History Main / RuleOffunny

* Tranquilizers take several minutes to take effect; however, in ''Film/Thor'' it happens almost immediately, causing one of the funniest parts in the film. In the hospital when Thor is fighting the doctors, this happens: (gets pinned against the wall) "You are no match for the mighty--" (gets tranqilized).

'''Tropes existing purely due to the RuleOfFunny:'''

* As an unrestrained parody of {{Cowboy Cop}}s, ''SledgeHammer'' runs entirely on Rule of Funny.

* ''Series/RedDwarf'' has briefly {{Flanderiz|ation}}ed Holly's [[TheDitz senility]] for a joke multiple times, with the extreme being "White Hole" (in which (s)he was counting by banging her head on the screen). However, (s)he is shown to be much more lucid (if not necessarily brilliant) in other episodes, notably in "Queeg" with a well-planned hoax ''based'' on the idiot-perception and in "Back to Reality" when (s)he saves the entire crew. Also, "White Hole" itself establishes that the ship's power generation requires her input, making you wonder why something hasn't exploded yet.

* A relentless HurricaneOfPuns and a bizarre array of [[EverythingTryingToKillYou Everything Trying To]] [[strike:Kill You]] [[InsistentTerminology Beat You Up]] make up only a fraction of the silliness in the {{MMORPG}} ''KingdomOfLoathing''.
* [[VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay Conker]]. To explain, antics such as producing toilet paper from {{Hammerspace}} when fighting a giant singing poo, and drinking from a conveniently placed keg in order to defeat fire imps with "[[UrineTrouble yellow rain]]". Or as the game puts it, the 'Context Sensitive Area'.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'''s infamous "probing Uranus" joke requires a deviation from format to execute. Normally, when the player deploys a probe, the ship AI will say something like "Probe away" or "Deploying Probe." It never, never says "Probing [Planet Name]"....except when you launch a probe at Uranus, at which point you hear "probing Uranus."
* With enemies like giant hamburgers and chests of drawers and superpowers like "eating spicy foods without distress" or "folding roadmaps correctly," SuperheroLeagueOfHoboken pretty much runs on this trope.

* Wrestling/FrankZappa

* The ManateeGag moments in ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' often depict moments that almost certainly never happened (e.g. Stewie and Brian running a talk show). Their prevalence amped greatly following the series' return, which attracted criticism from various other cartoonists and comedians and was parodied in the "Cartoons Wars" episodes of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark''. [[Creator/SethMacFarlane MacFarlane's]] response was:

* Pavi Largo's accent in ''RepoTheGeneticOpera''. He's the only one of his siblings with an Italian accent. It appears only to be there to make him hilarious. (It works.) [[hottip:*: the writers have subsequently stated that Pavi developed his accent to cover up a childhood speech impediment. But seeing as the film itself offers no such explanation, it probably still counts as Rule of Funny]]

* [[{{Batman}} The Joker]], of all people, points this out in ''WhateverHappenedToTheCapedCrusader''.

* ''[[{{Nextwave}} Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.]]'' basically runs on this. It starts with the team fighting a giant green dragon in underpants, and proceeds to get unashamedly weirder without so much as stopping for breath -- [[WhatDoYouMeanItWasntMadeOnDrugs except to huff more laughing gas]].

* Pinkie Pie from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' regularly pulls off hilariously impossible feats like being in multiple places at the same time, outrunning the faster flier in Equestria while only moving at a casual skipping pace, or randomly appearing in places she couldn't possibly fit into. By 'couldn't possibly fit into' we mean [[BeyondTheImpossible Pinkie at one point simply manifests in a mirror.]] This [[EpilepticTrees may or may not have something to do]] with her connection to the Element of Laughter.

* ''WesternAnimatoon/SouthPark'' is probably the ultimate litmus test for it. If they can't make it funny, ''no one'' can.

* Every Creator/MontyPython movie, especially Holy Grail. The opening titles even contain faux sweedish subtitles that ramble off on tangents, leading the people in charge of the titles to be fired, mid title sequence.

* Every {{Monty Python}} movie, especially Holy Grail. The opening titles even contain faux sweedish subtitles that ramble off on tangents, leading the people in charge of the titles to be fired, mid title sequence.

* MassEffect 2's infamous "probing Uranus" joke requires a deviation from format to execute. Normally, when the player deploys a probe, the ship AI will say something like "Probe away" or "Deploying Probe." It never, never says "Probing [Planet Name]"....except when you launch a probe at Uranus, at which point you hear "probing Uranus."

** Ditto TheThreeStooges.

** Compared to ''Problem Sleuth'' and ''Homestuck'', ''Homestuck'''s [[ShowWithinAShow Game Within A Game]] ''{{Jailbreak}}'' is even more so; Rule of Funny justifies its entire existence. It makes no pretense of having a coherent world or story; Rule of Funny is its be-all and end-all.

* Every {{Monty Python's Flying Circus}} movie, especially Holy Grail. The opening titles even contain faux sweedish subtitles that ramble off on tangents, leading the people in charge of the titles to be fired, mid title sequence.