Sunset Bowlawater

Mandy Straussberg's goldfish, Crackers, has been found floating upside down in his bowl, and Harlow Doyle is on the case. The suspects pile up fast: Mandy's brother David, who overfed the fish and made faces at him, David's creepy snake, and Fluffy Face, the new cat. As Harlow spins wild theories about hidden gunmen and grassy knolls, Crackers himself tells the real story - how Mandy won him at a fair behind Whit's End, promised to follow Eugene's careful care instructions, and carried him everywhere... until gymnastics, ballet, and a cuddly kitten crowded him out and his water turned cloudy. When the facts are finally laid out, Mandy sees that no one killed Crackers but her own neglect. She owns up, says a sad goodbye to the pet she once loved, and learns that a living creature needs more than a first burst of excitement.

Found on In Your Wildest Dreams Album 34 · 17 episodes

The run See every episode

0432 You Win Some, You Lose Some A discouraged camp counselor spends a week trying to reach three difficult middle-school girls, convinced that nothing she does is making a difference.

0433a The Treasure Room When rumors spread that Whit is hiding a fortune behind a closed door at Whit's End, a girl weary of hand-me-downs decides she has to see the treasure for herself.

0433b Chain Reaction A boy's decision to cut corners on a simple lawn-mowing job quietly sets off a string of mishaps that ripples through the entire town of Odyssey.

0434 B-TV: Redeeming the Season A live holiday broadcast from the Odyssey Mall asks whether Christmas customs with tangled pagan and commercial roots can be given back to Christ - weaving in the imaginative tale of a young man named Nicholas who tries to run from wealth and position to find a humble life of faith.

1 of 2 0435 A Look Back As the millennium draws to a close, a nostalgic tour of Whit's End revisits the beloved characters and moments that made Odyssey feel like home.

2 of 2 0436 A Look Back Phil Lollar's retrospective tour of Odyssey revisits its funniest names, the Imagination Station's greatest journeys, and the quiet moments that changed lives forever.

0437a Sunset Bowlawater When a little girl's beloved goldfish turns up dead, a bumbling detective takes the case - but the fish himself has been telling the story all along.

0437b The Long Way Home Desperate to escape her family's new home for a day of fun, a girl works odd jobs all week to earn her way onto a church youth group trip.

0438a The Lyin' Tale A trip to the dumpster leaves Aubrey with a scratch, a crowd of curious kids, and a story that keeps getting bigger every time she tells it.

0438b The Telltale Cat When Mandy's new cat makes David Straussberg's life miserable, his desperate scheme to get rid of it comes back to haunt him.

0439 B-TV: Grace A free downtown lunch giveaway sparks a B-TV broadcast about grace - God's undeserved favor - told through Scripture, comedy, and the story of a farmer's son who trades his inheritance for Hollywood dreams.

0440 I Slap Floor When two kids ask why Whit is home recovering from Odyssey's strangest week ever, Bernard spins a tale of a mysterious returning visitor and a town where everyone suddenly starts acting like their opposite.

0441a What Do You Think? Desperate to know what people really think of her, a girl uses one of Whit's inventions to hear the private thoughts behind everyone's polite words.

Featured characters

Minor characters & crew 2 more roles

2 supporting roles

David Straussberg Jeff Ellison Crackers Nathan Carlson

Made by

Chris Anthony Host John Fornof Writer Phil Lollar Director · Producer Rob Jorgensen Sound Designer · Producer Al Janssen Executive Producer

The story

Read the full synopsis 1 min

Mandy Straussberg brings Harlow Doyle a terrible mystery: her goldfish, Crackers, is dead. Harlow begins an investigation filled with confused questions and unlikely theories, while Crackers silently narrates the events that brought him to the upside-down position in his bowl.

Only two weeks earlier, Mandy wins Crackers at a children’s fair behind Whit’s End. Eugene gives her careful instructions about clean water, proper food, a steady temperature, and the danger of overfeeding. Mandy adores her new pet and carries him everywhere, while Crackers imagines that he and the beautiful girl have begun a perfect life together.

Trouble soon arrives. Mandy’s brother David gives Crackers extra food, makes insulting faces at him, and owns a snake that makes the fish nervous. Then Mandy gets a cat named Fluffy Face and becomes busy with gymnastics and ballet. The goldfish who once received all her attention is gradually forgotten as his water becomes cloudy.

Harlow reviews the possible suspects and invents a theory involving a hidden gunman, a ricochet, and a grassy knoll that does not exist in Mandy’s room. Listening to the real facts, Mandy finally recognizes the truth. David, the snake, and the cat did not kill Crackers. Her own neglect did.

Mandy accepts responsibility and apologizes to the pet she once loved. The solved case leaves her with a painful lesson: caring for a living creature requires more than early excitement. Small acts of neglect can build into a consequence that cannot be undone.