Buried Treasure (episode)

Buried Treasure is the ninth episode of the first season of Donkey Kong Country, and it aired on October 4, 1998 in North America. During the episode, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Funky Kong find a map, and, in turn, others on the island also discover the map's existence. The Kongs go on a treasure hunt, but it turns into mayhem instead of a hunt. Unlike all other episode of the cartoon series, this episode does not involve the Crystal Coconut.

Plot Synopsis
The episode begins with Cranky Kong relaxing on the beach on his week-end vacation. While the ape tries to enjoy himself, several insects begin to pester him.

Meanwhile, Donkey and Diddy Kong eat and talk at the banana plantation. The two discuss how Cranky is enjoying his vacation. As Diddy Kong wonders what they are going to do today, the Kongs spot Funky flying on top of his plane. This makes Donkey Kong excited, and he jumps up and down, not noticing the banana peel on the ground. The ape slips on the peel and slides to the ground, landing on a strange bottle. Inside the bottle, the Kongs find a map leading to an X. Diddy explains that the X stands for treasure, but Donkey Kong replies by saying, "There's no X in treasure, Diddy." This angers Diddy, who begins to stomp on his hat. He then screams that it is a treasure map showing that X marks the spot. The Kongs excitedly leave the plantation to find the treasure. Bluster Kong hears them as he looks for a lost coin and decides to find the treasure too to become richer.

Bluster heads near the entrance of Bluster Barrelworks, where he is ready to find treasure in his helicopter. Candy Kong and Dixie Kong notice him in the copter and ask where DK is. Bluster tries not to tell them that he is on a treasure hunt, but accidentally gives it away while saying, "You just think Donkey Kong's going on a treasure hunt." Candy becomes angry that Donkey Kong is standing her up for a treasure hunt, but Dixie reminds her about the treasure. The apes quickly jump into Bluster's helicopter to find the treasure, and the ape has no choice but to fly them.

At that time, King K. Rool is playing a video game on a computer monitor-like device. Just as he is about to beat his high-score, General Klump appears on the monitor, canceling the Kremlings' game. The crocodile king becomes greatly enraged and destroys the device as a result, so Klump speaks to the Kremling by phone instead. General Klump explains that he has seen the Kongs heading to the mountain mines searching for buried treasure. King K. Rool thinks this treasure is "a dooms day device capable of destroying the while island." The Kremlings heads out to find this buried treasure, commanding Krusha to take care of the phone they are using to speak to Klump. Just as the crocodile leaves, a silhouette is shown of Krusha jumping on the phone.

Donkey, Diddy, and Funky fly over the trees in search for the buried treasure. Bluster, Candy, and Dixie Kong in a helicopter follow from behind, fighting about who will be given the treasure when they reach it; Candy Kong wants to use her share of treasure to by Bluster's factory, but Bluster insists that he will be given all of the treasure. As the discussion continues, Dixie tries to warn the apes that they are going the wrong way. By the time she is noticed, Bluster is about to crash into the trees in the jungle. Meanwhile, Cranky is at the beach, still trying to ward off insects. Just as he sits down to relax again, a group of ants steal his food, and the old ape must head out to chase them.

King K. Rool, in search for treasure, rides through the mines in a Mine Cart. Krusha, who is controlling the cart, causes the vehicle to crash after traveling in the incorrect direction. Meanwhile, Donkey, Diddy, and Funky Kong continue to fly over the jungle. Unfortunately, the plane runs out of gas and the Kongs uncontrollably begin to fly towards the ground. Donkey Kong points out a mine entrance, so Funky tries to move the falling vehicle into it. The Kongs crash inside of the mines, but are safe nonetheless. Donkey Kong complains that he is hungry, but the three primates keep going, as they are close to the buried treasure.

Bluster Kong soon arrives at the mines. Before he notices, Candy and Dixie are already searching for treasure, so the ape quickly chases after them. King K. Rool and Krusha notice the two apes running through the mines, and the crocodile king announces that the island will be his after he gets the dooms day machine he thinks they are looking for.

Donkey, Diddy, and Funky make it to the end of the treasure map, where they find themselves at a mine cart intersection in a large room. Donkey Kong falls on a pile of rocks due to his great hunger, and a rock with a X printed on it immediately rolls out of the pile in front of Diddy. As the three celebrate, Candy runs into the room with Dixie and Bluster following behind her. Each of the Kongs, other than Diddy and Dixie, fight about who will get the treasure to buy what they want. As they argue, King K. Rool and his minion, Krusha enter, wanting the dooms day device. King K. Rool demands they hand the treasure over, but Funky announces that Candy and Dixie have already run off with the treasure. The Kremling commands Krusha to get a mine cart and find the apes, but Krusha ends up leaving in the cart with King K. Rool, who dashes behind his cart. Donkey and Diddy head out to stop the Kremlings, just in case the treasure is what the crocodiles think it is, and Funky Kong follows behind them, dragging Bluster along with him.

Dixie and Candy ride through the mines in a mine cart with the treasure. Dixie asks what King K. Rool was talking about, but Candy simply replies that, by the time he is done talking, she will be the owner of the barrelworks. She and Dixie then begin to sing about the treasure, along with King K. Rool, Krusha, DK, and Diddy behind them. After the song, Dixie and Candy's cart rides to the end of a steep cliff. The Kongs are relived to find that the cart has stopped just before flying off, but then Donkey and Diddy in their mine carts crash into them and push them off, causing the treasure to fall from their hands. This is followed by the cart with Funky and Bluster, and finally, the cart with King K. Rool and Krusha. The treasure ends up falling into the hands of King K. Rool after it is thrown to him by Bluster as he panics. Before the Kremlings get to see what the treasure offers, their cart falls off the cliff.

The group lands on a nearby beach, where King K. Rool opens the barrel that the treasure is placed in. Donkey Kong is unable to defeat the foe before he does so, due to his great hunger. When Krusha removes the top of the container for his boss, King K. Rool reaches in to find a piece of paper saying, "Keep your paws off my treasure," which is signed by Donkey Kong. The group is stunned to hear this, and Donkey Kong admits that he has just remembered that he hid that treasure when he was a young ape. The Kremlings check to see what "treasure" that ape left in the container, only to find rotten bananas. After the Kongs and Kremlings learn how long the ape has left those bananas in the barrel, they hear the sound of yelling from a turned-over mine cart. They flip it over to find Cranky Kong, trying to relax on his vacation.

King K. Rool, tired from the long, terrible day he has just experienced, decides to consume Cranky's drink, which the old ape doesn't mind at all. However, the Kremlings soon finds that the bottle is full of bees that frantically sting him inside of his mouth. King K. Rool immediately runs away, with Krusha following him. Cranky also decides to leave, wanting to get home. Donkey and Candy then realize that they do not need treasure or Bluster's barrelworks factory, and only each other. Diddy and Dixie soon leave to go home with Cranky, and, under a turned-over mine cart, Funky and Bluster can be heard. Funky suggests that they get to know each other while they are stuck under the cart, which Bluster refuses to do in his panic.

Deleted Song
There is a deleted song in this episode. It features Funky Kong and Diddy Kong encouraging Donkey Kong to search for the treasure through song. It was cut because it slowed the episode down.