The Friend Who Wasn't There

Summary
Muffy embarks on an epic quest to find her long lost imaginary friend. But she has to be careful--the Crosswire basement is full of bewitched boxes, gadgets, and dolls...oh my!

Plot
The episode begins at a store where Bailey, modeling a hat, is having his picture taken by Muffy. She proceeds to look at a pair of pink gloves. Then she sees D.W. talking to Nadine, her imaginary friend, which leaves her surprised because she can't see Nadine. At school, she discusses it with Arthur, Buster, and Francine. Arthur explains that Nadine is D.W.'s imaginary friend. Francine remembers her imaginary friend; Squinty McGee, and that he would tell her the best stories. Buster explains that he has five imaginary friends; Top-eye, Billy Snailgoat, Frumpus, Pudding Pal, and Buster's favorite, Junior. He remembers that they took a cruise to the Bermuda Triangle and vanished. Arthur explains that his teddy bear Stanley is kind of his imaginary friend and asks Muffy if she has one. Muffy gets confused.

Later, Muffy asked Bailey why she didn't have any imaginary friends when she was growing up and what was wrong with her imagination. Bailey told her that there's nothing wrong and that she always comes up with the most imaginative ways to spend money, in an attempt to comfort her. He also mentions that she had an imaginary friend named Oswald. He takes Muffy to the basement to find pictures of him. As they start the hunt, Bailey gets a phone call, saying he is needed in the kitchen. Muffy tries to pull out a box, only to knock the box down. Suddenly, a stuffed elephant named Waldo jumped out of the pile. Muffy tells him to get away because he smelled like sardines and old socks and asks him who he is. Waldo replies that he's Muffy, but Muffy interjects, saying that she is Muffy. Waldo was disappointed that Muffy was already taken and asked her what name she would give him. Muffy replies that he's not Oswald and that she would never have a stinky imaginary friend. Waldo explains that he's been living in a box for years and asks where they are going. Muffy tells him "they're" not going anywhere because she's looking for pictures of Oswald. Waldo, disappointed, says she's always talking about Oswald. Muffy asks him if there's anything to do besides following her; in which he says he can go run and hide. She learns about Pretty Penny, a giant doll similar to Barbie who hunts down escaped toys and puts them back in their boxes. Muffy finds D.W. and her friends dressed as characters from the Wizard of Oz. After laughing at her for looking for "the great Oswald," both Waldo and Muffy pay a visit to him. He turns out to be an evil computer screen who has taken over Oswald and her imagination. Pretty Penny appears behind her and Waldo and grabs Muffy. She then wakes up from a dream amid fallen plushies.

Later, she tells Arthur about Waldo. Arthur then gives her a game console, but Muffy says that she wants to go for a walk. As they walk down the street, Muffy tells Waldo that he's getting a bath, but Waldo objects, saying it's pachyderme; cologne that all the elephants are wearing.. D.W. and Nadine are looking out the window. D.W. asks who Muffy is talking to due to the fact that she cannot see Waldo. Nadine tells her Muffy is catching up with an old friend, therefore ending the episode.

Major characters

 * Muffy Crosswire
 * Waldo

Minor characters

 * Bailey
 * Arthur Read
 * D.W. Read
 * Nadine Flumberghast
 * Francine Frensky
 * Buster Baxter
 * Ed Crosswire

Mentioned characters

 * Stanley
 * The Brain

Cultural references

 * The wagon with "Rosebud" on it is a reference to the 1941 American drama film .
 * D.W, Arthur, Buster, and Francine were dressed up as the characters from the Wizard of Oz.

Episode connections

 * Muffy's collection of Woogles from "Arthur Rides the Bandwagon" can be seen in one of the boxes.
 * Toy soldiers from when Grandma Thora was a child in "Clarissa is Cracked" are on a shelf.
 * A large doll covered in monetary symbols resembles Polly Locket from "Prunella Gets It Twice".
 * Buster remembers five of his imaginary friends. He had implied he had more imaginary friends besides Xenon in "Read and Flumberghast".

Errors

 * When Muffy is in age 4, a Woogle can be seen. However, Woogles were introduced when Muffy was 8.