View source for Your Brain Won't Be Much of a Meal

{{trope}}
[[File:brainnotameal01 5477.png|link=The Simpsons|frame|''No braaaaiiins?'']]
{{quote|'''[[The Grim Reaper|Grim]]:''' I think it's trying to suck his brains out, mon
'''Mandy:''' Poor thing's gonna starve.|''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy]]''}}

This trope is about what happens when a [[Brain Food|Brain Eater]] runs into a character that manifests a few Stupidity Tropes, and what happens as a result.

This Trope comes in a few flavors.
* Most realistic: The monster is only worried about the dumb character's brain, or other characters make comments along these lines.
* The monster sniffs and says that the dumb character's brain is not a big meal or it's still hungry or starving.
* Most ridiculous: The brain is small or there is no brain in their head at all.

Compare with [[Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth]]. Related to [[Too Dumb to Fool]].
{{examples}}

== Comic Books ==
* During [[Joss Whedon]]'s run on ''[[Runaways]]'' set in the early 20th century ([[Time Travel]] shenanigans), the Runaways meet up with a gang of metahumans called the Street Arabs. One of them, Dead George Pelham, is a friendly neighborhood zombie. Later in the arc, several of the Arabs are killed by Kid Twist, a vicious member of {{spoiler|the Yorkes' gang}} with the power to fire bullets that never miss their target. In the middle of the final battle of the story arc, Dead George makes a point of tracking down Kid Twist to avenge the Arabs. As Kid Twist futilely fires bullets at the angry zombie, Dead George says this:
{{quote|'''George:''' I'm partial to brains myself. But you just emptied your gun into a dead man so I doubt this'll be much of a meal. (Bites into Kid Twist's skull)}}

== Comic Strips ==
* A ''[[Garfield (Comic Strip)|Garfield]]'' strip has Garfield pretend to be [[The Igor]], wandering around saying, "A brain! I need a brain for my master!" He pauses to take a look at Odie, and then moves on, repeating, "A brain! I need a brain for my master!"

== Jokes ==
* An old joke: Grab someone by the head and start moving your hand up and down then say "This is a brain-sucker... and it's starving."
* The counter to that is, when the person grabs your head, you say "Stop making the brain-sucker fat!" before they can call it starving.

== Live-Action TV ==
* Referenced in ''[[Red Dwarf]]''. When the crew is confronted by brain-eating monsters, Rimmer deadpans that there's "barely a snack onboard."
* Similarly referenced in the ''[[Blackadder]] II'' episode "Potato", with cannibals this time.

== Video Games ==
* In ''[[BlazBlue]]'', [[And I Must Scream|Arakune]] [[The Unintelligible|(sort of)]] says this when given the chance to consume [[Idiot Hero|Bang Shishigami]] when the former wins.

== Web Comics ==
* The second variant shows up in ''[[The Order of the Stick]]'', when the Mind Flayer doesn't want to eat Elan's brain. Later, [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0031.html we get to see it picture each of the Order as a meal] and it ticks them off one by one. [[Static Character|Durkon]] = rice (filling but bland), [[Action Girl|Haley]] = a sundae (too sweet), [[Token Evil Teammate|Belkar]] = a taco (it'd get heartburn), [[The Fool|Elan]] = Diet Coke (next!), [[Insufferable Genius|Vaarsuvius]] = a hamburger (getting somewhere) and [[Genius Bruiser|Roy]] = a turkey (perfect!). [[Aren't You Going to Ravish Me?|Vaarsuvius is visibly upset by this.]]
* ''[[Concerned]]'': After Gordon walks away with a headcrab on a head for the better part of a chapter, it eventually [http://hlcomic.com/index.php?date=2006-01-04 falls off], having died of malnutrition. Gordon provides a [[Lampshading]] in the background.
* ''[[xkcd]]'', first type, [http://xkcd.com/397/ when] Zombie [[Hard on Soft Science|Feynman]] wants brains after explaining how ''[[MythBusters]]'' are true science:
{{quote|'''Person:''' Try the physics lab next door.
'''Zombie Feynman:''' I said BRAINS. All they've got are string theorists.}}
:: Pulling double duty there, that punchline is also a [[Stealth Pun]] and a [[Genius Bonus]].
* In [http://www.dorktower.com/2006/05/05/comics-archive-781/ this] ''[[Dork Tower]]'' strip, Igor engages a mind flayer with purple nurples and "the dreaded doom wedgie". Since this effectively proved his character didn't ''have'' a brain to flay, he actually won.
* In ''[[Unsounded]]'', Sette complains that as a zombie, Duane should be eating brains and that hers is full of cunning and knowledge. His response is to knock on her head and declare it "hollow".
* ''[[Evil, Inc.]]'' [http://evil-inc.com/comic/mystics-and-the-occult-dept-3/ sent zombies] to USA Congress once. This didn't work too well.

== Web Original ==
* [http://crowsrock.deviantart.com/art/Tickle-Brain-123698693 ''Tickle Brain'' by Crowsrock] on [[deviant ART]] (the monster tries to feed on a pair of couch potatoes while they watch TV).
{{quote|the tickle brain sometimes get stuck, if the psychic flow comes too low. The specimen in the picture finally got free by catching a straying rat.}}

== Western Animation ==
* In ''[[Futurama]]'', we see a Brain Slug starve to death after it gets on Fry's head. (The true reason is later explained; it's complicated.)
* ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy]]''
** The brain-eating meteor didn't find anything in Billy's head. Although that creature wasn't complaining about other variants.
** Human and Martian zombies also find nothing appetizing in Billy's head.
* Trope namer is from ''[[My Life as a Teenage Robot]]'' where humanoid brain-eating rock monster comments about Brad's brain after his [[Idiot Ball]] what cause him and Jenny get captured. And this is first variant.
* On ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'', the third "[[Treehouse of Horror]]" special had a zombie horde clamoring for "Braaaains" inspect Homer's head, then abandon him in disgust. Most ridiculously, the zombie taps Homer on the head and a very hollow sound is heard before it moves along.
* On ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]'', the girls defeat a brain sucker by tricking him into attacking [[Authority in Name Only|the Mayor]].
* A variation in the ''[[Dilbert (animation)|Dilbert]]'' cartoon where a brain sucking alien devours a marketing guy's brains ([[Take That|not that he cares or notices]]) and dies from something akin to food poisoning.
{{quote|'''Other Alien''': He starved to death with a full stomach.}}
* In ''[[Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot (animation)|Big Guy and Rusty The Boy Robot]]'', a brain-eating monster begins sucking the intelligence of Quark Industries' scientists. When he goes after Donovan, Quark's [[Pointy-Haired Boss]] / [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]], both Donovan AND his monkey try to use this trope in order to escape. The monster just shrugs it off, wanting to attack out of dislike. In a later episode, Donovan's nephew gains the same brain-sucking powers, but decides against attacking Donovan. ("Not empty calories!")

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Tropes of the Living Dead]]
[[Category:Comedy Tropes]]
[[Category:Food Tropes]]
[[Category:Stupidity Tropes]]
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]]
[[Category:Example as a Thesis]]