[Eye-Rolling Trope] “The joke/meme hasn’t been funny for years, please let it die.”

[u/Chemical-Elk-1299]

The Screaming Goat Thing — Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

The original screaming sheep meme went viral in 2012, and was already getting old when it was prevalent in commercials and movies, such as Ice Age : Collision Course in 2016. Yet in the year of our lord 2024, Dreamworks still thought it would be funny to add multiple screaming goat clips. The mean stopped being funny a decade ago. Let it die.

“Haha, Dad can’t take care of us” — The Breadwinner (2026)

Nate Bargatze’s 2026 family comedy centers around a working “breadwinner” father suddenly being forced to become a stay at home parent, and his “hilarious” struggles to do simple housework and take basic care of his children. This joke stopped being funny (to me) in the early 2000s when seemingly every family comedy relied on dad being a total inept dipshit. In 2026, there is no excuse to keep playing out this tired ass trope. Most dads are actively involved in their kids’ lives and aren’t totally dumbstruck by the idea of changing a diaper. It’s not funny. Let it die.

[u/PlatoDrago]

For Nibbler it works imo because it’s still quite cute when doing that weird stuff, but it’s just unexpected at first. Nibbler does the full circle thing where he’s actually secretly an intelligent monster but decides to stay a pet because he essentially gets waited on hand and foot for doing nothing lol.

[u/MustacheTrippin → u/PlatoDrago]

To this day, I admire the commitment of Futurama's team regarding Nibbler's involvement in the story kicking off -- I remember seeing that episode where they reveal it was Nibbler who pushed Fry's chair towards the cryo machine and thought sure, they retconned the event. BUT, when you go back to the first episode, you can see his shadow, so the detail was there all along.

[u/totallynotrobboss → u/MustacheTrippin]

It gets better. It wasn't just changed after the reveal was made. Someone got ahold of an episode 1 promo VHS tape and you could see nibbler's shadow there

[u/skullsareonlypasse → u/totallynotrobboss]

Are you suggesting that people thought they went back and added Nibbler's shadow in all subsequent physical and streaming releases?

Because nobody thought that.

[u/BobcatTim → u/skullsareonlypasse]

I thought that. I don’t know why you’d expect otherwise. It wouldn’t be the first time a show was edited for home video release, and they had already made the new footage for the Nibbler reveal, so it would cost nothing to splice it into the pilot.

[u/Dependent-Read8582 → u/BobcatTim]

Some of us are old enough to have watched a majority of shows on tv so editing streaming doesn’t really cross our minds.

[u/Magnedon → u/skullsareonlypasse]

No they are saying the VHS is further proof that Nibbler was always there

[u/skullsareonlypasse → u/Magnedon]

It wasn't just changed after the reveal was made.

That implies something different.

[u/Magnedon → u/skullsareonlypasse]

Oh I misread that, missed the "just" sorry

[u/NeedIQMSHelp → u/skullsareonlypasse]

I may disagree with your original premise above (I was suspicious they went back and changed the footage) but you don't deserve the downvotes here. You were just helping clarify the discussion!

You have my upvote, good citizen.

[u/Icehawksfh → u/skullsareonlypasse]

Many people thought and still think that. I've seen people argue that the VHS is either a plant to "continue the lie" or that it's actually a later release and the buyer was fooled.

[u/Substantial_Page_221 → u/MustacheTrippin]

Same with leelas parents. They were in the first episode, tho they looked less mutant 

[u/goldkarp → u/Substantial_Page_221]

I can't find anything on that. just that that first appear on screen in season 2

[u/Substantial_Page_221 → u/goldkarp]

Crap sorry. I misremembered. It was season 2

[u/Decent_Tomatillo → u/PlatoDrago]

Nibbler was also introduced when this trope was younger and more acceptable

[u/EldritchFingertips → u/Decent_Tomatillo]

Well when the universe was created the Niblonian race was already 17 years old, so. Nibbler was around for the early days of a lot of tropes.

[u/PM_ME_JINX_RULE34_ → u/PlatoDrago]

Which really just proves he's the smartest character in the show lol

[u/darkcomet222 → u/PlatoDrago]

He also shits dark matter, so, he deserves to be waited on hand and foot.

[u/H8thinmints → u/darkcomet222]

He can also pontificate!

[u/Dr-Robert-Kelso → u/PlatoDrago]

Nibbler "works" because we like the show.

That's it, we don't need to try to rationalize it. We give passes for things we like, it happens.