Tantrum #[nn]

When 42-year-old Leo Quog snaps and literally throws a tantrum, he doesn’t just feel better—he transforms into a 2-year-old. Now delighting in his new form, Leo’s enthusiasm is met with bewilderment by his wife Carol and their children, Phil and Ruth, who must navigate life with a toddler-sized husband and father.

In "2 Homecoming," a clever two-year-old named Leo Quog sets out to reunite with his parents, Ivy and Mr. Quog, only to find his mother skeptical of his claims. As he watches them grow tender and patient toward each other in his absence, Leo begins to wonder if their happiness might be better without him.

Leo Quog drops by his brother Charlie’s office, hoping for help with a pressing issue, only to find Charlie too caught up in his own world to lend an ear. Frustrated, Leo calls his sisters—Nan, Norah, and Natalie—each of whom offers a wildly different solution, turning his simple request into a whirlwind of over-the-top schemes.

In "5 The Law," Leo Quog finds himself in a courtroom showdown with his wife, Carol Quog, who’s demanding alimony—only Leo insists he’s only two years old, and therefore legally exempt from financial responsibility. The absurdity of the situation unfolds with sharp wit and deadpan humor, as the couple’s bizarre legal battle takes center stage.

In "6 The Others," Leo Quog stumbles upon a secret society of grown men who’ve regressed to infancy to escape adult duties—only to be pressured into joining them, a request he firmly declines, sparking unexpected tension.

Leo Quog’s latest escape takes him from a chaotic airport chase to the sunny retreat of Palm Springs, where he hopes his sister-in-law Joyce will offer a safe haven from the other baby-men. With nerves frayed and the absurdity mounting, one man’s quest for comfort becomes a wild, sideways sprint through suburban surrealism.

In "8 Dream's End," Leo Quog finds himself in a surreal predicament when he discovers Joyce Quog has taken up a diet so extreme it's left her looking like a fragile ghost. Now reduced to caring for her as if she were a helpless infant, Leo must navigate the absurdity of her fragile state while trying to keep their lives from unraveling completely.

Joyce Quog watches in quiet alarm as her son Leo, still a toddler in mind, begins to age before her eyes—his tiny frame now bearing the wrinkles and stoop of a man long past his prime. Determined to find help, she sends him to the doorstep of Miss Swallow, the strikingly beautiful secretary of his older brother, hoping she might offer answers.

In this 1979 humor tale from Tantrum, Miss Swallow’s well-meaning attempt to bathe Leo Quog takes a wildly unexpected turn when the ritual unexpectedly reawakens his adult consciousness—leaving him flustered and fleeing the apartment in nothing but his birthday suit. The absurdity unfolds with classic comic timing, as the line between caretaker and charge blurs in the most awkward way possible.

In "11 Comeuppance," Leo Quog tries to make amends with his wife Carol after a misstep, only to find their reconciliation takes a delightfully absurd turn when they both decide to become 2-year-olds—complete with tantrums and toddler logic—to escape adult responsibilities, together.