A Lost Claus

A Lost Claus is the title of the Christmas episode of the Cartoon Network animated series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The episode, whose first airing was on December 1, 2005, was written by Lauren Faust and directed by her husband, series creator Craig McCracken. The program pays homage to A Charlie Brown Christmas in sight gags and the jazz musical stylings of that Christmas tradition, and also spoofs the Charles Dickens story A Christmas Carol. The episode won an Annie Award in 2005 for McCracken, Mike Moon, David Dunnet and Martin Absolabehere for "Best Design in an Animated TV Series".

Story
It's the day before Christmas Eve and Mac is on his way to see his imaginary friend, Blooregard Q. Kazoo (a/k/a "Bloo") at Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, where imaginary friends go to be adopted after their child tires or gets too old for such as people can actually see them in this world of fantasy...all except for Mac's creation, Bloo, who stays there thanks to kind old Madame Foster exempting the azure-colored door-shaped blob in exchange for Mac visiting him daily. While Madame Foster is making a popcorn garland, accidentally pricking herself every time, Coco, described by those who live in the home as "a bird/plant/airplane thing", lays Easter eggs with Christmas decorations inside for the tree, which is done by Wilt, a red, tall, one-armed basketball loving friend.

Eduardo, a protector friend who is a coward, comes down the stairway of the busy main hall with his horns painted like candy canes, sleigh bells on his tail and Christmas wreath adorning his skull belt buckle and ties a spring of mistletoe to one of the horns, and kisses Mac and Bloo (who dislikes it) just as Mr. Herriman, the caretaker of the home and creation of Madame Foster, says that there's bills to be paid wondering where Frankie Foster, Madame Foster's granddaughter is this whole time. All of a sudden, Santa Claus arrives. He asks Mac and Bloo what they want for Christmas, and just as they are about to tell him their wish lists, a second Santa comes in. Ultimately, after both Bloo and Mac exchange larger and larger (and more outrageous gifts), the two Santas get into a fistfight, and Frankie breaks that up, and brings them along with the other Santas of all shapes and sorts to the office of Mr. Herriman, explaining that every year, kids get excited about Santa so they create imaginary ones "that are a real as my Aunt Fanny." Upon hearing that, Mac then has a breakdown disbelieveing that there is no such thing as Santa.

Blooregard, who is upset that he will be getting only one gift for Christmas, decides to do some scientific tests disproving Mac's theory that there is no Santa. So on Christmas Eve, he sends Wilt on a trip around the world in a sleigh with unicorns in place of reindeer, then sends Eduardo down the chimney of the home, getting stuck in the process, and then go to a mall to prove Santa exists, only to find out that the Mall Santa is none other than Coco, who is then outed as a fraud when she is accidentally debearded by Mac. On the way home, we find out that Coco uses the Mall Santa job to pay for a vacation home. At the home, Madame Foster says that it's all a phase he's going through and sooner or later, the truth will find him out. So, when he gets home, Mac asks Santa for the one thing that will make him believe Santa does exist: underwear.

Meanwhile, Bloo, still disraught over the fact that he is only getting one Christmas present while an Imaginary Friend named Moishe, a dreidel imaginary friend, tells Bloo he's getting eight gifts (in a reference to Hannukah,) comes up with an idea: scaring the living bejeevers out of Mr. Herriman on Christmas Eve into giving everyone more gifts. Taking a cue from "A Christmas Carol", he dresses first as the ghost of Marley - not Jacob Marley - but the ghost of Jamacian reggae singer Bob Marley, then dresses as "The Ghost of a Christmas Present" and a robot representing Christmas Yet To Come, and Mr. Herriman misunderstands Bloo's request for more presents and decides instead to outright cancel Christmas at the home, much to Mac's dismay.

Christmas morning comes and Mac, along with his mom and his older brother/bully Terrance, are unwrapping presents, as Mac is hoping for what he wished for. He's unhappy until he sees one more gift wrapped up as underwear, but as he opens it, it's a pair of ping-pong ball guns, so Mac asks his mother "What does a guy have to do to get underwear for Christmas?", then walks off and is next seen heading to Foster's, walking by a decorated dog house and a sorry looking tree akin to A Charlie Brown Christmas and feeling unhappy, but just as he comes through the home's doors, he suddenly realizes that Christmas came as a miracle. All the friends are playing with their gifts, Wilt tells that he was halfway through Africa when all of a sudden, a sleigh with reindeer picked him up, and Eduardo tells of a bump in the chimney that released him from being trapped, then is told that a wrongful termination suit Coco filed against the mall operators was settled. Frankie calls the police and describes what happened, believing at last there is a Santa Claus. Madame Foster gives Mac a Christmas stocking with his name on it, and finds out that it's filled with underwear, and he too believes in Santa. As for Blooregard, he would up with a pile of coal, and vows revenge against Santa, saying "I'll get my revenge, fat man! VENGANCE IS MINE!"

Voices

 * Blooregard Q. Kazoo/Fireman - Keith Ferguson
 * Mac - Sean Marquette
 * Coco/Madame Foster - Candi Milo
 * Wilt/Imaginary Santa #1/Moishe The Dreidel - Phil LaMarr
 * Eduardo/Mall Santa Manager - Tom Kenny
 * Frankie Foster/Mac's Mom - Grey DeLisle
 * Mr. Herriman/Imaginary Santa #2 - Tom Kane
 * Terrance - Tara Strong