Gulliver's Gigantic Goof

Plot Summary
A scientist tries to cure the problems of overpopulation by shrinking the human race to only a few inches high.

Story
At the United States Space Center, the countdown to a very important space launch is about to begin for a first mission to the planet Mars. The two astronauts climb aboard, and hundreds of thousands of spectators gather together to observe the blastoff. The voice of the Flight Controller comes over the Mars 1's radio, he tells the astronauts they are clear for countdown, and the Flight Controller begins counting down 90 seconds.

While at the Hall of Justice, the Super Friends are watching the Mars 1 on the Justice League Monitor. Wendy Harris expresses to the rest of the Superfriends how excited she is that these two men will be the first Earthmen to walk on Mars. Wonder Woman then tells her it certainly is exciting. Marvin White then interrupts with his usual silly shenanigans walking on stilts and holding a ball. He tells her they are always losing games because no one on the school basketball team is tall enough. But he then falls down, and his stilts end up breaking. He then admits that it isn't always easy to do things the easy way. Batman tells the kids they are about to miss the blastoff. The countdown continues...forty-five, 44, 43, 42...

Not too many miles from the space center, in a castle, someone else is watching the Mars rocket countdown. He then tells his cat named Igor that he's about to put his theories to the test. He sees the crowd in the audience and decides they are the perfect test subjects for his machine. He goes on to say that they laughed at his ideas to solve the world's problems, but he goes on to say "we'll see who laughs now." He then launches a hot air balloon out of his castle. The balloon is in flight, and it stops over by the Mars 1 rocket and just hovers there, and then the screen goes blank.

Wendy wonders why the screen went blank as did the rest of the Superfriends. Just then Colonel Wilcox can be seen on the screen and he tells the Super Friends they had lost communications with the space center. He told Superman that everyone there had disappeared and that he and the other Justice Leaguers had better get there immediately. Superman tells him they're on the way.

They immediately depart and find the space center deserted, and the place has gone haywire, with no on at the controls. Wonder Woman notices that the launch tower is falling, and she uses her Lasso of Truth to pull it back upright. Batman and Robin shut off the fuel lines so that the rocket fuel won't explode from heating up. Superman then rescues the astronauts, he unlatches the space capsule from the rocket, and brings the astronauts down to safety. Batman and Robin now struggle to disconnect a fuel line. Just then, flaming fuel surrounds them. Aquaman tries to douse the flaming fuel with water from a hose. He tells them to get out of there, because the whole thing's gonna blow. Superman then grabs the rocket, and tosses it into space as it explodes at a safe distance from Earth. Batman and Aquaman then run over to the capsule and open the door, but the are shocked by what they discover. Robin then tells them that he and Wonder Woman just discovered thousands of tiny people, only two inches high. Batman then tells him he believes him, because the astronauts too are tiny.

At one of the most advanced science facilities in the country, a government research team looks into the problem. Doctor Curum tells everyone that the atoms and molecules in Astronaut Ellis's body have been rearranged and condensed, causing him to shrink. Batman asks how that is possible, but the doctor doesn't know. Wilcox asks Ellis if there is anything he can tell them. He then tells him that everything was set to go and they were just about to blastoff when, zap, suddenly they were shrunk.

While not too many miles from Gotham City, Doctor Gulliver is talking to his cat about how his experiment was a success. He has his balloon fly over Harbor City for the next step in his plan. This time, when he turns on the Sonic Microwave Reducer, every adult human within five miles will be shrunk. This is all part of his plan to shrink every grown-up down to an economical, convenient size, all that is, except him and the cat. He goes on to say that animals aren't affected by the miniaturizing ray, due to the difference in metabolic rate. He then states that even the people that laughed at him will be forced to look up to him. He then laughs.

Meanwhile, the people of Harbor City go about their daily business, unaware of the strange little turn their lives are about to take. The machine in the balloon then activates, and an airplane is flying by, and the pilot calls the tower: "Pilot to tower, pilot to tower, Jet Cargo 847. I'm approaching Harbor City Airport." The air traffic control man responds, saying he's clear for a landing. But just then the balloon appears in front of the jet, and the pilot is shrunk.

And not long later, the TroubAlert sounds at Justice League Headquarters. Wonder Woman looks at the printout, and she says: "Great Athena, Harbor City seems to have gone berserk!" The airplane is heading out to sea, but it was supposed to land at the airport, and two subway trains are racing out of control under the city, and they are about to collide. And a submarine is going to deep. The water pressure will destroy it. Superman then tells them "Let's go Justice Leaguers!"

The Man of Steel flies at supersonic speed to intercept the runaway jet. He catches it and lands it safely. Wonder Woman uses every ounce of her Olympian strength, and stops the trains from colliding. The kids, watching from the Hall, cheer.

While at sea, Aquaman is riding on some flying fish, and he uses his aquatic telepathy to a couple of light fish, which can provide their own light source at such dark ocean depths. Aquaman takes a ride on a Devil Ray, descending to those depths, and he gets some blowfish to race into action to save the sub, which is about to fall off a ledge. Aquaman then tosses a rope around the large watercraft, and he pulls on it, while the blowfish blow on it, bringing back to safer depths.

Back at the scientific research center, Superman appears over the screen telling everyone he's flown over the entire area, and every adult in Harbor City is two inches tall. Robin then says: "Leaping Leprechauns!" Doctor Curum tells Superman they still no nothing, even after examining the food, air and water at the launch site. He holds his tobacco pipe up to his face and goes on to say that the only thing they know for sure, is that it doesn't effect animals or children. Just then, a military man named Private Smith walks in and tells his superior Wilcox, that a large circus-like balloon is heading there way, which he saw on the radar. Superman then reported that the crew of the airplane he rescued said they had spotted a balloon just before they were shrunk, a large painted balloon. Robin then asks Ellis if there was a balloon at the launch site. Ellis, standing on a box of matches definitely remembered it, but he hadn't took much note of it until then, he figured it was a publicity stunt. Batman then asks Wilcox to have Private Smith track the balloon. Batman and Robin then race to the Batcopter.

They then approach the balloon in the Batcopter, and put it on autopilot, and swing into action, using their batropes. To their surprise, the device starts to shrink them, since Gulliver activated it from his castle. They then jump to the gondola, since they can no longer hold on to the rope, which to them is now quite huge. They then attempt to turn the machine off, but they are bombarded by a gas attack, which causes them to flip backward off the gondola, but they find a way to grab on and get inside the machine. Gulliver tells his cat to push the "automatic-return" button. The cat does just so. Meanwhile, inside the machine, Batman and Robin sabotage the circuitry and mechanical parts of the machine. Batman and Robin then jump out of the machine, which at this point is smoking, and they find themselves inside Gulliver's castle. Batman is surprised to see they are in a castle--in America. Gulliver explains that he had the castle shipped to America from England piece by piece, and that it was a family heirloom. They then realize that he's the man that they are after. He reaches his hand out to grab the tiny crusaders, but they make a run for it. Batman tells Robin they have to find a telephone or two-way radio so they can contact Justice League Headquarters. They quickly locate a phone and they climb up the telephone cord. Batman then removes the receiver, which is a hard job for such a small Batman. Just as they are about to dial the telephone number, the cat spots them and chases them. They then find themselves in the grip of a powerful air suction, which turns out to be a vacuum cleaner Gulliver uses to capture them. He then removes them from the vacuum cleaner and places them in glass bottles. Gulliver then tells them that it will take days to repair his machine, but fortunately he still has his handheld minimizer. He goes on to tell them that he will get more bottles to put the rest of the Justice League of America in, because they stand in his way of immortality. He goes on to explain that he is saving the world from one of the world's biggest problems: the population explosion. By shrinking everybody, there will be more food to eat, and he shows them some peanuts, which would be just a mouthful of food for a normal sized person, but for a small person; it's enough food to live on for a month. He then shows them a toy car, and explains that a real car that size would require just a drop of gasoline, instead of gallons. Parks, beaches and playgrounds would also never be overcrowded. He goes on to say that the world will be beautiful once again, once everyone had been shrunk to two inches tall. He tells them that the world will thank him, but Batman tells him they'll do just the opposite, they will condemn him. Robin tells Gulliver the Justice League of America will stop him, but Gulliver tells him they will soon join them on his trophy shelf. He then tells Igor to come with him, as now he has a plan to capture Superman.

Superman, in flight over Gotham City is searching for Batman and Robin, using his telescopic vision to cover the area. He then notices the daylight bat-signal, he then realizes they are in trouble. He touches down in a snow covered area where the signal was coming from, and he notices what he thinks is the Caped Crusaders in a handcar, rolling downhill on railroad tracks, to an obstruction that they are about to crash into. Superman saves them, but then he realizes that they are just inflated rubber dummies. Just then Superman realizes that this could be a trap. Just then, the unseen Doctor Gulliver pops out from under a blanket in the handcar and blasts Superman with his ray, shrinking him. Gulliver tells him that not only is he reduced in size, but also his super powers have been reduced as well. Superman is so small that he falls into his own footprint in the snow. Gulliver packs snow around the Man of Steel, thinking he has ensnared him in a snowball, but Superman bursts out of the snow, and flies up to face Gulliver. He then begins interrogating Gulliver, asking him where Batman and Robin is, he tells them they are safe, and tries to catch him with a butterfly net. He is not successful though, and Superman tells him he'll never catch him, despite shrinking him. He then asks where Batman and Robin is again, warning the villain that he is beginning to get angry. Igor, unseen by Superman, tosses a snowball at Superman, he dodges it, but then is captured by the butterfly net. Gulliver then jokes to Igor about how they should tryout for the Dodgers since Igor can pitch and Gulliver can catch. He then puts Superman in a bottle and takes him back to his castle. At the castle, Superman has joined Batman and Robin on the trophy shelf. He then begins phase three of his master plan, the perfect plan to capture Aquaman.

At the Hall of Justice, the remaining Superfriends are wondering what happened to the Dynamic Duo and the Man of Steel, although there are no clues to there whereabouts. Aquaman said that since Batman and Robin intercepted the balloon, there's been no more people shrinking. Just then, the TroubAlert sounds. They then learn that a freighter has sunk in a gigantic whirlpool in the South Atlantic, with some survivors on a raft on top of a two-hundred foot waterspout. "Great galloping seahorses!" Aquaman says, realizing he must do something fast.

While in the South Atlantic, Gulliver is with his cat Igor, who is incredibly dizzy, resting on a boat on top of a the waterspout. Gulliver then says: "Nothing like a little fresh salt air, eh, Igor?" Aquaman then arrives on his Aqua-Scooter. He then asks Gulliver, who he thinks is the captain, where the rest of the crew is. Gulliver then admits that there wasn't any crew, freighter or whirlpool. He then shrinks him and puts him in a bottle.

At the castle, Aquaman has joined his friends in the bottle collection. He asks if there's anyway to get out of there. And Superman tells him that his powers are reduced too much to be of any help to them. Batman then decides that they should tip the bottles and they might break from the fall. Superman agrees it's a good idea. The bottle falls, but it doesn't break, and Gulliver picks the bottle back up telling Superman they are unbreakable bottles. He then cuts off a pink ribbon and ties it into a bow around Igor's neck. And he decides to pay a visit to Wonder Woman.

At the Hall, Wonder Woman reads a letter that Marvin White and Wendy Harris wrote about how Aquaman went to help some people in the Sargasso Sea and they went to see Colonel Wilcox. Just then, a knock is heard at the door. She looks outside to see Igor in a basket. She reads the note on it which says: "From a secret admirer." She doesn't know how Wonder Dog would react to the cat, but she decides to accept the gift nevertheless. She asks the cat if he would like a bowl of milk. She opens up the refrigerator and tells the cat it must be hungry. She is then shrunk by the cat, using the handheld minmizer, and she falls into the bowl of milk. Gulliver then picks her up and tells her he is the secret admirer. He tells Igor that as soon as he has the Vanderbulge Star Sapphire, he'll be able to carry out his ultimate plan.

Sometime later, back at Gulliver's castle, the Amazon Princess, secretly uses her telepathy to send a special message to her magic golden lasso, which is located in another room of the castle. Superman asks Gulliver what he plans on doing with them, and Gulliver answers, telling them he's just going to keep them out of his hair until he completes his task. He then undrapes his ultimate invention, which he can only power with a star sapphire, which he must place in the machine's crystal transformer. With that, he will be able to use all of the world's televisions and radios to broadcast his shrinking beam, making everyone on Earth two inches tall.

Back at Justice League Headquarters, Marvin and Wendy are talking about how Aquaman is missing and how they hope Wonder Woman returns soon, since she'll know what to do, but just then, Wonder Dog runs up to them with a rope in his mouth. The kids instantly recognize it as Wonder Woman's magic lasso, which the kids realize she wouldn't have left without it. The lasso then shapes itself into the words: "Vanderbulge Star Sapphire." The kids don't understand the message, but they are pretty sure it has something to do with the "shrinking business," as Wendy refers to it as. They then leave the Hall of Justice immediately.

Later, at the Vanderbulge Mansion, the kids are looking at the art treasures in the estate, and Marvin wonders why there are no guards on duty to protect them. Wendy tells him that the place is wired with the most advanced electronic burglar alarm system in the world, with TV cameras and everything. Marvin then notices the star sapphire on display, which he goes on to describe as the most valuable sapphire in the world. As they approach the valuable crystal, Mr. Vanderbulge warns them not to get too close, he tells them that there are special burglar devices that they turn on after dark. He goes on to state that he designed them himself. Gulliver then walks in, telling him good evening. But Vanderbulge realizes he hasn't met him before. He then introduces himself as Doctor Hiram Gulliver. He then tells him he wants to borrow his sapphire. Vanderbulge then laughs, thinking it is just a joke. But just then, he triggers the burglar trap, which cages him. Just then, to security guards arrive and Vanderbulge tells him such an attempt at burglary is impossible. He goes on to tell him that the glass that the sapphire is in is bullet-proof, heat-proof and impossible to break with a drill. Of course, the villain is already aware of this and he pulls a device out of his handbag that appears to be an electronic tuning fork that emits a high pitched frequency that causes the glass to shatter. He then grabs the device. But the guards go after him. He then pulls out his ray gun to blast through the bars. The guards come after him, but he shrinks them with his shrink ray. Marvin, Wendy and Wonder Dog then hide behind a chair. Vanderbulge tells Gulliver that he is a big man in this city, and that he can't do that to him. Gulliver then shrinks him, asking him if he looked in the mirror lately, as he clearly isn't a big man anymore. Gulliver then leaves. The kids choose not to follow, but rather to contact Colonel Wilcox right away.

Later, at the castle, Gulliver shows his sapphire to everyone, telling them it's the final link in his great plan.

Continuity
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Continuity in Other Media
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Episode Title
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Quotes

 * "Holy disappearing acts!" --- Robin
 * "Leaping Leprechauns!" --- Robin
 * "Great Athena!" --- Wonder Woman
 * "Great galloping seahorses!" --- Aquaman
 * "By Robin Hood's bow!" --- Green Arrow
 * "Great flaming arrows!" --- Green Arrow
 * "By Nottingham's ghost!" --- Green Arrow
 * "What in the name of Robin Hood is going on anyway?!" --- Green Arrow
 * "Holy Tom Thumb!" --- Robin
 * "Holy permanent press!" --- Robin
 * "Zonkers!" --- Marvin
 * "Holy Jack and the Beanstalk! --- Robin