Episodes

Once upon a time, in a cozy little bedroom, Derby the elephant lay in bed, her big ears flapping gently as she dreamed of flying. Suddenly, she felt a magical spark, and her ears began to glow. With a joyful trumpet, Derby jumped out of bed and stretched her ears wide.

"Whooo-hooo!" she exclaimed, as she lifted off the floor and soared out of her bedroom window. The wind ruffled her ears, and she giggled with delight.

Derby flew over vast deserts, feeling the warm sand beneath her and spotting majestic pyramids in the distance. She swooped down to say hello to a group of camels, who smiled and waved their humps in greeting.

Next, she flew over sparkling oceans, watching schools of fish darting through the waves. She met a friendly seagull named Sam, who showed her hidden coves and secret caves.

As the sun began to set, Derby flew over bustling cities, marveling at towering skyscrapers and twinkling lights. She waved to children playing in parks and waved goodbye to street performers doing acrobatics.

As the stars began to twinkle, Derby flew over lush forests, listening to the lullaby of crickets and rustling leaves. She met a wise old owl named Professor Hootenanny, who shared tales of ancient wisdom and mystical creatures.

With a happy heart and tired ears, Derby flew back to her bedroom window. She gently touched down on the sill, and her ears glowed softly as she settled back into bed.

"Goodnight Rosalie, Goodnight world!" she whispered, snuggling under the blankets beside Rosalie her best friend for life. As she drifted off to sleep, she smiled, knowing she'd have another magical adventure tomorrow. The moon shone bright outside, watching over Derby and Rosalie as they both dreamed of flying.

Rosalie flopped onto the couch with a dramatic sigh, her cheeks flushed and her nose slightly red. Derby, her loyal elephant friend with ears as wide as her heart, peeked around the corner with a tray of warm lemon tea and a box of tissues balanced on her trunk.

“You look like a tomato that lost a fight with a sneeze,” Derby said, placing the tray down gently.

Rosie giggled, even though her throat was scratchy. “I feel like one too.”

Derby tucked a blanket around her and sat beside her, her big ears flopping over the edge of the couch. “You’ve got a cold, Rosie. You need rest.”

“But netball is today!” Rosie whined. “I’ve been practicing my passes all week. I can’t miss it!”

Derby raised an eyebrow. “Let me get this straight. You’re too sick for school, but you want to run around a court chasing a ball?”

Rosie hesitated. “Well… netball is different. It’s fun!”

Derby shook her head, her ears flapping dramatically. “Rosie, skipping school because you’re sick means you’re actually sick. You can’t pick and choose when to be sick like it’s a menu at a café.”

“But—”

“Nope,” Derby interrupted. “Imagine your germs playing netball. They’d be the MVPs! You’d infect the whole team and win by sneezing.”

Rosie burst out laughing, coughing a little in between. “Okay, okay, I get it.”

Derby smiled and pulled out her secret weapon: *silly jokes*.

“What do you call a netball team made of elephants?” she asked.

Rosie wiped her nose and shrugged. “What?”

"Trunk shooters!"

Rosie giggled again.

“And what do you call a sick elephant who still wants to play netball?”

“What?”

"A snot-ball champion!"

Rosie laughed so hard she nearly spilled her tea. “Derby, you’re ridiculous.”

“Ridiculously wise,” Derby said, puffing out her chest. “Now rest up, and I promise we’ll practice passes tomorrow. Deal?”

Rosie nodded, snuggling into the blanket. “Deal. But only if you tell me one more joke.”

Derby grinned. “Why did the tissue go to school?”

“Why?”

“Because it wanted to be a little nose-it-all!"

And with that, the living room filled with laughter, sniffles, and the warm comfort of friendship.

It was a rainy afternoon, and Derb had a brilliant idea: “Let’s make noodles from scratch!” Rosalie’s eyes lit up. “Yes! Flour, eggs, and chaos—my favorite ingredients!”

They set up in the kitchen, armed with a giant mixing bowl, a rolling pin, and way too much flour. Derb, ever the enthusiastic one, dumped the flour in with a dramatic flair, creating a mini snowstorm. Rosalie cracked eggs like a pro—until one slipped and landed on Derb’s shoe.

“Battle scars,” Derb said proudly, squishing the egg with a squelch.

As they kneaded the dough, flour flew everywhere. Rosalie tried to roll it out, but Derb insisted on using a broom handle instead of a rolling pin “for maximum noodle width.” The dough stretched across the counter, then flopped onto the floor like a sleepy octopus.

They tried cutting the noodles with scissors, then a pizza cutter, then finally settled on using cookie cutters. The result? Star-shaped noodles, hearts, and one that looked suspiciously like a dinosaur.

Boiling them was another adventure. The noodles tangled like spaghetti vines, and one star noodle escaped, clinging to the side of the pot like it was trying to flee.

In the end, they had a mountain of oddly shaped, slightly overcooked noodles—and a kitchen that looked like a flour bomb had gone off.

They sat on the floor, slurping noodles and laughing. “Next time,” Rosalie said, “we use a recipe.”

Derb grinned. “Where’s the fun in that?”

Rosalie was curled up in her messy room, thumb in mouth, surrounded by a sea of soft Dumbo toys. Derby, her favorite flying elephant, was perched on the windowsill, her yellow hat tilted just so, her red neck frill fluttering in the breeze.

“Rosie,” Derby said in her most elegant voice, “I must regale you with a tale of utter pandemonium.”

Rosalie blinked. “Regale?”

“It means to tell a story in a delightful way,” Derby explained, adjusting her hat. “Now hush, and listen closely.”

Derby cleared her throat dramatically. “It all began at the Annual Elephant Tea Symposium—a very prestigious event.”

“Prestigious?” Rosie asked, already giggling.

“Highly respected and fancy,” Derby replied. “There were cucumber sandwiches, rose petal tea, and elephants wearing monocles. Even Grandma Derby wore pearls.”

Rosalie snorted. “Did she trip over them?”

“No, but someone else caused quite the commotion,” Derby said, eyes twinkling. “A two-year-old elephant named Tootsie. She was invited because her mum was on the organizing committee. Big mistake.”

Rosalie sat up straighter. “What did Tootsie do?”

“Well,” Derby said, “first she mistook the sugar cubes for building blocks and constructed a wobbly tower on the cake stand. Then she tried to ride the teapot like a pony. It was catastrophic.”

“Catastrophic?” Rosie echoed.

“Disastrous. Everything went wrong. The Earl Grey geysered into the air. Scones flew like frisbees. One elephant fainted into the trifle.”

Rosalie was laughing so hard she nearly fell off the bed. “Did anyone stop her?”

“Eventually,” Derby said, “Grandma Derby lured her away with a jam tart and a promise of bubbles. But not before Tootsie painted the hostess’s tail with marmalade.”

Rosalie wiped tears from her eyes. “That’s the best story ever.”

Derby smiled. “It was pandemonium, Rosie. Pure, delightful chaos.”

“Pandemonium?” Rosie asked.

“Wild and noisy disorder,” Derby said. “Rather like your room.”

Rosalie looked around at the noodle wrappers, scattered Derbies, and a sock on the lampshade. “Fair.”

Derby fluttered down and nestled beside her. “Now, shall I tell you about the time Tootsie tried to enter a ballroom dance competition with a mop?”

Rosalie grinned. “Only if you use more fancy words.”

It was the first sunny Saturday of the school holidays, and Rosalie was buzzing with excitement. She had packed her Dumbo PJs, her pale blue hoodie, and exactly three Derbies (including the real Derby, of course) into her overnight bag. Today was the day—a trip to Nana’s beach house in Mangawhai!

Mum was still in her dressing gown, dancing in the kitchen with a piece of toast, while Isabella helped Rosalie zip up her bag.

“Don’t forget your toothbrush,” Isabella said gently.

Rosalie grinned. “I’ll just use Jasmine’s.”

Isabella raised an eyebrow. “Gross.”

Derby fluttered down from the top shelf, her yellow hat gleaming in the morning light. “Rosie, are you ready for the most exhilarating coastal escapade of your life?”

Rosalie blinked. “Exhila-what?”

“Exciting,” Derby translated. “We’re going to Nana’s beach house in Mangawhai, remember? And I’ve invited the Derbies to join us for a seaside performance.”

Rosalie squealed. “YESSS!”

Scene: Nana’s Beach House – Mangawhai Beach

Jasmine greeted Rosalie with a dramatic cartwheel on the sand. “Welcome to Splash-Off 2025!” she shouted, flinging her arms wide.

Rosalie laughed so hard she nearly dropped Derby. “You’re the choreographer, remember?”

“I know,” Jasmine said, brushing sand off her knees. “But I’m also the star.”

Derby hovered above the beach, rallying the flying Derbies into formation. “Derbies! Prepare for the triple twirl, shell dive, and noodle float!”

Rosalie and Jasmine collapsed in giggles. “Did she say noodle float?”

“She did,” Jasmine said. “We’re going to need actual noodles.”

Chaos Ensues

The Derbies swooped and spun, some landing in the waves with elegant splashes, others belly-flopping like soggy marshmallows. One Derby got tangled in seaweed and floated upside down. Another tried to do a backflip and landed in Nana’s picnic basket.

Rosalie and Jasmine were in hysterics.

“This is the best day ever,” Rosalie said, her thumb sneaking into her mouth as she curled up on a beach towel.

Derby landed beside her, dripping slightly. “Rosie, this was a resounding triumph.”

“Resounding?” Rosie asked.

“Very loud and very successful,” Derby said proudly.

It was a quiet afternoon in Auckland. Rosalie was curled up on her bed, thumb in mouth, surrounded by a sea of Derbies. The sky outside was streaked with golden clouds, and Derby was pacing on the windowsill, her yellow hat tilted with purpose.

“Rosie,” Derby said, “we have a situation.”

Rosalie blinked. “A noodle situation?”

“No,” Derby said gravely. “A *Cloudberry emergency*.”

Rosalie sat up. “What’s a cloudberry?”

“A rare fruit that only grows on floating islands in the sky,” Derby explained. “And Grandma Derby’s birthday cake depends on it.”

Rosalie gasped. “We have to save the cake!”

Derby nodded. “Exactly. Assemble the Derbies!”

Scene: Takeoff from the Deck

One by one, the Derbies fluttered out Rosalie’s bedroom ranchslider, wings flapping, hats bobbing. Derby led the charge, her red neck frill catching the wind. Rosalie waved from the deck, wrapped in her pale blue hoodie.

“Bring back the berries!” she shouted.

Scene: The Floating Islands

High above the clouds, the Derbies reached the floating islands—lush, misty, and dotted with glowing cloudberry bushes. But something was wrong.

“The berries are missing!” cried Derby’s mum.

Suddenly, a tiny voice squeaked, “I borrowed them for my jam!”

It was a *cloud sprite*, no taller than a teacup, with sparkly wings and jam on her nose.

Derby landed gently. “Dear sprite, we need those berries for Grandma Derby’s birthday cake. Might we negotiate?”

“Negotiate?” the sprite asked.

“Talk nicely and make a deal,” Derby explained.

The sprite sniffled. “I’ll share if you help me clean up my jam explosion.”

Scene: The Cleanup Crew

The Derbies zipped around, scrubbing jam off clouds, untangling berry vines, and singing silly songs. One Derby got stuck in a jelly puddle and had to be rescued with a spoon.

Finally, the sprite handed over a basket of glowing cloudberries. “Thank you! You’re the nicest flying elephants I’ve ever met.”

Derby bowed. “We aim to be diplomatic.”

“Diplomatic?” Rosie asked later, when Derby returned.

“Kind and clever in tricky situations,” Derby said, placing the basket in Rosalie’s lap.

Rosalie grinned. “You’re the best.”