Madeline and the Forty Thieves

Madeline and the Forty Thieves
Vital Statistics
Season	1
Writer(s)	Martha Moran
Original Release	September 14, 1993

Madeline and the Forty Thieves is the first episode in Season 1 of Madeline.

Summary

Forty magpies want to help the needy.

Plot

Continuing from the specials, the Girls pursue their education in Paris while taking the time to enjoy childhood. One day while out for a walk, Madeline breaks away to sail a toy boat in the Seine. Ms. Clavel calls her back in line.

It's early fall in Paris and the weather has turned very cold. Ms. Clavel suggests they stay inside that day, but the Girls really want to visit the zoo (especially when Madeline sees the tiger turn blue, which causes her to sneeze). Everyone bundles up and they walk to the zoo. Unfortunately it's too windy and cold so no one is having much fun. Ms. Clavel cuts the trip short, but as they prepare to leave the zoo and head back home to the Old House, Chloe realizes her hat has gone AWOL. They search all over the zoo, with Madeline being brave enough to yank open the freezing tiger's jaws trying to find the hat. It starts to snow and Ms. Clavel calls it lost and directs the Girls back to the school.

Over the next few days, everyone begins to realize that stuff around the old house is going missing. Danielle loses her shoes, Madeline loses her mittens, Chloe loses a sock, and Genevieve loses one of her booties. Even Ms. Clavel loses her coat (ironically after saying the Girls are absent minded). By now everyone's attire has become so mismatched.

That evening after being put to bed the Girls are about to start another friendly pillow fight when they hear a door creak open in the house. They see a moving shadow and dive under the beds in panic. Danielle assumes it's just Madeline playing a shadow puppet trick again, but she's under the bed too. Suddenly another figure walks into the room, but it's only Ms. Clavel. However, she too is hearing strange noises in the house. The other Girls cower under the beds while Madeline and Ms. Clavel head up to the attic where the noise is originating from.

They find the attic seemingly deserted with a loose window screen causing the creaking noise. However, Madeline sees that someone has rifled through their winter clothing trunk. Suddenly Madeline and Ms. Clavel see a dark figure move through the attic. It disappears out the window. Clearly the victims of a robbery, Ms. Clavel calls the police. Detective Moreau arrives and he searches the house only to find no real clues.

The Girls can't sleep the rest of the night so Madeline resolves to catch the thief herself. She starts her investigation with Pepito as he had expressed admiration for her missing mittens and has a history of playing pranks. However, he too is missing clothes, including his favorite 'Bad' hat. The Girls recruit Pepito to their investigation and begin canvasing the neighborhood. As it turns out, pretty much everyone is missing some article of clothing. Madeline concludes that not a single thief could have stolen all the clothes. She calls Detective Moreau back to the house and estimates that up to forty thieves could be behind the burglaries.

Moreau reveals that similar thefts have been documented all across Paris, reenforcing the theory of there being forty thieves. He deputizes Madeline and Pepito to help with the investigation. They talk to residents all over Paris, catching glimpses of the thieves as they go, only to consistently lose them. They arrive at a park in defeat to rest, when Madeline spots the Bad Hat!

The three rush over and realize that a young girl is wearing the hat. She claims that she did not steal it and gracefully returns it to Pepito. She is quite disheveled, poorly dressed and reveals that she and her family are homeless. Madeline asks her where she found the hat. The Girl says there is a hat tree and there will likely be another hat waiting for her. She then runs off into the park, closely followed by Madeline, Pepito and Moreau.

Deep in the park, they find a number of trees covered in all of the missing clothes. Additionally a number of Paris' less fortunate, homeless and impoverished residents, are collecting the clothes to wear. They see the girl and her parents finding new clothes. The trio are quite amazed by this sight and lie in wait to see who put it all together.

The night becomes very stormy with wind, hail and lightning buffeting the trio. By now Pepito has lost his nerve and even Moreau is intimidated. Madeline keeps them rooted, hoping to spot the thieves. Pepito then finally sees the thieves, they are not people, but Magpie birds. They deposit a new round of clothes in the park. Madeline realizes these noble creatures simply wanted to help the needy.

The Group heads home to find everyone waiting for them. The next day they explain the mystery behind the forty thieves. She suggests that everyone in the neighborhood gather up their clothes they are not using to donate to the poor. The whole neighborhood does so and leaves a big pile of good conditioned clothing at the school. Madeline then calls the Magpies who take the clothes to the park.

Paris' needy receive a massive supply of new clothes and the Magpies are so grateful to Madeline they all come together to lift her into the air and take her on a tour of Paris from the sky. They return her back to the school in time for dinner. Ms. Clavel then puts everyone to bed, happy the mystery of the forty thieves has been resolved so positively. After she leaves, the Girls finally have a pillow fight, setting up many adventures to come.

Song

"Follow Every Clue"

Trivia

• This episode serves as the Pilot for the Madeline television series. It's the first original story not written by series creator Ludwig Bemelmans.
• Magpies are considered to be some of the world's most intelligent animals.
• The theme of helping the poor is revisited several times in the television series.