Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends © Cartoon Network & Craig McCracken
Chapter 1: A Bad Start
Most imaginary friends don't celebrate birthdays. This is not because they don't want to, or that they are forbidden, but because imaginary friends are created to care for their child. Their own birthday is the last thing on a friend's mind when they spend every day of their lives acting as a personal guardian. It is for this reason that Fosters doesn't hold many birthday celebrations for their make-believe residents.
Bloo, however, is not like most imaginary friends.
"IT'S MY BIRTHDAY!"
Eduardo, Coco, and Wilt, were woken up by a loud shout from the ecstatic blue friend. With a groan, Wilt poked his head out from underneath the bed to look at the small digital clock sitting on the nearby table. 7:02.
"Bloo, it's nearly an hour before we have to be up for breakfast." The lanky red friend said as he rubbed the sleep from his eye.
"Hey, my birthday only comes once a year and I plan on enjoying every minute of it!" Bloo reached underneath his pillow and pulled out a large red ribbon sporting the words 'Birthday Boy' in large, flashing letters. He pinned it neatly on and puffed out his chest with an enormous smile.
"Co, coco co coco coco coco co?" Coco twittered from her messy green nest.
"Coco's right Bloo. I'm sorry, but couldn't you have started you birthday without having to wake us all up?" Wilt asked, trying to be as polite as possible.
"No, because then it would have been just like any other day. Today is special because it's my BIRTHDAY!" Bloo shouted a second time. The three friends winced, not yet prepared for his high pitched screaming this early in the morning. From over the edge of the top bunk, Eduardo peered down at the overly excited friend.
"You es not being very nice to us, Senior Bloo." The large purple creature said with an expression of pure annoyance.
"Birthday!" He said rudely, shoving the large red ribbon in the friend's face. With a dramatic turn, Bloo pranced out of the room and began to make his way downstairs.
"I no like Birthdays." Eduardo said.
"Uh huh."
"Coco…"
Throughout the rest of the morning, Bloo pushed and shoved his way through the halls, using his red ribbon as a sort of VIP pass. As another resident tried to stop him from moving to the very front of the mile-long bathroom line, he simply shoved the gaudy red ribbon into their face saying nothing more than "Birthday!"
When eight o'clock finally rolled around, Bloo made his way to the dining room were Frankie was busy setting the table. She balanced the towering pile of bowls in her right arm as she arranged the rest of the utensils with her free hand. Without asking if she needed help,Bloo placed himself prominently in Mr. Herriman's dining room seat.
"Hey, glad I caught you Frankie, I wanted to talk to you about breakfast. I'm in a pancakes and sausage kind of mood. So what do ya say? Hop to it." He leaned backwards in the chair and placed his feet on the table with a smirk.
"Bloo, I don't have time for you this morning. I have a huge list of chores to get done before noon and… Darn it!" One of the bowls she was carrying fell and shattered onto the floor. Frankie grumbled as set down the pile of bowls and ran to the kitchen to get a dustpan and broom.
"Master Blooregard!" The stern rabbit shouted at the sight of the blue blob in his usual chair. "You know perfectly well that this is not the assigned seating arrangement. Your chair has always been…"
"Birthday!" Bloo chimed automatically, pointing to the same red ornament on his chest.
"...Master Blooregard, you know that we here at Foster's do not have the tradition of celebrating the annual day-of-birth. There are far too many friends in the house to hold a party for each and every one of them. Now, since you insist on acknowledging your birth-day so firmly, I will grant you the privilege to move back to your specified seat, without any form of punishment."
Grumbling under his breath, Bloo made his way back to his usual spot between Eduardo and Coco. Staring down at his bowl of cereal disappointingly, he began to eat.
"Stupid house rules…whoever heard of a birthday breakfast without pancakes and sausage?"
