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| Season | Pokémon: Indigo League (Season 1) · The comeback, Charizard & the Egg arc (EP39–EP51) |
| Episode | Season 1, episode 45 · English episode 45 · Japanese episode 47 · Bulbapedia code EP045 |
| English title | The Song of Jigglypuff |
| Japanese title | うたって! プリン! Utatte! Purin! — “Sing! Purin!” |
| First aired (Japan) | 21 May 1998 · TV Tokyo |
| First aired (US) | 20 February 1999 · Kids’ WB |
| Screenplay | Yukiyoshi Ōhashi |
| Opening / ending (Japan) | Mezase Pokémon Master (Aim to Be a Pokémon Master) – Rica Matsumoto · Poketto ni Fantajī (Fantasy in My Pocket) – Sachi & Juri |
| English opening | Pokémon Theme – Jason Paige |
| Who’s That Pokémon? | Jigglypuff (US) · Jigglypuff (Japan) |
| Previous episode | The Problem with Paras (EP044) |
| Next episode | Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon (EP046) |
Plot episodeJigglypuff debut
The Song of Jigglypuff is the 45th episode of Pokémon: Indigo League, the first season of the Pokémon anime, and the 45th episode of the English dub overall (Japanese episode 47, Bulbapedia code EP045). It first aired in Japan on 21 May 1998 and in the United States on 20 February 1999. It falls within the season’s The comeback, Charizard & the Egg stretch (EP39–EP51).
Synopsis
After travelling through a vast desert, Ash, Misty and Brock see a town of lights in the distance and shortly after they arrive in Neon Town, a place where theres action 24/7 and it never closes. Ash bumps into someone and they nearly start a fight on him, Officer Jenny turns up and even she has a short temper; explaning that everyone here is angry and on edge because they never get any sleep because it’s always so noisy, before having to run off and break up yet another fight. The next day Ash and co wake up to find people still fighting each other in the streets, and they head out into the forest where they bump into a Jigglypuff. Misty has always wanted one so she attacks, Jigglypuff then starts to cry, Misty stops attacking and asks Jigglypuff to sing for them. However Jigglypuff says it can’t sing. Team Rocket are watching in the bushes as always and plotting to use the Jigglypuff to put everyone in Neon Town to sleep so they can steal their Pokemon, TR then confront Ash and gang and the battle ensues, with Team Rocket being defeated shortly after.
Misty begins trying to give Jigglypuff singing lessons in the forest but to no avail, the gang continue walking through the forest where Brock finds a fruit that is known to heal the throat and suggests it might help Jigglypuff, and it does! Jigglypuff eats it and then begins to sing a short verse. Misty asks Jigglypuff to sing a a song for them, and Jigglypuff obliges, putting everyone to sleep in the process. Team Rocket overhear the song and start to record it, with a view to playing it back and putting everyone in Neon Town to sleep with it. Jigglypuff becomes quite furious when everyone falls asleep during it’s performance and decorates the sleeping people and Pokemon’s faces accordingly. When the group regains consciousness they find Jigglypuff isn’t very happy because people slept throughout it’s performance, so they try to listen again but to no avail! Team Rocket play back their recording but it fails to capture Jigglypuff’s song and only got loud snoring. Meanwhile Ash and Co head back into Neon town and look for somewhere with a Stage for Jigglypuff to play its song, just then a couple of suspiciously familiar looking rocker dudes appear and say that Ash and co can use their stage.
Jigglypuff performs on the stage in the middle of the town, putting all the townsfolk and revellers to sleep, much to the fury of Jigglypuff who pulls out it’s marker and goes wild on everyone who disrespected its musical mastery. The next day everyone wakes up after the first good sleep they’ve had in a long time, covered in marker, refreshed and a lot nicer. Jessie, James and Meowth tried to stay awake during the performance by using earplugs so they could rob everyone, but the earplugs didn’t work and they too wake up, their plan failed, but feeling happy and refreshed! Our heroes leave Neon town a nicer, friendlier place and continue their journey, with Jigglypuff close behind them.
Major Events
- — Jigglypuff begins following the group (recurring to Johto)
- Misty fails to catch it
- Neon Town. Debut: Jigglypuff. Banned in Turkey. All-Stars Vol. 2.
Pokémon making their anime debut
Jigglypuff#0039 · EP045
Trivia
- The screenplay is by Yukiyoshi Ōhashi.
- This is a plot episode: it advances the Kanto storyline.
Changes in the English Dub
- Jessie’s spanking/James’s beating cut from Kids’ WB! (and CITV) prints, kept on CN/DVD/streaming
- Dozens of Neon Town signs (pachinko, Seven Eleboo, Club Digda, GAME…) repainted — one paint covers Brock’s head
- Dub ending: the Kanto Pokérap (Friday segment)
- Team Rocket’s song is an English cover of Team Rocket Forever; Rachael Lillis sings Jigglypuff’s song to the Japanese melody
Part of our Pokémon: Indigo League guide. Browse every season of the Pokémon anime.