Cartoon characters on TV magically come to life to help a young teenage girl with her problems. Fat Albert is the obese and friendly leader of a cartoon gang called the Cosby Kids. He and his crew appear on television for the real world, until a magical turn of events changes all that: Doris, a young girl mourning her grandfather's death, is told by her parents that they're leaving town for the weekend without her. She begins to cry, and as Fat Albert plays on her TV, her tears hit the remote control for her TV. Magically, this causes Fat Albert and his friends to emerge from the television into the real world. They try to help Doris, who is terribly freaked out and denies anything is wrong. However, since the show is over, they won't be able to go back into the television until the same time the next day. They begin to interact with real people, and Fat Albert quickly falls in loves with Doris' foster sister, Lauri. Lauri and the Cosby Kids insist to Doris that she needs to go out and interact with other people instead of staying at home, so they all go to a big dance. Yet when a kid with a crush on Lauri uses Doris to try to make Lauri jealous, this simply makes Doris feel worse. One of the Cosby Kids, Rudy, falls for for Doris, and his affection makes her feel better. The time comes for them to return to the TV, but Fat Albert doesn't want to go. In his confusion, he visits Bill Cosby, his creator, and asks him whether he can stay. When Bill tells him if he doesn't return soon, he'll turn to dust, it's a race back home to say goodbye to Doris and Lauri and get back into the TV before it's too late.
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Best part of story, including ending:
It's not especially funny, with a bit too much cheap humor, but there's a sweet sense of nostalgia, especially seeing Bill Cosby interacting with his creation.
Best scene in story:
Toward the end, we see Bill Cosby and all the other old men who inspired the characters in the cartoon standing around the grave of the man who inspired Fat Albert. It's sad but special.
Opinion about the main character:
Fat Albert isn't as likable as he is on the TV show, as they make him a bit too naive for my taste, but he's wide-eyed and well-meaning, and Kenan is a good comic performer.
