Amusing Alien: Difference between revisions
(clean up) |
(update links) |
||
(7 intermediate revisions by 3 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{ |
{{trope}} |
||
[[File: |
[[File:InvaderZim 1852.gif|link=Invader Zim|frame|He's got the whole world in his hands...and no clue what to do with it.]] |
||
An |
An '''Amusing Alien''' is a sci-fi, fantasy, or otherworldly character<ref>'alien' is not meant to be literal</ref> whose main purpose is to [[Rule of Funny|amuse the audience]]. |
||
While the |
While the '''Amusing Alien''' might have a serious (or mundane) task in the story, a character belongs in this trope only if comedy is his '''primary''' reason for existing in the work. An elf archer who [[Pungeon Master|tells puns incessantly]] is not an '''Amusing Alien''', whereas an elf archer whose arrows [[Accidental Aiming Skills|always take an unexpected path to hit their targets]] would be. If the character becomes irrelevant, uninteresting, or [[The Load]] when played seriously, then he's an '''Amusing Alien'''. |
||
Most of the time, the |
Most of the time, the '''Amusing Alien''' will be a secondary or background character, to avoid excessively derailing the plot with their antics. The primary exception is in comedies, where casting an '''Amusing Alien''' as the main character leads to lots of easy jokes. |
||
May overlap with [[Funny Foreigner]], but the two tropes are not identical. An otherworldly [[Funny Foreigner]] elicits laughs from their ignorance and bizarre behavior; an |
May overlap with [[Funny Foreigner]], but the two tropes are not identical. An otherworldly [[Funny Foreigner]] elicits laughs from their ignorance and bizarre behavior; an '''Amusing Alien''', on the other hand, can be anything from [[The Smart Guy]], a [[Deadpan Snarker]], or a [[Genre Savvy]] [[Fourth Wall Observer]]. As a general rule, if the '''Amusing Alien''' is of a race or species that's common in the work, the trope is [[Funny Foreigner]] instead. |
||
If there's a multi-character party, the |
If there's a multi-character party, the '''Amusing Alien''' will probably be the [[Team Pet]], the [[Non-Human Sidekick]], or the [[Token Non-Human]]. |
||
Given the subjective nature of comedy, the risk is high that an |
Given the subjective nature of comedy, the risk is high that an '''Amusing Alien''' can end up becoming an [[Alien Scrappy]] if not handled carefully. This trope documents '''Amusing Alien''' characters that were ''intended'' to be funny; whether or not they succeed is another matter... |
||
Also see [[Alien Among Us]], [[Pet Monstrosity]], [[Plucky Comic Relief]], [[Fantastic Anthropologist]], and [[Crazy Cultural Comparison]]. |
Also see [[Alien Among Us]], [[Pet Monstrosity]], [[Plucky Comic Relief]], [[Fantastic Anthropologist]], and [[Crazy Cultural Comparison]]. |
||
{{examples |
{{examples}} |
||
== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] == |
== [[Anime]] & [[Manga]] == |
||
* Mokona from ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'', until {{spoiler|it's revealed that he's actually the creator of both Cephiro and Earth.}} |
* Mokona from ''[[Magic Knight Rayearth]]'', until {{spoiler|it's revealed that he's actually the creator of both Cephiro and Earth.}} |
||
* 7-Zark-7, from ''[[Battle of the Planets]]'', the American adaptation of ''[[ |
* 7-Zark-7, from ''[[Battle of the Planets]]'', the American adaptation of ''[[Science Ninja Team Gatchaman]]''. |
||
* America's little buddy Tony of ''[[ |
* America's little buddy Tony of ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'', provided you find his habitual cursing and severe hatred of the English amusing. |
||
* A good deal of the cast in ''[[Keroro Gunsou]]'' |
* A good deal of the cast in ''[[Keroro Gunsou]]'' |
||
Line 43: | Line 43: | ||
** [[Alien Scrappy|Jar-Jar Binks]] and [[Brian Blessed|Boss Nass]] from ''[[Star Wars]]: [[The Phantom Menace]]''. |
** [[Alien Scrappy|Jar-Jar Binks]] and [[Brian Blessed|Boss Nass]] from ''[[Star Wars]]: [[The Phantom Menace]]''. |
||
** Greedo from ''[[Star Wars]]: [[A New Hope]]''. Note that he wasn't ''trying'' to be funny, but his only purpose in the film was to be a punchline for Han Solo. |
** Greedo from ''[[Star Wars]]: [[A New Hope]]''. Note that he wasn't ''trying'' to be funny, but his only purpose in the film was to be a punchline for Han Solo. |
||
* Several in the ''[[Men in Black ( |
* Several in the ''[[Men in Black (film)|Men in Black]]'' franchise, including Frank the Pug and the Worm Guys. |
||
* Pizza the Hutt, Yogurt, Barf the Mawg, Dot Matrix, and the Dinks in ''[[ |
* Pizza the Hutt, Yogurt, Barf the Mawg, Dot Matrix, and the Dinks in ''[[Spaceballs]]''. |
||
* Gimli the Dwarf in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' live-action movies. |
* Gimli the Dwarf in ''[[The Lord of the Rings]]'' live-action movies. |
||
* Bubo the mechanical owl from the original ''[[Clash of the Titans]]'' was this from time to time. |
* Bubo the mechanical owl from the original ''[[Clash of the Titans]]'' was this from time to time. |
||
* The main character of the recent movie ''[[ |
* The main character of the recent movie ''[[Paul]]'' is this. He ''is'' voiced by Seth Rogen. |
||
== [[Literature]] == |
== [[Literature]] == |
||
* Rincewind's Luggage from the [[Discworld]] novels, though the humor tends to be more... violent. |
* Rincewind's Luggage from the [[Discworld]] novels, though the humor tends to be more... violent. |
||
* An entire species of Amusing Aliens: [[Hoka|the Hokas]]. |
* An entire species of Amusing Aliens: [[Hoka|the Hokas]]. |
||
* An hilariously out-of-the-ordinary example of this trope occurs in [[Diane Duane]]'s [[Young Wizards]] novel ''Wizard's Holiday'', when Dairine attempts to lead her three alien wizard guests on a trip to the mall. Considering that one of them is a tree, one a giant centipede, and the third a sun prince who looks like an anime character, you can guess what kinds of |
* An hilariously out-of-the-ordinary example of this trope occurs in [[Diane Duane]]'s [[Young Wizards]] novel ''Wizard's Holiday'', when Dairine attempts to lead her three alien wizard guests on a trip to the mall. Considering that one of them is a tree, one a giant centipede, and the third a sun prince who looks like an anime character, you can guess what kinds of Amusing Alien antics will happen. |
||
* ''[[Animorphs (TV)|Animorphs]]'' the Iskoort are a species of amusing aliens. (and annoying too) |
* ''[[Animorphs (TV series)|Animorphs]]'' the Iskoort are a species of amusing aliens. (and annoying too) |
||
** Sometimes Ax falls into this trope, though he isn't exclusively it. |
** Sometimes Ax falls into this trope, though he isn't exclusively it. |
||
== [[Live Action TV]] == |
== [[Live Action TV]] == |
||
* [[Mork and Mindy|Mork from Ork]], probably the [[Trope Codifier]] and best example. |
* [[Mork and Mindy|Mork from Ork]], probably the [[Trope Codifier]] and best example. |
||
* ''[[ |
* ''[[ALF]]'' |
||
* [[Saturday Night Live|The Coneheads]] |
* [[Saturday Night Live|The Coneheads]] |
||
* Tom, Dick, Harry, and Sally from ''[[3rd Rock |
* Tom, Dick, Harry, and Sally from ''[[3rd Rock from the Sun]]'' |
||
** Along with their Supreme Leader, the Big Giant Head (as portrayed by [[William Shatner]]). |
** Along with their Supreme Leader, the Big Giant Head (as portrayed by [[William Shatner]]). |
||
* All the eponymous ''Aliens In The Family''. |
* All the eponymous ''Aliens In The Family''. |
||
* Uncle Martin from ''[[My Favorite Martian]]''. Also the film and [[Saturday Morning Cartoon]] versions. |
* Uncle Martin from ''[[My Favorite Martian (TV)]]''. Also the film and [[Saturday Morning Cartoon]] versions. |
||
* V.I.C.I. from ''[[Small Wonder]]''. |
* V.I.C.I. from ''[[Small Wonder]]''. |
||
* Alpha 5 from ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]''. |
* Alpha 5 from ''[[Mighty Morphin Power Rangers]]''. |
||
* The [[Star Trek |
* The [[Star Trek: The Next Generation|Pakleds]] start off as a straight example of this trope {{spoiler|but actually use their ignorant appearance to deceive others.}} |
||
** ''Double'' subverted by the Pakleds, actually: {{spoiler|1=they're bright enough to steal technology and kidnap Geordi LaForge but not bright enough to actually ''use'' their stolen technology without the help of a kidnapped engineer...nor to see through the technobabble and bad acting the Enterprise crew uses to effect a rescue.}} |
** ''Double'' subverted by the Pakleds, actually: {{spoiler|1=they're bright enough to steal technology and kidnap Geordi LaForge but not bright enough to actually ''use'' their stolen technology without the help of a kidnapped engineer...nor to see through the technobabble and bad acting the Enterprise crew uses to effect a rescue.}} |
||
** And they ''are'' slow - just not ''quite'' as much as people tend to think |
** And they ''are'' slow - just not ''quite'' as much as people tend to think |
||
Line 72: | Line 72: | ||
* Meego, the [[Shape Shifter]] alien from the CBS sitcom of the same name. |
* Meego, the [[Shape Shifter]] alien from the CBS sitcom of the same name. |
||
* Angelo from ''Mike And Angelo''. |
* Angelo from ''Mike And Angelo''. |
||
* Twiki from ''[[Buck Rogers in |
* Twiki from ''[[Buck Rogers in the 25th Century]]''. |
||
* George Sunday/Thermoman from ''[[My Hero]]''. |
* George Sunday/Thermoman from ''[[My Hero (TV)]]''. |
||
* Jeannie from ''[[I |
* Jeannie from ''[[I Dream of Jeannie]]''. |
||
* Brian and Sophie Johnson, the titular parents of ''[[My Parents Are Aliens]]''. |
* Brian and Sophie Johnson, the titular parents of ''[[My Parents Are Aliens]]''. |
||
* Hymie from ''[[ |
* Hymie from ''[[Get Smart]]''. |
||
* Tom Servo and Crow from ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' (and Gypsy when she isn't running the ship). |
* Tom Servo and Crow from ''[[Mystery Science Theater 3000]]'' (and Gypsy when she isn't running the ship). |
||
* ''[[Mister Ed|Mr. Ed]]'' |
* ''[[Mister Ed|Mr. Ed]]'' |
||
* ''[[ |
* ''[[The Addams Family]]'' and ''[[The Munsters]]''. |
||
* Sheldon Cooper from ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' is an ''Earthling'' example. |
* Sheldon Cooper from ''[[The Big Bang Theory]]'' is an ''Earthling'' example. |
||
* Dex, also known as the ''[[Masked Rider]]'', has traces of this at times. In one example would be that his race, Eltarians, derive from insects instead of apes. Now guess what he answered on an Earth biology test on the subject of human origins… |
* Dex, also known as the ''[[Masked Rider]]'', has traces of this at times. In one example would be that his race, Eltarians, derive from insects instead of apes. Now guess what he answered on an Earth biology test on the subject of human origins… |
||
Line 85: | Line 85: | ||
== [[Video Games]] == |
== [[Video Games]] == |
||
* Tingle from the various ''[[ |
* Tingle from the various ''[[The Legend of Zelda]]'' games. |
||
* Hans the winged pig in ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]''. |
* Hans the winged pig in ''[[Valkyria Chronicles]]''. |
||
* Almost all of the [[You No Take Candle|vorcha]] from [[Mass Effect]] 2. |
* Almost all of the [[You No Take Candle|vorcha]] from [[Mass Effect]] 2. |
||
Line 101: | Line 101: | ||
== [[Web Original]] == |
== [[Web Original]] == |
||
* [[Agamemnon Tiberius Vacuum]] and the Vacuum Consortium. SUBMIT WILLINGLY! |
* [[Agamemnon Tiberius Vacuum]] and the Vacuum Consortium. SUBMIT WILLINGLY! |
||
* ''[[ |
* ''[[Capt'n Crazy|Captn Crazy]]''. Actually, this was a late development - for a long time, even the author wasn't sure WTH the Capt'n actually is. |
||
* Bob of [[Olan Rogers|New Prime]] |
* Bob of [[Olan Rogers|New Prime]] |
||
* Utkon Mai of ''[[The Gungan Council]]'', a tiny, spice-addicted Jawa. Returned from being assumed dead by singing "[[Lady Gaga |
* Utkon Mai of ''[[The Gungan Council]]'', a tiny, spice-addicted Jawa. Returned from being assumed dead by singing "[[Lady Gaga|Bad Romance]]." |
||
== [[Western Animation]] == |
== [[Western Animation]] == |
||
* Mr. Mxyzptlk from the [[DCAU]], appropriately [[Actor Allusion|voiced by |
* Mr. Mxyzptlk from the [[DCAU]], appropriately [[Actor Allusion|voiced by]] [[Gilbert Gottfried]]. |
||
* Roger from ''[[ |
* Roger from ''[[American Dad]]''. |
||
* Pleakley from ''[[ |
* Pleakley from ''[[Lilo and Stitch (Disney film)|Liloand Stitch]]''. |
||
** Stitch himself is also [[Comedic Sociopathy|a good example]]. |
** Stitch himself is also [[Comedic Sociopathy|a good example]]. |
||
** As well as his older cousin 625, who's entire existence is mostly based around sandwiches and [[Deadpan Snarker|Deadpan Snarking]]. |
** As well as his older cousin 625, who's entire existence is mostly based around sandwiches and [[Deadpan Snarker|Deadpan Snarking]]. |
||
* ''[[Invader Zim]]'' |
* ''[[Invader Zim]]'' |
||
* There's a variety in ''[[ |
* There's a variety in ''[[Futurama]]'', [[My Friends and Zoidberg|plus Zoidberg]]. |
||
* ''[[Teen Titans ( |
* ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'': Starfire's odd Tamaranean customs and fish-out-of-waterness is the show's main source of funny. |
||
** She drinks mustard as if it were soda and... |
** She drinks mustard as if it were soda and... |
||
** Confuses the familiarity levels of social greetings and... |
** Confuses the familiarity levels of social greetings and... |
||
Line 119: | Line 119: | ||
** Misinterprets Earth Slang ("You diggin' the scene?" "I... did not know we were supposed to bring shovels!") and... |
** Misinterprets Earth Slang ("You diggin' the scene?" "I... did not know we were supposed to bring shovels!") and... |
||
** is allergic to chromium (The reaction is [[Power Incontinence|sneezing star-bolts]]). |
** is allergic to chromium (The reaction is [[Power Incontinence|sneezing star-bolts]]). |
||
* Uni the unicorn from ''[[Dungeons and Dragons ( |
* Uni the unicorn from ''[[Dungeons and Dragons (animation)|Dungeons and Dragons]]''. |
||
* Slimer in ''[[ |
* Slimer in ''[[The Real Ghostbusters]]''. |
||
* Orko from ''[[He-Man and |
* Orko from ''[[He-Man and the Masters of the Universe]]''. |
||
{{reflist}} |
{{reflist}} |
||
Line 130: | Line 130: | ||
[[Category:Alien Tropes]] |
[[Category:Alien Tropes]] |
||
[[Category:Fantastic Sapient Species Tropes]] |
[[Category:Fantastic Sapient Species Tropes]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:Alliterative Trope Titles]] |
||
[[Category: |
[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] |
Latest revision as of 03:38, 10 April 2017
An Amusing Alien is a sci-fi, fantasy, or otherworldly character[1] whose main purpose is to amuse the audience.
While the Amusing Alien might have a serious (or mundane) task in the story, a character belongs in this trope only if comedy is his primary reason for existing in the work. An elf archer who tells puns incessantly is not an Amusing Alien, whereas an elf archer whose arrows always take an unexpected path to hit their targets would be. If the character becomes irrelevant, uninteresting, or The Load when played seriously, then he's an Amusing Alien.
Most of the time, the Amusing Alien will be a secondary or background character, to avoid excessively derailing the plot with their antics. The primary exception is in comedies, where casting an Amusing Alien as the main character leads to lots of easy jokes.
May overlap with Funny Foreigner, but the two tropes are not identical. An otherworldly Funny Foreigner elicits laughs from their ignorance and bizarre behavior; an Amusing Alien, on the other hand, can be anything from The Smart Guy, a Deadpan Snarker, or a Genre Savvy Fourth Wall Observer. As a general rule, if the Amusing Alien is of a race or species that's common in the work, the trope is Funny Foreigner instead.
If there's a multi-character party, the Amusing Alien will probably be the Team Pet, the Non-Human Sidekick, or the Token Non-Human.
Given the subjective nature of comedy, the risk is high that an Amusing Alien can end up becoming an Alien Scrappy if not handled carefully. This trope documents Amusing Alien characters that were intended to be funny; whether or not they succeed is another matter...
Also see Alien Among Us, Pet Monstrosity, Plucky Comic Relief, Fantastic Anthropologist, and Crazy Cultural Comparison.
Anime & Manga
- Mokona from Magic Knight Rayearth, until it's revealed that he's actually the creator of both Cephiro and Earth.
- 7-Zark-7, from Battle of the Planets, the American adaptation of Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.
- America's little buddy Tony of Axis Powers Hetalia, provided you find his habitual cursing and severe hatred of the English amusing.
- A good deal of the cast in Keroro Gunsou
Comic Books
- From the Marvel Universe:
- The Impossible Man.
- Before he became Darker and Edgier, The Awesome Slapstick certainly qualified. The guy dunked a bucket of water on Ghost Rider's head, fer crissakes...
- The monsters of Fin Fang Four (Gorgilla, Fin Fang Foom, Elektro and Googam) probably qualify: they're former monsters who are "rehabilitated" and do mundane jobs (window washer, parking lot attendant) at the Baxter Building.
- Lockheed of the X-Men.
- From the DC Universe:
- Mr. Mxyzptlk
- Bat-Mite
- Don't ferget Lobo, ya bastiches!
- Starfire in Teen Titans, broken English aside, is more Stripperiffic than anything else in the comic.
- 2000 AD had loads
- The Gronk in Strontium Dog
- The trio of heros in Ace Trucking Co were all amusing aliens
- Grobbendonk in Nemesis the Warlock
Film
- C-3PO, in all of the movies.
- Jar-Jar Binks and Boss Nass from Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.
- Greedo from Star Wars: A New Hope. Note that he wasn't trying to be funny, but his only purpose in the film was to be a punchline for Han Solo.
- Several in the Men in Black franchise, including Frank the Pug and the Worm Guys.
- Pizza the Hutt, Yogurt, Barf the Mawg, Dot Matrix, and the Dinks in Spaceballs.
- Gimli the Dwarf in The Lord of the Rings live-action movies.
- Bubo the mechanical owl from the original Clash of the Titans was this from time to time.
- The main character of the recent movie Paul is this. He is voiced by Seth Rogen.
Literature
- Rincewind's Luggage from the Discworld novels, though the humor tends to be more... violent.
- An entire species of Amusing Aliens: the Hokas.
- An hilariously out-of-the-ordinary example of this trope occurs in Diane Duane's Young Wizards novel Wizard's Holiday, when Dairine attempts to lead her three alien wizard guests on a trip to the mall. Considering that one of them is a tree, one a giant centipede, and the third a sun prince who looks like an anime character, you can guess what kinds of Amusing Alien antics will happen.
- Animorphs the Iskoort are a species of amusing aliens. (and annoying too)
- Sometimes Ax falls into this trope, though he isn't exclusively it.
Live Action TV
- Mork from Ork, probably the Trope Codifier and best example.
- ALF
- The Coneheads
- Tom, Dick, Harry, and Sally from 3rd Rock from the Sun
- Along with their Supreme Leader, the Big Giant Head (as portrayed by William Shatner).
- All the eponymous Aliens In The Family.
- Uncle Martin from My Favorite Martian (TV). Also the film and Saturday Morning Cartoon versions.
- V.I.C.I. from Small Wonder.
- Alpha 5 from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.
- The Pakleds start off as a straight example of this trope but actually use their ignorant appearance to deceive others.
- Double subverted by the Pakleds, actually: they're bright enough to steal technology and kidnap Geordi LaForge but not bright enough to actually use their stolen technology without the help of a kidnapped engineer...nor to see through the technobabble and bad acting the Enterprise crew uses to effect a rescue.
- And they are slow - just not quite as much as people tend to think
- Morn, the perpetual barfly at Quark's Bar on Deep Space Nine, is a meta example; he's described as an extremely talkative being who knows the funniest joke in the universe, and others have attributed various fantastic feats to him. Even so, he's always shown in stoic silence on the show.
- Meego, the Shape Shifter alien from the CBS sitcom of the same name.
- Angelo from Mike And Angelo.
- Twiki from Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.
- George Sunday/Thermoman from My Hero (TV).
- Jeannie from I Dream of Jeannie.
- Brian and Sophie Johnson, the titular parents of My Parents Are Aliens.
- Hymie from Get Smart.
- Tom Servo and Crow from Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and Gypsy when she isn't running the ship).
- Mr. Ed
- The Addams Family and The Munsters.
- Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory is an Earthling example.
- Dex, also known as the Masked Rider, has traces of this at times. In one example would be that his race, Eltarians, derive from insects instead of apes. Now guess what he answered on an Earth biology test on the subject of human origins…
- Tripitaka's dragon-cum-horse-cum-human from Monkey.
Video Games
- Tingle from the various The Legend of Zelda games.
- Hans the winged pig in Valkyria Chronicles.
- Almost all of the vorcha from Mass Effect 2.
- Surely Legion counts too.
- Most of the aliens in Deadlock fall under this category.
Web Comics
- Kiki from Sluggy Freelance, if a talking ferret is considered "otherworldly".
- Div from Penny Arcade, an alcoholic Deadpan Snarker DivX player.
- Also from Penny Arcade, the Fruit Fucker.
- Ahem in The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob. A sort of three-legged jellyfish, he's described as a useless, cowardly slacker, but one who is fun to hang out with.
- Zorphbert and Fred
- Molly The Peanut Butter Monster from The Inexplicable Adventures of Bob
Web Original
- Agamemnon Tiberius Vacuum and the Vacuum Consortium. SUBMIT WILLINGLY!
- Captn Crazy. Actually, this was a late development - for a long time, even the author wasn't sure WTH the Capt'n actually is.
- Bob of New Prime
- Utkon Mai of The Gungan Council, a tiny, spice-addicted Jawa. Returned from being assumed dead by singing "Bad Romance."
Western Animation
- Mr. Mxyzptlk from the DCAU, appropriately voiced by Gilbert Gottfried.
- Roger from American Dad.
- Pleakley from Liloand Stitch.
- Stitch himself is also a good example.
- As well as his older cousin 625, who's entire existence is mostly based around sandwiches and Deadpan Snarking.
- Invader Zim
- There's a variety in Futurama, plus Zoidberg.
- Teen Titans: Starfire's odd Tamaranean customs and fish-out-of-waterness is the show's main source of funny.
- She drinks mustard as if it were soda and...
- Confuses the familiarity levels of social greetings and...
- Thinks it's a good idea to give spine-snapping hugs to nearly every new friend they make and...
- Misinterprets Earth Slang ("You diggin' the scene?" "I... did not know we were supposed to bring shovels!") and...
- is allergic to chromium (The reaction is sneezing star-bolts).
- Uni the unicorn from Dungeons and Dragons.
- Slimer in The Real Ghostbusters.
- Orko from He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
- ↑ 'alien' is not meant to be literal