- "Haunted houseburton! Ahh, Haliboated houseboated! Housebroken halibut!"
- — Theodore
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Theodore and the Haunted Houseboat is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season.
Plot
One stormy night while the other tugs are asleep, Theodore and Foduck finished working the night shift with Bobby Barge at tow delivering supplies for the next day. Foduck goes to check on the bell buoys and leaves Theodore and Bobby behind. Theodore is spooked with all the thunderclaps and lightning; he even sees spooky shapes. So, he decides to take a shortcut. He goes down a route he never been through before. It leads him to Dock Number 23. Dock Number 23 is an old part of the harbour that no one goes to anymore. Theodore doesn't know where to go now and tries to whistle but he's frightened and his horn came out whispery. In fact, it's quiet around Dock 23. All of a sudden, a loud thunderclap scares Theodore half to death. Then lightning flashes and he sees something in front of him. It was a houseboat and it looked old and creepy. It seemed haunted. Theodore soon runs back home with Bobby. The other tugs wake up when Theodore shouts about the haunted houseboat but he can't get the words out. They realize he's talking about Haliburton the houseboat and they're not really afraid of him but Theodore is.
Next evening, Theodore and Foduck pick up Bobby and do the night shift but Theodore can't stop thinking about the haunted houseboat and accidently bumps Foduck. Theodore wanders where they're going and Foduck tells him they were going to the oil refinery near Dock 23. It was something Theodore didn't want to hear, because Halliburton is there but Foduck doesn't believe in his fear and reminds him that no one is afraid of him. They reach the oil refinery and Foduck goes to see if a cargo ship is anchored safely and leaves Theodore to go to Dock 23. Theodore feels all alone and scared. Even Bobby falls asleep on the way. As soon as he reaches Dock 23, Theodore looks for Haliburton. At first it seems that Haliburton isn't there but Theodore thought wrong. He was right in front of the full moon and is moving closer and closer. Theodore screams in horror and runs back to the harbour. Bobby wakes up and is left behind.
Theodore is all alone in the harbour, his engine is pounding in his hull and Lily the lighthouse is blaring her foghorn. Theodore is trying to remember what the other tugs told him about Haliburton and keeps repeating it but then, he hears an engine. Haliburton is approaching him from behind. Theodore hopes it isn't but as he turns around...it is. Theodore runs away again and hides between Inverness and Annapolis. Foduck is at Dock 23 wondering where Theodore is. He asks Bobby where he is and Bobby tells him that Haliburton scared him off. Foduck soon realizes that Theodore truly is scared of Haliburton and goes to find him.
Theodore is still hiding when he hears someone calling him. He backs up but then bumps into something and runs off scared but then sees he bumped into Foduck. Foduck sees that he really is afraid and he thought that since no one was afraid of Haliburton, he assumed Theodore wasn't either but he is. Then, he hears Haliburton's engine again and is about to run away again but Foduck tells him to stay and he goes to talk to the old houseboat. When he goes back to talk to Theodore, he has his eyes shut, still too frightened. Foduck introduces him to Haliburton and the old houseboat says hello to Theodore. Theodore is starting to see he really isn't scary but then asks why he was chasing him. Haliburton explains he was trying to hide from something himself. He thinks there's a headless boat near Dock 23. Foduck and Theodore realizes he's talking about Bobby Barge and he's scared of him. They tell him he's their friend and ask if he would like to meet him. Haliburton agrees to meet him but only if they would go with him and they stay side by side with him as they head to Dock 23. Haliburton starts feeling better and so does Theodore, as he realizes that Haliburton the houseboat really is friendly.
Characters
- Theodore
- Emily
- George
- Foduck
- Hank
- Haliburton
- Bobby
- Inverness (does not speak)
- Annapolis (does not speak)
- Benjamin Bridge (does not speak)
- The Dispatcher (cameo)
- Phillip or Filmore (cameo)
- Constance (cameo)
- Lilly (cameo)
- The Clock Tower (cameo)
- Blandford (mentioned)
Trivia
- This marks the first appearance of Haliburton.
- This is Bobby's last speaking role in the series.
- The Harbor Master's fish is a Jack Dempsey fish, which is a tropical fresh water aquarium fish from Mexico.
Goofs
- While Theodore is hiding between Inverness and Annapolis, Inverness' head turns from backwards to forwards several times.
Watch
Theodore and the Haunted Houseboat Theodore Tugboat