"Blazing Paddles" is a wild western-ping pong showdown themed episode of The Backyardigans from the third season. CharactersSummary"Algerian Raï music rocks the desert as Sheriff Uniqua practices her paddling to protect the town of Ping Pong Mesa from Pablo, the Ping Pong Bandit!" PlotUniqua is seen in the backyard wearing a brown cowgirl hat. She introduces herself as the sheriff of Ping Pong Mesa, who protects the town's residents. She sings the song "The Sheriff Makes It Right" and tells the viewer that she is heading to Ping Pong Mesa. The backyard transforms into a sandy desert landscape with a few old buildings. Uniqua walks into the Apple Juice Saloon. In the saloon, she meets with Barkeeper Tyrone. She informs him she would like a box of apple juice. Tyrone slides a box over to her. Uniqua slurps loudly. She walks to a ping pong table where Bar Room Dancer Tasha and Austin the Kid compete in a ping pong match. They start to sing "Ping-Pong." After the song, Uniqua exits the saloon. Then a blue penguin wearing a black suit and hat walks in. The bandit challenges Tyrone to a game of ping pong. Tyrone accepts. He warns him that the first one who misses the ball loses. Austin and Tasha walk away from the ping pong table so the bandit and the barkeeper can start the game. The bandit performs a move he calls the "Bandit Slam-It," causing Tyrone to lose. After the game, the bandit takes Tyrone's paddle away and clarifies that if somebody loses to him gets the person's paddle taken. He reveals his name: the Ping Pong Bandit. Next, Bar Room Dancer Tasha challenges the Ping Pong Bandit to a game to win Tyrone's paddle back. The Ping Pong Bandit performs the "Bandit Slam-It" again. Tasha loses, and the Ping Pong Bandit takes her paddle. Austin the Kid challenges him to a game to get his friends' paddles back. He puts up a better fight than the others, but after another "Bandit Slam-It," Austin loses the game and his paddle. Feeling frustrated, Austin goes outside and calls on Sheriff Uniqua to set things straight. Sheriff Uniqua does not like seeing her friends having to give over their paddles and demands the Ping Pong Bandit to give the paddles to the citizens. The Ping Pong Bandit refuses and says they can only get their paddles if someone beats him. Uniqua then challenges him, but she loses to the Ping Pong Bandit's "Bandit Slam-It" to which the others were too late to warn her of that move. The Ping Pong Bandit takes Uniqua's paddle and her sheriff badge. He pins it to his jacket and arrogantly declares himself the new sheriff of Ping Pong Mesa and banishes her. Uniqua sadly walks out of the saloon. Uniqua walks out of the saloon, hops on her horse, Dusty, and sets off out of Ping Pong Mesa. She rides the horse into the desert. Uniqua tells herself that she will not allow her town to be run by an evil bandit. She spots a small cactus and tells Dusty that it looks like a ping-pong paddle. She uses it to practice ping pong so she can return to Ping Pong Mesa, beat the Ping Pong Bandit in a match, and become sheriff again. Uniqua sings "I Must Be Ready" as she practices her moves. Hail starts to shower down. She uses the hailstones as ping-pong balls. After she has perfected her moves, she walks back to Ping Pong Mesa. The camera moves inside the saloon, where the Ping Pong Bandit is playing alone. He and the others sing "No One Gets to Play Today." Uniqua, now wearing a purple mask and calling herself "The Pink Fury," walks into Ping Pong Mesa. She challenges the Ping Pong Bandit to a match. She tells him if she wins, all the residents get their paddles back. The Ping Pong Bandit accepts, but he tells her if he wins, he takes her paddle, and she gets out of the town. The ping pong table is moved from inside the saloon outside to the center of the town. The Ping Pong Bandit and Uniqua begin the match. The Ping Pong Bandit performs the "Bandit Slam-It," hitting the ping pong ball high into the air. Uniqua runs up the large clock tower and hits the ball from high. The ball was hit so hard that fire began to form on it. The ball blasts through the Ping Pong Bandit's paddle, burning a hole. The Ping Pong Bandit sadly admits that he lost. Uniqua removes the mask and shows everyone that she is the sheriff. Uniqua takes her silver star-shaped badge from the Ping Pong Bandit's jacket and hands over everyone's paddles. The Ping Pong Bandit sadly hands over his paddle, until Uniqua tells him that he can keep it, explaining that it's fun to win but more fun to play. The Ping Pong Bandit cheers up, and they all sing a reprise of "The Sheriff Makes It Right." The Ping Pong Bandit's stomach rumbles, and he invites everyone to his house for nachos (pasta in the UK dub). The town of Ping Pong Mesa transforms back into the backyard and The Ping Pong Bandit transforms back to Pablo. The five characters sing the end song. They walk into Pablo's blue house. Uniqua opens the previously closed door and says to the viewer, "So long, partner." before reclosing the door, and the episode ends. Roles
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