Line #68 YMMV/Cracked


1	----
2	!!From the website:
3	* AdaptationDisplacement: "Hey, that site with those funny lists used to be a magazine?"
4	* {{Anvilicious}}: [[Anvilicious/{{Cracked}} Has its own page]].
5	* ArchiveBinge: Those little "Recommended" links at the bottom of each page are ''diabolical''. Even worse now with the "This day in Cracked" sidebar that shows articles released on that day, going back to the site's formation.
6	* AudienceAlienatingEra: The disastrous aftermath of the "pivot to video" trend turned the site into a hollowed out husk, with all of the original staff out the door and a skeleton crew churning out low-effort, algorithm-driven content designed to clickbait and be shared on social media.
7	* BrokenBase:
8	** The Photoplasty contest, an old tradition of the site, as of late 2012 or so. The main reason for the divide is an increasingly large number of the contests being 'true fact' style contests that amount to posting some fact over a picture. Themes tend to run either into the pop culture spectrum (little known facts about movies or music) or shocking facts like statistics on corporations or social justice issues. Some people at first were divisive in that they preferred the contests made in its original style, that is, doing an humorous photoshop of a picture; but due to the information from the 'true fact' contests being genuinely informative, that reaction died down rather quickly. A significantly more divisive issue later arose when the fact-based ones started to feature facts that had already been mentioned previously in Cracked articles. A common comment in these contests is posting a list of the Cracked articles in which the facts were previously mentioned. The flames rekindled in February 2016, when Cracked staff announced that the older "traditional" photoplasties were losing views, and fast, prompting the staff to start thinking about retiring "traditionals" entirely and just run "true fact" ones.
9	** There is a divide between the fans that come strictly for the humor, and the fans that come to be entertained ''and'' informed. Often, one set lambasts the other when they complain about an article's mistakes and misleading claims in the comments.
10	** Luke [=McKinney=] and especially J. F. Sargent for their polarizing social justice articles, leading to frequent accusations of white knighting. Sargent also gets hate for his occasional lapses in research and frequent use of his columns to vent his contemptuous opinion of stuff he doesn't like: {{Contested Sequel}}s, [[Website/TVTropes This Very Wiki]], and all of their fans. Meanwhile, [=McKinney=] is often seen as trying way too hard to make obscure female superheroes look cool. Even some non-radical feminists think he's a bit of a tool, due to his contributions to feminism amounting to little more than reading comics and watching movies. Nonetheless, they have their fans, due to their bitingly sarcastic sense of humor and willingness to direct it at segments of the fandom many consider acceptable targets, and in Luke's case handling other topics much better, especially science ones.
11	** Dan O'Brien is generally pretty funny, but he tends to recycle jokes, and as a self-admitted FanBoy, has very rigid and narrow opinions about his franchises of choice (''Franchise/DieHard'' and ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' in particular), to the point of expressing sneering contempt for anyone who doesn't share them.
12	* CrossesTheLineTwice:
13	** If Daniel O'Brien did any of the things he writes about in his column, Charles Manson would be freaked out. Swaim is the OnlySaneMan in comparison, which is kinda funny considering the role reversal in the web series ''Agents of Cracked''. Case in point: [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/an-apology-to-town-that-i-turned-into-the-hunger-games/ An Apology to the Town That I Turned into 'The Hunger Games']], an apology to the Pennsylvania town where he recreated ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' at the youth center.
14	** [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/frosty-snowman-declares-war-war-christmas Frosty the Snowman declares War on the War on Christmas]].
15	** The default picture used as an avatar if the user provided none? That's the Unabomber, folks. [[https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofCracked/comments/2tf0df/why_are_the_default_commenter_pics_a_sketch_of/cnyvgp6/ According to David Wong]], it was chosen because they wanted "a default that would encourage people to change it".
16	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_21253_5-horrifying-truths-about-funeral-homes-from-undertaker.html 5 Horrifying Truths About Funeral Homes (From an Undertaker)]] has a few tales like this, like one incident while carrying a large woman's dead body down the stairs ended up in an IndyEscape down the stairwell, chased by that very same body.
17	** [[http://web.archive.org/web/20150621210330/http://www.cracked.com/article_14837_raising-your-mentally-retarded-child.html Raising Your Mentally Retarded Child]].
18	* DontShootTheMessage: Some readers argue that Cracked's increasingly large number of [[SoapboxSadie preachy, poorly researched]] articles do more harm than good to the causes they purport to help, a sentiment that became increasingly noted in the comment sections of these articles.
19	* DracoInLeatherPants: Numerous articles try to convince their readers that fictional villains were secretly more heroic than the actual heroes. More often than not, these examples usually rely on cherry-picked information that's quickly debunked in the comments section.
20	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
21	** Robert Evans is not a part of Cracked's official columnists, but his "insider" articles are one of the more popular contributions to the site, and most readers appreciate his ability to track down and interview people who has very interesting stories to tell, and edit them with enough gentle humor to overcome TooBleakStoppedCaring for sometimes truly horrible subject matter. Few of his fans were surprised when, after leaving Cracked, Evans became a successful journalist, parlaying his talent into podcasting.
22	** Chris Bucholz and Felix Clay, for being consistently comedy-oriented even as the site underwent CerebusSyndrome. Clay overlaps with MemeticBadass because he's proven to be willing to do a wide range of things (rarely pleasant) to write his articles.
23	** Creator/MaraWilson has only written a few articles for Cracked, but they've all been well-received by the readers.
24	** "Roger", the CoolOldGuy that serves as the spokesperson of the "If X are honest" series, played by Jack Hunter. Many viewers say that they enjoy this series even more than After Hours and want to see him more often. When he was fired along with the rest of the video crew, fans still miss him to this day. When the video series resumed in late July 2021, many rejoiced with his return.
25	** '''Creator/{{Seanbaby}}'''. A look at the comments on his [[ScheduleSlip increasingly-rare]] articles shows that quite a few readers show up just to read his work.
26	** Alex Hanton and Ryan Menezes. Many readers felt that their articles are the only ones that kept the funny spirit of the website alive in 2020.
27	* EstrogenBrigade: Soren has a '''MASSIVE''' one.
28	* FridgeBrilliance: "5 Movie And TV 'Plot Holes' That Aren't Actually Plot Holes" is a list of examples of this.
29	* HarsherInHindsight:
30	** It was after the fact, but in a list of "5 Ways To Enjoy Terrible Winter Olympic Events", it mentions that luge and skeleton is easy, because it's like a sled, right after the death of Nodar Kumaritashvili during a crash while luging. It was probably an unfortunate coincidence that the article was posted at that time since it takes a while for them to actually post them. Which, in a ridiculously meta twist, was HarsherInHindsight itself, due to the same thing happening in Agents of Cracked, involving the death of Nicholas Cage.
31	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20384_the-5-major-cities-most-likely-to-be-spectacularly-destroyed.html The 5 Major Cities Most Likely to Be Spectacularly Destroyed]] was printed on the 15th April 2013 - just hours before the bomb attack in Boston. Cracked actually acknowledged this and pulled out the article hours after it was posted, for several days.
32	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18488_the-5-worst-deaths-written-great-characters-and-why.html The 5 Worst Deaths Written for Great Characters (And Why)]], a 2010 article that features Corporal Hicks' death in ''Film/{{Alien 3}}'' as one of the deaths, and includes an extra jab at ''Film/AlienResurrection'' with the line "Don't worry, Michael [Biehn], we're pretty sure you got out of the ''[Film/{{Alien}}]'' franchise just in time." Come 2013 where Biehn ends up reprising his role as Hicks in the universally loathed ''VideoGame/AliensColonialMarines'', which retcons the latter's death with an AssPull of epic proportions that was arguably much more disrespectful to the audience than his "original" death.
33	** In [[http://www.cracked.com/article_15072_the-10-most-awesome-movies-hollywood-ever-killed.html The 10 Most Awesome Movies Hollywood Ever Killed]], an article written way back in 2007, David Wong brings up the fact that Creator/MNightShyamalan was once in talks to direct the movie adaptation of ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'', and actually opines that, "Even those of you who don't like the director have to admit that he probably could have made a more interesting first film than Creator/ChrisColumbus crapped out." This was, of course, several years before anyone had any idea that Shyamalan actually ''would'' get to direct the first installment of a movie series based on [[WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender a certain other popular fantasy series]]. [[Film/TheLastAirbender Said adaptation]] is now widely considered [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_considered_the_worst#2010s one of the worst films ever made]], and is universally loathed by the fan base.
34	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18435_5-movie-romances-that-wont-last-according-to-science.html "5 Movie Romances That Won't Last (According to Science)"]] predicts that Han Solo and Princess Leia's relationship is doomed to failure, and that Han will never be able to give up smuggling since it's the only life he knows. As we learn in ''Episode VII: Film/TheForceAwakens'', they actually '''do''' eventually separate after [[spoiler: their son turns to the Dark Side]], and Han actually ''does'' return to smuggling--where it quickly becomes clear that he's past his prime, and he's already swindled so many people that no one trusts him anymore. [[spoiler: They also never get a chance to rekindle their relationship, as Han is killed just as they're on the verge of reconciling]].
35	** One of the entries for a photoplasty focused on highly absurd potential twists in movies portrayed [[spoiler: Captain America as a DeepCoverAgent for Hydra]], the joke being that he's usually such a IdealHero that the idea of him being [[spoiler: EvilAllAlong is ridiculous]]. Come 2016 where [[spoiler: Nick Spencer would use that exact twist for 616!Cap in his run]] and the first issue alone has received near universal backlash from casual and diehard fans alike, it becomes much more uncomfortable than anything.
36	** On July 24, 2017, ''WebVideo/AfterHours'' introduces a new crew, but make it ''incredibly'' clear that the original crew will be around and doing just as many videos. Many jokes were made about how the crew will still be coming to the diner, forever, continuing their discussions. Except in two months, Soren Bowie announced that he's leaving Cracked, and in December, the rest of the original crew was laid off without any warning.
37	** The final episode of ''Obsessive Pop Culture Disorder'' ends with its usual CouchGag of a humorous fake preview of the content of the next episode, in this case, an episode about the show getting a sponsorship and how that would be a great idea for any large corporation. Turns out that would've been incredibly useful since in a few days Daniel would be unceremoniously laid off, along with almost all of the creators of video content.
38	** In the 2013 article of the "[[https://www.cracked.com/article_20285_5-hilarious-reasons-publishers-rejected-classic-best-sellers.html 5 Hilarious Reasons Publishers Rejected Classic Best-Sellers]]", Creator/DrSeuss' ''Literature/AndToThinkThatISawItOnMulberryStreet'' was #3 on the list, because it stated that all 27 publishers (before Vanguard Press) dismissed the poem for being too different and silly in the winter of 1936-1937. Eight years after this article was published (March 2, 2021), ''Mulberry Street'' was one of the six Dr. Seuss books that were pulled from publication due to "hurtful and wrong imagery". It seems that after almost 85 years, these 27 publishers were RightForTheWrongReasons, because the word they were searching for (and unaware of at the time) was "racist".
39	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8z_HUA86E4 How Companies Really Do Corporate Layoffs]]. Sixteen months after this was published, Cracked itself suffered this, and everyone featured in that video is gone.
40	** J.F Sargent became a one-person BrokenBase among the readership due to his vocal championing of social justice issues and feminism. While your mileage on the validity of his arguments overall might vary, they became a ''lot'' harder to take seriously when he was accused [[https://twitter.com/MovieHooligan/status/993602881440825344 by]] [[https://twitter.com/HanaMichels/status/1043895760813621248 various]] [[https://twitter.com/startthemachine/status/993235856138780672 people]] of abusive behaviour towards women in his personal relationships.
41	* HeartwarmingInHindsight: In their September 2018 article "[[https://www.cracked.com/blog/4-ways-corporations-are-turning-us-into-jerks/ 4 Ways Corporations Are Turning Us Into Jerks]]", Cracked criticized Disney's decision to fire Creator/JamesGunn from ''Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 3'' due to [[InternetJerk pressure from internet mobs]], arguing that [[BlackComedy his jokes made before he was hired by Disney/Marvel]] were falsely equated with Roseanne Barr's racist tweets made during the short-lived ''Roseanne'' revival on ABC. In March 2019, Disney announced that they would be rehiring Gunn for ''Vol. 3''.
42	* HilariousInHindsight:
43	** The 2010 article [[http://www.cracked.com/article_18741_the-evolution-fictional-characters-by-medium-5Bcomic5D.html The Evolution of Fictional Characters]] mocked the HotterAndSexier approach to female characters prevalent in the mid 2000s and very early 2010s that just amounted to objectification. The mid 2010s however have seen a TamerAndChaster approach to female characters that emphasizes their deeds and actions instead of their bodies, effectively returning to the unsexualized character depicted in the first frame.
44	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_17674_how-make-jokeless-comedy-studying-epic-movie-guys.html How to Make Jokeless Comedy: Studying the 'Epic Movie' Guys]], an article about Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg that dissects their distinguishing brand of unfunny movies, also makes a prediction, at the very end, that their next parody movie will be about [[Film/VampiresSuck ninety minutes of crap about vampires]].
45	** Swaim's [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-words-you-cant-say-on-the-internet-without-starting-a-flame-war/ 7 Words You Can't Say On The Internet]] video, which includes him doubting that a lot of Scientologist figureheads are lurking in Website/FourChan threads. And then Anonymous declared war on Scientology...
46	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19719_6-terrifying-new-creatures-science-just-discovered.html 6 Terrifying New Creatures Science Just Discovered]], an article about recently discovered scary organisms, at one point has the caption "Huh. Apparently Spider-Man can beat Batman. Thanks, Nature!". A few months later, in ''WebAnimation/DeathBattle'', Spidey goes up against the Caped Crusader [[spoiler:and wins]].
47	** In 2007 David Wong wrote [[http://www.cracked.com/article_15660_the-ultimate-war-simulation-game.html The Ultimate War Simulation Game]], an article about what an ultra-realistic war simulation game would look like, featuring such elements as mistakenly destroying civilian targets under the erroneous assumption they were enemy buildings, accidentally killing civilians, deploying chemical weapons "Geneva convention be damned" and CIA field agents who operate according to their own agenda and obstruct the player at every turn. It even includes a lengthy ''Film/ApocalypseNow'' reference. The article was obviously intended as a joke, but then five years later ''VideoGame/SpecOpsTheLine'' was released...
48	** On December 22, 2008, Cracked wrote an article about [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16870_the-20-most-ridiculous-batman-comics-ever-released.html the 20 Most Ridiculous Batman Comics Ever Released]], a few of which included Bat-Mite and the Rainbow Batman, the latter of which the site claims is "what happens when ''ComicBook/{{Batman}}'' is written by Music/{{Liberace}}." Later, however, all of these are included in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'' (though Rainbow Batman was not included until the 2010 AnimatedAdaptation of ''ComicBook/EmperorJoker'').
49	** On May 29, 2009, Daniel O'Brian wrote the blog post "[[https://www.cracked.com/blog/what-if-kanye-west-is-retarded What if Kanye West is Retarded?]]", suggesting that, rather than a genius who sometimes does quirky things or someone cynically trying to pass himself off as one, [[Music/KanyeWest Kanye]] might just be stupid and lacking in self-awareness or life experience, an opinion that has only grown more popular with time. Also, he opens the post with a shot at ''808s and Heartbreak''; while a popular opinion at the time, especially with Kanye's fanbase who wanted ''Good Ass Job'', the album has been since VindicatedByHistory.
50	** "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_17129_7-badass-cartoon-villains-who-lost-to-retarded-heroes.html 7 Badass Cartoon Villains Who Lost to Retarded Heroes]]' #1 entry was amusing enough before, with the unexpected popularity of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. It's now even ''more'' amusing due to the fact that in the MLP:FIM season 4 finale, the villain in question (Tirek) makes a return. Even more hilariously, this time around, the heroes who oppose him are most definitely ''not'' "retarded"; the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rs-dmlEDDkE battle between Tirek and Twilight]] is something straight out of ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.
51	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20406_5-reasons-superhero-movies-are-bubble-that-will-soon-burst.html "5 Reasons Superhero Movies Are a Bubble That Will Soon Burst"]], written way back in Spring 2013, used the then-upcoming films ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy2014'' and ''Film/XMenDaysOfFuturePast'' to support the argument that the superhero movie genre was on the verge of crashing and burning, mocking the sheer stupidity of "Captain America [fighting] a cyborg", "Kitty Pryde sending her brain back in time", and making an action movie with [[ComicBook/RocketRaccoon a talking raccoon]] ("Are you seeing the raccoon?"). Surprise! Those movies not only ''didn't'' tank at the box-office, they turned out to be three of the most successful and acclaimed movies of 2014, and superhero movies are still making billions more than five years later.
52	** Another AndYouThoughtItWouldFail case related to superheroes: [[https://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_2341_next-years-17-most-viral-images-probably/ 17 Images That Will Probably Go Viral Next Year]] has an entry with ''Film/WonderWoman2017'' scoring 27% on Website/RottenTomatoes, leading to DC fans asking for the site's shutdown again. Instead that film was a critical darling with over 90% on the Tomatometer!
53	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16152_10-highly-anticipated-video-games-youll-never-get-to-play.html "10 Highly Anticipated Video Games You'll Never Get To Play"]]. Among the listed games? ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'', ''VideoGame/DiabloIII'', ''VideoGame/MaxPayne3'', ''VideoGame/{{Darkfall}}'', ''VideoGame/TheLastGuardian'', and ''VideoGame/DukeNukemForever''. Yeah, we've actually got to play more than half of the games in the list, now that ''Videogame/TheLastGuardian'' was released in December 2016.
54	** Number 5 on the [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_490_19-famous-advertisements-revised-accuracy/ 19 Famous Advertisements (Revised for Accuracy)]] photoplasty was made ''two years'' before the iPhone 6 came out.
55	** From the description of [[http://www.cracked.com/quick-fixes/4-awesome-marvel-movie-scenes-youll-never-see-and-why/ 4 Awesome Marvel Movie Scenes You'll Never See (And Why)]]: "Sadly, a Spider-Man/Avengers team-up is just one of many things we can pretty much guarantee that you will never, ever see in a Marvel movie ... at least not in your own lifetime." Cue the announcement less than a year later, that Spider-Man was indeed going to join the Franchise/MarvelCinematicUniverse. From the same article, it also says that other Avengers wouldn't appear in the individual movies of one Avenger, a Deadpool movie would never be made, nor would a Black Widow movie be made, and that X-Men and Fantastic Four will never join the MCU. In reality, we would eventually get ''Film/CaptainAmericaCivilWar'', a Captain America movie with not one but ''two'' teams of Avengers, and ''Film/SpiderManHomecoming'' and ''Film/ThorRagnarok'' featuring Iron Man and the Hulk respectively having large roles alongside the titular heroes, and [[Film/Deadpool2016 the Deadpool movie]] did indeed happen, and became a massive success (bigger than any of the ''X-Men'' films). Finally, as if to prove that fate has a funny sense of humor (or that fate ''really'' wanted to prove Cracked wrong), the X-Men and Fantastic Four will finally be joining the MCU after Disney's $71 billion acquisition of Fox. Oh, and to top it all off, Black Widow was announced to be getting her own movie not long after. This means that ''everything'' in that article was proven ''dead wrong''.
56	** In the 2008 article "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_16003_the-5-most-pathetic-video-game-acting-performances.html The 5 Most Pathetic Video Game Acting Performances]]", "Dana Plato in ''VideoGame/NightTrap''" was #2 on the list because of her "stilted" performance that "consisted of running around in a sports bra" and her glances at the camera, as well as [[spoiler:her trap scene at the end of the game]] in a Perfect Run (never mind that the game was filmed in [[TheEighties 1987]]). Come the ''25th Anniversary Edition'' in 2017, and Cracked may have second thoughts in wondering if the high-quality video and some extra features and {{deleted scene}}s are doing her justice in order to honor her memory as a good actress she wanted to be before her untimely death in 1999.
57	** In the 2012 article of the "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_19979_5-old-childrens-cartoons-way-darker-than-most-horror-movies.html 5 Old Children's Cartoons Way Darker Than Horror Movies]]", ''WesternAnimation/SwingYouSinners'' was #1 on the list for this reason: "Officially, LSD was first produced in 1938. We say "officially" because this cartoon says it's from 1930, and there's no way it was created without massive doses of acid being pumped into everyone involved." Five years after this article, we have ''VideoGame/{{Cuphead}}'', which is heavily modeled on ''Swing, You Sinners!'' and the other works of Creator/MaxAndDaveFleischer in UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation while combining them with the ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Parodius}}'' franchises (the CreditsGag even said that the game was set in 1930, which was the exact year that ''Swing, You Sinners!'' came out in TheGreatDepression!).
58	** In "[[https://www.cracked.com/article_19092_6-bad-ideas-in-video-game-mash-ups-well-probably-see-next.html 6 Bad Ideas In Video Game Mashups We'll Probably See Next]]", they state that "any attempts to bring ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'' into real life range from creepy to horrifying examples of animal abuse." Fast-forward to ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'', a live-action Pokemon film with photo-realistic CGI Pokemon that does the exact opposite- making some of them (such as Bulbasaur and ''especially'' Pikachu) ''look even cuter'' when brought into real life!
59	** On the flip side to the above point, the site hosted a Photoshop Contest on March 2008 where the theme was ''Things that Should Never Be Adapted To Film'', one [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sonicphotoentry.jpg entry]] created by S. Peter Davis got 3rd place showing a live-action Sonic with Mike Myers which dips into the UnintentionalUncannyValley. Eleven years later and ''Film/SonicTheHedgehog2020'' came about, with its first trailer featuring a very off-looking CGI Sonic that forced a whole VFX rehaul.
60	** Way back in 2008, ''Cracked.com'' did a [[https://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_18_20-superhero-movies-we-hope-they-never-make/ photoplasty]] which featured Jake Gyllenhaal as Quicksilver. He would eventually get cast in the Marvel Cinematic Universe [[Film/SpidermanFarFromHome as Mysterio]].
61	** On February 8th 2020 Cracked published a pictofacts article about [[https://www.cracked.com/pictofacts-1557-celebrity-relatives-who-should-be-famous/ Celebrity Relatives Who Should Be Famous]]. One of the entries was about [[Creator/BradPitt Brad Pitt's]] brother Doug, who works with a non-profit to bring clean water to people in East Africa, and was named Goodwill Ambassador for Tanzania "..which is objectively a much more important accomplishment than winning an [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar]] for acting. Not that his brother would know what that's like, either." ''The next day'' Brad Pitt won the [[UsefulNotes/AcademyAward Oscar for Best Supporting Actor]] for playing Cliff Booth in ''Film/OnceUponATimeInHollywood''.
62	** In 2013, Felix Clay wrote [[https://www.cracked.com/blog/6-amazing-movie-crossovers-hollywood-should-be-making-now/ 6 Amazing Movie Crossovers Hollywood Should Be Making Now]] where, among other ideas, he pitches a ''Franchise/{{Terminator}}'' vs.''Franchise/{{Rambo}}'' movie. 7 years later, both characters are playable in ''VideoGame/MortalKombat11''.
63	** The 2014 article "[[https://www.cracked.com/article_21107_9-unintentionally-terrifying-old-timey-childrens-toys.html 9 Unintentionally Terrifying Old-Timey Children's Toys]]" describes Mr. Potato Head as a "lovable subliminal advocate of plastic surgery". A year later, Music/MelanieMartinez would release a song called "Mrs. Potato Head" that was a metaphor for becoming addicted to plastic surgery.
64	* HypeAversion:
65	** Cracked's in-article plugs for their De-Textbook (mostly [[ExecutiveMeddling added in by editors]]) became so common that, more often than not, the top comments for any given article utilizing them consisted of complaints about it.
66	** Their article titles more and more frequently use certain phrases to entice a click, to the point that it's very easy to get sick of it. "6 Myths About X (You Probably Believe)" and "5 Things You Didn't Know About X" are huge offenders. Worse, sometimes the articles are ''actually'' funny and interesting, while other times they're just lazy and derivative.
67	* MagazineDecay: Not so much "decay" as a shift, since the content is generally still ''good'', but the website seems to get less and less humor-based every day.
68	* MemeticMutation:
69	** Fuck you. Buy a butter dish. [[labelnote:Explanation]]This statement by Luis Prada in [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/8-stupid-kitchen-hacks-tested-usefulness/ "8 Stupid Kitchen Hacks (Tested For Usefulness)"]] took off with the commenters in a big way.[[/labelnote]]
70	** No shit, Sherringford. [[labelnote:Explanation]]When an article talks about how Creator/ArthurConanDoyle originally intended to name Franchise/SherlockHolmes "Sherringford", several commenters started to use this to replace the usual idiom of "No shit, Sherlock."[[/labelnote]]
71	** Title Guy: [[labelnote:Explanation]]The nebulous entity Cracked commenters blame for the inaccurate and often clickbait-y titles of Cracked articles, which at it's peak would change several times a day. Sometimes the original title was an example, but more commonly it was the only one that made sense.[[/labelnote]]
72	** They both get affected by lava. [[labelnote:Explanation]]This bizarre phrasing appeared in a screenshot from IMDB's trivia section in [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-truly-bizarre-sections-otherwise-normal-websites/ "5 Secretly Bizarre Sections of Websites You Use Every Day"]] to showcase how the Trivia section tends to have this kind of useless, completely random tidbits. The commenters loved it, making predictions that it would become the next "buy a butter dish."[[/labelnote]]
73	** Poor Man's Upvote [[labelnote:Explanation]]The site put up and down votes in the comments behind a subscription paywall. Since very few commentors actually bought it, posting Upvote as an actual reply became common. [[/labelnote]]
74	* MemeticBadass:
75	** UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt.
76	** UsefulNotes/AndrewJackson.
77	** Astronauts, as they are considered by the US to be the equivalent of ''nuking the moon''.
78	** Octopi, thanks to winning the animal equivalent of a SuperpowerLottery.
79	** UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla is a favorite of the writers.
80	** A minor one is [[http://www.amazon.com/review/RPUSBNNCSTI4B/ref=cm_aya_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0764553224l Nikolai]] [[http://www.amazon.com/review/R2DDF1YDDRCVLH/ref=cm_aya_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0028627717 Krestinsky]]. Who was mentioned in [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19080_8-amazon-products-with-impressively-sarcastic-reviews.html 8 Amazon Products With Impressively Sarcastic Reviews: Pt. 2]].
81	** [[SuperDrowningSkills The Strid]] has managed to become one without actually being alive (we hope).
82	* MemeticMolester: A RunningGag is that writing for Cracked can turn you into one.
83	* MemeticPsychopath: Popsicle Pete. "'''''NONE OF YOU ARE SAFE'''''".
84	* MisaimedFandom:
85	** [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-reasons-women-will-rule-future/ "5 Reasons Why Women Will Rule the Future."]] It's [[PoesLaw (hopefully)]] [[StrawMisogynist just a joke]], but judging from [[HeManWomanHater some of the comments]], not everybody saw it that way.
86	** There's a large amount of people that take the writers' harmless (if sometimes a little mean-spirited) jabs at various fandoms seriously and agree. The most blatant example would have to be their various stabs at the Star Wars' Expanded Universe.
87	** The writers themselves have fallen victim to this on occasion, like in David Wong's [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/6-harsh-truths-that-will-make-you-better-person/ 6 Harsh Truths That Will Make You a Better Person]], which uses Alec Baldwin's scene from ''Film/GlengarryGlenRoss'' to describe how one might become a "better person", when David Mamet has openly said he intended that scene to show what was wrong with rampant capitalism and cutthroat sales tactics. More specifically: Wong's point in the article ultimately boils down to "You are only the sum total of the valuable skills that you can provide the world." A valid message, but he apparently missed the fact that ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' is all about salesmen knowingly selling worthless real estate to gullible customers, and Alec Baldwin's big speech is meant to inspire them to sell ''more'' worthless real estate. The whole point of the speech is that the salesmen only care about how much they can outdo each other, and never question whether or not their work is valuable. Sure, DeathOfTheAuthor and all that, but it's still a fundamental misunderstanding of context. He also shows this towards the [[https://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2012/11/hipsters_on_food_stamps.html blog]] that he says he got the analysis off of; if you actually read it, the quote he provides in the article [[QuoteMine cut off the previous two sentences]] that Baldwin's character ''clearly doesn't believe a word of it'' and that if you take it seriously you've misunderstood the scene.
88	** As mentioned under the "DracoInLeatherPants", the writers will argue the villains of a work are secretly the real good guys. Often times, they completely miss the point of the characters involved such as arguing Sauron was fighting for Orc rights.
89	* MorePopularSpinOff: Of the [[Magazine/{{Cracked}} magazine]]. The website is both more popular and well-known (see AdaptationDisplacement and SurprisinglyImprovedSequel).
90	* NauseaFuel:
91	** [[http://www.cracked.com/video_18133_8-great-foods-explaining-why-terrorists-hate-us.html 8 Great Foods Explaining Why Terrorists Hate Us.]] Michael Swaim outright admits it.
92	** Almost every example from the photoplasty [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_132_horrible-fast-food-ideas-that-cant-be-too-far-off/ Horrible Fast Food Ideas (That Can't Be Too Far Off))]]
93	* ParanoiaFuel:
94	** Cracked's writers just don't seem to have much confidence in the human brain at all. Cases in point: [[http://www.cracked.com/article_17103_5-ways-your-brain-messing-with-your-head.html 5 Ways Your Brain Is Messing With Your Head]], [[http://www.cracked.com/article_199_5-horrific-ways-your-brain-can-turn-you-without-warning/ 5 Horrific Ways Your Brain Can Turn on You Without Warning]] and [[http://www.cracked.com/article_16656_6-brainwashing-techniques-theyre-using-on-you-right-now.html 6 Brainwashing Techniques They're Using on You Right Now]].
95	** There is also the Cursed Iceman in [[http://web.archive.org/web/20180731075331/http://www.cracked.com/article_18809_the-6-most-strangely-convincing-real-life-curses.html The 6 Most Strangely Convincing Real-Life Curses]].
96	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_19973_the-8-creepiest-cases-identity-theft-all-time.html The 8 Creepiest Cases of Identity Theft of All Time]], particularly #6, since the victims were randomly picked and there was nothing they could have possibly done to prevent it.
97	* PeripheryDemographic:
98	** While Cracked is an American site, with much of its content revolving around American culture, a substantial number of readers are from other countries.
99	** A fair number of people enjoy Cracked not for the comedic articles, but the more introspective and philosophical articles. And while they're never taken seriously, there are quite a few scientific and technology based articles which are actually rather informative.
100	* RetroactiveRecognition: A strange example: one Photoshop contest featured a joke ad made with a stock photo that featured someone who looked very much like Soren Bowie. A few days later, Soren made an article explaining that yes, it was him in the photo (he'd made it during one of his previous jobs).
101	%% The Scrappy is Administrivia/NoRealLifeExamplesPlease. Do not add examples of the website's columnists.
102	* SeasonalRot:
103	** Many fans dislike the fact that [[CerebusSyndrome the site has become less comedy-oriented]] over time. By 2013, a lot of articles were more like opinion pieces or philosophical treatises than humorous stories or lists of factual information (like bizarre animals, or legends, or suchlike) presented in a funny way. Accusations in 2014 that the site was becoming host to {{Soap Box Sadie}}s with political axes to grind didn't help their case. By 2016, readers noted a sharp increase in political articles, all of them with a strong progressive bent that comes across as {{Anvilicious}}, even to those who agree with much of the content. Even articles on pop culture haven't been free of politics: Many writers will add in a jab toward gun owners, evangelical Christians, or social conservatives in an article about deconstructing Hogwarts or the Marvel universe. Not helping matters was the 2016 US presidential election; two days after the results were in, ''every single article'' that ran that day was about politics. For those who go to Cracked for a distraction from political issues, this did not bode well, and the mission since then seems to have become turning the site into a marginally lighter-hearted version of ''The Huffington Post''. They backed off slightly on the volume of political articles in 2018, at least to the point that a day or two could go by without any polemics on the front page, but by 2020 it was back with a vengeance.
104	** As of 2024, the bulk of content is either pictorials recycled from older material or "This Thing You Enjoy is Actually Racist/Sexist/Homophobic and You're Evil For Enjoying It" screeds that may as well have been leached off of Website/{{Tumblr}}, with truly new or original content becoming rare.
105	** A lot of people accused many newer article titles of being clickbait.[[note]] an article titled entirely to get curious readers to "click" on it, and therefore more money[[/note]] It doesn't help that many of the titles use attention-grabbing words/phrases like "Mind Blowing", "You Won't Believe", and "Horrifying" even if it isn't an accurate description of the article.
106	** The increasing number of articles that come out daily. Around 2018, it used to be five. Come 2020, with the exception of a few days that only has three articles, at least ''12'' articles are popped out on a daily basis with majority of them being only a few paragraphs long instead of the list based format longtime readers are used to, and some others being a single section from an older article converted in pictofact format, resulting in accusations of clickbait while making daily reading less enjoyable and more of a chore. Also, from 2020 onwards, pictofacts which aren't recycled from older (non-pictofact) articles have their #1 entry being a link to older articles instead of a proper entry, which some of the readers reacted poorly too.
107	* {{Squick}}:
108	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_17626_5-creepiest-sex-scenes-in-comics.html 5 Creepiest Sex Scenes in Comics.]]
109	** They love to lampshade NightmareFuel and {{Squick}} by proclaiming something along the lines of "[[FreakOut OHGODKILLITKILLITAHHHHHHH]]" or "Not Safe For Soul".
110	** Out-of-Universe example. In [[http://www.cracked.com/article_21538_5-things-i-learned-as-sex-slave-in-modern-america.html 5 Things I Learned As A Sex Slave In Modern America]], the interviewee says that her parents used to refer her clients/molesters as her "[[CreepyUncle uncles]]". Thus, adding a pseudo-incest vibe to an already squicky and disturbing subject.
111	** [[http://www.cracked.com/article_21666_5-seemingly-impossible-things-your-body-does-every-day.html 5 Seemingly Impossible Things Your Body Does Every Day]]. Did you know your kidneys have taste and scent receptors to inspect your urine for blood and toxins? Well, you do now.
112	---> That's right: Your kidneys are ''super freaky''.
113	** Do NOT read [[http://www.cracked.com/article_22108_6-terrible-things-you-learn-with-dysfunctional-genitals.html 6 Things You Learn When Your Penis / Vagina Doesn't Work]] if you've just eaten.
114	* SubcultureOfTheWeek: They've been accused of writing articles like this, most infamously when it comes to [[AllAnimeIsNaughtyTentacles anime fans]] and [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Bronies]]. In fact, if you look at the Dethroning Moments subpage, you'll quickly see a pattern.
115	* SurprisinglyImprovedSequel: For something that started out as a cheap [[Magazine/{{MAD}} MAD Magazine]] rip-off, the {{Retool}} to being a list-based humor website has really helped them a lot.
116	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks:
117	** The site's redesign that was introduced in late June 2013 originally prompted this response from a lot of its users.
118	** The site using subscriptions in mid 2017 for exclusive features turned off many people. Later on, even the simple ability to upvote and downvote comments were locked behind the subscription paywall, which pissed off a lot of people.
119	** 2019 saw them remove the comment section entirely from most inherently controversial articles. Needless to say, imposing a "no backtalk" policy on an audience that ''thrives'' on backtalk has not been very popular, and other articles are full of comments from readers unimpressed with this particular bit of editorial cowardice. As of 2021, the comment sections appear to be gone entirely. When [[https://www.reddit.com/r/BestofCracked/comments/lx7vdm/did_cracked_remove_the_comments_section_from/gpnnamk/ asked online]], it is stated that it is now locked to only people who logged in to the website itself.
120	* ThisIsYourPremiseOnDrugs: [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/choose-your-own-drug-fueled-misadventure-flight-of-terror/ The Choose Your Own Drug Fueled Misadventure]] series of stories by Robert Brockway involve plots on a lethal overdose of drugs. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Literally]].
121	* UglyCute: The Jerboa as seen in [[http://www.cracked.com/article_21454_6-animals-that-look-like-drunken-combinations-other-ones.html 6 Animals That Look Like Drunken Combinations of Other Ones]]. It's a species of a tiny fuzzy things with bunny-like ears and big eyes. But they also look like they have only two (hairless, thin, long) limbs,[[note]](which they don't, it just looks that way because the two in front are very short)[[/note]] backward-bending knees, and a rat-like tail. This causes them both cute and unusually creepy at the same time.
122	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: [[http://www.cracked.com/article_17206_the-10-most-perverted-old-school-video-games.html The 10 Most Perverted Old School Video Games]] brings this up a few times.
123	* TheWoobie: Series/{{Alf}} is considered this in articles that discuss his show.
124	----
125	!!From the magazine:
126	* HarsherInHindsight: Take a look at the main page image. Back in 1975, that could easily be PlayedForLaughs (and was indeed a dig at the then-current big-budget disaster movie ''Film/{{Earthquake}}''). After 9/11? Try looking at the plane hitting what looks like the WTC, complete with the all-too familiar ring of smoke and fire around the tower's midsection, without cringing.
127	* HilariousInHindsight: A 1984 issue featured several parodies of recurring features in ''Magazine/{{MAD}}'', including two Don Orehek comics that spoofed Don Martin. Six years later, Don Martin quit ''MAD'' and started working for ''Cracked''.
128	* MagazineDecay: The constant ExecutiveMeddling in the later days, followed by the switch to a copycat of ''Maxim'', followed by the outright termination of the mag.
129	* NauseaFuel: The last few years of the mag were rife with bodily function jokes, including a whole article on ''different types of farts'' and ''another'' on different types of ''puking''.
130	* {{Padding}}: The 2000s issues were rife with this: repeats from classic issues, a ''second'' ''Film/{{Godzilla\|1998}}'' parody more than two years after the fact, several song parodies...
131	* RetroactiveRecognition:
132	** Bill Wray did some art for the magazine in the late 1980s. He would later do work on ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' and illustrate the long-running "Monroe and..." cartoon for ''Magazine/{{MAD}}''.
133	** Columnist and blogger Lenore Skenazy (''World's Worst Moms'') wrote for ''Cracked'' for a short time in the 1990s.
134	* SoBadItsGood: Let's face it, most of the "jokes" were lame...
135	** NarmCharm: ... But the very same lameness that made you groan is also what made the magazine [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny funny]].
136	* UglyCute: Sylvester P. Smythe evolved into this once John Severin started doing almost all of the covers.
137
138	----
139	!!From the [=TV=] show
140	For the audience reactions to the [=TV=] show that's unrelated but of the same name, click [[YMMV/Cracked2013 here]].

Context YMMV / Cracked