Circus Daze
| Saturday Supercade episode | |
|---|---|
| "Circus Daze" | |
| |
| Segment | Donkey Kong |
| Season | 1 |
| Episode | 8 |
| Airdate |  November 5, 1983 |
| Writer(s) | Duane Poole Michael Maurer Richard Merwin Tom Dagenais Tom Swale |
| << List of episodes >> | |
"Circus Daze" is the eighth episode of the first season of Saturday Supercade's Donkey Kong segment. The episode title is a pun on "circus days".
Plot synopsis[edit]
On a dirt road in a countryside, Mario and Pauline spot Donkey Kong in the bed of a pickup truck carrying watermelons. They give chase, with shady circus ringmaster Barney Todd and his ensemble following close behind. Mario then presses a button on the circus van to launch the driver seat and turn it into a propeller seat. He then attempts to get close to Donkey Kong while Pauline stops the circus van, after which she notices Todd's van. Meanwhile, Donkey Kong simply throws a watermelon at Mario's head, causing his propeller seat to lose control and fall into a stream. The oblivious driver of the pickup truck then stops to restock on watermelons, giving Todd the opportunity to jack up the pickup truck's bed to get Donkey Kong into his van. Pauline informs Mario of this, and the two drive off to Todd's next show.
At Todd's circus, Mario and Pauline learn, to their chagrin and unease, that Todd is attempting to make Donkey Kong learn the "Triple Trapeze Flip", a feat even Donkey Kong is unskilled at. They then eavesdrop on the rehearsal, where Todd appoints his assistant, Trixie, as Donkey Kong's trainer, after the Kong refuses to allow him to teach him the skill. However, Donkey Kong performs a simple series of slips after using the trapeze once and refuses to do any more; he is then conked by the rebound. Trixie decides to get Donkey Kong to a veterinarian, giving Mario an idea. At the circus vet trailer, Mario and Pauline come in disguised as doctors. Mario "tests" Donkey Kong's reflexes, then has him lie down hold his breath. Mario then "diagnoses" Donkey Kong with "capulosis apeitosis", ties up Donkey Kong in bandages, then gives permission for him to release his breath. Donkey Kong then blows off Mario's disguise, exposing his ruse. Mario and Pauline then run away, leaving a somewhat dumbfounded Trixie to send Donkey Kong back to his training routine.
After Todd warns Trixie that she and Donkey Kong will be in "big trouble" if Donkey Kong does not perfect the Triple Trapeze Flip by the beginning of the show. Donkey Kong attempts the trick again, but quickly loses his balance and notices a group of clowns headed his way. The clowns then juggle bottles in front of him, prompting him to grab the bottles from them and juggle them all. One of the clowns attempts to catch him in a net, only for him to backflip away at the right moment. Donkey Kong is then tipped off by Pauline's voice, and quickly unmasks the other clown as Pauline and takes her away. He then grabs several barrels and goes up an audience wing, with the other clown, revealed to be Mario, in hot pursuit. Mario proceeds to catch every barrel Donkey Kong throws at him, only for the audience wing to collapse under him. Donkey Kong then throws out another barrel, which chases Mario to a trapeze that he uses to land right next to Pauline. After Donkey Kong flings Mario away, Todd notices Pauline and orders his muscle man to kidnap her to blackmail Donkey Kong into performing for him. The muscle man locks Pauline and Donkey Kong away, after which Todd fires Trixie as his assistant. As Trixie sulks over what to do, Mario asks her to help him save Pauline.
As Todd introduces Donkey Kong to his show attendees, Mario distracts the muscle man while Trixie commandeers a circus elephant, Jumbo, to ambush him and give Mario time to free Pauline. After Jumbo throws the muscle man into the same cage, Mario and Pauline then climb up the spire Donkey Kong is standing atop while Donkey Kong is stalling for time, after which the spire begins collapsing from the trio's combined weight. The trapeze hits Donkey Kong again, after which he regains his confidence and takes Mario and Pauline on the trapeze. Todd attempts to reassure his panicking attendees, but the damaged spire lands on top of a lion cage, breaking it and allowing two lions to escape. Donkey Kong throws Mario and Pauline onto two other trapezes, which he jumps from to grab a chair and top hat, the former of which he uses to fend off the lions. He then tricks the lions onto a seesaw, which allow him to juggle the lions and throw them into the same cage as the muscle man. Todd attempts to escape by driving away in a convertible car, but Donkey Kong spins a circus ring in his direction, causing the car to loop around it in cartoonish fashion. Donkey Kong then has Jumbo use the seesaw to catapult him away at the exact moment Mario attempts to net him, plowing him right through the circus tent. Pauline and Trixie remark that the last trick was performed by "the one and only Donkey Kong!"
Gallery[edit]
Title card
Animation and continuity errors[edit]
- When Todd mentions that his circus will have "the greatest act on Earth," his gloves disappear.
- After Mario and Pauline run out of the vet trailer, the table Donkey Kong was strapped to disappears.
- When Donkey Kong swings on the trapeze as Trixie encourages him to perform the Triple Trapeze Flip, the trapeze disappears midshot.
- When Trixie mentions that Donkey Kong will perfect the Triple Trapeze Flip, the strap on Todd's muscle man is over his left shoulder, but in the next shot, it is over his right.
- When Donkey Kong grabs some barrels to throw at Mario, there are three barrels, but after he turns around, there are five in his hand. When he places Pauline on some steps, there are three barrels again. Later scenes feature Donkey taking one of these barrels, but three are still present.
- When Todd calls for Donkey Kong, he has five fingers on each hand instead of four.
- After Todd's muscle man places Pauline in a cage, she is sitting in midair.
Todd's missing gloves
The layering error
Trivia[edit]
- Todd mentioning how his circus will have "the greatest act on Earth" after he captures Donkey Kong may be a reference to Dan Rice's circus, which was first praised by an Arkansas paper as "The Greatest Show on Earth." This phrase would later be popularized as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus's tagline.
