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1[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dontletthepigeon_7392.jpg]]
2The ''Pigeon'' series is a set of children's picture books by writer[=/=]illustrator Creator/MoWillems (some of you might recognize him as creator of the Cartoon Network series ''WesternAnimation/SheepInTheBigCity''). The first book in the series, ''Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!'', was released in 2003. In it, a bus driver who has to take a break asks the reader to watch the Pigeon, who then tries to finagle the reader into letting him drive the bus. Its runaway success spurred the release of other books, videos, and merchandise. There is even a [[http://www.timeout.com/london/theatre/dont-let-the-pigeon-drive-the-bus musical]][[http://www.bigwoodenhorse.com/big-wooden-horse-tour-schedule.html tour]] called simply ''"Pigeon"'', followed by the year of the tour (2013, 2014...), based on the book.
3
4Bibliography:
5* ''Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!''
6* ''Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!''
7* ''The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!''
8* ''The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!''
9* ''The Duckling Gets a Cookie?''
10* ''Don't Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book!''
11* ''Don't Let the Pigeon Run This App!''
12* ''The Pigeon Needs a Bath!''
13* ''The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!''
14* ''The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!''
15* ''Be the Bus: The Lost & Profound Wisdom of The Pigeon'' (April 4, 2023)
16* ''Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!'' (September 5, 2023)
17
18The Pigeon also makes cameos in many works by Mo Willems, most notably the ''Literature/ElephantAndPiggie'' series.
19
20----
21!!This series demonstrates the following tropes:
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23* AccessoryWearingCartoonAnimal: One of the birds in "The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster" wears a watch.
24* AdaptationDistillation: "The Pigeon Needs a Bath Book" is "The Pigeon Needs a Bath" reissued as a soft bath book that can be taken into the bathtub without being damaged. It cuts much of the story, including the bus driver saying that the Pigeon is filthy, as well as the scene in which the flies won't go near the Pigeon.
25* AdaptationExpansion: The animated version of ''The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!'' from Scholastic and Weston Woods has an added scene at the end. In it, [[spoiler:The Pigeon sees the Duckling with the second cookie, without nuts, that he got after asking politely for it. He gets angry that the Duckling got another cookie and thinks that the Duckling's cookie, without nuts, looks tastier than the one with nuts that the Duckling gave him.]]
26* {{Angrish}}: The pigeon [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nURTUmLSYd8 throws an all out temper tantrum]] upon learning that his name isn't in the title of "The Duckling gets a Cookie?!"
27-->'''Pigeon:''' ''(sobbing)'' I..I just wanna be in the title. Is THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?! HUH?! IS IT?!! WHY THE-ASGFJFFEGJHEEJH
28* BabyTalk: In "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School", the Pigeon says that he wishes he was a "little-itty-bitty-not-going-to-school-baby-waybie pigeon".
29* BadLiar: The Pigeon, full stop. He often makes claims when the reverse is quite plainly true.
30* BathsAreFun: In "The Pigeon Needs a Bath!," the Pigeon is very dirty and smelly and needs a bath, but doesn't want to have one at first. Once he finally comes around, however, he finds that he loves it and stays in it for at least ten hours.
31* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The pigeon wants a puppy! However, when he gets one, it's way too big for a bird to keep for a pet.
32* BigNo: The audience's expected response to the Pigeon in "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" and "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!" is to yell, "NO!". [[spoiler: The Pigeon himself does this in "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?"]]
33* BigWhy: When lamenting that the Duckling got a cookie just by asking, while he never gets what he asks for in "The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?", the Pigeon yells, "Why? WHY!? WHY!?".
34* BigWordShout: The Pigeon yells a one-word sentence in every book, inevitably filling up a two-page spread while doing so.
35* BlatantLies: The Pigeon would try all kinds of shenanigans to convince the reader to let him do what he wants, from telling them that "their moms would let him do it" to outright bribing the reader with 5 bucks.
36** The Pigeon's claim to not be tired as he yawns and forces himself to stay awake.
37** The Pigeon's claim in ''The Pigeon Needs a Bath!'' that he doesn't need one, even though he has obvious visible stink lines and even flies are avoiding him.
38* BuffySpeak: In "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!", when complaining about never getting what he asks for, the Pigeon calls himself the "asking-est pigeon in town".
39* BunniesForCuteness: Exploited in "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!", when the Pigeon whips out a toy bunny and claims it wants to stay up late as well, saying, "You can't say no to a bunny, can you?".
40* CallBack: As part of his rant during "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?", the Pigeon brings up being told "No!" during the events of past books.
41* TheCameo: Duckling and Literature/KnuffleBunny make cameos as bath toys in "The Pigeon needs a Bath!"
42* CatchingSomeZs: At the end of "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!", the Pigeon snores with Z's coming out of his mouth.
43* TheComplianceGame: Attempted in "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus", where the Pigeon is trying to [[BreakingTheFourthWall persuade the viewer]] to let him drive the bus. At one point, he says, "Let's play 'Drive the Bus'," but this doesn't work.
44* ContinuityNod: Some of the items on the Pigeons list of things he wants in "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy" are "drive a bus" and "a driver's license" (referencing "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus"), "eat a hot dog all by myself" (referencing "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog" in which he had to share one with the Duckling), and "stay up late" (referencing "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late").
45* CopycatMockery: In "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog", the Pigeon is frustrated with the Duckling interrogating him on what hot dogs taste like and calling himself a "curious bird", so he mocks him by saying, "I'm a curious bird! What do they taste like? Blah, blah, blah!".
46* DeathGlare: In "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog", the Pigeon scowls at the Duckling for asking him what hot dogs taste like.
47* TheDeterminator: As Mo Willems notes in an interview available on the DVD of the animated version of "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!", determination is the Pigeon's defining characteristic and something that he shares in common with real-life pigeons.
48* DidntThinkThisThrough: The pigeon thinks puppies are adorable and wants one for himself. Evidently he's only ever seen them in pictures because he's totally unprepared for the size of a puppy compared to a small bird. He doesn't learn his lesson, either, as by the end he's decided he doesn't want a puppy after all. He wants a walrus.
49* ADogNamedDog: The Pigeon is a pigeon named Pigeon, or "the Pigeon."
50* EverybodyHatesMathematics: In "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!", when the Pigeon is listing the reasons he's scared to go to school, he says, "What if there is MATH? Or numbers?".
51* EveryoneHasStandards: The three flies in "The Pigeon Needs a Bath" think the pigeon is too dirty even though they're ''flies''.
52* ExerciseExcuse: When trying to pretend he's not tired in "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!", the Pigeon claims he was not yawning, but stretching.
53* ExhaustedEyeBags: When the Pigeon starts to become tired in "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!", he gets bags under his eyes.
54* FakeInteractivity: The answer to the Pigeon is always "No!".
55* FirstDayOfSchoolEpisode: "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!" is about the Pigeon being reluctant about starting school.
56* FishEyes: In "The Duckling Gets a Cookie", the Pigeon has these when he directly faces the viewer during his rant when he talks about [[ItMakesSenseInContext asking for a French Fry Robot.]]
57%%* {{Foil}}:
58%%** The Duckling is this to the Pigeon in a sense.
59%%** Subverted by the Mad Cow from "Don't Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book!"
60* FoodPorn: Done with a hot dog in "The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!", when both birds (Pigeon and Duckling) find the hot dog incredibly delicious.
61* GettingReadyForBedPlot: "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!" is all about the reader trying to convince the pigeon to go to bed.
62* GoToSleepEnding: The Pigeon falls asleep on the floor at the end of "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!".
63* GreenEyedMonster: In "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!", the Pigeon is jealous of the Duckling, since he gets a cookie while the Pigeon doesn't, and the Duckling gets what he asked for, while he never does.
64* HairTriggerTemper: The Pigeon is prone to yelling and throwing tantrums.
65* IdeaBulb: In "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School", he thinks that there should be a place to practice before starting school, with "experts to help you", other birds to mingle with, and a playground. Then, a lightbulb goes off over his head as he says, "Oh, that ''is'' school".
66%%* IllBeYourBestFriend: This is one of the Pigeon's tactics.
67* InsaneTrollLogic: One excuse the Pigeon has for staying up late in "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!" is that it's daytime in China.
68* ItsAllAboutMe: This sort of thinking is possibly the Pigeon's most defining characteristic and generally what drives his behavior, especially things such as complaining about not appearing in the title of ''The Duckling Gets a Cookie?'' and slipping himself into the ''Elephant & Piggie'' titles.
69* KnowNothingKnowItAll: In "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!", the Pigeon says he doesn't need to go to school as he already knows anything. However, when the reader asks him a question, he doesn't know the answer. He then claims he knows ''almost'' anything.
70* LivingToys: In the Pigeon's dream at the end of "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!", the toy bunny has come alive and is eating hot dogs with him.
71* {{Manchild}}: The Pigeon, who throws temper tantrums when he doesn't get what he wants.
72* MediumAwareness: On the title page of ''The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!'', the Pigeon urges readers "WAIT! Don't read that title!" and is seen dropping his head and stating "Too late. Rats..." at the start of the story.
73* MyNewGiftIsLame: Played with in "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?" The Duckling gets a nuts-and-chocolate cookie from the reader. The Pigeon becomes jealously enraged, only to be genuinely surprised when the Duckling gives it to him. [[spoiler:After the Pigeon leaves, the Duckling asks for a cookie ''without'' nuts.]]
74* NoodleIncident: In "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?", the Pigeon refers to being repeatedly turned down when he asks for a French Fry Robot or his own personal iceberg. No story so far has shown either of these happening, or what'd he'd even do with those.
75* NoFourthWall: The reader is encouraged to talk back to the characters, especially in yelling "No!" to the Pigeon.
76* NotAMorningPerson: In "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School!", the Pigeon claims that he's bad in the morning to get out of going to school, since school hours start in the morning. However, it's unclear if this is actually true, since he has lied to get out of doing things before.
77%%* NotEvilJustMisunderstood: The Mad Cow.
78* OverlyLongGag: The cartoon adaptation for "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!" has the Pigeon yawn for a ''[[https://youtu.be/iQBPc7aDa2M?t=217 whopping 50 seconds.]]''
79* PeskyPigeons: {{Downplayed|Trope}}. The Pigeon constantly tries to convince the reader into giving him what he wants and throws temper tantrums when he is denied. However, it's done in such a way that keeps him a loveable scamp, rather than an outright nuisance.
80* ThePigPen: Pigeon becomes one in "The Pigeon Needs a Bath!" The smell becomes so bad, [[EveryoneHasStandards not even the flies would go near him!]]
81* PunctuatedForEmphasis: In ''Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!'', the Pigeon decides that [[spoiler:he'd rather not drive the sleigh after learning that he'd be spending time with large smelly reindeer.]] He declares "FOR! GET! IT!"
82* QuestioningTitle: One book is called "The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?".
83* RussianReversal: In ''The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!'', the Pigeon states that the question is not will he be ready for the roller coaster but rather will it be ready for him.
84* ShapedLikeItself: When the Duckling asks if a hot dog tastes like chicken, the Pigeon yells, "IT JUST TASTES LIKE A HOT DOG, OKAY!?".
85* SingingInTheShower: The Pigeon sings in the bathtub in "The Pigeon Needs a Bath".
86* SweetTooth: On the list of things the Pigeon wants in "The Pigeon Wants a Puppy" are "candy" and "more candy", and in "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!", he becomes steamed at not getting a cookie.
87* TastesLikeChicken: What the Duckling wonders a hot dog [[CarnivoreConfusion tastes like.]] At one point, he asks if it tastes of chicken.
88* ThrowTheDogABone: Despite what he says, the Pigeon sometimes gets what he wants...though in one instance, he quickly backpedals on it (see WantingIsBetterThanHaving below.) "The Duckling Gets A Cookie?" plays this straight [[spoiler:by having the Duckling give the Pigeon the cookie.]]
89* UnsoundEffect:
90** When the Pigeon yawns in "Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!", it's written as "YAWN!".
91** When the Duckling flaps his wings in "The Duckling Gets a Cookie?!", it's written as "flappy flip flap".
92* VanityLicensePlate: In '"Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Sleigh!'', {{Santa}}'s sleigh has a license plate reading "[=HOX3=]." (Ho x 3 - i.e. "Ho ho ho.")
93* VisibleOdor: In ''The Pigeon Needs a Bath'', one of the ways you can tell is the visible stink lines depicted on him on the pages where he insists he doesn't have a smell.
94-->'''Pigeon''': What smell? (''sniffing himself'') I don't smell anything! And if I do-- it' s very normal smell. For a pigeon.
95* WantingIsBetterThanHaving: Happens when the Pigeon obsesses about getting a puppy, only to discover it's a lot bigger and messier than he had expected.
96* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: In "The Pigeon HAS to Go to School", the Pigeon claims that the unknown "stresses [him] out".
97* WontTakeYesForAnAnswer: In ''The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?'', the Pigeon goes on a rant after learning that the Duckling got a cookie, finally shouting "WHY DID YOU GET THAT COOKIE!?!" When the Duckling replies "So I could give it to you," he thrusts one of his wings at him and shouts "AND ANOTHER THING--" before finally what the Duckling just said hits him. "Hubba-Whaa?!?"
98* YouHaveGotToBeKiddingMe: This is the Pigeon's reaction, word for word, to the roller coaster in ''The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster!'', which turns out to be a pathetic little putt-putt affair riding along a straight line, rather than anything really worthy of the name "roller coaster." However, when asked if he wants to go again, he immediately agrees.

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