ively drum intro) ♪ You never do know what's around the bend ♪ ♪ Big adventure or a brand-new friend ♪ ♪ When you're curious like Curious George ♪ ♪ Swing!

♪ ♪ Well, every day ♪ ♪ Every day ♪ ♪ Is so glorious ♪ ♪ Glorious ♪ George!

♪ And everything ♪ ♪ Everything ♪ ♪ Is so wondrous ♪ ♪ Wondrous ♪ ♪ There's more to explore when you open the door ♪ ♪ And meet friends like this, you just can't miss ♪ ♪ I know you're curious ♪ ♪ Curious ♪ ♪ And that's marvelous ♪ ♪ Marvelous ♪ ♪ And that's your reward ♪ ♪ You'll never be bored ♪ ♪ If you ask yourself, "What is this?"

♪ ♪ Like Curious... ♪ ♪ Like Curious...

Curious George.

♪ Oh... Captioning sponsored by NBC/UNIVERSAL (sizzling) It was the monthly open house and potluck at the firehouse.

(George chattering excitedly) Here's our fruit salad.

The elements of our food set are complete.

Dessert!

(murmurs of approval) Beautiful!

(sounds of dismay) I think my oven rack is off balance.

By 35 degrees, I'd say.

It looks delicious, even or not.

Oh, just something I threw together.

Baking is so creative!

Well, if you'd like another project, there's a bake sale this week at Betsy and Steve's school.

Oh, I'd love to help out.

(man grunting) (grunting) (knife clinks) Ah!

(chewing) George's mouth felt glued shut.

George, are you okay?

I think it's the cake.

My cake?

George!

Ah!

It... it seems a bit sticky.

Oh, dear!

Well, a scientist isn't discouraged by a minor setback.

I'll be extra creative when I cook for the bake sale.

The...

I...

I... Huh!

Ah!

(chattering "Ta-Dah!")

Oh... well... hmm.

Weird.

Professor Wiseman is a genius, but she can't bake a cake.

Oh!

That doesn't bode well for the bake sale.

(chattering) What could have gone wrong with the cake?

George didn't know enough about cooking to even guess.

But Chef Pisghetti knew about cooking.

(chattering) Oh.

Sure.

Let's stop in and say hi.

Hi!

Hello.

How are you?

Hi!

George headed for the kitchen to watch the master in action.

Hello, Georgio.

Hi!

Oh...

The first thing George noticed was all the chef's cooking tools.

Some spoons were very deep.

Others had holes in them.

Some pans were big, some small.

That looked like... a saw?

Huh?

Maybe some vegetables were tougher than others.

(humming happy tune) (continues humming) The chef seemed to put in whatever he wanted... Ah-ha-ha!

...in any amount he wanted.

Oh.

All anyone needed to cook were the right tools, so George decided to draw them.

George knew Professor Wiseman had scientific tools, but did she own the right cooking tools?

(knocking on door) What?

Uh... Hi.

Oh.

Hi, George.

Hi.

(door closes) (chattering happily) George wasn't finding many tools.

Ooh.

Huh?

Hmm... Oh, my!

Aah!

(coughing) (questioning chatter) The cookbook.

Oh, that was there when I moved in.

I never use it.

If one is truly creative, there's no need for a cookbook.

Oh, oh, uh-huh.

But it looks like you've been studying cooking.

Oh, oh, uh-huh!

Hey, want to come help me buy ingredients for the muffins I'm making for the bake sale?

(chattering excitedly) We're making carrot muffins, so we'll need carrots.

What do you think?

One carrot per muffin?

Uh... uh-huh, uh-huh.

(chattering) Uh... uh-huh!

Uh-huh.

We have everything we need to make a nice pan of muffins.

Uh-huh!

Ready?

Uh-huh.

Uh.... Hah!

Oh.

Right, but I don't have any aprons.

Or hats.

Ohh... (chattering) Heh-heh-heh.

Uh-huh!

Ahh!

We're ready to begin.

Uh-huh!

(coughing) Now, I know baking soda makes muffins rise.

Muffins should be high.

So, we'll need a lot.

Ooh?

Uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh-huh.

Hmm... Did we put a bit of salt in the sugar, or a bit of sugar in the salt?

I can't tell.

Ah!

Huh.

Okay, George.

Turn on the oven.

Ah!

(both sigh) Oh, I so enjoy being creative.

I think our muffins will be a huge success.

Uh-huh.

Uh-oh.

Maybe the muffins would taste better than they looked.

Oh... dear.

Oh, I'm a terrible cook.

I must not have a creative bone in my body.

George was confused.

They had the right tools.

Why didn't the muffins turn out?

I have nothing for the bake sale.

Oh, I'll have to buy some cookies at Pisghetti's.

(sighs) Perhaps Chef Pisghetti would know what went wrong with the muffins.

(chatters "Thank you") I will make you a favorite dish of my grandmother-- Timballo dell Gattopardo.

Sicilian pie.

Let me just check the recipe, and I will begin.

NARRATOR: Recipe?

Huh?

What?

Okay.

The chef used a recipe?

Oh... would you two like to help me prepare?

Ah.

Uh-huh.

Uh, maybe we should just go get some hamburgers.

Hey, that's not a bad idea.

Prepare?

Well, isn't cooking just throwing things together?

Getting creative?

Ah!

(laughs) Perhaps once you've memorized your recipe, but until then, you must follow it precisely.

You know, like a... formula.

Formula?

Formulala?

Well, it tells you exactly what to put in the dish.

How to measure it.

Uh... how long to cook it.

Everything.

Well, that sounds like... science.

(laughs) No, no, no.

Like-a this.

Oh...

I see.

(chattering) Ta-dah!

Thanks a million.

Oh... huh.

So, that's what that thing was for.

(sniffs, laughs with satisfaction) (patrons gobbling) Ahh...

Delicious.

I think this is my best timballo ever... thanks to my new assistants.

Hmm.

Torta di Carota.

Oh, that sounds good... whatever it is.

Mmm-muh!

Carrot cake.

George and the professor had the same thought at the same time.

Bake sale!

Heh-heh!

The kitchen is yours.

Uh... Maybe we should just go pick up doughnuts?

Yea, doughnuts.

Yeah, that sounds good.

(happy gobbling) What'd I tell ya?

Great cake.

Mmm.

That sure looks good.

Uh, Professor Wiseman made it.

Ohh... Uh-huh... Huh.

Wow!

Look at that cake.

We made two-- one for the bake sale and one for Rescue Squad 186.

Mmm.

(gobbling) I want to try some of these formulas... I-I mean "recipes."

They seem so easy now.

Like gene splitting.

Now that George knew all about cooking, he didn't need to ask the chef about the failed muffins.

Ah!

(triumphant laugh) (laughs) ss Group at WGBH access.wgbh.org