Caterpillar Thriller Kirby is sent into a sneezing fit by the giantMosugaba. Details First aired March 15, 2003 October 2, 2004 Episode # 74 Episode # (US) 74 Copy Ability (Abilities) featured Monster(s) featured Mosugaba Character(s) featured Kirby,Tiff,King Dedede Screenwriter Sōji Yoshikawa Director Hiroyuki Yokoyama

Episode order ←Dedede's Raw Deal Fossil Fools - Part I →

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Caterpillar Thriller is the 74th episode of theKirby: Right Back at Ya! series. In this episode,King Dedede hatches a plan to try and giveKirby hay fever so he cannotinhale or fight back, but fails to do so using ordinary allergens, though he does succeed in making the rest of the kingdom suffer from allergies. In order to get something more potent, he requests a pollenmonster fromNight Mare Enterprises, but they instead send him a pair of tiny cagedgirls who sing a song bringing a giant caterpillar namedMosugaba from across the sea toDream Land. Once the caterpillar arrives, it proceeds to encase itself in a cocoon affixed toCastle Dedede in order to metamorphose. King Dedede - not knowing this was the monster he ordered - tries to destroy the cocoon, but he fails, and Mosugaba emerges as a giant moth and spreads its dust, making everyone even more sick, including Kirby.Escargoon then gets fed up with his allergies and handsTiff andTuff the key to the Island Sisters' cage so they can calm Mosugaba down and return home with the giant moth, foiling King Dedede's plan.

This episode is heavily based off of the Japanese monster filmMothra.

Characters[edit]

The following characters appear in this episode:

Cast of "Caterpillar Thriller"
Character	Selected quote
Primary characters
Kirby	"Poyo! Poyoy! Ehh...poyye, poyooyo!"
Tiff	"If we're all getting allergies this year, that means the pollen's worse than usual! Look! You can even see it!"
King Dedede	*laughs*"Everybody's sick 'cept me!"
Secondary characters
Buttercup	(no dialogue)
Cappy villagers	*sneezing*
Captain Waddle Doo	"S'cuse me! Me and the Waddle Dees all got stuffy heads, and that ain't much fun when you're all head like us!"
Chef Kawasaki	"Here's your salmon, Gus! I hate feelin' sick! Especially when my runny nose drips in the food!"
Chief Bookem	"Cappy Town's turning into one big sick ward!"*sneezes*
Doctor Yabui	"Try not to breathe too much! In fact, you might try holding your breath entirely until all the pollen is gone!"*sneezes*
Escargoon	"Yeah, well maybe you feel fine 'cause you have to have somethin' in your head to get a head cold!"
Gus	"Eugh! That's disgustin'!"
Hana	"Oh, Darling!"
Island Sisters	"Mosugaba truly wants to live in peace." "It is only attacking to set us free!" "But we can sing to Mosugaba and calm him down!"
Kabu	"Warp Star!"
Kine	*shouting*
Lady Like	"I thought this was a caterpillar!"
Mayor Len Blustergas	"My ears are clogged up. My head aches."*sneezes*
Melman	"My sinuses are stuffy!"*sneezes*
Meta Knight	"If that cocoon can withstand the flames for just a bit longer..."
N.M.E. Sales Guy	"Actually, there's a special dust that'll do the trick for ya, and there's a monster who can get it for ya free!"
Professor Curio	"I have a scratchy throat and my eyes are watery."*sneezes*
Sir Ebrum	"I don't feel so well."*sneezes*
Tokkori	*sneezes*"Well it sure got my beak backed up!"
Tuff	"Maybe there's somebody who's spreading extra pollen around on purpose."*sneezes*
Tuggle	"How come?"
Waddle Dees	*sneezing*

Locations[edit]

• Dream Land
  • Cappy Town
    • Doctor Yabui's clinic
    • Kawasaki's
  • Castle Dedede
  • Kirby's House
• Embrya Island (named in the Japanese version)

Plot synopsis[edit]

The episode begins on a distant island, where two smalltwin girls sing together on a flower, as agiant caterpillar eats vegetation nearby. After a brief moment, the skies go dark, and a large hand descends to grab the girls and then take them away into the sky. Meanwhile, atCastle Dedede,King Dedede is walking around the castle and notices that everybody except him is sneezing. King Dedede makes light of their predicament, hinting that he may be aware of what is responsible. The same sneezing situation is present down inCappy Town, and is starting to interfere with daily activities. Everyone presumes they have a cold, butTiff shows up and tells them that there is pollen in the air that is causing allergies, and hasDoctor Yabui confirm it, though he also loses their trust by suggesting they stop breathing to get rid of the symptoms. Tiff then points out that the pollen must be particularly concentrated, and notices that it can be seen in the air.

Later that night, King Dedede is seen disturbing cedar trees to extract their pollen. He tries to use the pollen to makeKirby sick by driving over to his house and dumping him into a pile of it, but he remains completely unaffected, forcing Dedede to pull back. Once he returns to the castle, King Dedede contactsNight Mare Enterprises and asks them to send amonster with more potent pollen, and theN.M.E. Sales Guy instead recommends a monster that sheds "special dust". He informs King Dedede that this monster cannot be called through normally, but instead must be summoned from its home island, so he sends Dedede the twin girls that were captured earlier, now locked up in a tiny cage. King Dedede promises to set the sisters free if they agree to summon the monster, so they begin to sing, which causes Tiff and Tuff to wake up and comment on it. From across the sea, the giant caterpillar Mosugaba hears the song and swims to Dream Land, arriving at the Cat's Eye Lighthouse.

Hearing the monster arrive, Kirby runs out of his house and sees Mosugaba eating the pollen-filled cedar trees from earlier. Kirby approaches and tries to speak to the caterpillar, but it ends up spitting silk at him, which encases Kirby completely and sends him tumbling. From there, Mosugaba makes its way to Castle Dedede, causing the guards to go on high alert. King Dedede sees the caterpillar and orders his guards to fire at it, apparently not recognizing it as the monster the Island Sisters were calling.Captain Waddle Doo orders the cannons to fire, but they do nothing to the giant caterpillar, and it proceeds to climb onto the castle. From there, Mosugaba spits out a continuous stream of silk, encasing itself in a massive cocoon and affixing itself to Castle Dedede. At this moment, Kirby (having mostly freed himself from the silk) andTokkori arrive on the scene. As day breaks,Escargoon usesChannel DDD to broadcast the news of the giant cocoon to Cappy Town, and everyone shows up to have a look at it. After Tiff explains that it is going to transform into a butterfly, King Dedede and his Waddle Dees show up with torches and wood and light the cocoon on fire to get rid of it. Despite this attempt to kill it, the cocoon hatches and Mosugaba emerges as a vibrant moth. It proceeds to flap its wings, spreading dust out that makes everyone sick, including King Dedede. Kirby tries toinhale this dust, but he ends up choking on it.

Seeing Kirby struggle, King Dedede realizes that this was the monster he ordered, and tries to stick around to finish the job, but the power of the dust forces him and everyone else to fall back. To help Kirby, Tiff calls for theWarp Star, but despite this, Kirby still struggles against Mosugaba. Escargoon then decides he has had enough of the hay fever and helps Tiff and Tuff by giving them the key to the Island Sisters' cage. Tiff and Tuff then run into the castle and free the trapped sisters, who reveal that Mosugaba is not inherently hostile and promise to sing to calm it down. Tiff and Tuff take them outside and they start to sing, bringing Mosugaba back down and causing it to perch on the castle. After the Island Sisters apologize for all the trouble, Kirby places them on Mosugaba, and they proceed to return home atop the giant moth. King Dedede cries out for the moth to return amidst a sneezing fit, but he is left unheeded. The episode ends as Mosugaba disappears over its island in the South Seas.

Dialogue differences between versions[edit]

• In the Japanese version, the song that the Island Sisters sing is different, and features lyrics. More information on these lyrics can be found on thesong's page.
• In the Japanese version, Doctor Yabui does not suggest anything unreasonable, and as such, the Cappies do not leave his office speaking ill of him.
• In the Japanese version, Meta Knight comments on the cocoon by wondering if the heat from the fire will hasten Mosugaba's emergence.

Trivia[edit]

• This episode marks the first time that Escargoon has directly gone against King Dedede and helped Kirby subdue a monster.
• Two arrangements of the Japanese version of Mosugaba's song would later be ported over inKirby and the Rainbow Curse, under the names "More Dig and Dash" and "Evade and Dig and Dash." It was previously rearranged twice forKirby Mass Attack as "Desert Scorcher" and "Lifted Upward."
• King Dedede and Escargoon's insults toward each-other near the beginning of the episode are a reference to the events of the earlier episodeSomething to Sneeze At.

Gallery[edit]

• 
  Mosugaba eats a palm tree on its home island.
• 
  A hand from N.M.E. snatches the Island Sisters away.
• 
  King Dedede holds Captain Waddle Doo as he sneezes.
• 
  Doctor Yabui explains why everyone is experiencing cold-like symptoms.
• 
  King Dedede whacks a cedar tree to drop its pollen.
• 
  King Dedede plays a prank on Tokkori using one of the cedar branches.
• 
  Tiff and Tuff find Kirby unaffected by the pollen he is sitting in.
• 
  Escargoon complains about the pollen-laced food that King Dedede prepared for him.
• 
  The Island Sisters are sent caged to Castle Dedede.
• 
  Mosugaba swims across the sea to Dream Land.
• 
  Mosugaba arrives at the Cat's Eye Lighthouse.
• 
  Kirby and Tokkori spot Mosugaba eating cedars.
• 
  Kirby gets encased in silk after trying to speak to Mosugaba.
• 
  Mosugaba mounts Castle Dedede after the castle defenders fail to stop it.
• 
  King Dedede orders the cocoon burned in front of the gathered Cappies.
• 
  Mosugaba emerges as a giant moth from the cocoon.
• 
  Mosugaba starts spreading dust which forces the allergy-prone Cappies to flee.
• 
  Tiff and Tuff watch as King Dedede and Kirby struggle against the dust.
• 
  Kirby is hampered by sneezing fits as he tries to ride his Warp Star.
• 
  Escargoon turns on King Dedede and gives Tiff the key to the Island Sisters' cage.
• 
  Tiff and Tuff raise the Island Sisters so they can calm Mosugaba with their singing.
• 
  Kirby and the kids wave as Mosugaba and the Island Sisters return home.
• 
  The final shot of the episode

Names in other languages[edit]

• Kirby: Right Back at Ya! episodes

• Articles which list Japanese names
• Articles which list Italian names
• Articles which list Portuguese names