Running Gag/Western Animation: Difference between revisions

* An episode of the animated series ''[[Garfield and Friends]]'' incorporates an intentionally blatant running gag: the episode is framed as a "behind the scenes" documentary where Garfield gives advice on comedy. One of his first pieces of advice is that the secret of humor is to repeat something until it becomes funny. As part of the setup, the lights are often lowered to show a clip. Each time they are to be raised, Garfield calls "Lights!", in response to which several hands appear, offering him lightbulbs. His reaction grows in intensity with each occurrence, starting with "Not funny" and progressing to his final...y being incapacitated by helpless side-splitting laughter when it occurs for the final time.

{{quote|'''Garfield:''' [[Lampshade Hanging|Take note:]] if you do the same stupid joke over and over, [[So Unfunny It's Funny|eventually it turns into a running gag and becomes funny.]]}}

* ''[[Total Drama Island]]'' has tons of these, though most of them only lasted for one season:

** Justin losing his shirt.

'''Cyborg:''' We're in Raven's room. We should not be in Raven's room.

'''Raven:''' That's ''my'' room! '''''Nobody''''' goes in my room! }}

* ''[[Dexter's Laboratory]]'': The title character suffers this trope, in almost every episode.

* ''[[Family Guy]]'':

'''Sokka:''' I was talking to Suki.

'''Toph:''' That would make a lot more sense... }}

{{quote|'''Sokka:''' KATARA!

'''Katara:''' Sorry Sokka. }}

** Also:

{{quote|'''Gosalyn:''' If you don't come [to Honker's birthday party], I won't clean my room.

* ''[[The Weekenders]]'' go out for pizza once every weekend... the pizza place is ''never'' the same theme twice.

** On a few occasions, the pizza restaurant has even changed mid-episode.

** Probably the most famous one, Homer strangling Bart.

** [[Where the Hell Is Springfield?|Springfield's exact location is never given]], or even hinted at too closely.

** “Hi, everybody!”, "Hi, Dr. Nick!"

** All the times the show has [[Biting the Hand Humor|made fun of FOX]].

* ''[[Animaniacs]]'' frequently has Yakko, Wakko, and Dot running by in the other characters' segments, pursued by Ralph the Guard. [[Pinky and The Brain]] would also frequently appear in the background in other segments doing the same thing they do every night. Other characters occasionally get into the act as well.

** And;

{{quote|'''Yakko & Wakko:''' [[Hello, Nurse!|HELLOOOO NURSE!]]

'''Dot''': Boys. Go fig. }}

{{quote|'''Yakko:''' Mwah! Goodnight everybody!}}

{{quote|'''Dot:''' [[Overly Long Name|Princess Angelina Contessa Louisa Francesca Banana Fanna Bo Besca the Third]]... but [[Some Call Me... Tim|you can call me Dot]]. [[Berserk Button|Call me Dotty and you die.]]}}

* On ''[[Histeria!]]'', Pepper Mills constantly bothers historical celebrities for their autographs, not realizing until after she's gotten it that the person in question is not the pop cultural celebrity she has mistaken them for.

* [[Da Chief|Captain Fanzone's]] car getting destroyed in ''[[Transformers Animated]]''

* One can always tell when a ''[[Rocky and Bullwinkle]]'' adventure is about to come to a close when Boris finds one last thing to say to Natasha as their plans lie in ruins around them:

{{quote|'''Boris:''' SHUT UP YOUR MOUTH!}}

* ''[[Superman: The Animated Series|Superman the Animated Series]]'': Batman was missing from Gotham {{spoiler|and really under Braniac mind control}}. After Superman as Batman leaves after talking to Gordon, one of the cops standing around remarks "Did he look taller to you?". This is carry-over from the print comic running gag where characters often expect Batman to be taller.

* The chief weakness of ''Planet Sketch'' was that it tried to make ''all'' its jokes into running gags. In the end, there was very little incentive to watch multiple episodes, since they were all exactly the same.

** Every time Pinkie Pie has "Pinkie Sense" in episodes other than its introduction, it is always twitchy-tail, the falling sense, and invariably, a flower pot falls from the sky. Once, it fell from the sky inside a tent. Pinkie Pie was kind enough to lampshade it.

* ''[[The Penguins of Madagascar]]'': Whenever there's any off-screen destruction a man is heard yelling, "My car!". In ''[[Long Title|The Return of the Revenge of Doctor Blowhole]]'' Skipper destroys a building in Shanghai and someone yells it in Mandarin.

{{quote|'''Mei Li:''' I never have any friends. Not real friends like you have. Like the cricket and that ''mean man with the stripes''.}}

{{quote|'''Tigress:''' Hey there, you. Um...settling in ok?

'''Bian Zao:''' Yes ''sir''! }}

{{quote|'''Croc Bandit:''' We caught that tiger dude.

'''Tigress:''' Tiger ''lady''! }}