History WesternAnimation / PinkyandtheBrain

*** One of the symptoms of people being made stupid by the Schmëerskåhøvên dance is that they think [[Film/BioDome Pauly Shore]] is funny.

* DarkerAndEdgier: In comparison to ''WesternAnimation/Animaniacs'', at least. For starters, the protagonists are [[VillainProtagonist Villain Protagonists]] whose goal is to conquer the world. The humans in this series are treated as meaner, more corrupt, idiotic, or a combination of the three. Brain tries to commit suicide by getting eaten by a cat in one episode and the two mice get held at gunpoint several times, once in their mouths, to name a few. Though considering this show aired on primetime slots, this makes sense.

* ForWantOfANail: "TV or Not TV" has Brain unwillingly causing the failure of his plan. First, he makes the TV executive laugh so hard [[PeopleFallOffChairs he falls off his chair]]. He's cured through hypnosis, where the word "repugnant" both stops and triggers the pain. Unfortunately, that word is Brain's InsultComic CatchPhrase, with a taping of his show causing enough pain to make the executive [[DestinationDefenestration fall off the window]]. Once Brain visits, he is kicked out...making the [[HypnoTrinket hypnotic dentures]] fall off and be caught by two failed comedians.

%% * GettingCrapPastThe Radar: Due to overwhelming and persistent misuse, GCPTR is on-page examples only until 01 June 2021. If you are reading this in the future, please check the trope page to make sure your example fits the current definition.

** In "Inherit the Wheeze," when Brain announces his plan will involve "space junk," this exchange occurs:
--->'''Pinky:''' Ooh, are you going to make a [[WesternAnimation/SpaceJam hit movie with a basketball star and sell jillions of dollars' worth of souvenirs?]]

** The entire episode "Pinky and The Brain... and Larry" was one big take that against the Kids WB network execs, who kept demanding that the show add a third character to the show, despite Pinky and The Brain being pretty explicitly a comedy ''duo'' who would gain nothing from a third character. To illustrate this, they made an episode where a third mouse named Larry appears, [[RememberTheNewGuy and the other two act as if he has always been there]] (he's even added to the theme song). Most of the episode's humor comes from the fact that Larry seems incredibly out of place and unnecessary to the plot, and that he keeps trying to insert himself into gags and situations where he adds nothing. Either the execs didn't get the joke, or they did and decided to take revenge on the writers, because a year later a third character (Elmyra) was forced on the show, leading to an unintentional version of the awkwardness seen in the Larry episode, and then cancellation.

** A RunningGag in "Pinky and The Brain... and Larry".

* PlankGag: Larry does it to the Brain in "Pinky and the Brain... and Larry".

* ShooOutTheNewGuy: Parodied with Larry. He inexplicably appears among the main cast and Pinky and Brain at first regard him as if he was always with them until eventually realizing that his existence is completely unnecessary.

* ShrunkenOrgan: In the TitleSequence, Pinky and the Brain walk behind an X-ray machine. Brain's skull has meshing gears, while Pinky's has a peanut. In the "...and Larry" version of the opening, Larry joins them during this part, and he is shown to have bones in his hair.

* BankruptcyBarrel: In the episode "Calvin Brain", one of the models at the fashion show Pinky and Brain go to in order to showcase Brain's mind-controlling perfume Subjugation is shown to be wearing nothing but a barrel.

'''Pinky:''' ''(smoldering)'' *sniff* The only ''real'' torture... is being away from my best friend, Brain.

-->'''Pinky:''' But where will we go and what will we do?\\

---> '''Brain:''' Yes! I made it to Hades! Wait a minute, why am I celebrating if I'm in He-- ''[trap door opens]''-- EEEEEEEEEL!

-->'''Pinky:''' I'm a mommy, I'm a mommy!\\

'''Pinky''': Well Brain, I've learned that one thing's true, [[ArmorPiercingResponse every one of them has failed and so have you!]] *''Song ends abruptly''*\\
'''Brain''': *''Visibly taken aback''* Thank you for that vote of confidence.

-->That's ridiculous, Pinky. Who'd want to marry someone with ears like that? [[IfItsYouItsOkay Princess Diana, on the other hand, I admit I've always found attractive.]]

--> '''Brain:''' Hit the floodlights!\\

-->'''Pinky:''' What happened?\\

-->'''Brain:''' I have discovered that there is one thing all my plans have in common.\\

-->'''Brain:''' It is obvious that there are no original writers in Hollywood, Pinky.\\

-->'''Gavin:''' Music/VanillaIce, ladies and gentlemen. Wasn't he something... once?

-->'''Brain:''' Who would blow up Acme Labs?\\

--> '''Brain:''' Yes! I made it to Hades! Wait a minute, why am I celebrating if I'm in He-- ''[trap door opens]''-- EEEEEEEEEL!

* HalloweenEpisode: Pinky sells his soul to TheDevil to make Brain ruler of the world. Brain later goes to hell to get Pinky - [[BlatantLies not to get him back, though. Just so he can tell him where the food pellets are.]]

''Pinky and the Brain'' was an animated series about a super-intelligent, genetically-altered lab mouse who enlists his halfwit roommate (read: the other mouse in his cage) into his endless quest to TakeOverTheWorld. Each episode saw The Brain devise an elaborate, improbable scheme for world domination, [[FailureIsTheOnlyOption only be foiled in the end]] due to some unforeseeable twist of fate, Pinky's bumbling or occasionally his own blundering arrogance. On one or two occasions he actually succeeded in taking over the world, but with some kind of unacceptable side-effect that sent him back to the drawing board. By contrast, many episodes had his schemes barely even getting off the ground, and the story centers around his attempts just to get the first step going.