Sandbox / Happy Wick Check To You

OP written by: mathfreak231

Category: Not Tropeworthy

Intro

It's currently unclear exactly what Happy Birthday to You! is even troping. The description mostly just describes the history of the original "Happy Birthday to You" in copyright, with only a few sentences saying what the outcome in media was; particularly, using other public domain songs like "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow", or making a new birthday song.

Question

Is the trope being used for birthday songs meant to avoid copyright, or just birthday songs in general? 50 wicks on work pages were checked.

Findings

The trope is listed for many different reasons (unless otherwise noted, the copyright is out-of-universe.):

• 2/50 described slight alterations to "Happy Birthday" and mentioned they were probably to avoid copyright.
• 1/50 described the characters not singing any song at all, due to copyright.
• 4/50 described a new birthday song, with a note about copyright.
• 6/50 described a new birthday song, but with no further context.
• 4/50 described "Happy Birthday" being copyrighted In-Universe as a gag or plot point.
• 5/50 desribed the original "Happy Birthday" being used with a note about how the creator did have the rights to the song.
• 19/50 just described characters performing "Happy Birthday", or characters singing "this song", which are assumed to be the same thing.
• 2/50 were other uses.
• 7/50 were potholes that seemed to be using the trope page as a Useful Note.

"Happy Birthday" but slightly different to avoid copyright

1. Recap.Little Princess S 1 E 24 I Want To Cook: When the General sings "Happy Birthday to Me", he sings it to a slightly different tune from the Happy Birthday song, probably because that song was still under copyright in the UK at the time this episode was made.
2. Recap.Futurama S 2 E 1 I Second That Emotion: At Nibbler's birthday party the crew sing a similar-but-different version of the traditional Happy Birthday song. This episode was made when Warner Music Group still claimed copyright on the lyrics to "Happy Birthday", but it also makes sense that the song may have changed by the year 3000. Fry, who would still know the 20th century version, is heard singing "And you smell like one too!" after everyone else finishes.

Characters sing nothing at all, with note about copyright

1. Recap.Numberjacks S 1 E 10 Four Hes A Jolly Good Fellow: When the little girl blows out her birthday candles, nobody sings "Happy Birthday", presumably because it was still under copyright when the episode was being made. Oddly enough, they don't sing anything at all.

Different birthday song with note about copyright

1. VideoGame.Hitman 2016: The celebrants at Jordan's birthday party sing what sounds like a birthday version of "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" ("Happy Birthday" was still in copyright when the level was released, and wouldn't be public domain for another month in the US).
2. Recap.The Simpsons S 7 E 4 Bart Sells His Soul: As the traditional "Happy Birthday" song was still copyrighted at the time, Uncle Moe's, like a lot of similar Kitschy-Themed Restaurants, has its own corporate birthday song. Every time someone orders "Million Dollar Birthday Fries", Moe comes to their table to perform the following ditty:
3. Series.Henry Danger: Due to the song still in copyright when the series premiered, Henry came up with his own birthday song in the first episode during Jasper's birthday at the end:
4. Series.Boomtown 2002: According to the DVD commentary, the reason Fearless sings "I Can See Clearly Now" in "The Freak" instead of "Happy Birthday to you" is that "I Can See Clearly Now" cost less to license.

Different birthday song with no further context

1. WebVideo.The Funday Pawpet Show: "This is your birthday song, it isn't very long." (Or the even shorter version "Birthday song, very long")
2. Recap.Dora The Explorer S 1 E 13 Surprise: "Feliz Cumpleaños", a Spanish version where it's just the title sung over and over.
3. WesternAnimation.Barbie In The Twelve Dancing Princesses: The princesses sing a birthday song they made up to the triplets. It gets rudely interrupted when Rowena barges in on them.
4. Recap.Sponge Bob Square Pants S 4 E 5 Selling Out Funny Pants: Squidward is forced to sing the "Krabby O'Monday's Birthday Song" to a little boy fish whose birthday was being celebrated.
5. WesternAnimation.Baby Blues: The "birthday lady" sings an alternative to "Happy Birthday to You".
6. Anime.Suzys Zoo Daisuki Witzy: The English dub used a completely original birthday song in the episode Surprise, Witzy!

Birthday song is copyrighted in-universe

1. Recap.Phineas And Ferb Backyard Hodge Podge: O.W.C.A. can't afford the song for Monogram's birthday, so the agents "sing" a cacophony of animal noises.
2. Recap.Regular Show S 06 E 17 Happy Birthday Song Contest: Farmer Jimmy's not a fan of the song and so created the contest in order to find a song to replace it. But then the anthropomorphic personification of this song interrupts the contest, and even interrupts himself at various points to invoke this. He does sing the full version along with the crowd, however. The crew was worried about not having the song without paying, but then realized that, since Time Warner owned off this show and the song (at the time), they were allowed to use it.
3. Podcast.How Did This Get Made: The From Justin to Kelly episode has the group speculate on a musical where all the songs are in the public domain. When June starts singing "Happy Birthday," Paul and Jason claim she's just bankrupted the show.
4. Webcomic.Xkcd: "Birthday" has the lyrics to the Happy Birthday song, in celebration of both the comic's 10th anniversary and the court ruling Warner/Chappell's claim to the song invalid a day prior. In the strip's Alt Text, Randall mentions that he should apologize to his family and friends, along with the Chuck E. Cheese's staff, for having called the cops on them every time they sang the song.

Original "Happy Birthday" with note about how the song was no longer copyright or the creators got a license

1. Film.The Room 2003: This otherwise low-budget film apparently sprang for the rights to use this song. Or maybe just took a gamble on it, because it's not listed in the credits (as most films prior to September 22, 2015 had). Worth noting is that this is in the film, however, Wiseau refused to pay for licensing the Bon Jovi songs that he initially wanted the love scenes set to, which led to the infamous R&B soundtrack. This isn't the only thing he blows money on at another scene's expense.
2. Anime.Shima Shima Tora No Shimajiro: Averted. Historically, Benesse has always paid Warner Music Group the royalty fees which allows the song to be shown on TV, as well as sold on DVD, VHS and Music CDs, and appear on their toys^note this could also explain why the songs on Spotify are not accessible from outside Japan. However, the English dub was released half a decade after the Supreme Court in the US and many other countries agree that WMG had no valid claim tho the song and that it should pass into public domain.
3. WesternAnimation.Sunny Day: The show got away by using the traditional happy birthday song in two episodes. Justified; as the show was in production by the time the song entered the public domain.
4. WesternAnimation.Mickeys Birthday Party: The gang sings this to Mickey at the end. This was before the song's copyright status became an issue, so Disney had no problem using it.
5. WesternAnimation.Gabbys Dollhouse: It's sung in the birthday shorts on social media and in the episode "Pandy Paws' Birthday" however didn't get copyrighted.

Chairs / ZCE

1. WebVideo.Josephs Machines: Jiwi does this in Episode 4.
2. Fanfic.Princess Of The Blacks: After getting her revenge against the Dursleys, Jen sings "Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday to me, Happy birthday, dear Je~en, Happy birthday... to... me".
3. Recap.Big City Greens S 2 E 19: Sung at Remy's birthday.
4. SesameStreet.Tropes G To J:
   • Sung to Big Bird in the Direct to Video special "Big Bird's Birthday or Let Me Eat Cake".
   • Also sung to the blind girl Carrie in one episode at her birthday party.
5. Characters.The Amazing Race Australia 4: All the contestants sing this to Mikayla on her birthday on leg 3.
6. Recap.The Smurfs 1981 S 1 E 1 The Astro Smurf: Played straight, though it is noticeably out of tune.
7. Recap.The Muppet Show S 3 E 13: The Swedish Chef and Animal visit Helen's dressing room to sing this to her. When she tells them it isn't her birthday, they switch to "Jingle Bells".
8. Film.Head: Sung by the other Monkees to Mike.
9. WesternAnimation.The Lorax 2012: At the beginning of Audrey's party throwback.
10. Fanfic.The Mantis In The Mix: Inko says this to All Might albeit in broken English
11. Fanfic.The Grand Vizier Of Oz: It's implied that the Wizard has everyone sing this to Fiyero's little sister Meru at her birthday party as part of a tradition from his homeland. Elphaba finds it repetitive and ridiculous.
12. Recap.The Muppet Show S 4 E 6: The Muppets and Linda sing this to Kermit after the reveal that they're turning the episode into a tribute show for him.
13. Recap.Star Trek Deep Space Nine S 03 E 18 Distant Voices: Played straight as the woman waiting in Ops sings this to Bashir upon entering.
14. Recap.Mr Bean E 2 The Return Of Mr Bean: A waiter plays a frenzied version of "Happy Birthday to You" on his violin.
15. Anime.Tokyo Mew Mew New: In episode 3 of Season 2, the characters sing the traditional birthday song for Bu-Ling's siblings, and in Gratuitous English.
16. Danny Phantom: Traveled: Joy sings that song during her husband's birthday party. He thinks that song should only be used for children's parties.
17. Toys.Hatchimals: Hatchimals have a version of this song in their native language called "Hatchy Birthday", which they sing after hatching or leveling up.
18. WesternAnimation.Nella The Princess Knight: The characters are heard singing the last line of the song at Norma's birthday party in "Norma's Very Big Day"
19. Recap.Interview With The Vampire 2022 S 1 E 4 The Ruthless Pursuit Of Blood With All A: Lestat and Louis sing "Happy Birthday to You" to Claudia on her 17th birthday, although the audience only hears the tail end of the song.

Other

1. WebVideo.Hardly Working: In celebrating Sarah's birthday, nobody remembers the birthday song, which upsets her. Has a hilarious moment where she has a straight face while everyone else joins in the new improvised song.
2. Music.Nayeon: Alluded to, at least in a figurative sense, with a song with that name.

Pothole that only serves to reference the original "Happy Birthday"

1. Film.The Game 1997: At the restaurant early on, Conrad arranges for a choir of waiters to sing Happy Birthday to You! as a surprise for Nicholas.
2. Series.World On Fire: Kasia holds one in Warsaw for her youngest brother, Jan, who's safely living with Harry's mother in England; she sings "Sto lat"^*the Polish equivalent to Happy Birthday to You! and blows out a lone candle on a single cupcake.
3. Recap.The Loud House S 7 E 4 Bye Bye Birthday Tough Guise: Gratuitous French: In a flashback, after the Louds finish singing "Happy Birthday to You!" at Jean Juan's, Luna declares that they will now sing it again in French.
4. WesternAnimation.Robin Hood 1973: The rabbits sing "Happy Birthday to You!"—which was written in the late 19th century in Louisville, Kentucky—to Skippy. The film takes place in 12th century England.
5. Film.Mr Peabody And The Mermaid: Polly walks out on Arthur when she spots him with the mermaid. Happy Birthday to You! is heard being sung as she drives away.
6. Literature.Harry Potter And The Philosophers Stone: One-Person Birthday Party: Harry's eleventh birthday is forgotten by the Dursleys because of the flood of letters from Hogwarts. Harry sings "Happy Birthday to You!" to himself.
7. Series.Mystery Science Theater 3000: Larynx Dissonance: A segment from the KTMA era had Gypsy apparently recovering from a cold Joel didn't know about and speaking in a more (naturally) girly voice (even singing Marilyn Monroe's take on Happy Birthday to You!), but it turned out to be Tom Servo throwing his voice.

Conclusion

Currently, the name is suggesting that this is just a trope about characters singing "Happy Birthday", which isn't tropeworthy. Making up a new birthday song is a tropable concept however, whether it be for copyright reasons or just Worldbuilding. Notes about "Happy Birthday" being copyright are better suited for Trivia.

Proposal

• Move the current text to a Useful Note and point any potholes there
• Disambiguate the current page between the Useful Note, Writing Around Trademarks (for out-of-universe copyright), Disney Owns This Trope (for in-universe copyright)
• TLP or yard a trope about original birthday songs
• Move notable examples where the creator obtained the rights to "Happy Birthday" to Trivia pages