The Trope Formerly Known as X: Difference between revisions

In 1993, the musician [[Prince]] changed his name to an [[Lucky Charms Title|unpronounceable symbol]] (roughly Ƭ̵̬̊) as part of a [[Take That]] to Warner Bros. legally preventing him from recording under the name "Prince", which is his legal [[One Name Only|given name]]. The phrase "the artist formerly known as Prince" was [[Memetic Mutation|coined by]] a public that had no idea what else to call him. Seven years later, his contract with that recording company expired and he went back to being known as simply Prince, making him [[Shaped Like Itself|the artist formerly known as the artist formerly known as Prince]], if you're being technical.

{{quote| "Will 'The Character Formerly Known as the Man With No Name' and now associated with this symbol please be advised that he has inexplicably attracted the unbridled wrath of the Gawds and has just been turned into a newt!!"}}

{{quote| '''Lord Talon:''' So now you're "The ninja formerly known as Galford?"}}

** Averted -- hisAverted—his new name, ''Daishi'', stuck once it was actually pronounced/written in Roman characters!

== Fan FictionWorks ==

* One ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' fanfic featured several Princes. One was called "The Prince Formerly Known as Artist", probably referencing the theatre adaptation mentioned below.

* In ''[[Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth (Film)|Shriek If You Know What I Did Last Friday the Thirteenth]]'':

{{quote| "Dawson, let me introduce you to the principal. Sorry, The Administrator-Formerly-Known-as-Principal." }}

* ''[[Garfield (Filmfilm)|Garfield]]: A Tale of Two Kitties'': "I'm not Prince. I'm not even the cat formerly known as Prince".

* Long before the Prince situation, in ''[[Monty Python and Thethe Holy Grail]]'', The Knights Who Say Ni demand... [[Cool and Unusual Punishment|a shrubbery]]! When King Arthur and co. bring a shrubbery back...

{{quote| '''Head Knight''': We are now... no longer The Knights Who Say Ni.<br />

'''Random Knight''': Ni!<br />

'''Head Knight''': Shh. We are now The Knights Who Say... Ekky-ekky-ekky-ekky-pi''kang''-zoom-Boing-z'nourrrwringmm.<br />

'''Random Knight''': Ni!<br />

'''Head Knight''':Therefore, we must give you a test.<br />

** ''[[Monty Python and Thethe Holy Grail]]'' came out in the late 1970s, over a decade before Prince changed his name, making it possibly an [[Ur Example]] of the trope's fundamental concept.

{{quote| '''Kari''': (narrating) ...And Matt's trying to make it as a rock star! His stage name is the Digidestined Formerly Known As Matt.}}

* In ''[[Animorphs (Literature)|Animorphs]]'', Ax always calls the leader of the group Prince Jake. During one issue where only the pair of them were left, Jake tells Ax that there aren't enough people around, so he should be called The Jake Formerly Known As Prince. Later, when the group is back together, the two go through their [[Running Gag]] ("Don't call me Prince." "Yes, Prince Jake") and Ax says, instead, "I will call you The Jake Formerly Known As Prince."

{{quote| '''Marco:''' Now he's telling jokes. Bad, ''bad'' jokes.}}

{{quote| '''Marco:''' "Kiss me and I'll become a prince. I'll be the Prince Formerly Known As Toad. You know you want me. You can't help it. After all, you're female, and I'm... well, I'm me."}}

* In the ''[[Sixteen Thirty Two|1632]]'' series, Don Fernando, the Spanish king's younger brother, was in holy orders as the "cardinal-infante" ("infante" is Spanish for "prince who's not heir to the throne"). Then he got a dispensation to give up being a cardinal. From that point on, there're occasional references to him as "the prince formerly known as cardinal-infante."

== Live -Action TV ==

* ''The Show Formerly Known as the[[The Martin Short Show]]''

* On ''[[Lost (TV)|Lost]]'', in between the point where Ben went by Henry Gale and where people started using his real name, Sawyer referred to him as "The Artist Formerly Known As Henry Gale".

* On ''[[Thirty Rock (TV)|Thirty30 Rock]]'', one of Tracy Jordan's antics was to declare that he was now to be addressed as "the gentleman formerly known as Rectum".

* Meanwhile, after [[Goldust]]'s [[Heel Face Turn]] didn't go so well, [[WWEWorld Wrestling Entertainment|WWF]] had him turn back heel, trade his black and gold for a red, black, and green outfit, and dub himself The Artist Formerly Known As Goldust. While still going by that same name, he spent several months dressed as a [[Marilyn Manson (Music)|Marilyn Manson]] clone.

* The subject of a game of 'Limerick' on ''[[I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (Radio)|I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue]]'' (where the contestants are given an opening line and have to complete a limerick by supplying one line each in turn):

{{quote| The artist formerly known as Prince,<br />

On stage he would posture and mince,<br />

Then just for a giggle,<br />

He changed his name to a squiggle,<br />

* From ''[[Spamalot (Theatre)|Spamalot]]'': "the artists formerly known as the Knights Who Say Ni".

* In a stage adaptation of ''[[Aladdin (Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', one prince vying for Jasmine's affection is "The Prince formerly known as The Artist"

* Ansom of ''[[Erfworld (Webcomic)|Erfworld]]'', after having his views on royalty changed by the events at Gobwin Knob, insists that he is "merely a warlord formerly known as Prince."

* ''[[Eight Bit Theater (Webcomic)|Eight 8-Bit Theater]]'': After the gang learns that [http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/02/25/episode-253-ive-been-waiting-a-long-time/ Thief is actually the prince of the elves:]

{{quote| '''[[The Ditz|Fighter]]:''' Wait, [[Let Me Get This Straight...]]. So Thief is the elf formerly known as prince?<br />

* In ''[[Sinfest (Webcomic)|Sinfest]]'' during a usual squabble between [[Vitriolic Best Buds|God and Dragon]] -- "[httphttps://wwwweb.archive.org/web/20140209172541/http://sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=1999 What are you, the artist formerly known as Buddha?]"

* ''[[Sluggy Freelance (Webcomic)|Sluggy Freelance]]'' has "[http://www.sluggy.com/comics/archives/daily/040910 demon once known as Riff]".

* In ''[[Dissonance (Webcomic)|Dissonance]]'', a mouse that really shouldn't be alive right now is referred to as "Lazarus," or "Lars" for short, because "the mouse formerly known as mangled carcass" was too long.

* In ''[[Homestar Runner (Web Animation)|Homestar Runner]]'', when Marzipan is dressed as Prince for Halloween:

{{quote| '''Homestar Runner:''' Hey, the girlfriend formerly known as Marzipan. I think you missed a little bit when you were shaving. Right there, about the sideburns area.<br />

'''Marzipan:''' More like [[No Accounting for Taste|the former girlfriend]] known as Marzipan.<br />

* ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: theThe Abridged Series (Web Video)|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]] '': "[[I Have Many Names|I have had many names.]] Once I was known as Pharaoh. Then I was the artist formerly known as Pharaoh."

* An episode of ''[[The Nostalgia Critic (Web Video)|The Nostalgia Critic]]'' has the titular critic wonder why King Koopa from ''[[Super Mario Bros Super Show]]'' isn't simply called "Bowser," or at least "The Artist Formerly Known as Bowser."

* Used twice by ''[[The Simpsons (Animationanimation)|The Simpsons]]''; one of the puppies in the ''101 Dalmatians'' parody is called "The Puppy Formerly Known as Prince", while "Lisa's Wedding" calls him "The Artist formerly known as [https://web.archive.org/web/20070302164738/http://z.about.com/d/altreligion/1/0/h/S/2/stafkap.jpg *unpronounceable symbol*]".

** There's also one of the flashback episodes (possibly "Lisa's First Word"),{{verify}} set during a time when "The Artist Formerly Known As Prince was currently known as Prince."

* In one episode of ''[[Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child (Animation)|Happily Ever After Fairy Tales for Every Child]]'', Mother Goose's decision to fly the coop leaves all the nursery rhyme characters in a muddle, and Humpty Dumpty starts referring to himself as "the egg formerly known as Dumpty."

* "The Artist Formerly Known as Spot" from ''[[One Hundred and One101 Dalmatians (Disney)|101 Dalmatians: The Series]]''.

* [[Prince (Music)|Prince]] is obviously the [[Trope Namer]].

[[Category:The Trope Formerly Known As X{{PAGENAME}}]]

[[Category:TropeShout-Outs Index]]