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Gadget in Winterland

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"Winter Olympics", also known as "Gadget in Winterland", is the pilot episode of Inspector Gadget. Because of the difference in Gadget's look, this episode was broadcast at the end of the first season, as the 65th episode, during the original run in most countries. As "Gadget in Winterland", it is the 14th episode in production order.

Synopsis[]

At the opening episode, an announcer describes, "Winterland: A beautiful mountain resort where the world's athletes are gathered for the opening of the Olympic games." Dr. Claw adds from his castle lair as a thunderstorm brews, "...And a perfect opportunity to show the world the supremacy of M.A.D.!".

Out on the slopes, Inspector Gadget (with a mustache) and his dog Brain careen out of control on skis towards a crowd. They somehow avoid catastrophe, but not before Gadget is recognized. He shushes Brain and pleads that he's off-duty. Back at their chalet, Gadget, his niece Penny, and Brain relax until Gadget's boss Chief Quimby alerts him that Dr. Claw is in the area. Sure enough, the iron-gloved villain has sent the ugly M.A.D. Yodeler, a maniacal little geek man with an avalanche-causing singing voice, to do Gadget in. The detective inadvertently thwarts the little Swiss man's efforts and he sends him running for cover, & after now the cowardly yodeling man declined runs far away from him & Gadget comments "Strange people, these mountain folks." Next, as an anxious crowd awaits the traditional lighting of the Olympic fire, the inspector has to prevent a M.A.D. agent (who is carrying a torch of dynamite) from sabotaging the opening ceremonies. Claw continues his efforts to get rid of Gadget (as well as Penny and Brain) with a booby-trapped cable car gondola, an out-of-control towline, and an icy waterfall. After these attempts fail, Claw sets loose his Abominable Snowbot, a huge mechanical monster programmed to destroy the Olympic village. Gadget tries to arrest the mechanical beast, but he thrashes him like a rag doll and drags him back to Claw's castle.

Just before the Snowbot is about to crush Gadget like a bug, Penny uses her computer book to short-circuit the monster's controls, so he self-destructs while an angry Claw escapes in a shuttle rocket and destroys his castle lair.

The episode then concludes with Gadget and Penny interrupting an Olympic medal ceremony to tell the viewers about safety around snow sports.

Voices[]

Uncredited[]

Trivia[]

  • There are three versions of the pilot episode: One is the original with Jesse White as the voice of Inspector Gadget, and is currently considered lost; however, a YouTube user named Professor Von Slickstein is currently working on recreating it through artificial intelligence. The second is a re-dubbed version, with Gary Owens as the voice of Gadget, and can be found on the Magna Pacific DVD release in Australia. The third is another re-dubbed version, with Don Adams voicing Gadget, along with several extra sound effects added and several music cues revised. This version is the one heard on reruns and used on American DVD releases.
  • The Abominable Snowbot scene would feature in the opening scene of the episode "The Invasion" as Gadget, Penny and Brain watch a movie on TV.
  • The Abominable Snowbot shows up again in Inspector Gadget's Last Case, suggesting he was rebuilt between the events of this episode and the movie.
  • Brain has a few intelligible lines in this episode, including "No way!", in acknowledgement of Penny's comment about the incoming yodeler not being as innocent as he looks, "Oh, fish sticks!", after the dynamite torch lands in his hands, and "Oil's well that ends well!", after Gadget evades an oil slick during the bobsled chase.
  • This is the only episode to feature Gadget with a mustache, as DiC received a letter from Metro Goldwyn Mayer threatening to sue them because Gadget looked a little too close to Inspector Clouseau from the Pink Panther franchise. To avoid the lawsuit, Gadget's mustache was removed, starting with the next episode.
    • The rest of the series was far different from the pilot other than the mustache removal; Inspector Gadget wasn't as competent as he appeared in the pilot, and much more accident prone, while Penny became the real hero instead of an equal.
    • This episode features a noticeably different opening sequence; while the theme song and much of the animation are the same, Gadget's mustache is present throughout. The opening also featured animation of Gadget following a M.A.D. boat (with Brain disguised with a shark fin), though the Don Adams version of the pilot replaces the animation between Gadget inflating his coat and approaching Dr. Claw's chair with clips from the pilot episode. The closing credits are also completely different (save for the ending theme), concluding with Dr. Claw at his lair threatening to get Gadget next time (which is why his voice is heard at the end of the closing theme).
    • Syndicated reruns of this episode explained Gadget's mustache to be an undercover disguise, with new dialogue dubbed by Mona Marshall (as Penny) and Frank Welker (filling in as Gadget). Brain's dialogue is also largely replaced with more dog-like noises or removed entirely, and Gadget's line upon seeing the M.A.D. Yodeler walking towards his M.A.D. trapping equipment was reedited so that instead of saying, "Wowsers! That innocent yodeler is heading straight for my trap; I've got to stop him!", he now says, "That innocent yodeler is heading straight for my trap! Wowsers, I've got to stop him!"
    • The original dialogue, where Penny asks Gadget if he's sure Chief Quimby doesn't know where he is, was translated for the Italian and Latin Spanish versions, while the French, German, and Castilian Spanish versions used the revised dialogue. Regardless, Brain's vocal effects are always from the syndicated version.
  • Prior to being re-worked a bit for the official series, the Pilot first aired as a special on December 4, 1982 on all five Field Communications stations: WFLD-TV Chicago, KBHK-TV San Francisco, WKBD-TV Detroit, WLVI-TV Boston, and WKBS-TV Philadelphia, as well as non-Field owned Independents across the country.
  • This is one of only two original series episodes where both Gadget is competent and Penny doesn't get captured. The other is "M.A.D. Trap".
  • This is one of few episodes where Gadget realizes his error after mistaking Brain for a M.A.D. agent. It happens when he's stomped by the real M.A.D. creature while Brain is disguised as a penguin.
  • Gadget's exclamation when the Top Secret Gadget Phone rings differs between voice actors. Jesse White recorded it as "Holy smokes!", Gary Owens recorded it as "Oh, for sure, for sure!", and Don Adams recorded it as "Holy mountain goat!"
  • This is the only episode to use an early arrangement for Chief Quimby's leitmotif. It plays when he appears to give Gadget his second mission.
  • The towline incident features a subtly realistic depiction of deceleration from a fall by cutting away from the Gadget clan seconds before impact and panning back to them seconds after impact, implying that Gadget had somehow gradually slowed Penny and Brain's fall so that they wouldn't die.
  • When the Abominable Snowbot self-destructs, it cuts to the explosion special effect seen in the intro sequence.
  • "MAD's Theme" by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban is heard when Gadget inflates his Gadget Coat to go after the M.A.D. Torchbearer.
  • This is the only episode where Dr. Claw's Castle is destroyed.

Gadgets used[]

Locations[]

Chief Quimby's disguises[]

  • Inside Gadget's cooking pot
  • Inside a man's bear hoodie
  • Frozen solid in a block of ice

Self-destructing messages[]

  • "Dr. Claw has taken over Winterland. Take all precautions. This message will self-destruct." (Jesse White version)/"Take all precautions. Dr. Claw in Winterland. This message will self-destruct." (other versions)
  • "Torchbearer carrying dynamite. Must stop. This message will self-destruct."
  • "M.A.D. will use strange animal to disrupt games. Stop him."

Chief Quimby's reaction to being blown up[]

  • "Why do I put up with him?" (only after second time)

Brain's disguises[]

  • M.A.D. agent
  • Penguin

Penny's gadgets[]

M.A.D. agents[]

Pop culture references[]

  • 1984 Winter Olympics - Winterland appears to be a parody of Sarajevo, where the real Winter Olympics were to next take place
  • Alice in Wonderland - The title is a parody

Gadget Goofs[]

Revealing mistake: When the Gadget Coat is punctured by a bird and it pops, all that is left of Gadget are his head and hands floating in mid-air for a couple of frames.

Home media releases[]

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