History Main / LivingProp

** Those two guys at Moe's bar. No, not Homer and Barney. And no, not [[ThoseTwoGuys Lenny and Carl]] either, those ''other'' two guys. For the record, they're called Sam and Larry. Sam (cap) gets a few lines in early episodes, Larry (balding)... no such luck. Larry would eventually get an episode focused on himself, which begins with the revelation that he's been dead for a while and the characters only noticed when Moe poked at him with a mop. The episode deals with the fact that despite knowing for years Homer and the others know absolutely nothing about the guy and it turns out Larry himself was a deeply lonely individual who longed to be part of Homer and his friends' misadventures.

** Those two guys at Moe's bar. No, not Homer and Barney. And no, not [[ThoseTwoGuys Lenny and Carl]] either, those ''other'' two guys. For the record, they're called Sam and Larry. Sam (cap) gets a few lines in early episodes, Larry (balding)... no such luck.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' generally defies this trope, as there have been episodes focusing not only on almost all of the recurring characters, but also on the unnamed extras and even the ''inanimate objects'', with the exception of Rob the Cyclops. He's been in Gumball's class since the early reel, yet he has no personality, has never played an important role in any of the plots, and has only spoken once over the entire run of the show so far. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in "The Pony", in which he gets offended when Gumball and Darwin get his name wrong, so [[ComedicSociopathy Darwin pushes him into a sewer.]]
-->'''Gumball:''' I cannot believe you just did that!\\
'''Darwin:''' Did what?\\
'''Gumball:''' ...I forget.
** In the third season finale, Rob decides to get even for his mistreatment and vows to become Gumball and Darwin's nemesis. His next appearance shows that [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain he hasn't been particularly good at it.]]

'''Wiggum:''' And Eddie, you're promoted to Lou.\\

--->'''Wiggum:''' Lou, you're promoted to chief of police.\\

-->'''Wiggum:''' Lou, you're promoted to chief of police.\\

--->'''Chief Wiggum:''' Lou, you're the new Chief. Eddie, you're the new Lou.\\
'''Eddie:''' Who's the new Eddie?\\
'''Chief Wiggum:''' We don't need an Eddie.

* Vitalstatistix's [[TooImportantToWalk shield bearers]] in ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}'' ...except when they [[RunningGag drop him]]. And when they quit, and are replaced by [[spoiler: [[TheHero Asterix]] and [[TheLancer Obelix]]]], and then by [[spoiler:Obelix alone]], which better suited Vitalstatistix's inclination [[spoiler: or [[{{Pun}} lack thereof]]]].

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* In Dale Messick's comic strip ''ComicStrip/BrendaStarr'', most of the scenes in the newsroom featured a lot of anonymous characters in the background while Brenda was the center of attention. For several years, Messick included in background panels a female staffer with a distinctive topknot and glasses, but this character was unnamed and had no dialogue. Abruptly, Messick wrote a continuity in which this character — suddenly identified as Lucy Fixture — won a fortune in the sweepstakes and had an adventure of her own before vanishing from the strip.
[[/folder]]

** ''Terror on Cupcake Street'' at the beginning, when Sikowitz makes the background sudents leave his classroom, while the main group stays. Cat asks him why he made them leave and he simply replies "They never...talk", which Tori agrees with, saying "They just sit there and react".

* ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'' has many students aside from Ickis, Krumm and Oblina, who typically are only seen in the background, barely getting any screen time, and having very few, if any lines, such as Hairyette, Borl, Horrifica, Dizzle, Ocka, Swamwump, and Zabliner. There are, however, some episodes that properly feature these other students, like Slumber Scare. Some monsters who ''do'' have a starring role only appear once

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' has a ridiculously small stable of civilian background characters, leading to many of them popping up in places that make no sense in context with the last time we saw them. The number of villainous background characters is similarly small, leading to a lot of familiar faces whenever a main villain throws a party or show up to an event. Publick and Hammer spend much of the commentaries bemoaning this.

* ''Series/{{Victorious}}'': Lampshaded in "Creepy Ponnie" when Ponnie claims to be one of the students who don't say anything and only shrug ("shruggers", as Tori calls them). When Tori asks them if they know Ponnie, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin they only shrug.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'' has many students aside from Ickis, Krumm and Oblina, who typically are only seen in the background, barely getting any screen time, and having very few, if any lines, such as Hairyette, Borl, Horrifica, Ocka, Swamwump, and Zabliner. There are, however, some episodes that properly feature these other students. Some monsters who ''do'' have a starring role only appear once

* In ''Anime/MyHime'', Mai's class consists of a few named characters and a bunch of stable living props. Interestingly, the nameless girl with blue hair who sat in front of her for the whole series ended up being one of the main characters of the sequel/{{Elseworld}}, ''Anime/MyOtome''. In a ''Anime/MyOtome'' picture drama that takes place in the ''Anime/MyHime'' universe, [[AscendedExtra she]] lets Arika and Erstin stay at her apartment after they find her cat, Nina.

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'', "Professor Chaos"

* Emiri Kimidori is a living prop in the anime of ''[[LightNovel/HaruhiSuzumiya The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi]]''. The only thing she does in both seasons and the movie is ask for help from the SOS brigade once. She then promptly goes back to being scenery.

* In the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' anime, there are many [[http://dogasu.bulbagarden.net/features/recycling.html minor background characters]] who go on to make appearances throughout the years, or seemingly minor one-shot guests that can be seen in the background of later episodes. This happens even across entire regions. There's a long-haired male trainer with a hoodie and a baseball cap who appeared in episodes from the original ''Pokémon'' anime up to ''Black & White'', and he was even in [[Anime/PokemonTheFirstMovie the first movie]] and the later ''[[Anime/PokemonMewtwoReturns Mewtwo Returns]]'' TV special. All that without ever receiving a name or interacting with the show's main cast.

* ''Film/AnchormanTheLegendOfRonBurgundy'': Wes Mantooth's Channel 9 Evening News Team cohorts. They stand around behind Wes, but contribute nothing to the verbal argument in the park. {{Lampshade|Hanging}} at the end.

* ''Series/StargateSG1''

* A Walrus and few of his friends from ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' have also been in the background. There is an episode that lampshades this and gives the walrus [[ADayInTheLimelight a day in the limelight]].

** Maggie appears in almost every episode of the show, but a lot of the time she acts as this. However, she still maintains her own personality and has the occasional DayInTheLimelight, or at least a case of her having more of an impact on the plot. Other times, she can act as a source of a quick joke or FunnyBackgroundEvent. She's a [[DownplayedTrope downplayed example]] on the whole.

** Those two guys at Moe's bar. No, not Homer and Barney. And no, not [[ThoseTwoGuys Lenny and Carl]] either, those ''other'' two guys. For the record, they're called Sam and Larry. Sam (cap) gets a few lines in early episodes, Larry (balding)... not such luck.

* In Spirit Riding Free, the adult townspeople in Miradero are this. With some being named and talk . But as for the school only 3 students are treated as extras with Frank the only one being known. He's mostly to himself which is his reasoning.

* In ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' episodes the background characters/extras are usually anthromorphic peas and carrots. Where Peas are usually mooks or allies whereas carrots are mostly in place of people or henchman.

* A Walrus and few of his friends from ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' have also been in the background. There is an episode that lampshades this and gives the walrus a day in the limelight.

* In ''Anime/WeissKreuz'', Momoe, the little old lady who supposedly owns the shop the four protagonists work at. In most episodes, if she even appears, she sits quietly in the background, never moving from her rocking chair, petting a cat that's curled up on her lap. She's apparently an agent for Kritiker, as she plays the "deaf old lady" role to the hilt and never responds to questions about where her employees are, ''even at gunpoint'', except to discuss her store's stock.

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