Automoderated users, Autopatrolled users, Bureaucrats, Comment administrators, Confirmed users, Moderators, Rollbackers, Administrators
213,804
edits
m (Mass update links) |
No edit summary |
||
(22 intermediate revisions by 7 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
[[File:The More You Know 2011.png|thumb|400px|''"I like how it's totally not clear what the rest of this claim is supposed to be. "THE MORE YOU KNOW<!--all-caps in original-->..."... what? The happier you are? The more cultured you are? Are you better able to survive a life-or-death trivia contest?"'' —Randall Munroe, ''what if? 2'']]
{{quote|'''Riku:''' Now you know. And knowing is half the battle!
'''Sora:''' The other half is shooting somebody.
|'''''[[Ansem Retort]]''''' #120}}
The episode of your cartoon series is over already, and the kids haven't yet had [[An Aesop]] or a science lesson? Well, we can't have that!
Line 18 ⟶ 19:
{{examples}}
== [[Trope Namer]] ==
* The name comes from the moral tack-ons from the end of ''
{{quote|
'''Random Joe:''' "[[Trope Namer|And Knowing Is Half The Battle]]!"
'''Chorus:''' "[[Title Drop|G.I. JOOOOOOEEEEEEE!]]" }}
** [[Sigmund Freud]] is spinning in his grave.
** Nintendo Power referenced this. They ran a shot in their preview of the new ''G.I. Joe'' video game of two members of the team getting ready to charge into battle, and underneath, the caption...
{{quote|
** This is actually [[Truth in Television]]: good intel is vital for military operations and, to a lesser extent, life in general.
* The ''GI Joe'' comic packs parodied these, with ads featuring kids in some sort of problematic situation and the Joes showing up to...tell them about their awesome new action figures.
* ''[[G.I. Joe Extreme]]'' also had PSAs, and even used the "Knowing is half the battle" line too.
{{quote|
* ''[[G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra]]'', rather impressively, makes this line a plot point briefly. It's also printed on a wall of the exercise room.
* ''[[G.I. Joe: Renegades]]'' drops this in as a [[Mythology Gag]] in the first episode as Cobra Pharmaceuticals ''corporate motto''.
Line 47:
** (9 seconds of seeing someone [http://youtu.be/W5a_fEzpDik fall of a cliff] before cutting to the GI JOE title) "[[Curse Cut Short|Shiiiiiiii]]-"
== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==▼
* ''[[Sailor Moon]]''
▲== Anime and Manga ==
▲* ''[[Sailor Moon]]'' -- the "Sailor Says" segments which were created solely for the North American dub.
** Some of these took ''extremely'' vague lessons out of the material. As [[That Guy With The Glasses|That Chick With The Goggles]] points out two good examples-- "[[It Makes Sense in Context|Today we saw buses vanish into thin air]]. If only we could make the smog that buses cause vanish into thin air, too! Even though we're just kids, we can carpool and make a difference." ...yeah. Another example given was that one episode had a lesson to believe in yourself and have confidence, because the episode was about an insecure artist who was afraid to draw what she really looked like because she didn't believe she looked good enough. The end of that episode included a reminder that [[Drugs Are Bad]].
*** Because artists take drugs. Right.
Line 56 ⟶ 55:
*** "So....Studying....Yeah...."
* The "science lessons" in ''[[Gunbuster]]'' and ''[[Martian Successor Nadesico]]'' may have been partly meant to parody such tags in series imported from the US, as they are something rarely if ever seen in [[Anime]] as it is broadcast in Japan.
** Though in ''[[Gunbuster]]'', relativistic time dilation also plays a major role in the plot of later episodes, so they had to explain it for the story to make sense.
* An anime which plays this straight is ''[[Mari and Gali]]'', which attempts to teach middle school students about scientific principles. Its makers still throw in a lot of slapstick and general silliness, so the result is [[Widget Series|rather strange]]
* ''[[Yakitate!! Japan]]'' ends each episode with a random factoid about bread.
* ''[[Moyashimon]]'' ends each episode with a segment teaching about a microorganism involved in fermentation featuring anthromorphic bacteria.
* ''[[Hikaru no Go]]'' ends episodes with a live-action segment that discusses actual Go strategy.
* ''[[Eyeshield 21]]'' ends each episode with basic safety tips for beginning football players.
* ''[[Harukanaru Toki no Naka de|Harukanaru Toki no Naka de - Hachiyou Shou]]'' has the [[Super-Deformed]] "Kotengu Classic" segments at the end of some episodes, with [[Small Annoying Creature|Ko]][[Sleep Mode Size|tengu]] explaining some facts about something specific mentioned in the
** ''[[La Corda D Oro|La Corda d'Oro - Primo Passo]]'' does the same with "Lili's One-Point Classic" and music.
* ''[[Nyan Koi]]'' ends each episode with a segment called MewView, where the main character cats recap the episode in a humorous way, and then sign off with an "interesting fact" about cats.
Line 68 ⟶ 67:
* Used in one volume of the English edition of [[Kindaichi Case Files]] talking about the differences between Western and Japanese computers. They also use it to justify the heavy edits by explaining that if they used a literal translation, the English reading audience won't get a fair chance at solving the mystery themselves.
* Some of the ''[[Yumeiro Patissiere]]'' episodes end with cooking advice for making certain types of sweets.
== Comic Books ==
Line 74 ⟶ 72:
** These were actually required by law. In order to qualify as second-class mail, a publication had to have a certain amount of straight text.
* Comic books from a lot of different companies back then also sometimes had the starring characters advertising and selling war bonds on the front cover.
* DC Comics once commissioned a series of in-house PSAs in the early 90s featuring several DC heroes like [[Batman|Robin]], [[Booster Gold]], [[The Flash]], among others getting informed about the real facts concerning HIV and AIDS. The most well known of the bunch was the adult-oriented Neil Gaiman and Dave Mckean authored ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20120308200136/http://members.fortunecity.com/bookdepository/comics/death/life.html Death Talks About Life]'', featuring Death of the Endless from ''[[The Sandman]]'' and John Constantine.
== Film ==
* Parodied by ''[[Love Actually]]'':
{{quote|
* In ''[[Looney Tunes: Back in Action]]'', after Bugs Bunny explains the art technique of Pointillism, he says: "I think, when you go to the movies, you should learn somethin'."
* Steven Seagal's speech at the end of ''[[On Deadly Ground]]''
* ''[[Toy Story (franchise)|Toy Story]] 2'' has an in-universe example where the last aired episode of [[Show Within a Show|Woody's Roundup]] had the show Woody address the audience about not forgetting their friends and family while singing the recurring song "You've Got a Friend in Me". This convinces the Woody watching, who had just decided to abandon his old friends and his owner Andy to go to a museum in Japan with the rest of the roundup gang toys, to reverse his decision and take the roundup gang with them.
== Live
* Each major American network has their own version of these. The most well-known and often parodied are NBC's "The More You Know Segments", which featured celebrities of the time in [[Public Service Announcement
** A special feature on ''[[The Office]]'' season 2 DVD, where the show's characters tell you important facts about life. Dwight informs viewers that he could survive on a wolf's diet, Jim tells you that the black jelly beans are bad, and Ryan tells you, if you're hanging out with your friends, and someone tries to sell you a $9 beer, just say no, because $9 is way too much for a beer. ''[[The Office]]'' [[Biting the Hand Humor|airs on NBC.]]
* ''[[The Daily Show]]'' parodies it with 'The Less You Know', a segment about censorship where the rainbow trail on the star logo is blacked out with redaction bars.
** It also parodied it with 'The More You Wish You Didn't Know' on a segment concerning the ACORN scandals.
* One of J.D.'s fantasies in ''[[Scrubs]]'' (also on NBC) parodies this with J.D. telling the audience why it's wrong to smother your kids, in a [[Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick|horrifyingly casual manner]]:
{{quote|
* The other three "big four" networks have their own answers to NBC's "The More You Know" PSAs. As for TMYK, the logo at the top of the page is no longer used; they've
** ABC had "A Better Community".
** CBS has "CBS Cares".
*** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fun9s4lsPI8&feature=related Can't find that special holiday gift for the man in your life? Get him a prostate exam!] Not sure if this is [[Squick]], a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]] or a [[Funny Aneurysm Moment]], but it's '''something'''.
** Fox has "Pause". ([[Incredibly Lame Pun|Get it?]]) The "Pause" segments are innovative because they are
* ''This Is the Life'' and virtually all of the now-disappeared religious anthology dramas that aired from the early 1950s through late 1980s. After the situation at hand reaches its resolution, an off-screen narrator (or sometimes, on-screen host, invariably a clergyman) will review a given situation, offer appropriate commentary and give a brief Scripture reading to recap the [[An Aesop|lesson of the day]].
* Indeed (through at least the early 2000s), many stations would offer a brief, pre-taped message from a clergyman from their broadcast area, usually an inspirational message or some other quick lesson on applying Christian values to daily life.
* ''[[Double the Fist]]'' gives us Mephisto Knows. Mephisto tells us about something he doesn't like such as Athletes, Vegetarians, and Traffic Signs.
* ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' ends one episode with a special message from Barney:
{{quote|
** The camera then pans away to show that he's not addressing the audience, but a girl in the bar, and the music cuts out as she rejects him. He immediately turns to another girl and begins the speech again.
* In the early seasons, all episodes of ''[[Power Rangers]]'' ended with "a message from the Power Rangers." Though not as frequent as before, Rangers doing a public service announcement or two has made a comeback in recent years (apparently, listening to your parents is as important factor in being a hero as far as the Overdrive Rangers are concerned... even though [[Broken Aesop|their Red Ranger became a Ranger by ignoring his father's prohibitions]] against his putting himself in danger that way).
Line 110 ⟶ 106:
** Sometimes other characters do this, like [[Francia Raisa]]'s character, Adrian.
* ''[[Kamen Rider Kiva]]'' had this invoked at the beginning of every ep, thanks to Kivat.
{{quote|
* The ''[[Clueless]]'' TV series once had one where the audience was earnestly told that the only safe sex is ''no'' sex.
* An episode of the ''[[Rotten Tomatoes Show]]'' had a Three Word Review that described the movie ''Knowing'' as "Half the battle".
* The 80s show ''[[Voyagers]]'' always had star Meeno Peluce tell the viewers, during the closing credits, that if they wanted to learn more about the historical periods and/or people from the episode, they could visit their local library ("It's all in books!").
* ''[[Attack of the Show!]]'' will occasionally mock this trope. When they teach the audience a "lesson," Kevin or Olivia will inform then that they "just got learned!". Cut to a parody of the shooting star made famous by NBC; only it's a rocketship flying over the Earth, and it crashes into a blimp, and the blimp [[Too Soon|hindenbergs]] back into the atmosphere.
* ''[[Code Red]]'' episodes had a coda where a cast member give a fire safety or first aid lesson.
* The ''[[Son of the Beach]]'' show attempted to parody this. Unfortunately, the parodies weren't funny.
* ''[[Eureka]]'' has a series of PSAs called ?Live Smart, Eureka? featured on the Season 2 DVD. They consist of reminding the really smart scientists that what they are doing could potentially be really dumb.
* ''The [["Weird Al" Yankovic|Weird Al Yankovic]] Show'' suffered from this phenomenon.
* ''[[Police, Camera, Action!]]'' started doing from 2007 onwards at the end of the show. Even the episode ''Ultimate Pursuits'' had one, although that could be considered as [[The Parody|a parody]] of ''[[Back to the Future (film)|Back to The Future]]'' (with the accompanying theme music). It's rare to see such things on a documentary...
* ''[[30 Rock]]''. At the end of the episode ''Gavin Velure'', Tracy's sex doll made a ''And Now You Know'' segment.
{{quote|
* Spoofed by ''[[The Late Late Show]] with Craig Ferguson'', which ends every episode with a segment named "What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?" right before the ending credits. Quite often, the segment contains no lesson whatsoever, and on the occasion it does have one, it's never a serious one. "Lessons" have included a Spanish vocabulary word and "The kitten in the [[What Did We Learn on the Show Tonight, Craig?]] graphic is a computer animation, not a video of a real kitten."
** Craig Ferguson also parodies this trope and combines it with [[Biting the Hand Humor]] by frequently saying "CBS Cares" after giving some unhelpful advice. He sometimes combines this with a [[Spoof Aesop]].
* ''[[The People's Court]]'' does this at the end of each case, with host Harvey Levin giving some practical advice on how to avoid the mess the judge just cleaned up. Note: Since laws vary from state to state, he's not always right. Check your jurisdiction's rules to be sure.
** Indeed, in the original version, the producers explicitly advised this in a disclaimer shown at the end of each program.
* [[Wizards of Waverly Place]] did this once.
* The Z-Trip, MURS and Supernatural song "Breakfast Club", being a love letter to Saturday morning cartoons, parodies several of these. "[[America Takes Over the World|Even in cartoons, Americana can't be tackled]], but at least you know now,
==
* This trope is [[Older Than You Think]], as some old-time radio dramas did the same thing. ''[[The Shadow]]'', for one, sometimes offered in-character advice on how to properly operate and maintain a coal-burning furnace after an episode was over. This rather shamelessly combined
▲* The Z-Trip, MURS and Supernatural song "Breakfast Club", being a love letter to Saturday morning cartoons, parodies several of these. "[[America Takes Over the World|Even in cartoons, Americana can't be tackled]], but at least you know now, [[And Knowing Is Half the Battle]]", "let a ho be a ho, and that's one to grow on", and such.
== Tabletop Games ==
* The tabletop RPG ''[[Cartoon Action Hour]]'' is designed to evoke the feel of action cartoons from the 1980s. In fact, players can earn bonus experience points by role-playing their characters in an After-The-Show Message.
▲== Theater ==
* The epilogue of ''[[William Shakespeare|Pericles]]'' can be roughly summarized as "Look at all these characters! The gods punished the wicked ones and rewarded the righteous ones!"
* Mozart's (somewhat) dark comedy ''[[Don Giovanni]]'' unexpectedly ends a night of ribald hijinks and catchy tunes with a final scene of the antihero (antivillain?) being dragged down to Hell. The rest of the cast then come onto the stage and [[Breaking the Fourth Wall|Break The Fourth Wall]], lecturing that [[Scare'Em Straight|what the audience has just seen is the fate that awaits all sinners]].
* Most plays written in the 18th century had prologues that basically said, "this is a good play, you'll enjoy it" and epilogues repeating the moral of the play. Probably justified, since few people at the time actually went to the theater to watch a play - they went to see and be seen.
* ''[[The Matchmaker]]'' ends with Barnaby stating a somewhat facetious moral.
== Video Games ==
Line 150 ⟶ 144:
* ''[[Mother 3]]'' has a few signs in certain locations that provide the player with real-world information based on the context, such as about certain types of [[Save Point|frog]] that can survive in desert climates, or why mole tunnels can be so long and complex (the latter even encouraging the player to take time out to go watch moles in action some day).
* When drinking in Catherine, a [[Disembodied Voice]] will interrupt you to tell you about some random trivia about the drink you chose.
== Web Animation ==
Line 156 ⟶ 149:
* Parodied by [[Legendary Frog]], who had a transforming toaster warn Kerrigan about the dangers of electric shock.
** [[Legendary Frog]] also gave us "[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/193439 The Matrix Still Has You]," in which inadvertent phasing by The Twins leads to a car accident, and Neo gives us a lecture on seatbelts.
* Parodied on ''[[Video Game/Homestar Runner|Homestar Runner]]'', where the [[Show Within a Show|Cheat Commandos]] do an educational cartoon on avoiding "inappropriate peer-to-teen choice behaviors" called ''[https://web.archive.org/web/20131112215917/http://www.homestarrunner.com/cheatcommandos4.html Commandos In The Classroom]''.
** And parodied again in [https://web.archive.org/web/20131112200123/http://www.homestarrunner.com/2manyknives.html An Important Rap Song], where Crack Stuntman (voice of Gunhaver on the Cheat Commandos) does a corny rap song about not playing with too many (some are alright, then?) knives (and spring break, [[Totally Radical|for some reason]]).
* In a [[Sonic Shorts]] Collaboration, one of the 'episodes' had this to parody the morals that used to be at the end of [[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog]] cartoons, with an Aesop about Internet plagiarism.
{{quote|
'''Sonic:''' And knowing is half the battle!
'''Chorus:''' G I JOOOOOE! }}
* Parodied in a [[Transformers]] short on [[Newgrounds]] too:
{{quote|
'''Kid 1:''' Thanks Optimus! Now we know!
'''Optimus:''' And knowing is half the battle!
'''Kid 2:''' So what's the other half?
'''Optimus:''' Huh?
'''Kid 2:''' What's the other half of the battle?
'''Optimus:''' Hmmm... never really thought about that before. Let me answer that question... with MERCHANDISE! ''(merchandise rains down)''
'''Kids:''' YAY! }}
== Web Comics ==
* Parodied in [https://web.archive.org/web/20110717220714/http://www.pvponline.com/2008/03/22/safety-first-kids/ this PVP comic] that suggests what "the other half of the battle" is.▼
▲== Webcomics ==
* Also parodied by ''[[Overcompensating]]'' [https://web.archive.org/web/20110810185338/http://www.overcompensating.com/posts/20050809.html here].▼
▲* Parodied in [http://www.pvponline.com/2008/03/22/safety-first-kids/ this PVP comic] that suggests what "the other half of the battle" is.
* ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'': [https://web.archive.org/web/20090624222720/http://www.scottpilgrim.com/index.php?id=previews Free Scott Pilgrim] ends with "Scott Pilgrim Says", where we are taught never to hit a girl. Unless it is an emergency. And that's what Scott Pilgrim says!▼
▲* Also parodied by ''[[Overcompensating]]'' [http://overcompensating.com/posts/20050809.html here].
▲* ''[[Scott Pilgrim]]'': [http://www.scottpilgrim.com/index.php?id=previews Free Scott Pilgrim] ends with "Scott Pilgrim Says", where we are taught never to hit a girl. Unless it is an emergency. And that's what Scott Pilgrim says!
* Parodied by name, in [http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0145.html this] ''[[The Order of the Stick|Order of the Stick]]'', complete with a ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' [[Shout-Out]].
* ''[[The Adventures of Dr. McNinja]]'' concludes every chapter with one of these.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090221155913/http://theslackerz.com/index.php?nav=Comic&Page=106 The Slackerz] features G.I Derek: Magical Marine Pimp Supreme, a parody of [[G.I. Joe]] complete with [[Shout-Out]]
* ''[[Sam and Fuzzy]]'' parodied the good touch/bad touch "Sonic Sez" in [http://samandfuzzy.com/580 this strip.]
* Used in [https://web.archive.org/web/20101229192549/http://www.brawlinthefamily.com/?p=625 this] ''[[Brawl in the Family]]'' strip.
* ''[[The Dragon Queen]]'' gives one on the [https://web.archive.org/web/20140803130735/http://www.dragonqueencomic.com/2010/08/18/transgender-tips/ proper way to pick up a transexual].
== Web Original ==
* Also parodied in [http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=eILYTLKJqtQ this] ''[[Mass Effect]]'' fan video, in which [[Action Girl|Ashley's]] line "shooting people isn't always the answer" is presented as one of these.
* Parodied in [https://web.archive.org/web/20110813035428/http://www.channel101.com/shows/show.php?show_id=176 McCourt's In Session] where the eponymous judge delivers a slightly disturbing warning to kids.
* Given the contents of the website, it seems only fitting that ''Encyclopedia Dramatica'' uses a variant of NBC's TMYK logo for their section, "THE MOAR YOU KNOW."
* Quoted in ''[[Chad Vader]]'', S2 Ep8 "Bandito Beatdown" :
{{quote|
'''Weird Jimmy''': "Well, knowing ''is'' half the battle. The other half is doing. Well, not half but [mutters]...65 for knowing [mutters] the doing is-is..." }}
* For some reason, ''[[Sonichu]]'' issue 10 has a message not to let your kids play M-rated games.
* ''[[Full Metal Panic Abridged]]'' parodies this in the first episode, after warning it's viewers about the dangers of creating an abridged series!
== Western Animation ==
Line 200 ⟶ 190:
* Anything by [[Filmation]], including:
** ''[[Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids]]'' would invariably end their episodes with a musical performance by Albert and the gang, that would spell out the lesson of the day. They, along with [[Bill Cosby]]'s narrative asides, tended to make the lessons go down more smoothly than a lot of 70s cartoons did.
{{quote|
** ''The New Adventures of [[Zorro]]'' (the 1981 version) featured the title character giving an epilogue each episode about Spanish-American history (focused on California).
** ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]'' plus its [[Spin-Off]] ''[[She-Ra: Princess of Power|She Ra Princess of Power]]''. It was halfway-used in one episode of the 2002 version, where the Masters needed Orko to help lure a colony of dragons to attack monsters under the control of Skeletor. After that task was successful, the episode concludes with Orko admitting to his chagrin that he's still scared of the species, but the heroes reassure him that a proper respect for a fierce and powerful creature is the mark of a wise person. Here, the lesson flows relatively naturally from the plot and the fourth wall is kept intact.
Line 207 ⟶ 197:
** ''[[Filmation's Ghostbusters|Filmations Ghostbusters]]'' (the 1986 TV series by [[Filmation]], not [[The Real Ghostbusters|the other one]])
** ''[[Bravestarr]]'', as with most [[Filmation]] shows. Unusually, there is at least one episode where a ''villain'' gets to deliver the message, with Outlaw Scuzz talking about how bad smoking is for one's health, and how he wishes he could quit but he's addicted.
* ''[[Bravestarr]]'s'' counterpart [[Space Western]] ''[[Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs]]'' used it, mostly in the title character's closing voice over.
* ''[[Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers]]'' was very conscious about ''averting'' it (making it a rarity among the [[Animation Age Ghetto]]). This became one of the reasons it attracted an [[Periphery Demographic|older audience]].
* ''[[Superfriends]]'' - safety tips, magic tricks, science projects, you name it. Probably set the tone for all the others.
* ''[[Superman: The Animated Series|Superman the Animated Series]]'' once put this trope to an interesting use for the opening of one of its episodes: it starts with a setup that might have come out of one of these [[PSA
* Several PSA segments were prepared for ''[[Transformers Generation 1]]'', another Hasbro property produced by Sunbow and Marvel Productions concurrent with G.I. Joe. The segments even used the "and knowing is half the battle" line (and the scripts from the G.I. Joe
** Parodied in an episode of ''[[Robot Chicken]]'' where Optimus Prime talks about prostate cancer.
* ''[[Jem]]'', another Hasbro property produced by Sunbow and Marvel Productions (like ''G.I. Joe''' and ''Transformers'') also featured similar PSA segments. Like the Transformers ones, these also mimicked the G.I. Joe versions, sometimes word-for-word, but the "Knowing is half the battle" line was replaced with "Doing the right thing makes you a Super Star".
* ''[[Inspector Gadget]]''.
* ''[[
** Like ''[[Bravestarr]]'' above, ''MASK'' had the epilogue lesson delivered by the villains one time (what to do in an earthquake).
* ''[[Captain Planet and the Planeteers]]'' -- Either the whole show, or just the "Planeteer Alert" at the end, depending on [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism|how cynical you are.]]
* ''[[Heathcliff and The Catillac Cats]]'' and ''[[Pound Puppies]]'' -- Always about pet care or pet safety.
* ''[[Animaniacs]]'' -- Parodied with reckless abandon as the "Wheel of Morality" [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_u05kUx1WQ "Wheel of Morality, turn, turn, turn. Tell us the lesson that we should learn!"]
{{quote|
** "Early to rise/And early to bed/Makes a man healthy/But socially dead."
** Possums have pouches like kangaroos.
Line 230 ⟶ 220:
** Slow and steady wins the race, but it's faster to take a taxi.
** Don't go towards the light. Especially if it's a headlight.
** It's easy to be
** If you can't say something nice, you're probably at the Ice Capades.
** Do not back up. Severe tire damage.
Line 236 ⟶ 226:
** In another episode, the wheel landed on [[Wheel of Fortune|Bankrupt]].
** In yet another episode they lampshade the whole purpose of the wheel of morality mandates from the FCC.
*** Of course, at the end of [[The Movie]] ''[[Wakko's Wish|Wakkos Wish]]'', they finally got a real moral out of the
** This was also spoofed at the end of [[Power Rangers|Super Strong Warner Siblings]].
{{quote|
Yakko, Wakko and Dot: Right! }}
* ''[[Veggie Tales]]'' does this routinely. Sing along if you know it.
{{quote|
And God has a lot to say in his book.
You see we know that God's word is for everyone,
And now that our song is done we'll take a look! }}
* ''[[Clerks the Animated Series]]'' parodied this with a number of post-episode shorts, such as having Jay and Silent Bob present a ''[[Mr Wizard]]'' inspired magic-from-science segment. They showed a simple sleight-of-hand trick, with the twist that a key element of the trick required invoking the power of Satan.
Line 254 ⟶ 244:
* This was used in ''The [[Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' cartoon series (but not [[Sonic Sat AM|the one that aired on Saturday mornings]]) with a short '[[Xtreme Kool Letterz|Sonic Sez]]' segment every episode, where Sonic explained some sort of lesson (often safety related) to the viewers. Disturbingly, Sonic once took it upon himself to explain "good touch vs. bad touch" to the kids at home ("There's nothing more cool than being hugged by someone you like. But if someone tries to touch you in a place or in a way that makes you feel uncomfortable, that's no good!"). The Internet being what it is, this has spawned [[Memetic Mutation|various edits and parodies]], such as [http://mchammeradvice.ytmnd.com/ "Sonic Gives MC Hammer Advice",] which is the "touch" speech with parts of "Can't Touch This" edited in.
** listen to the mighty sloth and not take rides in clothes driers!
** And remember
** There is also that one PSA that had the bumbling villains Scratch and Grounder [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqVRCUBPc4E swigging booze] and [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZhM2m_dYBA smoking cigarettes]. But, you know, it was to encourage kids not to. Talk about [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]. "Hurry up, Grounder, I wanna try this booze!"
* ''[[The Simpsons (animation)|The Simpsons]]'' played with this as early as the first-season episode "Bart the General".
{{quote|
** A later episode, "Bart Starr", had guest star Joe Namath break the fourth wall to deliver an inspiring message.
{{quote|
** A later [[Halloween Special]] provided a message about adult illiteracy.
** And then there was the episode where 'N Sync (of all people) delivered one about how mocking the U.S. Navy was wrong - [[Hypocritical Humor|although the characters had just spent the episode doing exactly that]].
** "Kids, always recycle. TO THE EXTREEEEEEEME!"
* Spoofed at the end of the ''[[Kim Possible]]'' "Grande Size Me", where Ron delivers the moral of the episode to the audience at the
** The whole episode was essentially a parody of these. The animators were informed that they absolutely '''had''' to do [[Executive Meddling|an Aesop-heavy episode about kids' health,]] so they complied, but tried to make it as deliberately [[Anvilicious]] and thus hilarious as possible.
*** Don't forget the [[Space Whale Aesop]]!
Line 276 ⟶ 266:
** Which was a bit odd, given that interstellar space was depicted as containing [[Batman Can Breathe in Space|breatheable air]] and Earth-normal gravity throughout the show proper.
** In fact everything about that universe was divorced from our own laws of physics. This was a world where banging a tuning fork in space created wind and ice.
* ''[[Centurions]]''
* Spoofed in an ''Ambiguously Gay Duo'' animated short, from ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', in which the Duo present unintentionally [[Double Entendre]]-filled home safety tips. ("Grab the plug firmly by the male end and shove it right in. Don't play with it.")
** As long as we're on the topic of SNL...
{{quote|
* The otherwise obscure ''[[Back to The Future (cartoon)|Back to The Future]] The Animated Series'' was mostly remembered for that funny guy at the
* ''[[Static Shock]]''
* ''[[Mighty Max]]'' had a segment at the end of each episode with Max giving a brief fact related to the subject of the episode. One two-part finale, with Max still out with Virgil and Norman in a hellish setting, had Max's mother remarking on her son's choice of Dante's Inferno as reading material.<ref>When the series was shown in the UK, they were cut from [[The BBC|BBC1]]'s screenings but left intact on [[Nickelodeon]].</ref>
* ''[[Mister T (animation)|Mister T]]'' ([[The Animated Series]] starring [[Mr. T]]) puts both the moral in the action
* ''[[The Grim Adventures of Billy
* In one early morning commercial on [[Nickelodeon]], Katara from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]'' gives a lecture about swimming safety, and how you should always have an adult around. This is a ''horribly'' [[Broken Aesop]] considering these are the kids who do everything with the oldest member being fifteen, from world travel, to swimming, to fighting, to [[Refuge in Audacity|completely unpunished]] [[Flopsy|insurance fraud]]. Also [[Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking|Toph farts in the pool]].
** You should also keep in mind that when you have characters who can [[Making a Splash|control the very water]] around them, and [[Healing Hands|heal you]] if you do get hurt, drowning is probably not high on their list of worries.
* ''[[The Venture Brothers]]'' included a [[Very Special Episode]] about testicular torsion - an obscure and embarrassing medical problem to which Dean succumbed. The after-credits segment included the [[Animated Actors]] woodenly giving awareness lectures while reading off cue cards, in a very 'The More You Know' style.
** Interestingly enough, Doc Hammer actually suffered from testicular torsion when he was younger and based Dean's experience in the episode on his own.
Line 292 ⟶ 282:
** There were. Amanda Carey (a.k.a. the [[Token Girl]]) is usually the one to explain the episode's lesson (there's at least one lesson for each episode). One notable exception was "Football Fugitives" where it was justified by the fact she wasn't involved in the episode's main plot. Surprisingly enough, she ''did'' explain the moral of an episode where she made no appearance at all other than the [[All Just a Dream]] episode "The Relegator". Napper explained the moral of another episode where it was left ambiguous if he dreamt the whole thing or not.
* The ''[[Family Guy]]'' episode "The Son Also Draws", (featuring an Indian casino) ended with the family acting racist towards a nationality stereotype, then immediately explaining why the stereotype is incorrect, with at "The More You Know" star showing up behind them. Then comes Peter:
{{quote|
** ''[[Family Guy]]'' does this several times. In "North by North Quahog" Chris gets caught drinking in the boy's bathroom and a [[G.I. Joe]] steps outta the stall and gives a lecture about drinking.
*** Specifically, it was Flint. [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|Voiced by the original actor.]]
Line 304 ⟶ 294:
* ''[[Liberty's Kids]]'', a public-broadcasting educational series set during the American Revolution, initially included pieces of bogus news, reported by [[Benjamin Franklin]], in the middle of each program. These interludes, intended to teach (very) young viewers about life in the 18th century, were cut from non-PBS broadcasts to make room for commercial breaks.
* Spoofed in the ending of the ''[[Duck Dodgers]]'' episode: "The Fudd":
{{quote|
* ''[[Spliced]]'' parodies this with ''Knowing is Growing''
* Spoofed multiple times in ''[[Yin Yang Yo!|Yin Yang Yo]]''.
Line 313 ⟶ 303:
** In fact, so much so that in Part 2 of "The Return of Harmony", these letters (sent back by Celestia) gave her the resolve she needed to rescue her friends, power up the Elements of Harmony, and defeat Discord when all hope seemed lost. Even more impressive, she turns the aesop of ''that'' episode into an ''epic'' [[World of Cardboard Speech]]/[[Shut UP, Hannibal]] against Discord.
** Interestingly, Season 1 of My Little Pony has the EI rating, while season 2 does not. The production team apparently decided this change of rules ''awesome'', and thus made "Lesson Zero", an episode where Twilight is unable to learn a new lesson about friendship and [[Sanity Slippage|goes a little nuts]]. At the end of the episode, Princess Celestia tells Twilight she only has to write letters when she feels she has learned something and not all the time, effectively freeing this from being mandatory. This hasn't stopped the end-of-episode aesops as they still show up in subsequent episodes afterwards, but interestingly, though, fans and staff liked the idea so much that the writers also utilized the opportunity to allow ''other'' members of the mane cast to occasionally write their own letters to the Princess.
** This is given
* Spoofed in a ''[[Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law]]'' episode about
* Every episode of ''[[Rescue Heroes]]'' would end with the characters recapping the lessons learned earlier in the episode. These typically were reduced to restating the emergency situation of the episode, telling you how it should be dealt with, and ending with the <s>clever</s> annoyingly cheesy phrase, "Think like a Rescue Hero. Think safe."
* Occasionally parodied in the ''[[Sam and Max Freelance Police (animation)|Sam And Max Animated Series]]'', in their "Our Bewildering Universe" shorts. A great example is "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_SEInSqOmM Chock Full O'Guts]", a short as unnecessarily gory as network standards would allow a kid's show to be, in which they claim to be teaching the viewer about the body, but instead play a heart like a bagpipe, throw intestines around and explain that the pancreas's function is to be a paperweight.
Line 321 ⟶ 311:
* Every ''[[Invisible Network of Kids]]'' episode ends with the 'Science Club' segment where Cosmo Soper discusses the scientific or hostoric basis for something that had been the theme of that episode; like amnesia, or chess.
* ''[[Pound Puppies]]'' had a "Pet Care Corner" where viewers were given hints on how to take care of their pets.
* The Captain Atom episode of ''[[Batman: The Brave And The Bold|Batman the Brave And The Bold]]'' begins with one of these. The Captain tells 2 kids to stay away from a downed power line and delivers the egotistical Aesop of "Next time, be a hero, by remembering you're not." The same line is later [[Ironic Echo|turned back around on him]] after the [[Monster of the Aesop|bad guy]] [[Brought Down to Normal|takes his powers away]] and he starts [[Plot Parallel|getting in the way by trying to be a hero.]] At the end of the episode, after his temporary loss of powers has apparently shown him that [[Stock Aesops|there's more to being a hero than having special powers]], an almost-identical PSA [[Aesop Amnesia|starring the same two kids]] is shown: "You don't have superpowers, and [[Subverted Trope|that makes you some of the most fragile]] and [[Spoof Aesop|pathetic organisms in the whole universe."]]
* Parodied at the end of an episode of ''[[The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat]]'', in which Felix steps up to deliver a [[Fantastic Aesop]] based on the episode's storyline. Instead of being about just saying "no" to [[The Aggressive Drug Dealer]], it's about not ever buying a magic bag from anyone. (And no, it's not supposed to be analogous to not wasting money or something, since Felix then urges to viewer to [[It Makes Just As Much Sense in Context|purchase an edible wig instead]].)
* Davey's father in [[Davey and Goliath]] got this duty, recapping the lesson of the day by talking with Davey (and sometimes others) about it. Mountain Dew even produced a commercial that parodied this practice (and subverts this trope in the process).
== Real Life ==
* Frequently applied by teachers. Sometimes, the teacher will wrap up the school day by recapping a lesson from the day, or give information that could affect the students the next day (e.g., "Don't forget the permission slips for the field trips. If they're not signed, you don't get to go to the zoo.")
* Many small-town newspapers still have columns where local
----
''You know, we've had a lot of fun today. But you know what's not fun? [[Red Link
{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Children's Show Tropes]]
[[Category:Saturday Morning Cartoon]]
[[Category:An Aesop]]
[[Category:Undead Horse Trope]]
|