Codename: Kids Next Door: Difference between revisions

The idea grew out of side characters for Mr. Warburton's failed series ''Kenny and the Chimp''. The show featured five kids who lived next door to Kenny with no parental supervision. The five were simply troublemakers who enjoyed terrorizing the neighborhood. When the show fell through, they were retooled into the stars of their own show. The pilot was submitted for Cartoon Network "Big Pick Weekend", where viewers were allowed to vote on the next cartoon series. ''Kids Next Door'' reached the final three and was ultimately the winner.

 

 

Together, the KND of Sector V fight alongside their compatriots-in-childhood against numerous villains -- including the [[Creepy Child|The Delightful Children From Down The Lane]] (and their creepy father, Father), Numbuh Five's [[Face Heel Turn|traitorous teenage sister]] Cree, and the [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] Mr. Boss -- who hate children and want them enslaved.

Episodes followed a specific naming pattern: the episode title is always "Operation: [X]" -- where [X] is an acronym (as an example: "T.E.E.T.H.") -- and both the acronym itself ''and'' the phrase it stood for (using the prior example: "Tooth Extracting Enemy Terrorizes Headquarters") served to give viewers a general idea of the episode's plot.

 

 

This show now has a [[Codename: Kids Next Door/Characters|character sheet]].

** ''[[The Matrix]]'' (even a parody from ''[[The Animatrix]]'');

** ''[[The Lord of the Rings (film)|The Lord of the Rings]]''

** ''[[Alien]]''

** ''[[Jurassic Park]]''

** Hell, even ''[[Baldur's Gate]]'' is given a [[Shout-Out]] to in one episode (the character Moosk is Minsc from the game).

** Numbuh Five's solo, candy-related adventures frequently bear an uncanny resemblance to the exploits of one [[Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade|Henry Jones, Jr.]]

* [[All According to Plan]]: A plot twist so common that it's also a [[Running Gag]] for one character for a time.

* [[All Just a Dream]]: A few episodes end this way, most of the time with an [[Or Was It a Dream?]] vibe.

** Numbuh Three's sister, Mushi. Which is ironic as they actually started out getting along with each other.

** Numbuh 362's little brother Harvey, Numbuh 363, who constantly antagonizes Numbuh One.

** Cree considers Numbuh 5 to be this to her.

* [[Anthropomorphic Food]]: Grandmother Stuffem creates this to force itself into kids' mouths.

* [[Badass Boast]]: There are quite a few, in particular {{spoiler|Negative Numbah 86's}} epic line in "Operation: P.O.O.L.":

{{quote|"In the name of the One Supreme Ultra DNK Leader, Welcome... ''to the worst day of your lives.''"}}

* [[The Bad Guy Wins]]: As noted above, definitely present.

* [[Balloon Belly]]: All of Sector V after Gramma Stuffum's attack in "Operation: N.O.-P.O.W.U.H.".

** Saying anything anti-feminist around Numbuh 86 is a big No-No.

** Also, ''never'' call Numbuh 86 "Toots", as Numbuh 2 learned the hard way.

* [[Big Bad]]: Alternates between Father and Mr. Boss

* [[Big Good]]: Numbuh 362

* [[Big Labyrinthine Building]]: a huge, labyrinthine, ''treehouse''.

* [[Closer Than They Appear]]: The mirror on one vehicle says "Missiles in mirror may be closer than they appear".

* [[Colony Drop]]: In [[The Movie]], they {{spoiler|drop the moonbase on the [[Big Bad]], to little effect. [[Batman Gambit|It's just a distraction to get him in position to get his memory wiped]].}}

** Numbuh One/Nigel, "[[The Hero]] / [[The Leader]]" - Red

** Numbuh Three/Kuki, "[[The Chick|The Flirt]] / [[The Ditz]]" - Green

** Numbuh T/Tommy, "[[Tagalong Kid]]"

** Numbuh Six / Bradley, "[[The Sixth Ranger]]"

* [[Conspiracy Kitchen Sink]]: This show is practically built on conspiracies (sometimes literally). Not surprisingly, the KND were even responsible for the fake moon landing.

* [[Continuity Creep]]

* [[Continuity Nod]]: Frequently, such as Numbuh One recognizing [[A Glitch in the Matrix]] when he remembered that {{spoiler|Numbuh Four can't swim.}}

* [[Contest Winner Cameo]]: Complete with no spoken lines, and an [[Uncanny Valley|overly detailed face]]!

** {{spoiler|AND they turn back into KND operatives in ''[[The Movie|Operation: Z.E.R.O.]]'' after being recommissioned. (Quadruple Reverse Mole) This turns out to be a temporary [[Subverted Trope|Subversion]] of the Creepy Child. Unfortunately, this is a [[Double Subversion]], as they turn back into the Delightful Children. ([[Double Reverse Quadruple Agent|Quintuple Reverse Mole]] -- Let's leave it at that.)}}

* [[Creepy Monotone]]: See directly above. The Delightfuls subvert this a few times, though, most notably in "Operation: G.R.O.W.-U.P.", mainly to highlight just how ''scary'' an angry Father was.

* [[Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass]]: Sector V, initially. Being the main characters of the show, it's implied at first that they're the ''only'' Kids Next Door operatives; however, when the organization is shown to have teams across the globe, Sector V is shown to be one of, if not ''the'' [[Let's Get Dangerous|best around.]]

* [[Dark Horse Victory]]: "Your new fourth grade president is.... EGBERT EGGLESTON!"

* [[Embarrassing First Name]]: Numbuh 86's real name is Fanny. The joke has some [[Unfortunate Implications]] when you realize what the Scottish-accented Fanny's name ''means'' in her homeland... Further implications abound when you take into account the fact that she's a complete [[Straw Feminist|FemiNazi]].

* [[Epic Fail]]: In "Operation: D.A.D.D.Y.", Mr. Boss intends to save money by cutting the hair of his own children instead of taking to them to a barber. [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100816181353/knd/images/c/c6/Numbuh_85.jpg The resulting haircut on his son is impossibly bad.]

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: Plenty of villains in the series have shown to do this: for example, Stickybeard saves Sector V from the giant white asparagus because while he steals candy from kids, he won't allow anyone to be forced to eat asparagus.

* [[Everything's Even Worse with Sharks]]: Especially when they can get a literal kid burger via fast food drive-thrus.

* [[Fake Defector]]: The teenager in "Operation: F.U.G.I.T.I.V.E." is often mistaken for one. {{spoiler|Maurice and Chad are actual ones.}}

* [[False Start]]: Numbuh Four's crush on Numbuh Three. This quickly becomes a [[Running Gag]].

* [[Five-Token Band]]: One Brit (with a Spanish name), one American Jew, one Japanese, one Australian, and one [[Twofer Token Minority|half-French African-American]]. The extended cast is even more varied, though most of the stories take place in the U.S.

* [[Flanderization]]: The Delightful Children from Down the Lane have always spoken and moved in unison, but in later episodes this is taken even further as they are practically considered a single entity, from wearing a single costume large enough for them to all fit in to having [[Crack Pairing|all five of them simultaneously date Numbuh Three]].

* [[Heel Face Mole]]: "Operation: U.N.D.E.R.C.O.V.E.R.", where one of the Delightful Children joins the KND.

* [[Heroes Unlimited]]: What, you thought the main charaters were the only ones?

* [[High on Catnip]]: Catnip causes the Cat Lady's cats to have a sudden dance party.

* [[Hive Mind]]: The Delightful Children From Down The Lane, who seem to represent conformity personified; although later episodes make it clear that they're not a literal case of one mind shared by five bodies, they always speak and act in unison. It's kind of telling that in [[Rashomon Style|"Operation: R.E.P.O.R.T.,"]] Numbuh Two's [[Art Shift|side of the story]] is the only one that depicts them with five separate bodies rather than five heads on a single two-armed body.

** For example, {{spoiler|Chester being trapped in his own [[Lotus Eater Machine]]}}.

* [[Homage]]: Many separate occasions; their parodies of ''[[Star Wars]]'' border on ripping it off and ''[[The Matrix]]'' homages don't even pretend otherwise.

* [[Hourglass Plot]]: "Operation: T.R.E.A.T.Y." between Numbuh One and Chad. To hammer the point home, the dominant color of their clothing in the [[Flash Back]] (Blue for One, Red for Chad) is the opposite of their clothing in the present (Red for One, Blue for Chad) {{spoiler|and Numbuh One beats Chad by using the same technique Chad beat him with in the flashback.}}

* [[Humongous Mecha]]: H.I.P.P.Y.-H.O.P., and [[Author Appeal|many, many others]], made of everything from lawn chairs to treehouses to ''cats''.

* [[Hunting the Most Dangerous Game]]: "Operation: S.A.F.A.R.I."

* [[Hypno Trinket]]: The Boyfriend Helmet.

* [[I Ate What?]]: Features in "Operation: P.I.N.K.E.Y.E.", where Numbuh Two is eating Nurse Claiborne's crumbles as he's investigating the mystery epidemic of pinkeye going around the school. Once it gets out that it is Claiborne herself who was the one infecting the students with pinkeye, it also becomes apparent that she was using eye crust for her crumbles, making Numbuh Two gag at the very fact that he was eating them. However, at the very end, he goes back to eating them. However, Numbuh Two may have second thoughts after finding out that the filling of the crumbles is {{spoiler|mucus.}}

* [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming]]: "Operation S.O.M.E.T.H.I.N.G. -- '''S'''tring '''O'''f '''M'''eticulously '''E'''ncoded '''T'''ext '''H'''andily '''I'''ncludes '''N'''aming '''G'''ag"

* [[I Can't Believe It's Not Heroin!]]

** Hoagie (Numbuh Two) was so addicted to chocolate sauce that he used to bathe in it. Eventually he had to sign up to Chocoholics Anonymous.

** In "Operation: L.I.C.O.R.I.C.E.", Black John Licorice challenges Abigail (Numbuh Five) to [[Does This Remind You of Anything?|gulping down mugs]] of sugar. Numbuh Five's sugar level becomes so high that her eyes widen and she begins to shake violently.

* [[In Medias Res]]: Many per episode.

* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]

* [[Insulted Awake]]: Happens to Nigel Uno a lot.

* [[Instant Armor]]: Evil teenagers use Battle Ready Armor [[Fun with Acronyms|(or B.R.A.s)]] to fight the KND.

* [[I Was Told There Would Be Cake]]: Seven of the episodes feature the KND trying to take the cake from the Delightful Children from Down the Lane, who refuse to share it with anyone. To make it worse, said DCFDTL brag and boast about it, giving the KND justification. The cakes seem to vary, in both appearance and what happens to it (as in destroyed).

** To start, the first one (used in "Operation: C.A.K.E.D." is a normal one. It is {{spoiler|destroyed by accident}}.

* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]: After Season 3 and 4 start rolling around, there is ''a lot'' of minor operatives and villains to keep track of.

* [[Lotus Eater Machine]]: Chester's headband. Consistent with the series, it sends Nigel to a fake [[Kingdom Hearts|Destiny Islands,]] where an [[Expy]] of Kairi greets him and shows him around the paradise they have without adults. Nigel grows suspicious, but his "comrades" reassure him that he's just being paranoid, until he remembers that [[A Glitch in the Matrix|Numbuh 4 can't swim, but he's doing the backstroke in a pool of soda.]] {{spoiler|In the end, [[Hoist by His Own Petard|Nigel puts Chester in his own headband]], convincing him he'd defeated him and was being praised by the other villains...that is, until Numbuh 4 turns it to its nightmare setting.}}

* [[Love Makes You Evil]]: Jimmy McGarfield in "Operation: S.N.O.W.I.N.G.".

* [[Lower Deck Episode]]: "Operation: T.R.A.I.N.I.N.G."

*** Numbuh Two is Hoagie P. Gilligan, Jr. -- appropriately enough, a twofer reference: Bob Denver's character ''Gilligan'' was second-in-command of the S.S. Minnow on ''[[Gilligan's Island|Gilligans Island]]''; the ''Jr.'' generational suffix means that Numbuh Two is the second male in the Gilligan family to be named "Hoagie P. Gilligan".

*** Numbuh Three is Kuki Sanban -- "sanban" is Japanese for "number three", and "Kuki" is a reference to Numbuh Three being a [[Cloudcuckoolander]].

*** Numbuh Five is Abigail Lincoln -- has the same initials as U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, who is on the five-dollar bill in American currency.

** Also, Numbuh Three's father is named Kani -- Japanese for "crab" -- which is pretty much his entire personality, and Numbuh Three has a little sister named Mushi, which is Japanese for "bug" and matches her irritating personality.

** Numbuh 10-speed, leader of the KND Central Bike Hub, is a kid version of Lance Armstrong.

* [[No Dialogue Episode]]: "Operation: T.H.E.-F.L.Y."

** Toiletnator gives one to Knightbrace in [[VIllain Episode|Operation F.LU.S.H]], only to get one by the main cast right after that

** Knightbrace receives it again by pretty much 80% of the entire cast in [[Melee à Trois|Operation M.U.N.C.H.I.E.S]]

** [[Big Bad|Father]], [[Vile Villain Saccharine Show|of all people]] is on the receive ending of two of them both from [[Dumb Muscle|Stickybeard]]

* [[Not Brainwashed]]: "Operation: C.O.L.L.E.G.E."

* [[Not Hyperbole]]: When Cree says she'd turn the treehouse upside down, she ''means'' it.

* [[Power Limiter]]: Count Spankulot can turn others into "spank-happy vampires" by spanking them gloveless.

* [[Power-Up Food]]: One episode has a villain named Cuppa Joe, a rig overseer who gains [[Super Speed]] from drinking excessive amounts of coffee.

{{quote|"She. Just. Owes. Me. A. Quarter."}}

* [[Pungeon Master]]: Numbuh Two

* [[Punk Punk]]: One of the codifiers of Kid Punk.

* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: {{spoiler|Leaky Leona, who turns out to have been using the Fountain of Youth to maintain her 10-year-old form for the past 300 years.}}

* [[Rebus Bubble]]: '''2 + 2 = Pizza'''

* [[Serious Business]]: Don't get us started....rainbow monkies and cake and card collections.....

* [[Set Right What Once Went Wrong]]: "Operation: F.U.T.U.R.E."

** Character-specific:

*** Father appears to be based off of J. R. "Bob" Dobbs.

*** Numbuh 86 is possibly a [[Shout-Out]] to [[From Russia with Love|Rosa Klebb]], another [[Hot-Blooded|hot-tempered]], [[Evil Redhead|red-headed]], [[Does Not Like Men|boy-hating]] operative with a grating accent and a grudge against [[James Bond|a British agent]].

** When the Dodgeball Wizard says that he's not a magician, Numbuh Four's dad says, [[Arrested Development (TV series)|"All right, you're an illusionist then!"]]

** In "Operation: E.N.G.L.A.N.D.", one of the British KND operatives {{spoiler|(actually one of the Rowdy Hooligans from Across the Square)}} repeatedly says to Numbuh One "Nudge-nudge, wink-wink, [[Monty Python's Flying Circus|say-no-more, say-no-more!"]]

** When a baby makes a hole in a locked door to get to Numbuhs One and Five, he yells, [[The Shining|"Heeeere's Jackson!"]]

** "Operation P.L.A.N.E.T." features a planet of Rainbow Monkeys similar to the first ''[[Planet of the Apes]]''.

** One very direct [[Shout-Out]] in "Operation G.I.R.L.F.R.I.E.N.D.":

'''Numbuh 362:''' Not them... and that show's awesome, by the way. }}

** Numbuh One's two-colored glasses in "Operation: L.O.V.E." make him look like Spider Jerusalem from [[Transmetropolitan]].

** The Christmas special was pretty much a parody of the "Dark Phoenix Saga" from ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]''.

** And how many kids would have realized that the dude who waves from the pear tree at the end of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" attack in the [[Christmas Episode]] was [[The Partridge Family|Keith Partridge?]]

** The head of security at the KND Deep Sea Science Lab is [[Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea|Numbuh Twenty Thousand]].

** [[Lotus Eater Machine|The island in Chester's headband]] is a subtle reference to [[Kingdom Hearts (video game)|the Destiny Islands.]] The design looks nothing like the Destiny Islands, but the entire island is a playground with no adults, and Nigel is greeted by a Kairi expy.

** Numbuhs One and Two, having no clue what bras are, use a backronym generator on the word, and eventually conclude that it stands for "Battle Ready Armor" and is a secret Teenager armor device. After some embarrassing hijinx, [[The Stinger]] shows us that that is ''indeed'' what the Teenagers are using bras for (yes, even the boys). They even use the same backronym.

* [[Straw Feminist]]: Numbuh 86 again, though her attitude doesn't win her any points with the female members either.

* [[Suspiciously Similar Song]]: The two songs by [[GWAR]] that are featured in "Operation: F.O.O.D.F.I.T.E."

* [[Swiss Cheese Security]]: Sector V's Treehouse, unfortunately.

* [[Time Passes Montage]]

** "Operation: A.W.A.R.D.S." spoofs the [[Spinning Clock Hands]] version, where the spinning clock hands turns out to be just Numbuh Four playing with his watch.

* [[Those Two Bad Guys]]: Mr. Wink and Mr. Fibb, parodies of ''[[James Bond (film)|James Bond]]'''s Mr. Wynt and Mr. Kidd.

* [[Tomato Surprise]]

* [[Too Dumb to Live]]: Numbuh Four loves eating Coco Nut Logs even though he's allergic to coconut.

* [[Totally Radical]]: The "Little Traitor Dudes for Children's Defense" native language.

* [[Travel Montage]]: "Operation: R.A.I.N.B.O.W.S."

* [[Traumatic Haircut]]: More often than not, at least one Kid ends up getting their hair chopped, shaved, pulled, or burned off during a mission.

* [[Troubled Fetal Position]]: In "Operation: I.T.", {{spoiler|Father enters this position after being threatened at broccoli-point by Rachel, a.k.a. Numbuh 362, complete with an implied hallucination of ''his'' father making him eat broccoli during ''his'' childhood. Although given what his father is like, this was probably a truly traumatic experience.}}

* [[Troubling Unchildlike Behavior]]: The afromentioned [[Creepy Child|Creepy Children]]

* [[Unnamed Parent]]: Subverted. To the Kids Next Door, adults are the enemy, and so they don't really care what the adults are named beyond "Mom" or "Dad". All adults are either "Mr. ______" or some variation on the gimmick they use to fight the KND. The biggest villain for the majority of the series is the demonic figure known only as "Father". The one who eventually tops him is the Draculaesque "Grandfather". Three guesses as to the nature of their relationship. In addition, quite a few of the kids' parents are named as the series goes on.

* [[Unusually Uninteresting Sight]]: Sometimes averted, other times played straight. If the Kids Next Door are doing a [[Humongous Mecha]] battle in town square for example, you will see civilians running away in terror. However, if the children are jumping into trap doors to escape class, pulling out crazy 2×4 technology in public or participating in other related craziness, expect the people around them to be either indifferent, or to bounce back quickly.

{{quote|'''Chad:''' Surprised to see me?

'''Numbuh Three:''' Yeah, surprised to see you wearing a bra! ''(she, Numbuh 12 and 23 laugh)''

'''Numbuh 23:''' Whatever you say, Chaderella. }}

** This is actually also a [[Running Gag]]: the kids mistake bras for a new kind of weapon in "Operation: S.U.P.P.O.R.T.", [[I Knew It!|which they turn out to be in fact]] at the end of the episode and in later ones.

* [[Villains Out Shopping]]: A literal example. There is a supermarket specifically for villains only. One episode features the majority of the [[Rogues Gallery]] and the heroes fighting over ''a box of cereal.''

* [[Wham! Episode]]: {{spoiler|"Operation: G.I.R.L.F.R.I.E.N.D.", which results in the destruction of Sector V's treehouse and Lizzie breaking up with Nigel}}.

* [[Wham! Line]]: In Operation F.O.U.N.T.A.I.N., Numbuh One cryptically reveals how evil the Delightful Children From Down The Lane can be.

'''Numbuh One:''' [[Noodle Incident|They made me bald.]] }}

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?]]: Almost all the villains are built on this. Simple things most kids don't like doing such as homework, washing dishes, and eating vegetables are blown to world-destroying proportions.

** One episode features a hardware-store owner who wants to eliminate two aviators who bought their plane parts from him. Why? Because they kept ''smudging his counter with chili''. [[Disproportionate Retribution]] much?

** This show as a whole is built on this, to an ''[[Animal Farm]]''-esque degree. Anything that is kid-oriented is ''good''! [[Paranoia Fuel|Anything that is adult-oriented or that adults make kids do for their own good is ''vile and evil''!]] Which makes the existance of [[Rule 34|smutty KND pictures/fanfic]] somewhat of a violent whiplash of [[Fridge Logic]]...

** It's normally only shown to be bad when the supervillains take it to extremes; the KND are normally shown having really good relationships with their own parents, even when 86's father is {{spoiler|Mr. Boss}}, and they even state in some episodes that they only fight evil adults. The supervillains' plots are normally something most normal adults in the series would likely have a problem with if they knew (in some cases, this is shown actively).

** And at the end of "Operation: I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S.", it's revealed that {{spoiler|adulthood is literally a disease. One that's spreading unchecked across the universe}}.

* [[World Gone Mad]]: It's a world where adults live to make the younger generations lives a living hell. And people get away with turning stuffed animals and pinkeyeye crust into food. And there's candy pirates who wreck the suburbs pretty damn often, and Father, and Grandfather, and all the villains, and... hell, and some horrible plan about to ruin the lives of children forever and yet their parents always think they're just playing... And then there's "Operation: F.U.T.U.R.E.". My God.

* [[World of Ham]]: You'd be hard-pressed to find a line in this show spoken at normal speed and volume.

* And then there's "Opearion: P.R.E.S.I.D.E.N.T.".

* [[Xanatos Speed Chess]]: A notable example is when Sector V had to improvise an attack on a "Villains Awards Show" without Numbuh One's help. It involved a lot of disguises, a chunk of sneaking around, and lots of snot. Worked out, until it was revealed that Numbuh One was [[Incredibly Lame Pun|Kid]]-[[Gambit Roulette|napped]] and set up as an award, causing the plan to backfire. Thankfully, they managed to rescue him in time for the plan to work out. By simply rushing the stage and carting him away. The adults had no clue what was going on.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:The Epic]]

[[Category:The Millennium Age of Animation]]

[[Category:Western Animation]]

[[Category:Cartoon Network]]