Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / OneOfTheKids

Go To

1%% Missused and Zero Context Examples and incorrect examples have been commented out.
2%% Please do not add Zero Context Examples.
3%% This trope is not simply about an adult who acts like a child.
4%% An example must be "an immature adult who spends most of their time with children."
5%%
6%% The examples have been alphabetized. Please put any new example in its proper place in the folder rather than at the end.
7%%
8%% Image selected via crowner in the Image Suggestion thread: %%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1452266899092104700
9%%https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php?crowner_id=0kg2y1ly
10%%
11%% Previous thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1383496051050255400
12%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
13[[quoteright:350:[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pinkie_pie_asking_where_pipsqueak_is_s2e04.png]]]]
14[[caption-width-right:350:The Element of Laughter, fillies and gentlecolts.]]
15
16->''"[Winnie]'s like a grown-up AND a kid. Like Pee Wee Herman, only better, because we can have her all week long!"''
17-->-- '''Gene Harper''', ''Series/FreeSpirit1989''
18
19Typically, a main or recurring character who regularly interacts with characters noticeably younger, usually resulting in their maturity level regressing to roughly the same level (if not even lower). They're still capable of acting their age... they just usually don't.
20
21This character shows up most often in anything aimed at younger audiences, where they are PlayedStraight so as to be more appealing to kids. When PlayedForLaughs, it's to show an immature or silly character.
22
23When examples of this trope show up in shows where they are above the CompetenceZone of the rest of the cast, they tend to be teachers, which often yields SenseiChan.
24
25Contrast with WiseBeyondTheirYears, as One of the Kids is rarely treated as any kind of authority, because of their casualness they often do not even earn special respect.
26
27Related to, but not to be confused with, ManChild. Not to be confused with OneOfTheBoys or OneOfTheGirls. See also FriendToAllChildren.
28
29Also compare IntergenerationalFriendship and TeasingParent.
30----
31!!Examples:
32[[foldercontrol]]
33
34[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
35* Yukari Tanizaki from ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' could be considered to embody this trope, as she's not much more mature than her students, although she is still treated by her students with respect due to being a teacher (by everyone except [[{{Jerkass}} Tomo]]) -- a respect she abuses without shame.
36* Handa, the 23-year-old main character of ''Manga/{{Barakamon}}'', is one of these, often hanging out with seven-year-old Naru and her friends.
37* Kei's mom in ''Manga/TheBeautifulSkiesOfHououHigh''. She's also considerably ignorant to go along with her immaturity.
38* While Daikichi Kawachi has this as an InformedFlaw in ''Manga/BunnyDrop'', [[ChildrenRaiseYou he quickly grows out of it]] raising Rin. Rin's mother Masako on the other hand, is a much clearer example, with Rin's biological father (and Dankichi's grandpa) stating in a will that Masako wasn't yet mature enough to be a mother, and Daikichi's impression being that Masako simply doesn't realize the problems she's leaving to other people by not taking Rin.
39* In ''Manga/ACertainScientificRailgun'', Mikoto Misaka is known among people who are close to her for having some ''really'' childish tastes (such as an obsession with a frog mascot marketed at three-year olds), not to mention her childish inability to accept defeat when fighting [[AntiMagic Touma]]. Kids notice this, [[FriendToAllChildren which is one of the reason she works well with them]].
40* Parodied in an early ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' story. Nobisuke Nobi asks his son, LoserProtagonist Nobita what he wants to be when he grows up... and Nobita freely admits he wants to be the "King of the Kids" due to being picked on regularly by his peers. Cue Doraemon getting an ImagineSpot of a grown-up Nobita bossing over Suneo and Gian's kids in the future.
41* Kaneru from ''Manga/DoujinWork'' is an {{office lady}} with a very childlike disposition, which makes her bond with TokenMiniMoe Sora very well.
42* ''Literature/DragonCrisis'': Eriko is unable to cook and irresponsible, leaving her younger cousin Ryuuji to be the grown-up one.
43%%* Mrs. Miyaji, and most of the other adults in ''Anime/{{FLCL}}''.
44* Kagura from ''Manga/{{Gintama}}'' is often showing hanging around the neighbourhood children and playing games with them. Arguably Sougo too since he acts very childishly sometimes, especially when he's around Kagura which can cause them to descend into playground-scale wars.
45%%* Mira in ''Manga/{{Godannar}}''.
46* ''Manga/GreatTeacherOnizuka'': Onizuka spends more time goofing off with his students and even cutting class with them than he does actually ''teaching''. Despite being overly familiar with them, it doesn't stop him from being a PapaWolf when it comes to his students.
47%%* Yukiji Katsura from ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler''.
48%%* America from 'Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'', though he doesn't always act like this. Italy can also be seen as an example.
49* Yoshinoya-sensei in ''Manga/HidamariSketch'' is a very good example. She considers herself a young woman before even thinking of herself as a teacher, delights in [[CosplayOtakuGirl dressing up in costumes]], and is prone to odd looks from her students. Her principal is always ''extremely'' disgusted with her, and HilarityEnsues whenever they meet.
50* Sawako "Sawa-chan" Yamanaka from ''Manga/KOn'' tries hard to be a mature adult around her coworkers and most of her students at school, but when she's alone with the Light Music Club her more immature side comes out. There are quite a few jokes about her [[OldMaid getting upset about her age and not having a love life]], and she gets way too excited about shoving the girls into [[CosplayOtakuGirl costumes she made]].
51* Adults in ''Manga/LuckyStar'' are often this, to the annoyance of [[GenreSavvy Konata.]]
52** Her homeroom teacher Nanako Kuroi is envious about students needing to wear uniforms, as she is found choosing clothes a chore. And one time, she decided the game when her favorite baseball team lost did not exist at all. Due to being single, she also spends a lot of her free time on {{MMORPG}}s, where she frequently interacts with her student Konata; though unlike the latter, Nanako is wise enough not to sacrifice working time for playing time, and she'll even use the in-game chat feature to remind Konata to study.
53** Konata's cousin Yui Narumi is a traffic cop who DrivesLikeCrazy, and is very cheerful and energetic. Despite being a young woman, she can also be immature, especially compared to her teenage sister and cousin, who she often visits just to hang out with them even though she's older.
54* [[IntangibleMan Sein]] of ''Franchise/LyricalNanoha''. She could act her age if she needs to, it's just that she usually doesn't. She even does an all-out temper tantrum when she gets caught red-handed doing one of her pranks in ''[[Manga/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaVivid ViVid]]''.
55--> '''Nove:''' Geez... it makes me feel depressed when I realize that you're supposed to be older than myself.
56* Michiko Malandro from ''Anime/MichikoAndHatchin'' sometimes shows signs of being less mature than her travelling companion/surrogate daughter, Hatchin.
57* Ilulu of ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' is stated to be the same age as Tohru, roughly the dragon equivalent of a sixteen year old. However, due to past childhood traumas, [[{{Manchild}} she's emotionally stunted]] and she's shown to vastly prefer the company of younger children such as Kanna and her elementary school friends. She ''can'' be mature, but even then her preference for the company of kids comes through. Her choice of job, part-timing at a candy store, allows her to contribute to the household, as Tohru insisted she do, but also means she can work in a place children often visit.
58-->'''Ilulu:''' Kids... you know... I like them... I like playing with kids... but when you have a job you can't play... so at least I want to be in a place where kids look like they're having fun... is what I thought.
59%%* Midori Sugiura from ''Anime/MyHime'' is a twenty-something teacher and waitress with a love for history and the occult, but repeatedly tells everyone she knows that she's [[YoungerThanTheyLook really only 17]] (and also, evidently, Manga/SailorMoon.) Nobody believes her in either case... especially [[SchoolNurse Nurse]] Yoko, one of her former college mates.
60%%** However, it's highly likely that [[spoiler: Midori might have ''faked'' at least half of her One of the Kids tendencies, using it as ObfuscatingStupidity.]]
61%%** In Anime/MyOtome, the sequel to ''Anime/MyHime'', that version of Midori also insists that she's 17. However it's for a much darker reason: [[spoiler: Her people are suffering from a degenerative disease, and resorted to technology to halt it. 17 was the age she was when she started her "treatment"]]
62* Jack Rakan in ''Manga/NegimaMagisterNegiMagi'' managed to become a major player in the kid/teen-filled Ala Alba. Keep in mind, he's old enough to be considered an OldSoldier. The other Ala Rubra members (Eishun, Albireo) by contrast had a sense of aloofness to the main cast.
63* Deconstructed in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Misato is in her late 20s and interacts fairly equally with young teenagers, but it's a result of her own emotional damage and failure to grow up, and incorporates some rather unwholesome sexual elements as well.
64* In ''Manga/OnePiece'' 19-year-old Luffy and 8-year-old Momonosuke get into several funny and heated arguments because Luffy is just as immature as Momonosuke and probably even dumber.
65* While most Pokémon in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries'' tend to gain a more mature and aloof personality after evolving, there have been exceptions:
66** Compared to the rest of [[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY Ash's Kalos mon]], Goodra remained as playful as it was as a Goomy, which lends to several characters recognising it as such just from behaviour. When it reunites with its childhood friend, Wooper, it goes into an excitable fit, despite now being over ten times its size.
67** Ash's Lycanroc in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon'' tends to act as much like friendly and energetic puppy as it's Rockruff form and even has a {{Friendly Rival}}ry of sorts with the unenvolved Litten (who maintains a similar scrappy attitude throughout evolving to Torracat and Incineroar).
68** Kiawe's team consists of the enormous powerhouse Turtonator and the evolved Alolan-forme Marowak. Both engage in the class' fun and games as much as the cuter Pokémon and are often seen bickering or scrapping like childish siblings.
69** Perhaps most surprisingly, the OlympusMons caught by the main cast from the same series nearly all have the same disposition. Perhaps most blatant is Poipole, an elusive Ultra Beast that acts like a {{Keet}} and a little sibling to Pikachu. It returns later during the Alola League evolved into Naganadel, a giant fierce looking wasp/dragon hybrid creature with enough battle prowess to challenge ''Tapu Koko'', and ''still'' acts like a CheerfulChild, smiling and dancing at the audience and other Pokémon during intervals.
70* ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'' gives us Hinako Ninomiya, the English teacher that is in her late twenties, [[OlderThanTheyLook looks around twelve]], and behaves like a six/seven year old would. Although she only acts in her child form. [[DualAgeModes In her adult form]] she's usually all business, unless she stays in it for too long.
71%%* Julia from ''Manga/RaveMaster'' has some aspects of this.
72* ''Anime/ReadOrDie'':
73** Yomiko Readman lapses into this quite a bit, when she's not [[LetsGetDangerous killing people]]. In the manga, she once expresses her displeasure by making a paper airplane with her making a rude face and throwing it at her opponent.
74** And let us not forget [[spoiler:the second Nancy clone from the OVA/TV series,]] who has the mind of a five year old due to brain damage and amnesia.
75%%* Keroro from ''Manga/SgtFrog'' has some attributes of this, including throwing the occasional temper tantrum.
76* Kasugano-sensei from ''Manga/{{Sketchbook}}'' acts very childish at times, which also gets commented on by the students in her art club.
77* ''Manga/SoulEater'':
78** Spirit frequently acts more childish and inappropriately than the teenage cast. Marie also counts, though is respected by her pupils.
79** [[BigGood Shinigami]] also tends to act like this, although it's implied much of it is ObfuscatingStupidity as to not scare his students.
80* Kotetsu T. Kaburagi aka Wild Tiger of ''Anime/TigerAndBunny'' might as well be the embodiment of this trope. He is a thirty-something father and veteran superhero. This does not stop him arguing with small children over trading cards, acting like a ten-year-old fanboy at the mention of his favorite superhero (Mr. Legend), riding animatronic rides meant for little children at the mall while waiting for his partner/talking on the phone with his daughter, or replacing the background of his coworkers' cellphones with pictures of himself making silly faces.
81%%* Ryuuji's mother Yasuko from ''Literature/{{Toradora}}'' refers to herself as "Yacchan", and makes childish requests like wanting her name written in ketchup on her omelettes.
82* Irabu-sensei from ''Literature/{{Trapeze}}'' is this. His Adult and especially Stuffed Animal personas act childish, silly and borderline crazy awesome (for normal and average people around him), but when he switches over to his ''Child'' persona, he acts serious and like a decent psychiatrist.
83%%* Masane Amaha from ''Anime/WitchBlade''. Good thing her daughter is WiseBeyondTheirYears.
84%%** As time goes on, she [[CharacterDevelopment gets better.]]
85* ''Manga/{{Yotsubato}}'' has Yanda, who during his first meeting with Yotsuba proves that he's just as immature as she is -- and often goes too far in making himself Yotsuba's SitcomArchnemesis by stealing her food and calling her names -- and [[TheBigGuy big guy]] Jumbo, who starts a one-sided competition with ten-year-old Miura over visiting Hawaii. Yotsuba's father, while more responsible than the other two (being Yotsuba's legal guardian and all), is not above playing along with her antics. However, the three are perfectly capable of speaking calmly like normal adults when the kids are not around.
86[[/folder]]
87
88[[folder:Comic Books]]
89* Grandpa from ''ComicBook/TheBeano'' acts like a child and plays with children but as his name suggests is elderly (although he is never shown to have Grandchildren) and also has an even older dad who used to beat him with a slipper if he misbehaved.
90%%* Lou's mom in the French comic book ''ComicBook/{{Lou}}'' In addition to being a video game addict, she generally tends to behave in a more immature way than her 12-year old daughter.
91%%* The modern take of the ''ComicBook/{{Shazam}}'' Captain Marvel with the superhero keeping the personality of the boy, Billy Batson, in his Marvel form and the same going for the modern take on his sister, ComicBook/{{Mary|Marvel}}. Captain Marvel is an interesting example of this trope, both because he's a literal example and because Billy is [[WiseBeyondTheirYears very mature]] for a kid his age, which is why most people don't catch on to his being an adult child. This also means, that depending on the situation, someone could meet both the Captain and Billy, and come away with the impression that Billy is more mature.
92[[/folder]]
93
94[[folder:Fan Works]]
95
96* ''Fanfic/MariaCampbellOfTheAstralClocktower'': Katarina was an airhead in canon, but once Maria realizes she's ''not'' [[EntertaininglyWrong an insane lust addict trying to draw Maria into her web]], she instead decides that she's literally brain-damaged with the mind of a child. She then proceeds to treat Katarina exactly as she would any other child in need, giving her treats when she behaves herself, reminding her of manners, and making sure she's safe. In fact, when Maria ends up with custody of actual children, she throws Katarina into the group with no trouble, and a chapter from the perspective of the kids makes it clear that they largely treat her as if she was ''younger'' than them. Katarina doesn't notice any of this.
97%%* Misato from ''Fanfic/NobodyDies'' has tendencies like this, not unlike her canon self. However, it's presented in a more positive spin to pretty much being a reconstruction of the trope. Her ability to be kiddy and have fun allows her to bond better with the pilots, but she still knows to buckle down and be an adult when it's time to kick Angel butt.
98[[/folder]]
99
100%%[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
101%%* ''WesternAnimation/DespicableMe1'': Gru and Vector are not true adults, Gru has {{Freudian Excuse}}s and Vector still toys with his superweapons. Gru will become a true adult after the movie.
102%%[[/folder]]
103
104[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
105%%* Taken in a somewhat more serious tone with protagonist Buck from ''Chuck and Buck'', who appears to have an endless supply of blow pops, a room filled with children's games and toys, and exhibits other odd habits throughout the movie. Granted, [[spoiler:his childhood wasn't exactly normal]].
106%%* Ernest P. Worrell in the Ernest films, especially in ''Film/ErnestScaredStupid'' in which none of the parents believe him about the disappearances of their children or the troll.
107* Brand in ''{{Film/The Goonies}}''. He spends the first act of the film trying to keep his little brother and his friends in line, but he eventually gets swept up in the adventure as much as the rest of them.
108%%* Alan from ''Film/TheHangover'' definitely acts like a child. [[ChildrenAreInnocent Just not as innocent as one]], trying to buy ecstasy and saying he wouldn't care if they killed someone while in Vegas.
109%%** Although Alan does act pretty innocent the rest of the time. He explains buying the "ecstasy" as wishing for everybody to have a good time and is visibly traumatized at the thought of Doug possibly being dead. He also gets into fights with children, is banned from schools because he tried to play with children (which the parents and teachers thought was suspicious), curses in GoshDarnItToHeck and on the way to pick up Doug, begins singing a Disneyland-like song about how they're the best friends ever.
110%%** The sequel [[{{Flanderization}} raises those traits further]], and even has Alan having a flashback of the [[WhatDidIDoLastNight lost evening]]... portraying every character as a child!
111%%** It doesn't help that Zach Galifinakis, the actor who plays Alan, has a full-grown beard.
112%%* Bert in ''Film/{{Mary Poppins}}'' acts free spirited and childlike at times, but usually in an endearing way.
113%%* The main characters of ''Film/MysteryTeam''. [[spoiler:Or at least Jason, in that Duncan and Charlie have already applied for college.]]
114* Mac ''and'' Kelly in ''[[Film/{{Neighbors2014}} Neighbors]]''. Leads to a pretty humorous argument where he feels [[DoubleStandard Kelly]] [[ParentingTheHusband should be]] [[WomenAreWiser the responsible one.]]
115* Maria from ''Film/TheSoundOfMusic'' loves singing and dancing and being a free spirit. This concerned the nuns at the Abbey, as she at first wanted to be a nun.
116* ''Film/XMenFilmSeries'':
117** ''Film/XMenFirstClass'': Raven would rather hang out with the adolescent mutants than with Charles and Erik even though her age is much closer to the two men's.
118** ''Film/DarkPhoenix'': This led her to become more concerned with the students, as they start undertaking more dangerous missions.
119[[/folder]]
120
121[[folder:Literature]]
122%%* Remedios The Beauty from ''Literature/OneHundredYearsOfSolitude'', combining with SoBeautifulItsACurse to maximum effect.
123%%** This is in stark contrast with her namesake and technical ancestor Remedios Moscote, Colonel Aureliano's late wife, who was WiseBeyondTheirYears.
124%%** For added irony, Colonel Aureliano is the only Buendía who does ''not'' view Remedios the Beauty in this way, and instead he insists that she's as lucid as someone who's just come back from a decades-long war.
125* ''Literature/BiffChipAndKipper'': PlayedForDrama. Gran, introduced in the book "[[SecondaryCharacterTitle Gran]]", is just as carefree as her grandchildren and her friends. She even goes on a Jumping Castle labelled "Children Only" with the children, but causes enough accidents to cause Mum and the man who owned the Jumping Castle to get cross with her.
126%%* Done very creepily with Pearl in Joy Williams' ''The Changeling''.
127* Eldon from ''Literature/TheColdMoons'' is a simple, almost childish adult. His low-maintenance personality and active imagination makes him great with cubs. After he steps down as the SketchySuccessor of the badgers, he becomes the caretaker of the cubs along the journey to Elysia. The cubs follow Eldon without any trouble.
128* In ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'', almost all of Rowley's friends are little kids.
129* From ''Literature/LifesLittleInstructionBook'':
130-->'''1309.''' Be the first adult to jump into the pool or run into the ocean with the kids. They will love you for it.
131%%* ''Literature/InDeath'': Bart Minnock from ''Fantasy In Death'' was apparently this. It might explain why his murder particularly stuck in Eve and Roarke's craws.
132%%* Mollwitz in Daniel Kehlmann's ''Literature/{{Fame}}''.
133%%* The ''Literature/XWingSeries'''s Wes Janson is often said to be like this; he enjoys life wholeheartedly and likes pranks, puns, and having fun without caring about dignity. A fellow pilot once says that getting him up to the mental age of twelve, maybe thirteen would be impossible. For all that, though, he does know how and when to put on a straight face and get serious. In combat, he's actually something of a ColdSniper.
134[[/folder]]
135
136[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
137%%* ''Series/TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete'': "Artie! The Strongest Man...In The World!"
138* Gibson in ''Series/ANTFarm'' acts in this way most of the time. He seems to have a mental age below that of the kids - even assuming the [=ANTs=] were regular highschoolers, let alone of an age when they'd normally be at middle school.
139%%* ''Series/{{Castle|2009}}'': Richard Castle is this, along with his own mother, who is arguably worse than he is. Alexis, Castle's teenage daughter, is undoubtedly the most mature of the three.
140* Cliff Huxtable of ''Series/TheCosbyShow'' may be a doctor, but he often has childlike traits. Mostly he uses them only around children.
141%%* ''Series/DoctorWho'': Despite being an over-1100 years old Time Lord, the Doctor demonstrates a few of these trait, in particular the Eleventh Doctor who is a ManChild and very close to children.
142%%** As befitting the Doctor's foil, the Master (especially when played by Creator/JohnSimm) is something of a PsychopathicManchild.
143%%** The Doctor is the man who responded to Amy Pond saying "[[SillyRabbitIdealismIsForKids I grew up]]" with "Don't worry, I'll soon fix that" and who uttered the following quote back in his Fourth Doctor days:
144%%--->'''The Doctor:''' There's no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes.
145%%** The Twelfth Doctor begins showing some of these traits in his second season travelling with Clara Oswald, dressing more casually and gaining an interest in rock and roll and electric guitars. In one episode he also openly addresses Clara as he would a teacher.
146%% * [[HotWitch Winnie Goodwin]] from the short-lived ABC show ''Series/FreeSpirit1989''.
147%%* Lorelai Gilmore of ''Series/GilmoreGirls'' sometimes was this, especially in earlier seasons. Kirk was a more severe example.
148* Spencer from ''Series/{{iCarly}}''. Worse, he's a [[PromotionToParent Promoted To Parent]] older brother to the main character. Yeah...the only parental figure Carly has is more of a kid than she is. At least she's a high schooler, starting with season 2.
149%%* In ''Series/TheKidsInTheHall'', Bruce tended to play these kind of characters. His monologues tended to be grown men with overly naive and idealistic views and prone to flights of fancy, including [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8avnmkaJI3s "If Elvis Were My Landlord"]].
150* Gordy the janitor on ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'' who helps with many of the main characters' [[ASimplePlan simple plans.]]
151* Fran Fine from ''Series/TheNanny'', which is one reason she's such a great nanny to the Sheffield children.
152* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'': Abby is rather childlike in a good way (cute, sweet, innocent, cheerful etc.) In one episode she has to watch over a teenage girl whose friend was kidnapped (to make sure she didn't get kidnapped as well). Unsurprisingly, they hit it off right away.
153%%* In ''Series/PowerRangersRPM'', twin [[SixthRanger Sixth Rangers]] Gem and Gemma and to a lesser extent, Dr K, exhibit traces of this trope, due to their childhoods being spent in a think tank producing weapons for the military, never being allowed to interact with other people. This all creates a surprisingly subtle creepy undertone as you realize that, as wacky as these characters are, they have suffered a certain amount of psychological damage...
154%%* ''Series/MrBean'' has been described by Rowan Atkinson as being a fully-grown man with the mentality and maturity of a 9-year-old boy.
155%%* Michael Scott from ''Series/TheOfficeUS''. Explicitly referred to in one of Pam's talking heads in during the "Michael Scott Paper Company" arc.
156%%* ''Series/PeeWeesPlayhouse'': Pee-Wee Herman, obviously.
157%%* ''Series/{{Psych}}'' has main character Shawn Spencer.
158%%* ''Series/RulesOfEngagement'': Adam has devolved to this, especially in non-work related scenes, thanks to {{Flanderization}}.
159%%* Creator/SarahSilverman in ''Series/TheSarahSilvermanProgram''.
160%%* FDR from the backwards episode of ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}''. He wants Kramer to drop dead, and he wishes on anything he can (wishbone, fallen eyelash, shooting star, birthday cake) that Kramer would drop dead. [[spoiler: This is because Kramer hit him with a slushball two years earlier.]]
161%%* The three hosts of ''Series/TopGearUK'' can get like this, especially when they're in one of their competitions and start messing with one another, although Jeremy Clarkson is usually the quickest to start acting like this with the least amount of prompt.
162* Dr. Rodney Mckay from ''Series/StargateAtlantis'' is one, so much so that in one episode a little girl brattier than him calls him out on it.
163[[/folder]]
164
165[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
166* ''ComicStrip/PearlsBeforeSwine'':
167** Pig is eternally clueless and innocent compared to the [[CrapsackWorld world around him]]. All of his friends, particularly his roommate Rat, ridicule him for this.
168** Rat himself can act very childish often, though in a more selfish, bratty way than Pig. An example of this is him separating himself and Pig into a "Cool Fence" and "Uncool Fence". Also, he prefers for people to give him what he wants, despite Goat and Zebra's urging to make him think otherwise.
169[[/folder]]
170
171[[folder:Radio]]
172* Wooten Basset from ''Radio/{{Adventures in Odyssey}}'' skirts on this trope. He has many child like interests and behaviors but he also retains a [[GeniusDitz perceptive intellect.]] It is implied that he acts the way he does out of choice, as his parents raised him to be as strict and disciplinary as possible, not allowed to experience the joys of childhood like playing outside or even having toys.
173* Ray and Ed from the ''Podcast/PeacockAndGamblePodcast'' seem to both have this as their default setting. Ray, in particular, is obsessed with ''Francise/StarWars'' lego, and Ed frequently calls him out on the number of bizarre children's toys and memorabilia he has in his house - including a Gamorrean Guard's head, and a full-sized working replica of Gonzo from the Muppets. They both like to speak in a sort of blissful, giddy idiom, too.
174[[/folder]]
175
176%%[[folder:Theater]]
177%%* Weston Hurley in Lanford Wilson's ''The Fifth of July'' could certainly qualify.
178%%* All the human characters of ''Ms. Bleep'' have regressed to this, having spent an unknown amount of time "trapped in school in perpetuity" with a robotic [[MisplacedKindergartenTeacher kindergarten teacher]] that gives them an electric shock every time they leave or misbehave. Cindy, the resident brown-noser, doesn't even seem to remember the outside world or the fact that she's an adult, and [[spoiler:has no way of comprehending the death of a fellow captive.]] The other two are trying to escape, but they're still jarringly childlike in regard to such subjects as cookies and naptime.
179%%* Mary in ''Vanities'', mainly due to her [[DarkAndTroubledPast difficult childhood]]. She finally matures in the finale of TheMusical.
180%%[[/folder]]
181
182[[folder:Video Games]]
183* Felicia the [[CatGirl Catwoman]] from Capcom's ''VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}}'' saga has been slowly transformed into one of these, as newer games shows her throwing kiddy tantrums, being dense as a brick, losing her head for a piece of food and hanging around with kids like Klonoa (in ''VideoGame/NamcoXCapcom''), behaving exactly like him. The weird part? Even if she is genuinely friendly and never holds any ill intention, you must remember that ''she's 41 years old.'' The original description says catgirls age by about half the speed of a human. Technically, she's 14.
184* In ''VideoGame/DiscoElysium'' it's possible for your middle-aged protagonist to build a natural rapport with characters that are roughly half his age or less, such as the gang of youngsters trying to start a nightclub or Cuno, the local {{delinquent}}. [[spoiler:When your old partner reminds you that you were a former high school gym teacher, Kim notes how that must be why you're so "juvie".]]
185* The "Child at Heart" perk in ''VideoGame/{{Fallout 3}}'' gives assorted bonuses to interactions with child characters.
186%%* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'', Barret is 35 and generally interacts equally with Cloud, Aeris and Tifa, who have an average age of 21 (and act like it). This is especially notable with Cid, who's 32 and makes it clear that he views Cloud, Aeris and Tifa as kids.
187* ''VideoGame/HometownStory'' has Sue the witch who's two centuries old, looks like a young teenager at the oldest and is frequently seen playing with the two young boys among the characters, one of whom has a crush on her. The game has an event during which the village lumberjack considers giving wood to the kids (including Sue) so they can have a bonfire, but only feels comfortable doing it if they are supervised by the PlayerCharacter (an ordinary human older teen or young adult).
188%%* Possibly Lord Roth from ''VideoGame/InfiniteSpace''. Well, he is really competent that he becomes one of the top zero-G dogs in the universe, but personality-wise, he fits this trope.
189[[/folder]]
190
191[[folder:Visual Novels]]
192* ''VisualNovel/{{Clannad}}'': Sanae Furukawa is quite prone to crying if her bread is insulted. Which is all the time, usually by Akio. [[spoiler: As Tomoya gradually realizes, at least ''some'' of this is [[StepfordSmiler play-acting on Akio's and Sanae's part]], a long-time habit born of desperately trying to make a very DelicateAndSickly young Nagisa smile.]]
193* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaTriggerHappyHavoc'' has Yasuhiro Hagakure, who's 20 years old while the other main characters are high school students (he was held back a few years). Despite being the oldest of the students, he's probably even more ditzy and immature than the rest of them.
194* Ironically, Ms. Walsh from ''VisualNovel/DoubleHomework'' eventually becomes this after several weeks teaching the summer school class. She cries harder than anyone after the protagonist is expelled (which impairs her teaching ability again), and agrees to be part of the class student photo. Of course, if the protagonist chooses to sleep with her, that presumably wouldn’t help matters.
195* Taiga Fujimura in ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''., who despite being an adult is almost always in the company of people younger than her, and her maturity level is the same as theirs if not younger. This means that [[ShooOutTheClowns she gets kicked out of the route]] around halfway through each time. Notable childishness: berserker fury over being called Tiger, challenging Saber to a fight and bursting into tears when she loses, the most overboard expressions in the game, and switching the labels on soy sauce and oyster juice. Notably, the visual novel shows that she only acts immature at home and is generally much more competent as a teacher.
196* Subverted with the protagonist of ''VisualNovel/{{Melody}}'', who often hangs out with much younger people (Melody, Becca, Sophia, and Xianne come to mind), and once goes to a college party while in his thirties. While he is able to act as spontaneously as any of them (and more than any save Melody), he never loses his greater maturity.
197* In ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'', Maya Fey very much fits the bill (even when she is 17 in the first game), most prominently her complete obsession with children's television programs, which Phoenix notes in the 3rd game. The fourth game hints that she hasn't changed in ''nine years'', given that she would be 26 by that time. In the first game she argues with a seven-year-old about said children's programs, and in the second and third games she's often in the company of her eight/nine-year-old cousin, highlighting her childish personality.
198[[/folder]]
199
200[[folder:Webcomics]]
201%%* ''[[http://www.agameoffools.com A Game of Fools]]'': Joey, in spades:
202%%---> '''Joey:''' Aww, why do we have to leave? That place was fun!
203%%---> '''Adam:''' Because they were going to rape and kill us.
204%%---> '''Joey:''' You ruin everything, Adam.
205%%* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': It's strongly suggested that Mom Lalonde is like this. That impossibly frilly pink bedroom and matching tea set Rose found in the [=SkaiaNet=] labs? Almost certainly Mom's.
206%%* The pets in ''Webcomic/{{Housepets}}'' consistently have relationships with each other, organize events, and have jobs, and yet still act like children in the context of fun.
207%%* Jared from ''Webcomic/ManlyGuysDoingManlyThings''. Exhibit A: [[http://thepunchlineismachismo.com/archives/905 here]].
208%%* Ever since his transformation, Webcomic/{{Ratfist}}'s [[spoiler: severed tail]] has been an embodiment of his id, and will spit out every last thought that crosses his mind, conscious or otherwise. Often this hints that he never really grew up (which may explain why he's prancing about in a costume fighting crime); sometimes the hints are fairly benign ("I want to eat an entire pizza") and sometimes it suggests that ''kids can be really fucking terrifying''.
209%%--->'''Ratfist''': Wait. I'm not afraid of that cat!
210%%--->'''Milt''': Hey, neither am I!
211%%--->'''[[spoiler:Tail]]''': Me neither! Let's eat it!
212%%* Pinkie Pie in ''Blog/SliceOfLife'', who ends up being a confidante to the Cake twins as a result.
213* In the LighterAndSofter Comicbook/{{Watchmen}} parody, ''[[http://envyskort.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d1y1h8p G-rated Watchmen]]'', the Watchmen characters are given the behavior and personalities of young children. The authority figures are treated as the "grown-ups", despite being around the same age as the main characters.
214[[/folder]]
215
216%%[[folder:Web Animation]]
217%%* In ''BananaNanaNinja'', Baninja is a deadly ninja banana with a childlike naivete and curiosity about human society.
218%%[[/folder]]
219
220[[folder:Web Original]]
221%%* ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'' (James Rolfe)
222%%* Mark, the host of ''WebVideo/ClassicGameRoom'', to the point where he has a separate channel devoted to reviewing toys.
223* Pinkie Pie is one in ''WebVideo/FriendshipIsWitchcraft'' however it's due to her traumatic foalhood. Her [[ParentalAbandonment parents died]] when she was young and she was sent to an orphanage where she was treated poorly and emotionally absused for being [[FantasticRacism an Earth Pony]] and due to her Romani heritage. Twilight questions her about this when she goes Trick-or-Treating with foals.
224-->'''Pinkie Pie''': I'm just a kid! I fit in!\
225'''Twilight Sparkle''': Pinkie Pie, didn't you already have a childhood?\
226[{{beat}}]\
227'''Pinkie Pie''': No.
228%%* The author of ''Webcomic/{{Hyperbole and a Half}}'' according to herself in %%* Will from ''WebVideo/LookAVlog'' has elements of this, particularly when interacting with [[DeadpanSnarker Emily]].
229* It's deconstructed in ''WebVideo/MyLittlePonyTheMentallyAdvancedSeries'': being One of the Kids does not make Rainbow Dash a good babysitter, as she encourages and takes part in kids' shenanigans, no matter how bad an idea it is. She got banned from babysitting her cousin's daughter because they ate ice cream for dinner and it ended with Dash hospitalized and the kid sick from the ice cream. It's later revealed that she has a court order barring her from being alone with children because of it, which nearly got her in trouble in ''Rainbow Dash Presents: Bittersweet''. [[spoiler:She got off because she wasn't ''intentionally'' watching the foals alone due to them deciding to run away from home.]]
230%%* Jesse Cox of ''WebVideo/OMFGCata'' has frequently been called the most immature person ever by his comedy duo partner Creator/TheCynicalBrit, and he probably is.
231%%* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic is both this and a PsychopathicManchild.
232%%** His other alter-ego, Chester A. Bum, is even more qualified for this role.
233%%** Also, WebVideo/TheNostalgiaChick's ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePony'' episode showed that her best friend [[ButtMonkey Nella]] still has (and plays with) her my little ponies. Things got dark pretty quickly though, we only see a bit but one is a hooker with a heart of gold, the stranger looking ponies are treated as freakish abominations, and there is at least one death (implied to be a suicide).
234%%** Most of the Website/ChannelAwesome crew fits this to one degree or another. [[WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall Linkara]] stands out, given that he collects Power Ranger toys.
235%%* WebVideo/RhettAndLink have pulled some rather childlike shenanigans. In fact, their entire career is based on acting silly.
236[[http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/2010/06/this-is-why-ill-never-be-adult.html this entry]].
237[[/folder]]
238
239[[folder:Western Animation]]
240%%* Jake from ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime''. He's a dog, but he's twenty-eight in dog years, and his best buddy is his teen-aged step-brother Finn.
241* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'':
242** Richard spends a lot of time with his sons and sometimes his daughter, mostly because he's a ManChild BumblingDad who doesn't have a job (and actually can't have a job because the universe will be destroyed if he does).
243** Rocky, the school's resident man of a thousand jobs (including school bus driver, cafeteria worker, and janitor) is in his early thirties, but is a friend to all the students and always jokes around with them.
244* Bandit from ''WesternAnimation/{{Bluey}}'' can be a perfectly functional adult, but most of the time we see him he's with his kids, joining in whatever silly game they're playing at the moment. Sometimes it even weirds out other adults on the show.
245* The main character of ''WesternAnimation/BoJackHorseman'' is a deconstruction of immature grown men. Being in his fifties but having the mind and outlook of a teenager means he has an uncanny ability to relate to younger people and bond with them, but it also makes him irresponsible and much, ''much'' more susceptible to doing really silly things that put him in a bad spot or ruin his relationships with others. Plus, by hanging out with tweens and teens, people see him as a creepy, pathetic old man ([[ByronicHero which they might be right about]]).
246%%* On the subject of Butch Hartman shows, Jack Fenton from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom''.
247%%* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'': Dexter's Dad & Dexter's Mom portray this often too well.
248* ''WesternAnimation/ElinorWondersWhy'': Beatriz, from "A Wonderful Journey", likes to hang out with the kids and acts like a kid in some ways, like pretending to be a frog.
249%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'' has Timmy's parents, [[ParentalNeglect who would rather go out and have fun than take care of Timmy]].
250%%** In the LiveActionAdaptation, Timmy himself becomes this so he can keep his fairy godparents.
251* Soos from ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' is still into things like laser tag and getting pizza at [[SuckECheeses Hoo-Hah Owl's Pizza-ma-tronic Jamboree]], and is frequently up for any fun Dipper and Mabel get into, whether it's investigating the supernatural or bedazzling his shirt to make him a human disco ball.
252* [[ManChild The King]] from ''WesternAnimation/JellyJamm'' possesses no more maturity than his frequent playmate, [[TheCutie Rita]].
253* WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo is a main-character example, who interacts with the neighborhood kids like he's one of them. He also lives with his mother like a child, but he's clearly an adult.
254* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'' offers a rather creepy version of this. Doughy's parents, who must be somewhere in their ''thirties'', [[{{Manchild}} act, and dress like they're still in High School.]] This extends to their parenting, (if it could be called that) where they treat Doughy more like an AnnoyingYoungerSibling, than a son.
255* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
256** VagueAge aside, Pinkie Pie clearly has shades of this as demonstrated by her trick-or-treating in the HalloweenEpisode "Luna Eclipsed" and getting asked if she's too old for this.
257--->'''Pinkie:''' Too old for free candy?! ''[[BigNever Never!]]''
258** The second season episodes "Baby Cakes" and "A Friend In Deed" serve to demonstrate the more problematic aspects of this trope. In the former, Pinkie lacks an understanding of the responsibilities attendant to childcare, initially seeing the newly born Cake Twins as little more than new playmates and taking a full episode learning about what it means to actually be responsible for them. In the latter, she shows a strong lack of understanding about the importance of privacy and property, rooting through Cranky's possessions and forcing her way into his home, frequently ignoring pleas to stop.
259* In the ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' episode "[[Recap/ReadyJetGoS2E19AstronautEllenOchoa Astronaut Ellen Ochoa]]", Ellen hangs out with Jet, Sean, Sydney, and Mindy, and genuinely enjoys it. She even ends up playing with them.
260* ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'': In "Old Fogey Froggy", Mr. Bighead suffers a midlife crisis and attempts to play this role while hanging out with Rocko and his friends.
261* Otto Mann of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' is a metalhead in his late twenties who drives the bus for the elementary school, but loves the kids -- considering he's about as rowdy as they are. He's never above joining in on their antics.
262* This appears to be WesternAnimation/UncleGrandpa's job. If he's interacting with someone he doesn't live with, he's probably helping a kid.
263* Captain Sunshine from ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'' is a superhero whom is a parody of Franchise/{{Batman}}. [[MistakenForPedophile Everyone thinks he's a pedophile]] due to the way he acts around young boys; as it turns out he's just a big ManChild who's lonely after his first Wonderboy died.
264* PlayedForLaughs on ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010'', when [[ComicBook/{{Shazam}} Captain Marvel]] is tasked with mentoring the Team. He adores them and repeatedly tries to hang out with them on missions and social events, while they treat him as either an intrusive spy from the Justice League or, at best, the way most teenagers would treat a grown man who acts like a ten-year-old. The joke, of course, is that Captain Marvel ''is'' a ten-year-old HenshinHero who transforms into [[OlderAlterEgo an adult superhero]], but neither the Team nor most of the Justice League know that. This becomes a serving point for debate of if age should be a factor in recruiting new members, as well as recruiting Marvel or even having him involved in League affairs once the truth comes out.
265[[/folder]]
266
267[[folder:Real Life]]
268* Websites with a membership system and a community that caters to something intended for a younger audience will inevitably have some members who are ''much older'' than said intended audience yet enjoy regardless. Since they tend to act the exact same as everyone else and are treated as such, it often comes as quite the surprise when the guy with the avatar of ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' doing the ''[[MemeticMutation Impossibru face]]'' who always makes typos turns out to be in his forties or something.
269* In real life, if a kid has an older sibling, it’s not uncommon for the sibling to tagalong as a chaperon to their little siblings and their friends.
270[[/folder]]

Top