History Main / InWithTheInCrowd

* Occasionally used in ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'' where the sidekick [[YouSuck Ron Stoppable]] becomes [[IJustWantToBeSpecial special]] for the token episode. Most notable is the episode where he got 99 million dollars, deeply annoyed his few friends, got friends with some yes sayers (and the AlphaBitch), and lost it all due to being robbed while having all his money in his pocket. 990,000 hundred-dollar bills would be nearly ten cubic meters of paper! That's one deep pocket!

* The live-action version of ''Series/TheTick'' did this in the episode "The Big Leagues", where the Tick joined The League of Superheroes, which doesn't admit women or minorities, causing a rift between the Tick and his friends Captain Liberty (a woman) and Batmanuel (a minority). The comic and animated version both feature The Comet Club, which doesn't allow sidekicks (not even to warning the heroes of a possible supervillain attack; the Doorman can only sense sidekicks).

* The entire plot of ''Film/MeanGirls''. Cady originally wants to avenge the maltreatment of her best friend by the AlphaBitch, Gina, and to do that, she tries to infiltrate the popular clique...and succeeds, but at the cost of [[BecomingTheMask becoming]] an AlphaBitch herself and losing all her friends in the process. Cue MustMakeAmends.

A character is afforded entrance to an elite group by virtue of an unexpected success or new connections. If he is already one of the local elite, the new group he joins is even more so - more exclusive or secretive, or traveling in even higher social circles, or recognized over a larger geographical area - something with some cachet. The group could be a winning sports team, a selective private club, or just the "in" clique of "[[TheBeautifulElite beautiful people]]".

[[folder: Fanfic]]

* The ''Series/SesameStreet'' skit ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-0zJaqqZE In with the In Crowd]]''.

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** And, accordingly, he does so in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'', to a predictable end.

** Played with and subverted with the episode [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS2E9SweetAndElite "Sweet and Elite"]]. When Rarity begins climbing the Canterlot social ladder, she reluctantly puts off Twilight Sparkle's birthday dress and party. But when her friends learn she wants to socialize, they actually ''encourage'' her to do so as it's good for her business. And when the Canterlot elite snub Rarity's friends the pony at the top of the social ladder throws his support behind them.
** Played straight in [[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS3E4OneBadApple "One Bad Apple"]] when Babs Seed joins [[AlphaBitch Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon]] rather than the Cutie Mark Crusaders. [[spoiler: Until we find out that she did it to avoid the bullying she'd come to Ponyville precisely to escape, and she has a HeelRealization]]
* ''Series/SesameStreet'' has fun with this in the animated song "In With the In, Out With the Out, Crowd" muses on being inside or outside with one's friends.

* Take this trope, add fights between super-powered teenagers, and you get ''Film/SkyHigh''.

Enjoying his newfound elevation, he [[AcquiredSituationalNarcissism snubs or is pressured to snub his old friends]], who respond with anger or dismay at his apparent betrayal. However, after extended exposure to the members of his new social circle, he invariably finds them shallow and/or bigoted, particularly against some faction represented in his previous social circle. At the risk of ruining any future chance for [[AmbitionIsEvil social improvement]], he leaves his new clique and returns to the forgiving arms of his original band of friends.

Often the basis for a VerySpecialEpisode. This plot can also develop out of a RagsToRiches situation.

* ''Series/TheATeam' episode "[[Recap/TheATeamS4E15MembersOnly Members Only]". Played with; Face is pleased with getting into the club on trial, as it means he can mix with the cream of society. However, he doesn't seem to want to ditch his old friends, and in any case, the story doesn't have a chance to to that point, because the team's antics throughout the episode get Face thrown out.

** Marge once had a chance to become a member of a country club thanks to her thrift-store bought Chanel dress making a high school acquaintance mistake her for upper class. After it leads her to blowing up on the family she decides to not attend a party at the club, thinking they would never be accepted anyway - and ironically in the next scene we see it was a welcome party, the AlphaBitch of the episode hoping she didn't push her away.
** Another episode deals with Homer wanting to join "The Stonecutters." When he finds out that he's automatically in because his father is a Stonecutter, everything goes well until he made a FeeFiFauxPas at the first meeting and is made to walk home naked dragging a boulder ("The Stone of Shame.") However, the club notices a birthmark on his posterior that marks him as TheChosenOne, but then he finds that being the club's leader [[ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne isn't all it's cracked up to be]].

* Subverted in NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide when a "popularity list" is created and Moze is now part of the cool kids. She find them boring and doesn't understand their sense of humor. But when she outright says that she misses her friends, the cool kids just say that she should return to them, and there are no hard feelings about the whole thing.
* ''OneTreeHill'': The {{Adorkable}} Mouth fits this the best. He himself doesn't do something specific to become part of the popular crowd, but his friendships with Lucas and Haley get him pulled in, and he becomes close friends with popular kids like Nathan and Brooke.
* A couple of episodes of ''TheGoldenGirls'' featured this trope. In one, Dorothy befriends a snobbish writer who looks down on the other girls, and Dorothy assumes they are just envious until the new friend doesn't want to take Sofia's Jewish boyfriend to her bigoted club. In another, Rose falls in with a group of party animals, which creates enough friction to see her temporarily move out of the house.
* Marcia on ''TheBradyBunch'' joins every club when she reaches Senior High School, in an attempt to become instantly popular. When one club, The Boosters, tell her that she can only date certain boys, she quits and stays in the one club she liked, Ceramics.

* ''SesameStreet'' has fun with this in the animated song "In With the In, Out With the Out, Crowd" muses on being inside or outside with one's friends.

* ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' had Rory joining the Powderpuffs (that's ''"Powder''puffs" -- not to be confused with a certain cartoon PowerTrio known as ''[[PowerpuffGirls "Power]]''[[PowerpuffGirls puffs"]]).

* Meg in ''Literature/LittleWomen'', during her visit to the Moffats, lets her friend Annie doll her up in a pretty gown and then acts like an airhead to look better than she really is. And earlier, when Amy buys limes to raise her cool girl image at school, despite going against school rules. [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin But both girls are "punished" very soon]]. Amy is caught and humiliated by her SadistTeacher in front of the class and Marmee tells her that even if she didn't like the punishment, Amy ''was'' on the wrong end; Meg is [[WhatTheHellHero promptly called out by Laurie on her snobbish facade]], and also gets to hear [[GossipyHens some older ladies]] wonder out loud [[GoldDigger if Marmee wants to use her to ascend socially.]]

* ''TheParentHood'': Zaria is offered membership in an exclusive girls' club, but she has to play a mean and embarrassing prank on a friend as her final pledge task.

* Steve and Cedric are invited by [[ChewToy Byron]] to join the exclusive Onyx Club on ''TheSteveHarveyShow''. They are accepted as members and attend the club's Casino Night. Lovita wins $10,000 in a raffle but refuses to give it to their charity as is the club's tradition. Steve and Cedric are upset because it means they could be kicked out. Lovita decides to give the check back but Steve and Cedric resign their memberships when they learn that [[spoiler: the money would go towards getting Tiger Woods to play on their golf course]]. Lovita takes the money and gives it to Meals on Wheels instead.

* Happened in ''I Was A Teenage ''{{Faust}}''. The main character becomes one of the cool kids but quickly realizes how boring they are.

* Interestingly inverted in ''Franchise/HarryPotter fanfic ''Fanfic/IfThemsTheRules'' the [[FanNickname Golden Trio]] were the super exclusive group of popular kids, not that they ever realized that.

* This is the origin of Bally's ''Pinball/DrDude''. He was once a spineless bespeckled {{Nerd}} until he invented the E'''X'''cellent Ray to give himself a total makeover.

* Very neatly averted with ''Series/{{Undeclared}}''. Steven is asked to join a campus fraternity, which his friends all object to, since they believe college fraternities to be a waste of time. Fortunately for Steven, the fraternity (in addition to its headmaster being [[JerkJock a complete prick]]) isn't even all that cool or hip but actually kind of dorky and lame.