History Main / SpoofAesop

* IgnoredAesop, in which characters use a generous dose of LampshadeHanging to discuss what the moral is that they were supposed to learn. After going through several possibilities they end up concluding that they either learned something ridiculous or they didn't learn anything at all.
* A BrokenAesop that ''immediately'' [[LampshadeHanging has a lampshade hung on its own brokenness]]. Sometimes, this can lead to IgnoredAesop (as above), or a character pointing out that the ''opposite'' of the lesson--often doing something immoral, or sometimes simply something neutral and logical--would avoid any trouble and thus nullifies the lesson.

When adding examples, bear in mind that just because a work is [[SatireParodyPastiche a spoof]] and has AnAesop, it's not necessarily a Spoof Aesop.

* In the ''LightNovel/FullMetalPanic'' novel side story "Cinderella Panic!", it parodies the original fairy tale and gives a sort of backwards moral. Granted, the moral it gave ''was'' quite a bit more realistic than the original fairy tale's moral - "Don't always just rely on trying to find a "Prince Charming" who will bring you out of a bad situation, instead use your own strength and find a way out."

* The recent Advertising/NintendoWeek had this: "Video games are fun! [[AntiPoopsocking And don't forget]] [[ForgetsToEat to eat food.]]" Though, considering that many gamers DO forget to eat.... is this really a spoof aesop?

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': In "Stuck in the Wringer", [=SpongeBob=] gets unstuck from the titular wringer by crying. Then, he turns to the audience and says "I guess crying does solve all your problems after all!".

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH1ekuvSYzE A series of YouTube videos exist]] parodying the Franchise/GIJoe [[PublicServiceAnnouncement PSAs]] by replacing all the dialogue with complete nonsense and adding WebAnimation/YouTubePoop-style edits. A couple of the videos managed to retain their original aesops, while others (if they had any at all) ended up with nonsensical ones like "Hey kid. I'm a computer. Stop all the downloading. Help computer."

** * The non-canon storyline "Nanase Craft and the Temple of Zappiness" ends with a lampshaded Broken Aesop: When Ashley learns that Diane and her friends want to use the magic scales to alter their body sizes, she says that nobody ''needs'' to change their size to be happy, you just need to be comfortable with who you are. Diane says yes, that's true and great, but since there ''is'' a magic scale that can adhust their attributes instantly with no side effects, why ''shouldn't'' they use it?

* ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'': Read or the owl will eat you.

** In "A Streetcar Named Marge", ''Oh, Streetcar!'' ends on the musical number that "you can always depend on the kindness of strangers", because "a stranger's just a friend you haven't met!" Anyone even remotely familiar with ''Theatre/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' should know that this is ''[[BlackComedy definitely]]'' not the intended moral of the line that song is based on.

** In "A Streetcar Named Marge", ''Oh, Streetcar!'' ends on the musical number that "you can always depend on the kindness of strangers", because "a stranger's just a friend you haven't met!" Anyone even remotely familiar with ''Theater/AStreetcarNamedDesire'' should know that this is ''[[BlackComedy definitely]]'' not the intended moral of the line that song is based on.

* In the ''Series/{{House}}'' episode "Euphoria," House suspects the current patient got an infection from the pigeon droppings they discover he uses as free fertilizer for his marijuana crop.[[note]]It turns out he's actually wrong about this anyway.[[/note]]

* In the ''Series/{{House}}'' episode "Euphoria," House suspects the current patient got an infection from the pigeon droppings they discover he uses as free fertilizer for his marijuana crop.

* Because ''FanFic/YouGotHaruhiRolled'' is a CrackFic, the {{Aesop}} it gives in one arc is a Spoof Aesop by default.

* ''FanFic/SonicXDarkChaos'' claims that Muslims are all psychopathic pedophile fundamentalists who enjoy rape and torture [[ArtisticLicenseReligion because Islam says they should]]. Both Christianity and Judaism - and their followers - are depicted as stupid and naive at best or complete ReligionOfEvil at worst. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in Episode 68:

* Fanfic/TotalDramaDoOver: All Stars gave many serious morals such as, "Old rivals could become friends," "You aren't entitled to someone just because you have a crush," and "Trust your friends when they come up with something serious." This is the same season that gave us, "Pancakes taste better with butter."
* At the end of the first chapter of ''FanFic/AdventuresOfTheSilverBullets'', the Silver Bullets do a PSA about the importance of education.

** In ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy," Zaphod Beeblebrox advises "Never ever drink more than two Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters unless you are a two-ton wooly mammoth with bronchial pneumonia."

* From ''Series/TopGear'':

* The sketch show ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' once did a spoof of a "don't have sex without a prophylactic" educational short aimed at teenagers starring Music/AvrilLavigne. Her horndog boyfriend [[FunWithAcronyms BJ]] tries to get her into it, but she refuses because she thinks she has to wait until marriage. Her rather open-minded parents (apparently suffering a mid-life crisis) tell her that they did the same thing when they were young, but have regretted it ever since. They advise her to do the polar opposite instead: have sex with as many partners as possible, preferably at the same time and while doing cocaine, and never use a condom.

* ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'' frequently uses the joke that CharacterDevelopment cannot and will not happen to the main characters of the comic, and much of the humor deals with them missing out on/ignoring/or sometimes straight avoiding {{Aesop}}s and opportunities for growth.

* ''Webvideo/RetroShock'': After watching ''Film/InvasionOfTheStarCreatures'', Keny states the moral is men are idiots, women need to be oppressed and the space helmet is the only thing that keeps us together in this evil corrupted world.

* In the TrappedInTVLand episode of ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' (Control Freak gets into the television and starts hypnotizing the viewers, so they have to go in there and stop him), at the end of the episode we're treated to this exchange:

** "Crocker Shocker" shows that fairies shouldn't just rely on one nutjob's belief in them (given that Fairy World lost power once Mr. Crocker stops believing in fairies) so Jorgen reassures that they should rely on 'all' the nutjobs around the world.

** Playing with voodoo dolls is bad; stick to action figures.
** In one episode, Timmy wishes Chester were a great baseball player, causing AcquiredSituationalNarcissism. The lesson Timmy takes from all this? Don't grant wishes for anyone but himself, as it leads to trouble.

* ''[[Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook That Mitchell and Webb Sound]]'': The moral of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is found by a lawyer to ''not'' be "don't tell a lie", it's "don't leave as the sole guardian of a flock of sheep someone you've decided to ignore", when the sheep's owner, the boy's nephew, is taken to court.

--->'''Homer:''' Well, kids, you both tried your best and you both failed miserably. The moral is, ''never'' try.\\
'''Homer:''' If something's hard to do, it's probably not worth doing!\\
'''Homer:''' I hope you learned your lesson, Lisa. Never help anyone.\\
'''Homer:''' ''(to Marge)'' Trying is the first step toward failure.\\
'''Homer:''' It’s better to watch stuff than do stuff.

** In [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E18BurnsHeir "Burns' Heir"]], after Bart and Lisa both fail their auditions, Homer tells them: "Kids, you tried your best, and you failed miserably. The lesson is, never try."

* The ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession11ToysInTheAttic Toys in the Attic]]" consists of each member of the Bebop's crew (well, except Ein, who is a dog) delivering an Aesop. Ed's aesop [[WordSaladHumor would probably count]] ("[[TooSmartForStrangers If you see a stranger]], [[SubvertedTrope follow him]]"), but Spike's aesop is the primary culprit. The aesop is [[spoiler:don't leave food in your fridge]], put in the context of [[spoiler"[[ItCameFromTheFridge the contents of one of the ship's refrigerators having evolved into a horrible poisonous blob monster that attacks the crew]]]]. It avoids becoming a SpaceWhaleAesop because it's clear the writers weren't treating the subject matter seriously at all.

* The ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' episode "Toys in the Attic" consists of each member of the Bebop's crew (well, except Ein, who is a dog) delivering an Aesop. Ed's aesop [[WordSalad would probably count]] ("[[TooSmartForStrangers If you see a stranger]], [[SubvertedTrope follow him]]"), but Spike's aesop is the primary culprit. The aesop is [[spoiler:don't leave food in your fridge]], put in the context of [[spoiler:[[ItCameFromTheFridge the contents of one of the ship's refrigerators having evolved into a horrible poisonous blob monster that attacks the crew.]]]] It avoids becoming a SpaceWhaleAesop because it's clear the writers weren't treating the subject matter seriously at all.

* Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, in the [[WebVideo/TGWTGYearOneBrawl TGWTG Team Brawl]], has this Aesop at the end:

* In ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'', at the end of the episode "Siren Says," the main characters try to figure out an {{Aesop}} but can't. For instance, they start out thinking that it's that [[StockAesops old chestnut]] "don't be prejudiced for the beautiful and against the less attractive"...except that lesson would be [[BrokenAesop rather inappropriate]] since the beautiful girl was innocent, and the less attractive girl was [[HornyDevils the evil Siren]] that was framing the beautiful one. Jake briefly considers that agreeing to date the less attractive girl in the first place would have prevented her from attacking him in the first place... but then he'd be dating a clingy, psychotic Siren who could go off at any minute. They eventually decide the lesson is "don't trust children's paper fortunetelling toys, and always wait an hour after eating before going swimming".

* Music/TheJGeilsBand: "No Anchovies, Please": If you eat anchovies, you will be kidnapped and turned into a bowling ball.

--->'''Robin:''' So, I guess it is bad to watch too much TV.\\

* In episode 100 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', Church gives a speech which is halfway between an Aesop and an angry rant about everyone around him.