The Wartwood Farmer's Market was where farmer frogs from all over the swamp came to sell their goods. It consisted of stands where various foods and items were being sold. Some had flags flying over them, and others had balloons of vegetables or bugs. All to show what they were offering to the customers.
"Ah, the Wartwood Farmer's Market," said Sprig as Frank walked over to him with a crate of corn. Together they looked at the market. "Where salt of the earth frogs come to sell stuff and fill up on free samples."
And he did just that by opening a jar of Gentle Jon's Expensive Jellies. He then hit its bottom with his knee, sending the jelly flying up and landing in his mouth. But as Sprig was about to swallow it, Gentle Jon leaned towards him with an angry look.
"That wasn't a sample,'' he said.
Sprig spat the jelly back out into the jar. "Now it's like nothing happened," the red frog said nervously. But Gentle Jon still wasn't happy and wasn't going to be so gentle. He pulled out a giant mace. "I- I can pay for that."
Frank walked away and headed for the Plantar's fruit stand, leaving Sprig to try and find the money in his pocket. He set down a crate of vegetables next to the Plantar's stand. Anne was there too, reading a magazine, and Polly sat on the counter.
Just then, Mrs. Croaker approached the stand, humming happily to herself.
"Good morning, Mrs. Croaker," Frank, Anne, and Polly greeted the old frog.
"I'll take this here gangly gourd, Hopadiah," Mrs. Croaker said, grabbing one of the gourds from the basket on the ground.
"Oh, I sense a batch of Croaker stew coming on," Hop Pop commented with a friendly attitude. However, as he looked at the fruit, he grew concerned. "Hmm... Hang on there, Sadie. You don't want that one."
He walked around the stand and approached the elder frog as she gave him the gourd. First, Hop Pop inspected it. Then he knocked on it and heard that it was hollow. He placed the fruit to his ear and heard something in it. Something slimy.
"Frank, if you'd please!" Hop Pop said, tossing the gourd to him. Seeing that fruit coming at him, Frank grabbed his mantis scythe and used it to cut the gourd in half mid-air.
The two halves fell to the ground, relieving a giant maggot the size of a small cat inside. "A-ha! It's a gourd maggot. These guys taste terrible," Hop Pop said as the maggot jumped out.
It made its way over to the Plantar's stand, where it climbed onto it and crawled onto Anne's arm. This caused her to freak out and scream before it jumped into her hair. "It's in my hair! It's in my hair!" She yelled, slipping and falling onto the ground.
Frank rushed over to help her as Hop Pop talked to Mrs. Croaker. "Here, take this one, instead. It's maggot-free," he said, offering a new gourd, which she gladly accepted.
"Classic Plantar honesty," Mrs. Croaker said with gratefulness. "I've been buying from this stand since your father was running it. And y'all have never steered me wrong."
"Very impressive, Hop Pop," Anne commented. The maggot was out of her hair, and its carcass was being pulled off Frank's knife.
"That is the Plantar difference, Anne. You can't taste honesty. But if you could–"
"...it'd taste like a Plantar stand vegetable," Sprig and Polly droned, rolling their eyes.
"This stand is the heart and soul of our family," Hop Pop said, staring up at the sign of the stand. "I don't know what I'd do if we ever lost it."
"Bad news, everyone! Bad news!" Toadie said, running up to Hop Pop and handing him a rolled-up scroll. "Gonna run away before you read it!" He then started backflipping away from Hop Pop before he could protest.
"That Toadie…" He grumbled while taking out his glasses and opened the scroll to read it. "Say what?!"
"What? What is it?" Frank asked, before the old frog handed him the scroll. Frank took it and saw what it had to say. "What the hell? Mayor Toadstool is quadrupling the rent! And he wants it in three days!"
And it wasn't just the Plantars that were shocked by the news. Everyone in the farmer's market was stunned by the news. Calling the mayor crazy and the demand outrageous.
"At this rate, we'll lose the stand," Hop Pop exclaimed, already panicking. "What are we gonna do?"
"Hmm…" Frank thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "Got it! If selling fruits and vegetables isn't what's going to get us the money for the rent, then we need a new flashy product to sell at a high price."
"Oh! You mean like Snugaroos?" Anne asked.
"Exactly!"
"What the–" Hop Pop pulled his head out of a basket he was throwing up in. "Frank! Anne! We're a vegetable stand!"
"I know, so we'll have to come up with our new product using what we've got. Here, I'll show you." Frank walked over to the gout he sliced and grabbed one of the halves off the ground. He then took a glass jar and squeezed the gourd juice into it. "A little bit of this, shake it up and…" after shaking it up, Frank presented the juice to Hop Pop. "Introducing Plantar's Potion. A hearty mix of vitamins and minerals that'll extend your life and keep you regular."
"Nice thinking, Frank!" Anne said, and the two high-fived. "This drink is the best thing you've come up with."
"Wowza," Hop Pop said. "All that in one jar?"
"Hell if I know, I just made all that up. I remember Grandma used to be all about health drinks back home. They charged high prices for them, and people just ate the stuff up."
"Heh. I don't know much about your grandmother, but it's worth a shot," Hop Pop said. He walked over to the crowd of frogs and cleared his throat while raising the jar over his head. "New product! New product, everyone. This here is a freshly made bottle of...What was it again? Plantar's Potion!"
Anne leaned towards her best friend. "Good thinking, Frank. This plan might actually work."
In the crowd, Wally raised his hand. "Yes, you in the front, Wally," said Hop Pop.
"Does it taste good," he asked.
"Wouldn't know. Haven't tried it yet."
"Oh." Wally lowered his hand, and a random frog coughed.
"Hey, Hop Pop! Can we chat for a second?" Anne asked the old frog. Turning to Sprig, she said, "Sprig, work the crowd."
"Yes, ma'am." Sprig hopped over to the crowd as his grandpa walked back to Anne and the others. He cleared his throat to get the attention of everyone. "Spring Plantar, ten years old."
He then played Beethoven's Fur Elise with his armpit. When he stopped, the crowd cheered and applauded him. Ivy even threw a flower at him, which he caught.
"Wow. That kid's a genius," Frank said, pointing at his froggy friend.
Anne crouched down to Hop Pop. "Dude, if you wanna sell this stuff, you gotta sell this stuff! Make promises you can't keep and junk," she said, giving him a nudge on the arm.
"Did you forget this stand was built on honesty?" Hop Pop asked.
"Anne's right, Hop Pop. Think about it: in three days, there won't be a stand," Frank said.
Hop Pop glanced at them before looking up at the Plantar stand sign. It consisted of a big P in the middle with vegetables on both sides at the bottom. And right under the P were the words 'Honesty First.' This was the stand that made the Plantars who they were. It's been in the family for generations, and it's continued to be a beacon of honest business making in the Wartwood farming community. But now, he could very well lose it forever.
Knowing that the kids were right, he sighed and said, "I'll give it a try." He walked over to the crowd and Sprig. "Take five, boy. I'll take it from here."
"You got it, Hop Pop! Hop, hop!" Sprig hopped away.
Hop Pop then turned to the crowd and held up the jar of Plantar's Potion. "Folks, I'd really appreciate it if you bought this drink. Uh…" He turned back to the kids. Anne face-palmed before making a circular motion with her hands. Trying to tell him to add more to his presentation and make the potion more enticing to buy. "Because it'll make you, I don't know... stronger?"
That statement got the crowd's attention as they all began murmuring in wonderment. Hop Pop smiled and then said, " And uh... smarter, too!"
"Smarter? Smarter, too?" Wally exclaimed as the crowd showed an even greater interest in the potion.
Hop Pop smiled. Maybe this plan could actually work. He took a wide brim hat from a little tadpole and set it on his head. "Folks, one sip of Plantar's Potion…" he stopped to gulp down the entire potion, before smashing the jar onto the ground, shattering it. "...and you may very well live forever!"
The crowd clapped and cheered for Hop Pop. "I'll take ten!" Wally shouted, tossing his copper coins at the old frog.
"I'll take a hundred!" Felicia screamed.
The kids and Hop Pop watched with wide eyes as the coins came raining down on them for the crowd of frogs. Seeing that their plan was working, Frank and Anne high-fived. However, they were pelted by copper coins, which didn't hurt too much but was still annoying. Sprig and Polly loved all the money they were receiving. The two kids rolled themselves on the ground and all over the coins.
When his hat was all filled up with coins, Hop Pop picked it up and looked at it all with wide eyes filled with amazement. "Suffering swamp gas! We gotta step up production on this stuff. Fast!" He exclaimed as a giant grin stretched across his face.
The next day, the Plantar's stand was the most popular stand in the Wartwood farmer's market. A massive crowd gathered in front of the stand, with balloons floating off into the air. They all were cheering for Hop Pop and his family's new potion that promised the work miracles. Frank carried a crate of freshly picked beets from the cart to Anne as the crowd waited. She was standing next to a ladder against a giant barrel with a water spigot.
Anne grabbed a handful of beets and walked up the ladder. She opened the top of it and peered down to see Sprig and Polly standing at the bottom, up to their feet in juice.
"Incoming!" She called down to them and tossed the beets down to the kids.
"Fresh beet juice, coming up!" Sprig grunted as he and Polly started stumping and smashing the beets into juice. Outside, Anne filled jar after jar of Plantar's Potion and placed them in a crate that Frank carried over to the stand. Sitting it on the counter, he started setting out the jars in two rounds.
"All right, who's next?" He asked.
"Me, me!" everyone yelled, wanting to get their hands on a bottle of potion.
"There he is!" One villager exclaimed.
"Look, Daddy, the potion man," said a child as Hop Pop walked out on top of the stand's roof.
Having been a theater major, Hop Pop put his acting skills to good use. "Folks! Say, any of you been losing the stick on your tongue?" He asked, exaggerating by sticking out his tongue and letting it hang limply. "One sip of Plantar's Potion…." Pulling out a jar, Hop Pop gulped it all down in one go. "...and my tongue has never felt stickier."
Frank threw him an apple, and Hop Pop caught out on the end of his tongue. They cheered and applauded the old frog.
"Feeling dry? Plantar's Potion will have you moist and smooth," Hop Pop said. He drank some more and then proceeded to rip off his shirt and show off his slimy chest. "Just look at the sheen on me!"
The clouds moved away, and the sun's rays shone down on him. The light reflected off his body as everyone stared in amazement. "Ooh!"
"I did not need to see Hop Pop shirtless," Frank said, but that didn't stop Hop Pop at all. He just kept on rolling and didn't quit making promises that he couldn't make with his potion.
"It'll make your warts bigger."
"It'll make your kids talk back less."
"It'll erase all the regrets that keep you up at night."
Everyone in the crowd cheered and applauded the old frog as they threw their money at him. Hop Pop bowed with his eyes closed and smiled happily. In lying and being dishonest, he would save the stand that his family built on honesty.
Or would he?
When night came, they had made a massive profit on their potion. With the market closed and everyone having gone home, Hop Pop counted up their sales and saw they were 80% close to saving the stand by tomorrow. He laughed to himself before turning to Frank and Anne, who were both carrying crates of empty jars.
"I know I doubted you, kids, but this is really working," he said.
"Thanks, but it's all thanks to you, Hop Pop," Frank told him, placing the crate down.
"You've gotten really good at this," Anne said, placing her crate next to him.
"Why thank you," Hop Pop said with a smile, taking his hat off to them with a wink.
"Guys, guys!" Sprig suddenly yelled as he slid down the ladder with Polly on his head.
"Big problem!" Polly exclaimed. The five of them walked back to the cart, only to gasp in shock and horror at what they saw.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing but a few bits and scraps of fruit. They've entirely run out of all their produces making the Plantar's Potion.
"We used up all our produce. There's nothing left," Sprig said worriedly.
"No! We're so close. We can't fall short now," Hop Pop cried, slamming fists on the bed of the cart.
"Okay, this looks bad, but maybe we can think of something else," Frank said, trying to think of something else that would save the stand. That's when he got an idea. "I've got it! We still got corn. I can make some Elotes, and we can serve those–"
"Are you mad!? That's a horrible idea!" Hop Pop yelled at him.
"Hey, I'm just trying to help out!" Frank retorted
"Then help me figure out how to make more Plantar's Potion! That's the only thing that'll save the stand! Let's see…." He looked around, trying to find a suitable substitute for the potion. Looking to his left, Hop Pop's eyes lit up when he spotted what he thought would be perfect. "A-ha! Jackpot!"
That jackpot was, in reality, the compost. Consisting of trash and rotting fruits and vegetables.
"Uh... Yeah, uh... Yeah, that's literally garbage," Anne said, thinking that Hop Pop was either kidding or lost his mind.
"Garbage? Or Plantar Potion's new secret ingredient?" Hop Pop rushed over to her and shoved an armful of garbage into her arms. Disguised, Anne dropped it to the ground as it stained her uniform. "Still need a bit more, though."
Frank watched helplessly as the old frog went sneaking around the farmer's market, gathering everything from broken eggshells, dead bugs, and even other people's garbage. Crawling into their dump buckets and carrying the waste away. He collected every old and rotting fruit around, even an old rotting boot. He brought it all back to the barrel and dumped it all down into it, laughing like a madman….or mad-frog.
"Hop Pop, this is crazy!" Frank called up to him. "You can't just feed everyone garbage."
"Oh, yes I can," Hop Pop said with confidence. "Everyone's hooked. They'll buy anything I sell them. Now get in there, stompers."
"Aye, aye!" Polly hopped down into the barrel.
"Right." Sprig was about to climb in when a giant fly flew over and landed on the barrel. He kicked it in the face, knocking it off. But then another one came. "Go on. Get, get." He waved his arms at them before jumping in and closing the lid.
"That can't be good," Anne commented as the flies hovered over the barrel.
Hop Pop didn't notice and turned on the spigot. Out of it came a sickly black sludge that he quickly filled into each of his jars. "Yes! Yes! Let it flow! Come to Hop Poppa!" he exclaimed with an insane grin on his face. All while Frank and Anne watched nervously.
"This can not end well," Frank murmured.
The following day came, and the barrel now had three giant flies on top of it. They were scared off when Polly opened the hatch and hopped out. She was wearing a gas mask, while Sprig wasn't. Emerging from the barrel, the red frog boy felt queasy and almost threw up. But he held it in and just blurted out black smoke that turned into a skull before dissipating.
Sprig couldn't keep his balance and fell off the barrel when he climbed out. Luckily Frank was there to catch him. Carrying the letting frog as he walked over to Anne. She was cleaning a jar when her friend approached her. "Anne, this is really bad," he said, setting Sprig down on the ground. "I wanted to save the stand, but we ended up creating a monster."
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. I'm sure it's going to be okay," Anne said, waving off his concerns.
"Friends and frog folk, step right up!" Hop Pop called out to every frog in the market. "New limited edition Plantar's Potion." He held up one of the garbage potions and tapped it with his cane. "Only 20 coppers a bottle!"
"Twenty coppers? No one's gonna buy that–" Anne was interrupted when a massive crowd ran over her. Frank was out of the way when they came, so when the frogs passed, he walked over to Anne, who was sprawled on the ground. "Ow…"
Hop Pop was having the time of his life. Handing out potion after potion and taking all the money the people were offering. Soon, almost all of the garbage potion was off the stand's counter, and in its place were piles and piles of coppers and riches.
"Thank you for your patronage," he said to the last person in line. Hop Pop handed him the potion and took his money.
"I'm gonna feed this to my baby," the villager said, walking away. Frank and Anne walked over to the old frog.
"Uh…I wouldn't do that!" He called out to the villager. But he was already long gone, so he sighed. "So, did we make it? Did we save the stand?"
"Just about," said Hop Pop, happily holding up the sales chart. "We gotta sell to one more sucker, and we'll be home free."
The last sucker came in the form of them Sadie D. Croaker. She took one step, and it was enough to get Hop Pop's attention, as well as the other frogs. Everyone knew just how much respect she had for the Plantar family. That's why the crowd around her parted and allowed her to pass. "I'll take a bottle, Hopadiah," she told him from where she stood, with the sun hanging over her.
Hop Pop gasped. "Sadie Croaker, the stand's oldest and most loyal customer."
Mrs. Croaker started walking towards the stand as everyone watched. Luckily, no one had taken a sip of their potion. "Usually, I find potions and the like to be a bunch of malarkey, but if Hopadiah Plantar says it works, then it must."
The confidence that Hop Pop had once shown was now breaking down as his most loyal customer approached him. He quickly hid the sales chart, sweating nervously.
"Been saving this gold farthing for a while now," Mrs. Croaker said, pulling out a coin from her purse. "Waiting for something special to spend it on. One bottle, please.'
As she held it out with a shaky hand, Hop Pop looked away, trying to come up with a lie. "Uh... we're all sold out."
"No, we're not!" Polly came over with one bottle of potion. Frank face-palmed.
"Oh, thank you, deary." Mrs. Croaker took the bottle from her and handed Hop Pop the coin, all while the orange frog started stammering anxiously. His anxiety only increased when Sadie turned to the crowd and held up the bottle. "To Hop Pop and the Plantars, the most honest folks in the business."
That compliment made Frank and Anne cringe. "Oof, even I felt that one," the Thai-American girl said, holding her hand to her chest.
"How could you not?" Frank added.
"To the Plantars!" Everyone in the crowd cheered and opened their mouths to drink the potion.
And that was the final straw for Hop Pop. That was the moment when he snapped back to reality and realized that he had gone too far. As he started breathing heavily in a panic, he looked back at the stand's sign. Staring at the 'honesty first' words on it, Hop Pop knew that this had to stop. If he let them drink that potion, it was game over. If he came clean and told the truth, it was game over. In all circumstances, he'll still end up losing the stand.
However, he'll do it the right way.
"NO!" Hop Pop yelled, slapping the potion out of Mrs. Croaker's hand. Everyone stopped and stared at him in shock.
"What the hell's gotten into you, Hopediah?" Mrs. Croaker asked.
"That was no health potion!" Hop Pop fell to his knees. "It's GARBAGE!"
At that moment, everyone spat out the potion. All disgusted and horrified by the taste of the potion, as well as the revelation of what it actually was. The townsfolk all then turned to Hop Pop, who took off his hat in shame. "Folks, I'm so sorry. I never meant any harm. All I was trying to do was save my stand," he said.
However, everyone gasped in terror. Confused, Hop Pop turned around and gasped when he saw a swarm of flies descending on the farmers market. One of them had Sprig and Polly in their arms. Both kids were covered in the garbage potion.
"Hop Pop!" Polly screamed.
"They want the garbage potion!" Sprig yelled.
Two flies flew towards the barrel and bashed against it until it was knocked over, slipping out all of its contents. The flies started eating up the garbage potion. And then turned their attention to the frog crowd. The crowd quickly turned and ran away. Some dropped their garbage potion, but some still carried them. Making them prime targets for the flies, and the giant insects chased them around.
One of them was Wally, who tried to hold onto the ground, but it was futile. "Eaten by flies? Oh, the irony!" He screamed.
Frank grabbed his scythe and swung at the flies that flew low enough, but wasn't able to kill any of them. Anne was with him, throwing what jars of garbage potion they had left at the insects. "Hey, let go of my bumpkin frog family!" She yelled, before being picked up herself.
"Anne!" Frank yelled and tried to grab her, but she was too high up. Seeing that he was now completely surrounded and open for attack, he quickly rushed over to the Plantar's stand and jumped over the counter. Getting behind the vegetable stand to try and come up with a plan.
That was where he found Hop Pop hiding too, panicking. "Oh, what have I done. What have I done…." he rocked back and forth with his hands on his head.
"Hop Pop!" Frank yelled, startling the old frog. "The flies have Anne and the kids. We've got to help them."
Taking a deep breath, Hop Pop calmed down and gave Frank a look of determination. "Right!"
They both gathered the jars of garbage potion and brought them over to the barrel. "Hey! Ain't this what you want?" Hop Pop yelled, before he and Frank threw them into the barrel and slammed the hack shut.
The flies charged at them. Hop Pop quickly jumped on top of the barrel and started logrolling it as Frank pushed it. Together, they rolled the barrel out of the farm's market and into the woods. All while the flies were right behind them, with Anne, Sprig, and Polly screamed in their six legs. Together, they rolled the barrel out of the farm's market and into the woods.
Hop Pop and Frank continued rolling the barrel until the old frog saw that they were heading for a cliff. "Stop!"
Looking over the side of the barrel, Frank saw the cliff. He quickly ran over to the front of the barrel. As Hop Pop tried to stop the barrel with his feet, Frank used his hands to push back on the barrel. Just before the young boy's feet went over the edge, they successfully managed to stop the barrel.
Frank ran around as Hop Pop jumped off. The flies were in front of them, and they still had the kids in their arms.
"You really want this so bad?" Hop Pop asked with a scowl. "Then drop the kids and go get it!"
And with that, Frank back kicked the barrel and sent it rolling off the cliff and falling to the ground. The flies released Anne, Sprig, and Polly and charged at them. Frank and Hop Pop ducked down, but the flies flew over the two and dived down towards the barrel.
Hop Pop crawled towards the edge and looked down, only to jump back when the flies came flying back up the side of the cliff. All of them grabbed onto the barrel. Together, they flew off into the sunset with their prize.
The old frog sighed in relief as the kids gathered with him at the cliff. All of them bruised in some way. "Everyone okay?" Hop Pop asked.
"Not really," said Sprig.
Hop Pop turned around to face the four of them. "Kids, I messed up big. I was so desperate to save the stand, I forgot what the stand was even about," he said sincerely before turning around and sitting down on the edge of the cliff.
Frank walked over with Anne, who carried Sprig and Polly in her arms. "I'm sorry too, Hop Pop," he said, sitting down on his left as Anne sat on his right. "I was the one that gave you the idea for the potion."
"So, what now?" Anne asked the old frog.
With resolve in his voice, Hop Pop said, "We go make things right. That's the Plantar way."
When they returned to the market, they were met with an angry crowd waiting for them. Hop Pop apologized again to the people of Wartwood, before offering everyone a full refund for all the potion that they paid for. It wouldn't take long before a line formed in front of the stand.
"Apologies," Hop Pop said to the next person in line, handing them their money. They snatched the coppers and matched away with a scoff. Hop Pop did the same thing with the next customer. "Here you go, sir. I hope you'll give Plantar's another chance, someday." But the patron was already out of earshot.
"I know things are bad, Hop Pop, but if it makes you feel any better, you were a crazy good salesman," Anne complimented the old frog.
As he handed the next person in line their money, Hop Pop laughed light-heartedly. "I was good, wasn't I?"
Then came the last person in line. Mrs. Croaker walked up to the stand's counter, and Hop Pop handed her special coin back to her. "Well, Hopadiah, looks like you're going to have to earn our trust back," she told him harshly. "That being said, I think your father would be proud that you did the right thing today."
"Thanks, Sadie. I'll work hard to earn your trust back," Hop Pop said.
But that's when Toadie showed up. "Not at this stand, you won't! No coin, no stand. Time to clear out!" He said, throwing an eviction notice that landed on Hop Pop's face.
And so, generations of the Plantars owning the stand came to an end. The kids helped the old frog gather all of their produces and supplies before loading everything into the cart hooked up to Bessie. The last thing to take was the sign, which Frank grabbed, cutting the ropes, and then handing it to Hop Pop.
"Sorry we couldn't save the stand, Hop Pop," he said as the old frog placed it on the pile.
"Don't worry, Hop Pop. We'll help you get the stand back," Sprig said, trying to be supportive.
"You want me to…" Polly clicked her tongue and swiped her flipper to the left. "...off Toadie? I'll do it. You know I will."
"Thanks, kids. Let's just get home and relax a little," Hop Pop said. Together, the five of them hopped onto the sail as the old frog started driving them away from the stand. As he drove Bessie, Hop Pop smiled lightly. "You know, maybe the end of one tradition means the start of another. Maybe I ought to start over the Hop Pop way, experiment with those new seed varieties I always wanted to try."
"That's the spirit, Hop Pop," Anne said, nudging him with her fist.
"No matter what happens, we'll be there for you," Frank said.
"Yeah, we're gonna make it after all!" Sprig cheered before the kids started laughing together.
"The future is ours," Polly exclaimed.
There was then a moment of silence before Frank said, "You know, you're taking this rather well, Hop Pop. I was for sure you were going to…"
"Oh, frog! I'm unemployed!"
"There it is."