Waddle Dees

Waddle Dees are recurring antagonists in the Kirby franchise, but only due to their loyalty to whoever treats them nicely. Instead of actually trying to harm Kirby, they usually just waddle around and occassionally pause to jump at random. 
They are a common sight in Dream Land, where many of them serve King Dedede. Even in games where King Dedede is not an antagonist, they still appear as common enemies that take little effort to defeat and don't give Kirby any copy abilities when inhaled. On certain occassions, Waddle Dees have proven to be a substantial threat throughout Kirby's adventures, though Kirby seems to bear no ill will towards the Waddle Dees, which is made apparent as he becomes visibly happy each time he rescues one of them.
The Waddle Dees ally themselves with Kirby in Kirby and the Forgotten Land, breaking down walls for him that block his progress. Kirby is tasked with freeing the captive Waddle Dees that appear in each level. As Kirby rescues more Waddle Dees, the more populated Waddle Dee Town becomes, and as the population increases, the complexity of the town does so proportionately. Despite their lazy reputation, they are clearly shown to be hard workers, due to how quickly they manage to rebuild their town. They even manage to build Kirby a house that is somehow as round as he is. This game introduces many distinguished Waddle Dees that offer hospitality services to other Waddle Dees and to Kirby.
This is not the first heroic role of the Waddle Dees; they are also the player characters for players 2-4 in Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, appearing to be differently colored clones of Bandana Waddle Dee, but are still named as just ordinary Waddle Dees. They are also enlistable Helpers in Kirby Super Star, and potential friends in Kirby Star Allies, but these are not official heroic roles since they are determined by Kirby, not the Waddle Dees themselves. Kirby and the Forgotten Land marks the first time the Waddles Dees drop their villainous role, true to their peaceful nature.
== Appearence ==
Like many residents of Dreamland, Waddle Dees bear a very simplistic appearance. They possess a light brown and spherical body with pear-shaped, tan faces, short, stubby arms, and tan/light-orange feet. Although many variations of Waddle Dees exist, not many change up this basic design. The only major exception to this is the Waddle Doos, who are typically darker in color, and have a large cyclopean eye in place of the Waddle Dee's face, as well as two hairs above, said eye.
==Personality==
Most Waddle Dees are carefree residents of Planet Popstar, and only some of them serve under King Dedede. The official Kirby website maintained by Nintendo and HAL Labratory says about the Waddles Dees: "While mostly harmless, some Waddle Dees have been known to loyally serve King Dedede." The anime Kirby: Right Back at Ya! reveals that Waddle Dees will spend their time repaying anyone who treats them kindly, explaining their loyalty to King Dedede. These Waddle Dees will follow their King's orders without question, and are so eager to do so that they do not realize that he was possessed by Dark Matter in Kirby's Dream Land 2. It is unknown why some Waddle Dees work for the Haltmann Works Company, since their objective in Kirby: Planet Robobot is to invade Planet Popstar. It could be because of how dimwitted many of them appear to be. They are described as being not very intelligent by Nintendo Power Volume #39, stating that this is their greatest downfall. 
Outside of work, Waddle Dees are shown to be very friendly, waving back to Kirby whenever he waves at them, and laughing if Kirby accidentally jumps on them in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. It had always been implied from official descriptions of them and interactions of them in-game that Waddle Dees are never bad out of a desire to cause harm, and are just carefree creatures who will only cause trouble under the influence of others that have treated them kindly. The games also imply their peaceful nature by having them rarely even try to attack Kirby. However, this could be because they are so weak, since more competent Waddle Dees will attack Kirby. It still remains fact that they will serve whoever treats them with kindness, which is why all of the Waddle Dees rescued by Kirby are quick to bond with him, and support him on his journey. As weak as they are, they seem to be hard workers, as they build Waddle Dee Town at a fast pace. Despite their weakness, Waddle Dees can develop individual talents, giving their species a lot of variety. More importantly, this means they have the potential to develop their society at a similar pace as humans. 
== Biography==
=== In the games===
Waddle Dees consistently appear as the first enemy seen in the games starting with Kirby's Dream Land. Most Waddle Dees have no true form of attacking, but will still damage you if you collide with them. They have no real intention of harming Kirby, and tend to walk around peacefully, jumping on occassion, for reasons no one knows. Some Waddle Dees glide around on parasols and land near Kirby. When attacked, they will drop the parasol and meander around peacefully. However, in Kirby's Adventure and Kirby's Dream Land 2, the parasol will chase Kirby. 
Because they are so weak, they do not give Kirby any copy abilities when swallowed, unless the Waddle Dee is carrying a parasol, giving Kirby the Parasol ability. In Kirby Super Star, Parasol Waddle Dees can either be swallowed to gain their ability or recruited as a Helper. As a Helper, Parasol Waddle Dee is more competent than his peers, having the same capabilities as Kirby would if carrying the parasol. Being a Helper gives Parasol Waddle Dee the ability to jump unlimited times and teleport to Kirby if too far away from him. 
===Kirby and the Forgotten Land===
Waddle Dees have been captured by the Beast Pack after being sucked into the Vortex. It is up to Kirby to rescue all of them. Replacing the Waddle Dees as the most basic and common enemy are the Awoofies. The Waddle Dees rescued by Kirby build Waddle Dee Town, which serves as a hub. More services become available as the town grows in population. By pressing the up directional button on the Nintendo Switch controller sticks, Kirby can wave to the Waddle Dees, and they will always wave back. If the player does not figure this out, Wise Waddle Dee will tell them if the player interacts with him long enough to receive all of his dialogue. 
Each level in the game has anywhere from nine to eleven Waddle Dees to be rescued. The exception is all the boss levels, which offer seven Waddle Dees to be saved. At the end of each normal level is a gold cage that contains three Waddle Dees, and rescuing them will trigger the completion of the level. The results screen will then show a list of requirements to save each Waddle Dee hidden in the level. These requirements most commonly feature finding the captive Waddle Dees that are hidden at a specific part of the level, and often include finding all of the specific collectibles for a level, such as removing all wanted posters or eating all tin fish. Others can be rescued by meeting specific requirements within levels, such as getting past a certain part without taking damage, or miscellaneous requirements such as finding something oddly specific. 
For boss levels, the seven Waddle Dees are rescued by meeting similar requirements: three for beating the boss for the first time, one for finishing in a certain amount of time, one for beating the boss with a certain copy ability or without one, one for not taking any damage, and one for performing a miscellaneous task during the boss fight. 
File:Captured Waddle Dee.png|Waddle Dees kept in grey cages can be found hidden in every level. These are missable!
File:Captured Waddle Dees.png|Three Waddle Dees kept in a golden cage are rescued by Kirby at the end of every level.
Waddle Dee Town serves an important role in the game, so it is in the player's best interest to save as many Waddle Dees as they can. Waddle Dees are required to bring down giant walls that block Kirby from entering the territory of a boss fight, and the required number of Waddle Dees will automatically come to bring down the wall upon completion of the last stage before the boss fight. Rescuing Waddle Dees will make the town grow larger, and will eventually unlock services that will benefit Kirby, such as the Item Shop. Once Kirby rescues 50 Waddle Dees, they will also build Kirby his house, where he can sleep to recover all his health. Bandana Waddle Dee can be seen resting on top of the building next to Kirby's House whenever he is not being used in co-op. 
After completing the first stage, the main plaza and Waddle Dee Cinema will be already available. Waddle Dee's Weapons Shop and the Gotcha Machine Alley become available as soon as all stages of the first level are completed. The player will then be encouraged to find blueprints hidden throughout levels to give to Weapons-Shop Waddle Dee to upgrade Kirby's Copy Abilities. Some establishments are unlocked by reaching certain milestones of Waddle Dees rescued. Waddle Dee-liveries and Waddle Dee Café will be available for the majority of the game, as they unlock after saving 50 and 60 Waddle Dees respectively, out of 300. Completing the third level of the game, Wondaria Remains, will unlock the Colosseum. Waddle Dee's Item Shop, the Fishing Pond, and the Game Parlor become available later in the game, as they are unlocked at 145, 155, and 180 Waddle Dees. Upon completing the main game, the Deedly Dees will get their own stage just outside the Cinema. 
==Other media==
===Super Smash Bros. Series===
====Trophies====
Waddle Dees make their first appearance in the Super Smash Bros. series with the GameCube's Super Smash Bros. Melee. Trophies were introduced with Melee, and Waddle Dees were selected to be among the first trophies made in the series.
Waddle Dees reappear as a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, with new text accompanying it. 
No longer are Waddle Dees collectible trophies in Super Smash Bros. 4, but they live on through Parasol Waddle Dee, and their cousins, the Waddle Doos.
====Spirits====
Smash Ultimate removes trophies altogether and instead offers collectible Spirits. The normal Waddle Dee returns in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a primary Spirit, and like most Spirits, they can be obtained by freeing them in the World of Light campaign or finding them in the Spirit Board sub-menu, both after completing a specific fight. Waddle Dee can be evolved into Bandana Waddle Dee once it reaches its max level. Waddle Dee is an advanced (★★) class spirit and Bandana Waddle Dee is an ace (★★★) class spirit.
250px|left|thumb|Demonstration of how to beat Waddle Dee in Ultimate
The spirit battle to obtain the Waddle Dee is notably very easy, as spirit battles use the content available in the game to make the fight to free their spirit as similar to them as possible. In this case, the player has to beat four Kirbys in a "no-frills battle", being advised in advance to "take your strongest team". Of course, being based on Waddle Dees, each of the Kirbys can be instantly knocked out with just one light attack.
====Gameplay====
King Dedede will launch a Waddle Dee with his side B attack. The Waddle Dee will either trip and fall, stumble forward, or jump. However, there is a 10/52 chance for the more competent Waddle Doo to be thrown instead, and a 4/52 chance for the heavy Gordos to be thrown. Waddle Dees may also be replaced by a Capsule at a frequency of 3/52. They are replaced by the more useful Gordos in all games after Brawl, being the only thing King Dedede throws in the more recent games.
King Dedede will summon an army of Waddle Dees when his Final Smash is activated in Brawl. 
==Notable members==
===Bandana Waddle Dee ===
Bandana Waddle Dee is first introduced in Kirby Super Star in the final stage of Revenge of the King. He is seen comforting King Dedede as he panics over Kirby having an easy time defeating all of his forces. Finally, Bandana Waddle Dee himself panics once Kirby has defeated everyone they have. Reluctantly, King Dedede sends Bandana Waddle Dee to face Kirby, knowing he doesn't stand a chance. When Bandana Dee pleas for his life, King Dedede gives in to the compassion buried in his heart and tells him that he will go instead. He equips the Dedede Hammer to face off against Kirby, the likes of which he has never seen before. Moved by the kindness of his King, Bandana Waddle Dee nevertheless appears to Kirby, giving the player a ridiculously easy boss fight. 
Bandana Waddle Dee later appears as one of the playable companions to Kirby in Kirby's Return to Dreamland, becoming much more competent. Bandana Waddle Dee is the most prominent Waddle Dee in the franchise, being a supporting character in most subsequent games. 
===Sailor Waddle Dee===
Sailor Waddle Dee is also introduced in Kirby Super Star, and makes no major appearances afterwards, as he is presumed to have died when the Halberd crashed. He is the Bandana Waddle Dee of Meta Knight, loyally serving him on his quest to conquer Dream Land. Despite his fierce loyalty and difficult goal, he was foolish enough to accidentally inform Kirby that directing a reflected laser into the reactor core was the only way to destroy it (although the process of destroying the core is simple enough that Kirby likely would've figured it out anyways). Sailor Waddle Dee has made various cameo appearances throughout the series. 
===Unnamed Waddle Dee===
An unnamed Waddle Dee serves as a supporting character in Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards. He is indistinguishable from the others of his species, but is also the only Waddle Dee who appears in the game. Some people believe that this Waddle Dee is actually Bandana Waddle Dee, but officially, this Waddle Dee has not made any other appearances. 
===Waddle Dee Town residents===
Waddle Dees hold many different occupations, and these occupations distinguish themselves from other Waddle Dees. These Waddle Dees benefit Kirby or the player with many different services.
====Café-Manager Waddle Dee====
This Waddle Dee is the manager of the Waddle Dee Café. He is the boss of hte Café-Staff Waddle Dee. The manager allows Kirby to help serve the many customers the Café receives. The gig proves to be a challenge both to the player and Kirby, who struggles to overcome the desire to eat every dish he serves. There is an easy, medium, and hard difficulty.
====Café-Staff Waddle Dee====
As noted by his name, this Waddle Dee is an employee at the Waddle Dee Café, where he serves many customers. The only customers we see him serving however is Kirby and Bandana Waddle Dee, who typically order food to refill their health. The available food options each recover a different amount of health, with the Car-Mouth Cake and Kirby Burger replenishing 20%, the Energy Drink recovering 50%, and the Maxim Tomato giving a full recovery. He offers each menu items as either a restaurant meal or a meal to-go. Making 14 purchases from the café unlocks the Café-Staff Waddle Dee figure. 
====Commentator Waddle Dee ====
Commentator Waddle Dee is the one who runs the Colosseum, where he offers Kirby the chance to earn a special reward by competing in the Meta-Knight Cup. Afterwards, he will allow Kirby to enter the Ultimate Cup, and then the Ultimate Cup Z.
====Delivery Waddle Dee====
This Waddle Dee knows about the internet and Nintendo, because his job requires him to be self-aware. From him and Wise Waddle Dee, it is possible that all Waddle Dees are self-aware. He will give Kirby gifts when the player inputs a code, which can either be found in-game or given out on the internet. He lays a Present Code to the building right across the post station for Kirby to find in order to introduce him to Waddle Dee-liveries. 
====Game-Shop Waddle Dee====
The Game-Shop Waddle Dee runs the hottest game in town, Tilt-and-Roll Kirby. He has created three boards of each difficulty, and three more Extra Hard variations of them that are unlocked after completing the three aforementioned boards. Completing all Extra Hard boards will net Kirby three rare stones. 
====Item-Shop Waddle Dee====
The friendly Item-Shop Waddle Dee is the owner of Waddle Dee's Item Shop, where Kirby can purchase helpful items after saving 145 Waddle Dees. He is very important, as he is the creator of the Energy Drink that is popular at the café. 
====Trader Waddle Dee====
Trader Waddle Dee appears in town after Kirby completes Ultimate Cup Z in the Colosseum, and serves Kirby by helping him find remaining figures and giving him random ones that he doesn't have in exchange for rare stones. If Kirby has collected every figure in the game, Trader Waddle Dee will acknowledge this, but still, he will continue to trade with Kirby until he reaches the maximum number of every single figure. It is a mystery what Trader Waddle Dee will do if this happens. 
====Usher Waddle Dee====
Usher Waddle Dee runs the Waddle Dee Cinema, where Kirby can request a cutscene to be played. 
====Weapons-Shop Waddle Dee====
The Weapons-Shop Waddle Dee is an eager mechanic who runs his own weapons shop, where Kirby can go to have this Waddle Dee craft improved versions of his copy abilities after giving him blueprints found in levels. Upgrades cost coins and rare stones. Kirby can also equip whatever ability the player desires while at his weapons shop. 
====Wise Waddle Dee====
It is unknown if Wise Waddle Dee is really wise or if it is only because he found that mysterious book. Nevertheless, he wears a convincing outfit with his graduation cap and monocle, and can be approached in the Plaza. The mystical book he has serves as an excuse for Wise Waddle Dee knowing trivial information such as how many Awoofies Kirby has defeated, and he will give much more than that if Kirby decides to talk to him. Wise Waddle Dee will tell Kirby the whereabouts of any blueprints he may have missed, and will follow up with stats and hints if the player continues to listen to him, or if Kirby has not missed any blueprints. If the player has a Nintendo Switch Online membership, Wise Waddle Dee can also tell Kirby worldwide stats aggregated from players. 
==Gallery==
File:Waddle Dee Nendoroid Box.jpg|Waddle Dee Nendoroid collectible
File:30th Anniversary Waddle Dee.png|Artwork of Waddle Dee made for the 30th Anniversary Music Festival visual
File:Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival.jpg|Official visual for the Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival
File:Kirby Super Star Ultra DS game icon.gif|Nintendo DS home menu icon for Kirby Super Star Ultra
==External links==
*Waddle Dees on WiKirby
*Waddle Dees on SmashWiki
*Waddle Dees on Kirby Wiki
*Waddle Dees on Villains Wiki
== Trivia ==
* A Waddle Dee is featured alongside Kirby in the Nintendo DS game icon for Kirby Super Star Ultra. This is the only time Waddle Dees are featured on a DS or 3DS menu icon.
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