History WesternAnimation / TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndmandy

* AmbiguouslyRelated: While it ultimately ends up [[AvertedTrope not being the case]], the first couple episodes aren’t very clear as to whether or not on Billy and Mandy are siblings. The PilotEpisode making no mention of their relationship and ending with the two of them (and Grim) sharing the same bed certainly didn’t help matters. It isn’t until Mandy's parents are introduced is it more or less confirmed that Mandy simply just rarely goes home in favor of hanging out at Billy's house.

* GuestStarPartyMember: The main trio is frequently joined on their misadventures by at least one other character. While this role typically falls to [[BlackAndNerdy Irwin]], other characters, recurring or [[OneShotCharacter otherwise]] have also filled in as their "fourth musketeer" of sort.
**

* CaptainErsatz: Occasionally an obvious reference to a non-Cartoon Network property (such as Franchise/{{Hellraiser}} or WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid) will appear, lampshading how clear of a ripoff they are by starting to say the original character's name before cutting themselves off and saying a parody name.

* VagueAge: None of the main kids' (Billy, Mandy, Irwin, etc.) exact ages are ever mentioned (though they appear to be around 10 or 11), and their school seems to be a combination of both elementary school and junior high. Billy mentions repeating the 2nd grade again, but that might have been just a one-off gag.

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[[caption-width-right:350:[[ComicTrio Three]] [[VitriolicBestBuds best friends...]] [[WithFriendsLikeThese forever.]]]]

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Created by former ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' artist Maxwell Atoms, the show was the winner of the first Big Pick, a contest where viewers got to vote what pilot would be greenlit to be the next Creator/{{Cartoon Cartoon|s}}. The series was also originally paired up with another Maxwell Atoms cartoon, ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'', to make up the ThreeShorts show known as ''Grim & Evil''. This early version of the show put more emphasis on the "horror" part of horror comedy, becoming more goofy and comedic (but still pretty dark) when the two shows were separated into their own series.

* GonkyFemme: In the episode "Duck!", Grim dreams that he is married to skull-faced dragon with a lion's mane, [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics high heels, a pearl necklace and an apron]]. The monster is described as a "beautiful wife" by Grim.

** Nergal Jr takes on a human appearance, but is still the son of a dark supernatural being.

Rounding out the show's cast are Billy's parents [[BumblingDad Harold]] and [[SuperOCD Gladys]], who have unfortunately passed on their respective stupidity and insanity onto their son; Irwin, Billy's [[RememberTheNewGuy other]] best friend and the TokenMinority (who also has a massive, unrequited, crush on Mandy); Sperg TheBully; Mindy the AlphaBitch; [[Franchise/EvilDead Hoss]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Delgado]], a supernatural bounty hunter with more brawn than brains; Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord; General Skarr, formerly seen in ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'', who moves in next door and now wants to just garden instead of conquer the world; Nergal, the Sumerian Death God who lives in Earth's molten core and just wants to be friends with everyone, really; Nergal Jr., Nergal's son and Billy's cousin; Jeff, a friendly GiantSpider who's convinced Billy is his father ([[SpidersAreScary much to Billy's horror]]); a [[Series/SanfordAndSon Redd Foxx]]-inspired version of {{Dracula}} who is Irwin's grandpa; and Fred Fredburger, a green {{Cloudcuckoolander}} demon...[[BuffySpeak thing]] who is just as dimwitted as Billy, if not more. Adventures abound as the human duo and their unwilling friend interact with others in their lovely little town of [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Endsville]], facing down all sorts of opponents, from the school bully to sometimes homicidal neighbors to {{Eldritch Abomination}}s born from the most terrifying pits of the human mind.

** In the first few episodes Mandy forbid Grim from reaping people. It wasn't long before just about every episode has jokes about Grim's job.

* ButtMonkey: Grim and Billy, naturally, but "[[SuperheroEpisode Super Zero]]" had this ''adorable'' alien creature, who wanted to be Billy's friend, but kept taking Billy's constant, near-lethal abuse. When Billy finally notices him he decides to call him Winston and take him back to Earth, but he falls off Billy's shoulder and gets left behind.

* {{Animesque}}: Billy's favorite show, ''The [[XtremeKoolLetterz X-Treme]] Adventures of Brandon and Mallory''. It features [[RuleOfCool ninja fights, high-speed chase scenes, giant robots and wailing guitars]] and stars two kids with the Grim Reaper.

* ArmorPiercingSlap: Mandy tends to give these to Billy, sometimes because he says or does something stupid and occasionally for no reason at all.

-->'''Nurse Penbroke''': Oh, Billy.\\

-->'''Gloria''': Hi, Grim.\\

* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Ordinarily played straight, then {{averted|Trope}} due to RuleOfFunny in "Wishbones": Skarr wishes to Thromnabular that he could rule the world, and a giant statue of himself rises up beneath him. As Skarr is talking down to everyone, he doesn't notice that the statue is extending up into space, where he suffocates and explodes.

Grim is now (begrudgingly) forced to serve as something of an underworld version of Film/MaryPoppins, thanklessly placating Billy's demands for cheap entertainment and Mandy's schemes for self-profit with his magical scythe while desperately trying to find a way to be rid of the duo for good. Thus goes ''The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy'', an absurd HorrorComedy series created for Creator/CartoonNetwork that slapstick humor with eldritch horror themes reminiscent of those found in Creator/HPLovecraft's novels.

Grim is now (begrudgingly) forced to serve as something of an underworld version of Film/MaryPoppins, thanklessly placating Billy's demands for cheap entertainment and Mandy's schemes for self-profit with his magical scythe while desperately trying to find a way to be rid of the duo for good. Thus goes ''The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy'', an absurd HorrorComedy series created for Creator/CartoonNetwork that evokes eldritch horror themes reminiscent of those found in Creator/HPLovecraft's novels.

Grim is now (begrudgingly) forced to serve as something of an underworld version of Film/MaryPoppins, thanklessly placating Billy's demands for cheap entertainment and Mandy's schemes for self-profit with his magical scythe while desperately trying to find a way to be rid of the duo for good. Thus goes ''The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy'', an absurd HorrorComedy series created for Creator/CartoonNetwork.

TheGrimReaper has come for a soul -- specifically, a hamster in his dying days -- but he's thwarted from taking the hamster to the afterlife by two polar-opposite children: The [[TheDitz blissfully idiotic Billy]] (the hamster's owner) and [[CreepyChild the cynical, amoral Mandy]] (Billy's best friend.) [[ChessWithDeath The pair challenge "Grim" to a limbo contest to save the hamster]]; when Grim loses (through Mandy's cheating) he becomes Billy and Mandy's newest friend -- and by "friend," we mean that he's contractually bound to cater to their every whim.

Rounding out the show's cast are Billy's parents [[BumblingDad Harold]] and [[SuperOCD Gladys]], who have unfortunately passed on their respective stupidity and insanity onto their son; Irwin, Billy's [[RememberTheNewGuy other]] best friend and the TokenMinority (who also has a massive, unrequited, crush on Mandy); Sperg TheBully; Mindy the AlphaBitch; [[Franchise/EvilDead Hoss]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Delgado]], a supernatural bounty hunter with more brawn than brains; Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord; General Skarr (formerly seen in ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'') who now wants to garden instead of conquer the world; Nergal, the Sumerian Death God who lives in Earth's molten core and just wants to be friends with everyone, really; Nergal Jr., Nergal's son and Billy's cousin; Jeff, a friendly GiantSpider who's convinced Billy is his father; a [[Series/SanfordAndSon Redd Foxx]]-inspired version of {{Dracula}}; and Fred Fredburger, a green {{Cloudcuckoolander}} demon...[[BuffySpeak thing]] who is just as dimwitted as Billy, if not more. Adventures abound as the human duo and their unwilling friend interact with others in their lovely little town of [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Endsville]], facing down all sorts of opponents, from the school bully to sometimes homocidal neighbors to [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] born from the most terrifying pits of the human mind.

Created by former ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' artist Maxwell Atoms, the show was the winner of the first Big Pick, a contest where viewers got to vote what pilot would be greenlit to be the next [[Creator/CartoonCartoons Cartoon Cartoon]]. The series was also originally paired up with another Maxwell Atoms cartoon called ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'' to make up the ThreeShorts show known as ''Grim & Evil''. This early version of the show put more emphasis on the "horror" part of horror comedy, becoming more goofy and comedic (but still pretty dark) when the two shows were separated into their own series.

* AccidentalMisnaming: "Guess What's Coming to Dinner" had a running gag of Eris and Hoss Delgado getting Principal Goodvibes' name wrong, often addressing him with different names beginning with the word "good" such as "Goodwater", "Goodchild", and "[[Film/GoodBurger Good Burger]]".

* AlternateUniverse: It shares the same universe as ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'', a universe where UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln is still President, and the League of Nations still exists. It's also hinted that it shares the same universe as ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'' and ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', per the crossover. In one episode, due to the collapse of time and space, the universe is rebooted and the characters are reincarnated as the cast of ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls''.
** ...Which might also be part of the same universe since Billy's first reaction upon seeing the Kids Next Door is to comment that they're not the Powerpuff Girls.
* AndNowYouMustMarryMe: Miss Butterbean pulls a non-villainous example of this after being kidnapped by Fred Flintstone in "Modern Primitives". He....doesn't react well.

* AttackPatternAlpha

* BatFamilyCrossover: In the episode "Company Halt", Skarr gets a visit from his ex-co-workers Hector Con Carne and Major Ghastly, as they reinstate the WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne criminal organization, develop a new diabolical weapon [[labelnote:*]]A giant rubber band launcher on wheels[[/labelnote]] and using it to terrorize the citizens of Endsville. Needless to say, Grim, Billy and Mandy go out and stop them.

-->'''Dracula:''' Dracula don't suck!
-->'''Grim:''' You're a vampire! [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Vampires suck]]! [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Blood]]!
-->'''Dracula:''' Naw, ya see, dat's a myth, Dracula scrape wit' his fangs an' then lick up the blood, like this.. *wiggles his tongue* See? Scrape and lick. *wiggles his tongue*

Rounding out the show's cast are Billy's parents [[BumblingDad Harold]] and [[SuperOCD Gladys]], who have unfortunately passed on their respective stupidity and insanity onto their son; Irwin, Billy's [[RememberTheNewGuy other]] best friend and the TokenMinority (who also has a massive, unrequited, crush on Mandy); Sperg TheBully; Mindy the AlphaBitch; [[Franchise/EvilDead Hoss]] [[Film/EscapeFromNewYork Delgado]], a supernatural bounty hunter with more brawn than brains; Eris, the goddess of chaos and discord; General Skarr (formerly seen in ''WesternAnimation/EvilConCarne'') who now wants to garden instead of conquer the world; Nergal, the Sumerian Death God who lives in Earth's molten core and just wants to be friends with everyone, really; Nergal Jr., Nergal's son and Billy's cousin; Jeff, a friendly GiantSpider; a [[Series/SanfordAndSon Redd Foxx]]-inspired version of {{Dracula}}; and Fred Fredburger, a green {{Cloudcuckoolander}} demon...[[BuffySpeak thing]] who is just as dimwitted as Billy, if not more. Adventures abound as the human duo and their unwilling friend interact with others in their lovely little town of [[IDontLikeTheSoundOfThatPlace Endsville]], facing down all sorts of opponents, from the school bully to sometimes homocidal neighbors to [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]] born from the most terrifying pits of the human mind.

-->'''Irwin''': "Whose hourglass was that?"
-->'''Billy''': "Eh, probably no one special."

-->'''Boogey''': Aw, would it kill you to fake it just once?
-->'''Creeper:''' (sarcastically) It'll make the time when you ''really'' scare me ''all the more special''.

* DoubleEntendre: Billy once visited Uncle Chokey the chicken juggler.
** Which is possibly a ShoutOut to ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife''.
* DownerEnding: A whole lot of the episodes leave the main characters, often along with the rest of the world dead, eaten, horribly transformed or in some surreal dead-end. The lack of any continuity was the one thing that kept the punch-line from being a gut-punch as well.
** For example, ''Wrath of the Spider Queen'' ends with Velma taking over the world with her spider people despite rekindling her friendship with Grim. This part can be chalked up to the show's usual SnapBack, but an even straighter example happens during the credits. It seems like Billy has finally made peace with his son, Jeff, only to go back to his abusive ways when he rediscovers his son is a spider.
* DumbassHasAPoint: In "Billy and Mandy vs. The Martians":
-->'''Billy:''' I know Mandy's so mean, and Irwin's so needy. But that's just who they are. [[VitriolicBestBuds Sometimes our best friends are people we really don't like.]]
-->'''Grim:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Then you guys must be my best friends ever.]]
-->'''Billy:''' Hee, hee, hee. Well, if there's anything I've learned from destroying Fancy Jake, and stowing away in your trunk to Mars, and returning in a last-ditch effort to save the planet is that [[CallBack you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose. But you can't pick your friend's nose.]] You have to let them be who they are and pick it themselves.
-->'''Grim:''' [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone What have I done?!]]

-->'''Grim:''' Billy! Just change Mandy back!
-->'''Billy:''' NO! You always let Mandy have her way! I don't want to encourage her.
-->'''Grim:''' Well...you were the one who encouraged her with the whole cannibalism thing.
-->'''Billy:''' And you keep breaking my arms just because she wants you to. [[Literature/TheBible Who's the bigger fool?]] [[Franchise/StarWars The fool or the fool who follows him?]]