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Shell-Shocked
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Shell-Shocked is the 88th episode of theKirby: Right Back at Ya! series. In this episode,King Dedede becomes overly-curious about whatEscargoon might look like without his shell on, so he chases his snail assistant throughoutCastle Dedede and manages to crack his shell with his hammer. Escargoon begsTiff and her friends to help him fix his shell and look for a replacement one to wear in the meantime while avoiding King Dedede's attempt to catch a peek. Meanwhile, King Dedede orders a shell for Escargoon fromNight Mare Enterprises, and after nearly cooking Escargoon by mistake, introduces him to it. When Escargoon puts on this shell, however, he transforms into amonster and attacks everyone, forcingKirby to crack his shell open with theHammerCopy Ability to defeat him. After this, Escargoon returns to normal and is able to get his old shell back, but has to continue avoiding King Dedede's attempts to get him out of his shell again.
This episode marks the final appearance of theHammerCopy Ability in the anime series.
Characters[edit]
The following characters appear in this episode:
| Cast of "Shell-Shocked" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Character | Selected quote | Notes |
| Primary characters | ||
| "Poya-kku! Poyo, poyo!" | Kirby is attempting to say the word "snack". | |
| "Shell collecting is fun, but it can also be quite educational! Some creatures like clams have two shells that are connected! Other creatures just have a single shell!" | ||
| "Am I bein' disrespectful? Should I leave Escargoon alone? Probably but I ain't a' goin' to! Now show me what you hidin' under that there shell!" | ||
| "You're crazy! It's not open to the public!" | ||
| Secondary characters | ||
| "There's no food in that shell, Kirby!" "Yeah! It's empty!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
| "Hey! Bring back that pot!" | ||
| "That's right! Without his shell, Escargoon will be completely exposed!" | ||
| "Yeah! A biiiig secret!" | ||
| "So is he like a clam?" | ||
| "I think the way the King is behaving is perfectly un-decent!" | ||
| "Wool? What do you want wool for, children?" | ||
| "Sure thing, King! In fact we have a monstrous new line of mollusc-wear that is guaranteed to bring out the beast if ya know what I mean!" | ||
| "How about this one?" | ||
| "All clear outside, too, my dear!" | ||
| "Hey, know what? Escargoon has a shell!" | ||
| "Don't get excited, Escargoon! It's only a shell!" | ||
| (no dialogue) | ||
Locations[edit]
Plot synopsis[edit]
The episode begins at the beach, whereKirby,Tiff,Tuff, and theCappy children are collecting shells and talking about molluscs. The Cappy kids then speculate on whether or notEscargoon is a mollusc, since he also has a shell. Meanwhile, atCastle Dedede,King Dedede is grilling up some fried sea snails, and offers some to Escargoon, but he refuses. Once finished, King Dedede sees one of the empty shells and grows curious about what Escargoon might look like without his, so he demands Escargoon remove his shell. Escargoon resists the King's order and runs away as Dedede decides he'll try to break open the shell using his hammer. As Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby return to the castle, King Dedede continues to chase his assistant who taunts him. Eventually, however, King Dedede manages to get a good hit in, which causes Escargoon's shell to start cracking. Fearing the worst, Escargoon pleads with Tiff to take him toDoctor Yabui's clinic before his shell breaks completely.
Once at the clinic,Doctor Yabui tells Escargoon there is nothing he can do to stop the shell from breaking. As the crack grows larger, King Dedede shows up in theRoyal Racecar to exacerbate things further. After busting down the door, he manages to crack Escargoon's shell in two, but Kirby and the kids step in and holds the shell together to protect the snail's dignity. King Dedede is finally dissuaded when the kids tell him he ought to get Escargoon a new shell, so Dedede drives back to the castle and contactsNight Mare Enterprises. He requests they send him a "trick shell" that will turn Escargoon into amonster, and theN.M.E. Sales Guy complies. Meanwhile, back at the clinic, Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby tape up Escargoon's shell so it will hold together a little longer. Escargoon is unsatisfied with the way it looks, so Tiff suggests using glue. Doctor Yabui cautions however that to use glue, the shell will have to come off for a moment, so Tiff, Tuff, and Kirby go looking for something else Escargoon can wear in the meantime.
After finding an assortment of various things to substitute for a shell, Escargoon is taken to Tiff's family's apartment and given a changing tent to use. Once everyone is clear that King Dedede is nowhere nearby, Escargoon steps in to the tent to begrudgingly try on one the substitute pieces, but King Dedede uses theGrasshopper Eavesdropper to take a peek at the changing snail. While appraising his options, however, Escargoon catches the robot and smashes it, causing Dedede to lose his camera. While Escargoon tries on some of the substitute shells, Tiff and Tuff get to work on his broken one, and remark on how interesting it looks on the inside. Escargoon is soon fed up with the offerings, and demands the group find something better for him, when Kirby walks in with the large sea snail shell he found earlier. Escargoon is immediately enraptured by this shell and decides to put it on. After posing with his new shell for a bit, Escargoon immediately snaps back to his usual rotten self and walks out of the room after barking at Tiff to get to work fixing his old shell. Before he can get too far, though, Escargoon spots King Dedede, and tries to hide in the shell for cover. Seeing the shell, King Dedede attempts to smash it with his hammer, but fails. Feeling around inside for a moment, he determines there is something alive in there and - not knowing it's Escargoon - orders his Waddle Dees to prepare the grill.
Shortly after rebuilding Escargoon's shell, Tiff and company start to smell something good from outside the window, and come out to see King Dedede roasting Escargoon alive on the grill. As soon as they realize this, Tiff gets Kirby to rescue Escargoon using hisinhale, and they explain to King Dedede that he's only wearing the shell temporarily. King Dedede then decides he still wants to see Escargoon under his shell and chases after the snail again, forcing him into the throne room. Once Escargoon is away, the N.M.E. Sales Guy appears on the television screen and tells Escargoon he has a special gift for him. Once King Dedede and the others come in, Escargoon reveals himself, now wearing a bright shiny metal shell. King Dedede attempts to break it open, but to no avail. Escargoon starts to laugh maniacally at his new-found invincibility, but he then shortly transforms intoa giant hideous beast. Once fully transformed, themonster Escargoon proceeds to attack everyone, and grabs Kirby with his tongue. Tiff tells Kirby to inhale King Dedede's hammer and he does so, gaining theHammerCopy Ability.
Hammer Kirby then proceeds to take several whacks at the monster Escargoon's shell, but to little avail, as he has to dodge several lightning bursts. After striking the monster Escargoon's soft tongue, Kirby manages to make one more hard blow on his shell using the Hammer Throw technique, cracking it in two and returning Escargoon to normal. Before King Dedede can get a good look at the exposed Escargoon, however, he bolts for the door and gets out of sight. Later on, he is able to return to his old shell, which looks good as new thanks to Tiff's efforts. Despite this, King Dedede's morbid curiosity is still not satisfied, and he proceeds to once again chase his assistant down the halls. The episode ends as Kirby and the kids comment on the hopeless situation.
Dialogue differences between versions[edit]
- In the Japanese version, whenEscargoon sneezes, he mentions that someone must be gossiping about him. This is based on a common Japanese folk belief that people sneeze if others far away are talking about them.
- In the Japanese version, when Escargoon's shell continues to crack in the hospital, he shouts "OH MY GOD!!" in English.
- In the Japanese version, when King Dedede grows tired after chasing Escargoon, he admits that his age is catching up to him. Escargoon does the same when he gets to the throne room.
- In the Japanese version, Hammer Kirby shouts the names of his attacks as he uses them.
Trivia[edit]
- Though this episode premiered in English on June 11, 2005, it was pre-empted by "This Week's Baseball" on many networks for unknown reasons.[1] The episode aired again on September 2, 2006, but it was considered lost for many years. The episode was found on September 26, 2015, and has since been preserved.[2]
- When King Dedede is imagining what Escargoon might look like without his shell, an image of the famous paintingThe Birth of Venus is shown with modifications to make Venus resemble Escargoon. Ironically, this is one of the most famous paintings which did not get featured inDedede's Monsterpiece.
Gallery[edit]
Tiff and her friends are collecting shells on the beach.
King Dedede is preparing roasted sea snail, much to Escargoon's revulsion.
King Dedede gets the idea of taking off Escargoon's shell.
King Dedede attempts to whack Escargoon's shell, while the snail dodges his attacks.
Escargoon gets his fractured shell looked at by Doctor Yabui.
King Dedede barges into Yabui's clinic uninvited.
Escargoon tries in vain to keep King Dedede out.
King Dedede imagines what Escargoon would look like without his "clothes" on.
King Dedede lands the final blow on Escargoon's shell.
Kirby steps in to preserve Escargoon's dignity.
Kirby and the kids patch Escargoon's shell up with tape.
Tiff asks Professor Curio for a large urn for personal reasons.
Tuff "borrows" a cooking pot from Chef Kawasaki.
Kirby picks out a fitting giant sea shell for Escargoon to wear.
Escargoon is disappointed in the offerings of the kids.
Escargoon catches theGrasshopper Eavesdropper spying on him.
Escargoon tries out the wool as a substitute for his shell.
Tiff examines the intricate inside of Escargoon's discarded shell.
Escargoon thanks Kirby for bringing him a decent substitute.
Escargoon comes out of the changing tent with a new look.
King Dedede discovers Escargoon hiding in his new shell, but thinks it to be a giant sea snail.
Kirby is aroused by the aroma of the grill outside.
King Dedede cooks the giant "sea snail" on a grill, not knowing it to contain Escargoon.
Escargoon berates King Dedede after nearly having been cooked alive.
Escargoon discovers the substitute shell King Dedede ordered from Night Mare Enterprises for him.
Escargoon show off his new "invincible" shell to King Dedede.
Escargoon transforms into Maimaigon and grabs Kirby.
Hammer Kirby strikes Maimaigon's shell repeatedly.
Escargoon quickly escapes the room before he is seen without his shell.
Escargoon fits back into his repaired old shell.
The final shot of the episode
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | はだかのエスカルゴン Hadaka no Esukarugon | Escargon Exposed |
| Italian | Lumaca... alla griglia | Grilled... snail |
| Brazilian Portuguese | A Concha | The Shell |
