->''"Hilarity ensues when two adventurers from different ends of the alignment spectrum must work together in the feel-good comedy of the year!"''
-->-- '''Elan''', ''OrderOfTheStick''

->'''Jazmine:''' "What's so funny?"\\
'''Robert:''' "Oh, nothing. Hilarity just ensued, that's all."\\
'''Jazmine:''' "It '''did'''?!"\\
-- ''TheBoondocks''

Alleged consequence of any event in a SitCom or cartoon which in the real world would result in hospitalization, [[HilaritySues a lawsuit]], or dismissal from one's job, at the very least, up to and including possible imprisonment. Thankfully for our fictional friends both the RuleOfCool and the RuleOfFunny keeps them safe (the latter more prominently).

Traditionally seen in the capsule descriptions of episodes found in programming guides: "Jimbo accidentally glues his boss to a golf cart and hilarity ensues." Outside of these descriptions, though, the phrase is usually used sarcastically, indicating that the consequences are anything ''but'' hilarious. The less charitable might say this is what it ''really'' means when used ''in'' these descriptions, as well. Or that hilarity is what happens for those hearing of it.

On TVTropes, phrase may or may not be taken seriously; in a number of examples that use this hilarity actually does ensue.

Variants include "...with hilarious consequences" (more common in the UK), "wackiness ensues", and "hijinks ensue." In extreme cases "wacky hijinks ensue." The collective noun for a hijink is an "aplenty."

NotToBeConfusedWith the {{webcomic}} ''HijinksEnsue''. Or with HumanityEnsues. When something serious happens and it's not played for laughs, you may end up with RealityEnsues.

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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* ''{{Full Metal Panic}}!'' '''is''' this trope.
* About half the plots against Loki in ''MythicalDetectiveLokiRagnarok'' have this at some point.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* {{Deadpool}} in...anything he appears in.
** ThisTroper laughed as soon as he saw this.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* Referenced in the ''{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/{{Jingo}}'': "Any homely featured man who for whatever reason has to [[BosomBuddies disguise himself as a woman]] will inevitably become [[AttractiveBentGender attractive to otherwise perfectly sane men]], with, as the ancient scrolls say, hilarious results."

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* Referenced frequently by early seasons of ''MysteryScienceTheater3000''. Any time it appeared that plot threads were about to converge, Joel would shout, "Looks like we're on a collision course with ''wackiness!''"
* "[[MontyPython And next week, Dan falls into a vat of human dung, with hilarious consequences]]."
* VeronicaMars charges extra if HilarityEnsues.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* ''FoxTrot'' uses a similar phrase to describe the typical plot of an episode of ''{{Frasier}}''. Jason complains to Andy that the restaurant where he's scheduled an impressive party is removing foreign cheeses from its menu, finishing with "I just know madcap hijinks will come of this!"

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Stand Up Comedy ]]

* Referenced and parodied by Bill Bailey right at the beginning of ''Part Troll'' when explaining why he can't tell traditional jokes. He tends to bail out because:
--> Three blokes go into a pub, one of them is a little bit stupid, and the whole scene unfolds with a tedious inevitability.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* "Hilarity ensues" is a good way to describe what happens when Orks go to war in ''{{Warhammer 40000}}'' because, to the Orks, it really is hilarious -- they're having a great time, and the bigger the stuff they blow up, the more fun it is. To say that everyone else in the galaxy does not reciprocate the Orks' feelings on warfare and Ork invasions would be an understatement.
** [[AxeCrazy Well, except the worshipers of Khorne, anyway]].
* Tends to pop up whenever anything involving ''{{Paranoia}}'' is discussed. Indeed, the latest release features slogans down the bottom, including one ''requiring'' hilarity to ensue.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* [[BlazBlue BANG BANG BANG]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYKPmkOF-z8 BAAAAANG!]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Animation ]]

* ''HomestarRunner'' [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] this at the end of this [[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail155.html Strong Bad Email]]. "And his first guest... is hilarity!"

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* "Hilarity ensues" is one of the cliches often used in headlines at not-news website [[http://fark.com Fark]]. A variant, used for stories that involve idiot criminals, is "jailarity ensues".
* Used frequently in the summaries of {{Fanfiction}}.
* Thomas Wilde and Dan Birlew's [[http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/gamecube/file/535836/2204 Resident Evil Plot Analysis]] frequently uses the phrases "hilarity ensues" when giving the preliminary outline to the plot of a game. Since the games involve zombies, mutants, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Corrupt Corporate Executives]], and vast amounts of death, it's safe to say this is ''[[{{Understatement}} slightly]]'' [[{{Understatement}} ironic]]...
** I hadn't realized I used it so much. It's Fark's fault. - Thomas Wilde
** Wilde's usual writing style usually has an extremely sarcastic tone to it, so it's not so much ironic as two tons of [[DeadpanSnarker deadpan snark]].
* Web Author [[http://www.tuckermax.com Tucker Max]] uses "hilarity ensues" in the titles of his short stories on occasion, e.g. "Tucker ruptures appendix, hilarity ensues". Or "Tucker fucks fat girl, hilarity ensues".
** Inverted, when he write his story, "Tucker tries buttsex; Hilarity does not ensue."
*** Interestingly, the story inverting this is the site's absolute CrowningMomentOfFunny.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* [[http://gigaville.com/comic.php?id=15 This]] ''TheLastDaysOfFoxhound'' comic, a subversion in that Octopus happens to be correct.
* [[http://www.shapequest.net/?id=112 Drake mentions this]] in [[http://www.shapequest.net Shape Quest]] when Lance considers traveling to his land.
* [[LookingForGroup Once [the fire] reaches your eyebrows, that's when hilarity really ensues]]."
* [[http://www.pvponline.com/2009/11/16/the-incident-part-one/ This]] ''PvP'' strip could probably qualify as the page image.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In ''TheSimpsons'', Moe gets on a soap opera, only to be led to think his character will be killed off. He decides to have Homer spoil the future plot events on live broadcast. All the plot summaries written seem to end with "...with sexy results"
** In one ''Simpsons'' comic, Bart convinces professional ButtMonkey Milhouse van Houten that [[MadScientist Professor Frink's]] dumpster has rendered him (Milhouse) invisible. [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]], because when Bart's thought bubbles include the phrase "hilarious hijinks", he concludes he spends way too much time reading program descriptions in the TV guide.

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