Pingu is out shopping for a birthday present for Grandfather. He comes across a shop selling shells and goes in. He finds a nice spiky shell, which is put into an oval box just the right size for the shell. As Pingu is coming out of the shop he sees Pinga on her way to Grandfathers, carrying a box almost as big as she is. Pinga’s box is bigger than the one he’s got, so he goes back into the shop and asks if he can have a larger one. He turns down the first two offered as not being large enough, and asks for a very large one. Meanwhile Pinga has arrived at Grandfathers and given him her present, which is a picture. Grandfather hangs it up, and Pinga sings “Happy Birthday” to him. Pingu then arrives, carrying a very large box. Grandfather opens the box, to find a slightly smaller box inside. He opens this box – there’s another slightly smaller one inside it! Eventually, inside the fourth box, Grandfather finds the oval box, which he opens to find the shell that Pingu bought. Grandfather then wonders what to do with all the empty boxes from Pingu’s present. He decides they ought to go back to the shell shop, so together they take the boxes back to the shop.
