The Big Switch-a-Roo

"The Big Switch-a-Roo" is the thirty-fifth episode of the Donkey Kong Country television series and the ninth episode of season three. It was the thirty-sixth episode to air in North America.

Plot synopsis
On the pier, Donkey Kong is explaining to Diddy that the anniversary of the first time he broke a date with Candy is today, and wants to write her a message using Funky's plane. Diddy is surprised to hear that he is celebrating it, though DK explains that, since they had fun on their real anniversary, she wants to celebrate "everything." Diddy jokes that she is turning him into a robot when Funky appears, ready to write his message. They get into the plane, and fly off.

At Cranky's house, Cranky is about to test his new invention: a robot. He turns it on, though it gives an electrical discharge that sends him flying. He tests the robot, having it move and work, and he notes that it is working perfectly. He praises himself for it, but then praises himself for what he believes to be his greatest inventions: a pair of brain transfer helmets. However, he does not notice General Klump spying on him outside.

At Bluster Barrelworks, Bluster informs Candy that the barrelworks is receiving a new barrel-making robot. Candy states that it is her job to make the barrels, though Bluster states that she is being promoted to his personal assistant. Candy replies that she would rather take a raise, though Bluster counters that the robot can work longer and not "go on long lunches with Donkey Kong." When Candy states that she can work faster than anybody or anything, the two make a bet: if the robot can work just as good or better than Candy, she will go on a picnic date with Bluster; if not, Candy gets a raise. The two walk out, Bluster jabbing that Donkey Kong is "incapable of work," though she defends him when she sees the heart drawn in the sky from Funky's plane.

At King K. Rool's hideout, K. Rool is attempting to cook something. He asks Krusha to get a barrel of salt. Once it is placed in the pot K. Rool explains that he is cooking his mother's muffin recipe (though when Krusha tries some of the batter it tastes awful). Klump then arrives at the base, and after turning down trying some of the muffin batter (after being advised not to by Krusha), he reports that Cranky has invented a pair of brain-transferring helmets, though K. Rool states that he is reluctant to transfer his brain. However, he then points out to himself that "knowledge is power," and that, if he had the helmets, he might be able to transfer knowledge from books to himself. K. Rool orders Klump and Krusha to retrieve the devices, stating that he will give them some of his mom's muffins if they are successful (making them reluctant to do so).

After completing Donkey Kong's message (a heart with the initials "D.K." and "C.K." inside it), Funky dumps Donkey out of the plane. He lands right outside Cranky's, causing one of the brain transferring helmets to fly out of his hands and onto the head of the robot. Cranky tells DK that he is going on an errand, and has him guard the Crystal Coconut, warning him not to touch anything. DK assures him that he will be responsible, but when he grabs a mallet nearby, Cranky repeats his warning. He then checks the fridge for bananas, but is shocked to find none. He frantically searches the cabin for bananas until he spots the other brain-transfer helmet and puts it on, pretending to be General Klump. However, when he gives a mock salute, he accidentally pushes the button on the helmet, swapping his and the robot's brains. Donkey Kong's body falls to the ground, while the real DK walks outside to search for some bananas, unaware that he is now inhabiting the robot's body.

When Cranky and Bluster return to the cabin, Cranky informs Donkey Kong that they are back. He does not notice him at first, but them trips over him. Cranky is not surprised to see that he is asleep, as well as playing with the helmet. He tells "Donkey Kong" to wake up, telling him to "hop to it," which results in him starting to hop around; when Cranky tells him to "give it a rest," he proceeds to sleep again. However, when Cranky jabs that "Bluster's robot has more brains then [him]," he notices that the robot is not around, and puts two and two together. He informs Bluster that the robot and Donkey Kong have swapped brains. He then leaves to find DK, warning him not to touch anything. However, when he states that finding good help is like, "banging your head against the wall," and the robot proceeds to do so, he takes advantage of this and decides to take the robot anyway, despite it being in Donkey Kong's "big, hairy, ugly" body.

Out in the forest, Diddy is walking around when he spots Donkey Kong as the robot shaking a tree to get bananas. When he hears him speak, he assumes that it is a prank, and Donkey does not know what he is talking about. Diddy then explains to him (in song) that he is now in a robotic body.

Candy is busy painting her nails at the Barrelworks when Bluster interrupts, stating his hope that she is preparing for their date. Candy remarks that she would rather go out with the robot then him, at which point he introduces her to the robot. The robot in Donkey Kong's body then walks into the factory, though Candy does not understand. He then has "Donkey Kong" start working. Candy asks how he was able to do this, and Bluster explains that Cranky was able to put a brain inside him (not stating that his was swapped for the robot's). Candy grows angry with the both of them, telling "DK" that he can "cuddle with Bluster from now on"; the robot then tries to do so, much to Bluster's protest.

Donkey Kong and Diddy, meanwhile, head to Cranky's to try and place DK's mind back into his normal body. At the cabin, Cranky scolds Donkey Kong for disobeying his warning to not touch anything, and for using the brain transfer helmets, then states that he can reverse it, but that he does not have his real body anymore. When Donkey asks how he lost the body, Cranky explains that he left to search for the robot body and left DK's body with Bluster, leading him to the conclusion that he took it to use as his barrel making robot. At the barrelworks, the robot is still working, but chaos is unfolding. Bluster finally demands that it stop, which works. However, when he states that the robot is giving him a "pain in the neck," it attempts to do this.

Outside the cabin, General Klump and Krusha are preparing to attack. When Klump explains his plan, Krusha is confused, as they always try to get the Crystal Coconut when the plan states that they do not, though Klump disregards this and they move in. Just as Diddy attempts to head outside, the doors burst open, with Klump and Krusha directly outside them. Donkey Kong tries to fight back, but when he approaches Krusha, he removes the head. Klump grabs the helmets, with Diddy informing Cranky of this, and he attempts to fight the two. However, Krusha simply tosses the head of the robot at him, easily knocking him aside, and they escape with the devices.

Candy is walking through the forest, expressing her anger toward Bluster and "Donkey Kong." At the same time, Klump and Krusha are escaping through the forest. The two run into each other, the helmets flying out of his hands. One lands on Candy, and when Klump notices that his own helmet has fallen of, he accidentally grabs the second helmet and pushes the button, causing another body swap between him and Candy. Krusha grabs the helmet off of "Candy's" head, then remembers Klump and drags Candy in his body off with him. At this time, Klump awakens, and nearly immediately notices that he is in Candy's body. Diddy then shows up, asking if "she" has seen Klump and Krusha. "Candy" states that he should salute a "five-star general," though Diddy does not understand why. He tries to impersonate Candy's voice (though does a horrible job at it). After another voice states that "she" may have something, Klump asks for the source. Diddy then reveals the robot's head, which states that it is really Donkey Kong. He is surprised to hear this, and Donkey explains what happened. When he asks if they should chase after them, "Candy" advises against it, instead wanting to go to Cranky's.

At K. Rool's lair, the king is pleased to see that he has obtained the device. However, he then hears a noise, and looks to see "General Klump" tied up on the ground. When K. Rool asks for the reason, Krusha simply states that he is "broken." King K. Rool has him untie the general, and when he removes the gag, Candy states that DK is going to defeat them. K. Rool is confused, telling "Klump" to get his act together. Candy is now confused, but is shocked to see that she has swapped brains with Klump when she is shown her reflection by the king, and faints. K. Rool figures out that there was a body switch, and is excited to know that he can now go through with his plan. However, Candy states that he can take knowledge from every book on the island and still be "half as smart as the Crystal Coconut," unintentionally giving him the idea to transfer its knowledge to him. He and Krusha then leave to retrieve the coconut.

At Cranky's Cabin, the old ape is attempting to put the head back on his robot, only to have it fall out of his hands and onto the ground, leading to him concluding that he cannot fix it. "Candy" then suggests that they instead plan a raid on K. Rool's hideout instead, to which Cranky agrees. "She" then offers to guard the Crystal Coconut, with DK opting to do so as well, but he instead is forced to leave with the others. However, just as Klump is about to steal the coconut, Bluster and the robot arrive, the former commanding the latter to stop. "Candy" asks him to leave, though Bluster notices that something is off with "her" voice and asks what. Klump states that it is a cold, and when Bluster attempts to kiss "her" he punches him. Disoriented, Bluster leaves.

Candy is struggling to free herself when DK, Cranky, and Diddy show up. However, when Cranky is about to interrogate "Klump" on the whereabouts of the helmets, he asks why "he" is tied up on the ground. When she demands to be untied, they figure out that it is really Candy. When she demands to see Donkey Kong, she finds out that he is inside the robot head Diddy is carrying. They converse, though Cranky interrupts by asking where the helmets are. Candy explains that they are in the possession of K. Rool, as well as explaining his plan. He is then worried about the Crystal Coconut, though DK assures him that Candy is guarding it; however, Candy reminds him that she is in Klump's body, and they realize that Klump is in the cabin, alone, with the coconut.

At Cranky's treehouse, General Klump is sitting in an armchair while tossing the coconut to himself. While doing so, he orders that the robot bring him some food. It opens the refrigerator and grabs some bananas, but when Klump orders it to "step on it," the robot squashes them all. At this time, K. Rool and Krusha arrive. Klump reports that he was successful in capturing the Crystal Coconut. However, the king notices "DK," but Klump assures him that he is harmless, having the robot walk on its hands. However, K. Rool is not impressed, telling the robot to "go make a barrel." It then grabs K. Rool, places him on a work desk, and traps him inside a barrel. At this time, Cranky, Donkey, and Diddy arrive. Krusha then begins to chase Diddy around the cabin. Candy then shows up, angered at Klump. In the meantime, Cranky puts one of the helmets on Donkey Kong's body, then has Diddy throw him the robot's head. Cranky is able to catch the head, put the other helmet on the robot, and transfers his brain back into his body. However, when K. Rool asks to be freed, DK tosses him out of the cabin, which frees and dazes him in the process. He then chases Krusha out of the cabin and activates one of the bridge's traps, sending them flying away.

Candy then forces Klump to put a helmet on, and their brains are transferred back to their normal bodies as well. Klump tries to sneak away as Candy and Donkey have a romantic moment, but it fails when the latter notices him. He is then sent flying away. However, as Donkey Kong requests a kiss from Candy, Bluster arrives, demanding a refund for his robot. Cranky informs him that the bugs have been fixed, but Bluster still does not want it, stating that it is "dumber than DK." Cranky offers it for free, but he again refuses, stating that robots have given him a "pain in the backside." However, DK then sticks out his arms, repeating this in a monotone voice, and Bluster runs off scared as everyone else laughs at his joke.

Animation and continuity errors

 * There exists a key discrepancy between the body-swapping machine and how King K. Rool perceives it to work. His initial plan for the device involves using it to get the knowledge out of books, despite the fact that books do not have brains. At one point, he also suggests swapping bodies with the Crystal Coconut, despite that also not working in theory, since the Crystal Coconut is also an inanimate object.

Lyrics
DIDDY: ''Is there something you should tell me, big buddy? Are you aware of the glare from the sun shining off of your hair?
 * "" (Sung by Diddy Kong and Donkey Kong)

DK: ''I don't know what you mean, it's just a healthy sheen I must admit I feel a little strange But I've never felt better, I'm stronger than ever Can't you see nothing's changed?

DIDDY: ''I don't know how to tell you, metal buddy But you look just like a solar-powered turbo-charged washing machine

DK: ''I'm not light on my feet, now I clank and I squeak But my voice is the same when I speak My hand looks like aluminum foil Does this mean that I need a tune-up and a change of oil?

''I'm a metal head, a metal head, a metal head, a metal head I'm a metal head, a metal head, a metal head, a METAL HEAD!

CRANKY: ''What are you gonna do, DK? Head-butt them? (Laughs)''
 * "" (Sung by Cranky Kong, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong and General Klump as Candy)

DIDDY: ''I know, I know! He'll play head games with them! (Laughs)''

CRANKY: ''(Laughs) Head games, that's good! (Laughs) No, hold on, DK will be okay! He's got a good head off his shoulders! (Laughs)

KLUMP: ''Ohh! This is giving me a headache!''

CRANKY: ''"Headache"! Ha, ha, get it? "Head" ache! (Laughs)

DIDDY: You know, DK, you could always head 'em off at the pass!

CRANKY: ''After giving them a head start! (Laughs)

DIDDY: ''(Laughs)

KLUMP: ''Okay, that's enough! All o´you head on outta here!''

CRANKY: (Laughs) That's using your, heh heh, heh-head!

DIDDY & CRANKY: ''(Laughing)

DK: I should just quit while I'm a...head?

DIDDY: ''(Laughs)

Trivia

 * The way General Klump and Krusha laugh when they see the Robot Donkey Kong trying to stop them is first heard in the previous episode "Follow That Coconut".
 * Donkey Kong's line "I've fallen and I can't get up!" is a reference to the from a popular LifeCall commercial that began airing in 1989.
 * The way Donkey Kong sings the last few lines of "Metal Head" sounds very similar to the song "". Since Donkey Kong Country had heavy French involvement, this may be an intentional homage.