Spike’s Poison Prevention Adventure

Visual: Black screen.

Sound: Guitar strumming begins.

Visual: Red stage curtains appear.

Spike (singing): If you don’t know what it is, stay away.

Visual: Purple background with Spike’s logo which has Spike the porcupine and the phrase “QUILLS UP, STAY AWAY! A Poison Awareness Program for preschool classrooms” and the video title “SPIKE’S POISON PREVENTION ADVENTURE”.

Spike (singing): If you don’t know what it is, stay away.

Sound: Children cheer.

Visual: Person 1 (a man in a light blue shirt and khaki pants) sits on a stool, playing an acoustic guitar. He is in front of a puppet stage decorated with green trees and grass, with a classroom setting behind it.

Person 1: Hi, girls and boys. My name is Graham. I’m here to talk about something very important today. I’ve also brought along a very special friend for you to meet. His name is Spike. Help me out here. Can you call him? Can you say, “Spike!”

Children: Spike!

Visual: Close-up of a girl enthusiastically yelling “Spike!”.

Children: Spike!

Visual: A porcupine puppet (Spike) appears next to the man.

Person 1: Oh, Spike!

Spike: Hi, kids! I’m Spike!

Person 1: Hi, Spike!

Spike: What you doing, Graham?

Person 1: Well, we’re just talking about the different places in our homes where there might be dangerous things that we shouldn’t touch, taste, or smell, like in the garage or in the bathroom or the yard.

Spike: Or in the kitchen! You mean places where you might find things that could be poison.

Person 1: Right. Poison is something that can hurt you if used in the wrong way. So the best thing to remember is this: If you see something, you don’t know what it is, stay away. Right, Spike? Do you remember what happened to you?

Spike: I sure do! Let’s tell everybody!

Person 1: Okay, you ready?

Spike: Ready!

Sound: Person 1 begins playing guitar again.

Person 1 (singing): One day Spike, the porcupine, was walking through the forest.

Visual: Spike walks across the puppet stage.

Person 1 (singing): He saw a butterfly way up in the sky, and he wanted to say hi.

Visual: Close-up of children laughing and then the Spike puppet climbing a tree prop on the stage.

Person 1 (singing): He climbed high up in the tree that day to follow his butterfly friend.

Visual: Real-life footage of the Spike puppet climbing a tree branch outside.

Person 1 (singing): There was a house below, and the branch gave way.

Visual: The porcupine puppet falls into a kitchen sink.

Spike: Whoa!

Sound: Cymbal sound

Visual: Back with the man and children in the classroom.

Person 1 (singing): Into the kitchen sink, he fell that day.

Visual: Close-up of the porcupine puppet lying in the sink.

Spike: Ouch! That really hurt me!

Visual: Back with the man and children in the classroom.

Sound: Children laugh.

Person 1 (singing): Now, there are things inside your home that you should stay away from. Unless a grown-up could say that it’s okay.

Visual: Close-up of a boy smiling.

Person 1 (singing): Stay away, stay away.

Spike: Stay away!

Visual: Real-life footage of Spike looking into an open kitchen cabinet filled with cleaning products.

Person 1 (singing): In front of Spike were poisons! But he knew to stay away.

Sound: Sparkles sound.

Visual: Back with the man and children in the classroom.

Person 1 (singing): Because in porcupine school, he learned a very good rule that you will learn today.

Visual: Close-up of a boy watching intently and then back with the man and children in the classroom.

Person 1 (singing): If you see something you don’t know, remember this wherever you go. Don’t touch it. Don’t taste it. Don’t smell it.

Person 2: It might be bad for you!

Person 1 (singing): Don’t touch it! Don’t taste it! Don’t smell it!

Sound: Children shout along.

Person 2: Don’t touch it! Don’t taste it! Don’t smell it!

Visual: Close-up of a boy speaking.

Boy: It might be bad for you!

Visual: Back with the man and children in the classroom.

Person 1 (singing): Just ask Spike,

Person 2: The porcupine!

Sound: Children laughing.

Visual: Wave effect distorts the screen as Spike looks at a cabinet full of cleaning products.

Sound: Whimsical sound effect.

Spike: So there I was right in front of a cabinet door.

Visual: Back with the man and children in the classroom.

Spike: Now, I learned in porcupine school that there are certain things around the house that kids should stay away from. Poisons might be in the garage, in the bathroom, in the kitchen, and even outside. These are things that might be dangerous. Things we shouldn’t touch, taste, or even smell.

Person 1: But Spike, how do you remember to stay away from those things?

Spike: I just watch my quills. Does anyone know what a porcupine quill is?

Person 1: What, what is a porcupine quill? Somebody, you know where it is? Where is it? Is it on me?

Children: No!

Person 1: No? Where’s the porcupine? It’s where?

Children: There!

Visual: Person 1 acts like he is pricked by Spike’s quills.

Person 1: Ow! Ow, ow!

Sound: Children laughing.

Person 1: Oh, I shouldn’t do it. Yeah.

Children: Pick it up!

Person 1: Oh, we’re right. Is that where your quills are?

Spike: Right! Quills are the pointy things on my fur coat. They’re sharp and spiky. Now, on this particular day, something magical happened. When I found myself face-to-face

Visual: Spike in front of kitchen cabinet again.

Spike: with that cabinet, my quills went up, just like this!

Visual: Back in the classroom, Spike’s quills pop up and then Person 1 touches them again.

Sound: Whimsical sound effect.

Person 1: Ow!

Sound: Children laugh.

Person 1: Hey, it’s easy there, Spike. You know the, ow! You know, you’d think I’d learn, but no.

Spike: And on a porcupine like me, quills go up when there is danger. Now, what do you think happens when it’s safe?

Visual: Close-up of a boy answering.

Sound: Children shouting.

Spike: Right! When it’s safe, my quills go down. So on that day, I discovered a special talent. My quills warned me to stay away from that cabinet because it might contain dangerous things.

Visual: Spike in front of kitchen cabinet again.

Sound: Whoosh sound effect.

Spike: Thanks to my magic quills, I’ve turned into a porcupine poison prevention pal!

Sound: Children cheer and clap.

Visual: Close-up of a girl clapping and then Spike talking.

Person 2: Now, whenever I get close to a place that might contain dangerous things, or if I find a bottle or can of something and I don’t know what it is,

Visual: Spike walking against a cabinet again as his quills go up.

Spike: my quills go up!

Sound: Whoosh sound effect.

Visual: Back in the classroom, children clap.

Sound: Children shouting and clapping.

Person 1: Oh, they’re doing it, man! They go up. Yeah, we understand. Now, listen, Spike, I was thinking maybe you can help us remember the places in our homes that we should stay away from. What do you think?

Visual: Children agreeing.

Sound: children shouting.

Person 1: Yeah. Okay, give it a shot, Spike, go ahead.

Visual: Close-up of Spike.

Spike: Okay, kids, let’s try it. How about cans and bottles in the garage?

Visual: Someone holds a poster with drawings of various cans and bottles behind the puppet stage.

Person 1: Quills up!

Sound: Children shout.

Person 1: Stay away!

Visual: Children hold up drawings of a porcupine with its quills up.

Person 1: You got it.

Visual: A doll shows up on stage next to Spike.

Spike: Your favorite toy!

Visual: Person 1 shows a picture of a doll.

Person 1 and children: Quills down. It’s okay.

Person: Right?

Visual: Children hold up drawings of a porcupine with its quills down.

Person 1: You just said that.

Spike: Mom’s purse?

Visual: Someone holds an open purse with medicines that pops up from the puppet stage.

Sound: Whoosh sound effect.

Person 1: Quills up! Stay away!

Visual: Children hold up “quills up” cards.

Children: Quills up stay away!

Visual: Spike holds a blue book.

Spike: Your favorite book!

Visual: Close-up of a boy holding a “quills down” card.

Children: Quills down! It’s okay!

Visual: A branch with red berries appears next to Spike.

Spike: How about a branch of red berries?

Visual: Close-up of a girl holding a “quills up” card.

Children: Quills up! Stay away!

Visual: Back in stage with Spike and the man.

Spike: How about this one?

Visual: A drawing of a container with green liquid appears next to Spike.

Spike: Bet you don’t know what this is!

Person 1: And no, no I don’t.

Spike: So if you don’t know, what do you do?

Children: Quills up! Stay away!

Person 1: That’s right, you got that. Alright, well, it looks like they learned everything that you learned in porcupine school.

Spike: That’s right! I always remember to stay away from things that might be poison.

Visual: Real-life footage of Spike near a medicine cabinet inside a bathroom, Spike is wearing a shower cap.

Spike: And if I’m not sure what something is, I stay away,

Sound: Whoosh sound effect.

Visual: Real-life footage of Spike near a shelf of cleaning products.

Spike: or ask a grown-up.

Sound: Whoosh sound effect.

Visual: Back in the classroom.

Person 1: That’s right. So remember, whenever you see something that might be dangerous, think about what happens to Spike’s sharp porcupine quills.

Visual: Man touches Spike’s quills again.

Person 1: Ow!

Sound: Children laugh.

Visual: Close-up of two children laughing and then back with man and Spike.

Person 1: Think about what happens to his porcupine quills. You remember? Quills up! Stay away! And then when you see something like a, something that’s safe, you know it’s safe. Remember that Spike’s quills, it’s okay! That’s it! Quills down! It’s okay!

Spike: Wait! There’s one more very important thing, Graham.

Person 1: Oh, yeah, that’s right. Always remember, if your friend or brother or sister has touched something, and you don’t know what it is, find a grown-up, like a parent or a teacher or a babysitter. And I mean right away. Lickety-split. You got it?

Children: Got it!

Person 1: Okay. Great job, everybody. Now, even if we are very careful, sometimes poisonings can happen. That’s why I have something here for all of you. See? Do you see that number? What do you think that is?

Visual: Man holds a Poison Help sticker.

Children: Phone number.

Person 1: Exactly! That is a phone number to call if you or someone you know

Visual: Spike in front of medicine cabinet.

Person 1: touches, tastes, or smells something that might be poison.

Visual: Back in classroom.

Person 1: Now, I’m going to send you home with these, and I want you to help your parents put them in a special place. Now, Spike, I bet they’re all wondering, there you were in the house, and then what happened?

Spike: Well, I was getting kind of lonely.

Sound: Whimsical sound effect.

Visual: Real-life footage of Spike looking out a window.

Spike: And I wanted to go home. And then

Sound: Bell chimes.

Visual: Butterfly appears next to Spike.

Person 1 (singing): That friendly butterfly came along. Spike followed him home, and they sang this song.

Visual: Back in classroom.

Person 1 (singing): If you don’t know what it is, stay away.

Sound: Claps

Person 1 (singing): If you don’t know what it is, stay away.

Sound: Children start singing along.

Person 1: If you don’t know what it is, stay away. If you don’t know what it is, stay away.

Sound: Claps.

Person 1 (singing): If you think it might be poison, stay away.

Sound: Claps.

Person 1 (singing): If you think it might be poison, stay away.

Sound: Claps.

Visual: Real-life footage of various poisons in a cabinet.

Person 1 (singing): If you think it might be poison, find a grown-up right away. If you think it might be poison, stay away.

Visual: Back in classroom.

Sound: Claps. Children cheer.

Person 1: Excellent job give yourselves a big clap!

Sound: Woman screams excitedly, children scream and clap.

Visual: Man touches Spikes quills again.

Person 1: Spike high five! Ow!

Sound: Children laugh.

Visual: Spike with sunglasses sits in a bush.

Spike: Brought to you by the American Association of Poison Control Centers.

Visual: End credits roll with different scenes of Spike, then some poisons and then Spike with the man in the classroom.

Sound: Song with male vocals begins.

Person 2 (singing): 1-800-222-1222. If you think it might be poison, then the first thing you should do is call 1-800-222-1222. Poison is the kind of thing you’re not supposed to touch. Old prescriptions, cleaning stuff, or spider bites and such. If you swallowed something bad or think you took too much, call the Poison Control Center Hotline. We’re the people you can trust.

AVO: For poison emergencies or just questions, the Poison Control Center Hotline is here 24/7 with the expert help you need. Free and confidential. We hope you never need us, but keep our number by the phone.

Everyone singing: 1-800-222-1222. 1-800-222-1222. If you think it might be poison, and you don’t know what to do, call 1-800-222-1222.

Visual: Person 1 and Spike in the classroom.

Person 1 (singing): If you think it might be poison, stay away. Yeahhh.

Sound: guitar strumming.

Visual: White screen with logo: “Poison Help 1-800-222-1222”. Copyright text: “© 2002 American Association of Poison Control Centers”.

Visual: White screen with text: “This program was supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U50/CCU317503-03 from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

Visual: Black screen.