History Main / MyBrainIsBig

* An early storyline in Bongo's ''ComicBook/TheSimpsons'' comics had most of the cast becoming superheroes; Maggie became "Brainbaby".

*** Zoanthropes have stunted bodies with tiny vestigial limbs and a [[Franchise/{{Alien}} xenomorph]]-like head with extra brain sticking out the back. They use their psychic powers to float around and act as psionic artillery.

* ''VideoGame/HalfLife1'': PlayedWith in regards to the [[BigBad Nihilanth]] and its lesser cousins the Alien Controllers: they have disproportionately large heads and great psychic abilities, but [[BizarreAlienBiology whatever that organ is]], it's probably not where they keep their brains. Their heads are capable of opening up like a fleshy flower and inside is a glowing orange crystal rather than brain matter.

* The [[http://ads.sluggy.com/daily.php?date=081111 "Brain Digbot"]] from ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' is designed to look like the lobes of the brain, even though, as a robot, there'd be no reason for it to have a human-like brain.

* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'':
** Dexter is a genius whose head is huge compared to the rest of his body. In a musical retelling of his birth, [[LampshadeHanging his father worries he has some sort of birth defect]], but the doctors assure him Dexter isn't only fine, they diagnose him as "clinically genius".
** His rival Mandark also has a proportionally enormous head, except emphasized by [[LeanAndMean a very slim body]] instead of a short one.
** In one dream sequence, Dexter gets so smart his brain starts expanding outside of his head.
* The evolved mice from ''JustForFun/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'' episode "Planet of the Aches", in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'':
** The Lobe.
** Also {{subverted|Trope}} by [[MeaningfulName Mo-Ron]], an alien who turns out to be a (literally) fat-headed imbecile.
* The Brain and Snowball from ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'' have giant foreheads to show their intelligence, though Brain's is a slightly less extreme design than most.
* The titular ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'' after an overdose of Brain Grub. It even stretched out his hat!
* Mojo Jojo from ''Franchise/ThePowerpuffGirls'' is a super-intelligent chimpanzee who can speak. He was originally a normal baby chimp until a lab accident caused his brain to grow. He keeps it under a dome-shaped hat most of the time.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
** Morbo is likely a parody of the "generic alien" version, although his head is shown [[BizarreAlienBiology inflating and deflating in hot weather...]]
** Also from ''Futurama'': "Our calculations are always correct, for we are gigantic brains."
** And again: [[http://theinfosphere.org/File:Braino.png Braino,]] from Professor Farnsworth's collection of busts of great geniuses.
* Professor Zygote of ''WesternAnimation/MightyMax'' evolved himself into an example of this trope.

* [[WesternAnimation/GeorgeOfTheJungle Super Chicken]] had a villain like this called the Noodle; when he had to think of a plan, he'd [[LiteralMetaphor "use his noodle"]].
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}'':
** 1973/74 episode "The Menace of the White Dwarf". The brilliant scientist supervillain Raven has an enlarged bald skull.
** In one episode a scientist turns himself into a megalomaniac "man of the future" complete with swollen bald head. He also zaps Wonder Woman with the device and she [[TranshumanTreachery becomes his accomplice]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'':
** The supervillain Brainulo.
** Master Billy Quizboy is a subversion. While he constantly refers to himself as a "Boy Genius" and credits his intelligence to his overly large head, he's really a middle-aged little person with hydrocephaly. In all fairness, though, he's a competent surgeon and good with mechanical prosthetics.
** Guild villain Think Tank appears for one episode of season 6. When out of his Tank he has trouble standing. Clearly a parody of MODOK.

* Charles/Brainchild from ''WesternAnimation/TheTick''. He replaced his normal skull with a transparent dome so that everyone can see he has a big brain just by looking at him.
* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'':
** Subverted when Dib faces continuous ridicule concerning his "big head" (a [[RunningGag gag]] in and of itself, since [[InformedDeformity it isn't actually any larger than the other characters]]').
** Also parodied with Throbulator, a creature of pure headache!

* ''WesternAnimation/MenInBlackTheSeries'':
** Brainard is a subversion. Although his huge brain gives him considerable psychic power, it doesn't keep him from being [[DumbMuscle very dumb.]]
** Also, J's own cranium expands when using forbidden alien tech boosts his brain power and helps him deal with a time-warping menace. Sadly, [[BlessedWithSuck unless the process is reversed, his head will soon split apart like an overripe casaba melon]].
* ''Franchise/Ben10'':
** The super-intelligent Omnitrix aliens Grey Matter and Brainstorm respectively, have proportionally larger heads than Ben's other forms. Brainstorm can actually open the top of his head to shoot lightning from his brain as his main mode of attack, and its brain makes up something like 90% of its body.
** FridgeLogic actually makes Grey Matter more of an inversion: his eyeballs are so huge in comparison to the rest of his face that there can't be that much room for a brain left over. Ben as Brainstorm lampshades this when he implies that he's smarter than Azmuth due to his brain being bigger (which isn't much of an achievement considering [[{{Lilliputians}} Galvans are 5 inches tall on average]]).

* ''WesternAnimation/TotallySpies'':
** One plot involved the villain transmitting the intelligence of Nobel Prize winners into his son. The [[https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BMjM3NzA3MzUzOV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwMjYwMjU1MjE@._V1_.jpg results?]]
** Also the villain Margie, who had the intelligence of several geniuses transferred into her brain. But we don't see it because she keeps it hidden under a BeehiveHairdo.
* [[http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_h5El_bULuPc/Rt-0aD55beI/AAAAAAAAAM4/ggqCGdvpwCw/s1600-h/brain-child.jpg Brainchild]] on ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''.
%%* A character named Brainchild was one of the villainous Supertroopers from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers''. His entire head was shaped like a brain.

** In "Cranius Maximus", Baljeet wears a thinking cap that increases his intelligence. When the cap [[http://www.bubbleblabber.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/momattractor.jpg comes off,]] his brain has grown to a huge size (although it returns to normal in a few seconds).
-->'''Buford:''' Oh! Oh! Oh, that is so gross! But it's kind of awesome...
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' revolves around the Aqua Teens' attempts to defeat Wayne "The Brain" [=McClain=] in a sports bar trivia contest. Results in MySkullRunnethOver.
* In ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'', Kowalski invents a device to make himself smarter, and it gives him an inflated cranium. Unfortunately, not only is the effect temporary, it actually deflates his head entirely, leaving him a dimwitted pinhead.
* Lactose the Intolerant from ''WesternAnimation/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice''. Subverted when [[spoiler:Max lobotomizes him into submission]]. Or did he?
-->'''Lactose:''' ''*[[MundaneUtility heating cafeteria meals with his heat vision]]*'' "It may not look like much, but in two weeks they promote me to fries! ...'''''Then'' they'll pay.'''"
* Yugopotamians on ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'', of the "generic alien" variety
* Happens to Dagget in ''WesternAnimation/TheAngryBeavers'' after ingesting a potion that was ''supposed'' to make him stupider. [[DontExplainTheJoke It didn't work because he was ''already'' pretty stupid to begin with.]]
* Happens to Skeeter during an ImagineSpot in "WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'s Brainy Buddy" because Doug didn't understand any of his attempt to explain Kant's ''A Critique of Pure Reason'', and also it never occurred to him (or anyone else) that Skeeter was ''that'' smart.

* [[http://www.medinnus.com/AEMH/images/leader_01.png The Leader]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheAvengersEarthsMightiestHeroes'', much like his comic book version. Notably, in his first appearance [[spoiler:he's exposed to gamma radiation at the moment of his defeat, enlarging his brain further to the point he can't stand up]].
* Occurs in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/CatDog'' where Dog becomes super-intelligent. And Cat's brain shrinks to compensate.
* Invoked in ''WesternAnimation/DawnOfTheCroods'', where Grug gets bitten in the head by a spider-ant, causing his head to swell up leading everyone to assume he is the smartest person around and turn to him to advice, but his advice is still fairly terrible.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', the class has a report due the next day, and the excessive research causes everyone's brain to engorge as a result... everyone that is, except for Billy, who procrastinated the entire evening and never finished his report.
* The titular character of ''WesternAnimation/WhateverHappenedToRobotJones'' is very intelligent and has a huge round lightbulb in his head for a brain.
* ''WesternAnimation/BumpInTheNight'' featured a pair of aliens named Sleemoth and Gloog as minor recurring villains. Both of them had visible brains and Sleemoth, the one with the larger brain, was fittingly the more intelligent of the pair. "Comfort Schmumfort" even had Sleemoth enlarge his own brain to make himself smarter, but this led to his undoing when Molly Coddle defeated him by making his brain so large that it exploded.
* ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars'':
** Lawrence Limburger's MadScientist lackey Dr. Karbunkle had a large head to indicate his intelligence.
** In "Last Stand at the Last Chance", the MonsterOfTheWeek is Cat Scan, a felinoid alien with mental abilities who also has a large and exposed brain.
* ''WesternAnimation/CaptainSturdy'' featured a highly intelligent superhero with an enormous brain named Cerebro.
* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'': In one episode, a student is conducting an experiment to try and make himself smarter. It seems to be working at first, as his head swells up, invoking this trope. This backfires though when the computer program he is using to conduct the process is shut off midway through, causing his head to deflate and for him to be reduced to a braindead idiot who thinks the capital of France is Jupiter and 1 + 1 = 37.

* The titular superhero team made up of racial stereotypes in ''WesternAnimation/{{Minoriteam}}'' is led by Dr. Wang, Chinese Human Calculator. Dr. Wang has a high forehead, both because he's the brains of Minoriteam and to underscore the fact that he represents the stereotype of Asians being highly intelligent.

* In Creator/EdmondHamilton's "The Man Who Evolved", a scientist has [[ArtisticLicenseBiology accelerated his own evolution]]. Five examples are shown; first a giant human, then two cases of the trope, then a naked brain.

* The main villain of ''Anime/DoraemonNobitaAndTheTinLabyrinth'', Professor Napogistra, have a huge brain that takes up around one-third of his entire body. Justified since his brain is a neural link to his entire robot army.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Megamind}}''. One of the taglines was "It's big for a reason."

* The [[LittleGreenMen Saucer Men]] from ''Film/InvasionOfTheSaucerMen'' have the bulbous, veiny variety.
* Explicitly {{invoked|Trope}} in ''Film/MarsAttacks'' The [[LittleGreenMen Martians]] have big heads due to their brains. Professor Kessler thinks that they ''must'' be peaceful because of their intelligence but is unfortunately proven [[AliensAreBastards horribly wrong]].
* In ''Film/SkyHigh2005'' Dr. Medulla, who teaches Mad Science, has a huge head.
* The Film/{{Coneheads}} are extremely intelligent and have huge heads shaped like cones.
* In ''Film/TheBrain1969'', Creator/DavidNiven plays the role of the master criminal known as "The Brain". While his head isn't any larger than normal, his brain is apparently so heavy that when he is stressed out, his head falls to one side.
* Although we never actually see it, it's the reason for Film/JoeDirt's mullet -- his skull is malformed due to a birth defect, leaving a small bit of brain exposed. A hairpiece was used to conceal it, [[{{Squick}} and his soft spot just kind of grew over part of the wig]].

* ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'': {{Invoked|Trope}} by the [[http://www.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oaeg-view-article&egart_uid=47ed99bea6c67 Highbrows]], a [[SuperIntelligence super-intelligent]] HumanSubspecies genetically engineered to have massive brains, as well serious body plans and metabolism upgrades to sustain their brains' energy consumption. They are thought to have originated as a joke since, in the ''Orion's Arm'' universe, biological brains are much less efficient than AI and nanotechnology for obtaining superintelligence. However, they have since become a statement on how biological intelligence still has untapped potential.

* ''VideoGame/StarFox'': "Only I have the [[IncrediblyLamePun brains]] to rule Lylat!" says Andross after assuming his giant brain form.

** M.O.D.O.K. of Characters/{{AIM}} (a [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke genetically enhanced human]] designed as a [[WetwareCPU biological super-computer]]) takes this to an extreme -- [[{{Cephalothorax}} most of his "body" is actually his head and the power chair which holds it steady]]. He proves to be so intelligent that he [[PhlebotinumRebel takes over the organization that enhanced him]].

* ''ComicBook/DangerUnlimited'': Doc Danger has enhanced intelligence, and his brain grows over time. In the comic book's timeline, he looked normal when he gained his powers in 1959, he had a ForeheadOfDoom in the mid-sixties, and in the twenty-first century he's a giant head on a mechanical support a la [[Characters/{{AIM}} M.O.D.O.K.]]

* Parodied in [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=1 this]] ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' strip. The big brain is only good if the ''useful'' parts get bigger. Although it can still have [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=321#comic other]] uses.

* WebVideo/FrenchBaguetteIntelligence: In ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-mVFSd1TKA Another Typical French vs English Debate]], when Bowl brags about the average IQ in the UK being 'one mighty point above France's', the size of his head increases as he says 'U.K is Big Brain, FC. BIG BRAIN.'.
* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Mephisto uses the [[PowerCrystal Cosmic Crystal]] to become 'Cerebrex, Master of the Mind', and over time his body dwindled as his brain continued to grow. Or so it seemed: true to his usual modus operandi, it was all done through a mix of ThePowerOfActing, his [[CharlesAtlasSuperpower advanced mental training]], and the illusion-casting powers of the crystal, starting with an oversized costume headpiece (which hid a RayGun), and later using an animatronic drone to allow him to be somewhere else entirely while the heroes were occupied. While the original goal was to get the heroes to take him seriously as a villain again after his long trek through skid row (he couldn't be much of a distraction if he weren't dangerous, after all), but when he realized how ridiculous the new generation of superheroes and supervillains were in the 1960s, he decided to just keep the trick rolling so he wouldn't have to personally put up with them as often.
* ''WebOriginal/{{Mortasheen}}'':

* ''WebOriginal/OrionsArm'': {{Invoked}} by the [[http://www.orionsarm.com/xcms.php?r=oaeg-view-article&egart_uid=47ed99bea6c67 Highbrows]], a [[SuperIntelligence super-intelligent]] HumanSubspecies genetically engineered to have massive brains, as well serious body plans and metabolism upgrades to sustain their brains' energy consumption. They are thought to have originated as a joke since, in the Orion's Arm universe, biological brains are much less efficent than [=AI=] and nanotechnology for obtaining superintelligence. However, they have since become a statement on how biological intelligence still has untapped potential.

* In Edmond Hamilton's "Literature/TheManWhoEvolved", a scientist has [[ArtisticLicenseBiology accelerated his own evolution]]. Five examples are shown; first a giant human, then two cases of the trope, then a naked brain.

* In Edmond Hamilton's ''The Man Who Evolved'', a scientist has [[ArtisticLicenseBiology accelerated his own evolution]]. Five examples are shown; first a giant human, then two cases of the trope, then a naked brain.

** ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl}}'': In ''ComicBook/TheAttackOfTheAnnihilator'', [[https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Kenneth_Anderson_(Earth-One) the titular villain]] has an oversized bulbous head, a hint of his fearsome psychic powers.

*** [[http://www.superdickery.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/1296_4_027.jpg And Lois Lane]], when an evolution ray made her super-intelligent.
*** [[http://www.superdickery.com/beware-the-super-genius-baby/ The Super-Genius Baby.]]

*** Reed Richards did this to himself once in ''Fantastic Four: 1234'' by Creator/GrantMorrison. In order to defeat Characters/DoctorDoom in a [[SmartPeoplePlayChess 4-dimensional chess game]] that was threatening to destroy the Fantastic Four, Reed used his [[RubberMan stretching powers]] to literally grow new structures in his brain in order to out-think Doom.

* ''ComicBook/DangerUnlimited'': Doc Danger has enhanced intelligence, and his brain grows over time. In the comic book's timeline, he looked normal when he gained his powers in 1959, he had a ForeheadOfDoom in the mid-sixties, and in the twenty-first century he's a giant head on a mechanical support a la ComicBook/{{MODOK}}.

* ''Series/LoisAndClark'' has Dr. "Fat Head" UsefulNotes/{{Mensa}}, who uses [[NinetyPercentOfYourBrain Ninety Percent of His Brain]]

* December 1953 edition of ''MechanixIlustrated'' magazine. In the article "How Nuclear Radiation Can Change Our Race", Otto Binder speculated that the radiation from a nuclear war might cause mutations that could lead to the creation of a new species, Homo Superior. Among other differences, they would have brains (and heads) 50% larger than a normal human's. See the original article here: [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/binder1-620x467.jpg page 1,]] [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/binder2.jpg page 2,]] [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/binder3.jpg page 3]] and [[http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/binder4.jpg page 4.]]

* Two of the cosmetic head items for [[TheSmartGuy the Engineer]] in VideoGame/TeamFortress2 are a large, bulging Frankenstein Monster-style head, and a hairstyle which exposes his brain connected to machines and valves.

* ''VideoGame/KirbyAndTheForgottenLand'': [[spoiler:The BigBad, Fecto Forgo, is an eldritch, [[TelepathicSpacemen psychic alien]], and they resemble a gigantic embryonic rat with a brain that takes up most of their body.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superfriends}}''

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Stewie is a BrainyBaby and has a noticably swollen head (both literally and [[InsufferableGenius figuratively]]).

-->'''Stewie:''' Good lord, [[CallingParentsByTheirName Lois]], either I was a C-section or you're ComicBook/WonderWoman.

** One plot involved the villain transmitting the intelligence of Nobel Prize winners into his son. The [[http://www.woohp.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=58&pos=87 results?]]

* Happens to Skeeter during an ImagineSpot in "WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'s Brainy Buddy" because Doug didn't understand any of his attempt to explain Kant's ''A Critique of Pure Reason'', and also it never occured to him (or anyone else) that Skeeter was ''that'' smart.

* ''WesternAnimation/BikerMiceFromMars''

* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'': In one episode, a student is conducting an experiment to try and make himself smarter. It seems to be working at first, as his head swells up, invoking this trope. This backfires though when the computer program he is using to conduct the process is shut off midway through, causing his head to deflate and for him to be reduced to a braindead idiot who thinks the capital of France is Jupiter and 1 + 1 = 37.

* This has been the cause of much dispute among the scientific community about whether or not [[DoesThisRemindYouofAnything size really does matter.]] On one hand humans have a larger brain than most of the world's creatures, then again, so do sperm whales and elephants.[[note]] Although humans have most vertebrates beat in brain-to-body mass ratios.[[/note]]
** Then again, Whales and Elephants are hardly ''stupid''.

** The invading Martians from ''Literature/WarOfTheWorlds1898'' have huge heads meant to contain extra-large brains. Curiously, the Martians seem to have missed wheels and axles in all their machinery, relying purely on articulated appendages.

** The invading Martians from ''Literature/WarOfTheWorlds'' have huge heads meant to contain extra large brains. Curiously, the Martians seem to have missed wheels and axles in all their machinery, relying purely on articulated appendages.

* Michelangelo's sculpture of ''Art/{{David}}'' has an unusually large head that emphasizes his focus on the task of defeating Goliath, not by brute force, but with his intelligence and faith.

* Super-mutant Ribald Corello in ''Literature/PerryRhodan'': big head, child-sized body, physically pretty much helpless without his glider chair that's all but a self-contained vehicle complete with life support and weapons, but acknowledged as one of the most powerful psychics mankind ever produced. Starts as a villain obsessed with conquest [[OedipusComplex and his dead-but-preserved mother]], but pulls a HeelFaceTurn later.

* This was one of the forms of John Crichton in the "My Three Crichtons" episode of ''Series/{{Farscape}}''. The hyper-evolved future Crichton had a brain that seemed to extend beyond his skull. Not the nicest guy, either, but pretty smart.

-->'''Azmuth:''' Are you inferring that you're smarter than me because your head is bigger?\\
'''Brainstorm:''' No, I'm '''''implying''''' that I'm smarter than you because my ''brain'' is bigger!

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sixth_Finger "The Sixth Finger"]] episode of ''Series/TheOuterLimits1963''.

** The Talosians from the first pilot "The Cage" have very visible bigger brains (with pulsating veins!), which give them great mental power of illusion and mind reading. The effect was enhanced by casting female actors, so their lighter builds would suggest that the Talosians had allowed their bodies to atrophy while instead choosing to concentrate on advanced brain development.
** In "[[StarTrekS3E12TheEmpath The Empath]]", the alien Vians are much more intelligent than Earthlings and have the bulging heads to prove it.

* Lactose the Intolerant from ''WesternAnimation/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice''. Subverted when [[spoiler:Max lobotomizes him into submission]].

* The Spider Mastermind and the Arachnotrons from ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' and ''VideoGame/DoomII''.

* ''Film/SuperMarioBros'' does this both ways on the [[DevolutionDevice Devo Machine]]'s monitors: when a humanoid gets devolved into a Goomba, the brain shrinks considerably; when Spike and Iggy get hit with the "Advanced" setting, their brains become larger.

* [[NamesTheSame Another character named Brainchild]] was one of the villainous Supertroopers from ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfTheGalaxyRangers''. His entire head was shaped like a brain.

* Nocturnomaths in Creator/WalterMoers' ''Zamonia'' novels are a variation: they have multiple brains, which make them highly intelligent and telepathic to boot. The actual number of brains varies between individuals: three is the norm, but very brilliant nocturnomaths may have four or five, and Professor Abdullah Nightingale -- arguably the greatest genius in Zamonian history -- is rumored to have seven.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Doctor Vegapunk is considered the smartest man in the world and is responsible for futuristic inventions. His head is normal-sized in the present, but in the past, he had a brain that was four times bigger than the rest of his body, and a giant cranium to match.

* ''Manga/OnePiece'': Doctor Vegapunk is considered the smartest man in the world and is responsible for futuristic inventions. He had a brain that was four times bigger than the rest of his body, and a giant cranium to match. [[spoiler:He surgically removed it and separated it into six artificial bodies so he could get more work done.]]