Line #95 Main/LaughWithMe


1	->'''Guitierrez:''' Mm-hmm-hmm, ha ha ha ha ha! Laugh with me, Jocko... Laugh with me!\
2	'''Jocko:''' EEEEEEEEEE! EEEEEEEEEEEE!
3	-->-- ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}''
4
5	The BigBad has the princess locked in his tower, the hero is in a death trap, and he is moments away from taking over the world. He is surrounded by his minions so it's the perfect time for a little EvilGloating followed by a nice, hearty EvilLaugh. He belts one out but stops once he realizes he is the only one laughing. Where's his ContagiousLaughter? He will immediately let his {{Mooks}} know, probably through verbal means, that they need to join in. Getting the message, the henchmen start laughing and continue to do so until it's okay to stop.
6
7	[[HaHaHaNo Then, the villain might tell them to shut up after a few moments.]]
8
9	Sometimes the villain might even persuade the captured hero to join in the fun, to get everybody in the room laughing like idiots for no real reason. See also ActuallyPrettyFunny for when there actually is a reason to laugh.
10
11	This trope is typically PlayedForLaughs and is a parody of the EvilLaugh trope. Contrast the EverybodyLaughsEnding, which may still seem contrived but isn't forced.
12
13	Compare TensionCuttingLaughter, often used in a similar way; in that case, the other people are laughing out of genuine relief that the boss is amused, as it [[EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor looked like he might go another way]].
14
15	----
16	!!Examples:
17
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
21	%%%* Lady Aska in ''Manga/MagicKnightRayearth'' (and a NoblewomansLaugh to boot).
22	* A version that is definitely not played for laughs in ''Anime/OnePieceFilmGold''. The BigBad Gild Tesoro will tell people to laugh with him, and forbid them to laugh when he isn't. When one of his subordinates dares to laugh at something without his permission, Tesoro immediately responds by encasing the guy's head in gold and lets him suffocate. [[spoiler: A flash-back show that it come from his DarkAndTroubledPast, where he served as a slave of the [[AristocratsAreEvil World Nobles]] who would punish him for laughing without permission.]]
23	** Much, ''much'' earlier -- before Creator/ToeiAnimation got the rights to the series, in fact -- Creator/ProductionIG's one-off {{OVA}} featured a BigBad named Ganzack who played this trope much straighter.
24	* ''Literature/{{Slayers}}'': Naga teaches a couple of villain of the week in the OVA to laugh an evil and noble laugh like her. By the end of the episode, the three laugh together in a twilight.
25	[[/folder]]
26
27	[[folder:Comic Books]]
28	* In ''ComicBook/TheCartoonHistoryOfTheUniverse'', UsefulNotes/{{Caligula}}, in a scene based on Suetonius's ''The Twelve Caesars'', bursts into hysterical laughter at a banquet. When a guest asks him why, the emperor says it just occurred to him that with a single word he could have the guest's throat slit. He resumes laughing, pausing briefly to say "You laugh too." The guest complies with a nervous chuckle.
29	* This is one of ComicBook/TheJoker's recurring schticks, played not for comedy (usually) but for the disturbing way he forces his victims to play along. A particularly memorable occurrence-- In the story "Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker", he catches one of his henchmen failing to join in the laughter. He [[BadBoss terminates him with extreme prejudice]] by using a BANGFlagGun (which could have inspired a similar YouHaveFailedMe sequence from ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyondReturnOfTheJoker''.) An identical scenario occurs in ''ComicBook/BatmanVsTheIncredibleHulk'', also written by Len Wein.
30	[[/folder]]
31
32	[[folder:Films — Animation]]
33	* In B.O.B.'s Big Break, from ''WesternAnimation/MonstersVsAliens'', Dr. Cockroach laughs evilly after B.O.B. ends up getting the power to read minds and then tells Link and B.O.B., "Come on, laugh with me!" Dr. Cockroach and B.O.B., reading Dr. Cockroach's mind, laugh evilly while Link just rolls his eyes.
34	* In ''WesternAnimation/Shrek1'', Farquaad and Fiona's wedding comes with placards telling the congregation how to react. When it's revealed Shrek has feelings for Fiona, the guards turn them over to say "Laugh".
35	* ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZimEnterTheFlorpus'': Used while Zim is [[ItMakesSenseInContext sitting in a toilet and laughing maniacally]].
36	-->'''Zim:''' COMPUTER, LAUGH WITH ME!!\
37	'''Computer:''' I DON'T WANT TO!
38	[[/folder]]
39
40	[[folder:Films — Live-Action]]
41	* In the first ''Film/AustinPowers'' movie, Dr. Evil starts an EvilLaugh alone. He doesn't say anything but instead, he turns to his henchpeople and beckons that they join in. They soon start laughing together in a very awkward manner. The problem is, they're not quite sure when to stop, and no one wants to be the first to stop laughing... great awkwardness ensues.
42	* ''Film/EvilDead2'': After a while of torturing Ash, [[AnimateInanimateObject the entire house comes to life and starts laughing at him]]. [[CrazySane Ash]] [[LaughingMad quickly gets swept up in it]], [[DissonantLaughter and not long after]] [[DespairEventHorizon starts sobbing in pain]].
43	* In ''Film/GodzillaXKongTheNewEmpire'', the Skar King forces his slaves and minions to join him in laughing at Kong's prosthetic tooth. He gets violent upon noticing that Suko, the young ape who brought Kong to the Skar King's domain, isn't laughing enthusiastically enough.
44	* A non-villain example in ''Film/TheGreatRace'' when The Great Leslie and Hezekiah meet Crown Prince Hoepnick. The prince makes several jokes, each time gesturing for the crowd to laugh, which they dutifully do. At one point Hezekiah keeps laughing after every one else stops, until The Great Leslie [[BeQuietNudge elbows him in the ribs]].
45	* In ''Film/{{Labyrinth}}'', Jareth the Goblin King laughs just before the "Dance Magic" sequence. He quickly notices that his goblins are not joining in and asks, "... Well?" The goblins start laughing, only for him to quiet them down for his song.
46	* In ''Film/TheMuppets2011'', the antagonist was unable to laugh, but that did not stop him from leaning over to his henchmen and simply ''saying'' "maniacal laugh" whenever he wanted them to crack up.
47	* In ''Film/{{UHF}}'', when [[CorruptCorporateExecutive R.J. Fletcher]] starts laughing, the two managers under him realize, after a short pause, that they'd better start forcing themselves to laugh along with him.
48	* In ''Film/WhatWeDoInTheShadows'', there's a scene during the credits in which the alpha male of the werewolves gloats that the others will always laugh at his jokes and if they don't, he makes sure they do. One of the werewolves laughs out of turn and is immediately scolded to pay attention for the proper time.
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Literature]]
52	* ''Literature/JourneyToChaos'': Mr.15's clone soldiers will laugh without prompting whenever he does. He likely programmed them that way.
53	* In the original ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'' book, there is an unspoken rule in the sparrow kingdom that lives in the Abbey's peaks: When the mad king tells a joke, it's always funny. Even subjects who are half-asleep will obediently laugh along out of fear.
54	* ''Literature/SmallGods:'' Whenever [[BigBad Vorbis]] cracks a joke, everyone around him laughs along, even when the jokes aren't funny (and since it's Vorbis, they never are) because their lives depend on it.
55	[[/folder]]
56
57	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
58	* On ''[[Series/ThirtyRock 30 Rock]]'', Tracy's entourage is obligated to laugh heartily at every joke Tracy tells. Kenneth runs into problems when he joins Tracy's entourage and doesn't go along with it.
59	* Subverted in ''Series/{{Angel}}'' when Darla teases Lindsey and she and Drusilla start laughing at him. Lilah isn't told to, but starts laughing with them. She promptly gets a "Shut up" from Darla and a "Shh.." from Drusilla.
60	* In ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', Raj goes to work for [[InsufferableGenius Sheldon]]. Sheldon plays one of his awkward pranks on Raj and after informing him of the fact that he was joking, mentions, "I'm your boss now. You may want to laugh at that."
61	* ''Series/DoctorWho''
62	** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E6Dalek "Dalek"]]: Henry van Statten's "[[{{Pun}} in-tru-da window]]" joke is met with dead silence, to which he clarifies "In-tru-da window, that was ''funny!''" at which point his goons get the message and join in.
63	** In [[Recap/DoctorWho2010CSAChristmasCarol "A Christmas Carol"]], Kazran Sardick does this and likewise follows it up with a "[[CallBack That was funny!]]"
64	* In the DVDCommentary, Ian Hislop suggests that part of the reason for Piers Morgan's notoriously awful appearance on ''Series/HaveIGotNewsForYou'' was that as Editor of the Mirror he'd been able to enforce this trope, and consequently believed himself to be very funny. Notably, [[EpicFail he actually tries to bully the audience into this]], but since they're not his {{Mooks}} it obviously doesn't work.
65	* In the "She's Having My Baby" two-parter of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', pregnant Peg and Marcy make fun of Al and the former says a subversion to him, saying "Come on, Al. Laugh with the baby!" Soon afterwards, he counters with, "Besides, I don't think you're really pregnant; I think that's a ten-gallon tub of ice cream down there!" When neither woman finds it funny, he then says, "Come on, Peg. Laugh with the ulcer!"
66	* In ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'', after finding out his interns don't really find his jokes funny, he tells them to only laugh when they are. When they stop laughing at his jokes, he orders them to start laughing with him again when he makes jokes.
67	* ''Series/TheWatch2021:'' During an Assassin's Guild meeting, Dr. Cruces occasionally cracks jokes, then orders the other assassins to laugh. Problems ensue for one poor sod who laughs too hard.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Video Games]]
71	* In ''[[VideoGame/CityOfHeroes City of Villains]]'', up-and-coming MadScientist Vernon von Grun frequently invites the player character to do this.
72	* ''VideoGame/MetalGear'':
73	** ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid4GunsOfThePatriots Guns of the Patriots]]'': This is [[LaughingMad Laughing Octopus]]' catchphrase and is absolutely NOT PlayedForLaughs.
74	--->'''Laughing Octopus:''' People suffering... People hurting... People dying... It's all so ''[[PrecisionFStrike fucking]]'' hysterical! Laugh. Laugh with me!
75	** ''[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Snake Eater]]'' however has Ocelot mocking Snake when he first meets him and then indicates to the rest of the Ocelot unit to start laughing with him.
76	* In ''VideoGame/WolfensteinTheOldBlood'', the PlayerCharacter, BJ Blazkowicz, is infiltrating a Nazi base disguised as a German soldier. As he has his papers checked by a guard, the base commander, Rudi Jäger, passes by and demands to have a look at BJ's papers himself. Jäger then asks if he really is from Frankfurt as his papers claims, causing BJ, whose German is very rusty, to blurt out "Ja, Ich bin ein... Hot Dog." (Yes, I am a... Hot Dog). A {{beat}} later, Jäger busts into laugher, praising BJ's pitch perfect impersonation of a "stupid American". The guard, meanwhile, is confused for a moment, but quickly joins his [[BadBoss commander]] with an obviously fearful and very nervous forced laugh of his own.
77	* In ''VideoGame/Yakuza1'', before the fight between Kiryu Kazuma and Goro Majima, the latter gets smacked in the head by one of the baseballs spat out from the nearby baseball cages. He and his underlings laugh at it, except for one unlucky guy who promptly receives the full brunt of Majima's AxCrazy wrath involving a [[BatterUp baseball bat]].
78	-->'''Majima:''' This is the part where you're SUPPOSED TO LAUGH! (WHACK!) LAUGH, YOU STUPID MOTHERFUCKER!
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
82	* ''VisualNovel/HigurashiWhenTheyCry'':
83	** This trope is actually PlayedForDrama in the Platform/{{P\|layStation2}}S2-only Tsukiotoshi-hen. When [[spoiler:Keiichi, Rena, and Shion]] all plan out how to kill Satoko's uncle, [[spoiler:Shion]] comes up with the idea of using Satoshi's bat as a way of having Satoshi get revenge on Teppei and starts cracking up. Rena follows, but Keiichi is hesitant, so they both [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPkF2_EakeM&feature=related urge him to laugh too]] and look progressively more insane and threatening. He finally goes along with it, indicating his tenuous grip on sanity at this point.
84	** Its sequel, ''VisualNovel/UminekoWhenTheyCry'', also plays this for drama, though a bit differently. In Alliance, when Kasumi Sumadera has trapped [[spoiler:Ange]] and is tearing through Maria's grimoire, laughing at her spells, she comes upon the image of Sakutaro, cracks up, rips it in half, and demands that all of her [[{{Mooks}} henchmen]] also laugh at it. This time it's used more to underline her pathetic, bullying behavior.
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:Webcomics]]
88	* Inverted in ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick''. Xykon proclaims that his goals will be achieved soon, Red Cloak and the Monster in the Darkness laugh. Redcloak asks why Xykon doesn't laugh.
89	-->'''Xykon:''' Actually, ever since I became a lich, I haven't been able to get the same volume in my evil laughter since I technically don't have ''lungs''.
90	:: In an example of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, this is patently untrue given that he's perfectly capable of [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0661.html bellowing when enraged]].
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Web Original]]
94	* Part 40 of the ''LetsPlay/NakaTeleeli'' episode, Lost Vikings. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgJWAnHeyDU 00:30]]
95	* ''Website/SCPFoundation'': [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-2030 SCP-2030]] is a twisted "hidden camera" show called "Laugh Is Fun", in which [[BodyHorror bizarre and horrible things]] happen to people, only for those involved to [[MoodWhiplash laugh it off when the host shows up]]. Each episode ends with the host making a monologue that ends with something like this:
96	-->"Good night! And laugh! And laugh! Just laugh! [[GlamourFailure We love the make laugh. Make more for laughter so as to for laugh.]] Laugh with us. Laugh with us. (''Studio audience joins in unison'') [[MadnessMantra Laugh with us! Laugh with us! Laugh with us! Laugh with us!]] [[spoiler: Laugh! Laugh! [[WhamLine Laugh and let us in!]]]]"
97	[[/folder]]
98
99	[[folder:Western Animation]]
100	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
101	-->'''[[{{Mooks}} Guard]] at the Boiling Rock:''' ''[referring to Chit Sang]'' He wants to know what he did. ''[to [[DressingAsTheEnemy the disguised Zuko and Sokka]]]'' Isn't that cute? ''[{{beat}}]''\
102	'''[[AntiHero Zuko]]:''' Uh, very cute, sir.\
103	'''[[TheSmartGuy Sokka]]:''' ''Super'' cute.
104	* In ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', there is a boss man who wants to capture LIVE Rainbow Monkeys and do some horrible thing with/to them that is never mentioned:
105	-->'''Boss:''' And then, we'll take those Rainbow Monkeys, and... ''[whispers to henchman Simon, they both laugh]''\
106	'''Boss:''' ''Shut up Simon!''\
107	'''Simon:''' Yes, sir...
108	* ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'': "You're not laughing, Stiletto. Why aren't you laughing?"
109	* The {{Trope Namer\|s}} comes from ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}''. The eponymous hero's eventual EvilCounterpart, Guitierrez, would often laugh while surrounded by his cohorts. He would then gleefully tell them, "Laugh with me." Keep in mind, Guitierrez was voiced by Creator/RicardoMontalban in full-on [[Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan Khan]]-mode.
110	* ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'' has an inversion: Dr. Claw frequently punishes his cat for laughing with him.
111	* In ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowski'', [[RoyalBrat Gordon Gibble]] snaps his fingers every time he want his henchmen to laugh at something he just said. [[InsufferableGenius Ronaldo]] demands the same thing from his pit crew the episode "Mellowbrook Drift". At one point he says: "Laugh harder!" On another occasion, he stops them, stating "It wasn't ''that'' funny!"
112	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLifeAsATeenageRobot'': In one episode, Smitus monologues about his evil plan and then lets out an evil laugh, while his minions just stare. He gives them an icy glare and says, "You laugh too." The minions all start laughing themselves silly, so much so that they accidentally let the episode's AppliedPhlebotinum out of their ship's airlock.
113	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' has a non-villainous example in the episode "Homer vs. Patty and Selma". Homer is forced to borrow money from Patty and Selma. They agree to help him out on the condition that he become their slave until he repays the debt. They then begin smirking and laughing, and Homer chuckles a little with them at first. Eventually he starts to genuinely laugh more so than those two, who then get a little annoyed at him.
114	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
115	** Non-laugh variation: the "Shanghaied" episode has the Flying Dutchman take [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick onboard as his crew. When he demands that they scream to scare people, they comply with various ridiculous noises, until he finally gives up on making them scary.
116	--->'''Flying Dutchman:''' What a night be this. Crew! [[LargeHam Howl with me, so that we might set the seven seas, ABLAZE with fear!]] Awoooo!\
117	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Nyeeeeeeeh!\
118	'''Patrick:''' Leedleleedleleedlele!\
119	'''Flying Dutchman:''' Awooo!\
120	'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Nyeeeeeeeh!\
121	'''Patrick:''' Leedleleedleleedlele!
122	** A non-villainous example happens in the episode "[[Recap/SpongeBobSquarePantsS3E20SpongeBobMeetsTheStranglerPranksALot Pranks a Lot]]": When [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are caught visible by being splashed in water, Mr. Krabs points out that he pulled his share of pranks when he was their age. He then says this trope before he starts laughing, and [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick follow along.
123	--->'''Mr. Krabs:''' Uh, any particular reason you boys are naked?
124	* Non...semi...YMMV-villainous example from ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry''. Every time Robin Hood introduces his Merry Men, they totally fail to get out a proper laughter. You can expect another Tom mishap ten seconds later, when they show they CAN do a roaring laugh.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Real Life]]
128	* Legend has it that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faustin_I_of_Haiti Emperor Faustin of Haiti]] got his imperial chamberlain to say "His Majesty is now laughing; my lords, you are invited to laugh as well" every time he cracked a joke.
129	[[/folder]]

Context Main / LaughWithMe