Children's Zoo (The Twilight Zone)
"Children's Zoo" is the second segment of the third episode of the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone. This is one of the few stories without narration.
| "Children's Zoo" | |
|---|---|
| The Twilight Zone episode | |
 Scene from "Children's Zoo" | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 3b |
| Directed by | Robert Downey |
| Written by | Chris Hubbell Gerrit Graham |
| Original air date | October 11, 1985 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
Lorna Luft as Sheila Cunningham | |
Plot
Debbie is a little girl starved for attention because her parents are always fighting: her mother yells at her constantly and her father is too lazy to give her any quality time. Debbie gives her parents an invitation she received that states:
"As bearer of this special invitation, you are entitled to one child's admission to the Children's Zoo. You will be offered all the special privileges described by the other girl who passed this."
Though her parents are reluctant they relent after a while and take her to the zoo. At the zoo, they are welcomed by Melody who asks Debbie if she understands the rules and then directs her to the children's entrance. Melody assures the parents that Debbie will be just fine and takes them to the waiting room. Debbie wanders through a hallway where a cheerful voice says, "To hear the parents talk: just press the red button on the side of the window."
Debbie is shown five displays, each with a couple of parents inside a locked room with a glass front so that they are clearly visible to outside spectators. The first couple wildly begs her to take them with her; the second couple makes violent threats; the third is sleeping so Debbie passes them; the fourth try to bribe her; and the fifth reveals that their son was seven when he brought them into the zoo and that they are very sorry for their previous transgressions. They promise Debbie that they have learned their lesson and will try to be the best parents they can. Convinced, Debbie presses a green button and makes her selection.
Melody tells Debbie that she has made a very good choice, and as the three walk away happily, they pass by Debbie's old parents—now placed in a glass chamber themselves—watching with a mixture of anger, confusion, and horror as their now-former daughter goes off to a better life.
Cameo
- Wes Craven appears in a cameo, as the angry, threatening father. He directed several episodes of this series.