Expo Label: Difference between revisions

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[[As You Know]], one of the more obnoxious side-effects of [[World Building|creating a believable world]] in [[Speculative Fiction]] is [[Expospeak]]. Aha! [[Inner Monologue|I've got it!]] An alternative to using a [[Narrator]] (or making characters look bat-shit crazy as they stand around talking to themselves) is to label everything so clearly that the audience can tell what it is without further explanation! Everything shall be [[Exactly What It Says Onon the Tin]]!
 
Most ordinary things are not labeled like that in [[Real Life]]. While an [[Expo Label]] or two can help with the pacing, they can easily come across as silly and awkward.
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== Film ==
* During the chase scene in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit?]]'', Bennie the Cab yells for his passengers to "pull the lever!" Asked "which one?", a sign pops out of the dashboard, marked with a pointing arrow and "This Lever, Stupid!"
* Parodied in ''[[Spaceballs (Film)|Spaceballs]]'':
{{quote| '''Sign''': Self Destruct Button. Do not push unless you really ''really'' mean it!}}
* A variant used in ''[[Memento (Film)|Memento]]'', when the main character has to carry polaroids of everyone with labels like "Don't believe his lies" because he is unable to form any long-term memories.
 
 
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== Live Action TV ==
* Gerry Anderson's shows take place in a very well labeled future.
* Lampshaded in the ''[[Doctor Who (TV)|Doctor Who]]'' episode "The Age of Steel": Mickey and Jake are looking for the transmitter controls, and Mickey asks what it looks like. Jake responds sarcastically that it'll have a sign with "Transmitter Controls" in big red letters on it. It does.
* The old ''[[Batman (TV series)|Batman]]'' TV show, especially with [[To the Bat Noun|the "Bat" stuff]].
* In ''[[Buffy]]'', the box of Rat Poison with "Rat Poison" on it.
** Also, their plan to attack the Mayor with a box labeled "Ebola"
* In ''[[BeakmansBeakman's World]]'', Beakman can always find the really dangerous stuff in the cabinet marked REALLY DANGEROUS STUFF.
* Everything - and we mean ''everything'' - in ''[[Look Around You]]'', with those embossed red stickers that used to be used in laboratories. In one [[Credits Gag]], a male scientist presents a female scientist (played by Sarah Alexander of ''[[Coupling]]'' fame) a ''box of chocolates'' labelled in this way, which included one item purporting to be sulphur.
* ''[[Castle]]'': The NYPD wears bulletproof vests labeled "Police". In the second ep, Castle gets one custom-made...that's labeled "Writer".
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== Webcomics ==
* ''[[Gunnerkrigg Court (Webcomic)|Gunnerkrigg Court]]'' mixes the Expo Label with [[Most Definitely Not a Villain|blatant untruths]] to give us the "[http://www.gunnerkrigg.com/archive_page.php?comicID=7 NO Spare Robot Parts]" sign.
** Don't forget "Secret Train To Large Animal Holding Cells (Very Hush Hush, You Know.)"
 
 
== Web Original ==
* ''[[Dr. HorriblesHorrible's Sing -Along Blog]]'' gives us the death ray.
* [http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2011/01/cheat-sheet-cakes.html Some of] the cakes featured on [[Cake Wrecks]]. Sometimes for good reason.
 
 
== Western Animation ==
* Edd, of ''[[Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy]]'', had ''everything'' in his room labeled.
* When Ned Flanders let [[The Simpsons]] borrow his summer cabin, he left these on everything, complete with "-diddly".
** "He actually wrote '-diddly!'"
* This often appeared in the 1973/74 season of ''[[Super FriendsSuperfriends]]''.
** "The Weather Maker".
*** A government building has a [[Big Red Button]] with the label "To call police". Robin pushes it so the police will come and pick up some captured villains.