Kong for a Day

"Kong for a Day" is the fifth episode of the Donkey Kong Country animated series, and the seventh episode aired in North America. During the episode, Donkey Kong is yelled at by his furious friends because of King K. Rool's trickery and is banished to the White Mountains. Because of this, Diddy Kong takes his place as the future ruler.

The episode's name is an obvious pun on the phrase, "King for a day".

Plot synopsis
It is the day of Kongo Bongo Island's annual ceasefire, and the Kongs are dancing at Funky's Flights while King K. Rool watches from outside. Cranky Kong calls a stop to the dancing so that they can listen to a speech by Donkey Kong. DK is busy eating bananas, though and can mutter only unintelligibly, but Diddy Kong translates his message as "Peace on Earth, and be nice to the newts." Bluster criticizes DK as the island's future ruler, prompting Diddy to retort that Bluster is simply jealous. Bluster replies that he is already the future owner of Bluster Barrelworks, and that Diddy is the only one around who has no future. Diddy furiously turns his face bright red and stomps his hat on the ground, but Funky and DK try to comfort him.

While this is going on, Cranky teases K. Rool for the fact that he has to behave himself on this day of peace, saying that he will never win with Donkey Kong around. K. Rool, however, mentions to General Klump that he has just been conversing with the enemy so that he can launch a surprise attack. He states that they are only participating in the ceasefire as an attempt to make sure Donkey Kong never takes his position as the island's ruler. At that point, Candy walks in, and K. Rool "breaks out his super secret weapon of destruction" - he places a banana peel on the floor so that Candy accidentally slips on it. She somehow believes that Donkey Kong left the banana peel there and scolds him, angrily calling off their date and not giving DK the opportunity to call her or visit her at all. K. Rool is delighted at the success of the first phase of his plan, which he dubs "Operation: Krush Kong." He explains to Klump that he is going to make all the other apes so furious with Donkey Kong that Cranky will have to name a new ruler.

Later that day, DK is sitting on the dock, depressed about Candy dumping him. King K. Rool walks up to him and pretentiously comforts DK, telling him that he needs to get his mind off of Candy until she comes around. He suggests that DK go surfing, and he agrees to it while taking credit for the idea. Not knowing that K. Rool is tricking him, DK goes over to Funky's and requests to borrow his favorite surfboard. Funky is concerned about this, but still agrees, telling him he can borrow it as long as he brings it back without any damage. DK then goes swimming, leaving the surfboard on the docks. K. Rool and Krusha then show up to steal it.

When Donkey Kong comes out of the water and sees the surfboard missing, he wakes Funky from a nap and tells him the bad news, but Funky is furious over the loss of his surfboard and refuses to listen to him, thinking he is just making up excuses. DK goes walking in the jungle, lamenting Candy and Funky's anger at him, so Diddy and Dixie offer to cheer him up. After this, Diddy remarks that he has to leave, so DK continues through the jungle with Dixie.

Over at his hideout, K. Rool tells Krusha to show him his imitation. Krusha responds by doing a perfect impression on K. Rool. K. Rool corrects him and orders him to imitate Donkey Kong's voice, which he also pulls off perfectly. He then orders Krusha to "alienate [DK's] closest friends and second-in-command." Soon, in the jungle, Donkey and Dixie Kong are sitting on a log where DK says he and Candy used to hang around. Krusha then appears behind them and, in DK's voice, starts hitting on Dixie and saying insulting things about Diddy. Offended, Dixie angrily storms off, much to DK's confusion, although he overhears Krusha's imitation of him right before Dixie leaves. After being told by Dixie, Diddy angrily starts scolding DK as well and becomes very close to terminating their friendship.

Meanwhile, Cranky is taking a nap in his cabin and doesn't hear Klump coming in with a pair of Kritters. The Kritters shoot their Klap-Blasters, sending Klaptraps in to eat the walls and roof of the cabin. Klump then leaves an unfinished banana on the floor. Sure enough, when Cranky wakes up and finds that his cabin's been wrecked, he thinks DK has destroyed the place.

DK and Diddy, who is still mad at DK, are heading for Cranky's when they find his cabin destroyed and DK is the only one who denies he did it. Cranky accuses DK of trashing his cabin, telling him that the banana skin on the floor is evidence enough for him. Donkey Kong denies this, saying he would never leave a banana unfinished, but they still don't change their minds and Cranky angrily removes DK's title of future ruler. Donkey Kong angrily states that he not only found the coconut, but his face is also on it; however, when the coconut emerges from its case, the image shown is Diddy's face, making him the future ruler. As Diddy boasts, Cranky has DK banished to the White Mountains and to never return, but not before giving him a suitcase. After being flown to the White Mountains by Funky, DK bemoans everyone's dislike for him through song.

With Donkey Kong now banished, K. Rool feels his victory is imminent. Instead of just going to steal the Crystal Coconut immediately, though, he orders Klump to raid Bluster's factory and force them to manufacture Exploding Barrels. Cranky, who has rebuilt his cabin, overhears K. Rool's plan through the Coconut, but he realizes that DK was chosen as future ruler for being the only one strong enough to handle K. Rool, so he begins to regret making Diddy future ruler, saying he "may have been a little hard on DK." Over in the jungle, Diddy is boasting about being named future ruler to Dixie and the two are about to kiss when Cranky suddenly appears in hologram form, telling Diddy that he has to go protect Bluster's factory. Diddy doesn't want to but becomes shocked after realizing that whenever he has a mission as a future ruler he has to complete it even if it means dying. Diddy then realizes future ruler is not all that it's cracked up to be and as he swings on the vines to get to the factory, Diddy sings about how he fears he cannot handle the responsibility that Donkey Kong had and how he wants his friend back.

Over at the barrel factory, Bluster, taking advantage of DK's banishment, asks Candy for a date, but even then she refuses, seeing as how she has been informed of DK's banishment and is beginning to miss him. Just then, Klump and the Kritters arrive and start blasting Klaptraps at everything. Candy and Bluster hide behind the conveyor belt, where Candy wishes DK were here, and Bluster reluctantly admits that he does too. Diddy shows up at that point and orders the Kremlings to leave, but instead, due to his small size, Klump simply has Diddy shot in the feet with a Klap-Blaster, causing Klaptraps to start chomping at his feet. Cranky's hologram appears, and Diddy tells him to get Donkey Kong. Cranky agrees, admitting he misses him.

Back in the White Mountains, DK has been wandering around for sustenance and ends up falling off a cliff when he sees a mirage of a banana tree. Cranky's hologram then appears to alert him about the trouble going on at the barrel factory and that his help is needed. DK is worried he will not be able to handle it because he ate no bananas for a long time, but Cranky then opens his suitcase to reveal that there had been bananas in there the whole time. Relieved, DK eats them and then returns home and rushes to the factory. He scares off the Kremlings and afterwards, Cranky reinstates him as future ruler. Diddy admits that their lives are actually miserable if DK lived in the White Mountains, and when DK repeats a phrase that basically covers what got him in trouble in the first place, the trio agree that the Kremlings can take the ape out of the jungle, but they can't take the jungle out of the ape.

Quotes
DK: What do you say Funky?

Funky: I don't know man. It's my best board!

DK: I'll take care of it!

Funky: That board is my soul mate, dude! We bonded, so bring it back alive!

After the surfboard is stolen.

DK: Funky... Funky... Funky! Wake up, man!

Funky: (Waking up) Huh? *Yawning* What?

DK: Wake up!

Funky: Huh? *falls into floor*

DK: I got bad news!

Funky: Where's my board!?

DK: Gone!

Funky: GONE!? You promised me, dude! You gave me your word, man!

DK: It wasn't my fault, somebody filched it! I'm sorry.

Funky: Bag the excuses, DK! Cut to it, man!

DK: It wasn't my fault!

Funky: How are you gonna be Future Ruler, dude if ya can't even tell the truth when ya wipe out?

Featured songs

 * "I'm Nobody's Hero" (sung by Donkey Kong)

''I don't know what's happenin' to me; I'm gettin' all the blame for things I didn't do. Can anybody tell me just what I did wrong? I'm all alone and I'm so confused. I don't know what everyone wants me to be; I only know just how to be me. Once I was the ape of the hour; Well, they think I'm a coward; An absolute zero; I'm nobody's hero!''

''An absolute zero... I'm nobody's hero... I'm nobody's hero. [the last words echo]''


 * "Second Banana" (sung by Diddy)

VERSE I:

''What do you expect from someone Who has never, ever been the king... before? Never had to save the day; Now I've no idea what's in store!

CHORUS I:

Second banana's what I am; I never thought this job would be Full of so much misery; Second banana's what I know; I'm just not cut out to be the hero!

VERSE II:

''Maybe it's a twist of fate, But I can never recreate the ape... he was! I'm the tutti to his frutti, And the peach to his fuzz!''

CHORUS II:

''Second banana's what I am; We made such a perfect team; Now I'm all alone, it seems. Second banana's what I know; I'm just not cut out to be the hero! [Repeats "the hero" five times.]''

Animation and continuity errors

 * When Klump observes that "Cranky is asleep", the closed-captions miscredit the line to K. Rool (who isn't even in the scene).
 * When Klump says "Forget your mommy," his tongue is red.

Trivia

 * This episode is Dixie Kong's first appearance in the cartoon.
 * In the beginning of the episode, the song "I'm the Kong Fu master" is played.