Sorry for being on this page.
"Thanks for noticing me."
This character exists solely to bring everybody down, but not in the
Deadpan Snarker sense; they are defined entirely by their complete inability to be happy for more than a few seconds at a time, an emotional state that usually arises from their only-
occasionally-
justified suspicion that they are the
Butt Monkey of the
entire universe. They are the walking
Anthropomorphic Personification of clinical depression. However, the few moments that they
are happy can be a
Heartwarming Moment.
Sometimes overlaps with
Sour Supporter, but not often; they are generally too unhappy to be effective or active.
When upset, the Eeyore may as well become
Cute and Psycho. Being an Eeyore could easily be interchangeable with
Emo when their angst comes from over-sensitivity and introspection. A stereotypical
Goth will adopt such behaviour out of a more cerebral, nihilistic view of humanity. An Eeyore with artistic talent will use it to
express his overwhelming angst.
If written a certain way,
The Eeyore can easily become a
Woobie.
Compare
Grumpy Bear.
The Pollyanna is the polar opposite of this trope.
Example subpages:
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Comic Books
- In All Fall Down, Pronto is this after the loss of his legs.
- Bertrand Labévue from Gaston Lagaffe.
- Cassie from Hack/Slash, in a virulently homicidal sort of way. The one and only time she was genuinely happy was when someone got her drunk at springbreak.
- Sometimes, Rudi from the German comic with the same name. He also has a buddy who's always like this.
- And, yes, Eeyore is a depressed pessimist in Disney's Winnie the Pooh comics as well.
Films
New Media
- Hope from the internet comedy podcast Hope Is Emo is an example.
- There's a color dedicated to this trope in Neo Pets, and it's gray. The Gray Faerie usually is portrayed with a cloud over her head, and never, ever says anything cheerful. Fandom has determined that both the faerie, pets and items are just all emo, as there's no reason to do so in such utopic setting.
Newspaper Comics
Radio
- Marvin the Paranoid Android from The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. According to the biography of Douglas Adams written by Neil Gaiman, Marvin was originally based on a friend of his, a manic-depressive named Marshall who could only ever be cheered up by his long-suffering wife; he changed the name from "Marshall" to "Marvin" out of kindness. However, after talking about this in an interview, Adams was called by his mother, who claimed that he was totally wrong - Marvin was Eeyore. Adams went to look at some older copies of Winnie the Pooh, "...and blow me down, so he was!" Adams also said that the story he based Marvin on Andrew Marshall was one he'd told so often he no longer remembered if it was true or not. Marshall, he claimed, really was like that, but this proved nothing because all comedy writers are Eeyores.
- Red Symons, former guitarist for the Skyhooks, cultivated this persona for his radio and television career.
- Wartime Sitcom ITMA had Mona Lott, whose Catch Phrase was "It's being so cheerful that keeps me going".
- The Happy Postman, played by Mel Blanc on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show. His catchphrase, always done in a sobbing voice of deep despair: "Well, good-bye, Mrs. Burns. And remember: Keep smiling!"
Theatre
- Henrik in A Little Night Music.
- Older Than Steam: Jacques in As You Like It. The Zeroth Law Of Trope Examples strikes again!
- This is one interpretation of the title character in Hamlet. That is, when he's not being the Deadpan Snarker.
- George Washington in 1776. He never actually appears on stage, but his dispatches from the field (read to the Congress) are gloomy to the point of despair. As delegate Thomas McKean puts it, "Och! The man would depress a hyena!"
- Sam in Street Scene is almost constantly brooding. His girlfriend, fortunately, doesn't agree with him when he says that life isn't worth living.
Web Animation
- Strong Sad from Homestar Runner; notable in so far as he really is the Butt Monkey of the entire universe... or at least his brothers' most readily available Chew Toy. His 1936 counterpart, Sickly Sam, is like this trope times two. Or more.
Webcomics
Real Life
- There's sure to be an Eeyore amongst the more emotionally and philosophically adjusted people in the world.
- Franz Kafka.
- Clinically depressed people are sometimes like this when they're riding the sliding scale of needing attention versus deserving that attention.
- This trope is essentially Dysthymia
personified.
