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Everything's Better with Bob: Difference between revisions
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{{trope}}{{Cleanup|Entirely too many examples on this page are simply "He's named Bob", with nothing else about the trope applying. These need to be removed. If there's no comedy -- contextual, inherent, or other -- in the example, it's not an example.}}
{{quote|"''You... are my number one... guy!''"|'''[[The Joker]]''' to, well, '''[[Captain Obvious|Bob]]''', ''[[Batman (film)|Batman]]''}}▼
[[File:Bobwastheretoo.png|link=Casey and Andy|frame|Bob was there, too.]]
{{quote|"''You... are my number one... guy!''"
▲
Similar in nature to [[Doomy Dooms of Doom]], [[Everything's Better
Bob is evidently an [[Inherently Funny Words|automatically humorous name]]. This is at least partially because it's so ''aggressively'' mundane to Western ears that it's funny in any context that's the ''least'' bit out of the ordinary. The effect is only enhanced if he [[Bob From Accounting|works in accounting]], or if he happens to be your uncle. It also helps that it's very short (one recognized characteristic of [[Inherently Funny Words]]) and that when you [[Sdrawkcab Name|spell it backwards]] you still get "Bob."▼
▲Similar in nature to [[Doomy Dooms of Doom]], Everything's Better With Bob is the way the name Bob seems to come up a lot in comedy, either as a punchline or as a common replacement name. Bonus points if someone happens to be named Billy Bob, in which case they are probably from the [[Deep South]].
Compare [[Alice and Bob]] ([[Aerith and Bob|or Aerith]]).▼
▲Bob is evidently an [[Inherently Funny Words|automatically humorous name]]. This is at least partially because it's so ''aggressively'' mundane to Western ears that it's funny in any context that's the ''least'' bit out of the ordinary. The effect is only enhanced if he [[Bob From Accounting|works in accounting]], or if he happens to be your uncle. It also helps that it's very short (one recognized characteristic of [[Inherently Funny Words]]) and that when you spell it backwards you still get "Bob."
[[I Thought It Meant|Not to be confused with]] [[Important Haircut|restyling one's hair into a bob cut]].
▲Compare [[Alice and Bob]] ([[Aerith and Bob|or Aerith]]).
{{examples}}
== Advertising ==
* There was a series of [[Hilarious Outtakes|faux outtake-style]] commercials for the ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'' dub that aired during the Myotismon arc. One had 'Izzy' [[Porky Pig Pronunciation|stumbling over Kabuterimon's name]] until he finally [[Face Palm|Facepalms]] and asks "Can we just call him Bob?"
* Little Bobdog, whose cartoony face adorns many a [http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_scZ5gCDPOaY/Regi7wGkL9I/AAAAAAAAAEs/uH2rMWM9Iwc/s400/63157914_a806f7bc23.jpg box of candy], [https://web.archive.org/web/20120507143233/http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/lxL-N46M3KdFzfas05IRwQ T-shirt] and [http://www.qianzhihe.com.cn/pic/0791012248.gif stationery set] across Asia.
* In Belgium and the Netherlands the designated driver is commonly called BOB.
* [[Bob From Accounting]] [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JVewMSPyWc vs. the Orgg.]
* Bob, or Smilin' Bob, is the guy in the [[wikipedia:Enzyte|Enzyte]] male enhancement product commercials.
* [[The Unseen|The never-heard]] Bob from Accountemps always makes everything better for Mr. Fernwell and Nurlman in a long-running series of [[Radio]] ads for the accountants' temp agency.
* Bob of Bob's Discount Furniture, a chain with showrooms across the United States, whose voice and stop-motion animated representation graces their every radio and TV commercial.
== Anime and Manga ==
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== Comic Books ==
* Subverted in the [[Chick Tracts]] in that Bob is a preacher who "retells" the [[The Bible|Bible stories]] [[Beam Me Up, Scotty|with a bit of his own embellishment]]<ref>which is more like twisted versions of these stories</ref> and preaches damnation versus salvation '''ONLY''' through Jesus Christ in some tracts.
* [[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]] member [[Fun Personified|Bobby Drake]] aka Iceman.{{context|reason=How is this an example of the trope as written?}}
== Film ==
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'''Akima:''' I'm never calling it that. }}
** Caption: '''EARTH 2.0''' (aka Planet Bob)
* In the beginning of ''[[The Mummy Trilogy]]'', "Abdul? Mohammed? ...[[Aerith and Bob|Bob?]]"
* ''[[Bob Roberts]]'' is a fictional politician depicted in the eponymous mockumentary by Tim Robbins.
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'''Calvin:''' Well, at least ''he's'' not named after food.
'''Ali Baba:''' Bob, short for Kabob. }}
* ''[[What About Bob?]]''
* In ''[[The Hole]]'' there's Frankie's clearly made up friend Bob (and his girlfriend Sally) who owns a ferrari and apparently one night heard about an escaped killer on the loose on the radio...
* Old BOB (BiO-sanitary Batallion) from ''[[The Black Hole]]''.
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== Live-Action TV ==
* ''[[Bob!]]!''
* [[The Bob Newhart Show|"Hi, Bob!"]]<ref>[[Drinking Game|(drinks)]]</ref>
* [[SCTV|Bob and Doug McKenzie]]
* There were not one, but two characters named Bob in ''[[Blackadder]]'' (both of whom were [[Sweet Polly Oliver|Females in disguise]]).
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== Music ==
* [[The Arrogant Worms]]: [http://www.lyricsdownload.com/arrogant-worms-bonus-dog-named-bob-lyrics.html
** Don't forget [[Jesus]]' Brother Bob:
{{quote|''Jesus' brother Bob, Jesus' brother Bob''
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* The [[Jimmy Buffett]] song "Bob Roberts Society Band"
* [[Sparks]] have a song called "Here Comes Bob" about a man who crashes his car to meet new people.
* Rapper/singer [[w:B.o.B|B.o.B]]
* A capella group [[The Bobs]].
== Newspaper Comics ==
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* At one time, ''[[Garfield (Comic Strip)|Garfield]]'' befriended three mice who were squatting in his house. Two of them were named after their forebears, [[Odd Name Out|but the third]], Bob, was named for "the sound his head makes when he runs into the wall".
== Recorded and Stand Up Comedy ==▼
* [[Bob Newhart]] - The very
▲== Stand Up Comedy ==
* There's an old joke
▲* Bob Newhart - The very embodyment of the everyman trying to deal with all the non-Bobs out there in the world.
▲* There's an old joke- What do you call a guy with no arms or legs in the water? Bob. It's a bit tasteless but still a valid example.
* In a stand-up routine back in the 60's, [[Bill Cosby]] insisted that all gas station attendants have their name, "Bob", on their uniform name-tag.
* There's a clip from a [[Howie Mandel]] concert in which he's interacting with a man in the audience. Mandel asks the man his name and is told "Bob". Mandel replies, "Bob? But ''you'' spell it backwards!" He then queries Bob about his job and finds out he works for the Federal Aviation Administration; Mandel then asks if it's really safer to sit in the back of the plane. Bob replies clearly, "Yes, because the mountains are in front!" The audience roars, and Mandel, clearly delighted, says "You see, Bob? Everyone loves a good FAA joke!"
* In a game show parody on one of Cheech and Chong's albums, a guy named Bob has to guess his own name.▼
== Theater ==
* The Reduced Shakespeare Company's performance of ''The Complete Works of [[William Shakespeare]] (Abridged)'' involves one of the actors calling the lighting manager 'Bob' because '2/3rds of lighting managers are named Bob' and calling every one of the audience members called up to participate 'Bob'.
== Video Games ==
* [[Earthworm Jim (video game)|Bob the Killer Goldfish]]
* [[
* [[Animal Crossing|Bob The Lazy Cat]].
* [[Billy Bob The Cactus Blob]]
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* Bob, the [[Stout Strength|fat]] fighter from ''[[Tekken]] 6''. Also BOB, the [[Fan Nickname]] for series mainstay Hwoarang.
* [[The Secret of Monkey Island|Bob the Ghost]].
** But [[Do Not Call Me "Paul"|you can't call me Bob]], I'm ''[[Large Ham|Murray]]''!
** Also, in ''[[Tales of Monkey Island]] Chapter 1'', if the player has Guybrush place a Porcelain Power Pirate Action Figurine on the altar of Flotsam Jungle:
{{quote|'''Guybrush:''' ''[in his pretend voice]'' Foolish Power Pirate! Your porcelain parts will be sacrificed to, um, Bob, the Lord of the Seas! ''[switches to a pretend high voice]'' Arrrr! Me kidneys! ''[takes the action figure back from the altar]''}}
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* [[Bubble Bobble|Bub and Bob.]]
* Uncle Bob, the jovial cop from the ''[[Pangya]]'' games.
* The briefing for the ''[[
* Bob Wilson from ''[[Fatal Fury]] 3''.
* Bob, one of the ''[[Sunset Riders]]''.
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* [[Wandering Hamster|Bob the Hamster]]
* [[Maple Story|Bob the Killer Snail]]
* Bob the Temmie of ''[[Undertale]]'', the only Temmie with coherent speech.
== [[Web Comics]] ==
* ''[[Bob and George]]''. {{spoiler|Actually an inversion; Bob's one of the ''villains'' of the piece.}}
* ''[[Casey and Andy
** In [http://www.galactanet.com/comic/view.php?strip=584 strip #584], while discussing [[Rouge Angles of Satin|gnu control]], a map of Africa shows the continent is better with Bob.
** The very last panel of [http://www.galactanet.com/comic/index.php the very last strip]: "Bob was there, too."
* ''[[Bob the Angry Flower]]''.
* Bob from ''[[Fletcher Apts]]''
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* Bob from ''[[Emergency Exit]]''
* The late, lamented ''Waiting for Bob''.
* ''[[xkcd]]'': [http://xkcd.com/327/ Robert'); DROP TABLE Students; --], a.k.a. Little Bobby Tables.
* Pretty much every male character in ''[[Edible Dirt]]'' is named Bob, unless it's someone famous or someone whose name is important to the pun.
* Subverted in the bonus panel of [https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/de-extinction this installment] of ''[[Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal]]''
== Web Original ==
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== Western Animation ==
* ''[[Bob the Builder]]''
* [[The Simpsons (animation)|Sideshow Bob]]
{{quote|'''Sideshow Bob''': ''Hello, Bart...''
'''Bart''': Oh, it's you, Bob. How' ya doin'?
'''Sideshow Bob''': No screams? ...Not even...an "eep"?
'''Bart''': Hey, I'm not afraid of you. Every time we tangle you wind up in jail!}}
* [[SpongeBob SquarePants]].
* Bob the Guardian in ''[[
* ''[[God, the Devil and Bob]]''
* ''[[The Fairly
** That's the '''central''' nervous system!
** And Elmer's [[Tuckerization|boil, Bob]].
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* ''[[Histeria!]]'' has Lucky Bob. Hiyo!
* ''[[Veggie Tales|Would you like to talk to tomatoes?]]''
* One of the segments on ''[[
* [[Monsters vs. Aliens|B.O.B.]]
* [[The Incredibles|Bob Parr]]
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* Helga's dad, "Big Bob" Pataki (the Beeper King), of ''[[Hey Arnold!]]'' fame.
* ''[[The Mask (animation)|The Mask]]'' played around the dangers of putting satanic material in their saturday morning cartoon by having [[The Devil]] go solely by the name "Bob". Given the nature of the show, our hero won his soul back by turning into a dozen showgirls.
* After much prodding from the Muses, the narrator from Disney's ''[[Hercules (
* One of the ''[[Rugrats]]''' many [[Malaproper]]s was the oft-repeated [[Getting Crap Past the Radar|"Thank Bob!"]].
* In ''[[As Told by Ginger]]'' Macie's psychologist parents are Bobby and Bobbie Lightfoot.
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* Bob, one of [[Multiple Head Case|the Snowrilla's heads]] on ''[[Jimmy Two-Shoes]]''
* Bob from ''[[Kaijudo (animation)|Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters]]'' is among the most powerful monsters in the series. His name is actually Tatsurion the Unchained, but he would up with Bob as a nickname.
== Other ==
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* In Austria, you can even get internet and mobile phone from [http://www.bob.at Bob]. Who'd have expected that in Austria.
* If you fancy visiting the top of Mt. Jungfrau in Switzerland, you will need to use the trains of BOB - the Berner Oberland Bahn.
▲* In a game show parody on one of Cheech and Chong's albums, a guy named Bob has to guess his own name.
* The name Bob is also used in the Bob campaign in the Netherlands and Belgium, to raise awareness against drunk driving. (people there would thereafter often call the designated driver The Bob)
* Everything is not better with [[wikipedia:Hurricane Bob|Hurricane Bob]]. The name makes it [[Narm|hard to read the article with a straight face:]]
{{quote|''On August 18, Hurricane Bob brushed the coastline of North Carolina, bringing strong winds and heavy rains to the region. Areas along the Atlantic coast in the state recorded up to 5 in (130 mm), with a maximum of 5.3 in (130 mm) falling in Cape Hatteras. One person was killed in the state in relation to Bob and damage from the storm was estimated at $8 million (1991 USD).''}}
* When the eastern half of Canada's Northwest Territories was separated off into a new territory called Nunavut in 1999, there were some unofficial polls as to what to call the remainder. "Northwest Territories" was by far the favourite, but the runner-up was Bob.
* Another Canadian example: The Edmonton Transit Service runs a series of ads about proper behavior on the bus called "It's All About Bob."
* Inverted by [[Mitch Hedberg]], who argued that since [[Thirteen Is Unlucky]], so is the letter B, because it looks like a compressed number 13.
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