everyone in the Fruit Basket teases him and he is left alone. He finally realises how Mæja and Gedda felt this whole time.
- Suddenly Shouting: Immi in the 2005 version does this A LOT.
- Guffi is also prone to this in 2005.
- Just about every character is prone to this in 1998.
- Tomboy and Girly Girl: Red Apple and Eva.
- Took a Level in Badass: Mæja, with the help of Gedda, eventually learns to stand up against her bullies. It’s hard not to cheer when she confronts Guffi and tells him in no uncertain terms that he will never, ever make fun of her again, or when she tells Immi that he cannot become king.
- Villainous Friendship: Immi and Guffi appear to be good friends.
- Villain Song: "Immi Best"
- "Immi Verst" (English: "Immi Worst"), in the 2005 version.
- Worm in an Apple: The Red Apple has one of these in the 1998 stage show.
- You Don't Look Like You: Red Apple is significantly less tomboyish (in appearance) in the film than she was in the 2005 musical.
