History Main / TwinTest

The twin test can be PlayedForLaughs, especially if you're dealing with TricksterTwins who enjoy confusing family, friends, and strangers alike. If someone is particularly good at the test, the siblings may become obsessed with stumping them, escalating the difficulty of the test to absurd levels by [[CoordinatedClothes dressing the same]], adopting similar mannerisms, or even [[TwinSwitch pretending to be the other twin]]. Identical siblings who are also SingleMindedTwins giving a twin test are often played for laughs with the joke being that the obvious lack of distinct personalities between the two will make answering correctly a matter of chance. At the very least, [[CharacterTics the]] [[TheTell justifications]] a character gives for their answer, regardless of whether they were right or wrong, will be mined for comedy.

When PlayedForDrama, if most people [[IdenticalTwinMistake fail the test]], at least one of the siblings may become withdrawn or jaded about the nature of their own individuality. It may also jump-start a desire for one sibling to [[IdenticalTwinIDTag differentiate themselves as much as possible from the other]], distancing themself from their sibling(s) in the process. Expect someone who consistently passes to be considered a [[TrueCompanions True Companion]] or OneTrueLove, since only someone who really ''gets'' the siblings can pass the test.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': Mrs. Beakley immediately proves her mettle as the triplets' nanny by not only not being put off by their pranks but by quickly determining they'd pulled a [[TwinSwitch Triplet Switch]], [[UpToEleven without ever having met them before or having any logical way to tell one from the other]] (sure, they wear different colored clothing, but she shouldn't have known which brother favored which color).

* In ''Sophie's Adventures'', Sophie's older brothers, who are twins named Matthew and Mark like to ask people if they know who is who, and claim the person guessed wrong even if they guessed right.

* In Creator/WilkieCollins' ''Poor Miss Finch'', the title character Lucilla Finch (who's blind) is challenged to tell the difference between her fiance Oscar and his twin brother Nugent. This becomes a [[ChekhovsGun crucial plot point]] later in the story when Nugent tries to marry Lucilla under the guise that he's actually Oscar. She finds she can do it by holding their hands:

* Downplayed and subverted in the season 2 episode of ''Series/SisterSister'', "Joey's Choice." After the same boy, Joey, accidentally asks them both out [[UnknownRelative thinking they were the same person]], Tia and Tamera reluctantly share a date with him. Though Joey [[TwinThreesomeFantasy doesn't mind]], the girls do and at the end of the date Tamera asks him to choose between the two. To her surprise, he picks Tia, who at this point in the series has been characterized as the less outgoing and more boy shy of the two. Tamera asks him why and Joey admits that because he didn't really know why himself, he based his decision on the "stupid reason" that he liked the shoes Tia had on. Tamera leaves only to remember that Tia is wearing ''her'' shoes.
* Inverted in the season 1 episode of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', "Poor Little Rich Girl." Zack and Cody watch a baby video of theirs in which their parents accidentally [[IdenticalTwinMistake mix the two up]]. Despite their mom pointing out that all babies kind of look alike anyways, the two spend the rest of the episode having {{Identity Breakdown}}s, questioning their own identities, and adopting the traits of the other. They demand their mom find their birth certificates so they can prove once and for all they are who they thought they were.
* PlayedForLaughs in an early episode of ''Series/FullHouse,'' when Jesse's Greek relatives visit. This is an interesting case that [[MakingUseOfTheTwin Makes Use Of The Twin]] in real life to play a character that is ''not'' the twin of the character they are identical to, but are just a [[UncannyFamilyResemblance nearly identical cousin.]] Joey dresses youngest child Michelle, played by either Creator/MaryKateAndAshleyOlsen, and Jesse's cousin, played by the ''other'' Olsen twin, alike and then challenges Danny, Michelle's father, to guess who's who. The jig is up in two seconds though:

* ''{{Manga/Mars}}'': Whenever an old photo featuring him and Sei pops up, Rei will ask Kira which one she thinks is him. Each time, Kira answers correctly and while doing so she is depicted with some form of LoveBubbles, indicating that her ability to pick him out is meaningful to Rei

* Averted '''hard''' in Film/ThePrestige: [[spoiler: The key to Borden's version of the Transported Man trick is that "he" is actually two twin brothers who have decided to live their entire lives as one man for the sake of their magic acts, down to lying to "his" wife about it. This has disastrous effects as the [[BreakTheCutie constant gaslighting]] by Borden about his abrupt behavior changes and obvious infidelity destroys his marriage and [[DrivenToSuicide causes his wife to commit suicide]]]].

-->'''Lucilla''': "When Oscar takes it, a delicious tingle runs from his hand into mine, and steals all over me. I can't describe it any better than that." \\
'''Madame Pratolungo''':"I understand. And when Nugent takes your hand, what do you feel?" \\
'''Lucilla''': "Nothing!"

* In Creator/WilkieCollins' ''Poor Miss Finch'', the title character Lucilla Finch (who's blind) is challenged to tell the difference between her fiance Oscar and his twin brother Nugent. This becomes a [[ChekovsGun crucial plot point]] later in the story when Nugent tries to marry Lucilla under the guise that he's actually Oscar. She finds she can do it by holding their hands:

* In Creator/WilkieCollins' ''Poor Miss Finch'', the title character (who's blind) is challenged to tell the difference between her fiance Oscar and his twin brother Nugent. She finds she can do it by holding their hands:
-->"When Oscar takes it, a delicious tingle runs from his hand into mine, and steals all over me. I can't describe it any better than that." \\
"I understand. And when Nugent takes your hand, what do you feel?" \\
"Nothing!"

* PlayedForLaughs in an early episode of ''Series/FullHouse,'' when Jesse's Greek relatives visit, though this is an interesting case of a non-twin test while the show is MakingUseOfTheTwin, with one Olsen twin playing Michelle as normal, and the other playing an [[UncannyFamilyResemblance nearly identical cousin.]] Joey dresses them alike and then challenges Danny to guess who's who. The jig is up in two seconds...because the girls are about three years old.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* In ''VideoGame/SpyParty'', Dr. M and Dr. N are identical twins dressed in the same blue blazers, with the only distinguishing features about them being that N wears jewellery (earrings, a tie clip and a ring) while M doesn't. For a careless Sniper, losing track of which twin you are suspicious of can be deadly.
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* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': Plays the trope both for laughs and for drama. Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin play the "Which One is Hikaru?" game, both as a form of entertainment in the club and with their friends, as a personal form of entertainment, and as an easy defense mechanism to keep people from getting too close to them, mocking and ridiculing those who fail outside of club activities. And most people '''DO''' fail, including their parents, so it's a shock to both of them that Haruhi passes the test, every single time. [[spoiler:Haruhi consistently passing makes both Hikaru and Kaoru develop romantic feelings for her.]]

* PlayedForLaughs in an early episode of ''Series/FullHouse,'' when Jesse's Greek relatives visit, including a cousin Michelle's age who bears an UncannyResemblance to her (the show MakingUseOfTheTwin, having both Olsen twins portraying a different character). Joey dresses them both in the same outfit, and then challenges Danny to guess which is which. The jig is up in about three seconds.

-->'''Danny:''' Ohhh this is a toughie, but I bet that the real Michelle is the one that just called me Daddy. And you ''(to other girl)'' are Melina.

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twin_test_8.png

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twin_test_7.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Many have tried and many have failed.]]

Stories featuring twins (who are almost [[AlwaysIdenticalTwins always identical]]) will often ask the question: what differentiates these two outwardly identical people, and can others (in-universe) pick up on those differences? To answer, creators will sometimes have their characters administer the twin test.

* Inverted in the season 1 episode of ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'', "Poor Little Rich Girl." Zack and Cody watch a baby video of theirs in which their parents accidentally [[IdenticalTwinMistake mix the two up]]. Despite their mom pointing out that all babies kind of look alike anyways, the two spend the rest of the episode having a small existential crisis, questioning their own identities, and adopting the traits of the other. They demand their mom find their birth certificates so they can prove once and for all they are who they thought they were.

In more fantastical or action-oriented stories that include an EvilTwin, a twin test may be used to confuse or thwart TheHero and is likely to include raising the stakes of answering incorrectly into a MatterOfLifeAndDeath.

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/OuranHighS choolHostClub https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twin_test_7.jpg]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/OuranHighS choolHostClub https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twin_test_7.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Many have tried and many have failed.]]]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twin_test_7.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Many have tried and many have failed.]]

* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': The page image. Plays the trope both for laughs and for drama. Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin play the "Which One is Hikaru?" game, both as a form of entertainment in the club and with their friends, as a personal form of entertainment, and as an easy defense mechanism to keep people from getting too close to them, mocking and ridiculing those who fail outside of club activities. And most people '''DO''' fail, including their parents, so it's a shock to both of them that Haruhi passes the test, every single time. [[spoiler:Haruhi consistently passing makes both Hikaru and Kaoru develop romantic feelings for her.]]

* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': Plays the trope both for laughs and for drama. Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin play the "Which One is Hikaru?" game, both as a form of entertainment in the club and with their friends, as a personal form of entertainment, and as an easy defense mechanism to keep people from getting too close to them, mocking and ridiculing those who fail outside of club activities. And most people '''DO''' fail, including their parents, so it's a shock to both of them that Haruhi passes the test, every single time. [[spoiler:Haruhi consistently passing makes both Hikaru and Kaoru develop romantic feelings for her.]]

* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': Plays the trope both for laughs and for drama. Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin play the "Which One is Hikaru and Which One is Kaoru?" game, both as a form of entertainment in the club and with their friends as a personal form of entertainment. Most people fail, including their parents, so it's a shock to both of them that Haruhi passes the test, every single time. [[spoiler:Haruhi consistently passing makes both Hikaru and Kaoru develop romantic feelings for her.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twin_test.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Could you pass the test?]]

In more fantastical or action-oriented stories that include an EvilTwin, a twin test may be used to confuse or thwart TheHero and are likely to include raising the stakes of answering incorrectly into a MatterOfLifeAndDeath.

Compare and contrast SpotTheImposter and ImpostorExposingTest, which similarly focuses on a character correctly identifying another from a doppleganger. While the twin test can include [[TwinSwitch one sibling pretending to be another]], this is not fundamental and typically the twins present genuine representations of themselves. Similarly, in the case of split personalities, a twin test may involve HydePlaysJekyll, but it is not necessary for the trope.

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