Line #33 StepfordSmiler/WesternAnimation


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7	->''"I ''know'' smiles. And those smiles? They're just not right."''
8	-->-- '''Pinkie Pie''', ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS5E1TheCutieMapPart1 The Cutie Map, Part 1]]"
9	----
10	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'':
11	** Marceline is a prominent example. She has acted like [[FreudianExcuse a mischievous prankster]], although on the inside she's ''very'' lonely, lost, and betrayed by a majority of her friends, and confessed it in her diary in a darker manner.
12	--->'''Marceline: '''My vampire eyes see only blood... red... skies; Blood red skies make tears inside that I always hide.
13	** The Ice King is shown to be extremely depressed in several episodes, yet is also a giggling ManChild quite a bit of the time. This gets more focus as his genuinely tragic backstory is revealed, as is the fact that his crown is basically an ArtifactOfDoom that has driven him insane and partially wiped his mind... and yet some piece of the good man he once was is still trapped inside the Ice King and has not quite been destroyed by the crown's influence.
14	** Main character & BoisterousBruiser Finn is another one. He openly acknowledges that he represses many of his negative feelings and traumas, (he calls this process "putting it in the vault") and tries to keep from showing his various disappointments and inner sadness to others. This bad habit continues into adulthood as shown in ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTimeFionnaAndCake'', as his method of helping the former Ice King, Simon, work through his depression is to simply distract him and advise him to simply "forget" the tragedies that followed him for a millennium.
15	** "Cloudy" reveals Jake (of all people) is this. He mentions that he's terrified at the idea that [[spoiler:the elementals have infected Lady and their kids,]] but he's trying to put up a nonchalant front so Finn won't worry about him.
16	* Genie from Disney's ''WesternAnimation/{{Aladdin}}'' seems to at least somewhat fit this Trope. He mostly acts very upbeat and cheerful, always cracking jokes, and having lots of fun with magic. But at one point we learn he is actually quite sad and really wishes to be free.
17	* A Slappy Squirrel short on ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' had one in the form of neighborly Candy Chipmunk, who hid her neuroses and obsession with neatness and perfection with a perky facade. Needless to say, Slappy's mental torment quickly strips her of her smile and reduces her to a nervous wreck -- all over an argument over recycling. Slappy dropped a can in Candy's curbside bin.
18	* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'':
19	** The brainwashed Joo Dees (shares initials with Jane Doe). Mentally, they're practically Stepford Wives. ''Of the government.'' The worst part about these women? You get so used to those creepy smiles that it's almost scary to not see them.
20	** Also Ty Lee. At least some of her cheerful and perky attitude is a ruse to keep Azula happy, at least before she [[spoiler: betrays her]].
21	** [[EvilMentor Hama]] first appears as a kind but slightly eerie and mysterious old woman. Later we find out that she's a Waterbender, and that she's only living in the Fire Nation because she was captured from the South Pole, imprisoned with other Waterbenders, and prevented from bending her native element for years. She escaped by bending a guard's body fluids, turning him into a PeoplePuppet, and forcing him to unlock her cell. This alone would have been justifiable and wouldn't have made her into a villain. But then we find out that she's been living in the Fire Nation for years just to exact revenge on innocent civilians, capturing them with the same technique she used on the guards. Then, when the Gaang tried to stop her, she started controlling Aang and Sokka and threatening to make them kill each other. Katara (who had been unwillingly learning the art of "Bloodbending" from Hama) was forced to Bloodbend the old woman to save her friends and Hama's town.
22	* ''WesternAnimation/ClassOf3000'': Philly Phil, despite his [[NoSocialSkills rather]] [[DitzyGenius eccentric]] personality, is revealed in Season 2 to have serious self-esteem issues, going as far as to transfer to another school after feeling unwanted by his friends.
23	* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': Implied to be the case of [[GenkiGirl Numbuh 3]], combined with ObfuscatingStupidity. During the GrandFinale [[Recap/CodenameKidsNextDoorOperationINTERVIEWS "Operation I.N.T.E.R.V.I.E.W.S."]], she had this exchange of dialogue:
24	-->'''Numbuh 3''': Soooo, what we gonna do tomorrow, Numbuh 1?\
25	'''Numbuh 1''': Ahh, yeah, I'm not going to be here, Numbuh 3.\
26	'''Numbuh 3''': Oh... And what about the day after that?\
27	'''Numbuh 1''': Oh, let me explain, Kuki...\
28	'''Numbuh 3''': Oh, I know you're leaving, silly. What do you think I am, an airhead or something?\
29	'''Numbuh 1''': Never for a second.
30	%% * Vlad Plasmius from ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' is Unstable.
31	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'', perpetually happy [[HippieTeacher Mr. O'Neil]] gets at least two moments of this: in "[[TheMovie Is It Fall Yet?]]" [[TroubledChild Link]] tells him off, saying that he either doesn't really care about helping people or just "sucks" at it. (To be fair, it's the latter.) After Link storms out, Mr. O'Neill reassures himself that Link didn't really mean that, then goes back to his work, only to make a loud sobbing noise a moment later. He also has a miniature breakdown in "The F Word," when he believes that his assignment has emotionally scarred his students.
32	* [[spoiler:Eddy]] from ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''. He may seem confident and manly (to the point that he refuses to cry or show moments of vulnerability around his friends) but it's eventually revealed in the movie that it was all a mask to hide the inferiority complex he got as a result of years of [[spoiler:physical abuse at the hands of his older brother]]. A mask he made in naive belief that he would be popular if he acted like [[spoiler:his older brother]] who the other kids initially thought of as cool. Even when the other kids see him [[spoiler:being abused by his brother Eddy]] still smiled, rather than cry or scream for help, in a desperate attempt to keep up the charade. Later, he breaks down in front of everyone and they end up accepting him finally.
33	* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'':
34	** An episode has Timmy Turner's dad become this as a result of Timmy travelling to the past to prevent him from winning a race and thus meeting Timmy's mom. This results in a dystopian future in which Dad becomes a StepfordSmiler to cope with his loss [[HappinessIsMandatory and forces everyone else to be one as well]]. There is a hint of this lampshaded by Timmy's mom after being swapped into dad's body in one episode, where she mentioned that she had a sudden feeling of giving up on her dreams. This could mean Timmy's dad gave up on his old dreams sometime ago. In "Future Lost", Timmy's dad all but stated he did. When Timmy asked how long that was, his dad merely replied: "[[ResentfulGuardian How old are you?]]".
35	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'':
36	** Lois in the ChristmasEpisode tries mightily to salvage Christmas despite her family's efforts to the contrary, climaxing in a nervous breakdown over missing paper towels and a huge [[BewareTheNiceOnes freakout]].
37	** Quagmire, the sex maniac that brags how he sleeps with every woman he meets, has a shell on him that no one but Brian knows about since he was the only person Quagmire told his secret to. The reason Quagmire sleeps with any woman he meets is to fill the void he has after he broke up with the love of his life years ago, Cheryl. Unless it is Cheryl, sex and women in general won't feel the same. Brian actually uses this weakness against Quagmire by dating Cheryl just to piss him off after Quagmire taught him the wrong things about love.
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39	* ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'':
40	** Although Wilt is genuinely cheerful and happy with his life in Foster's, the one-hour special "Free Wilt Hunting" reveals that Wilt abandoned his creator after losing a basketball game years ago due to a FriendOrIdolDecision and in the beginning of the episode he was smiling in a very creepy way over his guilt at the five-year reunion between imaginary friends and their creators (which his creator never showed up for). It is implied that he may have been doing this for years.
41	** The episode "Berry Scary" has the titular character [[{{Yandere}} Berry]]. She at first appeared overly cutesy and kind, especially around Bloo, who she had fallen in love with, but when faced with obstacles to her perceived "relationship" with Bloo, she dropped the cutesy persona and went off on bouts of jealous rage. Her mask eventually cracked at the end of the episode, when Bloo finally spelled it out for her:
42	--> '''Bloo:''' Whoa whoa whoa, who said anything about love, [[AccidentalMisnaming Heather]]?\
43	'''Berry:''' '''''MY NAME IS BERRY!!!'''''
44	* Dexter Douglass' mother from ''WesternAnimation/{{Freakazoid}}'' appears to be Empty. The writers credited this to Tress [=MacNille's=] delivery, noting how she could take any of her lines and still sound unusually chipper regardless of what was being said.
45	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'':
46	** Leela describes her method of coping with her tragic life by apologizing for a brief grief-stricken outburst and explaining that "usually I keep my sadness pent up inside where it can fester quietly as a mental illness."
47	** Party-animal Slurm spokesman Slurms [=McKenzie=] has it in his contract that he's forced to "party all night, every night, or he's fired", something that seems to have placed a great strain on his mental health.
48	* ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'': Wendy confessed in the episode 'Society of the Blind Eye' that while she acts cool and calm, she's secretly "stressed twenty-four seven" from dealing with her [[TestosteronePoisoning obnoxiously masculine]] father and three brothers.
49	** In "A Tale of Two Stans," [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold Grunkle Stan]] hints that underneath his [[TheBarnum scam-artist veneer]] is a lonely man haunted [[spoiler:by the disappearance of his brother]].
50	** [[BigBad Bill Cipher]], according to [[http://disneyxd.disney.com/gravity-falls/a-wrong-turn the official Choose Your Own Adventure story]]:
51	-->[[WhereIWasBornAndRazed Saw his own dimension burn.]]\
52	[[TheresNoPlaceLikeHome Misses home and can't return.]]\
53	[[FauxAffablyEvil Says he's happy.]] [[ConsummateLiar He's a liar.]]\
54	[[NeverMyFault Blame the arson for the fire.]]
55	* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'': [[Characters/HazbinHotelAlastor Alastor]] implicitly admits that he's one outright in the Season 1 finale. Despite being a PerpetualSmiler with a [[LargeHam hammy personality]] who everyone in Hell rightfully fears, he himself fears being seen as inferior. According to Mimzy, he took down other Overlords because he was seen as less by other people, and then broadcasted his victims' screams to everyone around him, notably those who looked down on him before. He also mocks Lucifer, the King of Hell himself, because he's more powerful than him and doesn't show any fear towards him like everyone else. As well as this, despite [[spoiler:bonding with Husk's soul and taking pride in verbally abusing him when his BerserkButton is pushed]], he himself is incredibly insecure about [[spoiler:his own soul being bound with someone else's and being under someone else's control, to the degree he tries to keep this a secret from everyone around him. Husk seemingly knows who Alastor is bound to. If his deal with Charlie is any indication, Alastor's perpetual smiling may be another factor of his own restraint - completely out of his control - that he's managed to accept. When the deal was being set and the magic seal appeared, Alastor's mouth had what appeared to be glowing wires that looked like they would injure him if he were to stop smiling, or at least are what's holding his face in a smile without conscious effort. Curiouser, the magic seal also made what appear to be stitches visible on his left arm.]]
56	-->'''Alastor:''' Just because you see a smile, don't think you know what's going on underneath.
57	* ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'':
58	** Helga's older sister Olga is Depressed. She looks perfect at first glance, being very good at academics and music, has a personality many consider pleasant and is considered very beautiful. However, with enough pressure, this facade of perfection can crack revealing a young woman that's dangerously neurotic and melodramatic due to having to live up to her parents' constant attention and enormously high standards. In Olga's own words: "You're [Helga] lucky they [their parents] don't even notice you."
59	** Lila is introduced as the [[ParodySue smart, fashionable, and popular]] NewTransferStudent. WordOfGod is that Lila herself has a deeply suppressed [[BeneathTheMask darker side]], which puts some of her more manipulative behaviors into [[AlternativeCharacterInterpretation question.]] Not too surprising given her and her father's poverty and her [[MissingMom lack of a mother]] combined with her [[ThePollyanna disproportionally positive outlook]].
60	* ''WesternAnimation/HomeMovies'': The rather joyful character Melissa was later revealed to be Depressed, longing for her absent mother to come home and imagines a storybook style reuniting with her despite that her mother may not even wanted her in the first place.
61	* ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'': Heloise is [[{{Yandere}} Unstable]]. While she does have a cute appearance and tends to act sweet around her crush Jimmy, she is an incredibly cruel and sadistic EnfantTerrible with a HairTriggerTemper who enjoys torturing people, destroying things, and conducting dangerous experiments. Even Jimmy isn't safe from her wrath.
62	* In an alternate world from ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'', Superman assumes totalitarian control over the world and takes the time to lobotomize all the inmates of Arkham Asylum. The Joker's SlasherSmile is turned into a Stepford one. Much less dangerous... But just as creepy.
63	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'':
64	** [[PlayingWithATrope Played straight and zig-zagged]] with Kaeloo, who is somewhere between Depressed and Unstable. [[OnceAnEpisode Time to time]], her bottled up emotions actually change her physically into a [[HulkingOut hulking monster]], the actions of whom seem [[AndIMustScream beyond her conscious control]]. The falsity of her "cheerful" nature is often highlighted when she pushes back signs of anger with a huge, obviously forced, painful-looking smile. This counts as a mixed-gender example due to the canonical confirmation of the character being a {{Hermaphrodite}}.
65	** Episode 236 reveals that this is the case for Stumpy and his sisters as well. They live in poverty with their single mother who works three jobs because their [[AlcoholicParent alcoholic father]] [[DisappearedDad left the family]], and they try to stay positive by reminding themselves that other people have it worse and at least they have each other.
66	* ''WesternAnimation/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeasts'': In "[[Recap/KipoAndTheAgeOfWonderbeastsS1E08TwinBeaks Twin Beaks]]", the raccoons keep up a façade of being constantly peppy, friendly, and at peace, but also live in resigned fear of a giant pigeon popping its head into their home eat them at any time.
67	* ''WesternAnimation/MiraculousLadybug'': Adrien Agreste is a big example of this. Being a motherless LonelyRichKid, with a father who is overprotective, highly demanding and emotionally distant, Adrien holds this facade for most of the time. So far he's only dropped it in front of [[spoiler:Nino, Plagg, and Marinette]]. In the webisodes, he says that [[spoiler:he only feels truly like himself when he's Chat Noir, meaning his smiles when in his superhero persona are real ones]].
68	%% ** 'The Evillustrator' heavily implies that Sabrina fits this trope as well.
69	* ''WesternAnimation/MollyOfDenali'': Though Grandpa Nat acts cheerful most of the time, deep down, he hides the pain of his DarkAndTroubledPast.
70	* ''WesternAnimation/MoralOrel'': The central theme of the show: all the peppy, upbeat 1950s stereotypes of townspeople are repressed, abused, and liable to snap at any given moment.
71	** Bloberta Puppington, Orel's mother, exemplifies the psychotic version of this trope. "Ah, yarn... yarn... yarn! YARN! YAAARRRNNN-- ... Welcome home, dear !"
72	** Same with Clay, Orel's dad. He sometimes puts on a happy face, but most of the time he's drowning in misery and drunkenness in his study.
73	** Hell, ''everyone'' in Moralton, who as a whole are more concerned with the ''appearance'' of faith then actually following it. A few get better. Most, do not. The fact that this is based on the creator's [[FreudianExcuse childhood experiences]] is depressing.
74	* Aunt Bogunda from ''WesternAnimation/MrBogus'' appears to be the Unstable version of this trope, as underneath her smiling exterior, she actually bears the ability to fight back against those who confront her, as demonstrated in the second act of the episode "[[Recap/MrBogusS2E6TotallyBogusVideo Totally Bogus Video]]".
75	* Mr. Happy from ''WesternAnimation/TheMrMenShow'' is the example of the sympathetic kind. While in the books, he was nearly always happy, in this show's version, there's been times, when he tends to hide other emotions behind a smile to keep other people's spirits up. There's been episodes to show that like "Lake", "Canned Goods", "Collecting", "Music", "Ships" and others.
76	* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'':
77	** While Pinkie Pie's smiles are usually sincere, she becomes majorly Unstable in the episode "Party of One". And then becomes Depressed in the episode "Pinkie Pride".
78	** In "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS4E1PrincessTwilightSparklePart1 Princess Twilight Sparkle, Part 1]]", Princess Celestia reveals to Twilight that while she put on a brave face for her subjects, to her, the Summer Sun Celebration was just a bitter reminder that she had had to banish ''her own sister'' after her FaceHeelTurn. Since Celestia is a SlaveToPR, she has to put a smile on her face on every occasion, no matter how much she dislikes it. "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS7E10ARoyalProblem A Royal Problem]]" shows how much this facade exhausts her.
79	** When Luna has to take on Celestia's duties in "A Royal Problem", she makes the mistake of plastering on a much larger smile, bordering on the "Unstable" variant, and ends up slipping into a scowl out of fatigue right as her picture is taken for a school fundraiser. This costs the students a field trip, an act that [[FriendToAllChildren Luna]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone kicks herself for for much of what remains of the episode]], to the point where she has a nightmare that night with the students singing [[LampshadeHanging "That smile's too wide. It's obviously not real."]] as she practices the fake smile in front of a mirror.
80	** Rarity sometimes has shades of this as well, her desire to always appear elegant and graceful sometimes leads her to repress her anger and frustration. "Sisterhooves Social" is probably the clearest example, as she spends the bulk of the episode trying to keep a happy face as her sister causes increasing amounts of trouble for her.
81	** An entire TownWithADarkSecret spends most of the time smiling in a way that Pinkie Pie, being a smile expert, doesn't trust for a minute. They actually are genuinely friendly and even happy, in a way, but it's in no way worth it for what they've had to give up, nor is their happiness actually natural. [[spoiler: Starlight Glimmer made the townsponies give up their real Cutie Marks, claiming that it was the only way they could all be "equal" and experience true friendship. Any pony who thinks Cutie Marks are good is locked in a small room where a recording of Starlight's voice drones on and on about how bad it is to be unique until they say that they agree with her.]]
82	--> '''Pinkie Pie:''' I know smiles, and those smiles? They're just not right!
83	* In the ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' episode "[[Recap/ReadyJetGoS2E22MarsRockForMomSeanHasACold Mars Rock for Mom]]", Jet 2, being the PerpetualSmiler that he is, still keeps a smile on his face even though he's clearly dejected that he has to leave Boop behind.
84	* ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'': In an alien language, [[TheAlcoholic Rick's]] silly CatchPhrase "Wubba Lubba Dub Dub" means [[spoiler: "I am in great pain; please help me."]]
85	* Perry from ''WesternAnimation/RobotAndMonster'' is always smiling, but only because his face gears are broken and he can't make any other expressions. In reality he's the most miserable character in the whole show.
86	* The Bloopers Guy from ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' puts on an enthusiastic and chipper act, but considering he tries to commit suicide after every show, there is ''something'' wrong with him. A later ''Bloopers'' special dedicated to his life shows why: [[spoiler: he had an alcoholic and [[AbusiveParents abusive father]] who beat him as a young boy for expressing feelings for Boy George (as, [[ViewerGenderConfusion given his young age]] he thought he was genuinely a "[[AttractiveBentGender pretty lady]]"), a trip to Mexico where he drank water that gave him such bad diarrhea, that his anus is still badly scarred and his "first time" with a fat girl got her pregnant and the resulting child, now 13-years-old, is pregnant herself...[[ShaggyDogStory and later miscarried.]]]] No wonder he's so depressed.
87	* Virginia Wolfe from ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife''. She (and Heffer) act the most cheerful out of the entire [[DysfunctionalFamily family]], but she also has a ''nasty'' twitch. Best shown in this line from "Who's For Dinner?":
88	-->'''Virginia (to Cindy)''' Nothing's wrong, dear. twitches
89	* ''WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower'': [[TokenGoodTeammate Scorpia]] is gradually revealed to be this. While she's been generally chipper and upbeat throughout earlier seasons, apart from some moments of vulnerability regarding her crush on Catra in Season 2, the fourth season shows that her optimism about being part of the Horde is held up with a tissue-thin structure of nonsensical rationalizations that seemingly exist solely to delay her having to deal with the objectively horrible situation she's been left in. The Horde took her people's land, runestone, and ''children'' -- including her -- and she's sure it was an entirely peaceful transaction that ''definitely'' wasn't carried out at gunpoint. And anyway, her grandfather must have known, even when Scorpia was a literal baby, that she'd be happier as a soldier than a princess. And she is happier, and that's great, because the Black Garnet probably wouldn't accept her anyway, and the other princesses were always jerks about her family so who needs 'em. And as for [[JerkassWoobie Catra]], well, she's sure that Catra is the best possible friend and will start becoming a better person any day now. [[spoiler:When Emily challenges that last rationalization by reminding Scorpia of what her genuine friendship with Entrapta was like, it doesn't take long for the whole thing to come crashing down, leading to Scorpia making a HeelFaceTurn, finding friendship and acceptance with the Rebellion, and generally losing the "Stepford" part.]]
90	-->'''Scorpia:''' Push down doubts and insecurities...[sigh] Check. I am brave, strong, loyal, and [[CuddleBug I give great hugs]], and I'm going to be the best friend that I can be!
91	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
92	** Marge Simpson has repeatedly been portrayed this way, commenting on bottling up her feelings and staying with Homer "no matter what" after he does something truly horrible. Lisa has pointed this out on at least one occasion. This has become more and more relevant as the show has descended into unrepentant farce, to the point that one episode even has Marge admitting that she only stays with Homer for appearance's sake, due to the fact that everyone else in Springfield is single, divorced, or in a marriage hit by marital infidelity and as such, the entire town consider Homer and Marge's marriage to be a roaring success in comparison. Though, this does [[DependingOnTheWriter depend on what episode you're watching]], as a lot of episodes go out of their way to prove that Marge and Homer do still love each other. It's worth noting that this is a direct result of the writers [[{{Flanderization}} amping up]] Homer's {{Jerkass}} qualities as the show progressed.
93	** Ned Flanders is perpetually happy, refusing to let ''anything'' get him down or bother him -- even if it really should. Maude's funeral may be one of the few exceptions to this. One episode, which sees him suffer a nervous breakdown after trying to cope with the people of Springfield (very shoddily) rebuilding his house after it's been destroyed, implies that this is a result of him misinterpreting some advice given to him by the therapist who saw him for his anger management problems when he was a teenager (and rebelling against his beatnik parents by being an angry, angry square). This is later lampshaded when in one Halloween special, Ned Flanders becomes an Orwellian figure and makes sure ''everyone'' smiles -- or go through "Re-Neducation", aka lobotomy.
94	** Lindsey Naegel (aka the businesswoman) appears to be, on the surface, a powerful and successful woman whose sophisticated demeanor hides a dark side (she's a self-admitted sexual predator) and is a functional alcoholic.
95	** The episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS3E7TreehouseOfHorrorII Treehouse of Horror II]]" featured a parody of Twilight Zone's "It's A Good Life", titled "It's a Bart Life". Bart is RealityWarper, and everyone must pretend to be happy with his rule or suffer a FateWorseThanDeath.
96	%% ** In "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace", The whole Simpson family does this when the news visits their house right after Bart confesses that he accidentally burned the Christmas presents in an attempt to hide the truth until they can figure out how to handle it. Unfortunately, the snow thaws at that point.
97	* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'': [[TheScapegoat Butters]] is a much better example of this, though his mask isn't always on tight at times. He tries to be cheerful, but [[AbusiveParents his father has been known to threaten and beat him]], his mother once snapped and tried to kill him,
98	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'':
99	** A few episodes indicate that behind that perpetual smile and always energetic and optimistic personality, Spongebob isn't entirely sane. There have been episodes where he would go into FreakOut mode over little things or become stark raving mad if things don't go right for him, like if he encounters some problems at his job that he loves and the like.
100	** In "Selling Out", Mr. Krabs sells the Krusty Krab to a big corporation, where it becomes [[KitschyThemedRestaurant a cheesy family restaurant]] called "Krabby O'Monday's". The new manager, Carl, is perpetually cheerful, even when he's threatening Krabs to keep his nose out of the restaurant's business.
101	--->'''Carl:''' The less you know, Eugene, the better...
102	*** Squidward is also forced to keep up a perpetually happy demeanor and smile while working under Carl, under threat of being beaten up by the thugs in the restaurant's "HR department".
103	* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'':
104	** Amethyst definitely seems to be one of these with the reveal that [[spoiler: she was the product of a horrible plan by the Homeworld Gems to make an army and leave Earth uninhabitable]]. She makes it very clear in "On the Run" that she hates herself and believes she's nothing but [[AMistakeIsBorn a mistake]] because of her origins -- something she's been hiding for ''thousands'' of years (though she might have told Rose how she really felt).
105	** The eponymous Steven Universe. While legitimately optimistic about life, he is weighted down by the grandiose legacy of mother, who is considered to be one of the kindest (by her comrades) and most powerful (by ''everyone'') warriors to ever exist. This is combined with the fact that [[DeathByChildbirth she gave up her life]] to allow him to exist as a HalfHumanHybrid, leading him to also admit that he feels as though the others blame him for her death. ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseFuture'' [[{{Deconstruction}} examines this further]], showing the stress of Steven's adventurous and dangerous childhood and all the emotional baggage that came with his mother's legacy has actually given him symptoms of PTSD.
106	* ''WesternAnimation/TangledTheSeries'': Rapunzel occasionally becomes this, whether due to her responsibilities to the kingdom or some traumatic event that she can't process ([[DarkerAndEdgier of which there are plenty in this series]]). Raps' general response to anything frustrating is to just bury it deep inside her until it becomes impossible to ignore, while putting on a brave face and acting like nothing's wrong. Perhaps the darkest example is in the 12th episode of the third Season, where Rapunzel sings that she's "The Girl who has Everything" and has fun painting her room with drawings of her past exploits... and [[spoiler: [[WeUsedToBeFriends Cassandra]]]] is ''not in a single one of them''.
107	--> '''Rapunzel:''' Somehow that's me, the girl who has everything-- \
108	Well, practically everything. \
109	I'm sure there's more everything. \
110	For now, I've got everything, \
111	[[BlatantLies And everything's fine]]!
112	* ''WesternAnimation/XavierRiddleAndTheSecretMuseum'' implies this to be the case with [[spoiler:Xavier himself. Despite his energy and enthusiasm for time travel, deep down he secretly worries that the Secret Museum is the only thing that makes him special, and that he won't have any friends without it]].
113	* This happens to the monks in the ''WesternAnimation/XiaolinShowdown'' episode "Hear Some Evil, See Some Evil". After their teamwork started to become rocky due to being angry at each other's insults (which they heard through a mind-reading device, no less), Master Fung suggests them to open their minds and thank each other for their insults. They pretend to do that, laugh it off and hug each other with a big smile on their faces, but when Master Fung isn't looking at them, they glare at each other.
114	* {{Downplayed\|Trope}} in ''WesternAnimation/{{Young Justice\|2010}}'' with Bart Allen/Impulse. While he pretends to have only traveled back in time for fun, he actually came to SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong and knew that he would be stuck permanently as a result. That said, WordOfGod has confirmed that his fun-loving personality is ''mostly'' legit -- he's just more serious underneath, while also indulging in all the fun that he couldn't in [[BadFuture his original timeline]].
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Context StepfordSmiler / WesternAnimation