Codename: Kids Next Door, also known as Kids Next Door or by its acronym KND, is an animated series that debuted on the Cartoon Network on December 6,2002. Broadcast as two episodes per half-hour (with the exception of "Operation: G.R.O.W.U.P.: Getting Really Old Will Upset Plans" and at least three other episodes as of August 2004), the central characters of the series are five ten-year olds who operate out of their treehouse against what they see as the tyranny of adults (e.g. early bedtimes , homework, and anyplace where kids aren't allowed).
To accomplish their various missions, the Kids Next Door have access to a variety of gadgets and devices stored in their treehouse (often Rube Goldberg devices that are products of "two-by-four technology") as well as a worldwide organization known as the Kids Next Door.
Characters
The principal characters are most often referred to by their code names, and each have their own specialties.
- Numbuh One, Nigel Uno (Ben Diskin ), is the leader (and often the brains) of the group. He has a bald head and speaks with a British accent. He is usually seen wearing a red sweater, grey shorts, and dark glasses.
- Numbuh Two, Hoagie Pennywhistle Gilligan Jr. (also Ben Diskin ), is the designer of all the Kids Next Door's vehicles and weapons. He is chubby and wears a blue shirt, brown pants, and an aviator's helmet and goggles. He also possesses a knack for spouting horrible puns and bad jokes, which then lead to being reprimanded by Numbuh Five.
- Numbuh Three, Kuki Sanban (Lauren Tom), is the nature lover of the group with what seems the shortest attention span and a love for stuffed animals. She wears a too-large green sweater and sneakers. Her constant happiness is very annoying to her comrades and so is her obsession with Rainbow Monkeys, an obvious parody of the Care Bears. Oddly enough, on her team information card, her specialty is listed as "diversionary tactics."
- Numbuh Four, Wallabee Beatles (Dee Bradley Baker), is the impulsive "tough guy" of the group and hand-to-hand combat expert. He wears an orange hoodie and blue jeans. He speaks with an Australian accent, although any casual Australian watcher could identitfy it as false. He also cannot swim, although that has recently been rectified. He, in the words of creator Mr. (Tom) Warburton, "definitely isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer" [1]. Numbuh Four has an obvious but unadmitted crush on Numbuh Three.
- Numbuh Five, Abigail "Abby" Lincoln (Cree Summer), is the group's spy, second in command, and the most laid back of the Kids Next Door. She wears a red baseball cap, white buckle shoes, and a large blue shirt with a white stripe down the side. Her big sister Cree is a former KND operative, now a teenager and a villain; the two clash on multiple occasions. She is often in situations similar to ones one would expect to find Indiana Jones, down to losing her hat when sliding under a closing door, then reaching back for it just before the door closes (Op LICE).
The Kids Next Door are regularly pitted against villains that embody the characteristics they resent. Among their more tenacious adversaries are the Delightful Children from Down the Lane, well-behaved, obedient children who want to eliminate them for setting a bad example; the Common Cold, who blames children's germs for his cold and seeks to make all children as sick as he is; and Gramma Stuffum, who fattens up children with disgusting dishes from her bottomless cookpot.
Other adults who aren't enemies of the Kids Next Door (most often their parents) are often hidden characters whose faces are never seen. As of 2004, viewers have seen Numbuh One's father (Operation OOMPAH), Numbuh Two's grandmother and mother (Operation CLUES), Numbuh Three's parents (Operation CLUES), Numbuh Four's mother and father (Operation SPROUT), and Numbuh Five's father (a surgeon who sounds like a younger Bill Cosby, in Operation SUPPORT).
On occassion, the younger siblings of the Kids Next Door have accompanied them on missions. A few episodes feature Numbuh Three's younger sister Mushi (SPACE, KASTLE, CLUES), and Numbuh Two's younger brother Tommy has gone on to become an adult-fighting crusader himself (he was a Kid Next Door, codenamed "Numbuh T", briefly, but he took himself out of their database to save the group; the KND security system won't let him re-enlist). He now goes by the alias "The Tommy" and functions as an independent operator. Numbuh Four has also been shown to have a little brother of toddler age. (Mr. Warburton has stated his name is "Joey", but the show itself gives no information)
Storylines
One ongoing plot arc involves attempts by two former Kids Next Door, Cree (formerly Numbuh 11, who's also Numbuh Five's older sister) and Chad (formerly Numbuh 274, who escaped the KND mandatory decommissioning and memory wipe on his thirteenth birthday), to destroy the Kids Next Door Moonbase. These missions are often coordinated by "Father" (real name Mr. Wigglestein), a shadowy figure who has redoubled his efforts to destroy the Kids Next Door after the Delightful Children (whom he's raised) have failed to do so. This arc runs through Ops SUPPORT, KISS, SPACE and END.
A recurring story involves the KND fighting the Delightful Children over the latters' birthday cake. These stories always have the word "CAKED" in the title.
Kids Next Door episodes are always titled by acronyms which often give viewers clues to what the story's about (e.g., "Operation: C.A.K.E.D.: Capture and Kidnapify Enemy Dessert"). Everyone involved with the show is credited as though they're secret agents (e.g., writers are "writing operatives", the voice cast is listed under "vocal assault").
The missions
All 15 minutes, except when specified. All except "No P in the OOL" have "Operation: " in front of the title.
- No P in the OOL (7 minutes; pilot, aired as 3rd segment of 1st ep)
- C.A.K.E.D. (7 minutes; aired as first segment of 1st ep, 2nd segment was another Warburton short "Kenny and the Chimp")
- I.-S.C.R.E.A.M. (Imperative - Secure Creamy Refigerated Edibles - Avoid Meltdown)
- C.A.N.N.O.N. (Cannon And Naptime Not Occurring Normally)
- N.O.-P.O.W.U.H. (New Operative - Pulverise Opponents Without Using Hamsters)
- T.E.E.T.H. (Tooth-Extracting Enemy Terrorizes Treehouse)
- P.I.R.A.T.E. (Pirates Invade Repository and Treats Extracted)
- C.O.W.G.I.R.L. (Crazy Old Woman Goes Increasingly Really Loco)
- T.U.R.N.I.P.
- M.I.N.I.-G.O.L.F.
- O.F.F.I.C.E. (On Fourteenth Floor is Corporate Evil)
- A.R.C.T.I.C. (Am Really Cold That Is Certain)
- L.I.C.E. (Lice Interrupt Cheese Eating)
- L.I.Z.Z.I.E. (Love Is Zesty Zany Insanity Eh?)
- T.H.E.-F.L.Y. (Tiny Horsefly Examines Five Little Youngsters)
- P.O.I.N.T.
- C.A.B.L.E.-T.V. (Crazy Arrogant Baby Loses Every Television Viewer)
- C.A.M.P. (Children Are Miserable Parents)
- C.H.A.D.
- T.O.M.M.Y. (Totally Obnoxious Moronic Meddling Youngster)
- P.I.A.N.O.
- Z.O.O. (Zoologically Obsessed Octogenarian)
- Q.U.I.E.T. (Quietude Unlikely In Entire Treehouse)
- R.A.I.N.B.O.W.S. (Running Amok In Nature's Wild Bounty Observing Wild Simians)
- G.R.O.W.-U.P. (Getting Really Old Will Upset Plans, 30 minutes)
- P.O.P. (Preteens Oppose Prohibition)
- C.A.T.S. (Crazy Aged Tyrant Stinks)
- S.P.A.N.K.
- D.A.T.E. (Dance Actually Threatens Everyone)
- S.U.P.P.O.R.T. (Special Underwire Perfections Protectively Outfits Rotten Teenagers)
- T.A.P.I.O.C.A. (Teenagers And Pudding Inconvenience Our Childish Agents)
- M.O.V.I.E. (Meeting Of Villains Isn't Entertaining)
- F.A.S.T.-F.O.O.D. (Find Another Stupid Task For Our Oblivious Dodo)
- F.L.A.V.O.R. (Find Lost Ancient Variety Of Refreshment )
- K.I.S.S. (Kid's Identity Suddenly Sixteen)
- G.H.O.S.T.
- F.U.G.I.T.I.V.E.
- T.H.E.-S.H.O.G.U.N.
- C.O.L.L.E.G.E.
- R.E.P.O.R.T. (Ridiculous Exaggerations Posess Occasionally Real Truth)
- B.R.I.E.F. (Big Reward if Enemy Finished)
- C.A.K.E.D.-T.W.O.
- S.P.A.C.E.
- B.E.A.C.H. (Boys Enthusiastically Attempt Chivalous Heroics)
- S.H.A.V.E. (Southern Hair Attacks Virtually Everyone)
- O.O.M.P.A.H. (Obnoxious Overzealous Male Parent Plays Annoying Horn)
- U.N.D.E.R.C.O.V.E.R.
- D.O.G.F.I.G.H.T.
- T.R.I.P.
- E.N.D. (Everyone Nearly Decommisioned, 30 minutes)
- F.U.T.U.R.E. (Funny Unusual Time Umbrella Rainbow Eggs)
- A.-F.L.O.A.T. (As Funny License Oblivious Adverbing Timer)
- L.E.A.D.E.R. (Lizzie's Execising Artworks Dazzling Energy Ribbons)
- R.O.B.B.E.R.S.
- U.T.O.P.I.A.
- F.O.U.N.T.A.I.N. (Find Out Unusual Nosebleed Timeless Ambush in Nightmares)
- B.U.T.T. (Blackmail Uncovers Titanic Tash)
- T.R.A.I.N.I.N.G. (Tiny Recruits Ambushed in Nefarious Invasion Need Guts)
- A.R.C.H.I.V.E. (Ancient Recorded Children's History is Very Enlightening)
- S.L.U.M.B.E.R. (Stupid Little Undercover Mission Becomes Exactly Romp)
- P.I.N.K.-E.Y.E.
- K.A.S.T.L.E.
- L.O.C.K.D.O.W.N. (Lurking Otherworldly Childhood Kalamity Delivers Ouchies When Naughty)
- C.A.K.E.D.-T.H.R.E.E. (Creamy Adverbing Kindness Every Damage - They Have Rainbow Easter Eggstravaganza)
- G.R.A.D.U.A.T.E.S. (30 minutes)
- H.U.G.S.
- J.E.W.E.L.S.
- T.R.I.C.K.Y.
- U.N.C.O.O.L.
- P.R.E.S.I.D.E.N.T.
- H.O.S.P.I.T.A.L. (Horrible Opposites Sinister Pine in Trees Artworks Lollipops)
- S.P.R.O.U.T. (Sickening Produce Removal Operation Ultra Tricky)
- H.O.U.N.D. (Homework Obliterating Using Neferious Dog)
- R.A.B.B.I.T. (Rescue Aids Beloved Bunny in Trouble)
- F.L.U.S.H. (Foolish Loser Undoes Sinister Hope)
- F.O.O.D.F.I.T.E.
- C.L.U.E.S.
- N.U.G.G.E.T.
- M.A.C.A.R.R.O.N.I. (Museum's Artwork Cruelly And Recklessly Ripped Off Nearly Impossibly
- P.O.O.L. (Pointy Opposites or Laughters, 30 minutes)
- C.A.K.E.D.-F.O.U.R. (30 minutes)
- B.R.A. (Battle Ready Armor)
Trivia
External Links
