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Trivia / Robot Chicken

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Trivia tropes for Robot Chicken

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  • Acting for Two:
    • In Bad Boy Meets Damaged Chick With Daddy Issues, Seth Green voices Daniel and Daniel's mother while Breckin Meyer provides the voices of Dina/Ali/Lindsay Lohan and Munson, with Munson getting Lindsay pregnant.
    • The Italian dub features three voice actors (Oreste, Nanni and Antonella Baldini) doing every character.
  • Adored by the Network: It's right up there with Squidbillies as one of the very few [adult swim] originals to exceed a 15-year run.note  Not only that, but it's also surpassed 200 episodes and made it to 10 seasons, and has aired in several marathons and received heavy advertising by the network. As of now, Seth Green has expressed no intentions of ending the series.
  • Approval of God: Recent Star Wars works have begun to reference the sketch where Max Rebo complains about losing his gig after the destruction of Jabba's sail barge. The Book of Boba Fett brings Max back to confirm he survived the chaos, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor has a conversation between some extras about Max's tendency to change gigs, and the LEGO Skywalker Saga game basically adapts the sketch as a side quest for Max with a family friendly script.
  • Cash-Cow Franchise: Qualifies as this from the Star Wars specials alone. Also the primary reason why Seth Green halted production on his other animated series, Titan Maximum.
  • Colbert Bump: Pretty much every minor character that appeared in the Star Wars skits have gotten massive boosts in popularity due to how the show portrayed them. Notable examples include "Pruneface", Yarael Poof, Bossk, and Gary the stormtrooper (who is the random stormtrooper who asks Obi-Wan and Luke about R2-D2 and C-3PO).
  • Creator Backlash:
    • The creators have said they regret the "Big Boobs" sketch because it doesn't involve a real joke.
    • The Double Dare (1986) sketch involving Helen Keller, Marlee Matlin and Stevie Wonder as contestants got a similar reaction from the DVD Commentary, with Seth himself saying he's "going to hell" because of it.
  • Crossdressing Voices: Happens often, with the male voice actors relying on pitch-shifting (which is also how they voice kids). The most prominent example is Breckin Meyer as Lindsay Lohan.
  • Defictionalization: Mo-Larr, Eternian Dentist!
  • Distanced from Current Events: A Love Island parody with Bitch Pudding was pulled from British airwaves after the suicide of former host Caroline Flack in 2020.
  • Follow the Leader: The show popularized the technique of using TV static to transition between skits. Since the show's popularity, many other works (sketch comedies on YouTube in particular) starting doing this as well. The reasoning behind it is because it goes with the show's premise; it simulates changing the channel on an old television. Despite that, other works use it solely for its seamlessness, regardless of whether or not it's thematically appropriate. It's quick, simple, easy to understand, and acts as a perfect segue between any two skits.
  • Keep Circulating the Tapes:
    • A season 1 episode featured a Scarface (1983) parody involving the Trix Rabbit and other cereal mascots. The sketch in question was suddenly replaced for unknown reasons (possibly legal issues), and the original episode with said sketch hasn't re-aired since, nor does it appear on DVD or on Adult Swim's website (though it is on Hulu).
    • The "Archie's Final Destination" segment was cut from the Season 2 episode "Veggies for Sloth" and not released on that season's DVD. The litigation was so extreme that the episode had to be retitled "Blankets in a Pig". The segment was eventually released on the Season 5 DVD as a deleted scene, and it is also available for viewing on Max. Ironically, Archie Comics (under new management) later lightened up, to the point of authorizing a Robot Chicken Archie Comics Special in 2021.
    • The original version of the Voltron/You Got Served sketch from Season 1 used a song that sounded very similar to "Get It on the Floor" by DMX. Too similar, as the DVD version replaces it with a much-more-generic song. The original version now only exists on the Internet.
    • The "The Emperor's Back" sketch is all but erased from the Internet (possibly related to issues with The Who's "Baba O'Riley" usage), but at least it's available on home media as part of the larger "Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III" DVD and Blu-Ray discs.
  • The Other Darrin: "The Emperor's Phone Call" was originally made before Abraham Benrubi was settled on as the series' official voice of Darth Vader. When the sketch was re-compiled for the first Star Wars special, Vader's sole line within was redubbed with Benrubi's voice.
  • Production Posse: Seth Green, Breckin Meyer and Donald Faison (most notable as the voice of Gary the stormtrooper), as well as Rachael Leigh Cook, were all in Josie and the Pussycats together (and minus Cook, Can't Hardly Wait); this brought things full-circle when the 2021 Archie Comics special featured Cook reprised her role as Josie, plus the aforementioned trio returning to their roles in fictional boy-band Dujour.
  • Promoted Fanboy: Lake Bell voices Black Widow in the Season 6 Avengers sketch "A Critical Component". Bell would later get to voice the Widow officially in What If...?.
  • The Red Stapler: [adult swim] released a 5 pound pink gummy bear in honor of the infamous sketch.
  • Screwed by the Lawyers: Due to the extra length nature of the Star Wars specials, the show's creators need permission of the property holders whenever they want to make one. George Lucas, a fan of the show, gave the show his blessing without any issues. However, things became much more complicated when Lucas sold the Star Wars franchise to Disney, as now instead of needing to get permission of one man, the show now needs the permission of a rival company. Not helping matters is the fact that Disney are seemingly not fans of Star Wars parodies, with them shelving Star Wars Detours, a child friendly Star Wars parody show also created by Seth Green, before it could be released. The show is free to continue making short sketches of Star Wars but the chances of a fourth full length special is slim to none.
  • Similarly Named Works: One segment parodied reality and nature by putting a box of monkeys on an island with landmines: "Crazy Monkeys on Landmine Island". Not to be confused with the Monkey Island series of video games.
  • What Could Have Been:

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