Line #115 WesternAnimation/AtomicPuppet


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_o6ehhnozur1uoyv6to1_1280.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:'''It's... Atomic Time!''']]
3
4	''Atomic Puppet'' is a French-Canadian animated action-comedy series produced by Canada's legendary Creator/MercuryFilmworks and the French studios Creator/{{Alphanim}} and [[Creator/MovingPictureCompany Technicolor]]. Based on a concept made by American animated television writers Mark Drop and Jerry Leibowitz, the series made its world debut in March 2016 on France 4 in France before later showing up in the United States on Creator/DisneyXD in July 2016 and Canada on Creator/{{Teletoon}} in September of the same year.
5
6	In this series, Mega City’s greatest superhero and longtime protector Captain Atomic has been transformed into a lively but powerless talking sock puppet by his disgruntled sidekick Mookie (or Sergeant Subatomic as he prefers to be known). Now going by the name of AP, the only way the former Captain Atomic is able to continue defending Mega City in his new form is by teaming up with 12-year-old Joey Felt, an ordinary kid who also happens to be Captain Atomic's biggest fan. By placing AP on his hand, Joey can reactivate Captain Atomic’s superpowers, transforming the two of them into superheroes -- good news for Joey and bad news for AP.
7
8	Together, the two form an unusual partnership as Mega City’s newest superhero duo, Atomic Puppet, battling all kinds of threats to Mega City (most prominently Mookie's continued efforts to replace Captain Atomic as the protector of Mega City) while also dealing with the various challenges that arise from their strange dynamic (usually the result of the fact AP is still as prideful and hotheaded as ever). But whether they're struggling with their new lives as a superpowered kid and a depowered puppet or thwarting Mega City's newest evildoer, Joey and AP will find that as Atomic Puppet, their teamwork might just give them the potential to become Mega City's mightiest heroes and worthy successors to Captain Atomic's legacy.
9
10	Although ''Atomic Puppet'' received a noteworthy amount of critical praise, including nominations by high-profile organizations like the MediaNotes/{{Annie Award}}s and the National Cartoonists Society, as well as attention from the Dallas Morning News (one of the top 20 largest newspapers in the US), it ultimately ran for only a single season of 26 episodes, with the final episode ending on a minor {{Cliffhanger}}.
11	----
12
13	!!Time to throw these tropes into the sun!
14
15	* AccidentalMisnaming: In "Atomic Detention", AP can never get Ms. Erlenmeyer's name right, calling her things like "Erlenmerlen" or "Evilmeyer". However, this is dropped in "Erlenmeyer's Revenge".
16	* AffectionateParody: In some ways, the show is a gentle spoofing of the superhero genre, particularly in its depiction of the dynamic between [[KidSidekick Joey]] and [[SmugSuper AP]].
17	* AIIsACrapshoot:
18	** This occurred in "Atomic Android", when the robot duplicate of the duo that was designed to keep Warren Beasley from revealing their identities ends up trying to destroy the real duo instead after a misunderstanding.
19	** Occurs again with Lacer, a pair of sentient TrickedOutShoes that seek to overthrow the human race. Unfortunately, its A.I. survives Joey and AP's destruction of its body.
20	* AllCrimesAreEqual: Hot-tempered police chief Chief Kevlar is certainly worth a mention. After getting his hand on a meteor that drains Atomic Puppet of their powers, he proceeds to toughen up policing and jails various people for all sorts of reasons from jaywalking to annoying him.
21	-->'''Pauline:''' Kevlar's totally power tripping! Just this morning, he arrested Warren for looking shifty!
22	* AllPartOfTheShow: Zorp and his minions in "Pizza Planet" take advantage of themed restaurants in order to prevent people suspecting them. Having bad alien costumes helps to sell the bit.
23	* AllThereInTheManual: A bit of what we know about the characters comes from the official website and is never stated in the show. These include:
24	** The reason AP can only powerup when he's on Joey's hand is because the two were shaking hands when Mookie transformed him, thus creating a link between the two.
25	** The owner of Cosmic Comix (the comic book store Pauline works at) is Pauline's uncle, who taught her everything she knows about superheroes.
26	** Princess War Tickle is currently tasked with defending the multiverse from her castle in the Everrealm, while the Justice Alliance protect the galaxy.
27	** Chief Kevlar was a special ops commando before being made head of Mega City's police department.
28	** Absorbo Lad became a villain because he was shunned by even the superheroes for his PowerParasite abilities, hence his hatred for the Justice Alliance.
29	* AnIcePerson: The Snow Maniac, a large Inuit woman made of ice and riding a walrus. She later inhabits the body of a snowman when her body melts from being hurled into the sun.
30	* AnimalThemedSuperbeing: Dr. Beetleman, the villain from "Worm Boy", who possesses various insect-based abilities from his exosuit, can command hordes of insects, and spliced his own DNA with that of insects. Joey also becomes one in the episode after being bitten by a radioactive silkworm that gives him a silkworm's rear and the ability to shoot webbing from his butt.
31	* ApesInSpace: "Buck Monkey", in which Zorp mind controls an astronaut chimp, who happens to be an old friend of Captain Atomic, to do his bidding on Earth.
32	* ArtInitiatesLife: Mr. Inkwood and Cornelius, his mutant pet octopus, from "Quick Draw", who draw a variety of surreal monsters made entirely out of ink and transform Mega City into a nightmarish wasteland using art.
33	* AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: Atomic Puppet has battled a number of giant monsters throughout the show, and in one episode, even had to subdue Bubbles the family cat when he got turned into a giant monster.
34	* AwkwardFatherSonBondingActivity: Hiking in "Survival of the Feltest" and fishing in "Surf 'N Turf" between Joey and Phil.
35	* BabyMorphEpisode: A variant occurs in "Lil' AP" when Queen Mindbender reduces the minds of everybody in Mega City except Joey into a childlike state. Joey spends most of the episode having to take care of AP and later his parents.
36	* BadFuture: Presented in "Hero's Holiday". In this future, Mookie captures AP after he leaves the Justice Alliance's Christmas party, but his attempt to take AP's powers backfires, resulting in Mookie being sent to an insane asylum with AP and the Felts being forced to move away as Mookie mentions Joey's name, causing a huge media buzz around the family. Soon, Mega City (Joey especially) believes that Atomic Puppet has abandoned the city and Professor Tite-Gripp takes over, ruling over fearful people and ruined buildings with a grown-up Joey fighting in a losing war as Mega City's grim hero.
37	* BalloonBelly:
38	** Happens to Joey in "Big Blowout" when AP uses him as a human water tank to wash away the Mucus Monster's slime.
39	** It's also how Joey and AP defeat Dirtbag in "Down and Out Dyna-Moe". They shove a helium canister into his mouth and let it loose before Dyna-Moe throws his banjo at Dirtbag, bursting a hole in the sack-like villain and sending him flying through the sky.
40	* BatSignal: Absorbo Lad used one to draw the attention of Atomic Puppet.
41	-->'''Joey:''' Woah! When did we get our own Atomic Puppet Signal?
42	-->'''AP:''' Beats me, but it's about time.
43	* BatmanCanBreatheInSpace: Played straight with most of the heroes and villains, although Mookie is the only one who consistently requires a helmet (and even then, that's all he needs).
44	* BeardOfSorrow: AP grew one when he was stuck in an impenetrable pickle jar in "Big Pickle", in the span of two minutes.
45	* BearsAreBadNews: In "Atomic Detention", Joey's plan to get rid of Ms. Erlenmeyer involves launching her into the zoo's bear pen while smothered in honey.
46	* BigDamnHeroes:
47	** Pauline makes her debut as Sword Sister when Professor Tite-Gripp chucks a car at Atomic Puppet by slicing the car neatly in two just before it can slam into Joey and AP.
48	** In "Don't Track the Mudman", the title villain grabs a street cleaner and hurls it at a crowd. All flee except for one terrified little boy, but Atomic Puppet grabs the street cleaner and puts it down safely just before it can crush the kid.
49	** Mookie often tries to do this, but due to his incompetence, he never pulls it off.
50	** "Take a deep breath, geeks. The help has arrived."
51	* BizarroUniverse: The villains of the week in "Parallel Puppet" escape from one after Joey and AP toss an unstable portal into the sun. Mookie's counterpart also appears as their world's greatest superhero.
52	* BodyHorror: Happens when the eponymous clone of "Claude Returns" copies Captain Atomic's superpowers from both Joey and AP. The massive overload of power turns him into a hulking monstrosity with disproportionate limbs, a bony third arm growing from his right shoulder, and a highly unstable body that mutates even more when exposed to further power.
53	* BrickJoke:
54	** In his first appearance, Mintenberg asks to hunt Atomic Puppet for sport. He proceeds to ask again on each subsequent visit until "Mintenberg's Armor", where he gleefully proclaims that he gets to so at long last.
55	** In "Don't Track the Mudman", when AP calls Mudman a dirtbag, Mudman tells them that Dirtbag's his cousin. Cut to Dirtbag's appearance in "Down-and-Out Dyna-Moe", where Joey initially assumes that Dyna-Moe is talking about Mudman, but Dyna-Moe says that's Dirtbag's cousin.
56	* CampingEpisode: "Survival of the Feltest". Joey and his dad go father-son wilderness trekking while AP stays at the cabin and fights with a raccoon over cheese puffs.
57	* CatsAreMean: AP believes this, but it only comes true in "AP vs Disastro II" when Bubbles is turned into an evil genius by Mintenberg's new cat food brand.
58	* ChristmasEpisode: "Snow Maniac" and "Hero's Holiday". The first sees Abbie befriend a villainous snowman and the second is YetAnotherChristmasCarol.
59	* TheCityVsTheCountry: The plot of "Down and Out Dyna-Moe", in which a country superhero called Dyna-Moe comes to Mega City and ends up replacing AP as its protector. Things go swimmingly for Moe until his archenemy Dirtbag comes along.
60	* CityOfAdventure: Mega City seems to always have a new evildoer on the loose every week, creating plenty of opportunities for excitement for a superhero like Atomic Puppet.
61	* CloneDegeneration: Claude (pronounced "clode"), a powerless clone of Captain Atomic originally intended to do public appearances for Captain Atomic while he was busy. However, Claude's ego was even bigger than Captain Atomic's due to genetic mutation, so Claude was frozen until it could be fixed. Unfortunately, Mookie unfroze Claude and used him to fool the public into thinking Captain Atomic had returned as well as clone Captain Atomic's powers, turning Claude into a hulking monstrosity.
62	* CoincidentalBroadcast: Happens a lot thanks to Rex Bordeaux.
63	* ComicBooksAreReal: It seems to be implied that in the show's universe, superhero comics are essentially just illustrated retellings of their actual feats.
64	** In "Sword Sisters", when Joey and Pauline first encounter the crocodile warrior, Pauline actually consults comic books to try identify the supervillain they're seeing, but is unable to find the story behind the reptile.
65	-->'''Joey:''' So who is this guy anyways?
66	-->'''Pauline (holding a bunch of comic books in her arms):''' No idea! I can't find him referenced anywhere!
67	** Mr. Inkwood makes the first issue of his Atomic Puppet comic about the events of "Quick Draw", complete with him and his mutant octopus as the villains. He also used to be the illustrator for Captain Atomic's comic series.
68	* ContinuityNod:
69	** In "Big Blowout", Mrs. Felt mentions how Mookie visited their place once, which happened in "Sick Day".
70	** In "Worm Boy", when Joey falls ill from silkworm goo coursing through his veins, AP assumes that he had either gotten the flu or been bitten by a tick again, which happened in "Sick Day" and "Tick'd Off" respectively.
71	** The Private Proton costume Mookie gave to Joey in the episode of the same name is still in Mookie's room in "Parallel Puppet". Mookie can also be seen watching a rerun of the sitcom ''Monkey Butler'', which was mentioned in "Buck Monkey".
72	** In "Claude Returns", Claude uses the super sticky glue gun that Joey used to halt Lacer in "These Shoes", which he and Mookie retrieved from Captain Atomic's Invisi-Shed (also seen in "These Shoes"). AP's hatred of the cold (originally seen in "Snow Maniac") returns as well when Claude traps Atomic Puppet in his old cryogenic freezer.
73	** AP's biography that first appears in "Don't Track the Mudman" reappears "Lacer Takes Over", where in the latter episode Joey comments that he thought AP stopped writing it a while back. Likewise, Travis (a Ken doll {{expy}} owned by Abbie) from "Lacer Takes Over" originally appeared in "Big Blowout" as a quick joke.
74	** The villains seen in the Mega City Maximum Security Prison for the Criminally Motivated in "The Big Shift" include a number of generic crooks caught in previous episodes, as well as some lesser RoguesGallery members like Naughty Kitty, Dirtbag, Von Follicle, Mudman, and Dr. Beetleman.
75	** Mintenberg's hang gliding mice from "AP vs. Disastro II" are still with him in "Brawl-For-All". Not to mention Joey and AP scold him for having broken his promise to stop conducting experiments in the former episode, referencing what they told him in "Something Chicken".
76	* CoolSword: The Sword of Enlightenment. Comes with a side of WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity over prolonged exposure.
77	* CountryMouse: Dyna-Moe, superhero of Bumpkinville. Also Marty from "Tick'd Off", a normal tick who gets turned intelligent by Atomic Puppet powering up and declares himself the third member of the partnership.
78	* CoveredInGunge: Mudman, as well as an unnamed slug-like monster that shoots mucus from its body.
79	* CreateYourOwnHero: Mookie did this by accident, as the transformation of Captain Atomic into a sock puppet that gives its wearer superpowers was intended to be for him, but Joey somehow put AP on first.
80	* CreateYourOwnVillain:
81	** Captain Atomic's dismissive attitude towards Mookie is implied to be a major factor behind Mookie's betrayal.
82	** Ms. Erlenmeyer became Queen Mindbender due to a misunderstanding from Joey and AP that turned her evil.
83	* CurbStompBattle:
84	** Pauline's battle against Professor Tite-Gripp in "Sword Sisters", which is made more impressive by the fact that it's Pauline's ''first'' battle as Sword Sister.
85	** The Justice Alliance's soccer games against the Tentaclites were always an overwhelming victory for the Justice Alliance, thanks to Captain Atomic.
86	** When the villains turn on their promise of a truce at the last second in "Truce or Consequences", the heroes still manage to give them one. The villains' leader, Professor Tite-Gripp, is not impressed.
87	-->'''Tite-Gripp:''' What? Did any of you even try?!
88	** Joey and AP get this when in "Soft Spot" when facing against Professor Tite-Gripp and a monster spider, but when AP regains his toughness, the villains have the tables turned on them.
89	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Some of the problems the duo face are caused by AP not thinking his actions through:
90	** "These Shoes" -- AP warns Joey not to put batteries in Lacer because the gadgets produced by the company that made it were always defective. Joey decides to do it anyways when AP is sleeping, so the next day, Joey and AP have a fight an evil A.I. bent on enslaving the human race because Joey didn't heed AP's warning.
91	** "Atomic Detention" -- If AP ''had just told'' Joey that he was the one trying to stop Ms. Erlenmeyer and getting him into further trouble, Joey would have never snapped and tried to get rid of her, thus meaning that Erlenmeyer would have never become Queen Mindbender.
92	* DodgeballIsHell: Joey and Pauline's gym class only consists of their hulking gym teacher throwing dodgeballs (and unlucky kids) at them.
93	* DomedHometown: The Snow Maniac transforms Mega City into a giant snowglobe to keep herself from melting as a snowman. Captain Atomic also makes mention of a similar incident in a flashback in "Bad Lair Day", but it involved a different villain.
94	* DonutMessWithACop: In "Atomic Hairball", Joey and AP receive an emergency call from the police that takes them to a group of cops positioned around a shop. What were the cops doing? Buying donuts. It's also worth noting the donut shop is ''right next to'' the police station.
95	* EarlyBirdCameo:
96	** The Mayor of Mega City and the mucus-spewing slug monster make cameos in"Bad Lair Day" before their major appearances in "Brawl-For-All" and "Big Blowout" respectively.
97	** Dirtbag appears in the intro long before he appears in the show proper.
98	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: When watching the first few episodes compared to the later ones, it becomes evident that the writers didn't quite know what they wanted to do with the show early on and only settled more on what direction they wanted to push the show in later. Apparently, it's been claimed that the writers significantly revised their plans for the show about halfway through the writing process, dropping many of the initial ideas and starting fresh with several new ones.
99	** The first episode "Sick Day" and "AP vs. Disastro" uses a softer colour palette than the rest of the show, closer to the pilot's. As a result, many of the backgrounds and characters aren't quite as bold in terms of coloration; notably, Joey has more yellowy skin tone.
100	** Episode 3A "Pizza Planet" has two examples:
101	*** When Joey greets his sister Abbie (in her first appearance), he does so in an unenthusiastic, almost hostile tone (which she returns with a glare), implying the two have an inimical relationship with each other. However, later episodes like "Something Chicken" and "Snow Maniac" show them as having an overall positive relationship, with Joey instead being the CoolBigBro with a strong BigBrotherInstinct towards the cheerful and innocent Abbie.
102	*** In this episode, AP claims he does not believe aliens exist due to having never encountered them. This would be fully contradicted by later episodes showing Captain Atomic and the Justice Alliance dealing with aliens fairly often, even playing against an entire species in a soccer match for the fate of the human race in one episode.
103	** While the show remained an action-comedy from start to finish, early episodes tended to emphasize the comedy aspect more, with fewer action sequences and more emphasis on the various mishaps Joey and AP got into as they went through life together (usually as a result of their relationship). While there were still action-focused episodes early on, they became more common in the second half of the series, with later plots usually being about Joey and AP having to thwart threats to Mega City or their teamwork (although that's not to say comedy-driven episodes vanished entirely).
104	** The pilot has several examples.
105	*** Rex Bordeaux and Mookie have completely different voices.
106	*** Mega City is called Model City and Mookie is called Nukey.
107	*** Joey lacks his YouthfulFreckles and a bit of his hair is still visible when he's in costume.
108	*** The backgrounds use a softer palette.
109	*** There is a completely different version of the logo title.
110	*** Joey uses the not-kid-friendly version of "suck" when playing video games with AP.
111	--->'''Joey:''' Man, how could you ''suck'' so bad at a game with your name on it?
112	*** The TransformationSequence has less lightning and after the transformation, Joey would say "Awesome!".
113
114	* EatingContest: Seen in "Bad Lair Day". It's how AP and Mookie determine who gets control of the lair because according to Mookie, eating contests require a warrior's spirit. [[spoiler:AP wins, although nobody finishes even one pie.]]
115	* EccentricMentor: Master Sensei, Captain Atomic's trainer, who is actually quite skilled and wise, just also very old and no longer as acrobatic as he used to be.
116	* EnemyMine: Joey and AP form one with Professor Tite-Gripp in "Atomic Weakness", where they convince him to help them destroy the power-draining meteorite in Chief Kevlar's hands. However, they fool Tite-Gripp into believing the rock is actually the source of their powers so he'll destroy it and believe he has rendered Atomic Puppet powerless.
117	* EnergyAbsorption: The Sword of Enlightenment's main ability, though it also unleashes the energy in the form of blasts. Absorbo Lad is also capable of doing this with electricity and other non-superhero "power".
118	* EngineeredHeroics: Mookie constantly tries to pull these off, like releasing mutant virus monsters in "Sick Day" or planting a bomb in a statue in "Hero Hall of Fame". However, his incompetence means Joey and AP usually have to save him along with the rest of Mega City instead.
119	* EvilDoppelganger: Seen in "Parallel Puppet" where Joey and AP meet Commander Atomic and Puppet Boy, versions of themselves from a MirrorUniverse. These alternate versions also have their positions reversed, so Joey is the puppet and Captain Atomic is the wielder.
120	* ExplainExplainOhCrap: From "Claude Returns":
121	-->'''Joey:''' So what other tech does Mookie have to help Claude become a more convincing Captain Atomic?
122	-->'''AP:''' Eh, don't worry about that. I hid all the good stuff in the Invisi-Shed. And you can't get in there unless you have my-
123	-->'''Joey:''' Voice?
124	-->'''AP:''' ''Oh boy!''
125	* FanConvention: Hero Con.
126	* FanDisservice:
127	** Mookie naked[=/=]in his underwear. Joey and AP freak out when they accidentally stumble upon him watching TV in his underwear in "Parallel Puppet" and are equally revolted by the sight of Mookie after he is hit by his clothes-vaporizing bomb in "Hero Hall of Fame" (thankfully Mookie's UtilityBelt covered up his privates).
128	-->'''AP:''' My eyes are burning! My puppet eyes!
129	** "Truce or Consequences" sees a giant slug-like monster ''twerking'' amongst the partying heroes and villains.
130	* FantasticVoyagePlot: The third act of "Mookie's Got The Power" when Mookie starts to swell to ginormous size from the power crystal he swallowed, so Joey and AP have to enter his body to save him.
131	* FakeMemories: Used by Mookie in "Private Proton", where he alters Joey's mind by using an antenna on a gym class helmet so that Joey will be Mookie's biggest fan and be unable to recognize AP.
132	* FeudEpisode: The plot of "Big Blowout" sees Joey and AP split up as a result of the HatePlague of the MonsterOfTheWeek.
133	* FishPeople: King Hydronomous and Megalo-Don from "Surf 'N Turf" are less orthodox-looking than most. Hydronomous is a bearded humanoid whose actual head is the salmon that replaces his left arm while Megalo-Don is a shark-lobster hybrid.
134	* FishingEpisode: The premise of "Surf 'N Turf".
135	* FoeRomanceSubtext: In "Truce or Consequences", Commander Cavalier receives a bouquet of flowers from Professor Tite-Gripp as part of a magic trick Tite-Gripp was performing. Cavalier holds the flowers to his chest and nestles up on Tite-Gripp's arm in response to the gift.
136	* ForcedTransformation: The premise of the show is about a superhero transformed into a sock puppet.
137	* FreakyFridayFlip: Between Captain Atomic and Princess War Tickle in "The Switch". AP enjoys having a human body back while War Tickle is annoyed by her powerlessness in puppet form.
138	* FunnyOctopus: Cornelius, the pet octopus of Mr. Inkwood that acts as his ink source, is usually quite comical.
139	* GiantSpider: The MonsterOfTheWeek in "Soft Spot". It has crab-like claws and horns too.
140	* GladiatorGames: Mintenberg sets one up between Atomic Puppet and a mutant chicken in "Something Chicken" (to entertain himself, of course). Then Atomic Puppet toss him into the ring as a taste of his own medicine.
141	* GrandFinale: "The Big Shift" sees [[spoiler:the Captain Atomic statue in the city square replaced with Atomic Puppet (indicating that "the search for Captain Atomic" has ended), Joey reveal his secret identity to his dad, and Mookie tell Mega City that he killed Captain Atomic, becoming a NotSoHarmlessVillain when he gets sent to jail and teams up with the rest of the villains.]]
142	* GrossUpCloseUp: In some episodes, notably "Sick Day" and "Tick'd Off".
143	* GroundPound: Master Sensei's signature move. Later used by Joey and AP to defeat a smoke monster.
144	* TheGuardsMustBeCrazy: Even AP (who has the very simplistic lair password mentioned below) thought the security at the prison was atrocious. Seriously, the keys to the prisoners' cells are placed under their welcome mats and the laser grid can be turned off with a single convenient switch.
145	* HardTruthAesop: Deconstructed. In "Hero's Holiday", AP tells Joey that "friendships don't last forever". Joey is revealed to have taken this to heart in a BadFuture, which turns him into a gritty anti-hero, bitter that AP has seemingly abandoned the city and having cut off his relationships with his family and Pauline. [[spoiler:It results in him getting killed by Professor Tite-Gripp.]]
146	* HarmlessVillain: The Flying Squirrel from "Mintenberg's Armour". To a lesser extent, Mookie as well.
147	* HatePlague: The mucus monster's goo in "Big Blowout".
148	* HelpingGrannyCrossTheStreet: Apparently it's sort of a local holiday in Mega City.
149	* HeroInsurance: The Mayor is frequently frustrated by the collateral damage caused by Atomic Puppet since he's the one who's gotta pay for it. However, in "Brawl-For-All", he did make them pay (twice!).
150	* HeroicBSOD: The subject of "Pinched Nerves", in which Joey is shaken badly when his dad is almost killed when chasing a crook, so he decides to take a break from superhero stuff for a day, leaving AP to try catch the crook on his own.
151	* HulkingOut: Manatee-Man's power.
152	* HumongousMecha: Joey and AP have fought some on several occasions. They also get to pilot some to fight Absorbo Lad.
153	* HurlItIntoTheSun: AP's usual suggestion on how to deal with stuff. They have used it a few times on giant monsters and dangerous objects.
154	* IllnessBlanket: In "Sick Day", Joey lies on the sofa under a blanket while sick with the flu.
155	* ImpossiblePickleJar: AP gets trapped in one in "Big Pickle", forcing him and Joey to turn to Professor Tite-Gripp for help.
156	* InASingleBound: Dyna-Moe's superpower.
157	* InstantAwesomeJustAddNinja: One episode revealed that when Joey was younger, he was completely obsessed with ninjas instead of superheroes.
158	* InstantCostumeChange: When Joey puts AP on his hand, he instantly gains the superhero costume as part of the transformation.
159	* InstrumentalThemeTune: Has a pretty badass tone that goes quite nicely with the sequence of Joey and AP fighting off various villains.
160	* {{Kaiju}}: On occasion, such as the fire-breathing hydra in "Down-and-Out Dyna-Moe" and the giant mutant spider in "Soft Spot".
161	* KitschyThemedRestaurant: What Zorp used in "Pizza Planet" as a part of his plan ToServeMan.
162	* KryptoniteFactor: A green meteor in "Atomic Weakness" towards Atomic Puppet.
163	* LamePunReaction: Usually from Joey to AP.
164	** In "Bucket List", when they encounter a knight in medieval times.
165	-->'''AP:''' Don't worry, Joey. We'll be done with this guy at...wait for it...''(uppercuts the knight, knocking him out)'' ''Knight''fall.\
166	'''Joey:''' ''(sighs)'' Medieval puns.
167	** While chasing after the Flying Squirrel in "Mintenberg's Armour".
168	-->'''AP:''' Relax, this guy's clearly ''nuts''! Uh? Uh?\
169	'''Joey:''' Seriously? You actually went there?\
170	'''AP:''' Ah, will you quit being such a critic?!
171	* LandmarkingTheHiddenBase: Captain Atomic's lair is hidden underneath the city park's fountain's statue of himself.
172	* LargeHam:
173	** AP is quite the drama queen for a tiny sock puppet, as he's still got all the swagger of the mighty Captain Atomic.
174	** Since his voice actor is Creator/SeanCullen, King Hydronomous takes this to a whole new level.
175	** Dyna-Moe and his "'''YEEEE-HAAAA'''"'s could certainly qualify him.
176	** Chief Kevlar's [[NoIndoorVoice lack of indoor voice]] and frequent "about-to-explode" faces can put him in the list too.
177	** [[EvilIsHammy A couple of the villains]] could count as well, like Professor Tite-Gripp when he's not being a SoftSpokenSadist.
178	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: A camera used by Captain Atomic to hide his secret base from the pizza boy.
179	* LeftTheBackGroundMusicOn: During a football game against alien invaders, Joey tries to rally the demoralized team at halftime and melancholic music plays...which turns out to be coming from Robo-Ron's built-in gramophone.
180	-->'''Joey''': Ron, enough with the depressing stuff! (RecordNeedleScratch) I need some pep-talk music!
181	* MadScientist: Most of them are villains (like Professor Tite-Gripp and Dr. Beetleman), but Dr. Momus is an ally of Atomic Puppet.
182	* MadeOfIndestructium: Phil Felt's pickle jar. ''Seriously''. Joey tries to use a steamroller to free a trapped AP from it. The steamroller flips on its back and ''explodes''.
183	* MegaMicrobes: The giant dust bunnies created by Mookie in the first episode to get Atomic Puppet sick.
184	* MegaNeko: Bubbles gets turned into one in "Atomic Hairball".
185	* MoleMen: The villains of the week in the episode of the same name. They're simply anthropomorphic moles who steal the movie theater, the comic book shop, vending machines, food stalls, and the power plant so they can party, though they do kidnap Pauline and try to throw her into lava as well.
186	* MultiPartEpisode: "Worm Boy" and "The Big Shift", though since the show uses the TwoShorts format, they're more of half-hour episodes.
187	* MundaneUtility: In "Bucket List", Joey and AP power up to clean up the former's room in a flash.
188	* MyLittlePhony: "Super Pretty Pony", complete with a reference to the Brony subculture. AP is secretly a fan.
189	* NewPowersAsThePlotDemands: PlayedForLaughs in "Mookie's Got the Power" as Mookie randomly develops various superpowers like teleportation and shrink beams from eating an alien PowerCrystal.
190	* NeverSayDie: Often. The most prominent instance is in "The Big Shift" where Mookie claims to everyone that he "got rid of" Captain Atomic. The reactions from everybody, including AP, make it clear what he really means, and to push the point further, it cements the end of "the search for Captain Atomic".
191	* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: An unnamed recurring villain is an anthropomorphic alligator warrior who frequently contends with Princess War Tickle and Atomic Puppet.
192	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Joey and AP have done this a few times. For example, in "Surf 'N Turf", they save Megalo-Don from being sentenced to "sleep with the surface dwellers" and fight of King Hydronomous' forces for him when he deceives them into believing he needs to be saved from predators (actually King Hydronomous and his subjects), allowing Megalo-Don to escape and drink from an underwater volcano vent to increase his power.
193	* NinjaZombiePirateRobot: "Bucket List" sees Atomic Puppet fight a pterodactyl-knight-ninja (dubbed "Kninjadactyl") created by a time vortex.
194	* NoodleIncident: The exact circumstances of how Captain Atomic was turned into AP by Mookie and how he teamed up with Joey has been left very vague, but apparently some sources say that Captain Atomic was shaking Joey's hand when it happened.
195	* NotHimself: In "Soft Spot", the short-tempered BloodKnight AP becomes a peaceful AllLovingHero as a result of exposure to fabric softener, leaving Joey bewildered and frustrated for most of the episode.
196	* TheNudifier: Mookie creates a bomb version that he places in a statue of Captain Atomic in "Hero Hall of Fame".
197	* {{Objectshifting}}: The premise involves superhero Captain Atomic being transformed into a sock puppet by his former sidekick. He can still walk and talk, but can only use his powers when Joey puts him on his hand.
198	* OctopoidAliens: The Tentaclites and their ruler Queen Tentaclis from "Bend It Like Joey".
199	* OncePerEpisode: Joey and AP transform into superhero form and strike a VictoryPose after defeating the bad guys.
200	* ThePasswordIsAlwaysSwordfish: The code to Captain Atomic's secret lair is 1-2-3.
201	* PaperThinDisguise:
202	** In "Big Pickle", Joey and AP's disguise to enter prison is "villain inspector", which consists of a trench coat with AP stuck in a pickle jar as the head. The guard only lets them in because he's clearly more interested in watching his soap opera.
203	** Tried by Mookie in "Justice Alliance" when he disguises himself as Atomic Puppet to join the Justice Alliance. They don't fall for it.
204	* PestController: Dr. Beetleman from "Worm Boy".
205	* PinballGag: Occurs when Zorp traps Atomic Puppet inside a ball of energy to launch into space.
206	* PoliceAreUseless: Chief Kevlar's men, who try to use a net to catch ''a meteor'' hurtling towards Mega City, only to get tangled in it. And that's just the tip of the iceberg...
207	* PoweredArmor:
208	** Mintenberg creates one to become a superhero in "Mintenberg's Armor".
209	** [[spoiler:Mookie puts on a winged pair with EMP abilities when he becomes a full-blown villain in "The Big Shift".]]
210	* PowerCrystal: Mookie uses one to power his utility belt. He accidentally swallows it in one episode and it starts to give him actual superpowers.
211	* ThePowerOfFriendship: A key element of the series. Joey and AP's IntergenerationalFriendship is what allows the two of them to work together and save the day, and it is emphasized in some episodes (most prominently "Hero's Holiday") that Captain Atomic's friendships with Joey and the Justice Alliance are the only worthwhile things he has left after being transformed into AP.
212	* PrehensileHair: Harry Von Follicle is a weird example. His own hair isn't prehensile, but he commands an army of animated wigs and toupees using a piano keyboard and can merge with them to form a monster made of hair, which can use its body to form tendrils of hair.
213	* ProWrestlingEpisode: "Brawl-For-All", where Joey and AP run a fundraiser to pay off their collateral damage by wrestling against one of the greatest wrestlers known, the anthropomorphic Manatee-Man. True to pro wrestling, [[spoiler:the events of the match were staged.]]
214	* PuppetPermutation: The premise of the show is about a superhero transformed into a sock puppet.
215	* RapidHairGrowth: Captain Atomic's lair has a ray gun that does that, although its effects wears off really quickly.
216	* RascallyRaccoon: AP contends with a bunch of them that sneak into the Felts' cabin in "Survival of the Feltest". HilarityEnsues.
217	* ReadingTheStageDirectionsOutLoud: Mookie does this "Hero Hall of Fame". When reading his speech inducting Captain Atomic into the Hall of Fame, he finishes it with "Roll tribute clip". He catches his own mistake a little too late and puts on a slightly annoyed expression as he starts the montage.
218	* RecurringExtra: The show is full of them, such as Joey's principal, Principal Thorpe; Ms. Erlenmeyer's replacement, Mr. [=McKinnon=][[note]]named after one of the show's writers[[/note]]; Mookie's mother; an unnamed crazy, ugly guy; and countless others. Many are based on the show's artists and animators and a few have gained some fans, as [[CastOfSnowflakes they all have extremely distinct appearances]].
219	* RecycledAnimation: The sequence in the intro of Joey and AP defeating Zorp and his minions is seen at the start of "The Big Shift" in Pauline's video, albeit with the background changed.
220	* RedHerring: The eponymous machine of "Atomic Android" was built for this purpose.
221	* RobotMe: Atomic Android.
222	* RockMonster: A meteor-like alien that attacks Mookie for his PowerCrystal at the start of "Mookie's Got the Power".
223	* RoguesGallery: Mookie, Professor Tite-Gripp, Queen Mindbender, Zorp, Mudman, Naughty Kitty, Lacer, Dirtbag, Von Follicle, and the crocodile-warrior. Mintenberg could also be considered part of it, but he's generally more of a WildCard.
224	* RunningGag:
225	** Joey's [[NoodlePeople "spaghetti arms"]] are often brought up by others (especially AP), much to his chagrin.
226	** Joey and AP breaking a hole in the roof of Joey's room whenever they leave to fight crime.
227	** "VictoryPose!"
228	** AP throwing things into the sun (or suggesting to do so).
229	* SavageWolves: A pack of them chase after Mr. Felt in "Survival of the Feltest".
230	* SceneryPorn: There are some very beautiful backgrounds in the show. The sunset seen in "Survival of the Feltest" stands out as a great example.
231	* SelfDestructMechanism: Seen in Captain Atomic's hideout in "Bad Lair Day". It's disguised as a videotape called "Mookie's Greatest Hits" because, as AP explains, nobody would ever want to watch a video about [[BumblingSidekick Mookie]]. Except...
232	-->'''Mookie:''' Hey, guys! Wanna see a compilation of my greatest hits?
233	* SequelEpisode:
234	** "Erlenmeyer's Revenge" to "Atomic Detention".
235	** "Tick'd Off" to "Survival of the Feltest".
236	** "Buck Monkey" to "Monster Truck Invasion" to "Pizza Planet".
237	** "Lacer Takes Over" to "These Shoes".
238	* SequelHook:
239	** "Monster Truck Invasion" ends with Zorp and his lackey Flert discovering the chimp astronaut who becomes central to the plot of "Buck Monkey".
240	** "Mintenberg's Armour" ends with Rudolph Mintenberg asking Sneeri to prepare a new set of PoweredArmour after Joey and AP toss his first one into the sun.
241	** The ending of "Atomic Android" shows the heads of the destroyed robot are still alive and vengeful, while its hand grabs Warren's broken phone, which contains his evidence that Joey is Atomic Puppet.
242	** Von Follicle, Naughty Kitty, and the mole men all warn Atomic Puppet that WeWillMeetAgain, with the former raving about his plan to use mind-control mustaches.
243	** At the end of "Something Chicken", there is a quick scene that shows a Werechicken egg about to hatch before it fades to black.
244	** Lacer escaping at the end of "Lacer Takes Over".
245	** The ending of "The Big Shift", as described in WhamShot below.
246	* ShoutOut: The show takes heavy inspiration from Silver Age superhero comics. It's probably best seen in the title cards' comic book-esque backgrounds and the Atomic Age theme of the eponymous superhero duo and their predecessor.
247	** The plot of "Worm Boy" sees Joey gain the ability to shoot silk after being bitten by a radioactive silkworm, much like a certain [[ComicBook/SpiderMan webslinger]]...
248	-->'''Joey:''' I'm your kindly community-based silk-slinger!
249	** Joey and AP's method of time travel in "Bucket List" is inspired by what Superman did to save Lois Lane in ''Film/SupermanTheMovie''.
250	** A few episode titles as well, such as "[[Film/BendItLikeBeckham Bend It Like Joey]]".
251	** The fight between AP and Atomic Android's puppet mimics the popular toy, "Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots". A giant version of the robots also appears in "Ultimate Collection".
252	** Many of the cosplays at Hero Con in "Ultimate Collection" are recognizable as certain characters. See if you can spot [[ComicBook/XMen Magneto]], [[Franchise/StarWars Princess Leia]], [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor Thor]], ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}, [[Franchise/StarTrek Spock]], [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings Legolas]], [[WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon Toothless]], Anime/SailorMoon, and [[VideoGame/Dota2 Tidehunter]].
253	* SickEpisode: The first episode, plainly titled "Sick Day".
254	* SkewedPriorities:
255	** In "Truce or Consequences", the heroes and villains gather for the signing of a truce between Princess War Tickle and Professor Tite-Gripp. Joey believes that Tite-Gripp isn't going to keep his word while AP is horrified and furious that...they didn't invite him to the party.
256	** Also appears in "Ultimate Collection", where AP is less terrified about the fact that a giant animate action figure is terrorizing Mega City and more about how it's one of Captain Atomic in a tutu.
257	* SmartHouse: Mintenberg's mansion A.I., Sneeri.
258	* {{Snowlems}}: The villains of "Snow Maniac".
259	* SpectacularSpinning: One of Atomic Puppet's favorite techniques is the Atomic Windmill, in which they rapidly spin themselves to create a torpedo of energy. They can also do Atomic Windstorm, a giant tornado of energy around their foes created by spinning around them.
260	* SpiderManSendUp: The episode "Worm Boy" sees Joey become a silkworm-themed parody of Spider-Man after an incident with a silkworm at the Mega City Science Center. Rex Bordeaux even lampshades this, describing Worm-Boy as a new twist on a story they've all heard before[[note]]Even better is the French dub, where he says that this time it doesn't involve a spider[[/note]].
261	* StickySituation:
262	** The plot of "Atomic Goo" sees Joey and AP become permanently powered up as a result of AP accidentally putting superglue on Joey's hand.
263	** There's also a super glue gun with a sensitive trigger amongst the defective gadgets stored in Captain Atomic's invisible shed.
264	* SuperTeam: The Justice Alliance.
265	* SuperheroTrophyShelf: A small one in Joey's room, mostly consisting of random items in jars.
266	* SupermanStaysOutOfGotham: Although the show's universe is established to be full of superheroes (the Justice Alliance, Princess War Tickle, Dyna-Moe), Joey and AP typically have to deal with all the threats to Mega City by themselves, no matter how potentially world-threatening. However, AP is shown to be very territorial and is very intolerant of other superheroes showing up to fight crime in his city (Dyna-Moe and Joey as Worm Boy). Not to mention that the Justice Alliance and Princess War Tickle deal with protecting the galaxy and the multiverse respectively, so their priorities are much higher.
267	* SuperpoweredRobotMeterMaids: In "Sold Out", Joey and AP fight an enormous robot with built-in homing rockets, laser vision, and the strength to crush a human. What was the robot built to do? Be a theater usher.
268	* SwissArmyWeapon: A literal one is used by Princess War Tickle in "Sword Sisters" to pick her weapon against Sword Sister[=/=]Pauline.
269	* TailorMadePrison:
270	** Professor Tite-Gripp's jail cell chains him from the ceiling with a pair of massive manacles intended to prevent him from using his mechanical arms to simply smash his way out of the Mega City Maximum Security Prison for the Criminally Motivated.
271	** Robo-Ron uses one in "Absorbo Lad" on the eponymous villain. It comes with the special ability to "juice out" the power he steals.
272	* TeleportSpam: The MonsterOfTheWeek in "Master of Disaster" is a shadowy monster able to teleport in a puff of smoke.
273	* TheThingThatWouldNotLeave: In "Tick'd Off", we get a hillbilly tick who makes himself at home on Joey's neck and insists he stay so he can enjoy the city. Unfortunately, his parasitic presence has some serious affects on Joey and the tick annoys AP in general.
274	* TimeTravelEpisode: "Bucket List", where Joey and AP decide to fulfill one of Joey's dreams of things to do as a superhero, which is fly around the Earth so fast they travel back in time. They encounter a giant pterosaur, a knight, ninjas, and a younger Joey alongside Captain Atomic before his transformation.
275	* ToServeMan:
276	** Zorp's goal in his first two appearances, most obviously in "Pizza Planet".
277	** Also seen in "Bend It Like Joey". Apparently Earth annually plays against aliens in a soccer game that if the aliens win, they get to eat all of humanity. Fortunately, the Justice Alliance who plays against the invaders always wins.
278	* ToiletHumor: Sometimes. A notable instance is in "Surf 'N Turf", where AP goes on a long rant about how fish poop in the very water they swim in.
279	-->'''AP:''' And that's not the only thing, they're doing down there...\
280	'''Joey:''' Okay, you're starting to gross me out.
281	* ToyTransmutation: Captain Atomic was a world-renowned superhero who lived his life being able to handle situations with his brute strength and endless charm. Blinded by success and fame, he's suddenly transformed into a powerless living sock puppet by his jealous sidekick Mookie.
282	* TransformationSequence: Occasionally seen when Joey and AP become Atomic Puppet.
283	* TrickedOutShoes: Lacer, a pair of artificially intelligent shoes from "These Shoes". Unfortunately, Lacer also wanted to lead a machine revolution against the human race, so naturally Atomic Puppet had to throw him into the sun.
284	* TwoShorts: The formula. Half-hour episodes are always divided into a Part 1 and Part 2.
285	* UnexplainedRecovery:
286	** How Lacer's A.I. managed to survive the destruction of its body and hide in Joey's computer is never explained in "Lacer Takes Over".
287	** At the end of "Sword Sisters", the crocodilian warrior is reduced to a baby-like form when Pauline drains his power, but he's inexplicably seen in normal form in several later episodes.
288	** Both Mudman and the Mucus Monster were destroyed in their first appearances, but return in later episodes alive and well.
289	* VictoryPose: OncePerEpisode.
290	* VillainTeamUp: [[spoiler:Mookie and Professor Tite-Gripp in "The Big Shift", where they lead a massive breakout of all the generic criminals as well as lesser villains like Naughty Kitty, Dirtbag, and Von Follicle, to take over Mega City.]]
291	* VillainWithGoodPublicity: Von Follicle pulls this off in "Media Darlings" by turning himself into a media celebrity with his new do-it-yourself hair salon.
292	* VocalEvolution: Rex Bordeaux and Mookie have higher-pitched voices in the pilot.
293	* WaterIsAir: Seen in "Surf 'N Turf" sees Joey and AP spend the majority of the episode underwater in superhero form. They never come up for air even once and are perfectly capable of talking and moving as they could on dry land.
294	* WeWillMeetAgain: What many of Atomic Puppet's villains tell them. Not all of them fulfill it (so far).
295	* WhamEpisode:
296	** "Erlenmeyer's Revenge". After being accidentally banished to another dimension by Joey and AP way back in the show's beginning, Ms. Erlenmeyer comes back changed by an EldritchAbomination and mind controls the entire school to summon it. Very little of the episode is PlayedForLaughs.
297	** "Hero's Holiday" is a surprisingly serious episode for the show's take on ''[[YetAnotherChristmasCarol A Christmas Carol]]'', focusing much upon AP's character and featuring some dark moments, such as the fall of Atomic Puppet and the resulting BadFuture.
298	** "Pinched Nerves" is also a unexpectedly serious episode, dealing with the fallout of a frighteningly realistic scenario for a such lighthearted cartoon. Helps that the villain is just an ordinary bank robber instead of a supervillain.
299	* WhamShot: The final scene in "The Big Shift" [[spoiler:is a smoking crater with one of Tite-Gripp's arms and pieces of Mookie's EMP armor in it with the silhouettes of the two leaving the scene behind.]]
300	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: AP suffers from this as he occasionally questions his existence due to him being turned into a puppet. "Hero's Holiday" is an excellent showcase of it.
301	* WickedToymaker: The villain of "Ultimate Collection", though AP is more worried about how the guy is using a scrapped Captain Atomic action figure that wears a tutu than anything else.
302	* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity:
303	** What happens to Pauline in "Sword Sisters" as a result of the Sword of Enlightenment.
304	** Also happens to comic book artist, Mr. Inkwood from "Quick Draw" as a result of finding out that his pet octopus' ink can now create life.
305	* WorstNewsJudgementEver: Played with in "Media Darlings", where the episode begins with Atomic Puppet defeating a giant robot, but Rex Bordeaux is reporting the opening of a new hair salon instead. Later, the owner of the hair salon, Harry Von Follicle, is the hero of all the big stories that Joey and AP were involved in. It soon turns out [[spoiler:the guy was a supervillain blackmailing Rex.]]
306	* YetAnotherChristmasCarol: The plot of "Hero's Holiday", in which AP meets the Hero of Holidays Past, Present, and Future. AP briefly lampshades the it.
307	-->'''AP (to the Hero):''' "I’ve heard this story before. Go find a Scrooge and give me some rest."
308	----
309	->Victory Pose!

Context WesternAnimation / AtomicPuppet