Line #41 Main/HilariousInHindsight


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7	->''"Everything is funnier in retrospect, funnier and prettier and cooler. You can laugh at anything from far enough away."''
8	-->-- '''Creator/ChuckPalahniuk'''
9
10	HarsherInHindsight is when a tragic event, either in RealLife or in-universe, makes something more disturbing, upsetting, or at the very least ''more'' uncomfortable, than it originally was.
11
12	This is the opposite. It's when a later event, such as a current event or something that happened in the series, makes something ''funnier'' than it originally was. This is what your literature teacher would call "[[LifeImitatesArt Life imitating Art]]". There's a decent list in this [[http://www.collegehumor.com/article/3351727/seven-jokes-that-came-true College Humor]] feature and another one in this [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19146_8-absurd-jokes-that-predicted-real-life-events.html Cracked.com]] feature.[[note]]As of the end of 2016, the article has become its own ninth example.[[/note]]
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14	Note this is ''not'' merely something that seemingly predicts something else. For example, black US presidents in fiction are not this trope. A black US president in fiction who has an EmbarrassingMiddleName would be.
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16	Also note that some examples that might not seem funny to one, might seem funny to another. It depends on attitudes towards BlackComedy and GallowsHumor.
17
18	Additionally, "hilarious" doesn't just mean "BLAH-HAH-HAH! gut-busting," either. If you go by the word's original definition, it can mean "amusing" or "charming" as well. So ''any'' belated lighthearted coincidence would fit under this trope.
19
20	Almost all examples of HaveAGayOldTime are an example of this trope. Some examples of ActorAllusion and/or JustForFun/RoleAssociation are.
21
22	Compare FridgeBrilliance, HeartwarmingInHindsight. Also compare {{Narm}} if this happens immediately.
23
24	Contrast DudeNotFunny (when something is considered in bad taste to mock or even mention, no matter what the circumstance), HilariousInFlashback (where a glimpse of the characters' past contrasts amusingly with their established personalities and situation), HarsherInHindsight (when something is now worse due to a RealLife or in-story tragedy, though there are cases where BlackComedy makes some overlap possible), UnintentionalPeriodPiece (in the cases where a work that was current when made almost only makes jokes that no current reader can understand), TwoDecadesBehind (when the writer thought it was current but wasn't), OnceOriginalNowCommon (where something that was funny or witty at the time has since become cliche due to it being prevalent in comedy or was the original basis of the idea) and IfItWasFunnyTheFirstTime (in cases where a RunningGag is overused or a joke is only funny once). A "dated reference" is when a single joke (or only a handful) in a series is no longer funny because nobody alive remembers why it was funny, but is Administrivia/NotATrope as it is mostly covered by UnintentionalPeriodPiece and TwoDecadesBehind.
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26	'''''Note:''''' ''Examples can only be added once the event that makes them hilarious has ended. In particular, anything related to a widespread disease, hoarding of any kind, or something similar to social distancing doesn't inherently mean that there's a connection to the UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic. Please don't add examples of this nature.''
27	----
28	!!Example subpages:
29
30	[[index]]
31	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Advertising}}
32	* HilariousInHindsight/AnimeAndManga
33	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Comedy}}
34	* HilariousInHindsight/ComicBooks
35	* HilariousInHindsight/ComicStrips
36	* HilariousInHindsight/FanWorks
37	* [[HilariousInHindsight/AnimatedFilms Films — Animation]]
38	* [[HilariousInHindsight/LiveActionFilms Films — Live-Action]]
39	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Literature}}
40	* HilariousInHindsight/LiveActionTV
41	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Music}}
42	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Politics}}
43	* HilariousInHindsight/PrintMedia
44	* HilariousInHindsight/ProWrestling
45	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Sports}}
46	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Theatre}}
47	* HilariousInHindsight/VideoGames
48	* HilariousInHindsight/WebAnimation
49	* HilariousInHindsight/{{Webcomics}}
50	* HilariousInHindsight/WebOriginal
51	* HilariousInHindsight/WebVideos
52	* HilariousInHindsight/WesternAnimation
53	[[/index]]
54
55	!!Other examples:
56
57	[[foldercontrol]]
58
59	[[folder:Asian Animation]]
60	* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'':
61	** In episode 28, Wolffy uses a fake friendship peace negotiation in an attempt to eat the goats. [[note]]which means, the goat tribe and the wolf tribe can be together in peace without fighting, but in actuality, it calls the goat tribe to serve Wolffy and sent one goat into his mouth everyday. And when Weslie makes a different negotiation in which [[spoiler:Wolffy's family promises to give up the right to attack the goat tribe and disappear from the Green Green Grasslands forever]], Wolffy's plan backfires.[[/note]] However, several years later in real life, the season ''Mighty Little Defenders'' started airing, which [[RealAfterAll actually DOES involve a peace negotiation between the goats and wolves as a plot device]], just without Wolffy adding any sneaky schemes to it.
62	** In ''Joys of Seasons'' episode 31, Wolnie gets amnesia after Wolffy feeds her forgetful grass. Near the end of the episode, Paddi's tears are enough to water a remembering flower that Wolffy wants to grow so he can feed it to Wolnie and restore her memory... except when she actually does eat it, she also develops a friendship with Paddi since it was Paddi's tears and not hers. This gets taken even further in the later season ''Love You Babe'', where Wolnie gets amnesia again and spends the entire season thinking Paddi is her ''child''.
63	* In episode 4 of ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', Careless S. gets his weapon working properly for once and jokes that he should call himself "Careful S." from now on. Fast forward to the Season 1 finale, a fifth Superman who actually is named Careful S. joins the team. (Careful S. makes an EarlyBirdCameo in the Season 1 intro, so this could be a case of {{foreshadowing}}.)
64	[[/folder]]
65
66	[[folder:Arts]]
67	* In 1947, Isamu Noguchi created a model for a sculpture called "Sculpture to be seen from Mars", which depicted a giant face staring up at the sky. In 1978, Viking 1 captured an image of a mountain which resembled a face on Mars.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Jokes]]
71	* There was a [[Creator/JRRTolkien Tolkien]][=/=]Literature/HarryPotter joke in Russian from [[http://darkeol.livejournal.com/87134.html 2005]], which said "I already know what will happen in book 6: [[spoiler:The Invisibility Cloak will turn out to be the One Cloak".]] Well... off by one book.
72	* The following [[RussianHumor Soviet joke]] on the city [[PleaseSelectNewCityName now called St. Petersburg]] has aged interestingly...
73	--->'''Official''': Where were you born?\
74	'''Old man''': St. Petersburg.\
75	'''Official''': Where did you grow up?\
76	'''Old man''': Petrograd.\
77	'''Official''': Where do you live?\
78	'''Old man''': Leningrad.\
79	'''Official''': ''(menacingly)'' Where would you ''like'' to live?\
80	'''Old man''': St. Petersburg.
81	* In the [[TheSeventies 1970s]], people said that there would be a ''black'' U.S. president [[CueTheFlyingPigs when pigs fly]]. [[HeartwarmingInHindsight Eventually in November 2008]], we got UsefulNotes/BarackObama, and sure enough, [[BlackComedy swine flu]].
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
85	* The Amazons of Myth/ClassicalMythology. In the myths, they were just about the only civilization at the time where women oppressed men instead of the other way around. What part of the world do you think they lived in? [[RussianReversal Ukraine and Russia]] (according to [[Literature/TheHistories Herodotus]], that is).
86	* Myth/NorseMythology:
87	** Loki is a jotun, or troll. During the age of the Internet, the term "{{troll}}" took on a whole new meaning: a person who sows chaos and discord (sometimes ForGreatJustice, sometimes ForTheLulz), which is Loki's raison d'être. But wait, it gets ''better:'' trolls are known for "flaming" others, and guess what color Loki's hair is? Here's a hint: one of his kennings is [[EvilRedhead "Flame-Hair."]] Bow before your god, all ye Internet trolls.
88	** One of Thor's kennings is "Troll-Basher." What do administrators use to get rid of pesky trolls? The banhammer, of course!
89	* In Myth/MayanMythology, Quetzalcoatl is portrayed as a "feathered serpent", which is also what his name means in the Nahuatl language. Millennia later, paleontologists discovered that theropod dinosaurs, among the largest reptiles that ever lived, ''were'' feathered.
90	* "Satan", despite popular belief, was actually a title, meaning many things including "the prosecutor". In 1935, a Disney short titled ''WesternAnimation/PlutosJudgementDay'' came out, in which Satan himself literally is the prosecutor of a trial in Hell.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Pinballs]]
94	* In the early '90s, Creator/DataEast produced pinball machines based on two of the biggest names in science fiction, ''[[Pinball/StarTrekDataEast Star Trek]]'' and ''[[Pinball/StarWarsDataEast Star Wars]]''. Creator/{{Stern}} would later make their own tables [[Pinball/StarTrekStern also]] based [[Pinball/StarWarsStern on]] these two franchises.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Podcasts]]
98	* Discussed in ''Podcast/FatFrenchAndFabulous'': the notably inbred Charles II of Spain's [[https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Royal_Monogram_of_Charles_III%2C_Duke_of_Brabant.svg/2000px-Royal_Monogram_of_Charles_III%2C_Duke_of_Brabant.svg.png royal monogram]] looks a hell of a lot like the modern international bio hazard sign.
99	* The ''Podcast/WeHateMovies'' podcast:
100	** While ripping on ''Film/TheMatrixRevolutions'', the guys say that Neo [[NewPowersAsThePlotDemands suddenly]] being able to control robots in the real world is as stupid as if Luke were to suddenly teleport in ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi''. Two years later, in ''Film/TheLastJedi'', Luke suddenly [[spoiler:astral projects to another planet]], a move that drew a mixed reaction from audiences.
101	** In their ''Film/TheDayAfterTomorrow'' episode, the gang imagines that old sitcoms will be brought back to life in the post-disaster world. One of those shows mentioned to be revived is ''Series/{{Roseanne}}'', which ''was'' revived in 2018.
102	* In Episode 48 of ''Podcast/TheScathingAtheist'', the hosts talked about an Adventist Pastor named Ryan Bell, who decided to "Try Atheism for a Year", with them being Tongue-in-cheek about his sincerity. About a year and a half later, he is a notable figure in the atheist movement, and is interviewed in the show.
103	-->'''Heath:''' It's like a white person trying out being black for a year by dancing better.
104	[[/folder]]
105
106	[[folder:Poetry]]
107	* Longfellow's ''[[http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/poem/1328.html The Jewish Cemetery at Newport]]'' which discusses the plight of the Jews, ends with the stanza "But ah! what once has been shall be no more! / The groaning earth in travail and in pain / Brings forth its races, but does not restore, / And the dead nations never rise again." He did not foresee the creation of the modern State of Israel.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
111	* ''Series/TheMuppetShow'':
112	** Not long after ''Film/ANewHope's'' original release, Creator/MarkHamill made an in-character appearance in a sketch. At the end of the sketch, Mark Hamill and all the Muppets sing [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWVHMqhaq1o "When You Wish Upon a Star"]], which has become so much more hilarious because both ''Franchise/StarWars'' and ''Franchise/TheMuppets'' are now under the Creator/{{Disney}} banner.
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Radio]]
116	* Way back in the 1940s, there was a children's fantasy radio program named ''Land Of The Lost'' [[Series/LandOfTheLost1974 (no relation)]] that featured in one episode a character named [[Music/FleetwoodMac "Mac Fleetwood"]]. Even better, this was a series dedicated to [[{{Pun}} Puns]] and [[ShoutOut Shout-Outs]], making the coincidence ''extremely'' fitting.
117	* In the first series of ''You'll Have Had Your Tea: The Doings of Radio/HamishAndDougal'', in 2002, reference is made to the "Red Hot Chili Pipers. When first broadcast, it was a simple pun on Music/RedHotChiliPeppers. Repeated later, it sounds like a reference to the actual Music/RedHotChilliPipers, who formed in 2004.
118	[[/folder]]
119
120	[[folder:Sciences]]
121	* In 1989 palaeontologists chose the name ''Revueltosaurus'' for a new species of dinosaur discovered in Revuelto Creek, New Mexico. Years later, it was determined that the partial skeleton used to describe this species was actually a mix of bones from different animals and that the most of them probably belonged to a basal crocodilian, not a dinosaur. It just happens that "revuelto" is Spanish for "messed up".
122	* The asteroid Antiope was discovered in 1866, and named after one of two characters in Myth/ClassicalMythology with that name (there's some dispute about which one). Fast forward to 2000, when it was discovered that Antiope is in fact a double asteroid (two pretty equally sized bodies orbiting a point between them), and it takes on another dimension.
123
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
127	* ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons:''
128	** In the 4th edition Player's Handbook, a section on why you'd want both melee and ranged weapons says: "When the flying monster makes its getaway, you don't want to be hurling insults at it." The Player's Handbook 2 released the Bard...which can kill enemies by insulting them.
129	** Mirt the Moneylender from ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' is a corpulent, elderly, wealthy businessman turned politician known for his displays of ConspicuousConsumption, his [[ParentalIncest sexual relationship with his (adopted) daughter]], and being in charge of Waterdeep's TabletopGame/{{Spelljammer}} command. He would be a picture-perfect {{Trumplica}}...if most of this hadn't been established before Trump was in office.
130	* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'':
131	** 2ch users once created a hoax so convincing that managed to trick Japanese ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' fan sites, claiming that Lightsworn were dolls who were slaves of an evil force. Later on, the game introduced an actual archetype based on enslaved dolls, known as Shaddoll.
132	%% ** Remember the time when players did the Tour Guide From The Underworld + Sangan combo? That’s what Burning Abyss players do now.
133	%% * [[https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/03/this-1994-star-wars-style-guide-proves-hindsight-is-a-wonderful-thing/ A writing guide]] written in 1994 would have various decrees that would be heavily violated by future works. Stuff like "No writing about the history of the Jedi", "No writing about the rise of the Empire", "No extra-galactic invasions". Of course, this document was a guideline for freelancers, so if anyone was going to do anything setting-breaking, they'd probably want to do it in-house rather than hand it off to some random person writing an RPG module.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
137	* From 1989 through 2004, Disney/MGM Studios in Orlando, Florida had an attraction called The Magic of Disney Animation which had a short film at the beginning called ''Back to Neverland'' (not to be confused with Disney's direct-to-video Peter Pan sequel ''Return to Neverland''), starring Creator/RobinWilliams and the late Walter Cronkite. In it, Robin is a huge fan of ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'' and actually becomes an animated Lost Boy, and he defeats Captain Hook with a little help from both Tinkerbell and his quick improvisational comedy skills. Doubly hilarious in hindsight in that not only [[WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}} would he later get a chance to really show off his improvisational skills in a full-length Disney film]][[note]]where that video even had a ShoutOut, as the Genie dresses like Robin did in a scene[[/note]], but first he would also get the chance to actually [[Film/{{Hook}} be Peter Pan himself]] (courtesy of Creator/StevenSpielberg and [=TriStar=] Pictures).
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Toys]]
141	* ''Toys/{{Furby}}'': [[https://youtu.be/FGzi1eqnT0o This video]] released in 2013 parodies many movie scenes using 2012 Furbies. The video ends with a Furby customized as [[Franchise/StarWars Chewbacca]]. Two years later, Creator/{{Hasbro}} would release an official ''Furbacca''.
142	* Around the time the third generation of WesternAnimation/{{Popples}} toys was launched, Spin Master made a wanna-be Popples toyline called Fur Berries. Guess which company acquires the rights to produce Popples toys 7 years later?
143	* ''Toys/LEGOMinifigures'':
144	** The Series 2 Witch is often regarded as an [[{{Expy}} unoffical minifigure]] of the [[Film/TheWizardOfOz Wicked Witch of the West]]. Fast forward to 2015, when ''VideoGame/LEGODimensions'' includes the ''Wizard of Oz'' film as one of its licenses, and an official Wicked Witch figure is made as part of a Fun Pack.
145	** The Series 6 Genie is seen as an unofficial minifigure of the Genie from ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}''. When the Creator/{{Disney}} line came along in 2016, The Genie from ''Aladdin'' got his own official Lego minifigure.
146	** In the late 60s, Nintendo produced their own of Lego-like building blocks, known as the N&B Blocks. Starting from 2020 Lego began releasing sets based on Nintendo properties such as ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' and ''Franchise/AnimalCrossing''.
147	%% * [[http://www.scary-crayon.com/misc/ffbenoit/ This Chris Benoit action figure]], which changes his expression from nice guy to screaming angry bastard, is [[BlackComedy funny for the wrong reasons]].
148	* The world of Toys/TeddyRuxpin features a race called the Grunges. They're known for being very musical, as shown in a Teddy Ruxpin storybook, released in 1985, titled ''Grunge Music''. A few years later, that book's title would start to refer to [[{{Grunge}} a completely different musical genre]].
149	* ''Franchise/{{Tamagotchi}}'': Akihiro Yokoi, the creator Tamagotchi, initially wanted to scrap Mametchi because he felt it was too "cute" compared to what he thought the Tamagotchis should look like. Decades later, Mametchi would be overshadowed by new Tamagotchis that were even ''cuter'' than him.
150	[[/folder]]
151
152	[[folder:Real Life]]
153	* After the revelation that General David Petraeus had an affair with his biographer Paula Broadwell, the title of her biography, ''All In: The Education of General David Petraeus'', took on a whole new meaning. Not to mention all the publicity touting how Broadwell was "afforded extensive access by General Petraeus."
154	* During a press interview for ''Film/{{Maleficent}}'', Creator/ElleFanning made a joke that Disney should adapt ''WesternAnimation/{{Dumbo}}'' into a live-action film. Later, Disney indeed [[Film/Dumbo2019 did that]].
155	* On the first day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they laid siege to an island called Snake Island. One of the Russian warships assigned to the action attempted to get the outnumbered and incredibly outgunned defenders to surrender and got "[[DefiantToTheEnd Russian warship, go fuck yourself]]" in response, which became a mixture of a rallying cry and meme in the war as a whole. Not long after, the Ukrainian postal service launched a stamp design competition on the theme of that message, and was won by a design featuring a Ukrainian soldier [[FlippingTheBird flipping the bird]] to the Russian cruiser ''Moskva'', the lead ship in the Snake Island operation, and Black Sea Fleet flagship. The day after the stamp was launched, the "Moskva" was hit by two Ukrainian anti-ship missiles and sunk.
156	* In 2013, Google released Google Glass, a smart-wearable device that provides the user with a small user interface via a screen placed in front of the wearer's right eye. In response, Apple's Siri voice assistant program was updated so that saying "OK Glass" to them would result in [[TakeThat snarky one-liner responses]], with one notable example being "[[WhatTheHellPlayer Stop trying to strap me to your forehead. It won't work.]]" In 2024, Apple launched Apple Vision Pro, an augmented-reality wearable with Siri integration, meaning that you can now indeed strap Siri to your forehead.
157	[[/folder]]

Context Main / HilariousInHindsight