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"And I hate gum."

"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum."
Nada, They Live!, the Trope Namer

This oft-parodied line originated in the 1988 film They Live! (The line was actually ad-libbed by hero and pro wrestler "Rowdy" Roddy Piper.)

The "kick ass and chew bubblegum" quote is referenced quite often for laughs (word for word except for the one part where it's mangled, the reversal is common as many people find it flows more naturally); it's assumed all viewers should know it by name. This is some of the most obvious Lampshade Hanging you will likely find anywhere.

Although it was originally used as a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner, They Live! was a deconstruction of the '80s in general and '80s action heroes in particular, so even there it likely wasn't meant to be entirely serious. In later references it generally indicates an Incoming Ham. Related to this is I Hit You, You Hit The Ground. Not related to an inability to walk and chew gum at the same time.


Examples:

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    Anime & Manga 
  • One volume of Samurai Deeper Kyo has the three male protagonists saying "We're here to kick ass and chew mochi balls... and we're all out of mochi." Seeing as gum hadn't been introduced to Japan yet, the chewy, doughy stuff makes an acceptable substitute.
  • Kuwabara pulls this once in the dub of YuYu Hakusho, in the dark Tournament Arc. Shizuru is not impressed.
  • Why Koga feels he should have been at the final fight in Inuyasha... until his friends tell him otherwise.
  • While the line itself is not uttered, Girls und Panzer's Naomi does in fact chew gum before kicking ass.

     Audio Drama 

    Comic Books 
  • From Marvel Zombies 3:
    Aaron Stack: I have been programmed to eviscerate your repulsive squishy organic bits and chew gum. And I hate gum.
  • Twisted Toyfare Theatre from Toy Fair magazine
    • One of the Smurfs said "I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblesmurf! And I'm all out of bubblesmurf!"
    • Inverted with a War Machine figure saying "I'm here to fire missiles and chew bubblegum. And I have plenty of missiles."
  • In Horndog:
    Andrea Mouse: I'm here to kill lemmings and chew bubblegum... and I'm all out of gum.

    Comic Strips 

    Fan Works 
  • Light and Dark The Adventures of Dark Yagami gives us "Imhere to sex up L and bake cup cakes and im all out of cupcakes which is why I need to bake them!", perhaps the most bizarrely worded version ever.
  • Used in Twillight Sparkle's awesome adventure just before the first big fight scene.
    Applejack: Alright everyone, it’s time to chew bubble gums and kick plots.
  • From the Megane 6.7 MSTing of Artemis' Lover:
    Crow T. Robot: I'M STUCK IN THIS CRUMMY FANFIC, I CAN'T SPELL TO SAVE MY LIFE AND I'M ALL OUT OF BUBBLEGUM!
  • From the Merlin fanfiction One Hundred:
    Now, Arthur finished his We're-The-Knights-of-Camelot-and-We're-Here-To-Kick-Ass-and-Drink-Ale-And-We're-All-Out-Of-Ale speech, and the knights hoo-rah'd back at him, running off to strike down their foes.
  • From Project Sunflower: Harmony:
    Pinkie Pie: I've come here to kick flank and eat cupcakes. And I'm all out of cupca- Oh wait, here's one! [pulls cupcake out of her mane and eats it] Okay, now I'm out of cupcakes!
  • There used to be a website hosting things like Spider-Man: Shush, and Avengers: Misassembled spoofing Marvel and DC crossover stories, using action figures.
    Ultron: "I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. ... And even though I still have plenty of gum, I'ma still gonna kick all yo asses."
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series:
    • Kaiba declares "I'm here to kick ass and play card games, and I'm all out of cards." This is later parodied by Yami in "The Other Abridged Movie" with "I'm here to kick ass and play card games, and I'm all out of ass."
    • In one episode, Bakura says, "I've come to kick ass and drink cups of tea, and I'm all out of tea!"
  • A pre-Team Four Star Dragon Ball Abridged take on the "Dead Zone" movie had a botched take on it:
    Piccolo: Alright. I'm here to kick bubblegum and chew ass, and I'm all out of ass... wait...
  • In .hack Trilogy Abridged, during Haseo's fight with Tri-Edge, at 6:17-6:25, Tri-Edge says "I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of bubblegum, AGAIN!! I need to shop for more!"
  • GanXingba, the creator of Avatar: The Abridged Series produced this gem: "I'm hear to eat fire flakes and kick ass, and I'm all out of fire flakes."
  • Humorously inverted in this Professor Layton meme.
  • Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Abridged Series by Pony Not Ready:
    Kyoko: I'm here to kick ass and eat food. And I'm all out of food.
    Kyubey: Kyubey Kyubey Kyubey? note 
    Kyoko: Of course I'm not out of food, who do you think I am?
  • From PalletTownHeroes' version of Pokémon: the Abridged Series:
    Ash: (enters Pewter Gym) I'm here to kick ass and play Pokémon, and I'm all out of Pokémon.
    Brock: Oh, so that means I win.
    Ash: What — no, wait...(rewind) I'm here to kick ass and play Pokémon, and I'm all out of ass!
    Brock: Still isn't that funny.
  • A popular meme quotes Hank Hill as saying "I'm here to kick ass and sell propane, and I'm all out of propane." Made doubly hilarious by the fact that this is something completely in character for Hank to say (although he never actually said it on the show).
  • In the Bleach fic Vow of the King, Bambietta attempts to introduce herself and Candice this way, only for Candice to ruin the line by handing Bambietta a pack of bubblegum.

    Films — Animation 
  • The Mitchells vs. the Machines parodies the line in one of Katie's Dog Cop movies, where she voices Monchi saying "I'm here to bust criminals and lick my own butt...and I'm all out of criminals".

    Films — Live-Action 
  • John Nada from They Live! is the Trope Namer. He utters this line while entering a Bank infested with aliens disguised as tellers and security... in which he utters the quote from the top of this page.
  • Clint in Dazed and Confused:
    Clint: I only came here to do two things, kick some ass and drink some beer. [glances over his shoulder] Looks like we're almost outta beer.
  • Used as a Stealth Pun in G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra: at one point, it's established that Duke really likes Dubble Bubble. Right before the Paris chase, he gives his last piece to Breaker.
  • Invoked during Roddy Piper's appearance at a wrestling match featured in the Juggalo documentary A Family Underground.
  • Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy has this great quote by Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate).
    Corningstone: Because I am good at three things: Fighting, screwing, and reading the news. I've already done one of those today, so what's the other one gonna be? Huh?
    Ed Harken: Screwing?
  • In Army of Darkness:
    Ash: You ain't leading but two things now: Jack and shit. And Jack left town.
  • Played for laughs in Avengers: Infinity War, where Mantis mangles the phrase to "Kick names and take ass!" which she almost certainly (mis)heard from Quill.

    Jokes 
  • "I'm here to do two things: make love, and sing 80s power ballads. And I'm all out of love."

    Literature 
  • In Proven Guilty, book 8 of The Dresden Files, we find this gem:
    Chapter Thirty-five
    I kicked the door open, staff held ready to fight, and shouted, "And I'm all outta bubble gum!"
    Cue crickets.
  • There Is No Epic Loot Here, Only Puns: Ruli the half-demon has just three things she wants from life. Drinking, fishing, and hunting. When she encounters Levix the undead knight, she informs him that, "I don't see any fish… and I left my drink upstairs. So that leaves me my last vice."

    Live-Action TV 
  • Although it's never explicitly referenced, an episode of Stargate SG-1 included a one-episode character shooting the hell out of a zombie while blowing bubbles with his gum.
  • MythBusters. Invoked by Adam while Jamie is busy setting up their latest rig:
    Adam: Mr Hyneman says it's time to bash some heads in, and chew some gum. And he's fresh out of gum.
  • In 'The Final Countdown' episode of The IT Crowd, this line is uttered deadpan by mild-mannered nerd Moss:
    Moss: I came here to drink milk... and kick ass. And I've just finished my milk.
  • Mystery Science Theater 3000:
    • Parodied with Kevin Murphy as Santa Claus, pronouncing, "I'm here to kick ass and eat candy canes, and I'm all out of candy canes!" before fighting with Pitch.
    • The episode The Outlaw (of Gor) made fun of this. Before the fight, the hero is chewing on something, and Crow quips "I've come here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of ass!"
    • And again during Godzilla vs. Megalon, with Crow substituting "sushi" for bubblegum.
  • The team captain of Robot Wars contestant Diotoir ends their Extreme 1 introduction with this line.
  • How I Met Your Mother: When Ted comes to help Lily and Marshall pack.
    Ted: I'm here to chew bubblegum and pack boxes, and I'm all out of bubble... [gags] Oh, my God, I swallowed it!
  • Jessie: Done when Zuri confronts a girl who upset Emma.
    Zuri: "If there's two things I'm good at, it's eating cookies, and kicking butt. And we're all out of cookies!"

    Music 
  • "The Meddler" by the Subway Thugs, a street punk band, has the line during the intro.
  • "Duke, You Used To Be Cool" by Miracle of Sound features the line, "Shit, I guess you found more gum" as an insult towards Duke's Badass Decay in Duke Nukem Forever.
  • "Never fight a man with a perm" by Idles features lyrics "I said I’ve got a penchant for smokes and kicking douches in the mouth. Sadly for you, my last cigarette’s gone out".
  • "Robbed" by Manila Luzon has this one-liner courtesy of Latrice Royale:
    Latrice: "We have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And we're all out of bubblegum."

    Roleplay 
  • Sarah Bishop in Dino Attack RPG humorously referenced the original line with a BZP-friendly version: "I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick buttocks, and I'm all out of bubblegum!"
  • In the BZPRPG: Asked why he came to Ga-Wahi, Hau merely utters: "I've come to see the sights and kick butt. And I'm all out of sights."

    Tabletop Games 
  • In the Scion sourcebook Hero, players are advised to make Physical Attributes their character's primary category "if you're building a Scion who kicks ass and chews gum, but happens to be all out of gum."
  • This simple tabletop system literally contains rules for being All Outta Bubblegum.

    Video Games 
  • 77p egg: Eggwife have the local Pissco's loudspeaker saying a variant:
    "I've come here to kick ass and Chew Bubblegum, and I don't have them now!"
  • Two examples from RuneScape:
    • The description of the troll (named by the first thing they ate) Cliff is "He came down from the mountain to drink milk and kick butt... and he is all outta milk."
    • Sir Owen: "I am here to kick ass and take names... and I am a Temple Knight, so I already know your names."
  • The bubblegum line was quoted almost word-for-word by the main character in Duke Nukem 3D. Thanks to Parody Displacement, many people actually attribute this line to Duke, rather than the film it actually originated from.
    Duke: It's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum. And I'm all out of gum.
    • In Duke Nukem: Manhattan Project, the Big Bad has built a giant robot in Duke's image. During the final level, you can hear the robot mangle this line into "I came to kick bubblegum and chew ass, and I am all out of ass."
    • Also used in the 2011 Duke Nukem Forever trailer. Near the end of the trailer as words are superimposed on the screen, two screens make mention to this. The first screen shows "...And He's Really...", the second screen (after a lengthy piss-off scene) says "Really", and the third screen shows "...All out of gum."
    • Both the original and a subverted version are used in Jon St. John's promo for Magfest 2010.
      Duke: I'm here to kick ass and go to Magfest...and I'm all outta ass. [Sunglasses darken as a "YEEEEEEEEAH" fills the air]
    • The Twitter account @QUOTESOFDUKE posts a combination of mangled actual Duke quotes, direct quotes from other characters/works, and random things that would just sound funny if they came out of Duke's mouth (which multiple voice actors including Jon St. John himself have taken it upon themselves to prove by voicing them). The account has mangled the bubblegum line more than once.
      @QUOTESOFDUKE: I Have the Proper Amount of Gum for this Situation
      @QUOTESOFDUKE: I'm Here to Duke Nukes and Nuke Dukes. And I'm All Outta Nukes
      @QUOTESOFDUKE: I am replenishing my supply of gum so I don't run out before the next time I need to kick ass and chew gum
  • Macarena Of The Missing has Dick Fallout speak only in catchphrases, where one was that "it's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I'm all out of ass".
  • There is a Gunslinger boss from the Malta Group in City of Villains who greets your character with the line "Guess what? I'm all outta bubblegum!"
    • Also, the badge description for the fifteen-month veteran badge in CoV reads, "You've spent fifteen months chewing bubblegum and kicking butt. You ran out of gum a long time ago."
  • Invictus, a somewhat obscure strategy game, rendered the line as "I've come to kick butt and eat goats, and I'm all out of goats."
  • The online game AdventureQuest has this as one of the many, many cheesy Stock Phrases the Guardian Dragon uses when summoned.
  • Guild Wars: One of Gwen's battle quotes: "...and I'm all out of mossgum!"
  • World of Warcraft: "I have come from the frozen heart of Naxxramas to feast on souls and deliver a vicious threshing upon our sworn enemies — and I'm all out of souls."
    • "Report to Vice Admiral Keller just northwest of here and let him know that you're all out of bubble gum."
    • "It be time ta kick some arse an' drink double-rum! An' I almost be outta double-rum."
    • "Came here to chew urchins and kick fin... and I'm all out of urchins"
    • Blizzard loves this one.
  • Warriors Orochi 2, the second game in a series of crossovers between Koei's Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors, has this one from Sun Wukong: "I'm ready to paint the town red! And I'm all out of paint!"
  • "Weird Al" Yankovic's Virus Alert game features the line, "I'm here to kick butt and chew bubblegum. And I'm all outta butt. Er, no, wait..."
  • In Fallout 2, one of the random NCR guards will occasionally say "I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum. Lucky for you, I still have one stick left." The player character can use the very line in Redding, if he doesn't particularly care about the impression he makes on the sheriff.
  • In Fallout: New Vegas a package of bubblegum can be found on a shelf in the Cottonwood Cove HQ Building, resting atop a box of shotgun shells. Very likely an invocation of the line, as Piper's character was brandishing a shotgun when making his announcement.
  • Champions Online has a mission titled 'Chew Bubble Gum And'. To the development team's credit, the mission also contains multiple references to They Live.
  • A variation in Destroy All Humans! 2: the Blisk sometimes say, "We have come to kick ass... and chew humans."
  • StarCraft II:
  • Roddy Piper's character in SmackDown! vs RAW 2008 uses a version of this. "I used to chew bubblegum and kick ass! But I gave up on chewing bubblegum a long time ago, so now I kick twice as much ass!'
  • The indie action game Meatgrinder opens with you quoting Roddy Piper's bubblegum line, word-for-word, as you prep yourself to launch a one-man raid on a convoy of thugs.
  • Used straight in One Must Fall 2097 with guest character Jazz Jackrabbit, "I'm here to kick butt and eat carrots and I'm all out of carrots!"
  • In Cargo! The Quest for Gravity, one of the evil robot gods accuses the protagonist of not being much of an engineer because "all [she does] is kick arse and chew bubblegum."
  • This trope is taken literally in Ninjala, where you kick butt as ninja kids and chew bubblegum, and use it for other things. Inverted because you'll never run out of gum, and no one actually says the line.
  • Kingdom of Loathing has an item that states, "You came here to make a lamp, and to beat things with a big club, and you're all out of light bulbs."
    • The item pack of chewing gum says that it makes you feel "like it's time to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and you're all out of ass."
  • Said by Cookie Masterson in the start of episode seven of the 2011 release of You Don't Know Jack but with a different kind of gum. "I'm Cookie Masterson, and I came here to kick butt and chew gum. And I just ran out of chewing gum..."
  • Certain guards in The Elder Scrolls Online give a version of this line.
    Covenant Guard: I like to crush skulls and eat sweetrolls... and I've no more sweetrolls.
  • In Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel!, Wilhelm has a particularly mangled version of this trope:
    Wilhelm: It's time to chew ass and spit bubblegum. And I'm all outta ass.
  • Them's Fightin' Herds parodies this when Texas accidentally messes up the "take names" version of the phrase.
    Texas: I'm here to kick names and, er, wait hold on a sec...

    Web Animation 
  • Duke Nukem: Forever (no, not that one, the one by Andrew Kepple) parodies it beautifully, with an elderly Duke Nukem finding out that his old Arch-Enemy, Doctor Proton, have been placed in the same nursing home as him:
    Elderly Duke Nukem: I'm here to kick ass and chew gum— [dentures fall out] —and I'm all out of teeth!
    Elderly Doctor Proton: Plenty of gums, though.

    Web Comics 
Isn't Bubble Tape bubblegum?

    Web Original 
  • Referenced by Trope Namer Roddy Piper on Twitter by sending a tweet which said "Warning, out of bubble gum"
  • In early February 2011, when ICANN assigned the last IPv4 /8s, the line mutated for a time into "I'm here to kick ass and assign IPv4 addresses... and I'm all out of IPv4 addresses!"
  • This trope is used by SF Debris in his review of the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Regeneration", riffing on the concept of heavily armed scientific expeditions.
    "I'm here to measure soil toxicity and kick ass, and I'm all out of samples! *makes machine gun noises*"
  • In Super Powereds, Angela has a variant when she's getting ready for the Intermurals.
    Angela: Have no fear, little brother. I'm here to kick ass and chew bubblegum.
    Shane: Let me guess, you're all out of bubblegum.
    Angela: Nope, got a whole pack in my pocket. I can do both, that's how much of a badass I am.
  • In Cracked's list of the "19 T-Shirts That Make Weird Assumptions About Women", there was a T-shirt that says, "Warning: This girl is protected by a smokin' hot millwright and I'm not afraid to use him."
    This shirt expresses pretty much the same sentiment, but more directly. The best thing about it was that I mistook a "millwright," a person who builds mills or maintains mill machinery, for a "milliner," a person who makes women's hats, which improves it roughly 1,000 percent. "My husband does two things: kick ass and make beautiful headwear. And he's all out of decorative feathers."

    Web Videos 
  • The Angry Joe Show: Angry Joe parodied this in his review of Duke Nukem Forever
    Joe: I'm here to Kick ass and chew bubblegum, and I have... plenty of gum"
  • Spoofed in a Gag Sub version of Red Dawn (1984).
    Col. Strelnikov: I'm here to kick bubblegum and chew ass, and guess what? I'm all out of bubblegum.
    [General Jackinoff nods for reasons you really don't want to know]

    Western Animation 
  • Numbuh Four of Codename: Kids Next Door also referenced the quote in "Operation: U.N.C.O.O.L.", with chewy pellets instead of gum. (The episode also featured zombies, so it fits.)
  • Played with in Futurama 's "Anthology of Interest I." Leela is attempting to curb her murder streak and says to herself, "Whenever you feel like killing, just chew some gum instead." Then Amy makes a crack about her boots. Her response? "Do you have any gum?"
  • An episode of The Real Ghostbusters had Peter Venkman say "I'm here to chew bubblegum and bust ghosts! And I'm all out of bubblegum!"
  • From the King of the Hill episode "The Texas Skilsaw Massacre", and Hank's rage-addicted new friend Big Jim.
    Big Jim: I love two things: building doll house furniture and kicking ass, and I don't see no doll houses around here, do ya Hank?
  • In the Beware the Batman episode "Instinct", Professor Pyg greeted the Batman like this:
    Professor Pyg: We've been meaning to invite you over for tea and a good old-fashioned pummeling; sadly, we're all out of tea!
  • Tiny Toons Looniversity: In "Toons in Space," Sweetie Bird spends most of the episode playing a space-themed video game, despite winding up on a space adventure. When she puts down the game long enough to realize what is going on, she takes control of the spaceship's wepaons and declares "I came here to eat birdseed and kick butt, and I'm all out of birdseed."
  • In the episode "The Bellicose Proxy" of The Venture Bros., Rose shows St. Cloud how to do this line properly:
    St. Cloud: "I am Augustus St. Cloud, arch-nemesis of the Quizboy. I'm here to bust things up and chew bubblegum. And I find bubblegum unpleasant."
    Rose: "You want to hurt my Billy?! [...] I'll let you take the first swing and if you don't put me down, I'll beat the living shit out of you until my arthritis kicks in. And I just took my Humira."note 

    Real Life 
  • Reggie Fils-Aime, Former Nintendo of America head honcho, became an Internet dear when in 2004 he uttered this gem during Nintendo's E3 conference: "My name is Reggie, I'm about kicking ass, I'm about taking names, and we're about making games". Of course, the imageboards had a field trip with that... and Reggie saw it was good PR as he's been a source of one-liners since then. His body is ready.

I'm here to kick ass and read trope examples...and I'm all out of examples.

 
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They Live (trope namer)

Ad libbed by Roddy "The Rod" Piper (played Nada) in "They Live" (1988).

How well does it match the trope?

5 (34 votes)

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