Line #43 YMMV/ToejamAndEarl


1	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic:
2	** There's so many funky tunes the games even let you jam to it. Considering that the game group that made ''[=ToeJam=] and Earl'''s soundtrack later made that of ''VideoGame/KidChameleon''...
3	** The original game had a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qqEoQanpk7Q promotional rap]] released on cassette tape describing the plot of the game, and it's catchy, funky, and fun.
4	** The animated trailer for the Kickstarter features a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw0bK0_6hbY delightfully funky]] ExpositoryThemeTune performed by the duo's voice actors (Gregory Savoy Brown reprising his role as Earl from ''Mission to Earth'') It later made it into the game as the music for returning to Funkotron.
5	* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: The last scene to Level 10 on ''Panic on Funkotron''. After you've captured all the earthlings, you have to go through a giant maze called "Qwerpwacky... What?" with all the NPC's [[GuideDangIt haphazardly guiding you out]]. It's never referenced again after you finally get to the rocket pad.
6	* ContestedSequel: Fans are divided on whether the third game is worth playing or not.
7	* DemonicSpiders:
8	** The Chicken Infantry fire harmful tomatoes from their cannon across a screen's length, clucking all the while.
9	** The Boogie Men are an unending source of misery. They're faster than you, they're ''invisible'' (aside from the occasional shadow appearing for a split-second and only when they move), they're ''everywhere'' on the higher levels, and exist on some lower levels unlike the other demonic spiders -- combined with the lack of MercyInvincibility, the sound of "BOOGIE BOOGIE BOOGIE" is almost inevitably followed by the sound of a thrown controller. The Boogie Men's preferred terrain is sand, which TJ & E move slowly on, unless they are walking along an edge. Being on the edge means one "BOOGIE BOOGIE BOOGIE" will knock you down to the previous level, but that may be preferable to being caught in a CycleOfHurting. Unless you fall into an area next to ''two'' Boogie Men.
10	*** They retain their DemonicSpider status in the sequel. On their own, they're just a nuisance... but they love to travel in ''packs'', meaning that if you see one, there's more likely than not at least two more hanging around nearby, and you'll never know if the one you just hit is the one you've already landed a couple of jars on or a completely different one. Even worse, not only can they teleport while they're invisible, but they can ''speed up'' right before they're about to attack, meaning you can't put distance between you and them. If you stumble upon a pack of them unaware, they can tear your health bar to shreds in a matter of seconds.
11	** The Lawnmower Man. He's essentially the Hamster -- only he's faster, more persistent, and hits like a truck. Their sheer speed, maneuverability, damage, and determination, combined with the aforementioned lack of MercyInvincibility basically translates running into one of these guys into a OneHitKill. As if that wasn't bad enough, they'll still chase you after you die, so unless you have a present that enables a speedy getaway, once your [[MercyInvincibility after-death invincibility]] wears off, chances are you'll just die ''again''. This is enough to cause said thrown controllers to go through televisions. All of a sudden, the pits that take you to the previous level, normally an extremely annoying thing to happen, become your best friend. The only mitigating factor is they move a little slower on road, as well as the fact that they move at roughly the same speed as Earl (meaning even he can outrun them to an extent).
12	** Then there's the Phantom Ice Cream Truck, which is basically the Lawnmower Man, only it's even faster. It's not quite as agile, but it can teleport, isn't slowed down by road, and does even more damage. It's also '''''MUCH''''' faster than you, so the only viable escape option is to equip the Hi-Tops...if you have a set available. If you don't, you're pretty much screwed. The only saving grace is that it doesn't show up until ''very'' late in the game. In ''Back in the Groove'', the Deadly Ice Cream Truck is even ''worse'' as it's faster and drops rotten cabbage.
13	** The Mailbox Monster may be the worst of all. It disguises itself as a helpful mailbox from where you can order presents, and attacks you if you get too close. It show its eyes at random intervals, so if you wait around them long enough, they'll eventually reveal themselves. This actually makes them ''worse'' because if you camp out for 30 seconds, you might just foolishly assume that there's no way that can be a mailbox monster. It doesn't help that in random mode, you might see them as early as Level ''4''.
14	** Dogs in ''Panic on Funkotron''. They move quickly and are harder to hit than most enemies, but a single dog by itself is more of an annoyance. However, the game also likes to stick more than one dog with a dog lady, where they'll quickly tear you apart if you aren't quick on the draw or have Super Jars or a Funk-Vac handy. Finding just a single dog lady is even worse, because it usually means that the dogs are lying in wait for you to capture her before they jump out and ambush you.
15	** The naked men in cardboard boxes have more health than any other enemy, and have an annoying tendency to hide in their boxes (which makes them invincible) and walk around to ram into you repeatedly for massive damage if you hit them. The general strategy is to jump and hurl jars as fast as you can and hope that you capture them in one go before they retreat into the box.
16	*** They came back in ''Back in the Groove'', and they're arguably ''even worse'', as now they can drain nearly your entire health bar in a single hit and inflict massive knockback, virtually guaranteeing that you fall down a level if you're anywhere remotely close to the edge. They're still invincible when hiding in their boxes, making them one of very few earthlings that can sometimes resist the new OneHitKill amped tomatoes. The best advice if you see one is simply to ''stay the hell away''.
17	** The cow ghosts especially like to appear when you are bouncing on the bouncy fungus, when it's nearly impossible to avoid them. They can also become invisible, and they eat a huge chunk of your life if they possess you. The one saving grace is that they're {{Glass Cannon}}s, going down in a mere two hits, but if they appear in a place with a low ceiling where they're protected from your attacks, God help you.
18	** The tourists are {{Lightning Bruiser}}s par excellence, moving extremely fast and sporting a ScreenNuke attack that, in addition to stunning you, lops off a ''quarter'' of your health bar. They're also ''[[ArtificialBrilliance smart]]'' - if you try to cover your eyes and wait out their attacks before countering, they simply ''won't'', waiting until you lower your guard to fire off their cameras. But the worst part is that they ''love'' accompanying other enemies, meaning you either have to target them quickly and risk getting flashed, or take cover and leave yourself open to whatever else is lurking nearby. And they appear as early as the ''second level'', long before any of ''Panic on Funkotron's'' other resident Demonic Spiders. Have fun!
19	** The Medusa Baby in ''Back In The Groove'' and its faster UndergroundMonkey variant will randomize some of your presents when they bump into you, undoing some of your hard work identifying them.
20	** The Little Girl and her possessed variant in ''Back to the Groove'' attacks in a quick diagonal line and can completely shred your health bar. Even the loading screens say she's the most dangerous enemy in the game.
21	* EnsembleDarkhorse: The guy in the carrot suit from the first game, since he has the very useful ability of identifying unmarked presents. In ''Mission to Earth'' and ''Back in the Groove'', he appears in every level and his role is upgraded to handing out the promotions.
22	* FirstInstallmentWins: Just look at how many tropes listed deal with the first game. ''Back In The Groove'', while being a MegamixGame, uses the style of the original and leans on it much more than the sequels.
23	* FridgeBrilliance:
24	** Devils are numerous on the lower levels, because they're the closest ones to Hell.
25	** Why does the dentist take so much health out of [=ToeJam=] and Earl? Look at the food they eat to feed that HyperactiveMetabolism: sundaes, cakes, candy canes. All those sweets are doing a number on their teeth, making them sensitive to the dentist's drill.
26	* GameBreaker:
27	** One of Trixie's level-long power-ups in ''Panic on Funkotron'' is unlimited [[SmartBomb Funk-Vacs]], turning any encounter with Earthlings on that level into a complete curb-stomping.
28	** Suteki in ''Mission to Earth'' has a super-long health bar, can eat bad food without issue, can jump far, and is very fast, making her the strongest member of the entire cast.
29	** Icarus Wings in early versions of ''Back in the Groove'', due to the smaller level designs, could leave you set for up to 5 floors and avoid obstacles freely, especially if they were amped. They were later nerfed to not be ''quite'' as strong.
30	* GoddamnedBats:
31	** Wahini, the hula woman, has a tendency to cause paralysis in the form of a contagious hula dance. Not what you want when there's Demonic Spiders about. It's random too; you might be lucky and walk right by, or you might get into three or four cycles of dancing without a break.
32	** Cupids can mess up the controls with their arrows, stay out of range from normal attacks, and sing annoyingly.
33	** Tornados are even worse. They won't kill you (so they're proper Goddamned Bats), but they ''do'' pick you up, carry you around randomly for a while, and more than likely drop you off over open space, so you fall back down to the previous level. Keep in mind the "moving around randomly" part comes ''after'' it picks you up; before that point, it tracks down [=ToeJam=] and Earl with purpose. They also have a tendency to drop you into shark-infested water.
34	** The Moleman/Dogman. He doesn't hurt you, but he will remove presents from you, moves very quickly, and is only vulnerable when he decides to pop out of the ground. Oh, and he mostly appears in [[QuicksandSucks quicksand levels]] where your moving speed is drastically lowered.
35	** Tourists in ''Panic on Funkotron'' can stun you with their cameras (and deal damage at the same time) if you don't duck before they take a picture, and in later stages love to hang out with other Earthlings who will definitely get in some free hits. Having Tourists around also means that the "Jump and carpet bomb the ground with jars" strategy that works with a lot of enemies is the worst idea because that's when you're most vulnerable to a camera flash.
36	** Any flying enemy in ''Panic on Funkotron'', including the fairy who moves rapidly and drops bags of pixie dust that makes you laugh uncontrollably (having the same effect as the tourists' camera flash), the duck on a magic carpet who moves even faster and dive bombs you, and the ghost cows that are basically flying, teleporting boogiemen. The general strategy for any of them is to just constantly toss your jars into the air hoping they'll fly into them.
37	** The Barbarian UFO, also a ''Back In The Groove'' newcomer, ''demotes your character'' on the spot, dropping their stats. The only thing keeping them from being truly scary is that they move rather slowly, but you do not want to bump into one of these.
38	** ''Back in the Groove'' has fake elevators and the Spanish Inquisition, who don't hurt you but drop you through the floor, sending you down a level.
39	* GoodBadBugs:
40	** Some of the presents you can buy from the mailboxes in Random Mode. It is possible for a Randomizer or a Total Bummer to be up for sale.
41	** "Lil Kid Mode" in ''Panic on Funkotron'' ends after five levels, but you can still start at 7, 9, 11, 13 and 15 by entering in passwords for those levels. By doing this, all the earthlings can be defeated with only two jars.
42	* HilariousInHindsight:
43	** Aliens hula dancing with humans. Are we talking about ''[=ToeJam=] & Earl'' or ''Franchise/LiloAndStitch''?
44	*** Better yet, both franchises have a major alien character with three legs and a noodle-like body (i.e. [=ToeJam=] in ''TJ&E'', Pleakley in ''L&S'').
45	** Fans have been quick to point out the striking similarity between Earl and [[WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants Patrick Star]].
46	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
47	** ''"Hallelujah!"'' across the first three games:
48	*** In the first when the Wizard restores [=ToeJam=] or Earl's health. You also hear it when you rebuild the rocket ship at the end of the game, alongside some clapping and a "Jammin'!" voice clip.
49	*** In ''Panic on Funkotron'' when you earn an extra life.
50	*** In ''Mission to Earth'' when you convert an Earthling to Funk.
51	** The harps when you get an extra life in the original game.
52	** ''Panic on Funkotron'' has a fanfare whenever you pick up a jarred Earthling.
53	* NarmCharm:
54	** The character selection in the third game has [=ToeJam=], Earl and Latisha performing their own little rap verse. They’re corny as can be, but also catchy as hell.
55	** One could argue the ''whole series'' is still popular and loved because of this, since it takes the [[DiscoDan funky 80's aliens theme]] and runs ''all'' the way with it.
56	* NauseaFuel: Among the bad foods in the third game is maggot-filled egg salad with vomit sauce... ''[[ExtremeOmnivore which Earl can eat!]]''
57	* ScrappyMechanic:
58	** The Randomizer present randomizes every present (including itself) so you don't know what's inside any of them and have to start again from scratch. This is lampshaded in ''Back in the Groove'', where opening one will have a character ask why they even exist.
59	** Very rarely (that is, less than once per game), the characters will sneeze, which can spoil an attempt to sneak past sleeping enemies or sneak up on Santa. If they've recently drunk a Root Beer, they will [[AlcoholHic continuously burp]] for a while, which also renders stealth impossible.
60	** Earl's pants may suddenly fall down, forcing him to spend a moment pulling them back up.
61	** Tying the characters' OxygenMeter to their health bars in the first game and ''Back in the Groove''. Because of this, even touching water at low health can be a death sentence as there is absolutely no grace period: as soon as the meter is empty, you're dead. Not helping this is the fact that you move as slow as molasses while swimming, which means getting out of the water is much more difficult than getting in.
62	** The Total Bummer present is a OneHitKill for the player, and a TotalPartyKill if both players are on the same screen. This is lampshaded in ''Back in the Groove'', where opening one with lives to spare has characters complain about it.
63	** When you open the Rocket Skates present, the action button which makes [=ToeJam=] or Earl crouch is already pressed. This means your character will jump as soon as you let go of the button once the skates are activated. If you're near an edge when opening the skates, this means you risk falling.
64	* SelfImposedChallenge: In the first game. If you ''truly'' want a challenge, there are Game Genie codes that turn every enemy into Molemen or Boogeymen. Have fun!
65	* SurpriseDifficulty: The rhythm mini-game in ''Panic on Funkotron'' isn't all that hard, and if you play it fairly well, you'll earn prizes without increasing the difficulty. However, if you totally ace it a few times, it will build up in difficulty until you're dealing with rhythms with a good number of 1/16th notes in them that you need to recite by memory.
66	* SuspiciouslySimilarSong:
67	** The main theme of the series, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=301acFz0a_A "ToeJam Jammin'"]], has a bassline that heavily resembles that of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXE_n2q08Yw "For the Love of Money"]] by The O'Jays.
68	** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZ3WHvBftiI "Funkotronic Beat"]] from the first game begins with a riff that brings to mind the song [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5Zox5O3jh4 "Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)"]] by C+C Music Factory, which was released just one year prior to the game.
69	* TearJerker: The secret dialogue in ''Back in the Groove'' reveals that [[spoiler:[=ToeJam=]'s family went missing when he was young and he still plans to look for them, and that the plot of the game really happened because he wanted to take pictures of Earth to make Latisha's younger sister happy after she became ill to the point of not eating]].
70	* ThatOneLevel: In the original game, most of the levels after Level 15 usually qualify, as they contain lots of Boogeymen and Chickens, with the occasional Lawnmower Man. But Level 22 in the original game takes the cake; it is a large sandy mass where Ice Cream Trucks and Boogeymen are the most common enemies. It's even worse if a ship piece is on that level in Random Mode.
71	* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Some fans were unhappy that ''Panic on Funkotron'' was a side-scroller instead of a {{Roguelike}}. That said, [[SubvertedTrope many still think the game is fun despite this fact]], with some even considering it [[EvenBetterSequel better than the original]].
72	* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: There's no way a game like this, with all its bright and colorful, family-friendly, TotallyRadical hip-hop aesthetics could've been made outside of the early 90's. Besides the slang, the [[http://static.giantbomb.com/uploads/original/9/93770/2389550-genesis_toejamandearl_jp.jpg cover]] of the first game firmly places it in the [[TheNineties early 90s]], especially the Japanese version with its crimped starry border. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools Despite this]], [[NarmCharm the extreme datedness is arguably a big reason why the games are so charming]].
73	* ValuesDissonance:
74	** Peabo goes steady with Bloona at the end ''Panic on Funkotron'', although the relationship comes out as one-sided today. He avoids her for most of the second half because she wants to keep feeding him candy bars, and goes as far as telling [=ToeJam=] and Earl not to speak of his whereabouts. Talking to Sharla at the end of ''Back in the Groove'' reveals that she and Bloona are a couple. Given that she's overjoyed to be with Bloona and the player character's reaction, it's a much more positive relationship.
75	** In ''Mission to Earth'' [=ToeJam=] focuses the camera on Latisha's butt when he thinks she isn't looking, and it and her furious reactions are PlayedForLaughs; not so much nowadays.
76	* VindicatedByHistory: The second game was a ContestedSequel when it first came out, primarily due to the heavy ExecutiveMeddling ordered by Sega resulting in a massive GenreShift in gameplay. Nowadays, it's enjoyed as much as the original.

Context YMMV / ToejamAndEarl