Rick

"Here's a trick a platypus taught me."

- Rick

Rick is a friendly and energetic hamster that befriends Kirby. Alongside Ribbon, Rick is arguably the most well-known of the helpers Kirby has had over the years. Rick first appeared alongside Coo and Kine in Kirby's Dream Land 2. Whereas Coo and Kine are most helpful in the air and in the water, respectively, Rick is best suited for land. In Kirby's Dream Land 3, Rick met his match: Nago the cat. The two were both skilled at trekking the land. Rick has a love interest named Pick.

In recent games, Rick has simply been reduced to small cameos. He appeared with Coo and Kine in Kirby's Star Stacker, and in a statue form in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Kirby Super Star Ultra, Kirby's Return to Dream Land, and Kirby: Triple Deluxe as a random result of the Stone Copy Ability. The statue from Kirby's Return to Dream Land appears sometimes when Smash Kirby uses his Stone attack in Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition. Rick also appeared as a collectible trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. He also made a surprise appearance in the continue screen of Kirby Mass Attack’s Kirby Quest, which includes Coo and Kine as well. The screen itself is based on the "game over" screen of Kirby's Dream Land 2. Along with the two other Animal Friends, Rick appears in the Kirby Fighters sub-game of Kirby: Triple Deluxe. He also appears as a Dream Friend (along with Kine and Coo) in the 2.0.0 update to Kirby Star Allies.

Physical Appearance
Rick is a round little hamster. He has white fur with small patches of orange on him. The orange patches are most noticeable on his head and on his back. He has little pink feet and a small, pink, button-shaped nose. A real hamster would have pink hands, but Rick does not. Rick is almost twice the size as Kirby, so he can't fit into smaller places and tight passageways. He can also jump from wall to wall and crush enemies with his astounding girth. Like Kirby, Rick can inhale enemies (This was later changed to stuffing the enemy into his mouth). However, Rick is unable to harness the power to hold his breath to float like Kirby. Rick can be used to jump on walls.

Kirby's Dream Land 2
Kirby earns Rick's trust and friendship when he saves him from a horde of mid-bosses. Rick is able to withstand treacherous terrain and doesn't skid on slippery platforms such as ice. Like the rest of Kirby's friends in this game, Rick can merge abilities with Kirby to make stronger ones:

Kirby's Dream Land 3
Rick has gained several new abilities, such as jumping from wall to wall. He is the only Animal Friend not slowed down by normal sand surfaces in this game, although he'll still be affected by moving sand surfaces. His inhaling technique however, was replaced by the power to stomp enemies flat. Instead of inhaling enemies, Rick charges forward with his gaping mouth wide open. This game also introduces Rick's love interest- Pick. For transportation Kirby sits on Rick's back for a ride. Rick can once again combine his abilities with Kirby:

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
The ability Animal Statues allows Kirby to turn into a stone Rick. He acts like he normally does, but without an ability to use. He can, however, climb up walls if a player holds the +Control Pad against the wall and presses jump in rhythmic succession.

Kirby: Canvas Curse
Rick appears in Paint Panic as one of the paintings Paint Roller draws.

Kirby Mass Attack
Rick makes a cameo in Kirby Quest if Kirby loses.

Kirby's Return to Dream Land and Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition
Stone Kirby can transform into a statue of Rick, Coo, and Kine. In Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, Smash Kirby can transform into this statue by using the Stone attack.

Kirby: Triple Deluxe
Though he is not a playable character, Rick appears in the Kirby Fighters sub-game (as well as in the downloadable Kirby Fighters Deluxe). In the stage based off of Kirby's Dream Land 3, he occasionally steps through doors and attacks the Kirbys by using his Burning attack: flame breath. He then proceeds to reenter the door he came from.

Kirby: Planet Robobot
Rick, Kine, and Coo appear together as a stone statue produced by either Kirby's Stone or Smash Bros. ability. He also appears a collectible sticker.

Team Kirby Clash Deluxe
Rick will appear as a villager of the city after the defeat of Taranza, sitting at the bench behind the Shrine of Passwords.

Kirby Battle Royale
Rick appears in Slam Hockey, He can be seen on the left side of the crowd in Normal Arena.

Kirby Star Allies
Rick appears in Kirby Star Allies as a Dream Friend in the game's first update. He works alongside Kine and Coo as a three-in-one Dream Friend, with each character using different abilities. In Rick's case, he uses the Sizzle element, as well as the Stone ability. Although it is not mentioned in his control list, Rick retains his ability from previous games to not slip on ice, as well as the ability to climb up walls.

In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!
In Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Rick's once semi-important role has been reduced greatly. Rick quite isn't an acquaintance of Kirby, nor do the two really interact all that much. Rick lives in Whispy Woods Forest inside the roots of the great tree Acore. Rick shows no change in personality though. He also speaks with an Australian voice in the dub. Despite his lack of appearances in the episodes, Rick has still appeared more than any of the other animals, let alone the animal helpers, in the anime. His first appearance in the anime was in A Blockbuster Battle, when he helped to build a treehouse for Kirby (which was wrecked later in the episode by King Dedede and Escargoon). Rick's feet were changed to a light purple color.

In the Super Smash Bros. series
Rick appears as a collectable trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Etymology
The name Rick is derived from riku, a Japanese word for land.

Related Quotes
"Rick the hamster carries Kirby on his shoulders. Rick doesn't slip on ice!"

- Kirby's Three Friends

"Like all your friends, Rick adds his life bar to yours. He'll leave if his meter reaches zero, but you'll be able to go on."

- Description

"Rick made his debut alongside Kirby's other friends, Coo and Kine. He looks like a meek hamster, but when he puffs himself up, he's bigger than Kirby. When he's carrying Kirby on his back, he can mimic Kirby's copy powers with some special moves of his own. Rick's claim to fame is his exceptional traction on icy surfaces."

- Trophy description

"Three pals from Kirby's Dream Land 2 join the fray! They've formed a dream-team trio, so they can help each other out. Rick rules the land. Kine swims the seas. Coo soars through skies. Animal friends forever!"

- Using Rick & Kine & Coo

Trivia

 * Of the three Animal Friends who appear in the anime, Rick is the only one that has any kind of conflict with Kirby. This instance was only in the episode, War of the Woods.
 * When Ado draws Rick in the Boss Butch credits of Kirby's Dream Land 3, she gives him toes.
 * Rick is the only Animal Friend that consumes enemies himself. All others allow Kirby to inhale the foes or, in ChuChu's case, drag the foes into Kirby's mouth.
 * Rick makes a cameo appearance in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, along with Coo and Kine, when Kirby is transforming into Kirby Tank.
 * Rick, along with Coo and Kine, make an appearance in Team Kirby Clash Deluxe after certain Ordeals are cleared.
 * Rick, alongside Coo and Kine, in the American TV commercial for Kirby's Dream Land 2, was depicted out of character: In particular, aside from being given angry eyes and a menacing grin, Rick was shown to lift up a biker upon entering a bar and throw him right at a sofa with other bikers sitting on it and knock them over in a similar manner to bowling pins.
 * In Kirby Star Allies, Rick has the longest idle animation out of anyone in the game.
 * In Kirby Star Allies, fighting Morpho Knight in Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! with Rick & Kine & Coo replaces the normal theme with a remixed version of Dark Matter's theme for his second form, referencing the Animal Friends' original appearance in Kirby's Dream Land 2.