History Main / GratedMentalIllness

* Similar to Gir, most of the insane robots from ''WesternAnimation/Futurama'' are this, rambling about nonsense, exploding randomly, or acting like Napoleon. Subverted with Roberto, who is actually violent and dangerous.

* Psycho the weasel from ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. His eyeballs spin around constantly, he's wrapped in a straight jacket, his tongue hangs out, and most of his dialogue consists of either laughter or "kill the rabbit!".

* Pops from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' is pretty clearly off his rocker; the other residents of the park take care of him and are affectionately condescending toward his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} behavior. Leans toward [[invoked]] DiagnosedByTheAudience since varying explanations have been given in-universe as to why he's like this.
* [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain The Ice King]] of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', whose mental instability is ''[[PlayedForDrama not]]'' PlayedForLaughs. An early episode has him casually say that [[ArtifactOfDoom his crown]] makes him hallucinate all of the time, so he is unable to discriminate between the hallucinations and reality. [[WhamEpisode "Holly Jolly Secrets"]] reveals [[spoiler: he [[WasOnceAMan was once a human]], but wearing a mysterious magical crown drastically changed his [[{{Jerkass}} personality]] and got rid of most (if not all) of his prior memories of his life. He also had a fiancee; Betty, who he affectionately called his "princess", left him after he started wearing the crown. This may explain why he's [[CerebusRetcon obsessed with kidnapping princesses]]. ]] Many, after watching "[[WhamEpisode I Remember You"]], have compared [[spoiler: the relationship depicted between The Ice King and Marceline to that of someone coping with having a family member or friend with Alzheimer's Dementia. She knew him before he lost his memories and they still have an emotional connection so she is friends with him, but it breaks her heart to be around him because he doesn't remember. He's so far gone at this point that he doesn't even recognize his own name.]]

Needless to say, this doesn't help people's real-life perceptions of mental illness, and [[DoubleStandard it's difficult to imagine the mentally handicapped being ridiculed like this.]]

* Pops from ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' is pretty clearly off his rocker; the other residents of the park take care of him and are affectionately condescending toward his {{Cloudcuckoolander}} behavior. Leans toward AmbiguousDisorder since varying explanations have been given in-universe as to why he's like this.

* The character of Freaky Fred in ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' is a surprisingly somber version of this, effectively terrifying children with slow, meticulous speech, uncomfortably UncannyValley movement patterns, and bizarre fixations, particularly with hair.

* [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain The Ice King]] of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'', whose mental instability is ''[[PlayedForDrama not]]'' PlayedForLaughs. An early episode has him casually say that [[ArtifactOfDoom his crown]] makes him hallucinate all of the time, so he is unable to discriminate between the hallucinations and reality. [[WhamEpisode "Holly Jolly Secrets"]] reveals [[spoiler: he [[WasOnceAMan was once a human]], but wearing a mysterious magical crown drastically changed his [[{{Jerkass}} personality]] and got rid of most (if not all) of his prior memories of his life. He also had a fiancee; Betty, who he affectionately called his "princess", left him after he started wearing the crown. This may explain why he's [[CerebusRetcon obsessed with kidnapping princesses]]. ]] Many, after watching "[[WhamEpisode I]] Remember You", have compared [[spoiler: the relationship depicted between The Ice King and Marceline to that of someone coping with having a family member or friend with Alzheimer's Dementia. She knew him before he lost his memories and they still have an emotional connection so she is friends with him, but it breaks her heart to be around him because he doesn't remember. He's so far gone at this point that he doesn't even recognize his own name.]]

Needless to say, this doesn't help people's real-life perceptions of mental illness, and [[DoubleStandard it's difficult to imagine races or the mentally handicapped being ridiculed like this.]]

* All inhabitants of the Shivering Isles in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion''.

* Pinkie Pie dances between this trope and just plain terrifying in some episodes of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''.

The EccentricTownsfolk usually have at least one such G-rated madman (or more!) among the residents. See also TheMadHatter and AmbiguousDisorder.

* Nester's Mother from ''WesternAnimation/ScaredySquirrel'' always had a bad mood and yells at people when they get in her nerves.
* The wreck-less driver from the ''WesternAnimation/WeBareBears'' episode, ''Emergency'' act like a ManChild and is totally insane.

** In the episode "Read It and Weep," there was a gag based around this - the barking heard during a chase scene turned out to be a background character who was [[DelusionsOfDoghood acting like a dog]]. A doctor then told her to "get back to the hospital". The fans [[FanNickname nicknamed her "Screw Loose"]] due to both this and the fact that her cutie mark was a screw.

* The image in Western cartoons of people sitting in a rocking chair wearing a [[NapoleonDelusion Napoleon hat]], and often playing with their lips. Screwy Squirrel from the WesternAnimation/TexAveryMGMShorts codified the Napoleon hat image.

* A blow to the head with a menhir has this effect on Getafix in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}} and the Big Fight''.

** The trope is interestingly invoked with Fred since the character is being used to scare kids by tapping into their natural discomfort with people who are different. It turns the whole episode into something of a FamilyUnfriendlyAesop, but it ''is'' highly successful at being scary, despite the fact that he seems relatively harmless. Of course, there are [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation other ways]] of interpreting Fred's [[GRatedSex "naughtiness"]] that paint him as [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil less benign]]...

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

* Psycho the weasel from ''Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit''. His eye balls spin around constantly, he's wrapped in a straight jacket, his tongue hangs out, and most of his dialogue consists of either laughter or "kill the rabbit!".
* Happens to Alvin in ''WesternAnimation/AlvinAndTheChipmunksMeetFrankenstein'' when Dr. Frankenstein makes him drink a potion and he starts acting like a typical insane cartoon character laughing manically, his tongue hanging out, spinning eyes, and pulling pranks.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheTwelveTasksOfAsterix'', people who have encountered The Place That Sends You Mad (and the [[ObstructiveBureaucrat obstructive bureaucrats]] therein) are driven to insanity and exhibit a variety of comical "insane" behaviours; marching around playing a bugle, clucking like a chicken, singing in the bath while being carried through town, [[AnachronismStew dressing as Napoleon, imitating a steam train]]...

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

** Half the cast either plays this straight or subverts it, really...
* Ripper Roo from ''VideoGame/CrashBandicoot'', complete with straight jacket, while he did go to therapy, and became more sane, he returns to his straightjacket self when he gets in an explosion.
* ''[[VideoGame/LittleBigPlanet LittleBigPlanet 2]]'': During his meanie infection, Dr. Higginbotham had the habit of eating socks and trying to lick his eye balls.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* Ren from ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' is an aversion. Despite the cartoon being aimed at kids, his manic moments weren't always PlayedForLaughs and often stepped into family unfriendly territory. For starters, the episode "Stimpy's Fan Club" contains a very long and elaborate scene of Ren rambling psychotically and considering killing Stimpy. His FreakOut in "Sven Hoek" after Sven and Stimpy wreck the house is quickly replaced with his TranquilFury accompanied by a ToThePain monologue.
* The original portrayal of WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck in his late 1930's-40's appearances he'd laugh constantly, his eyes would point in different directions, his tongue would sometimes hang out, and he'd click his heels together and do flips around the pond shouting "woo hoo, woo hoo, woo hoo!"

** The trope is interestingly invoked with Fred, since the character is being used to scare kids by tapping into their natural discomfort with people who are different. It turns the whole episode into something of a FamilyUnfriendlyAesop, but it ''is'' highly successful at being scary, despite the fact that he seems relatively harmless. Of course, there are [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation other ways]] of interpreting Fred's [[GRatedSex "naughtiness"]] that paint him as [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil less benign]]...

* The ScaryBlackMan security guard in the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode ''Kiss Kiss, Cam Cam''. Complete with BerserkButton whenever he gets insulted & when another person kisses his wife. He also kiss anyone in the Kiss Cam and act sexual about it.

** The Rev. Arthur Belling, vicar of St Loony Up The Cream Bun and Jam in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0ezDXdgB1A "Silly Disturbances" sketch]] .

* The image in Western cartoons of people sitting in a rocking chair wearing a [[NapoleonDelusion Napoleon hat]], and often playing with their lips.
** Especially the original ''Screwy Squirrel''. Yes, [[ScrewySquirrel that one]].