03x01 - Homemade Heroes/Molly and the Snow Hawk

[bunniefuu]

Hey, everyone-- it's me, Molly!

♪Molly of Denali ♪

Let's go!

♪ She's Molly of Denali

[laughing]: Whoo!

♪ By plane or sled or snowshoe ♪

♪ She is ready to explore

♪ From Kaktovik down to Juneau ♪

♪ Always wanting to learn more ♪

Yeah!

♪ Together with her best friend Tooey ♪

♪ Always by her side And Trini!

♪ Discovering the outdoors

♪ On adventures day and night

♪ Come along with Molly

♪ Molly

♪ Through fields of fireweed

♪ Come along with Molly

♪ Molly

♪ From tundra to the sea

Mahsi'choo-- let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali

Yeah!

♪ She's Molly of Denali

♪ Come on ♪ Let's go!

♪ Molly of Denali

♪ She's Molly of Denali

MOLLY: "Homemade Heroes."

[camera chirps]MOLLY [in bold voice]: You're safe now!

TOOEY [in high-pitched voice]: Thank you for rescuing

my baby fox, Denali Defender!

MOLLY: You're welcome, Mama Fox!

Nideevee gozu'.

Denali Defender will always protect you.

Denali Defender, away!

[camera chirps]

[camera chirps]That was a really good Mama Fox, Tooey.

[in high-pitched voice]: Mahsi'choo,Molly.

[laughing]

Hey, everyone!

This is our brand-new Alaska Native superhero,

the Denali Defender!

But you're probably wondering,

how did we come up with this brand-new...

Super-powerful!

Superhero?!

Well, it all started last winter, when Tooey and I

were making a delivery to Mr. Rowley.

♪

Got your new shoes, Mr. Rowley.

Hey, just in time!

I bet we get snow tomorrow.

My nose always itches when snow's coming.

[gasps]: Are those all comic books?

Yep, these are mainly duplicates.

I got the originals inside wrapped in plastic.

Been collecting since I was your age.

Mighty McMann's Alaska Adventures?

[laughs]

Yeah, that's an oldie.

Kinda dopey, but I like the art.

I've never seen a comic book about Alaska.

Me, neither.

Can we borrow this?

Sure thing.

In fact, you can have it.

Quyana! Mahsi'choo,Mr. Rowley!

TOOEY: "My power will defeat the snow!"

Defeat the snow?

How do you do that?Beats me.

I think Mighty McMann isn't mighty smart.

He's wearing a leotard in a blizzard.

[sighs]: This comic is all about Alaska,

but it doesn't have any Alaska Native characters in it.

I know.

There's, like, a gajillion

non-Native superheroes out there.

I wish just one of them was Alaska Native.

[sighs]:Yeah...

If I made a superhero,

I think I'd make her Gwich'in.

Oh, and she'd have a cape made of caribou hide.

Like this.

♪

And her name would be...

Shaeeyaa!

Shimmering Star!

I like it!

What would her superpower be?

Hmm, using her cape,

she can control the weather and time!

And she could have a partner!

♪

Keele Gedese!

Gigantic Boy!

Ooh.

So what are his powers?

Um...

He's a giant.

Oh, and he's super-strong.

Hey, why don't we make our own comic book?

Let's do it!

Um, how do we start?

I don't know.

But we can find out.

To the library!

MOLLY: History of Comic Books.

This might help.

TOOEY: "The first comic book ever.

The Adventures of Mr. Obadiah Oldbuck."

Amazing! Hmm...

This is interesting,

but we want to learn how to make comic books.

Hey, what about this one?

Create Your Own Comic Art.

Oh, that's just what we need!

Let's check it out.

"First step,

create your characters."

We already did.

Shaeeyaa and Keele Gedese.

"Next step, create your panels."

Panels?

Oh, the squares for the pictures.

Yeah, I made some already.

Nice!

Why the big panel on the bottom?

So something big can happen.

Like what?

That depends on the next step.

"Before you draw, make up your story."

Oh, okay!

It could start with

our heroes walking in the woods.

♪

TOOEY: Keele Gedese says,

"Listen, the geese are upset!"

[geese squawking]

MOLLY: Then Shaeeyaa says,

"I see why!

"Look, by the lake!

"A spaceship sucking up all the water!

"This is a job for Shaeeyaa!

Shimmering Star!"

TOOEY: "And Keele Gedese.

"Gigantic Boy!

"We can't let them take all the lake water.

The animals need it!"

MOLLY: "Time for my weather cape!"

[grunting]

[ice grinding]

TOOEY: "You turned the water to ice.

Great idea, Shaeeyaa!"

♪

MOLLY [as alien]: "Excuse me, but you froze my water."

TOOEY: "It's not your water.

The animals who live here need it."

MOLLY [as alien]: "But it's fuel for our spaceship.

"We need it to get back to Planet Zeeblork.

We made a wrong turn at Mars and got stuck here."

TOOEY: "The water must stay.

But I can throw your ship home."

[grunts]

"Okay, which direction is Zeeblork?"

MOLLY [as alien]: "Um, I'm not sure.

We can only see it at night."

TOOEY: "Shaeeyaa, can you help us out?"

[Molly grunts]

MOLLY: "Too gwilii.

"Now it is night.

Which is your planet?"

MOLLY [as alien]: "Uh, that one, next to Venus!"

TOOEY: "Prepare to fly!" [grunts]

MOLLY [as alien]: Mahsi'choo!

♪

[geese squawking]

MOLLY: "Nizii!"

Hey, Shaeeyaa!

Did you make it night?

It's dark out.

[laughing]

Wow, we've been drawing for hours.

I can't wait to show this around.

♪

This is a really good comic.

Thanks!

We already have ideas for a second issue.

Could I make some copies of this

for people to borrow and read?

Yes, please!Of course!

I have a feeling this will be pretty popular.

[laughs]: Oh, yoy.

Cool!

Wow!

[laughs]: Woo-hoo!

This one's definitely a collectible.

♪

VERA: Tooey, Molly!

Your comic book is so good!

Thanks.

How did you think of it?

We've never seen Alaska Native superheroes,

so we made some up.

Do you think we could do that, too?

Sure!

I'd make a superhero called Niinjii.

Lynx Boy! [growls]

He'd have super-hearing ears

and could walk really quietly.

Mine would be Ch'itsal,

a girl who turns into a giant songbird.

Twee-twee-twee!

And we'll call it...

MOLLY: The Wild Adventures of Niinjii and Ch'itsal!

Great comic, you guys!

Well, you two inspired us.

That's why we think you should enter this.

MOLLY: A superhero contest?

BOTH: Ooh.

TOOEY:"The New Character Comics Contest.

"Send us your idea for a new superhero

"and the winning character

will be featured in our next issue."

You two could win.

Well, so could you.

Hey...

Maybe we should all enter.

But...

It says just one winning character.

Between us, we have four.

[sighs]

Too bad we can't all win.

Wait! Maybe we can!

Huh?

How?

Come on, I've got an idea!

♪

What superpowers should our new character have?

Bird wings!

And super giant power.

And lynx ears!

And a caribou cape.

She's a super-duper superhero!

Wait.

What should our hero's name be?

♪

[humming]

[gasps]

Ooh, it's here!

Guys!

This came in the mail, addressed to all of us.

OSCAR: "From Amazing Comics Company."

[gasps]: The contest!

♪

ALL: Whoa!

TOOEY: The Denali Defender!

MOLLY: "Created by Molly, Tooey,

Oscar, and Vera, in Qyah, Alaska."

[all cheering]

[laughing, exclaiming]

And that's how the Denali Defender was born.

And remember,

if you don't have a superhero like you...

Make your own!

Hey, everyone, Molly here

to answer your questions about life in Alaska.

Nicole from Tulsa, Oklahoma, asks,

"What's a qaspeq?"

Qaspeqsare traditional hoodies, like the one I wear.

My friends can tell you more.

Hi, Molly.

I'm in Anchorage today,

on Dena'ina lands.

Today, I'm gonna call Nikki

and learn how to sew a qaspeq.

Waqaa,hello, hi, my name is Nikki Corbett.

I've been sewing qaspeqs since I was about nine,

I made my first one.

Traditionally, Yup'ik qaspeqs

were made using your handprints.

So you would measure how tall you are,

so hand measurements going down,

hand measurements here.

The first step, cut out your body.

Once you have all your pieces cut out,

you're gonna iron everything in the fold.

And then once you've got all those,

you're ready to start piecing it together.

Are you ready to sew your own?Mm-hmm.

GIRL: The first thing I need to do is

take measurements for my qaspeq.

My chest measurement is two and a fingertip.

GIRL: This is how big I'm gonna make my neck hole.

Next, I'm gonna cut out the fabric.

The fabric I picked is, like,

a orange-ish yellow

and a golden, and it's really pretty.

♪

Now I'm pinning the ribbon to the sleeve.

I'm ironing the sleeve so I can match up

the seams when I'm sewing.

Now I'm ready to start sewing.

I'm starting by sewing the sleeves.

I'm Inupiaq.

Instead of qaspeq, we call it atikluk.

Many areas in Alaska have their own styles.

This is my last stitch.

♪

Thank you, Nikki, for showing me how

to make my first qaspeq.

Bye, Molly.

MOLLY: Mahsi'choo!

Thanks for asking, and see you next time!

MOLLY: "Molly and the Snow Hawk."

MOLLY AND TOOEY: Whoo!

[laughing]

Whoa! Yeah!

Whoa!

[Molly laughing]TOOEY: Woo-hoo!

[laughing] [laughs]

[both gasp]

BOTH: Moguls!

Woo-hoo!

BOTH: Whoa!

TOOEY: Whoo!

MOLLY: Woo-hoo!

BOTH: Whoa!

[grunting]

[laughing]

That was amazing!

Let's do it again!

Hey, where's Trini?

Coming!

[grunting]

[sighs]

I really need a new sled.

This one was fine for Texas,

but it just can't handle Alaska.

It's like riding a turtle.

Wanna take mine for a spin?

Thanks, but I'm afraid to.

Why?

Once I use that one, I'll really want a new sled.

You two can sled without me.

Come on, slow poke, let's go home.

[sighs]

I wish we had an extra sled for Trini.

Yeah. [gasps]

Wait a minute! What about...

The Snow Hawk?

[hawk screeches]

The Snow Hawk!

Your old sled?

You still have that?

I think so.

It might be in the shed.

Come on!

I remember that little sled zooming down the hill,

the runners sparkling on the snow.

Oh, it was a beauty.

MOLLY: Found it!

♪

♪

[record needle scratches, music stops]

Huh?

Are you sure?

Of course, I'm sure!

I'd know you anywhere, Snow Hawk.

[sighs][bolt clanks]

I think that hawk just lost a claw.

It just needs a little sprucing up.

But I bet it can still

fly like the wind!

[yelping]

Easy, easy...[bolts clanking]

[wood cracking, Molly yells]

She's breaking apart!

Molly!

♪

[Molly grunting]

[sighs]: Okay.

Maybe this bird needs a lot of sprucing up.

Uh... That's a sled?

It used to be.

We were wondering if you could help us fix it up.

It's a present for Trini.

Hmm, I guess it's worth a sh*t.

And you can help.

You know, you come from a long

line of sled builders, Molly.

I do?

Mm-hmm, your ancestors

have been making sleds for years.

TOOEY: "For thousands of years, the Gwich'in people

have built sleds from the indigenous Aat'oo."

What's Aat'oo?

That's the Gwich'in word for the birch tree.

Wow!

So these people on the sled are Gwich'in, just like me?

Yep, the Gwich'in people

were master sled builders.

They chose Aat'oobecause it's light and bendable,

which makes it great for building sleds.

TOOEY: That Aat'oolooks pretty bumpy.

How do you turn that into a sled?

Well, first, we cut the wood into boards.

And then, to make the wood smooth,

we use sandpaper like this.

Here, you try.

BOTH: Swisha, swisha, swish.

Swisha, swisha, swish.

Swisha, swisha, swish, swisha swisha, swish.

ALL: Swisha, swisha, swish.

♪

ALL: Swisha, swisha, swish.

Swisha, swisha, swish.

[laughing]

Hmm... there.

♪

It's perfect!

Just how I remembered it.

Mahsi'choo, Mr. Patak.

[grunts]: Well, now you just have to do

something about these runners.

I'm much better at working with wood than metal,

but I think I know someone who can help.

Hmm.

Looks like a bad case of oxidation.

Oxidation?

I thought it was just rusty.

[laughs]: Yes.

That rust is there because of oxidation.

Iron oxide--

rust-- can build up on certain kinds of metals,

especially when the metal gets wet from the snow.

Is there any way to get that stuff off, Connie?

Well, sure!

We just have to scrape all that

iron oxide off and it'll be good as new!

Scrape, like with sandpaper?

Tooey and I are experts at that.

BOTH: Swisha, swisha, swish!

[chuckles]

I think it would be more fun to use this.

♪

[grinder running]

♪

There you go!

Nice and shiny!

Wow!

Connie, they do look brand-new.

Aww, I missed you.

Mm.

Time to give it to Trini!

Right-- Trini.

Come on.

I can't wait to see the expression on her face!

Uh, Tooey, wait.

Huh?

Why?

Um, because we have to

give the Snow Hawk another test ride first,

you know, to make sure it's Trini-worthy.

Oh.

I guess that makes sense.

Mahsi'choo, Connie!

Anytime, Molly!

[laughing]

Whoo!

[laughs]

Whoo!

Tooey!

That was so much fun!

[sighs]: I can't remember

the last time the Snow Hawk flew so fast!

So you're saying the sled is Trini-worthy?

Yeah, I think it is.

Great, because she's right over there.

Come on, this is gonna be awesome.

Trini!

You're not gonna believe what Molly did!

Look!

What am I looking at?

Did Molly turn into a tree? Huh?

She was just...

Um, we'll show you later!

You're going to love it!

Huh.[snorts]

[footsteps approaching]

[panting]: What happened?

Why didn't you give Trini the Snow Hawk?

I realized I can't give it to Trini yet

because it needs one of those steering thingies.

I mean, wouldn't it be great

if Trini could turn left and right?

I always wanted a sled that could steer and...

Oh! Your dad's a sled expert.

Do you think he knows how to make the Hawk turn?

[slowly]: I guess.

Great! Come on, let's go!

Wow, your dad did an amazing job!

Okay, Molly.

Now that the sled can turn,

can we finally give it to Trini?

Yep-- after we paint it blue.

Blue?

It's Trini's favorite color.

Oh, and wouldn't it be great

if we gave it a cupholder?

A cupholder?

On a sled?

Well, where else is she going to put her hot chocolate?

[sighs]

Now, who do we know

who's a cupholder expert?

Molly...

Do you think maybe you actually

aren't ready to give the Snow Hawk away?

No, I am!

It's just...

This was my very first sled.

Grandpa Nat gave it to me.

I guess I didn't realize how much I was going to miss it.

[sighs]

Let me guess.

You're gonna take it for another test ride?

Yep, only this time,

I'm not gonna be the one riding.

Hey, Molly, hey, Tooey.

Whoa!

Did you get a new sled?

Nope.

You did.

Huh?

It's for you.

It's called the Snow Hawk.[hawk screeches]

It was Molly's sled for years and years.

It was a little b*at-up,

but Mr. Patak, Connie, and Kenji helped us fix it.

It should ride pretty well now.

[gasps]: You're giving this sled to me?

Oh, Molly, thank you, thank you, thank you!

Enaa'basee'!

I have to ride it right now!

[laughs]Yay!

Yes, yes, yes!

[Trini panting]

Okay, first, I'm gonna go bundle up.

Then I'm gonna ride it.

[shivers]

♪

ALL: Woo-hoo!

[cheering]

TRINI: Woo-hoo!

Woo-hoo!

[laughing]

Yay!

Did you see that?

I was going so fast!

I love the Snow Hawk!

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Let's go again!

[laughs]

♪

That was a really cool thing you did, Molly.

Mahsi,Tooey.

The Snow Hawk is in good hands.

You're sure it doesn't need a cupholder?

[laughs]:Molly!

Kidding!

Come on, race you to the top!

[laughing]

♪

♪

♪