Badly-Battered Babysitter: Difference between revisions

{{trope}}

 

One of the classic comedy plots, most often seen in cartoons. A babysitter is left in charge of an infant (who, despite being so young, turns out to be incredibly mobile). As soon as the infant's parents are off-stage, the babysitter begins a [[Humiliation Conga|gauntlet of pain and anguish]] of which, somehow, the infant is the ultimate cause.

 

{{examples}}

 

== [[Anime]] and [[Manga]] ==

** A similar incident happened to Pika in the ''[[Pokémon Special]]'' manga. Here, the role of baby was taken by Kitty, Yellow's recently caught Caterpie who Yellow told Pika to look after while she went on a quick errand. Kitty then decided to follow a drifting leaf from one danger to another, much to Pika's horror.

* Oga from ''[[Beelzebub]]'' gets regularly ''electrocuted'' by his foster son, who just happens to be the [[Anti-Anti-Christ]]...

* Estonia from ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia|Hetalia]]'' ends up being this [[Ridiculously Cute Critter|to the mochis]].

* A second flashback in ''[[One Piece]]'' introduces the reader to Curly Dadan, Luffy and Ace's foster mother. Forced into taking care of the brothers under threat of imprisonment for her banditry by Garp, she wonders whether or not jailtime would be worse than putting up with the D children.

 

== [[Comic Books]] ==

* [[X-23]] is assigned the task of watching after [[Fantastic Four (Comic Book)|the Richards kids.]] Said kids open a temporal window and unleash a dragon. It gets complicated from there.

 

* In ''[[Calvin and Hobbes: The Series]]'', the main cast takes on this role trying to babysit Calvin's younger cousin, [[It Makes Sense in Context|climaxing in a water park.]]

 

* [[Abbott and Costello]] often had to deal with the repellent [[Man Child|Stinky]], played by Joe [[De Rita]] of [[The Three Stooges|Three Stooges fame]]. The fact that Stinky was almost as big as Costello and usually dressed up like Little Lord Fauntleroy only made the whole thing even more ridiculous.

* Sarah is a form of this in ''[[Labyrinth]]'', though it was [[Be Careful What You Wish For|her fault that goblins took her baby brother away.]] She has to go through a fairy biting her, lots of running, falling down traps, enduring the Bog of Eternal Stench, [[Villainous Crush|being hit on by the villain,]] and going up against a goblin army. And their parents are none the wiser.

 

== Folklore and Mythology ==

* [[Older Than Print]]: In the [[Welsh Mythology]] cycle, ''The [[Mabinogion]]'', Prince Llewellyn the Great goes out, returning to discover his baby son's cradle overturned, the baby missing, and the guart dog Gelert with blood around his mouth. Llywelyn drew his sword and killed Gelert, who let out a final dying yelp. The he heard the baby's cries and discovered it was unharmed under the cradle, along with a dead wolf which had attacked the child. Gelert had killed it, and the blood had been the wolf's -- and his own, from wounds received in the child's defense.

 

== [[Literature]] ==

* The ''Marc Anthony and Pussyfoot'' cartoons from [[Looney Tunes|Warner Brothers]] had a gruff but softhearted bulldog protecting an oblivious kitten.

** ''The Up-Standing Sitter'' has [[Daffy Duck]] as one of these.

* ''[[Inspector Gadget]]'''s niece's dog, Brain, was always doing the leg work and getting the worst of the situations Gadget got into on cases. Gadget himself was [[Inspector Oblivious|not aware of this]] in the least.

** Taken to its logical conclusion in ''[[Gadget and the Gadgetinis]]''. The sequel series, taking place two years after the first show, shows that Brain had a breakdown between shows and was moved to a riverside house. He's fine around Penny, and warms up to the robot sidekicks that took his place, but is terrified to see Gadget or even hear the word gadget.

** The overuse of this trope is [[Lampshaded]] in one cartoon where Mindy winds in a construction site, where [[Captain Ersatz]]es of [[Tom and Jerry]] are trying to save an unknown baby, and a [[Popeye]] [[Captain Ersatz]] is trying to save <s>Sweet Pea</s> Green Bean.

** In one episode, the Warners have met up with [[Tiny Toon Adventures|Elmyra]] and are trying to get rid of her. They do so by convincing her to follow Mindy. After the Warners stop him from automatically trying to interfere on Mindy's behalf, Buttons ''really'' enjoys seeing someone other than himself taking all the pain for a change.

** Most of the shorts also tend to end with Buttons getting a big hug from Mindy, showing that while the girl's parents treat him like dirt, his torment isn't entirely without its rewards.

* Parodied to the extreme by ''[[TV Funhouse]]'' in its "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-_kLSbKW2o The baby, the immigrant, and the guy on mushrooms]" sketches (where mom leaves the cat in charge of the titular baby, immigrant, and guy on mushrooms).

* ''[[The Simpsons]]'' Did It. Bart has actually abused so many babysitters that the family is effectively blacklisted by every one in Springfield (and one who is convinced to come back has post-traumatic flashbacks on seeing Bart and runs away screaming).

* An incredibly weird variation occurs in ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]''. The girls are given a random babysitter who, by chance, is their [[Arch Nemesis]] Mojo Jojo. The girls are deliberately the worst kids ever, even at one point getting Mojo run over by a car, and ultimately driving him completely insane.

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Youngsters]]