| “ | Oh, Cricket! You're the luckiest thing that ever happened to anyone. | ” |
— Caleb describing Crocket in the end of the special. | ||
Cricket Crocket is the titular main protagonist of the 1967 Rankin/Bass special, Cricket on the Hearth.
On a springtime, Crocket was looking for a proper family to adopt, until he spots a toyshop. He goes to it where Caleb Plummer tells his daughter, Bertha that he would be back in a little while. Still looking for a proper family to adopt, Caleb was suddenly about to step on Crocket, but he doesn't. He picks him up and offers him to stay with him and Bertha for a little while. He accepts, and goes inside the toy shop. After finding a place to look at the hearth, he hears Bertha weeping talking to Edward. He looks at it, and starts to tear up. But Caleb tells her that she would be here when he returns.
Later after when Caleb returns, they start to make toys. Bertha starts to paint the smile red and says that it was the perfect color for a smile, but no child would want a doll that won't smile so she starts to tear up. Caleb inspects a tear in her eye and asks her if that was a tear that he just saw. He tells her that she shouldn't get herself all unhappy and teary over thinking about Edward. Later she starts to paint the eyes either brown black or sky blue paint. Everyone started to laugh, but suddenly Jeremiah Bleck opens the door and tells Caleb that he was certain agent, and tells him that Edward Belton was lost at sea. Bertha starts to get blind and her father starts to mourn over her.
Months later, Crocket, Caleb and Bertha look for a bit of work, but it was no use. Crocket then spots a toy factory, and thinks that Caleb should go there. Later, inside while Caleb was speaking to Tackleton, he takes a look inside.
That night, Crocket was greeted by a caw named Uriah. He tells him that they didn't have a place for bugs around here. Crocket starts to stand up to him, and they have a chase. But suddenly, Tackleton arrives to put Uriah in his cage.
Weeks before Christmas, Caleb starts to work night and day to keep up with the demands of the season. Tackleton then arrives to tell him that he was entirely using too much paint on the doll's pieces. Caleb tells him that he was trying to give them nice smiles, but Tackleton tells him that paint costed money. So, every night, Caleb and Crocket would sneak in and fix it up proper, and pop them in the boxes so Tackleton wouldn't find out.
On Christmas Eve, Crocket, Bertha and Caleb were busy making toys until Tackleton gives them their Christmas bonus, which were four shillings. What he wanted was a wife so he gives them an hour and fifteen minutes. Bertha was very honored, but Caleb tells her that she was just a child. She then tells him that he had to accept that facts that she was a big grownup girl now. She starts to accept Tackleton's proposal when he returns.
Later, when Tackleton returned, he calls together some of his mates to put some stuff (walnuts and pepper) in Mr. Tackleton's tea to prevent him from proposing to Bertha. The pepper starts to make Tackleton sneeze and run away.
Back in Tackleton's office, he orders his caw, Uriah to get rid of the cricket once and for all without any slip ups after when he made a fool out of him.
At an animal bar down by the docks, Uriah tells Strangler and Slink that he had to eliminate the cricket.
Meanwhile, back at home, Uriah, Slink and Strangler capture Crocket and send him to the captain. The captain tells Slink that he had his payoff right here so he shoots the trio, and the cricket was setting sail to China on Christmas Eve leaving poor Bertha and the hands of Tackleton.
Still setting sail to China, the captain tells Crocket that he would fetch a pretty price. He starts to play dead, and the captain starts to throw him off the boat. His plan worked perfect life, but he notices that crickets couldn't and that crickets also float.
Later, when Crocket got back to land at the Plummers house, it was midnight, and the toys start to come to life. He starts to tell the toys that he was a cricket and not a human. He wanted their help to get to Edward. The toy elephant starts to explain to him about what happened to Edward. He tried to tell him more about Edward, but their time was up. Once they left, he starts to talk to Edward about what happened, the whole story. He was shipwrecked, he came directly to Bertha, then he saw her gone blind. And he realized that it was his fault. Then, he adopted the disguise. This way, he could be near her without anyone knowing. There were a thousand times that he was in the verge of telling her that something always interrupted. And yesterday, he made up his mind. He came in to tell her, only to see her radiant face because Tackleton asked her to be his wife. He wished he could believe that. He came back tonight, having a one last look at her.
Back inside the house, Crocket starts to wake Bertha up that Edward was here. She starts to wake up and was glad that Crocket was safe. Edward starts to hold hands with Bertha and Crocket starts to tear up again.
Christmas morning, Edward and Bertha were married, and a jealous comes in finding out what happened. He starts to cry after all he done for her so Bertha starts to cheer him up and tell him that her heart belongs to Edward. He starts crying again that no one liked him, but Bertha tells him that they all loved him, and there would always be a place in her heart for a fine, kind, noble and handsome gentlemen such as him. He starts to get better that he felt good all over so he starts to leave. Now Caleb starts to tell Crocket that he was luckiest thing that ever happened to anyone.