History Main / PurelyAestheticEra

However, sometimes, telling a story (or being [[RuleOfFunny funny]]) is more important than being historically accurate. So while a story may theoretically be set in, say, [[TheEmperorsNewGroove ancient Peru]], you'll find [[GreasySpoon truck stops]], [[HumiliationConga people slipping on over-waxed floors]], [[LawyerFriendlyCameo Lawyer Friendly Boy Scouts]], and who knows what else. A bit like PresentDayPast, only applied to the whole of history-- liberally and without remorse for all those [[SomewhereAPaleontologistIsCrying poor history majors.]] While an AnachronismStew can be pretty subtle if you [[ViewersAreMorons don't pay attention in history class]]-- "Hey! They didn't [[PiratesOfTheCaribbean call it the Caribbean]] during the 1600s!"-- a Purely Aesthetic Era is ''blatant'' and intentional. It may be {{Hand Wave}}d with an AlternateHistory, but most folks don't even try to explain it.

[[AC:{{Anime}}]]

[[AC:{{Film}} - Animated]]
* ''[[{{Disney/ptitle3if599v0}} The Emperor's New Groove]]'' goes crazy with this one. It's allegedly set in a fictional, Inca-like Peruvian empire, but it makes no attempt to stay true to this. At one point, the producers themselves even admitted, "What the heck--we've broken every other historical rule; let's [[GreasySpoon throw in a truck stop]]."

[[AC:{{Film}} - Live-Action]]

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:Music]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]
* ''TheFlintstones'' may not have done it first, but they definitely did it most visibly. It had cavemen ''celebrating Christmas.''
** They have to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christrock, of course.
** Celebrating with a performance of Dickens' ''AChristmasCarol'', naturally.
*** A mid-'90s TV movie ''A Flintstones Christmas Carol'' shows the gang putting on a (rather faithful) adaption of the Dickens novel as a community play--or Charles ''Brickens'', in their case.
* ''DaveTheBarbarian'' is theoretically set in Europe in the Middle Ages. That doesn't stop the heroes from dropping by the local [[strike:mall]] ''Great Indoor Marketplace'', though, or making musicals about donuts.
** It was Lampshaded once when Dave asked Candy where the (clothes) dryer is, and she responded that dryers ''haven't been invented yet''. Then she says to just use her hair-dryer.
* Another ''Flintstones''-[[FollowTheLeader inspired]] cartoon was the short-lived ''Roman Holidays''. TheRomanEmpire meets TheSixties.

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]

[[AC: Video Games]]

* ''[=~Yo-Jin-Bo~=]'' seems to be made of this. {{Ronin}} who like to watch ''BackToTheFuture'' and make ''StarWars'' references? Yup.

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

* TheOrderOfTheStick likes this. The values and knowledge pool of the characters tend to match up with modern day including having the local WizardingSchool set up like a high school, all of this despite the comic being set in the "standard medieval fantasy setting" time-period.

* TinieTempah's ''Wonderman'' music video is ostensibly set in the 70s, parodying TheSixMillionDollarMan. Despite this, [[productPlacement a Blackberry Playbook, Paget wristwatch]], and modern exercise machines are prominently displayed.

** This may qualify as FridgeBrilliance when you realize that the film's namesake is also an example of this trope (see below).

* The infamous ''LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' movie: While tanks, machine guns and a CoolCar may be considered some kind of bastard DieselPunk / SteamPunk hybrid, when you have the aforementioned car having the performance of a Ferrari despite it supposedly being the ''first'' automobile ever made and a ''[[TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea Nautilus]]'' the size and shape of the bottom half of an aircraft carrier equipped with ''cruise missiles'' and ''radar tracking'', it's a clear sign that this trope is in effect.

* ''ProblemSleuth'' is set during TheRoaringTwenties, but you'd never know that if it didn't mention bootlegging and Prohibition. They don't even bother wit the ''aesthetics''.

** At one point Elan is trying to board an Airship (in the rather Steampunk cross-over town of Cliffside) but can't gain passage because he's a D&D style character and only Final Fantasy characters are allowed on board. So, while some higher level technologies EXIST in that world, there seem to be some strict segregation laws in place to try and maintain consistency based on the individual's own appropriate time period.

* The infamous ''Film/LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' movie: While tanks, machine guns and a CoolCar may be considered some kind of bastard DieselPunk / SteamPunk hybrid, when you have the aforementioned car having the performance of a Ferrari despite it supposedly being the ''first'' automobile ever made and a ''[[TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea Nautilus]]'' the size and shape of the bottom half of an aircraft carrier equipped with ''cruise missiles'' and ''radar tracking'', it's a clear sign that this trope is in effect.

* The infamous ''LeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'' movie: one of the movie's many faults was how they kept pulling all this advanced technology out their ass in ''1899''. While tanks, machine guns and a CoolCar may be considered some kind of bastard DieselPunk / SteamPunk hybrid, when you have the aforementioned car having the performance of a Ferrari despite it supposedly being the ''first'' automobile ever made and a ''[[TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea Nautilus]]'' the size and shape of the bottom half of an aircraft carrier equipped with ''cruise missiles'' and ''radar tracking'', it's a clear sign that this trope is in effect.

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

* ''[[{{Disney/ptitle3if599v0}} The Emperor's New Groove]]'' goes crazy with this one. It's allegedly set in a fictional, Inca-like Peruvian empire, but it makes no attempt to stay true to this. At one point, the producers themselves even admitted, "What the heck--we've broken every other historical rule; let's [[GreasySpoon throw in a truck stop]]."
** Its RecycledTheSeries, ''TheEmperorsNewSchool,'' goes even further: Yzma tries to figure out whether she wants to take over the world or buy a plasma screen TV with her money.

* [[DisneyAnimatedCanon Disney movies]] do this a lot. Disney's ''{{Disney/Hercules}}'' had Hercules action figures and soft drinks for sale, promoting the eponymous hero--no telling where the plastic came from in ancient Greece. Not to mention a credit card...
* ''{{Mulan}}'' had the anachronisms more as [[RuleOfFunny one-off jokes]], but they were still there: One character laments in a song, "Boy, was I a fool in school for cutting gym!" Of course, the Chinese did invent a lot of things 5000 years ahead of the west, but gym class?
** What? The idea that a simple peasant would go to "school" is absurd. The idea that a youth's education would include gymnastics is not.
* The ''{{Shrek}}'' movies are set in a MedievalEuropeanFantasy setting, yet there is photography (the Duloc information booth), television broadcasts (seen through magic mirror, but still...), and modern day-style high schools complete with cheerleaders and pep rallies. Donkey sings '90s era pop tunes, and Shrek himself occasionally says anachronistic phrases like "Hold the phone," and "Oh, no you didn't!" It's all part of the whole DeconstructiveParody thing the series is known for.
* ''{{Disney/Aladdin}}'' is ostensibly set in some sort of ancient Arabian kingdom, Genie still somehow conjures up modern technology or makes references to later eras. The RecycledTheSeries spin-off manages to bring in more anachronisms not conjured up by Genie. Ancient Greek Clockwork Bug Robots, anyone?
** The WordOfGod is that Genie knows the references because he time-traveled to the future.
*** But never any further into the future the 1990s, apparently.

** Leonard of Quirm is this trope all by himself, alternately inventing da Vinci-style period pieces and such anomolies as post-it notes, espresso, dragon-powered spacecraft and Scrabble.

* ''HerculesTheLegendaryJourneys'' and ''XenaWarriorPrincess''.

** The WordOfGod is that Genie knows the references because he time-traveled to the future.

* WoodyAllen's play ''God''.

* This is arguably the point of the ShadowHearts series. While its very subdued in its prequel Koudelka, it gets worse and worse as the games come out, and by the time we reach From the New World, we have have South American Ninja, Aliens, A giant talking Cat who is a gangster, and the main character dressed like a teenager from the 90s... in what is supposed to be the 1920s.
* [=~Yo-Jin-Bo~=] seems to be made of this. {{Ronin}} who like to watch BackToTheFuture and make StarWars references? Yup.

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]
* ''TheSkinOfOurTeeth'', at least the first act, is set in {{Suburbia}} sometime around OneMillionBC (complete with talking baby dinosaur). The audience is told not to take this seriously.

** At one point Elan is trying to board an Airship (in the rather Steampunk cross-over town of Cliffside) but can't gain passage because he's a D&D style character and only Final Fantasy characters are allowed on board. So, while some higher level technologies EXIST in that world, there seem to be some strict segregation laws in place to try and maintain consistency based on the individual's own appropriate time period.

** It's modern age, just their universe is quite retro.

* ''TheEmperorsNewGroove'' goes crazy with this one. It's allegedly set in a fictional, Inca-like Peruvian empire, but it makes no attempt to stay true to this. At one point, the producers themselves even admitted, "What the heck--we've broken every other historical rule; let's [[GreasySpoon throw in a truck stop]]."

** Leonard of Quirm is this trope all by himself, alternately inventing da Vinci-style period pieces and such anomolies as post-it notes, espresso, spacecraft and scrabble.

[[AC: Literature]]
* On {{Discworld}} we've seen ''Discworld/MovingPictures'', [[Discworld/SoulMusic rock and roll]], action figures of Captain Carrot, and a clacks system that is suspiciously similar to the Internet.
** Leading to the bizarre occurrence of the Internet being invented before [[Discworld/TheTruth newspapers.]] And before a [[Discworld/GoingPostal working postal system.]] Things are strange on the Disc.

** The director is [[ItRunsOnNonsensolium quick to point out]] that it's set in the 13'''70s'''.

** The director is [[ItRunsOnNonSensolium quick to point out]] that it's set in the 13'''70s'''.

** The director is quick to point out that it's set in the 13'''70s'''.