History Fridge / CharlottesWeb

** Or, alternatively, the rest of the flock knows that black wool doesn't really do all that well commercially because it can't be dyed like white wool can. Not sure if a bunch of sheep would really understand such things, but hey, vanity does things to ya. Kinda makes this troper wish they'd elaborated more on WHY they treated Cardigan so badly other than the "he's different from us, so we'd better make fun of him" approach.

* Everyone either making fun of or excluding Cardigan in the 2003 sequel may be based on an old myth that says if the first lamb of the year is born black, then the farm will not be very prosperous that year. The rest of the sheep and other farm animals didn't just see Cardigan as a different, clumsy misfit, they saw him as a bad omen! While we don't know if Cardigan was THE firstborn lamb that spring, given that there are several other (albeit white-wooled) lambs seen in his introduction, but they could still see him as a sign of bad luck. One sheep even calls him a "disgrace", so there's some vague evidence to back this theory up.
** Or they could all just be jerks.

!!!FridgeHorror:
* We know Wilbur's life was spared, but what ultimately became of his siblings? We know they were sold too, but we [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse never find out what happened to them afterwards]]. It’s very likely that most (if not all) of them were slaughtered for meat.
* Avery tried to catch Charlotte with a stick. Imagine if he had succeeded. Not only would Charlotte die but Wilbur probably would too, because Charlotte wouldn’t be there to help him. He certainly deserved the punishment his mother later gave him for it.

* At the fair, when Templeton brings back a wrapper that says "Crunchy" and Charlotte shoots down the idea, mentioning that it would make people think of 'crunchy bacon,' Wilbur begins to faint. This time, Charlotte tells him she forbids him to faint, and after a few seconds of shuddering and lip-quivering, he manages to stay up. It's kind of brilliant because maybe Charlotte knows that she's nearing the end of her life and she's possibly either preparing Wilbur for life without her mothering and reassurance. Another reason could be she was making sure people at the fair wouldn't see the spectacle - which would probably have put the kibosh on Wilbur winning ANY ribbon. A sickly, fainting pig would have very little value. Either way, she wanted Wilbur to appear strong - not weak and needy. She wanted him to be seen as special.

* Everyone either making fun of or excluding Cardigan in the 2003 sequel may be based on an old myth that says if the first lamb of the year is born black, then the farm will not be very prosperous that year. The rest of the sheep and other farm animals didn't just see Cardigan as a different, clumsy misfit, they saw him as a bad omen! While we don't know if Cardigan was THE firstborn lamb that spring, given that there are several other (albeit white-wooled) lambs seen in his introduction, but they could still see him as a sign of bad luck.

* We know Wilbur's life was spared, but what ultimately became of his siblings? We know they were sold too, but we never find out what happened to them afterwards. It’s very likely that most (if not all) of them were slaughtered for meat.

** I would say that Cardigan is at least slightly younger than the others, given that he appears smaller and weaker than them. Perhaps the rest of the lambs were born a littler earlier, and Cardigan was the first lamb of spring, so it could still tie into the whole "black lamb means bad luck" thing easily.

!! Live Action Examples

* Avery tried to catch Charlotte with a stick. Imagine if he had succeeded. Not only would Charlotte die but Wilbur probably would too, because Charlotte wouldn’t be there to help him. He certainly deserved the punishment his mother gave him later for it.

* Avery tried to catch Charlotte with a stick. Imagine if he had succeeded. Not only would Charlotte die but Wilbur probably would too, because Charlotte wouldn’t be there to help him.

* Avery tried to catch Charlotte with a stick. Imagine if he had succeeded. Not only would Charlotte die but Wilbur probably would too, because she wouldn’t be there to help him.

* FridgeLogic: People see a lot of positive things written about a pig in a spider web and are thus impressed with the pig. No one seems to care that there is a literate spider.

* FridgeBrilliance: Having Uncle win the blue ribbon and Wilbur win the medal isn't just a way to tease the reader's emotions, but also a way to ensure that ''neither'' of the named pig characters has to become pork chops. Wilbur survives because he's become a celebrity, and Uncle survives because, as the local prize pig, he'll be in demand as a stud boar.
** There's also a very logical reason for Uncle to have won: his size. Wilbur, having been a runt, was lucky to have even reached average size. It was likely Fern's care that let him grow even that large.
* Another bit of FridgeBrilliance: Fern's family name is Arable, which is a word meaning "well-tilled or fertile land." Considering this is a farm family, this was an extremely good tongue-in-cheek move.

* FridgeLogic: In a retort to the book example above the live action movie uses a much more logical realistic answer.

** The live action movie uses a much more logical realistic answer.
-->'''Interviewer''': Where's the spider who did all this?\\
'''Homer''': Well...we looked everywhere, but we couldn't find one.\\
(''cue to Wilbur and Charlotte giggling to each other'')

** The live action movie uses a much more logical realistic answer

** Mrs. Zuckerman points this out, stating that they don't have a remarkable pig, they have a remarkable ''spider''. Mr. Zuckerman dismisses it. The unspoken conclusion is that ''God'' put the words in the web, not some ordinary gray spider.

** There's also a very logical reason for Uncle to have won: his size. Wilbur, having been a runt, was lucky to have even reached average size. It was likely Fern's care that let him grow even that large.

* FridgeBrilliance: Having Uncle win the blue ribbon and Wilbur win the medal isn't just a way to tease the reader's emotions, but also a way to ensure that ''neither'' of the named pig characters has to become pork chops. Wilbur survives because he's become a celebrity, and Uncle survives because, as the local prize pig, he'll be in demand as a stud boar.

** Mrs. Zuckerman points this out, stating that they don't have a remarkable pig, they have a remarkable ''spider''. Mr. Zuckerman dismisses it. The unspoken conclusion is that ''God'' put the words in the web, not some ordinary gray spider.