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Cannon DAuJLJbVYAER17h This article contains information that does not coincide with the main series canon. (Similar)

Heeey! What a great idea! We'll put some Waddle Dees up on the market!
— King Dedede • Waddle While You Work

Waddle While You Work is the seventy-second episode of Kirby: Right Back at Ya!.

Synopsis[]

When the N.M.E. Sales Guy informs King Dedede that he can't buy anymore monsters untill he pays his debt, he decides to sell all the Waddle Dees to the Cappies, but learns that Castle Dedede without servants is miserable.


Episode Summary[]

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

The episode begins with King Dedede demanding an explanation for not being allowed to purchase any more monsters from Nightmare Enterprises. The N.M.E. Sales Guy tells King Dedede that this is "a simple case of economics", and that Dedede is, as far as Nightmare Enterprises sees it, a "Deadbeat." Escargoon then demands to know how much King Dedede owes, and the N.M.E. Sales Guy displays, on a large calculator, "1,170,411,246,413,708,686." The N.M.E. Sales Guy also admits that this is "just an estimate." Dedede, grabbing a cup of tea from a plate that a Waddle Dee is carrying, yells at the N.M.E. Sales Guy stating he doesn't have such an amount, and that he has other bills to pay as well. As Dedede drinks the tea, it is too hot and he spits it on Escargoon, causing the two to dance in pain. The Waddle Dees then spray high-pressure water on the two, and Escargoon jokingly states that they should sell off the Waddle Dees. Dedede takes this seriously and decides to sell them off. the N.M.E. Sales Guy sends a vending machine through the teleporter to help Dedede out.

At the center of Cappy Town, Chief Bookem, Kawasaki and Tuggle stare at a vending machine, which is selling Waddle Dees. Mayor Len Blustergas drives up in his car and greets the three men. The four talk about the various vending machines throughout town, and after some persuasion by Kawasaki, Blustergas decides to try it out and puts in some money. He then chooses the "Hot" option, and out comes a Waddle Dee. Blustergas wonders what one should do with a Waddle Dee when it jumps out of his arms and grabs Tuggle's broom, before sweeping the stone paved road. Blustergas comments on how the Waddle Dee is a diligent worker, and decides to take it home to surprise his wife.

The three men, alongside Professor Curio and Buttercup, walk over to the mayor's house, where they find it sparkling clean and peek inside through a window, where they see the Waddle Dee working hard while Blustergas is relaxing well. After seeing how hard the Waddle Dee works, Bookem and Buttercup decide that they should get a Waddle Dee. Bookem turns his head to find the other men, when Tokkori informs the couple that the others already went to get their Waddle Dees. Bookem runs back to town so that he could get his Waddle Dee.

Back at town, lines of Cappies are waiting to buy their own Waddle Dee, while Kirby and Tokkori look on. At the castle, Tokkori informs Tiff of the Waddle Dee vending machines, to which she expresses surprise and confusion. Tuff is watching the television, when an advertisement about the Waddle Dees pops up. Tiff becomes annoyed and leaves for town.

The Waddle Dees are seen greatly improving the quality of life for the Cappies. At Gengu's toy shop, the Waddle Dees help him place merchandise on hard-to-reach shelves. At Biblio's book store, another Waddle Dee chases out Iro, Honey and Spikehead, who were loitering inside. Biblio is happy with his Waddle Dee, stating that his bookstore isn't a library. At the post office, Melman and his Waddle Dees organize mail. A Waddle Dee hands him an envelope from Nightmare Enterprises, and Melman wonders if Dedede ever pays his bills before having it placed back. At Yabui's clinic, a Waddle Dee applies a vaccination to a Cappy; during the process, Yabui faints. The Cappy states that it was a good idea that Yabui hired an assistant, as he faints around needles. At Gus' gas station, Gus tells his Waddle Dee that it can take care of the station while he goes out for a drive. Meanwhile, at Mabel's tent, she takes in another Waddle Dee and is surprised by the volume of Waddle Dees, stating that her crystal ball will wear out soon. At Kawasaki's restaurant, Curio brings in his four Waddle Dees for lunch. Kawasaki gets a phone call and wonders why his Waddle Dees didn't answer the phone, before realizing that they can't speak. He answers the phone, and Blustergas tells him that he wants ten lunch specials for his Waddle Dees. Kawasaki is pleased with how business is picking up, and sends three Waddle Dees to deliver food, telling them to be careful.

Tiff finally arrives at town, and states that the Cappies are taking advantage of the Waddle Dees. Curio creates a compelling statement, stating that the Waddle Dees either work in town or at the castle, and that the Waddle Dees have greatly improved life in town, and that they treat them better than Dedede. Tiff realizes that she cannot argue back and gives up.

Overnight, Tuggle is happy that he can run his convenience store all day and get sleep, as his Waddle Dees will ensure smooth service. Outside, Doron is running from several Waddle Dee officers, with Bookem behind them. Bookem runs out of energy and decides to take a rest. Buttercup and Hana walk by, stating how they've never felt so safe before due to the Waddle Dees.

At the castle, Dedede addresses the Waddle Dees with their contribution to his bank account. Tiff and Tuff arrive soon after, and Tiff tells Dedede to stop selling the Waddle Dees into slavery. Dedede laughs, stating that the Waddle Dees are doing it out of their free will, so that it is not slavery. Tiff asks Sir Ebrum if he can do anything, though he doesn't as he states that the Waddle Dees seem to be fine with it. Lady Like expresses interest in buying one for help around the kitchen. Having no support, Tiff grabs Escargoon's microphone and tries to persuade the Waddle Dees, but fails. Waddle Doo arrives and Tiff asks him if he can change their minds. Waddle Doo kindly declines, as he tells her that the Waddle Dees don't mind working and that they enjoy working with their new masters.

Dedede and Escargoon decide to head out to town to check the profits from their machines. However, they find that all the machines are empty, so they return to the throne room. Dedede angrily tells Customer Service to explain himself, and Customer Service responds that the machines are to send money to Nightmare Enterprises until the debt is paid. Realizing that they can't pay off the debt with their current state, Dedede states that he'll sell all the Waddle Dees.

Back outside, the Waddle Dees load themselves on trays two at a time. Escargoon notices Kirby wandering around and whispers a plan to Dedede to bait Kirby. They use a slice of cake to attract Kirby's attention, before trapping Kirby in a net and paint him as a Waddle Dee. Kirby and several other Waddle Dees are later hired by Blustergas for his shepherd. Unable to do anything, Kirby has to play along.

The next morning, Tiff and Tuff head to Tokkori's house and ask him if he's seen Kirby. Tokkori states that Kirby didn't come back and assumed that he stayed with them overnight.

At the castle, Dedede and Escargoon check the Waddle Dee room, only to find that they actually sold all their Waddle Dees. Waddle Doo walks by, and when stopped by the two, states that because there are no more Waddle Dees to order around, he's out of a job and leaves the castle. Dedede wonders who will do the chores now and lists them, failing to notice Escargoon running away.

At town, Tiff and Tuff look around for Kirby, but can't find him. They check the sheep fields, where Kirby is working with the other Waddle Dees in herding the sheep. Tiff fails to notice Kirby, and Tuff states that they should check the castle, even though it is empty.

Back at the castle, Dedede finds that everyone is missing, and wonders where they all went. Disheveled and tired, he then leaves the castle to sell some items. He tries to get some Waddle Dees for himself, but is shut down by all the Cappies. The next morning, he leaves town, with the Cappies commenting on his appearance. Tiff chuckles and states that it's what he deserves for selling all the Waddle Dees, while Waddle Doo is upset to see him in such a state. Dedede walks to an untended garden and digs up a root vegetable and eats it, commenting on how disgusting it is. He then resolves to ensure that he will never go hungry again.

Elsewhere, Dyna Chick is walking around when Dedede spots it. Due to Dedede's delirium, he sees Dyna Chick as food and grabs it. Dyna Chick cries out, and Dyna Blade hears its chick's cry and chases Dedede, who runs towards Tiff, Tuff and Waddle Doo. Dyna Blade's gusts knock Waddle Doo down, who is also stepped on by accident. Waddle Doo gets back up and calls for the Waddle Dees, who run towards Waddle Doo, dropping everything they were doing. Kirby is also affected by this.

The Waddle Dees grab their spears and prepare to attack Dyna Blade, who easily overwhelms them. Tiff finally spots Kirby among the Waddle Dee mass, and calls for the Warp Star. Dedede is about to eat Dyna Chick when Kirby flies by and grabs the chick. Dyna Blade shifts her attention towards Kirby, and Tiff tells Kirby to head for their nest. Dedede, angry over being denied food, grabs onto Dyna Blade's talons. Several Waddle Dees grab Dedede, forming a small chain. Kirby drops Dyna Chick at the nest, and Dyna Blade, happy that her chick is safe, stops attacking. Dedede almost falls to his death, but the Waddle Dees manage to save him. Dedede yells at Kirby, stating that he won't forgive him for denying his dinner.

Dedede later hires back the Waddle Dees. Dedede, now cleaned up, wants some tea. However, his request goes on unanswered. In order to make use of the vending machines now that they aren't selling Waddle Dees, they were now modified to sell tea. Dedede grabs a cup of tea, and promptly comments "Being the king sure ain't what it used to be around here.", while Tiff, Tuff and Kirby look on. Tiff and Tuff laugh while Kirby happily jumps in the air.

End of spoilers


Changes in the dub[]

  • Professor Curio's researching scene with the Waddle Dees is removed from the dub.
  • The scene where one of the Waddle Dees works at Samo's bar and Samo drinks the beverage the Waddle Dee gives him was removed from the English dub to prevent alcohol references.
  • King Dedede's letter showing words "DDD" and part of the word and the initials for Holy Nightmare were airbrushed out.
  • The word "comic" on the title of the book Iro reads was airbrushed out.
  • The word "24h" on the grocery store and sign was airbrushed out.
  • The kanjis on Chef Kawasaki's restaurant were airbrushed out.
  • In the Japanese version, just before Meta Knight, Sword and Blade encounter Escargoon, Escargoon says to Sir Ebrum that they need to hide, and the three agree with Escargoon and decide to hide as well. In the dub, Escargoon says to let Meta Knight take care of King Dedede right before Meta Knight shows up in front of him, and the knights claim to be looking for Kirby.
  • A scene where it shows Waddle Dees eating at Chef Kawasaki's restaurant was removed from the dub possibly due to time restraints.
  • Another scene of Samo's bar that shows three Waddle Dees making beverages for a few Cappies was removed from the dub to prevent alcohol references.
  • In the Japanese version, King Dedede asks Mayor Len Blustergas for some bread. In the dub, he asks the mayor to buy a pencil from him.

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • When Dedede goes to find food in an old field, he vows that he will never go hungry. This is likely a reference to the scene in the movie Gone with the Wind where Scarlett vows to do anything for the survival of her family and herself.
  • This is the second time Kirby impersonates a Waddle Dee, the first being in Pink-Collar Blues.
  • This is one of three episodes to be included in the "Kirby's History" section of Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition, the other two being Kirby Comes to Cappy Town and Crusade for the Blade.
  • In the Japanese version, when asking Escargoon who's going to do all the chores without Waddle Dees around, he mentioned about changing the diapers.
  • Noticeable on the machines, the Waddle Dees come in three different varieties: "hot," "normal," and "cold." No one is seen buying a "cold" Waddle Dee.
    • It is theorized that the varieties resemble how hardworking each Waddle Dee is, as Mayor Blustergas's first Waddle Dee, which is "hot", works in an instant.  
  • Counting Kirby, Dedede made a profit of 20,010 D-bills for selling the Waddle Dees. This means that Dedede has not made enough money to pay his debt to Nightmare Enterprises.  
  • The first Waddle Dee uses a move like Spear Kirby's (or Bandana Waddle Dee's) Spear Copter.  
  • When Escargoon tells King Dedede his plan to sell Kirby as a Waddle Dee, his whisper is only a little blur, and the clearest word heard is "Kirby".
  • The name of the episode is a reference to a song from the 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, called "Whistle While You Work". 
  • It is noted that Chef Kawasaki still runs a delivery service since Delivery Dilemma.
  • This was the first episode to use the "Kirby!" opening theme & the "Kirby ★ Step" ending theme in the Japanese version (replacing the "Kirby ★ March" & "Kihon wa Maru" themes).

Other languages[]

Language Name Translation Airdate
Italian Tutti matti per i Waddle Dee All crazy for the Waddle Dee November 19, 2014
Korean 와들디 팝니다 I sell waddledi Unknown
Spanish (Latin America) Que trabajen los waddle dees Let the waddle dees work Unknown
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