Fixies have a special sign I happened to discover.
They hold three fingers in the air And flash it to each other.
They send their greetings to you, They sing them and they shout.
But if you meet a Fixie, please, Don’t let their secret out!
The Catapult
What was that? Ah?
Hm, strange.
Tom Thomas isn't here.
There's no way these toy soldiers could have shot it themselves!
Now that was a good shot!
It wasn't real long. And not high either.
And off target.
It was pretty awful!
It was good but awful.
I got it.
So, what do we do?
We need to raise it up a little higher.
Hey, Fire! Nolik!
Why in the world would you shoot at a Fxie?!
Fixies? They supposed to be in school right now.
Actually, I'm on my way to school.
How about you, Fire? Why aren't you in class?
Because there it's totally boring!
But here, look at what a cool shooter we found!
Huh! What did you call it?
You've got no idea what this is!
It’s called a catapult, guys!
A cat with gold eyes?
It isn't a cat with gold eyes! It's a catapult, guys!
Catapults are ancient propulsion machines.
They were used to shoot stones, heavy arrows, or barrels with burning tar.
The main part of a catapult is a special piece of rope.
It is twisted very very tightly, like a spring!
The rope is then wrapped around a big spoon.
And then, if you pull this spoon back, put a stone in it and let it go,
the catapult fires a shot!
And the stone flies far, far away!
Alright, so here we go.
Came up short!
What do you mean short? What are you aiming at?
You’ll see.
The spoon needs to go further back. Just a little.
Guys, you’re gonna break the glass!
Nolik!
Now push!
Alright.
Yes!! Right on target!
Now let's fly out into space.
Wait, what space?
What kind of flying? Who’s gonna fly?
I’m gonna fly!
Right out the window!
Right up to the Moon!
First Fixonaut in the world Nolik!
Are you ready for your flight into space?
Yes, Sir!
Nolik, get out of the spoon now!
I'll be the first Fixie on the Moon! Yeah!
Nolik, enough of this! What kind of joke is this?
It's not a joke at all! He’s gonna fly into space!
And how come it's not you?
Because he's lighter.
Hold on!
Humans didn't go straight into space themselves, they sent dogs out there first!
Neh. Chewsocka's not gonna fit in here.
Simka, why don't you go and let us finish.
Fine, I will go.
But only after Nolik finds himself a helmet.
You're right about that!
I’ll go find a helmet!
The catapult was invented in ancient times,
but people still use them today.
Only now instead of launching stones,
catapults are used to launch jet airplanes.
You see, the runway on an aircraft carrier is quite short,
so catapults are used to help the planes move fast enough to take off.
Catapults can also be used to save the life of a pilot.
When an airplane has an accident, a catapult activates in the cabin.
The pilot is shot into the sky and comes back to the ground with a parachute.
A plain old slingshot is also a kind of catapult, it's just a very little one.
But be careful with this toy!
It can be dangerous to others and to you too.
As for us Fixies, the only time that we use catapults is on a peaceful mission.
Papus! Hurry!
Our Nolik's getting shot to the moon with a catapult!
What?!
And if I meet new Fixies up there?
What should I say to them?
"Hi there!"
And you can ask them to launch you back.
So?
Let's do it!
Fire, launch it!
Stop!
Don't!
Simka!
Nolik!
I’m not getting out!
We're alive.
Hurrah! He flew all the way!
Who flew away?
To the moon?
Nope. Just a bit short.
It’s not our fault.
You’re just heavier than Nolik and that’s why you came up short.
Papus, maybe we can try it one more time?
What?!
Can you believe that Fixies are Such itty-bitty creatures?
Even when they’re magnified It’s hard to see their features.
They’re tiny, infinitesimal, So small it makes you doubt.
But if you meet a Fixie, please, Don’t let their secret out!
The Tools
Hang on. There are these really cool things…
that I want to show you.
Look how many things you got all at once!
Your dad's gonna be so angry when he sees what you did with all of his tools.
I’m gonna put them all right back where they were.
And where were they?
Open the box and you'll see. It's neat.
There’s a special place in there for each one of the tools.
Try hammering in a nail or drilling a hole with your bare hands.
Ah-huh! There's no way!
But with the help of the proper tools it’s a piece of cake.
But of course that's only if you know how to use them.
Tools need proper care.
If the head of a hammer is loose,
or a drill is dull,
then you shouldn’t work with them - it’s dangerous!
And when you’re done working put the tools back in their places
or you'll be tearing your house apart trying to find them the next time you need them.
The pincers go here, and the wrench goes…
over there.
This drill bit's too long for this spot.
Let’s see if it fits in this one.
Any idea what this tool is for?
For splitting wood or carving stone,
that CHISEL's what you want to own.
Wow Simka! You’re a real poet!
Now try to answer this little poem.
When you have a thing to measure, This round tool is quite a treasure.
This tool, right?
I know what it's called. It's a measuring tape!
Let me measure you, Nolik.
Wow, you’ve grown!
You've almost reached one centimeter.
Class!
I also have a rhyming riddle for you.
What bangs a nail into the wall, To make sure pictures never fall?
A hammer!
I was first!
And the hammer goes right here!
And now I have one for you to guess.
If you need to screw in screws, Here's the tool that you should use!
A screwdriver!
I was first! Again!
You got it right!
Alright, Tom Thomas, we'd better hurry.
We still have a lot of tools here to get sorted out!
Humans, just like Fixies, use hundreds of different tools to do their work.
Picking the right one depends on the task at hand.
For instance, if you need to hammer in a nail, use a hammer.
But you don't use a hammer for a screw.
For that, there is a special tool called a screwdriver.
A wrench is the tool for tightening nuts and bolts.
A vise is used to hold a part in place,
and a drill - to drill a hole.
If you need to cut a piece of wood, you should choose a saw.
You could use a hand saw, for example, or a hacksaw.
Different kinds of pliers can be used for snipping, gripping or bending.
If you need to smooth something down, you use a file.
If you learn how to work with tools properly,
you can build just about anything.
Looks like we did it!
Just in time!
Oh, and how about this?
- Do you know what kind of tool that is? - I don’t know.
There's no place for it in here.
Just throw it out!
Come on! And what if my parents use it?!
Looks like we did something wrong here.
My dad came home!
- Tom Thomas! - I’m in here!
Hi there.
Reading? Way to go, Son!
I don't get it. Where is it?
What?
I put a piece of metal under the table leg so it wouldn't shake.
But it disappeared!
So that's where the tool's place is!
- Did you take it? - What?
I didn't!
It must be somewhere under the table.
And you look under the sofa.
Ah… Alright.
What do you think he wants?
He wants us to get that metal thing out of his dad's box.
Come on, let's go!
You got it!
Any luck?
Uh-uh.
Me neither.
I found it, Dad!
It was under the table, just like I told you!
You were right!
It's strange. How could I have missed it?
Maybe you're just... tired from working too much!
Maybe.
Tideesh!
What?
Tideesh?
I do like the sound of it!