History Platform / PlatypusComix

* MilestoneCelebration: In honor of Platypus Comix's 10th anniversary, accessing the site during the week of February 7, 2011 brought up a page which resembles the homepage used in 2001, and links to old comics and articles through the Wayback Machine.

* MissingEpisode: Several of the oldest banners got deleted to save space.

* ViralMarketing:
** Some of the banners displayed in Fall and Winter of 2010 have [[http://platypuscomix.net/top162.jpg the number pi]] [[http://platypuscomix.net/top166.gif displayed]] for reasons that didn't seem very clear until New Year's Day 2011, when Paltridge released the first ''Princess Pi'' comic.
** During the week of April 15-21, 2012, the banner featured a working countdown to midnight April 23 ET, at which time Peter Paltridge would make "the most important announcement in Platypus Comix history." Paltridge [[http://platypuscomix.net/top195.gif extended the countdown]], then [[http://platypuscomix.net/top194.jpg shortened it]], [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/top196.jpg then]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/projects/bang.html revealed]] that he plans to collect stories and comics for an independent publication: ''[[http://www.bangpdx.com/ BANG! The Entertainment Paper]]''.

* CatchPhrase: The [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/interactive/thingsyoucanteverhave3.html Summer 2011 edition]] of "Things You Can't Ever Have" had a picture of a Wii autographed by eight actors from ''Series/{{Glee}}''. Paltridge lamented, "...but no Jane Lynch." He later repeated this phrase for other autographed objects featured in "Things You Can't Ever Have."

* {{Irony}}: Two of the channels listed in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/disconnected.html Cable Networks That Never Made It]]" still exist, but have undergone NetworkDecay since they began. {{MTV}}'s inclusion was PlayedForLaughs ever since Paltridge first wrote the article, but he has admitted that he didn't learn about CBN's transformation into ABCFamily until after the article's publication.

%% leave image on right, please.
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Platypus_Comix_Over_the_Hill_3074.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:250:[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters A few]] of the characters you'll meet at The Site With Everything, plus some from discontinued comics.]]

* ItGotWorse: As the media tries to expose Joan as a fraud, Ivy assures her, "Things will be a lot better in the morning!" The next day, Osama Bin Laden attacks the World Trade Center.

* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: The title character of "Awesome Blossom" exclaims "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=1&page=14&seriesID=7 Heart Power!]]" every time she tries to solve a problem. It proves effective, but the second time she uses it [[ItGotWorse angers others]]. In a possible [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], her adversaries use "Liver Power!" and "Pancreas Power!" to get what they want.

* ItGotWorse: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/onlyme/whyicantupdate.html Why I Couldn't Update This Week!]] details a week in which Peter Paltridge had to stay in a cheap hotel during his house's remodeling, then got sick. [[spoiler: Fortunately, it has a ThrowTheDogABone ending.]]

* [[spoiler: RetGone]]: [[spoiler: Joe Quesadilla and (unintentionally) [[TheCloneSaga Ben Reilly]], after Mary Jane performs a retcon with the stolen stamp.]]

* HilariousInFlashback: In "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/tvguideads11.html The Lost Art Of TV Guide Advertising: Spring 1997]]", one of the ads shown was for the series premire of ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', and it was annotated with this:

** {{Disney}}'s announcement of plans to buy MarvelComics led to the creation of a banner featuring a demonic MickeyMouse telling Franchise/{{Spider-Man}}, "[[http://platypuscomix.net/top140.jpg I want...our marriage!]]"

** Mulberry [[http://platypuscomix.net/top154.jpg meets]] Comicbook/ScottPilgrim.

* DramaQueen: Mulberry doesn't react [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/top118.jpg kindly]] after {{Nintendo}} makes an underwhelming announcement at E3.

* ClipShow: The Head Executive of Platypus Comix showed [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=8&pageType=index&seriesID=7 one]] during the first week of the "2008 Character Strike". This evolves into a BLAMEpisode as the "clips" gradually give way to pictures from random sources outside the website.

* ProductPlacement: The first issue of Paltridge's publication, ''BANG! The Entertainment Paper'', [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=17&page=6 appeared]] in "Schoolhouse Bootleg" at least six months before it became available in stores.

* FollowTheLeader: During the third week of the Character Strike, the Head Executive tried to create [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=10&pageType=index&seriesID=7 his own comic]], starring talking pigs who engage in [[FamilyGuy offensive activities, random cutaways, and liberal lecturing]].

** Octus from ''{{WesternAnimation/Sym-Bionic Titan}}'' once showed up to announce that he had taken over CartoonNetwork, and had decided to renew ''Titan'' for "...approximately 107 more episodes! [[http://platypuscomix.net/top175.gif It is the only logical thing to do!]]"

[[folder: Articles]]

* ContinuityNod: A 2011 update to the [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/misfitsindex.html menu]] for The Island of Misfit Christmas Specials added references to ''GrandmaGotRunOverByAReindeer'', ''Up on the Housetop''[[hottip:*:The first "Misfit" Paltridge reviewed]], ''RobbieTheReindeer'', ''The Great Bear Scare''[[hottip:*:Paltridge's least favorite special on the list]], and ''A Wish For Wings That Work''[[hottip:*:which starred the cast of ''BloomCounty'']].

** One of the pictures in [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/tvguideads3.html Volume 3]] of "The Lost Art of ''TV Guide'' Advertising" promotes a ''[[TheLoveBoat Love Boat]]'' episode, in which several Miss America winners gather to honor the then-newest Miss America, Vanessa Williams. Peter Paltridge subsequently asks, "Why do I get the feeling this episode was going to live in infamy for a while?"[[hottip:*:Williams would later lose her title after nude pictures of her turned up in ''Penthouse'' magazine.]]
** The Neil Goldschmidt quote in one of the TV special ads included in [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/tvguideads6.html Volume 6]] of "The Lost Art of ''TV Guide'' Advertising" mentions giving teens "special attention." Below the ad, Paltridge comments, "...Neil Goldschmidt really meant it when he talked about giving teens special attention."[[hottip:*:Goldschmidt was later revealed to have committed sexual abuse.]]

-->Unfortunately, after [a ''{{Lost}}'' promo] the tape ran out and I didn't get the last quarter of the program. And it's a real shame...If I had been able to give you the full scoop on that one pilot about the midget private eye in Las Vegas, that would have pushed this page into "Greatest Page On The Entire Site" territory.

Peter Paltridge called 2008's [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=11&page=1 "True Believers"]] his second favorite Platypus Comix story. The characters from the flagship comics have gone on strike, so the Head Executive tries to tide readers over with a {{Spider-Man}} comic, hoping he could get away with featuring characters he doesn't own when the characters he does own won't cooperate. The resulting story became Platypus Comix's TakeThat against MarvelComics' reviled ''OneMoreDay'' comic, which had concluded two weeks earlier. In a 48-page, two-month-long, ''[[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Roger Rabbit]]''-ish storyline, Spidey and Mary Jane Watson fight to save their marriage from being wiped out by their own editor, Joe Quesadilla -- a vicious [[JoeQuesada Quesada]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed caricature]].

** {{Disney}}'s announcement of plans to buy MarvelComics led to the creation of a banner featuring a demonic MickeyMouse telling {{Spider-Man}}, "[[http://platypuscomix.net/top140.jpg I want...our marriage!]]"

[--'''Third Row''': NJ (from ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland''), Princess Pi (from ''Webcomic/PrincessPi''), [[{{Spider-Man}} Mary Jane Watson]] (from "True Believers"), Shroomy (from ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland''), and Beefer (from ''Webcomic/{{Keiki}}'').--]

[--'''Front Row''': JoanOfArc (sitting, from "Raiders of the Lost Arc"), Aerynn Arlia (from ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland''), Quint (from ''Webcomic/ScrambledEggs''), Tiff/Taffy (from ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}''), Tuan Nuaghen (from ''Webcomic/ScrambledEggs''), and Mulberry Sharona (from ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}'').--]

[--'''Front Row''': JoanOfArc (sitting, from "Raiders of the Lost Arc"), Aerynn Arlia (from ''Webcomic/ElectricWonderland''), Quint (from ''Webcomic/ScrambledEggs''), Tiff (from ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}''), Tuan Nuaghen (from ''Webcomic/ScrambledEggs''), and Mulberry Sharona (from ''Webcomic/{{Mulberry}}'').--]

** [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender Aang]] [[http://platypuscomix.net/top152.jpg punching]] MNightShyamalan after the release of ''Film/TheLastAirbender''.

** Mulberry dressing as [[Film/FridayThe13th Jason]] and preparing to [[http://platypuscomix.net/top136.jpg kill Flo, the Progressive Insurance Girl]].

* NightmareFuel.VanityPlates: [invoked] "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/psychiatry/scarylogos.html World's Scariest Corporate Logos]]".

* AccentuateTheNegative: Peter Paltridge has admitted that some of the things he makes TakeThat comics about, such as ThatGuyWithTheGlasses, aren't really things he hates.
* AllThereInTheManual: Paltridge has written [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/newbiestuff/index.html short bios]] in order to properly introduce new readers to the main characters of the flagship series. Also, sometimes Paltridge shares details about characters on his DeviantArt [[http://torquesmacky.deviantart.com/ page]] before putting them into the comics.
* AlliterativeName: Peter Paltridge, Keiki Kikilaka, Marie Magnolia (also from ''Keiki''), Aerynn Arlia (from ''Electric Wonderland''), and Lululu Lopez (also from ''Electric Wonderland'').
* TheBechdelTest: Paltridge's comics often pass this test with flying colors, since four of the five flagship comics have main character rosters where the females outnumber males.
* BreakingTheFourthWall: Several characters have demonstrated this ability. The main characters of ''Mulberry'' and ''Scrambled Eggs'' in particular act as AnimatedActors.
* ChristmasSpecial:
** Paltridge made at least one every year until 2008, and now seems to do so on a sporadic basis. Most of them are archived in [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/kristmas/index.php?seriesID=8 Kristmas Klassics]].
** Also, he has a special section for reviews of the good, the bad and the obscure of animated Christmas specials, dubbed "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/misfitsindex.html The Island of Misfit Christmas Specials]]."
* {{Cliffhanger}}: Most of the comics are released in at least two parts, then the parts are merged together in the archive (unless the parts come from different seasons, such as the chapters of "Keiki's Huge Christmas Epic").
* ConspicuousCG: The backgrounds of some comics. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the ''Scrambled Eggs'' comic "Wack Friday" when the store sells "Extremely Fake Trees".
* EverythingsBetterWithPlatypi: WordOfGod says the name "Platypus Comix" was just something Paltridge thought would make a funny name for a comic company, and might have been inspired by a song one of his cousins sang.
* InvisibleParents: See each comic's individual page for more info. (''Electric Wonderland'' does not have an entry for this since [[JustifiedTrope the main characters are older than than the other comics' characters]]. This could apply to ''Princess Pi'' as well.)
* LimitedWardrobe: The majority of recurring characters from each comic.
* MilestoneCelebration: In honor of Platypus Comix's 10th anniversary, accessing the site during the week of February 7, 2011 brought up a page which resembles the homepage used in 2001, and links to old comics and articles through the Wayback Machine.
* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: Some articles and comics have such disclaimers in their respective threads of the Platypus Comix forum.
* RealitySubtext: Numerous examples, such as the ''Mulberry'' comic "Murphy's Lawn" (built up on BrittanyMurphy's death) and the ''Keiki'' comic "Beefer in the Time of Cholera" (set during the economic recession of the late 2000s). Paltridge also traditionally makes comics about Dan Blather covering the OlympicGames and Mulberry trying to influence the Presidential Election.
* RefugeInAudacity: Usually by making the comics go over the top in terms of wackiness.
* SkintoneSclerae: Paltridge explained that adding white portions to his characters' eyes often takes too much time, and doesn't look good to him unless he manages to shape it into a perfect circle. (Although, characters drawn fairly recently sometimes have eyes with white or off-white portions, such as the stars of ''Electric Wonderland'' and ''Princess Pi''.)
* StripArchive: Most of the comics are archived in a pseudo-book form. The site also contains several archives of un-reprinted ''BloomCounty'' strips and a large number of ''U.S. Acres'' strips.
* StupidBoss: A recurring character: The Head Executive of Platypus Comix.

* CassandraTruth: Twenty-first century reporters who think [[ItsPopularNowItSucks Joan appears too frequently in the media]] begin doubting her achievements.
* EnemyMine: Joan's companions in her fight against Bin Laden came from England, the country Joan saved France from.
* [[GoneHorriblyRight Gone Horribly]] [[spoiler:[[GoneHorriblyRight Right]]]]: [[spoiler: Joan's defeat of Bin Laden proves so effective, all the terrorists cease their attacks, and the US Army dissolves.]]
* ItGotWorse: As the media tries to expose Joan as a fraud, Ivy assures her, "Things will be a lot better in the morning!" The next day, Osama Bin Laden attacks the World Trade Center.
* KatanasAreJustBetter: Joan brings one with her to Afghanistan.
* LetsGetDangerous: Bin Laden tries to exploit the fear of fire Joan developed after persecution by shoving her into a burning room. She makes it out alive, and proceeds to beat up several terrorists.
* RedHeadedHero: Joan
* ThatWasNotADream: Buzz expresses hope that the attacks on the World Trade Center turn out to be personal nightmares.
* [[spoiler: VictoryIsBoring]]: The comic ends with [[spoiler: Joan unable to find any more terrorists to fight, and thus using her newfound free time to crochet doilies and organize her socks]].
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Joan has such moments when having to escape a burning room, and later, a burning ''building''.

Peter Paltridge called 2008's [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=11&page=1 "True Believers"]] his second favorite Platypus Comix story. The characters from the flagship comics have gone on strike, so the Head Executive tries to tide readers over with a {{Spider-Man}} comic, hoping he could get away with featuring characters he doesn't own when the characters he does own won't cooperate. The resulting story became Platypus Comix's TakeThat against MarvelComics' reviled ''OneMoreDay'' comic, which had concluded two weeks earlier. In a 48-page, two-month-long, ''[[WhoFramedRogerRabbit Roger Rabbit]]''-ish storyline, Spidey and Mary Jane Watson fight to save their marriage from being wiped out by their own editor, Joe Quesadilla -- a vicious [[JoeQuesada Quesada]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed caricature]].

* ChekhovsGun: After turning down the offer to become Jackpot, Mary Jane carries a stamp out of Quesadilla's office. [[spoiler: During the climax of the comic, she presses the stamp against Quesadilla's forehead and {{Retcon}}s his existence.]]
* DeathIsCheap: Comic book characters "always come back", as [[spoiler:Mary Jane]] explains after a revitalization.
* DespairEventHorizon: After Spidey discovers that Quesadilla erased ''everything'' that happened in the last 30 years, he asks Dr. Octopus to kill him. He gets better, "five miniseries, three crossovers, and one apocalyptic battle later."
* TheFinalTemptation: During the climax, Quesadilla offers Peter the revivals of Uncle Ben, Richard and Mary Parker, and/or Gwen Stacy if he lets him erase the marriage. [[spoiler: He nearly accepts, but after deciding [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy he wants MJ to be happy]], he asks her what to do, then follows her request to decline the temptation.]]
* HomageShot:

* PrecisionFStrike: After Peter tears up the paper Joe Quesadilla used to brainwash MJ, she tells Peter to, "Kick his ass."
* RealityWarper: Joe Quesadilla
* [[spoiler: RetGone]]: [[spoiler: Joe Quesadilla and (unintentionally) [[TheCloneSaga Ben Reilly]], after Mary Jane performs a retcon with the stolen stamp.]]
* RogerRabbitEffect: The story portrays comic-book characters as real people, and editors as their gods.
* SuspiciouslyAproposMusic: As Peter dances with MJ the Friday evening after Quesadilla announces plans to erase their marriage, he points out the irony of the song's lyrics describing the "last dance with Mary Jane," but she informs him the song's actually about pot.
* AWizardDidIt: After [[spoiler: Quesadilla's retcon drastically improves "the real world's continuity" '''and''' the comic book industry]], Peter remarks that he can't believe the afforementioned ChekhovsGun could cause such a great effect. MJ reminds him, "It's magic, Tiger," so Peter exclaims, "[[IronicEcho Yeah, it's magic! We don't have to explain it!]]"

* AffectionateParody: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=17&pageType=index&seriesID=7 Schoolhouse Bootleg]]," of ''SchoolhouseRock''.
* ClipShow: The Head Executive of Platypus Comix showed [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=8&pageType=index&seriesID=7 one]] during the first week of the "2008 Character Strike". This evolves into a BLAMEpisode as the "clips" gradually give way to pictures from random sources outside the website.
* CrisisCrossover: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=2&pageType=index&seriesID=7 Riot Act #2]]" features characters from various Platypus Comix series, although several of these series have since been removed from the website.
* DolledUpInstallment: The second week of the Character Strike brought [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=9&pageType=index&seriesID=7 a story]] titled "{{Terminator}}: [[TheSarahConnorChronicles The Mulberry Sharona Chronicles]], which actually featured artwork from ''{{Shadowgirls}}''.
* FollowTheLeader: During the third week of the Character Strike, the Head Executive tried to create [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=10&pageType=index&seriesID=7 his own comic]], starring talking pigs who engage in [[FamilyGuy offensive activities, random cutaways, and liberal lecturing]].

* FourthWallMailSlot: The fifth and final [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=12&pageType=index&seriesID=7 installment]] of the 2008 Character Strike featured the Head Executive replying to emails readers sent Peter Paltridge.
* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: The title character of "Awesome Blossom" exclaims "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=1&page=14&seriesID=7 Heart Power!]]" every time she tries to solve a problem. It proves effective, but the second time she uses it [[ItGotWorse angers others]]. In a possible [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], her adversaries use "Liver Power!" and "Pancreas Power!" to get what they want.
* HostileShowTakeover: For AprilFoolsDay 2006, Paltridge faked the site's absorption by [=CNet=] and created [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/onlyme/cnetcartoonintro.html a comic]] in which [=CNet=] representatives interfered with attempts to read the newest ''Mulberry'' comic by hawking the benefits of donation.
* HowTheCharacterStoleChristmas: Spoofed in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/kristmas/index.php?issue=9&pageType=index&seriesID=8 How The Kvetch Stole Hannukah!]]", Paltridge's attempt to teach AnAesop about expressing diversity instead of [[YouMeanXmas homogenization]] during the holiday season.
* LifeImitatesArt: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=14&pageType=index&seriesID=7 Nester and Wiiner # 2: No More Heroes]]," a story about CasualVideoGame production causing a decline in quality {{Nintendo}} games, ended with Nintendo making plans for [[ItsEasySoItSucks a game about breathing]]. Over a year later, Ubisoft announced plans for ''Innergy,'' a game about breathing.
* LuddWasRight: The {{Retraux}}, [[TheFifties Fifties]]-influenced "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=16&pageType=index&seriesID=7 Vess MacMeal Starring in]]: TheMoreYouKnow!" introduces a new gadget called the "Kimwon" to the people of Shiny Valley. [[spoiler: Gradually, this North Korean product develops so many features, it takes over ''all'' of the duties Americans previously served themselves, granting world domination to DirtyCommunist Kim Jong-Il.]]
* MoodWhiplash: The CruelTwistEnding of "Vess [=MacMeal=] Starring in: The More You Know!" is immediately followed by the TitleDrop, which comes in a simple picture of the logo seen in 2000s [=PSAs=] using the phrase.
* PandaingToTheAudience: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=7&pageType=index&seriesID=7 Rice Cub]]" stars a talking panda with a personality similar to that of Mary Lynn Rajskub, who played Chloe O'Brian in ''Series/TwentyFour''.
* ProductPlacement: The first issue of Paltridge's publication, ''BANG! The Entertainment Paper'', [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=17&page=6 appeared]] in "Schoolhouse Bootleg" at least six months before it became available in stores.
* RealLifeWritesThePlot: After Paltridge learned of the existence of [[http://www.kevhines.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi a website]] called "Platypus Comi'''cs'''," he wrote about his characters' reactions to the [[SimilarlyNamedWorks similarly named work]] and its debatably enjoyable content in "Riot Act # 2."
* StylisticSuck: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/miscellaneous/index.php?issue=1&seriesID=7 Awesome Blossom]]," intended to feel like an unaired {{Filmation}} cartoon.

* AngelsPose: [[http://platypuscomix.net/top169.jpg Starring]] Mulberry, Shroomy (from ''Electric Wonderland''), and Princess Pi.
* {{Crossover}}:

* DramaQueen: Mulberry doesn't react [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/top118.jpg kindly]] after {{Nintendo}} makes an underwhelming announcement at E3.
* HostileShowTakeover: The week Princess Pi's first comic came out, the banner contained a picture of her using green paint to change the Platypus Comix logo to read, "[[http://platypuscomix.net/top168.jpg Pi Comix]]".

* LogoJoke:

* MilestoneCelebration:

** Mulberry offering [[http://platypuscomix.net/top132.jpg a code]] for 100 free Disney Movie Rewards points and explaining, "I, myself, will never buy enough teenybopper garbage and ''Series/HannahMontana'' pantyhose to earn the one worthwhile item offered in this program, the ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales}}'' movie DVD."

** During the week of April 15-21, 2012, the banner featured a working countdown to midnight April 23 ET, at which time Peter Paltridge would make "the most important announcement in Platypus Comix history." Paltridge [[http://platypuscomix.net/top195.gif extended the countdown]], then [[http://platypuscomix.net/top194.jpg shortened it]], [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/top196.jpg then]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/projects/bang.html revealed]] that he plans to collect stories and comics for an independent publication: ''[[http://www.bangpdx.com/ BANG! The Entertainment Paper]]''.

* ActuallyPrettyFunny:

* BearyFunny: Averted in a 2008 installment of "The Island of Misfit Christmas Specials." Paltridge deemed ''[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/misfit19.html The Great Bear Scare]]'' "the [[RudolphTheRedNosedReindeer King Moonraiser]] (sic) of the misfits" due to its ''very'' cheap animation and nonsensical story elements. (The networks that syndicated it didn't even air it during the proper holiday, as it was originally intended for Halloween!)

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Invoked in the [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/misfit23.html review]] of the ''GrandmaGotRunOverByAReindeer'' special and the [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/dingus.html review]] of ''TheHudsuckerProxy''.
* CallBack: Part 2 of the ABC Afterschool Special ad gallery references [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/afterschool8.html one of the oldest specials]] when Paltridge jokingly remarks that [[MilestoneCelebration the 100th special]], ''[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/afterschool41.html The Gift of Amazing Grace]]'', could have benefited from [[spoiler: Timer the Cheese Guy exploring Tempest Bledsoe's brain]].
* CaptionHumor: Articles that rely on this include those included in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/tvguideadsindex.html The Lost Art of 'TV Guide' Advertising]]", "Things You Can't Ever Have" (found in the [[http://platypuscomix.net/interactive/index.html Interactive Entertainment Celebration Section]]), and "What's Powell's Throws Out" (found in the [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/fpo/survival/index.html Oregon Survival Guide]]).
* ChuckNorrisFacts: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/educational/chucknorris.html Of course]].
* ContinuityNod: A 2011 update to the [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/misfitsindex.html menu]] for The Island of Misfit Christmas Specials added references to ''GrandmaGotRunOverByAReindeer'', ''Up on the Housetop''[[hottip:*:The first "Misfit" Paltridge reviewed]], ''RobbieTheReindeer'', ''The Great Bear Scare''[[hottip:*:Paltridge's least favorite special on the list]], and ''A Wish For Wings That Work''[[hottip:*:which starred the cast of ''BloomCounty'']].
* DeadpanSnarker: Peter Paltridge.
* ForcedMeme: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/kidzone/errorsinjudgment.html Errors in Corporate Judgement]] included several failed attempts for entertainment materials to appear relevant to late '80s-early '90s children. Among them, a Magic Eye puzzle using "Froggy" as a synonym for "awesome." Paltridge subsequently decided to close the article by declaring "Froggy" official slang for his website.
* FunnyAneurysmMoment: [[invoked]] Lampshaded in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/people/waltblech.html Walt Disney: One Man's Nightmare]]." The TV special Paltridge reviewed in that article came out in 1981, and had Michael Landon as a host. In one of the segments promoting Epcot, concept art for an airplane capable of space travel appears, and Landon says, "Hope I'm still around," unaware he would die only 10 years later.
* HarsherInHindsight: [[invoked]] Lampshaded:

* {{Homage}}:

* {{Irony}}: Two of the channels listed in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/disconnected.html Cable Networks That Never Made It]]" still exist, but have undergone NetworkDecay since they began. {{MTV}}'s inclusion was PlayedForLaughs ever since Paltridge first wrote the article, but he has admitted that he didn't learn about CBN's transformation into ABCFamily until after the article's publication.
* ItGotWorse: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/onlyme/whyicantupdate.html Why I Couldn't Update This Week!]] details a week in which Peter Paltridge had to stay in a cheap hotel during his house's remodeling, then got sick. [[spoiler: Fortunately, it has a ThrowTheDogABone ending.]]

* KidsAreCruel: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/history/kellogg.html Kellogg Middle School: The Happiest Place on Earth]]" epitomizes this trope completely. As such, it's one of the darker articles on the site.
* MoodWhiplash: Happens in the "Lost Art of ''TV Guide'' Advertising" [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/afterschool1.html installment]] about ABC Afterschool Specials, as ABC's fluffy children's specials [[CerebusSyndrome give way]] to DarkerAndEdgier, teen-oriented stories.
* {{MST}}: Every now and then, Paltridge will do a humorous summary of a SoBadItsGood or completely awful movie. Also played to the letter in his review of ''[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/mst3ksthelens.html St. Helens]]''.
* NamesTheSame: Lampshaded in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/otherpeople/nemivsnemi.html Nemi vs. Nemi]]"(short for, "[[Comicstrip/{{Nemi}} Nemi Montoya]] vs. [[Music/TheJonasBrothers Nick Jonas]] and Music/DemiLovato").
* NegatedMomentOfAwesome: Paltridge has acknowledged "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/hollywood/tvpilots.html Failed TV Pilots]]," a recap of an ABC special about [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin failed TV pilots]], as a negated moment:

* OlderThanYouThink: [[invoked]] [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/bored/tvguideads6.html Volume Six]] of "The Lost Art of ''TV Guide'' Advertising" included a cover promoting a 1988 TV movie of the novel ''[[Literature/TheBourneSeries The Bourne Identity]]'', prompting Paltridge to remark, "[[Film/TheBourneSeries Everything's a remake these days.]]"
* PhlebotinumInducedStupidity: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/history/magazine.html Magazine Alley]]" warns that ''Highlights For Children'' can cause this if you read it too often.
* ShaggyDogStory: One of the entries in "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/interactive/arcade4.html Big Fat History Of The Arcade: Volume One]]" details Paltridge's struggles to find a home copy of ''Roadblasters'' after a local pizzeria replaced their arcade cabinet with a different game. Finally, his stepfather ordered him the game from Yahoo, but the pizzeria brought back their ''Roadblasters'' game the following week.
* SpiritualSuccessor: Paltridge once wrote [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/history/1980parade.html one]] for X-Entertainment's [[http://www.x-entertainment.com/thanksgiving/macyparade/1984/ recaps]] of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
* TheStinger: Most of the articles hosted at Platypus Comix itself end with two links: one that leads back to the home page, and one that varies on each article, leading to a page that has either an adequate or nonexistent relation to the article's subject. Articles written on Paltridge's Toon Zone blog bear neither links.
* StylisticSuck: Like several of the amateurish articles [=RetroJunk=] features, "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/websurfin/retrojunk.html Retrojunk's Greatest Article Ever]]" contains plenty of bad spelling and grammar. Also, its attempts at FetishFuel fail since many of the "Top Ten Hottest Cartoon Women Ever" have inadequate pictures, the top two choices are male, and [[ChristopherWalken the # 1 choice]] is not a cartoon character.
* TimeMarchesOn: "[[http://www.platypuscomix.net/kidzone/comingtodvdnever.html Why you may never see some of your favorite childhood shows on DVD]]" originally included ''WesternAnimation/TheRealGhostbusters'' among the shows whose fans needed to KeepCirculatingTheTapes. After Time Life went and released ''all'' the episodes on DVD, Nicktoons and ''{{Reboot}}'' took its spot on the list. Later, Shout! Factory managed to release [=DVDs=] of ''those'', so they got removed from Paltridge's article without any replacements.
* TotallyRadical: [[http://www.platypuscomix.net/videos/index.html Totally Rad Videos!]]

[--'''Second Row''': Jennifer (from ''Henry and Jennifer''), Henry (from ''Henry and Jennifer''), Lillian Muck/Ivy (from ''Guava Guava''), Buzz (from ''Guava Guava''), Lana Ying (from ''Guava Guava''), and Dan Blather (from various comics).--]

* TakeThat: Sometimes the banner at the top contains one.