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What Is This, X?

Zoolander: What is this, a center for ants? How can we be expected to teach children to learn how to read... if they can't even fit inside the building?

Mugatu: Derek, this is just a small...

Zoolander: I don't wanna hear your excuses! The building has to be at least... three times bigger than this!

— Zoolander

This Stock Phrase is usually said in exasperation or annoyance to highlight an unlikely, unusual, nonsensical, or out of character moment. It is most often said by the Plucky Comic Relief or the Deadpan Snarker.

The related phrase "Who are you, and what have you done with X?" is used when a character is Not Himself. It may or may not be Leaning on the Fourth Wall.

Not to be confused with the outraged "WHAT IS THIS!?!?" usually expresed by medieval heroes or the biggest of bads - very often followed by a resounding Oh Crap.

Needs a Better Description

Examples

Anime and Manga

In the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball, in one episode, when Bulma gets surprised that she has to wear a Playboy Bunny costume: "What is this, Easter?!"
The Streamline dub of The Castle of Cagliostro gives us the following when Jodo's assassins open up the door to Lupin and Jigen's rented cabin:
Lupin: Hey, what is this, a tour group from hell?

Film

The film Holiday Inn makes use of it:
Dance Extra: What is this, a daisy chain?
Ted Hanover: Sorry, we're just looking for the back of a girl we don't know...
The Black Ranger uses it in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
Adam: What is this, pick on the Frog day?
Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory. During the creepy boat ride.
Violet: What is this, a freak-out!?
From Garfield: A Tale Of Two Kitties, after Garfield is served a Carlyle Log:
Garfield: What is this, Fear Factor?
A variation in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, when Eddie tries to pay for a Red Car ride with a check:
Conductor: What do I look like, a bank?

Live-Action TV

The Aquabats Super Show, episode "ManAnt!", after Jimmy the Robot fires a buttermint at the MC Bat Commander:
ManAnt: What is this, a kindergarten snack break?
In an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, when Morgan discovers a secret bunker in the middle of a desert:
Morgan: What is this, LOST?

Machinima

In Supermarioglitchy4s Super Mario 64 Bloopers, Mario is cursed to wear Brown Note clothes that send Bowser bounding about. His response?
"What is Bowser, a ball?"

Magazines

In one "Bullseye" page of Entertainment Weekly Issue #1248 (March 1, 2013): "Downton Abbey adds to its body count. What is this, a Saw movie?"

Newspaper Comics

This◊ Dogs Of C Kennel strip:
Will: WHAT IS THIS? THE !#@*$!! WALTONS!?

Web Original

The Angry Video Game Nerd
- In "Game Glitches", the Nerd is distracted by the Glitch Gremlin messing up Rocky Balboa (Bug-Eyed Balboa) and Spider Rico (Spider Rico with no jaw) on the Rocky PS2 game:
AVGN: They're like zombies! What is this, "Rocky: The Undead Edition"? You are really one sick fuck, you know that?
- In the Pong episode:
  AVGN: You get 4 different kinds of Pong, like...
  [The TV screen shows two walls with small holes replacing the paddles]
  AVGN: ...what the hell is this, Reverse Pong? Okay...
  [The TV screen shows one regular paddle at the left and an extra long paddle at the right]
  AVGN: Oh, now what's this? Asshole Pong? That's not fair!
  - Also, in the Nerd's and The Nostalgia Critic's collaboration review of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Coming Out of Their Shells Tour, when they see the Shredder crashing the turtles' party:
    AVGN: OH, MY GOD, THAT IS THE WORST SHREDDER I'VE EVER SEEN! What is it, fucking Iron Chef Shredder?

Western Animation

In one episode of FETCH! with Ruff Ruffman, Ruff does this when he sees Chet pasting an underwater wallpaper on the studio wall:
Ruff: Chet, an under-the-sea motif? What is this, "FETCH! with Ruff Rumblefish"? Come on!
Family Guy gives us this example:
Pearl: *spits* What is this, spit soup!?
Brian: Tomato bisque.
Pearl: *spits* What is this, snot soup!?
Brian: It's tomato bisque.
Pearl: *spits* What is this, diarrhea soup!?
Brian: Look I'm not going to make you anything else, so just eat it, OK?
Danger Mouse and Penfold are captured by an alien craft in "Close Encounters Of The Absurd Kind," and DM thinks it's Greenback's craft. he also thinks the alien leader Dr. Zok is Greenback in disguise. As he's being assimilated in front of Dr. Zok's class:
DM: What is this, the Greenback Supporters Club outing?