History Main / TokenTrio

The Token Trio is the PowerTrio's answer to the FiveTokenBand. It usually includes:

The PowerTrio's answer to the FiveTokenBand. Usually includes:

* The original judge trio on ''Series/AmericanIdol'': Simon (white male; bonus points for being a MeanBrit), Paula (Arab female), and Randy (black male).

The end result manages to combine TokenMinority and TheSmurfettePrinciple: the TokenTrio. Implicit in most cases is that the white male is the ''de facto'' [[WhiteMaleLead head]] of the ThreeAmigos--at the least, he'll play a more prominent visual or verbal role in the commercial. Only on rare occasions will the girl be recognizably a third race, such as Asian.

* ''Series/VRTroopers'' featured a TokenTrio as its main protagonists. (Through no fault of the actors involved: Brad Hawkins {white guy} and Sarah Brown {the white girl} have both gone on to bigger and better things, though Michael Bacon {black guy} seems to have vanished)

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* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'''s ''Black And White'' series's party stays true to the trope-- Ash fills the male TokenMinority slot, Iris is AmbiguouslyBrown and Cilan rounds the trio out. Conversely, the group dynamic part of the trope is [[SubvertedTrope subverted]], since Ash is the hero/leader.
* ''Anime/SonicX'' had Chris Thorndike's (presumably a white male) two friends be a black male and a white female [[TwoferTokenMinority in a wheelchair]].

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This trope is common in kids' advertising. If you want to sell a product like, say, [[WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls Lucky Captain Rabbit King Nuggets]] to kids, you put kids in the commercials. That's basic [[{{demographics}} demographic]] appeal. But you can't cast just ''any'' kids-- you want [[ThreeAmigos three]], all implied to be friends, and for a mix of reasons-- political correctness, as well as representing the largest target demographics in the Western world with a minimum of actual effort.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'': Pablo (Hispanic male), Tyrone (African American male), and Uniqua (African American female), typically whenever Tasha and Austin aren't there to create a FourTemperamentEnsemble or FiveManBand. Interestingly, the main protagonist is actually [[WordOfGod Uniqua]].

* ''Anime/DigimonTamers'' uses a Japanese variant, Takato is the Japanese boy leader, Rika is the Japanese token girl, and Henry is the half-Chinese token minority.

[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/danny_phantom_danny_sam_tucker.jpg]]]]

The end result manages to combine TokenMinority and TheSmurfettePrinciple: the TokenTrio. Implicit in most cases is that the white male is the ''de facto'' [[WhiteMaleLead head]] of the ThreeAmigos--at the least, he'll play a more prominent visual or verbal role in the commercial. Only on rare occasion will the girl be recognizably a third race, such as Asian.

* ''Series/BurdenOfTruth'': Owen Beckbie and Diane Evans, who are Indigenous Canadian and Guyanese-Canadian respectively.
* TokenTrio: Joanna (Chinese on her mom's side), Diane (Guyanese) and Kodie (Indigenous Canadian) were this in high school. Diane stated they bonded over being the only girls of color in school. Due to being female, all of them qualify as a TwoferTokenMinority too.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/danny_phantom_danny_sam_tucker.jpg]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBackyardigans'': Pablo (caucasian male), Tyrone (African American male), and Uniqua (African American female), typically whenever Tasha and Austin aren't there to create a FourTemperamentEnsemble or FiveManBand. Interestingly, the main protagonist is actually [[WordOfGod Uniqua]].

* In the ''Literature/WarriorCats'' field guide ''Cats of the Clans,'' the three kits Rock tells his stories to are Mosskit, who is half [=ThunderClan=] and half [=RiverClan=], Adderkit, who is from [=WindClan=], and Blossomkit, who is from [=ShadowClan=].

* * VideoGame/{{Pico}} is the white boy alongside Asian girl Nene and black boy Darnell.

* VideoGame/{{Pico}} is the white boy alongside Asian girl Nene and black boy Darnell.

** ''Beast Morphers'': Black guy (leader), Indian guy, white girl. Then they added a Latino guy and finished it up with an android.

* ''Franchise/ArchieComics'' sometimes grouped Archie, Chuck and Betty this way in the 1970s.

* Even the actual ''Franchise/PowerRangers'' did this when it lacked a FiveManBand. Seasons [[Series/PowerRangersNinjaStorm 11]], [[Series/PowerRangersDinoThunder 12]], [[Series/PowerRangersJungleFury 16]] started with these setups (before the arrival of any {{Sixth Ranger}}s), while 11 and [[Series/PowerRangersRPM 17]] mixed it up just slightly by having the minority male be the leader.
** Ninja Storm had the New Zealand version: Maori guy, white girl, Latino guy. Then they added another white guy and an Asian guy, and finished it up with one last Asian guy.
** Dino Thunder: White guy, white girl, black guy. Then they added a Native American guy and finished it up with an Asian (Filipino).
** Jungle Fury: White guy, white girl, Asian guy. Then two more white guys.
** RPM: Black guy (leader), white guy, white girl. Then two more white guys and finished up with an Asian guy and girl.

* Creator/HannaBarbera's [[Series/SpaceStars Teen Force]] had Kid Comet (white guy), Moleculad (black guy), and Elektra (white girl).

* a [[BlackBestFriend black male]], or other visible minority

* The three stars of ''Film/{{Clockstoppers}}''. White teen star with the AppliedPhlebotinum, token BlackBestFriend, white LoveInterest... [[StrictlyFormula completely by the book]], really.

* ''Series/{{Smallville}}'', back when Clark, Chloe and [[BlackBestFriend Pete]] were the ThreeAmigos. Pete had even undergone a RaceLift for the series!

* Played with on the {{Creator/Nickelodeon}} series ''Series/SupahNinjas'', which features an Asian male lead, BlackBestFriend sidekick, and white female LoveInterest.

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'' has the somewhat refreshing variation of having the main character of the all-TotallyRadical ThreeAmigos be half-Chinese, with a [[SassyBlackWoman sassy]] female BlackBestFriend and a GeniusDitz [[AcceptableTargets faux-stoner white guy]].