History Main / CensorshipTropes

* GetBackInTheCloset
* HideYourLesbians
* InformedObscenity

* NoSwastikas

* DigitalBikini (sometimes used in conjunction with a ShowerScene, BathtubScene, or a HotSpringsEpisode of an anime that has been [[{{Bowdlerization}} edited]] when aired in America, mostly used now to cover up nudity and revealing clothing on live-action movies that have been toned down for pre-watershed TV)

* BarbieDollAnatomy (sometimes)

* CensorSteam (also a Bathing Trope)
* CensorSuds (also a Bathing Trope)

* ModestyTowel (also a Bathing Trope)

* BarbieDollAnatomy (usually)

* ChangeTheUncomfortableSubject (when a joke gets out of hand)
* CensorBox (can immediately become a [[GagCensor gag censor]] if PlayedForLaughs)
* CensoredForComedy (if done intentionally or on a show or film known for always topping itself when it comes to GettingCrapPastTheRadar)

* CensorshipBySpelling (can also be used as a ComedyTrope if what's being spelled is an InformedObscenity or if the person can't spell or comprehend what's being spelled)

* CurseCutShort (can used as a ComedyTrope)
* NeverSayDie (used a lot in American-edited anime and a lot of kids' action shows in the 1970s to the 1990s. These days, a lot of action cartoons in America are trying to be grittier and more realistic by mentioning death [or heavily implying it])

* SymbolSwearing (used primarily in American comic book stories or literature)

** TooSoon (Bowdlerization due to [[FunnyAneurysmMoment Funny Aneurysm]] or HarsherInHindsight moments of the "life imitates art" variety)

** GettingCrapPastTheRadar: DefyingTheCensors on an underhanded level (leads to CrossesTheLineTwice or RefugeInAudacity if done with explicit content or if done in excess).

* FamilyFriendlyFirearms (used in a majority of American-edited anime and kids' shows)
* FingerOnLips (used mostly in music videos and music performances)
* FrothyMugsOfWater (used ''a lot'' in American-edited anime for kids)
* FunWithAutocensors (mostly seen on Internet forums)

* NarrativeProfanityFilter (mostly used in written media, but can also be used on television shows or movies if a narrator is used)

* NoSmoking (seen in American-edited anime series and a lot of recent edits to old TV shows and cartoons that allowed cigarettes to be smoked or seen -- unless it's a VerySpecialEpisode about the dangers of tobacco use)

* ScunthorpeProblem and TheProblemWithPenIsland (mostly seen on Internet forums)

* SleepingSingle (also a ComedyTrope used in conjunction with ExiledToTheCouch or if a work parodies the allegedly "squeaky clean" 1950s sitcoms in which married couples were shown sleeping in separate beds due to TV rules at the time that didn't allow couples in the same bed together)
* SoundEffectBleep (can be used as a ComedyTrope if the sounds used to cover up the profanity are appropriate to what's being censored [read: if someone says "pussy," it gets censored by a cat meowing, if someone says "fuck," it gets censored by a woman moaning erotically, if someone says "shit," it gets censored by someone farting or flushing a toilet, a marijuana reference gets covered up with the water bubbling noise from a bong or someone exhaling smoke, or a gun reference is covered with the sound of a gun being fired or a rifle or shotgun getting cocked]. A lot of rap and pop songs will do this as RefugeInAudacity in that they conform to ExecutiveMeddling, but at the same time, are mocking them by choosing sounds that are, in a perverted way, associated with what's being censored).
* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion (can be a ComedyTrope or used for non-censorship reasons, such as trying to avoid a lame and predictable rhyme scheme -- i.e., subverting the old "Roses are red, Violets are blue" poem)

* CulturePolice (used in fictional works -- both comedic and dramatic -- to show or satirize what can happen when [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad being politically correct gets out of hand]])

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content, but mostly used to cut scenes for more commercials or to cut out scenes that are either too long or are superfluous to the plot (if it's the rerun of a sketch comedy show, like ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'', ''SCTV'', ''Fridays'', or ''Series/{{MADtv}}'', then sketches are usually edited for not being funny, having too many technical errors, ClumsyCopyrightCensorship, or being too controversial to be aired again).

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content, but mostly used to cut scenes for more commercials or to cut out scenes that are either too long or are superfluous to the plot (if it's the rerun of a sketch comedy show, like ''SaturdayNightLive'', ''SCTV'', ''Fridays'', or ''MADtv'', then sketches are usually edited for not being funny, having too many technical errors, ClumsyCopyrightCensorship, or being too controversial to be aired again).

* NarrativeProfanityFilter (mostly used in written media, but can also be used on television shows if a narrator is used)

* SoundEffectBleep (can be used as a ComedyTrope if the sounds used to cover up the profanity are appropriate to what's being censored [read: if someone says "pussy," it gets censored by a cat meowing, if someone says "fuck," it gets censored by a woman moaning erotically, if someone says "shit," it gets censored by someone farting or flushing a toilet, a marijuana reference gets covered up with the water bubbling noise from a bong or someone exhaling smoke, or a gun reference is covered with the sound of a gun being fired or a rifle or shotgun getting cocked]. A lot of rap and pop songs will do this as RefugeInAudacity in that they conform to ExecutiveMeddling, but at the same time, mocking them by choosing sounds that are, in a perverted way, associated with what's being censored).

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content, but mostly used to cut scenes for more commercials or to cut out scenes that are either too long or are superfluous with the plot (if it's the rerun of a sketch comedy show, like ''SaturdayNightLive'', ''SCTV'', ''Fridays'', or ''MADtv'', then sketches are usually edited for not being funny, having too many technical errors, ClumsyCopyrightCensorship, or being too controversial to be aired again).

** ClumsyCopyrightCensorship: Removing or covering up product placement and/or copyrighted music or footage from reruns, reairings, and when put on different media (i.e. DVD and online streaming). This has become the most popular reason why an old TV show or movie is edited.
** MissingEpisode and BannedEpisode, though some missing episodes are usually missing due to CreatorBacklash, production union strikes, legal issues (mostly copyright infringement or defamation of character if it's an American show), a show getting canceled and being unable to complete or start future episodes, or damage done to the master tapes.

* CensoredForComedy

'''Textual and auditive cencorship:'''

* CensoredForComedy

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content, but mostly used to cut scenes for more commercials or pacing.

** MissingEpisode and BannedEpisode, though some missing episodes are usually missing due to CreatorBacklash, production union strikes, legal issues (mostly copyright infringement or defamation of character if it's an American show), a show getting canceled and being unable to complete or even start any and all planned episodes, or damage done to the master tapes

* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship (often used when TV shows or movies are rerun or put on DVD and legal or licensing issues prevent a lot of songs or ProductPlacement from being shown uncensored [cf. ''Daria'' when it rerun on The-N and Logo and when it finally came to DVD])

* DefyingTheCensors: Sometimes you have to stand up to those who would silence you, but when that doesn't work, there's always these...

* AndSomeOtherStuff

** MissingEpisode and BannedEpisode, though some missing episodes are usually missing due to CreatorBacklash, production union strikes, legal issues (mostly copyright infringement or defamation of character if it's an American show), or damage done to the master tapes

** CensorDecoy: Invoking GettingCrapPastTheRadar by playing into the censors' fears of finding explicit material in implicit content with a simple bait and switch.

Interesting tropes about [[spoiler:[[ThisTropeIsBleep blank]]]]ing out things not meant for corrupting sensitive eyes or ears. This index is not about the [[Administrivia.TheContentPolicyAndThe5PCircuit Content Policy]] of Wiki/TVTropes itself.

* ThisTropeIsBleep (can also be used as a ComedyTrope if done in excess or if what's being bleeped isn't offensive at all)

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content (as seen with a lot of cable shows that have been syndicated to free TV, like ''Daria'', ''Sex and the City'', ''The Sopranos'', and ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''), but mostly used to shave off any scenes that run too long (as seen with ''The Simpsons'' primetime reruns) or -- in the case of the ''SaturdayNightLive'' 60-minute reruns that used to air on ComedyCentral and E!, but now air on NBC, VH-1, and VH-1 Classic -- to cut out material considered too boring or not funny.

** MissingEpisode and BannedEpisode: when a TV show episode has to be pulled due to censorship (including anything considered "TooSoon" on the heels of a tragedy) or ligitation issues, though MissingEpisode also includes episodes that never aired due to ExecutiveMeddling (read: the show got canceled and the powers that be decide not to air any remaining episodes -- or at least wait until the inevitable request for a DVD release), the episode being [[OldShame so bad that no one wants to see it]], and/or a writers' strike.

* DigitalBikini (sometimes used in conjunction with a ShowerScene, BathtubScene, or a HotSpringsEpisode of an anime that has been [[{{Bowdlerization}} edited]] when aired in America) -- bikini drawn in a post-production edit

Perps responsible:

General discussion:

Visual cover-up techniques:
* BarbieDollAnatomy
* CensorBox (can immediately become a [[GagCensor gag censor]] if PlayedForLaughs)

* CoverInnocentEyesAndEars
* DigitalBikini (sometimes used in conjunction with a ShowerScene, BathtubScene, or a HotSpringsEpisode of an anime that has been [[{{Bowdlerization}} edited]] when aired in America)
* {{Gag Censor}}s

* HitFlash
* LensFlareCensor

* {{Pixellation}}

* SpeechBubbleCensoring

Tropes about censorship:
* AdjustableCensorship
* AndSomeOtherStuff

* BleepDammit

* BookBurning
* {{Bowdlerise}}: Has some elements in common with:
** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content (as seen with a lot of cable shows that have been syndicated to free TV, like ''Daria'', ''Sex and the City'', ''The Sopranos'', and ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''), but mostly used to shave off any scenes that run too long (as seen with ''The Simpsons'' primetime reruns) or -- in the case of the ''SaturdayNightLive'' 60-minute reruns that used to air on ComedyCentral and E!, but now air on NBC, VH-1, and VH-1 Classic -- to cut out material considered too boring or not funny.
** TooSoon (Bowdlerization due to [[FunnyAneurysmMoment Funny Aneurysm]] or HarsherInHindsight moments of the "life imitates art" variety)
** MissingEpisode and BannedEpisode: when a TV show episode has to be pulled due to censorship (including anything considered "TooSoon" on the heels of a tragedy) or ligitation issues, though MissingEpisode also includes episodes that never aired due to ExecutiveMeddling (read: the show got canceled and the powers that be decide not to air any remaining episodes -- or at least wait until the inevitable request for a DVD release), the episode being [[OldShame so bad that no one wants to see it]], and/or a writers' strike.
*** BannedInChina: Also has elements in common with MissingEpisode and BannedEpisode, as some international versions of American TV shows have been banned due to ValuesDissonance or a recent tragedy.
* ButNotTooEvil
* CensoredTitle
* CensorshipBySpelling (can also be used as a ComedyTrope if what's being spelled is an InformedObscenity or if the person can't spell or comprehend what's being spelled)
* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship (often used when TV shows or movies are rerun or put on DVD and legal or licensing issues prevent a lot of songs or ProductPlacement from being shown uncensored [cf. ''Daria'' when it rerun on The-N and Logo and when it finally came to DVD])
* ClusterBleepBomb
* ContentWarnings: Mostly played straight; mostly PlayedForLaughs, depending on context
* CountryMatters
* CulturePolice (used in fictional works -- both comedic and dramatic -- to show or satirize what can happen when [[PoliticalCorrectnessGoneMad being politically correct gets out of hand]])
* CurseCutShort (can used as a ComedyTrope)
* DefyingTheCensors: Sometimes you have to stand up to those who would silence you, but when that doesn't work, there's always these...
** GettingCrapPastTheRadar: DefyingTheCensors on an underhanded level (leads to CrossesTheLineTwice or RefugeInAudacity if done with explicit content or if done in excess).
** CensorDecoy: Invoking GettingCrapPastTheRadar by playing into the censors' fears of finding explicit material in implicit content with a simple bait and switch.
** DubText: Another form of GettingCrapPastTheRadar (particularly in American-dubbed anime series), whether done due to incompetence, [[AccidentalInnuendo ignorance of suggestive dialogue]], or [[RefugeInAudacity to blatantly thumb their noses at censorship by being underhandedly obscene]].

* DroppedAbridgedOnIt
* FamilyFriendlyFirearms (used in a majority of American-edited anime and kids' shows)
* FingerOnLips (used mostly in music videos and music performances)
* FrothyMugsOfWater (used ''a lot'' in American-edited anime for kids)
* FunWithAutocensors (mostly seen on Internet forums)
* GetBackInTheCloset
* HideYourLesbians
* InformedObscenity
* LiveButDelayed
* NarrativeProfanityFilter (mostly used in written media, but can also be used on television shows if a narrator is used)
* NeverSayDie (used a lot in American-edited anime and a lot of kids' action shows in the 1970s to the 1990s. These days, a lot of action cartoons in America are trying to be grittier and more realistic by mentioning death [or heavily implying it])
* NippleAndDimed
* NobodyCanDie
* NoSmoking (seen in American-edited anime series and a lot of recent edits to old TV shows and cartoons that allowed cigarettes to be smoked or seen -- unless it's a VerySpecialEpisode about the dangers of tobacco use)
* NoSwastikas
* PardonMyKlingon
* PrecisionFStrike

* ScunthorpeProblem and TheProblemWithPenIsland (mostly seen on Internet forums)
* SevenDirtyWords
* SleepingSingle (also a ComedyTrope used in conjunction with ExiledToTheCouch or if a work parodies the allegedly "squeaky clean" 1950s sitcoms in which married couples were shown sleeping in separate beds due to TV rules at the time that didn't allow couples in the same bed together)
* SoundEffectBleep (can be used as a ComedyTrope if the sounds used to cover up the profanity are appropriate to what's being censored [read: if someone says "pussy," it gets censored by a cat meowing, if someone says "fuck," it gets censored by a woman moaning erotically, if someone says "shit," it gets censored by someone farting or flushing a toilet, a marijuana reference gets covered up with the water bubbling noise from a bong or someone exhaling smoke, or a gun reference is covered with the sound of a gun being fired or a rifle or shotgun getting cocked]. A lot of rap and pop songs will do this as RefugeInAudacity in that they conform to ExecutiveMeddling, but at the same time, mocking them by choosing sounds that are, in a perverted way, associated with what's being censored).
* SubvertedRhymeEveryOccasion (can be a ComedyTrope or used for non-censorship reasons, such as trying to avoid a lame and predictable rhyme scheme -- i.e., subverting the old "Roses are red, Violets are blue" poem)

* [[TWordEuphemism T-Word Euphemism]]
* ThinkOfTheCensors: When characters in a fictional work know or realize that their words and/or actions are subject to being censored if actually said or done. Also a form of BreakingTheFourthWall.
* ThinkOfTheChildren: The call to arms for many a MoralGuardian or MediaWatchdog group.

* ThongOfShielding
* UnacceptableTargets

* SoundEffectBleep (can be used as a ComedyTrope if the sounds used to cover up the profanity are appropriate to what's being censored [read: if someone says "pussy," it gets censored by a cat meowing, if someone says "fuck," it gets censored by a woman moaning erotically, if someone says "shit," it gets censored by someone farting or flushing a toilet, a marijuana reference gets covered up with the water bubbling noise from a bong or someone exhaling smoke])

* SoundEffectBleep (can be used as a ComedyTrope if the sounds used to cover up the profanity are appropriate to what's being censored [read: if someone says "pussy," it gets censored by a cat meowing, if someone says "fuck," it gets censored by a woman moaning erotically, or if someone says "shit," it gets censored by someone farting or flushing a toilet)

* SoundEffectBleep (can be used as a ComedyTrope if done in excess or if what's being bleeped isn't offensive at all)

Interesting tropes about [[spoiler:[[ThisTropeIsBLEEP blank]]]]ing out things not meant for corrupting sensitive eyes or ears. This index is not about the [[Administrivia.TheContentPolicyAndThe5PCircuit Content Policy]] of Wiki/TVTropes itself.

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content (such as the syndicated reruns of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', and a lot of cable shows syndicated for free-to-air TV, such as ''Sex in the City'', ''The Sopranos'', ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', and ''South Park'', among others), but mostly used to make time for commercials and/or trim any material considered too long, too boring, or not funny (ex: ''SaturdayNightLive'''s 60-minute cable reruns, ''TheSimpsons'' pre-primetime reruns, ''Daria'' on The-N, any old sitcom or dramatic TV show).

* ClumsyCopyrightCensorship (often used when TV shows or movies are rerun or put on DVD and legal or licensing issues prevent a lot of songs or ProductPlacement from being shown uncensored)

* StreisandEffect

** MissingEpisode: When a TV show, book, or movie is so offensive (or coincides with a tragedy) that it has to be shelved until it can be released at a later date.
*** BannedEpisode: Sometimes, if the episode was really bad in terms of offensiveness or if the tragedy was really Earth-shattering, then the work might not see a legal release and may forever be doomed to illegal tape-trading, torrent trading, or Website/YouTube uploading.

* ContentWarnings

** GettingCrapPastTheRadar: DefyingTheCensors on an underhanded level (leads to CrossesTheLineTwice if done with explicit content or if done in excess).

* {{Bowdlerization}}: Has some elements in common with:

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content (such as the syndicated reruns of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', and a lot of cable shows syndicated for free-to-air TV, such as ''Sex in the City'', ''The Sopranos'', ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', and ''South Park'', among others), but mostly used to make time for commercials and/or trim any material considered too long, too boring, or not funny (ex: ''SaturdayNightLive'''s 60-minute cable reruns, ''TheSimpsons''' pre-primetime reruns, ''Daria'' on The-N, any old sitcom or dramatic TV show).

** GettingCrapPastTheRadar: DefyingTheCensors on an underhanded level (leads to RefugeInAudacity if done with explicit content or if done in excess).
** CensorDecoy: A vital tool used by daring writers who want to get crap past the radar. Say there's a writer or director with two scenes: one that's too violent or sexual to be shown on TV or in the movies, and another that's a bit more toned down, but has heavy innuendo or inferences to violence. The censors will have to choose between which scene can be suitable for air (usually the first choice will be picked as the sacrifical lamb while the second scene will be put on TV or film, but sometimes there will be a goof-up and the radar will be shattered either way. If both get rejected, then no one wins and it's yet another example of ExecutiveMeddling [unless the obscene scene wasn't good enough to start with]).

* FrothyMugsOfWater (used ''a lot'' in American-edited anime)

** ComicsCode

* [[Creator/FourKidsEntertainment 4Kids! Entertainment]]

** HaysCode

** EditedForSyndication: Sometimes used to remove content (such as the syndicated reruns of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'', ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'', and a lot of cable shows syndicated for free-to-air TV, such as ''Sex in the City'', ''The Sopranos'', ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia'', and ''South Park'', among others), but mostly used to make time for commercials or trim material that's considered too long, too boring, or not funny (such as the case with ''SaturdayNightLive'''s 60-minute reruns on cable, syndicated episodes of ''TheSimpsons''[[note]]which show creator Matt Groening loathes, as stated on his letters to the viewers on the season DVD sets[[/note]] or the syndicated run of any TV show made before 2000)

** MissingEpisode[=/=]BannedEpisode: When a TV show, book, or movie is so offensive (or coincides with a tragedy) that it has to be shelved (until it can be released at a later date, though sometimes, if it was really bad in terms of offensiveness or if the tragedy was really Earth-shattering, then the work might not see a legal release and may forever be doomed to illegal tape-trading, torrent trading, or Website/YouTube uploading)

** MissingEpisode and BannedEpisode: When a TV show, book, or movie is so offensive (or coincides with a tragedy) that it has to be shelved (until it can be released at a later date, though sometimes, if it was really bad in terms of offensiveness or if the tragedy was really Earth-shattering, then the work might not see a legal release and may forever be doomed to illegal tape-trading, torrent trading, or Website/YouTube uploading)