Basic Trope: A spinoff stars younger versions of the original characters.
- Straight: The show Alice's Accidental Adventures is about a group of adult heroes who are True Companions. The spin-off Baby Alice and Friends stars baby versions of Alice, Bob, and the other characters. However, the characters have access to modern technology.
- Exaggerated:
- The spin-off stars the characters as newborns.
- The characters in the original show are stated to be several years apart, which should make a Spin-Off Babies show impossible. And yet there is just such a show.
- Downplayed:
- There is a spinoff about the characters as elementary school students.
- The original series takes place in high school and there is a spinoff taking place when the characters were in daycare.
- Justified:
- While the original show implies that the characters didn't know each other beforehand, the spinoff indicates that they were too young to remember meeting each other.
- The original show implies that the characters did know each other, and the spinoff is there to both elaborate on how their friendship evolved over the years and/or give their parents more character.
- Inverted: The spinoff takes place several years later, perhaps as a Spin-Offspring or a Reunion Show.
- Subverted:
- The spinoff Baby Alice and Friends is announced two years in advance, but gets cancelled after the pilot.
- The spinoff is announced, but it turns out that it only takes place in the same universe and the titular Alice is a separate character from the original.
- Double Subverted:
- A slightly different version of the spinoff airs three years later, in response to public demand.
- ... Only for child versions of the characters from the original show to make frequent appearances later on.
- Parodied: The spinoff is stated to take place 40 years earlier, and yet the characters all appear to be the same age as in the original show.
- Zig Zagged: ???
- Averted:
- All characters' ages are the same in any spin-offs as in the original work.
- There are no spin-offs.
- Enforced: "Children show no interest in Alice's Accidental Adventures, let's make a new show where our characters are younger so children can relate to them."
- Lampshaded: "Coming up next, a new episode of Baby Alice And Friends: see Alice and her friends before they became the crazy, clumsy heroes we all know and love."
- Invoked: Not applicable. (This trope is beyond the control of the characters.)
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Not applicable. (This trope is beyond the control of the characters.)
- Discussed: "Well, that's the end of our show. But I promise we'll be back on the air someday, maybe as babies."
- Conversed: "I love these shows about baby versions of familiar characters." "Even if they don't exactly make sense?" "Especially then. If they were realistic, there wouldn't be much to see."
Back to Spin-Off Babies.
