El Donkey Kong
| Saturday Supercade episode | |
|---|---|
| "El Donkey Kong" | |
| |
| Segment | Donkey Kong |
| Season | 2 |
| Episode | 3 |
| Airdate |  September 22, 1984 |
| Writer(s) | Matt Uitz |
| << List of episodes >> | |
"El Donkey Kong" is the third episode of the second season of Saturday Supercade's Donkey Kong segment. This episode is notable for being one of the two episodes referenced in the segment's intro, the other being "Sir Donkey Kong."
Plot synopsis
In a vast desert, Donkey Kong is being pursued by Mario and Pauline in their circus van. He jumps over a fence and crosses into Mexico. He then follows a dirt road and hides at a nearby hacienda owned by Don Diego and his daughter. Don Diego is desperate to participate in an upcoming bullfighting competition to win enough prize money to pay for the surgery to fix his daughter's broken leg, but he loses his balance during a practice fight. His daughter screams for help, causing Donkey Kong to intervene by grabbing Don Diego's cape and twirling the bull in midair to tie up its limbs with the cape. Don Diego then admits that he no longer has the skills necessary for a matador, prompting Donkey Kong to offer his assistance.
After Donkey Kong changes into his matador outfit, Don Diego goes off to find a suitable partner to train with. Mario attempts to use the opportunity to capture Donkey Kong, but Don Diego immediately notices him and recruits him to use a wheelbarrow to play the part of the bull. Mario comments that the wheelbarrow would work better than his net, but he is instantly proven wrong when Donkey Kong repeatedly slams him into the ground and sends the wheelbarrow rolling into a wall. Don Diego's daughter then explains the situation to Mario and Pauline, who both agree to let Donkey Kong compete.
Later, Mario and Pauline enter the bullring, where they witness two shady contestants, Cabeza and his muscle man, operating a mechanical bull with the intent of cheating to win the prize money, the former gloating that no matador will be able to defeat it. The mechanical bull easily knocks over most of the barrels in its path, with one of them landing on Mario's head. This causes Cabeza's muscle man to notice Mario, after which they send the mechanical bull after them, causing them to retreat. Cabeza and his muscle man decide to follow them before they can tell anyone else of the mechanical bull.
Mario and Pauline manage to hide behind a nearby vendor, but they fail to shake the two off their trail. Thinking quickly, Mario and Pauline dress in stereotypical Mexican attire, enter the cantina Donkey Kong is sitting at, and attempt to use a record player to dance over to him as they pretend to play music. Cabeza and his muscle man, though initially fooled, instantly recognize the two when the record player skips parts on the record, and use a nearby net to capture them. Noticing this, Donkey Kong attempts to stop Cabeza from escaping, but Cabeza uses a tablecloth to fake him out, then taunts him and Don Diego before leaving.
Meanwhile, Mario and Pauline are tied to chairs next to the mechanical bull. They manage to break free and escape in time to attend Donkey Kong's bullfight, but they are spotted by Cabeza and his muscle man again. He sends out the mechanical bull after Mario and Pauline, after which Pauline manages to warn Donkey Kong of the "bull"'s true nature. Though the mechanical bull initially gains the upper hand, Donkey Kong begins turning the tide, giving Mario an opportunity to snatch Cabeza's remote. Donkey Kong eventually tears apart the entire mechanical bull, causing the announcer to declare the bull as a fake, resulting in him winning by default. He then tosses the mechanical bull's pieces onto Cabeza and his muscle man, after which he is congratulated by Mario, Pauline, Don Diego, and Don Diego's daughter. Mario then attempts to lasso him, but Donkey Kong is quickly swarmed by some overzealous audience members, leading Pauline to comment, "Face it, Mario: he's a real crowd pleaser!"
Gallery
Title card
Animation and continuity errors
- At the beginning of the episode, Mario's gloves briefly disappear.
- When Donkey Kong grabs Don Diego's cape, much of the background is missing except for the sky.
- As the mechanical bull knocks the barrels away, a plank is briefly layered over a fence.
- As Cabeza's muscle man runs out with the net containing Mario and Pauline, a wall is briefly layered over it. This also occurs with Cabeza when Don Diego asks what he is doing.
The missing background
The layering error
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portuguese | El Donkey Kong[1] | - |
Trivia
- The setting implies that the episode takes place within the Sonoran Desert.
- The musician disguise Mario wears in the episode to sneak over to Donkey Kong bears great resemblance to the disguises Donkey Kong Jr. and Bones wore in "The Amazing Rollerskate Race" in Saturday Supercade's Donkey Kong Jr. segment, with the only differences being the hat and the color of the bowtie and stripe.
