Un-Reality TV

Un-Reality TV (Take a look! Channel DDD in Japan) is the 6th episode of Kirby: Right Back at Ya!. It introduces King Dedede's television channel, Channel DDD.

Synopsis

King Dedede sends his Waddle Dees to Cappy Town to deliver a free television set to every family in Cappy Town. As it turns out, the king has finally brought televised entertainment to Dream Land under the name of Channel DDD! The Cappies are astounded by this new technology, and even Kirby loves Channel DDD. It looks like Tiff is the only one who doesn't like this new idea, everyone else in Dream Land can't leave their couch. It's going to be difficult for Tiff, being the only one not caught up in this phenomenon.

Episode Summary

Spoiler alert: The following section contains plot-specific details.(Skip Section)

The episode starts off with Tiff writing an essay in her journal about the pros and cons of Dream Land, the cons being none other than King Dedede and Escargoon. Just then, Tuff, Kirby, Spikehead, Iroo, and Honey come and see what Tiff is up to. She explains that she's writing an essay until Kirby takes it and starts spinning it, but Tiff takes back the notebook and begins reading her essay. After she finishes her short story, the group starts to clap for her until Spikehead's parents came and explained that Dedede is giving the citizens of Cappy Town television sets with Channel DDD.

Un-Reality TV — Dedede can spy on people who have a TV using two-way screens

Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby spy on the Waddle Dees giving the television sets to the Cappies. Spikehead's parents complain that the television is boring, but Waddle Doo explains that it isn't turned on and that the show will be starting in a few minutes. Tuff then ditches the group, hoping that his parents had gotten a TV set too. The first show starts off with Dedede greeting everyone and saying how TV will spice up the Cappy's lives. The first show however, makes fun of Kirby by calling him ugly, dopey, and puny, but only Tiff sees through Dedede's plan. The Cappies all get a good laugh and even Kirby himself laughs at the show too. After that there is a list of shows coming up next: ranging from superhero shows like 3-D Man, to game shows like Wheel of Head Wounds, and even range from doctor, cooking, and even sci-fi. There are also commercials promoting, of course, Dedede's products like soap and diapers. Tiff claims this as TV junk, but she realizes that Kirby ditches her to watch Channel DDD instead. Little do the Cappies know that Dedede and Escargoon can watch them too as Dedede is using two-way screens on the TV. To Dedede and Escargoon's annoyance though, Tiff refuses to watch Dedede's mindless TV shows.

Meta Knight TV — Meta Knight and his followers caught in the act

As Tiff is walking she peeks through some villagers' windows. She sees all of them, including Chief Bookem, Doron, Chef Kawasaki, and to her shock, Professor Curio, all watching Channel DDD. She hopes that her family haven't been watching TV. Unfortunately, when she sees her parents and her brother and even Lololo & Lalala watching a robot-themed show. Disgusted, she leaves the room and walks down the hall until she hears the sounds of television coming from Meta Knight's room. Astonished, she barges in the room she finds to her horror, Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade watching some of Channel DDD's comedy. Tiff asks why he would be watching this stuff. Meta Knight chuckles and says that though Dedede is a dictator, he has some funny shtick. Suddenly, a breaking news report appears on the TV screen, warning of a huge monster named Umiushii that is heading towards Cappy Town and is after Kirby.

Hypnotize — King Dedede hypnotizing the innocent Cappies

Trying to save Kirby, Tiff runs out of the castle to warn him, but she gets suspicious when she sees no monster. King Dedede then exclaims that the monster is heading towards the mayor's house. Terrified, the mayor, his wife, and his grandkids flee the house in hopes of not getting killed by the monster. King Dedede then hypnotizes the Cappies into making Kirby go away. Unfortunately, Kirby becomes hypnotized too, but Iroo and his parents kick him out of their house, bringing him back to his senses. All the citizens of Cappy town form a mob and then gang up on Kirby, who is chased throughout Cappy Town. Tiff quickly hides Kirby and the mob goes another way. Tiff and Kirby head to Kirby's house where they find Tokkori watching TV. Terrified, Tokkori finds out that the monster is in front of Kirby's house. Annoyed, Tiff grabs Tokkori and shows him that there is no monster and that it is a hoax made by Dedede and Escargoon. Meta Knight appears and tells Tiff that there is some commotion going on in the dungeon.

Tiff goes back to her home, where her family is shocked to see Kirby. Tuff tells Tiff that Kirby must go away, but Tiff explains that this whole monster issue is fake and that they're going to prove it. When Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby reach the dungeon area, they find out Dedede's scheme! It turns out that Escargoon is really the monstrous Umiushii and that Dedede is using a projector and a replica of Cappy Town to pretend that the monster really is attacking Cappy Town. The trio barges in and foils Dedede's plot, causing the Cappies to snap out of their hypnosis. King Dedede drops a cage on the trio, trapping them as he and Escargoon dance for joy. Kirby tries inhaling the studio, but it gets stuck to the bars. After he stops inhaling, all the stuff falls on the ground and bent the bars badly enough for the group to escape. Tiff and Tuff then film the incident and explain that the monster attack was a plan to get rid of Kirby made by Dedede and that Kirby is the real hero. However, Dedede interrupts saying that everything said on Channel DDD is purely fictional, but then the studio to goes off air, citing technical difficulties.

The next day, the TV is still having technical difficulties until an "important" announcement comes up. Escargoon states that Kirby should be arrested and deported because he has been sucking up the houses of local Cappies. The Cappies know that he is lying, as one of them says he saw Kirby this morning and says that he wasn't sucking up any houses. The episode ends with Kirby and Tokkori still watching Channel DDD, and probably the only ones still watching.

End of spoilers

Changes in the dub

The weather forecast that Escargoon presents is cut out from the English dub due to time constraints.
The DDD Killer - bug spray commercial is cut as well, possibly because of its reference to bug spray.
- This segment was later used in the Dedede: Comin' at Ya! opening in Cartoon Buffoon. The scene remained in the English version of the episode.
Several of the shows mentioned by Escargoon are renamed in the English dub.

Errors

Gengu's uniform is colored blue and red.
For a moment while the dummy tank is chasing Umiushii, The tank is shown with its original camo paint job rather than the recolor in the dub.
During one scene near the end of the episode when the Cappies are still watching TV in Bookem's office while TV is still having technical difficulties, the Mayor's mustache is colored black instead of grey and his clothes and silk hat are colored grey instead of brown, while Buttercup's hair is colored black instead of honey color.

Screen Shot 2014-10-05 at 5.41 — Gengu is seen with a differently colored uniform.

Screen Shot 2014-10-05 at 5.56 — Dedede's tank is using the Japanese anime colors.

Trivia

The episode is based on The Adventures of Super Mario World episode Rock TV, for the plots are very similar: Dedede and King Koopa both try to use television as a way to hypnotize the towns' citizens into getting rid of the heroes (Kirby and the Mario Bros.).
- This episode may also be based on the Fearless Leader's scheme from the movie The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle.
The episode makes a drug reference when Chief Bookem sees Kirby ambush the set, saying that "someone has been feeding Kirby steroids"; however, it is only in the English dub.
Channel DDD later became a staple in the show.
Some parts of the scene where Tiff catches Meta Knight watching Channel DDD are reused in The Pillow Case.
Escargoon makes a reference to the movie Gone with the Wind in the English dub of this episode.
Some of King Dedede's shows are references to real-life shows such as Superman, Star Trek, Godzilla, King Kong, Everybody Loves Raymond, and Ultraman.