Numbuh 19th Century

"My good man, are you insinuating that I am a sissy girl - like her?"

– Numbuh 19th Century

Numbuh 19th Century was a KND operative who is originally from the 19th century, as his name implies.

Background Information

He was the one who was sent into the Alamode to retrieve the secret cake recipe of the Annoyingly Cute Triplets Who Lived Upon the Hill. However, when he found it, he accidentally triggered a booby trap that set off a nuclear ice cream explosion that froze him and the five thousand other KND operatives present at the Alamode in ice cream. Within ten years, all but Numbuh 19th Century had been thawed out, but since they were now chronologically over thirteen, they had to be decommissioned.

Finally Unfrozen

In Numbuh 19th Century's honor, KND archaeologists have continued to search the ruins of the alamode for the recipe ever since. In the 21st century, during the events of Operation: C.A.K.E.D.-F.I.V.E., Numbuh 19th Century was finally found and revived. However, when he awoke, he was suffering from brain-freeze amnesia and he could not remember the recipe.

Having lived during a time when women were considered inferior and were, among other things, not admitted into the KND, Numbuh 19th Century displays inadvertent sexism, asking things such as "since when have girls been allowed into the KND?" upon noticing girls among the operatives surrounding him. Numbuh 86 then barges into the tent, ordering Numbuh 19th Century to be immediately decommissioned as he is "forty-eight kamillion years old". Numbuh 19th Century does not take her seriously and treats her as inferior, infuriating Numbuh 86, who is ironically sexist towards boys herself. She drags him away, while Numbuh 50 Million B.C., who desperately wants to know the recipe, begs her to reconsider.

Numbuh 19th Century is also unfamiliar with now commonplace things and concepts such as America having fifty states, ice cream cake, television and cartoons, much to the amusement of everyone else, even Father. As he was flown to the KND Moonbase to be decommissioned, he muses over the advanced 2x4 Technology of the present day and girls in the KND while Numbuh 86 boastfully tells him about how girls now practically run the KND: in addition to having a girl as the Supreme Leader, the top three agents in all 50 states are in fact girls.

Before they can reach the Moonbase, they encounter Father's gigantic ice cream cake in orbit of Earth and are taken prisoner. To keep Father from disposing of them, Numbuh 19th Century claims to know the secret recipe for Father's great-grandmother's cake but refuses to disclose it, compelling Father to destroy the KND ice storage facility and then incarcerate them in the prison bunker. While in prison, Numbuh 19th Century romantically charms Numbuh 86 saying he only lied to Father because he was trying to help her, and they are later found kissing by Numbuh 5 when Sector V arrives to rescue them.

Later, while Numbuh 1 battles Father, Numbuh 19th Century distracts him by taking another bite of the cake, only to be blasted into a wall. He then realizes that the recipe became embedded on his chest, and upon learning this, Father decides to copy the recipe to make an even more delicious cake. However, Father's use of his fire powers has caused the ice cream to start melting, and a drop falls onto the recipe, smudging and ruining it. In rage, Father lets out a huge flame that flies through the top of the cake, hitting a passing ship and causing it to crash into the cake, slicing it in half. Blaming all this on Numbuh 19th Century, Father attempts to kill him, only for Numbuh 1 to save them.

Intimacy

After escaping the cake and reaching the Moonbase, Numbuh 86 admits to Numbuh 19th Century that she loves him, but it is not enough to keep her from decommissioning him, much like what she said to Numbuh 4 in Operation: E.N.D.. Numbuh 50 Million B.C., present at the decommissioning, becomes frantic and asks him if he remembers the recipe, which he does not, and though he does briefly shout about the Alamode, he has forgotten what it is.

Personality

Despite his sexism, it's merely due to his chivalrous sides and wanting to protect women. Because he is concerned for their safety, he doesn't like girls being in the KND.

He can come across as being snooty and uptight mainly due to his time period and background. He is definitely a heroic kid though and does believe in rights for kids like the others.

Trivia

• His clothes resemble Donald Duck's blue outfit.
• In a fan letter, it was revealed that he was dropped off with a family that already had enough kids, so they didn't notice a new kid suddenly among the rest.^[1]
• Mr. Warburton stated that the idea of Numbuh 19th Century being a man out of his time due to being frozen in suspended animation was inspired by Marvel Comics Captain America.^[2]
• In the 2x4 Handbook it is stated that Numbuh 19th Century created the S.P.I.C.E.R.
• During the scene where he and Numbuh 86 meet Father and he calls her a sissy girl, she starts beating him up. While they fight, she calls him an "Oliver Twist reject" right before Father silences them, referencing the classic novel.
• While Numbuh 19th Century and Numbuh 86 are both sexist towards each other's opposite genders, they actually differ in their views. Numbuh 19th Century actually revealed he likes girls when he told Numbuh 86 his story during their captivity. He is just overprotective and patronizing over them, whereas Numbuh 86 hates boys.
• In the book 2x4 Technology Handbook, Numbuh 2 calls Numbuh 19th century a Victorian operative. Since Operation: C.A.K.E.D.- F.I.V.E said early 19th century, it's possible that he (and the rest of the KND) were active at the earliest in the late 1830s to the early 1840s.

Gallery

References