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Character Groups in Order of Appearance:
Narrator - (teacher/adult reader)
Zookeepers - the people who feed and take care of the zoo animals
Pink Flamingos - beautiful birds who are most famous for their pink feathers
Blue Flamingos - young flamingos who are new to the zoo
Reporters - people who write stories and take photos for newspapers and TV
Zoologists - smart scientists who study all kinds of animals
Setting
The flamingo pen at the Summersville Zoo
(At the Summersville Zoo everyone is buzzing about the new flamingos. There's something very special about them!)
NARRATOR: Grunts, chirps and howls fill every corner of the Summersville Zoo. Zebras zip back and forth. Their black stripes jerk like accordions playing a jig. Curious monkeys peek through their banana peel wigs at the flamingo pen. Oh, those Pink Flamingos! They sure know how to keep a secret. Weeks have passed, yet no one has seen their new babies. But wait! Here come the
Zookeepers. Could this be the moment everyone's been waiting for?
ZOOKEEPERS: What a thrill! We're going to get our first look at the new flamingos. We were smart to call the newspaper. Baby animals bring in lots of visitors!
NARRATOR: As the Zookeepers draw closer to the pen, the flamingos prance through the tall grass. They look like pink cotton candy on toothpick legs.
ZOOKEEPERS: (cheerfully) Hello baby flamingos. Stop hiding in the grass and let us see you. We want to pet your pretty pink heads.
PINK FLAMINGOS: Don't be afraid, children. These are Zookeepers. They bring us food and make sure we're safe. It's time you saw the outside world.
BLUE FLAMINGOS: Let's all hop on that high rock and get our first look at the zoo. Ready? One, two, three…HOP!
ZOOKEEPERS: (shocked) What? Those can't be flamingos. They're BLUE! Flamingos are supposed to be pink. This can't be right.
PINK FLAMINGOS: (defensively) You must need your eyes examined. Our babies are pink. They're just a different shade of pink, that's all. In a few weeks they will look as rosy as we do.
BLUE FLAMINGOS: Wow! Check out all the animals! We sure do have a lot of new friends to meet. There's an elephant and a giraffe! This is going to be a fun place to live.
ZOOKEEPERS: Visitors won't buy tickets to see these birds. People want to see pink flamingos. We'll have to think of something fast.
PINK FLAMINGOS: (proudly) Our new babies are so smart. They can already stand on one leg without falling down. That takes a lot of skill. We wanted to bring them out sooner, but some of the older birds wanted us to wait.
ZOOKEEPERS: Maybe we should wait before we show them to guests. You know…to give their feathers a chance to mature.
BLUE FLAMINGOS: Look at the muscles on those hippos! Say? Who are those people standing at that gate?
ZOOKEEPERS: (surprised) The reporters! We forgot about them. This is really bad timing.
PINK FLAMINGOS: (vainly) Are we going to be in the newspaper? Is this one of those animal beauty contests? Pink is an excellent color for photographs, you know.
ZOOKEEPERS: (thinking fast) Well, actually the reporters are here to see the…uh…monkeys. Yes, that's right! The monkeys!
PINK FLAMINGOS: Now why would reporters come to see monkeys? Chimpanzees don't even like beauty contests!
ZOOKEEPERS: Hmmm, lets see? (thinking out loud) This situation could drive us bananas! Oh…bananas! That's it! The monkeys are doing really interesting things with banana peels lately. Why, it's practically a new art form.
PINK FLAMINGOS: (irritated) That sounds fishy to us.
ZOOKEEPERS: (hurriedly) Sorry, but we have to go. We mustn't keep the reporters waiting. Keep your babies under the bushes today. It's way too hot for young flamingos to be out…or seen.
BLUE FLAMINGOS: (contented) The sunshine feels great to us! Hey, let's all go jump in the pond. Boy, are we lucky! Being a Blue Flamingo at the Summersville Zoo is really cool.
PINK FLAMINGOS: You're not blue!
NARRATOR: As the Blue Flamingos skip to the water, the Zookeepers turn toward the gate. Too late! The reporters have already pushed their way through. And where do you think they're heading?
REPORTERS: (in a bossy tone) Flamingos! Flamingos! We're here to do a story on the new flamingos. Rumor has it they're quite unique. We won't leave without an interview.
PINK FLAMINGOS: (shouting) Over here!
ZOOKEEPERS: Bad news travels fast! There go all our ticket sales. We'd better track down some Zoologists before this gets to be a real problem.
REPORTERS: Did you say problem...with the flamingos? Wow, this is going to be an even bigger scoop than we thought! It's a good thing we brought our cameras!
PINK FLAMINGOS: Cameras? Well, there's no problem here…just a slight misunderstanding. The Zookeepers seem to think our babies are a little on the blue side.
REPORTERS: (with fake concern) Blue Flamingos you say! Now, that's a story! How heartbreaking this must be for you. How are you coping? When did you first notice they were different? Are they blue like a blueberry?
PINK FLAMINGOS: They might look blue, but that's just temporary. Flamingos grow up to be pink. Everyone knows that. (impatiently) Are you going to take our picture or not?
REPORTERS: Let's wait until the Zoologists arrive. That's where the real story is! How about this for a headline: FLAMINGOS GIVE ZOOLOGISTS THE BLUES!
PINK FLAMINGOS: (frowning) That's awful. We think you'll give people the wrong idea.
REPORTERS: A headline like that gets you on the front page! We'll see you tomorrow.
NARRATOR: The next day the Zoologists arrived with a truck filled with medical equipment. They examined all the Blue Flamingos from their beaks to their wingtips. The little birds felt like they had done something wrong, but they didn't know what. Have you ever felt that way?
ZOOLOGISTS: Attention! Attention!
NARRATOR: The Zoologists are ready to announce their diagnosis. Every animal wants to hear. Let's listen!
ZOOLOGISTS: (importantly) Based on our evaluations of these creatures and our expert knowledge of the species, we have come to a final conclusion.
ZOOKEEPERS: And?
ZOOLOGISTS: Using the latest in zoological procedures…
ZOOKEEPERS: Yes, please go on!
ZOOLOGISTS: …and the marvels of modern science; we have one thing to report.
PINK FLAMINGOS: (loosing it) Goodness! Spit it out!
ZOOLOGISTS: You have a case of healthy Blue Flamingos. There's nothing wrong with them.
ZOOKEEPERS: Well, we can see that! We just want their feathers to look like the others.
ZOOLOGISTS: Actually, the scientific explanation lies in what they consume. The pink shellfish that flamingos feast on gives them their pink color. Maybe they're not getting enough.
PINK FLAMINGOS: But our babies eat loads of shellfish everyday.
ZOOLOGISTS: Maybe more drastic measures are needed. We could double their intake. No. That could make them gain too much weight.
ZOOKEEPERS: (trying to think) Hmmm…how about chewing pink bubblegum? They don't have to swallow that. Oh no! Here come those reporters again.
REPORTERS: (with lots of perk) Good afternoon! We're here to photograph the Blue Flamingos and the Zoologists. Our new headline is: IF YOU'RE BLUE, JUST GET A MAKEOVER! Doesn't that sound trendy? It will sell like hotcakes!
PINK FLAMINGOS: (insulted) Well! I guess you really do have to be blue to get your picture in the papers these days.
NARRATOR: The next morning a thousand boxes of pink bubblegum were delivered to Summersville Zoo. The Blue Flamingos were happy. The bubblegum tasted good! But the Zoologists said they had to chew every last piece. They chewed and chewed all day long. The next day they chewed even more. Another day passed and there was still a big pile of bubble gum left. How long does it take to get tired of chewing bubblegum? Just ask a Blue Flamingo.
BLUE FLAMINGOS: (wearily) Can we stop chewing now? Our beaks are sore. We never want to see another piece of bubblegum again.
ZOOKEEPERS: (disappointed) It's not doing any good anyway. They're still very blue.
PINK FLAMINGOS: They tried.
ZOOLOGISTS: There is another approach. If "inside out" didn't work, maybe "outside in" will.
ZOOKEEPERS: Oh! You mean like when ladies dye their hair a different color!
PINK FLAMINGOS: (concerned) Yes, but those chemicals are much too harsh for our babies.
ZOOKEEPERS: How about…pink lemonade? Kids drink it all the time. Why not let the Blue Flamingos take a bath in it.
ZOOLOGISTS: It would have to be a very long bath.
NARRATOR: So, the Zookeepers drained the water out of the flamingos' pond and replaced it with gallons of pink lemonade. The baby birds had to stay there all night. The pond wasn't much fun anymore. They shivered in the cold air. And for the first time, they began to wish they had been born pink.
BLUE FLAMINGOS: (sadly) It's not working. We're still blue.
NARRATOR: By the time the sun had come up, television reporters were already waiting outside their pen. What could the future hold for these Blue Flamingos?
REPORTERS: (smiling at the camera) Good morning, television viewers! We're here at Summersville Zoo covering this week's top story. Don't you dare change that channel! Today's broadcast is sponsored by the Brand New You tanning salon of Hollywood. After one visit, they guarantee you'll see stars!
BLUE FLAMINGOS: (begging) Please don't let them put us on television. It's too…embarrassing.
PINK FLAMINGOS: Don't worry little flamingos.
REPORTERS: At this moment, we're interviewing some local Zoologists. They're trying to help these unusual birds blend in with the flock. How's it coming?
ZOOLOGISTS: (sighing) They're still blue.
REPORTERS: Hmmm…too bad! Is there anything you haven't tried? How about some extra time in a tanning bed? (laughing) That always leaves folks a little pink!
ZOOKEEPERS: (upset) That's not funny.
PINK FLAMINGOS: (taking charge) This has gone far enough. (loudly) The Pink Flamingos of Summersville Zoo are calling a press conference right now!
NARRATOR: The reporters watched as the Pink Flamingos flew to the highest trees they could find. The serious birds looked down at the crowd. They searched until their eyes met those of the little Blue Flamingos. They were silent for a moment. Then they looked to the television cameras. What should they say to thousands of viewers?
REPORTERS: (counting down) Three, two, one…you're on the air!
PINK FLAMINGOS: (calmly) Greetings, Citizens of Summersville. There is a time when the right thing must be said, even if you've been saying the wrong thing for a long time. But the truth was right over our heads. (pausing) What is it that makes a sky so lovely to behold? Why does it never fail to inspire us?
ZOOKEEPERS: It's…BLUE! A wonderful blue!
PINK FLAMINGOS: And look up at that American flag waving high above our zoo. Why does it make our hearts beat so proudly? It's a vision of unity, that's what it is. It's a vision in red, white…
ALL: (enthusiastically)…and BLUE!
ZOOLOGISTS: Blue oceans!
ZOOKEEPERS: Blue jeans!
ALL: (cheering) Blueberry pie!
PINK FLAMINGOS: Until today, we couldn't see the vision in front of us. From now on, this zoo will celebrate feathers of all shades and hues. We'll be a spectacular rainbow with wings of red, yellow, green, pink and…
BLUE FLAMINGOS: (proudly) BLUE! That's us. We're the Blue Flamingos!
ALL: (cheering louder) Yea! Blue Flamingos!
NARRATOR: Throughout the zoo, all the animals danced with pride. A silent fear had been erased. On the far side of the cat pen, a baby tiger with purple stripes came out of hiding. An old camel who'd never had a hump, lifted his head a little higher. And a tiny green frog, with bright orange polka dots, sat proudly on a lilly pad for the very first time. It certainly was the beginning of a beautiful day!
REPORTERS: (amazed) Wow! That's good television! (smiling at the cameras) This ends today's broadcast from the Summersville Zoo, where ticket sales have nearly doubled in the past hour! Tune in tomorrow. We've just been told we're hosting a beauty contest at the Chimpanzee cage. And you wouldn't want to miss that!
The End
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