Line #54 Main/SqueakyEyes


1	->''"Now THAT is one loud blinker. Woke the cat up even."''
2	-->-- '''Matt Chapman''' (of ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' fame), ''Webcomic/RonPlanet - [[http://www.ronplanet.com/rp026.html Issue #26]]''
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4	%% Someone look into embedding this, please. www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2o0Kd-YYJc
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7	Many animated characters have surprisingly noisy eyes. One can't blink in a cartoon without making all variety of noises.
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9	Most likely, these evolved from depictions of blinking in non-moving SequentialArt. Rather than devoting whole panels to a character moving their eyelids up and down, the artist would apply an onomatopoeia or an UnsoundEffect to get across the point that the character is blinking. {{Manga}} tended to use "piku", while western comics used "[[UnSoundEffect blink blink]]".
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11	Somehow these "sounds" carried over into animation. {{Anime}} characters make sounds like "poit" or something vaguely reminiscent of "piku". Western cartoon characters make a "plunk" or "plink" sound. In many cases for the latter, the standard StockSoundEffect for this is Creator/HannaBarbera's "[[https://www.sounddogs.com//search?keywords=10295009&share=true Xylo Eye Blinks]]", which as its name suggests, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin was achieved via the use of a xylophone]].
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13	These sound effects are usually reserved for intentional blinking, the blinking that indicates confusion or incomprehension. Often, EyelashFluttering of the more cartoony kind is combined with a xylophone tinkling sound. Frequent, involuntary blinking (like the kind you're doing right now) is left silent, because it would be very distracting otherwise. Unless, of course, said involuntary blinking is a [[TwitchyEye twitch]].
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15	A subtrope of WackySoundEffect. Compare MickeyMousing, FillingTheSilence, and WinkDing (adding sound effects on winks instead of blinks).
16	----
17	!!Examples
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19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
22	* Arika in ''Anime/MyOtome'' does this a lot.
23	* The girls in ''Manga/AzumangaDaioh'' sometimes have audible blinks.
24	* Damn near every blink in ''Anime/ThisUglyYetBeautifulWorld'' has an audible ploit sound.
25	* Happens regularly to the girls in ''Anime/PetitePrincessYucie'', especially Yucie.
26	* ''Anime/SailorMoon'': Usagi's eyes make "plink" sounds when she transforms in Sailor Moon. Also, one-episode occasions of eye-noise happens.
27	* Emporio Ivankov in ''Manga/OnePiece'' has an attack called "Death Wink" ("Hell Wink" for the [[BigHeadMode improved version]]) which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin; blinking so hard it produces a shockwave.
28	** During the beginning part of the Fishman Island Arc in the anime, Caribou has his internal monologue and his internal laughter is only brought to a halt when Franky, who finds him, blinks twice, alerting Caribou to his presence, and slinks into his barrel.
29	* Happens in an episode the English dub of ''Manga/CardCaptorSakura'' after Tomoyo (Madison in the dub) brings Sakura [[CloudcuckooLander back to attention]].
30	* ''Manga/UruseiYatsura''. Lum and Ataru do this at least once. Lum does it when she and Ataru are trapped inside a container and are about to kiss. Ataru does it after the container falls apart and reveals that they're surrounded.
31	* Everyone in ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}'' has them. In particular, Memetchi's blinking sounds like tambourines and Melodytchi's blinking sounds like glass shattering.
32	* ''Manga/HidamariSketch'': Yoshinoya-sensei's story of what she did over the summer in episode 1 is interspersed with close-ups of her blinking with a ''camera shutter'' sound effect.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Comic Books]]
36	* In Jeff Smith's ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', the sound of Fone Bone rubbing his eyes is written out as "squinky squinky".
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Fan Works]]
40	* In Chapter 5 of ''Fanfic/TwinklingInTheDark'', Wolfrun, Akaoni, and Majorina each blink with an audible "doink" in reaction to Joker saying a non-sequitur.
41	[[/folder]]
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43	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
44	* Emily's eye makes a squeaking sound in Creator/TimBurton's ''WesternAnimation/CorpseBride'' -- not when she blinks, but when it falls out/gets pushed back in. Rather more justifiable.
45	* ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'': The trolls all make one simultaneously when Anna and Kristoff return to their resting place.
46	[[/folder]]
47
48	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
49	* ''Film/CarryOnSpying''. Daphne Honeybutt has a PhotographicMemory, and her eyelids can [[RuleOfFunny make a camera shutter noise]] as she "photographs" important documents to commit them to memory.
50	* In ''Film/UndercoverBrother''. After Mr. Feather chopped through the title character's Afro during a fight, he had a SqueakyEyes moment while blinking and looking smugly at Undercover Brother.
51	* ''Film/TimePiece'': The protagonist's frequent blinks are usually accompanied by the sound of a camera shutter.
52	[[/folder]]
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54	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
55	* ''Series/PrettyGuardianSailorMoon'' does this occasionally, which comes off as rather weird and disconcerting.
56	* The episode "200" from ''Series/StargateSG1'', during a ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' parody. Colonel Carter, as a thin analog of Lt. Uhura, has squeaky blinking syndrome.
57	* ''Series/DoctorWho '': It's incredible how loud the Doctor and Donna's eyes are when they're reunited. Granted, there's a door, a room, and a window between them, so they have to have SOME way to communicate, but STILL...
58	[[/folder]]
59
60	[[folder:Video Games]]
61	* In ''The Lost Mind of Dr. Brain'', sometimes Rathbone gets disintegrated except for his eyes, which then blink [[FridgeLogic without eyelids]].
62	* [[VideoGame/PunchOut Piston Honda]] has squeaky ''eyebrows'' as an audio cue for one of his attacks.
63	** The Wii remake gives Mr. Sandman a distinct squeak when he winks before throwing one of his powerful, lightning-fast uppercuts. This is your cue to punch him in the face before he does the same to you. It's also an InternalHomage to the first ''Punch Out'', where Mike Tyson would wink before throwing out fast straight punches, which did not give an audio cue, only a visual one.
64	[[/folder]]
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66	[[folder:Web Original]]
67	* Whenever a character blinks in the ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' Flash-videos, their optics make mechanical sounds akin to camera noises.
68	* Both Moxxie and Blitzo have this in the ''WebAnimation/HelluvaBoss'' pilot when the former wakes up to the latter ''inches away from his face'' as he lies in bed.
69	-->'''Blitzo''': Whatcha dreamin' about?
70	** Stolas has also been known to have loud blinks at times.
71	[[/folder]]
72
73	[[folder:Western Animation]]
74	* Zorak on ''WesternAnimation/SpaceGhostCoastToCoast'', ''WesternAnimation/CartoonPlanet'', and ''WesternAnimation/TheBrakShow'' would sometimes make an audible "plunk" noise when he blinked.
75	** One skit on ''WesternAnimation/CartoonPlanet'' had Space Ghost making fun of this: "Loud-eyes!"
76	** In another skit, Space Ghost tries to get Zorak to teach him to make the same noise. All he could manage was a comical squeak. Zorak explains what his problem is:
77	-->'''Zorak:''' First, you have to be funky-fresh.\
78	'''Space Ghost:''' I'm funky! I'm fresh!\
79	'''Zorak:''' Next, you have to have eyelashes.\
80	'''Space Ghost:''' Oh.
81	::: Which makes no sense when you think about it, but that's probably part of the joke.
82	*** Space Ghost actually does replicate it in a episode of Coast to Coast, causing Zorak to retort, "Hey! That's ''my'' sound effect! I'm suing!"
83	** At one point Zorak blinks in rapid succession for a few seconds.''plunkplunkplunkplunkplunkplunkplunkplunk..."
84	* This could be an homage to ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes''. Often when a character blinked in those, there would be a xylophone or a violin pluck sound effect accompanying it.
85	* On ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' when forced to wear uniforms the school children lose all personality and even begin to blink in unison, creating a pronounced "squish". Skinner responds "I love that sound".
86	* Also happened in one ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' episode (that one with the sit-in). Especially [[strike:WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants]] Wooldoor Sockbat.
87	* XR from ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'' makes a vaguely mechanical noise when he blinks; this may be justified by the fact that due to being a robot nearly ''everything'' he does results in a mechanical noise.
88	* Among its many MickeyMousing techniques, ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' makes active use of noisy, often simultaneous blinking to illustrate confusion.
89	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', especially Momo.
90	* Orko from ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983'' sometimes makes very odd noises when he blinks.
91	* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' and ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls'' both use plinks for eye blinks and violin chords or swishes for eye movements, as part of a whole repertory of stock in-house cartoon sounds. Probably used on lots of other Creator/HannaBarbera and Creator/CartoonNetwork Productions shows as well.
92	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' is very similar to the above in this regard.
93	* Characters in ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'' make audible blinking noises at times during {{Beat}}s. The most common sound is shared with Squidward's footsteps.
94	* Sid and Sue of ''WesternAnimation/ThreeDelivery'' tend to blink audibly when Tobey says or does something dopey or bizarre.
95	* Henry and June on ''WesternAnimation/KaBlam!'' Same with Sniz, Fondue, and the Off-Beats.
96	* The eponymous mouse of the German ''Series/DieSendungMitDerMaus'' [[note]]Website/TheOtherWiki compares it to ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood''[[/note]] has very audible eyes, to the point where they've become a trademark. (It sounds more like "clack-clack" and is done with castanets.)
97	* ''WesternAnimation/HorribleHistories'' does this in every blink.
98	* ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' used this often, would also be used for winks as well.
99	* Used a lot in early incarnations of ''Franchise/ScoobyDoo'', usually followed by a "boing!"-accompanied DoubleTake.
100	* ''WesternAnimation/TransformersAnimated'' had the Cybertronians do this. Justified, since they’re robots.
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:Real Life]]
104	* Fluid can squirt between folds of the eyelid and produce a sound if they are closed fast and forcibly enough; opening them can also make a sound due to a vacuum effect (similar to smacking your lips, just much, much quieter.) No-one but you will hear it, though. And you're probably trying right now.
105	[[/folder]]

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