"The Leprechaun-Artist" (also broadcast as "Three Irish Wishes") is the first segment of the nineteenth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...

''. It is a story in the tradition of "

The Monkey's Paw "The Monkey's Paw" is a horror short story by English author W. W. Jacobs, first published in the collection '' The Lady of the Barge'' in 1902. In the story, three wishes are granted to the owner of The Monkey's Paw, but the wishes come with ...

", with three boys gaining three magical wishes which prove to have unintended negative consequences.

Plot

A vacationing leprechaun is captured by three boys named Buddy, JP, and Richie, who take him to their clubhouse. The leprechaun tells them they may have one wish each. Buddy makes a wish for

X-ray vision In science fiction stories or superhero comics, X-ray vision is the supernatural ability to see through normally opaque physical objects at the discretion of the holder of this superpower. The most famous possessor of this ability is DC Comics' i ...

so that he can see beneath girls' clothing. The next morning, Buddy finds it hard to control the intensity of his powers. He sees internal organs and skulls instead of just underneath their clothing, and the power gives him crippling headaches. The leprechaun reverses the wish without charge. JP wishes that their parents all do whatever they tell them to. As a result, their parents become so docile and mindless that JP has to give his mother step-by-step directions to get her to cook a

frozen pizza Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, onion ...

. The boys accuse the leprechaun of tricking them, forcing them to use their final wish to undo the second one. As a show of good faith, the leprechaun also reverses the second wish without charge. Richie wishes for a fast, "really hot" car, unlimited gasoline, and a driver with a mind of his own. Having fulfilled his obligation, the leprechaun disappears. They find a limo and driver waiting. At the boys' orders, the driver goes well over the

speed limit Speed limits on road traffic, as used in most countries, set the legal maximum speed at which vehicles may travel on a given stretch of road. Speed limits are generally indicated on a traffic sign reflecting the maximum permitted speed - expres ...

. The police pursue them for speeding, and the boys tell the driver to pull over. However, the driver shows that he has "a mind of his own" and tries to outrace the police. The limo is forced to stop by

road construction A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

and a vehicle coming the other direction. The driver flees, leaving the boys to take the heat. The boys are held for

auto theft Motor vehicle theft (also known as a car theft and, in the United States, grand theft auto) is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle. Nationwide in the United States in 2020, there were 810,400 vehicles reporte ...

, and realize that the word "hot" in Richie's wish was interpreted to mean stolen. The leprechaun appears and, saying that he likes the look of the boys, reverses the third wish. The police now have no knowledge of their crime. The boys gladly go home.

External links

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Postcards from the Zone episode 1.47 The Leprechaun-Artist
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leprechaun-Artist 1986 American television episodes The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series season 1) episodes Leprechauns in popular culture fr:Les Trois Vœux