Basic Trope: A plot that focuses on a child being potty-trained.
- Straight: In an episode of The Adventures of Alice, Bob and Chris, Alice and Bob potty train their two-year-old son Chris.
- Exaggerated:
- They toilet train all the toddlers on their block in one day.
- The whole show is focused on Chris's learning to use the bathroom.
- Downplayed:
- Chris is already potty-trained but has to learn An Aesop like "don't put off going to the bathroom".
- The main plot is about Alice preparing for her new job, but Bob toilet training Chris is a subplot.
- Justified:
- Chris is around the age where kids start to learn to use the bathroom.
- Chris is required to be toilet trained to get into a certain place (such as school, or an event), so Alice and Bob decide to teach him.
- Inverted: For some reason, the episode focuses on Chris, who's already toilet trained, going back to diapers.
- Subverted: Alice says, "Let's start potty training Chris!" but Bob says no.
- Double Subverted: He changes his mind when Chris says he wants to use the toilet.
- Parodied: Chris is sent to a "boot camp" for toilet training, complete with a Drill Sergeant Nasty.
- Averted:
- Chris stays in diapers.
- Chris was already toilet trained at the beginning of the series.
- Zigzagged: A Running Gag is Chris almost being potty trained but not quite, which takes up several episodes.
- Lampshaded:Chris: "I'm learning to use the toilet like Mommy and Daddy do."
- Enforced:
- The writers wanted to encourage children to use the toilet.
- To throw in some Toilet Humour.
- Product Placement for a company that makes toilet-training supplies for children.
- The kid who plays Chris recently got toilet trained, so the writers decided to add some Reality Subtext.
- Invoked: Chris asks to be toilet trained.
- Exploited: Alice and Bob don't have to worry about changing Chris's diapers.
- Defied:
- Chris refuses to use the toilet.
- Alice and Bob want to wait until Chris is three to toilet train him.
- Discussed: "So how do we go about potty training Chris?"
- Conversed: "Did these writers throw in the toilet-training subplot to teach kids to use the toilet or did they do it for some childish laughs?"
- Implied:
- The frequency of diaper checks and diaper changes gradually dwindles as Chris ages up, to be replaced with Embarrassing Damp Sheets.
- Chris isn't seen for most of the episode, but when he is seen again, he claims he can use the toilet now.
- From the start of season 2 the family photo album includes a (not present during season 1) photo of Chris using a potty.
- Deconstructed: It ends up being difficult for Chris to learn to use the bathroom.
- Reconstructed: However, his parents realize that Chris is having trouble and they decide to help him.
- Played for Laughs:
- Toilet Humour.
- Chris does a lot of funny things while learning to go to the bathroom, such as wearing the potty chair like a hat and flushing various things down the toilet.
- Played for Drama: Chris must learn to use the toilet in a certain amount of time or else he'll be kicked out of daycare.
Back to Toilet Training Plot.
