Kong for a Day

Kong for a Day is the fifth episode of the Donkey Kong Country animated series. The show stars Donkey Kong, the future ruler of Kongo Bongo Island, who is deceived by his friends because of King K. Rool's tricks. He is banished to the White Mountains, so Diddy Kong takes his place as the future ruler.

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 only mutter 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 is greatly offended by this, so 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 without the Kongs knowing. 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 slips on it. She somehow believes that Donkey Kong left the banana peel there and chastises him, telling him not to ever see her again. 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 DK agrees to it. Not knowing that K. Rool is tricking him, DK goes over to Funky's and requests to borrow Funky's favorite surfboard. Funky is rather concerned about this, telling him, "That board is my soulmate, so bring it back alive!" DK then goes swimming, leaving the surfboard on the docks. K. Rool and Krusha then show up to steal it (but not before K. Rool has to explain to Krusha that they are bad guys and are supposed to steal).

When Donkey Kong comes out of the water and sees the surfboard missing, he tries to tell Funky the bad news, but Funky is greatly upset over the loss of his surfboard and refuses to listen to DK. 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 an impression on K. Rool, so K. Rool corrects him and orders him to imitate Donkey Kong's voice, which he pulls off perfectly. He then orders Krusha to "eliminate [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 storms off, much to DK's confusion. After being told by Dixie, Diddy starts chastising DK as well.

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 comes over to the cabin, accompanied by an angry Diddy, who says, "I'm not talking to you!" DK responds, "But you just did!" and Diddy retorts, "Well, I'm not anymore!". 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, pointing out that the banana wasn't finished, and even asking, "Can I have it?," but Cranky won't listen. Instead, he has DK stripped of his title and gives it to Diddy. As Diddy celebrates his new status as future ruler, Cranky has DK banished to the White Mountains, but not before giving him a suitcase. After being flown to the White Mountains by Funky (and literally dropped off there), DK bemoans everyone's hatred 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 managed to repair the cabin) overhears K. Rool's plan through the Coconut, and 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 when Cranky suddenly appears in hologram form, telling Diddy that he has to go protect Bluster's factory. 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.

Over at the barrel factory, Bluster, taking advantage of DK's banishment, asks Candy for a date, but even then she refuses. Just then, Klump and the Kritters arrive and start blasting Klaptraps at everything. Candy and Bluster hide behind the conveyor belt, where Bluster admits that even he wishes DK were here right now. Diddy shows up at that point and orders the Kremlings to leave, but instead, 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, "I do miss the big lug."

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 hasn't eaten any bananas, but Cranky then opens up his suitcase to reveal that there had been bananas in there the whole time. Relieved, DK eats them and then rushes to the factory. He scares off the Kremlings and afterwards, Cranky reinstates him as future ruler.

Lyrics

 * I'm Nobody's Hero (sung by Donkey Kong)
 * Second Banana (sung by Diddy)

Trivia

 * This episode is Dixie's first appearance in the cartoon.
 * When Klump observes that, "Cranky is asleep", the closed-captions miscredit the line to K. Rool (who isn't even in the scene).
 * The episode's name is a pun on the phrase, "King for a day".
 * When Klump says "Forget your mommy", his tongue is red.