Buddy

It's Buddy! is a forgotten 1999 children's television series hosted by the titular Buddy, an anthropomorphic talking unicorn with magic powers. Other cast members include Buddy's co-host Betty Bunny; child actors Freddy, Wade, Josh, and Oliver; supporting characters Mailman Miles and Nurse Nancy; and sentient objects Mr. Mailbox, Couchy the Couch, Clocky the Clock, Strappy the Backpack, and Charlie the Train.

Despite an increasingly angry Buddy coercing him, Josh refuses to participate in a dance party (preferring to read his YA novel A Wrinkle in Reality) and inexplicably disappears. He is replaced with another child, Hannah, while Buddy assures everyone that Josh is traveling to Diamond City. When Freddy finds Josh's bloodstained book in the trash, she consults Nancy, who promises to talk to Buddy.

Freddy witnesses Buddy bludgeoning Nancy to death before fatally punching Clocky off the wall and convinces Wade, Hannah, and Oliver to escape to Diamond City inside Charlie. Their attempt fails when Buddy kills Charlie, but Wade sets him on fire and severely injures his face. As Buddy fatally stabs Miles, the children jump the fence with Strappy and Mr. Mailbox, whose mouth has been torn off by Buddy after seeing him kill Josh. Freddy accidentally drops Wade, whom Buddy impales with his horn.

Meanwhile in the real world, a woman named Grace hires a psychic who leads Grace, her husband Ben, and their sons Timothy and Derek in a ritual to contact whatever spirit is haunting their house. The television turns on to an It's Buddy! episode, and Grace becomes convinced that she had a third child they cannot remember, but Ben dismisses her. That night, Buddy physically emerges from the television screen and pulls Grace into It's Buddy!, where she takes over Nancy's role.

Freddy, Oliver, and Hannah gradually realize they cannot remember their lives before meeting Buddy, though Freddy recalls vague memories of her childhood. The children meet elderly cowboy George and his foul-mouthed marionette Willie, who had their own show and have been hiding from Buddy for many years after he killed a child who jokingly sang a profanity-laden version of the series' theme song. They encourage the children to unknowingly eat laced flower petals. Freddy hallucinates a maimed Wade blaming her for his death. The children pass out and awaken to find that George and Willie have left and stolen Strappy.

Buddy finds and kills George with an axe before drowning Willie in a pond. He begins to rip Strappy to lure the children, but they arrive on bikes and manage to save him. The children reach Diamond City, only to discover it is a miniature model city. Buddy arrives and embraces them, ending the "episode" and resetting the series with Wade's and Miles' replacements Tyler and Mailman Justin, respectively. When Freddy seeks Grace for a cut on her arm, Grace recognizes Freddy as her missing daughter. Outside, the children antagonize Buddy by singing the profanity-laden theme song, causing Buddy to mutate into a larger, monstrous form. He kills Tyler, Justin, Couchy, and Betty before attacking Freddy.

Grace sacrifices herself to allow Freddy, Oliver, Hannah, Strappy, and Mr. Mailbox to escape. Buddy pursues them down a well, severing portions on his own flesh so he can fit. The children hide in a shed full of weapons, but Buddy bursts in. He kills Hannah and swallows Oliver alive while Freddy escapes into a school hallway. Buddy chases her until Strappy trips him to fall directly onto Mr. Mailbox's post, killing Buddy. Freddy finds a gymnasium containing several televisions, all displaying a real-world house with a child staring into the screen before being absorbed into It's Buddy!.

Freddy finds an empty house and bursts through the screen, emerging into a living room. She breaks down upon realizing that Strappy and Mr. Mailbox have turned into lifeless objects. The father of the Spanish family whose house Freddy has landed in approaches her and asks who she is.