I Remember Goldie is the sixth episode of the series Harold and the Purple Crayon that aired on February 2, 2002.
Summary[]
Harold was in bed, but he couldn't sleep, as all he could think about was his pet goldfish, Goldie, who was floating upside down in her bowl. Harold's mother tells him that Goldie is dead. Harold was confused, as he had never witnessed anyone dying before, so he had no idea what it meant. She puts him back into bed and takes Goldie's bowl when she leaves the room, leaving Harold with more curiosity. He wanted to play with Goldie right now, so he gets up and draws his way into the book world.
Harold tries to find Goldie, so he draws a mailbox, a cat to check in its mouth, and a box but can't find her anywhere until he remembers that Goldie was a fish who lived in a fishbowl. Harold creates a large goldfish bowl that he goes into, and never felt so free swimming around in the water that was bigger than it usually looked. But he still couldn't find Goldie. He draws her castle, wondering if she could be in there, and also draws a guard that opens the large door. As he swims around in the even bigger castle, he thinks he found Goldie, but every time he does, it was just his eyes playing tricks, as they are just shadows from the light and curtains.
Harold figured that if he gave Goldie new toys, she would certainly come back, so he draws all kinds of new things that Goldie would like to play with, but even after that he was sure that Goldie wouldn't come back. Harold sits down on a treasure chest and wonders if it was because of something he did that hurt Goldie's feelings. He then remembers the time when Goldie didn't want to come to Harold in her bowl, causing him to get mad at her, and the time when he tried to play fetch with her and threw a ball into her bowl, which made Harold wish he had a dog instead. The memories are shown on the mirror.
After swimming around during a lavish fish musical number, Harold sinks behind a clam which accidentally wakes the resting mermaid up. She notices that Harold is down, so he tells her what had happened, and the mermaid informs him that it wasn't his fault that Goldie left, even if he did have a few bad moments with her. She left unintentionally because she died, which meant her body couldn’t live, breathe or move anymore and considering she is dead, Goldie couldn’t come back. Harold gets even more upset and begins swimming away. However, the mermaid decides to show Harold a more understanding way of death, and as they swim together, she explains that death is a natural part of life, just like growing and even dancing. At that moment, they run into an octopus jamboree and briefly join with some other sea animals. After that, they swim up to land, and because the mermaid was still part fish, Harold draws a dress on her, which gives her legs. The mermaid explains more about death, and Harold draws seeds and a watering can and learns with flowers that any living thing is born, grows, gets older, and dies. However, life rebirths and continues on, as shown in a second song.
Harold now understands that just like everything else, it was Goldie’s time to go. But while Harold knew that new frogs, leaves, and flowers can regrow after death, he couldn't bring Goldie back. He then started to cry. The mermaid comforts him and says that Goldie will still be with him even after she dies. Harold doesn't get it, but she says that she lives on in his memories. Harold begins remembering all the good times with Goldie which makes him feel a bit better, then he draws a picture, which turns into another song featuring Harold having fun with Goldie. It also makes the mermaid feel as though she knew Goldie, even if she hadn't met her personally. Harold, as well as the mermaid, gets tired, so the mermaid goes back into the water, but not before kissing Harold, and Harold goes back to his room to get into bed, but first, before going to sleep, he draws a picture of Goldie, and a heart, where her bowl once sat.
Quotes[]
Harold: Goodbye, Goldie.
Trivia[]
- Morals
- Death is a natural part of life.
- If someone you love dies, it’s not your fault. Even if you have a bad memory or two of them, that wouldn’t make someone die.
- It’s okay to feel sad if you miss someone, but you can always remember the good times you had when they were alive, and that will make you feel better.
- The mermaid looks extremely similar to Disney's Ariel from The Little Mermaid.
- This is the only episode in which someone dies.
- This is considered as the saddest episode of the series.