Line #52 AmusingInjuries/WesternAnimation


1	[[quoteright:300:[[WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/amusinginjuriesstevenuniverse3.png]]]]
2	[-[[caption-width-right:300:[[AcmeProducts Acme™]]: Keeping Insurance Companies on their toes since 1920.]]-]
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4	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfFigaroPho'': Used constantly to keep the show more lighthearted.
5	%%(ZCE)* [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius Ow, my scapula.]] (That's a shoulder blade, for those who weren't paying attention in human anatomy and physiology.)
6	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' loves this trope.
7	** While Gumball himself is BornUnlucky and prone to these, the other Wattersons aren't that far behind him.
8	** [[AnthropomorphicFood Anton the piece of toast]] deserves special mention, as [[TheyKilledKennyAgain he dies in practically every episode he appears in]]: he's been eaten by a flock of birds, crushed by Tina Rex, disintegrated in a swimming pool, etc.
9	** "The Curse" in particular is full of these. Gumball slips on soap in the shower (landing in the toilet), gets his finger stuck in the bus's door, gets slammed into a street pole, gets SquashedFlat by [[OurGiantsAreBigger Hector]], and struck by lightning inside the gymnasium and turned into a pile of ash. Eventually subverted in the end where he falls off of an unfinished highway and is said to have been lucky to survive.
10	* ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead'' started out giving the characters gruesome and realistic injuries (missing teeth, heavy bleeding) and [[PlayedForLaughs playing it for laughs]] by SnapBack before switching to a more lighthearted approach of just making them bruised or knocked silly by things 10 times worse than had previously harmed them.
11	* The stars of the WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts do this more often in modern times, such as on ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'' and ''WesternAnimation/MickeyDonaldGoofyTheThreeMusketeers''.
12	* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/CloneHigh'' in Scudworth's rivalry with Skunky Poo, which has all the traditional setup and gags of a classic chase cartoon and uses typical cartoonish methods like the DynamiteCandle or AnvilOnHead, but also depicts Scudworth's actual injuries [[FamilyUnfriendlyViolence in a much less charming light]] (he screams in genuine pain, frequently bleeds, suffers what are clearly broken bones or lost teeth, and at one point his eye pops out of its socket). In the tradition of this trope, though, he always recovers after the next scene transition.
13	* ''WesternAnimation/CourageTheCowardlyDog'' has this happen to the title character a lot. He usually (literally) just laughs it off, even in serious situations. Of course, as far as the number of injuries go, Courage has nothing on Eustace, who is [[TheChewToy the reigning champ of amusing injuries in the show]].
14	* ''WesternAnimation/Cracked2016'' runs almost entirely on this. Ed gets injured very frequently and in comically over-the-top manners on a nearly constant basis as he protects his eggs in every episode.
15	* ''WesternAnimation/DanVs'': There is not one single episode where a character isn't injured in some way, [[ButtMonkey Chris being the usual victim of this]].
16	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' is pretty realistic as far as cartoons go -- When the school goes on a [[PaintballEpisode paintball-playing field trip]] (the episode "The Daria Hunter") the RunningGag is "Ow! Those paintball thingies hurt!"
17	* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'': Lampshaded in one episode when the plot involves a movie theater, Darkwing is hit by a heavy object and explains: "See the difference. A Movie figure would stand up and be okay now. I, on the other hand, am seriously hurt..." Funny because he actually behaves pretty much like those "movie figures" -- and in this episode is OK 10 seconds later.
18	** And we can't forget the scene that used to be pictured on the trope's main page: "Put out the Darkwing! Put out the Darkwing!" Actually, this happens a lot to EVERYBODY in that show.
19	* ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'': Every episode has at least one character getting a comically horrific injury, [[UnexplainedRecovery only to appear fine in the next scene]] (though sometimes, the characters remain this way for the remainder of the episode). There is not enough room on this page to list all of the injuries that the characters have gone through.
20	* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'', to a truly extraordinary extent. Injuries only last any length of time [[RuleOfFunny if it's funny]], but it's effectively {{averted\|Trope}} and {{deconstructed\|Trope}} in TheMovie, where unlike most of the other injuries sustained during the show, they don't go away, which is a bit disturbing, [[BodyHorror to wit, Rolf looks like an angry wolf took bites out of his body for the length of the movie]], and, [[spoiler: Eddy's treatment at the hands of his brother]] is treated with horror by the other kids.
21	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' makes use of This. Timmy has fallen of cliffs, been mauled by dogs, and had several other potentially fatal things happen to him. And yet, he can take it. Mind, his Fairy God Parents have raised the dead at least once.
22	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': Subverted in an episode where we see Elmer shoot Bugs Bunny down dead then snap his neck as he lies in a pile of bloody, mangled flesh.
23	** The series also has a habit of pausing the show to have characters provide drawn-out reaction to Amusing Injuries the way a real person would, invariably turning into an OverlyLongGag.
24	*** "Thhhh... Aaahh... Thhhh... Aaahh... Thhhh... Aaahh... Thhhh..."
25	** During Stewie's FantasticVoyagePlot, he shot Peter in the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duodenum duodenum]] to distract him. Peter's reaction: "Oh jeez my duodenum is acting up!" and running into the bathroom. Funny mostly because Peter probably doesn't even know what a duodenum is.
26	** In the episode "Death is a Bitch", when [[DeathTakesAHoliday Death injures his ankle]], he's left unable to do his job. As a result, Peter does things like jump off a tall building and get several tough guys to beat him up, all of which he shrugs off. When everyone else realizes that it also applies to ''them'', everyone at the Drunken Clam starts shooting each other in the same way teenage girls would have a pillow fight.
27	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' has this happen on a regular basis, particularly to Fry. Dismemberment, impalement, decapitation. Of course, they can keep a severed head alive in a jar and it's apparently trivial to reattach or replace something -- i.e., in "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E15IDatedARobot I Dated a Robot]]", Fry's hands are bitten off by a T. rex and the next scene has him walking out of "Handcrafters: New Hands in an Hour".
28	* The Music/{{Gorillaz}} both use and subvert this with 2D. On one hand, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU8_qgkYnOQ his injuries are often]] PlayedForLaughs, but this quickly delves into FridgeHorror when you realize that 2D ''doesn't'' recover like most cartoon characters and has in fact developed a problem with painkillers as a result.
29	* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'' makes constant use of this trope. Zim has been mauled by rabid dogs, hit with at least four dozen dodgeballs simultaneously, injured his [[BizarreAlienBiology squeedlyspooch]] multiple times, and has been burned by meat and contaminated water, which apparently he is vulnerable too.
30	* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'' thrives off this trope, with almost every episode (especially the early ones) featuring major and minor characters being subject to all sorts of violent slapstick in the name of BlackComedy. Somewhat justified by the fact that Miseryville is meant to be a cartoony version of {{Hell}}.
31	* ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam'': Henry goes through '''a lot'''. Falling off cliffs, melting, having extremely heavy objects fall on him, getting beat up by a sasquatch (or an angry little girl), almost getting attacked by a black widow, however he's fine by the next episode (or after the next cartoon short).
32	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'' basically revolves around everybody getting severely injured, only to be perfectly fine. At least OncePerEpisode, somebody or the other gets shot with a bazooka.
33	* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaThePawsOfDestiny'' might as well be called "Po Gets Beaten Up By Everything And Everyone" with how often he is punched, slapped, caned, blasted, or had stuff fall on him. He's never seriously hurt, probably because of his already-established {{Kevlard}}.
34	* ''WesternAnimation/LeagueOfSuperEvil'' does this almost constantly with Doktor Frogg. Whether it's being crushed by giant doors, or eaten by Doomageddon. Then again he is the resident ChewToy. So it's expected of him.
35	* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' has a lot of these: Daffy Duck in the course of his career was riddled with countless bullets usually only ending up bare and sooty with a humorously displaced beak. However, near the end of the 1953 short "Duck! Rabbit, Duck!", after getting shot in the face for the ''sixth'' time by Elmer Fudd, he finally snaps.
36	-->'''Daffy:''' Shoot me again! I enjoy it! I love the smell of burnt feathers, and gunpowder, and cordite! I'm an elk! Shoot me, go on! It's elk season! I'm a fiddler crab! Why don't you shoot me?! It's fiddler crab season!!!
37	** However, not even Daffy can equal the sheer amount and variety of the (highly) amusing injuries inflicted on one Wile E. Coyote (SUPER-genius). Over the years, the hapless hunter has been on the receiving end of everything from catapults to earthquake pills and all possible variations of falling off of a cliff.
38	** Surprisingly averted at the end of WesternAnimation/WhatsOperaDoc. It's... [[TearJerker not funny.]]
39	* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': Happens frequently to everyone, with Lincoln being the obvious victim of these.
40	* ''WesternAnimation/MonkeyDust'': The toon in the vivisection parts has the standard cartoonish Amusing Injuries, then it gets subverted when he drops an anvil on the (less-toonish) doctor's head. It's not pretty.
41	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Twilight Sparkle suffers several Amusing Injuries in the episode "Feeling Pinkie Keen".
42	** Twilight is usually the one who get hurt the most without being the ButtMonkey, but the entire mane six has their moments.
43	* Numberblocks: In the episode “Fifteen,” Eight breaks his leg. The amusing part is that immediately afterward, he says “Octoblock, ouch! I’ve got an octo-boo-boo!”
44	* ''WesternAnimation/OggyAndTheCockroaches'' is essentially ''Tom And Jerry'' take up to eleven. To say that the injuries of the characters are amusing is an understatement.
45	* ''WesternAnimation/PatAndMat'': There is no violence, except to common sense, but with the amount of {{Face Plant}}s they do and things falling on their heads (totally [[DoomItYourself their fault]]) it's a wonder these two are still alive.
46	* ''WesternAnimation/ThePatrickStarShow'': The show has plenty of {{slapstick}}. For instance, in "[[Recap/ThePatrickStarShowS2E5MovieStarsDrSmartScience Movie Stars]]", [=SpongeBob=] tears tickets for a movie theater and accidentally ends up ripping two people in half.
47	* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' is a fairly standard example of this, {{lampshaded}} in "S'winter". Phineas, Ferb, and Candace are all riding on a snowboard and they crash into a snowman. Candace (on the back of the board) is the only one to hit it, and Phineas asks Ferb "How did we miss that?" Then they hit a tree, or rather, Candace does. Phineas remarks "Now that's just weird." This also highlights Candace's status as the show's ButtMonkey. The majority of the show's cast never ends up as fodder for this trope, (unless it would be [[RuleOfFunny funnier]]), but it's about OnceAnEpisode for Candace and [[HoistByHisOwnPetard Dr. Doofenshmirtz]].
48	** Ferb is also fodder for this trope. He is specifically thrown around in "Chronicles of Meap", and "One Good Scare Ought to Do It". His mental state is the main target; likely because it's typically unalterable.
49	** Parodied in one episode. After Doofenshmirtz gets a new nemesis, the episode treats this like a break-up, complete with Perry and Doofenshmirtz appearing on a parody of Dr. Phil. Doofenshmirtz promises to hurt Perry "the right way: with cartoonish violence and hair-brained schemes."
50	*** In another, Perry is busy dealing with another crisis, so Doofenshmirtz decides to gloat to "Planty the Potted Plant", an actual potted plant with a tiny hat on it. Somehow, the plant ''beats Doofenshmirtz and wrecks his lair'', and is officially hired by Monogram at the end of the episode.
51	* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' is full of this, frequent things that happen include large veiny bumps appear after getting hit on the head, skin would get sucked or ripped off, getting run over or smashed with a large object would reduce them to a puddle, sometimes a blow to the face would knock teeth out or make them shatter like glass, knock a brain out of the head, and leave an eyeball hanging out of the socket.
52	* A ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' {{Franchise/Alien}} sketch entails an individual Xenomorph's acid melting through multiple floors, resulting in it fallling through several stories before hitting the pavment.
53	* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' is ''full'' of this, most of them happening to the main character, Rocko the Wallaby.
54	* ''WesternAnimation/RubyGloom'' does this too. Misery, one of the main characters is always hit by lightning, only to say "ouch" and come back 10 seconds later in best shape.
55	** Inverted in one episode, where Misery isn't hurt at all. The other characters are getting hurt instead.
56	* ''WesternAnimation/TheShnookumsAndMeatFunnyCartoonShow'': All the time, in all three segments.
57	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
58	** Played straight in S2 "Bart the Daredevil" in which Homer falls down a cliff, hitting nearly every rock on the way down, only to land on the ground bleeding and with serious injury. He hits his head repeatedly while being hauled back up. Then the ambulance crashes. Then his gurney rolls out and falls down the gorge ''[[CrossesTheLineTwice again]]''.
59	** A later episode (the "Reality Show" one in season 11, titled "Behind the Laughter") jokes that he was in remission for a long time and became addicted to painkillers, which is what allowed him to perform the "bone-shattering physical comedy that made the show famous".
60	*** Mocked, like everything else, in "The Onion" headline: Live-Action ''Simpsons'' movie on hold after 11th Homer stuntman dies.
61	** The ShowWithinAShow ''Itchy and Scratchy'' defines this trope. It's a ''Franchise/TomAndJerry'' parody, except far more graphic.
62	** The episode "A Star is Burns" parodies this trope as a video of a man getting hit in the groin by a football wins much praise at the film festival (twice).
63	** Averted (very much so) in "The Homer They Fall." Whereas most other episodes where Homer is injured has him reacting in comic pain and everything is exaggerated, not so here... in fact, Homer suffers a major concussion in less time than it takes the timekeeper to strike the bell with the hammer, and just as long for Tatum to throw a second blow that, had it connected, would likely have killed him instantly. [[spoiler: (Moe rescues Homer JustInTime)]]
64	* ''WesternAnimation/SlackerCats'': All the injuries are PlayedForLaughs, even in episode two when Tabitha got her only ear ripped off.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' makes a running joke out of Kenny's horrific injuries. In this case, the character actually dies, and is revived each episode by NegativeContinuity rather than by an UnexplainedRecovery.
66	** In one two-part episode, he miraculously popped back into existence in the first few seconds of the second episode without comment.
67	*** Later in the series, it's deconstructed when Kenny reveals [[spoiler:he remembers every death. ''Every single one''.]]
68	** In the episode "Die, Hippie, Die", Mayor [=McDaniels=] shoots herself in the head, and appears in a later scene alive and well with a bandage around the affected area.
69	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Spliced}}'' has a lot of amusing injuries. The most common case is a character getting thrown into a volcano, but there are plenty of other examples as well.
70	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpectacularSpiderMan'': Averted. Injuries suffered by characters (especially the normal people) are treated seriously (with one story arc involving Flash getting a badly injured knee during a football game and spending the next few months with a cast and crutch). Any injuries suffered by Spider-Man are often portrayed seriously; the only reason why he survives some of the hits he takes is because of his powers help him heal faster and take more physical punishment than the average person. Even then, injuries from his fights sometimes linger even after he's won (i.e. sporting a black eye after his fight with the mutated Kraven and having a cold after he had to dive into a freezing river).
71	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' adores this trope, especially in the newer episodes. "The Krusty Krushers" is possibly 10 minutes of little more than Amusing Injuries and [=SpongeBob=] style gags.
72	** And of course, there's the ever-popular "MY LEG!", predominantly from the earlier seasons. The episode "My Leg!" opens with a montage of Fred hurting one or both of his legs in various ways, ending with one shattering to pieces when a single leaf falls on it.
73	** In "SB-129", [=SpongeTron=], one of [=SpongeBob's=] many futuristic descendants and exact genetic replicas tells Squidward that the [[TimeMachine Time Machine]] he needs to use is "Down the hall on the left." Squidward rushes into it, we hear a can opener and Squidward walks out cut to shreds with his body making a funny springing sound. [=SpongeTron=] apologizes and tells Squidward to try the room on the right.
74	* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'':
75	** The show parodies the instant-fix medicine displayed in the rest of the franchise, when a wave of the "dermal regenerator" (usually a handheld household object with a lightbulb in it) is enough to heal most things and pills can regrow kidneys. ''Lower Decks'' takes it to new heights by having the wavy light bulb instantly fixing things like ''compound fractures'' and characters become incredibly nonchalant about inflicting severe injuries or [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction continue to hold conversations]] with a spear through them.
76	** "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS2E06TheSpyHumongous The Spy Humongous]]": During anomaly cleanup duty, Mariner is the one on the receiving end of being slimed, electrocuted, or shot with quills by the various items that the ensigns are dealing with, all of which have no true lasting effects beyond wounding her pride.
77	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
78	** In the episode "The Kindergarten Kid", which is an {{Homage}} to the [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner shorts]], with Peridot in the role of Wile E. Coyote. She is about as successful in her attempts to capture her prey as Wile E. is, and she suffers quite a lot of physical abuse trying. Fortunately for her, she's got the SuperToughness necessary to be able to survive all of it with barely a scratch.
79	** Deconstructed for Steven in the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' episode "Growing Pains". After getting a physical from Dr. Maheswaran when his powers start going haywire, she notes that his X-rays indicate Steven has suffered countless bone fractures throughout the years, from all of the amusing injuries that he has suffered in the entire series. And it turns out that Steven's internally scarred in more ways than one: after hearing about his life, the doctor concludes that Steven's troubles are primarily psychological in nature. Steven's dangerous and often frightening adventures with the Crystal Gems (coupled with [[GoodThingYouCanHeal repeated injuries he's only survived because of his healing powers]]) have given him intense trauma that he needs to find a way to deal with if he ever hopes to live a normal life.
80	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Superjail}}'' follows the ''Happy Tree Friends'' train of thought. Make it as realistic as possible for maximum comedy value. Ditto ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros''. (Dean and Hank learning about real death when [[WesternAnimation/JonnyQuest Race Bannon]] dies in front of them with Brock lecturing them on it.)
81	** Another interesting example from WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros, though an aversion, many villains, but especially 21 and 24, seem to derive a particularly morbid enjoyment from pondering the potential injuries Brock Samson is about to inflict upon someone. Provided ''they'' aren't the intended target, of course.
82	* ''WesternAnimation/TeddyTrucks'' subverts the trope. Wilson getting his foot stuck in a bucket as a result of him playing football with a sponge garners a few laughs from his co-workers but the injury is actually treated with some seriousness as Wilson has to go to hospital and miss out on playing football the following day.
83	* ''Franchise/TomAndJerry'' is one of the most famous examples.
84	** Animation historian Michael Barrier argued in one book that some of the violence in the very early T&Js was a little unsettling, precisely because the character designs and animation were ''too'' realistic. As the '40s progressed into the '50s and the designs became flatter and more stylized (following the lead of Creator/TexAvery, who headed a different MGM cartoon unit), the violence got funnier and more "cartoony".
85	** One cartoon actually showed the effects of different injuries Tom subjected to, as he accumulates more bandages through the story. Including a toupee' to hide the fact he'd earlier ''blown the top of his scalp off'' with a shotgun.
86	* Nearly every character in the ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'' series gets this eventually, especially if they're a ButtMonkey.
87	** In fact, there are so many injuries that its wiki has created its [[https://totaldrama.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_Total_Drama_injuries own page for them]].
88	* ''WesternAnimation/ToucheTurtleAndDumDum'': Touché and Dum Dum often suffer plenty of {{Slapstick}} abuse before eventually saving the day.
89	* Played with in ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated''; while the main characters themselves are subjected to realistic injuries, disposable household robots are frequently seen blown up or decapitated with hilarious results. There's also the "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Starscream Death Montage]]".
90	** In fact, pretty much every time there's a robot on an animated show, they'll have at least one time where they'll have parts ripped or blown off, usually with the separate limbs running about by themselves. ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' did this a lot as well, especially with [[TheChewToy Waspinator]].
91	*** Waspinator has had to use this to reassemble himself on multiple occasions, because his position as CannonFodder and the knowledge that he'll do it meant that no one could really be bother to gather up the bits, and Megatron even thought it was a waste of effort to order someone to.
92	---> '''Waspinator:''' Inferno blow up, Waspinator must salvage. Waspinator blow up, nobody salvage. Why universe hate Waspinator?
93	** Averted with Blurr's [[spoiler:murder. WordOfGod says his body was crushed into a cube, but his "spark" (a TF's soul) was still alive inside.Then the cube was thrown into a garbage incinerator]].
94	*** [[spoiler: He's fine, Cliffjumper pulled him from the trash in the comics.]]
95	* ''WesternAnimation/UglyAmericans'': Being a zombie, Randall seems to perform this trope nicely. The really amusing part is, like the robot example above, it seems in this universe separate body parts retain their individuality. Which is then {{lampshaded}} by his mistreatment of his penis resulting in it ripping itself off his body and running away, the final straw having been a one-night stand with an EldritchAbomination he picks up at a movie theatre. In the first season finale he's carried around missing his lower torso for most of the episode.
96	* While pain being inflicted on pretty much any human is regularly played for comedy in ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' and the series ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk'', the most regular victim has to be Bork the Very Very Unlucky from the Book of Dragons short, whose entire on-screen time was spent being burned, bludgeoned, beaten, bombarded, buzzsawed, and otherwise brutalised.

Context AmusingInjuries / WesternAnimation