Golden Book Video Killers is a web series created in December 2007 by YouTube users Tomblappy
and Zak Wolf. This series features plush toy versions of Grumpy the dwarf and Daffy Duck, who serve as the hosts of the show, where they take a look at a videotape from the Golden Book Video series and point out the differences and similarities between the video and book versions, while also poking fun at them in a style similar to that of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
In some episodes, they are even joined by a plush toy version of Yoshi, played by Doughnutser256, another YouTube user. Throughout the series, Grumpy and Daffy have also covered Golden Book Video versions of franchises, including Masters of the Universe, Pound Puppies, Care Bears (much to Daffy's chagrin) and Sesame Street. Also, since the series is sort of a Crossover, with the characters being plushies, they will also bring in their fellow cartoon characters from their respective studios (Disney and Warner Bros.) to cameo or otherwise serve as guest hosts.
A tenth anniversary special was released in January 2018, to kick off the fourth season. Unfortunately, the series came to an end later that year due to Tomblappy preparing to move away from where Wileyk209 lives, but at least they were able to give it a proper finale.
Also spawned dozens of snow clones, including Manafichu Video Adventures and Mimitchilove33 Video Killers.
Golden Book Video Killers provides examples of the following tropes:
- Bedsheet Ghost: Played with in the second Halloween Episode. In the introduction, Mushu spoons Grumpy and Daffy by wearing a white dish towel over himself as an impromptu ghost costume. After the first story, such a "ghost" appears again, and Mushu unmasks it to reveal a Wuv Luvs doll, noting their creepy nature (particularly their ability to give birth.) After the second story, Tito attempts it to pass himself off as "The Viper", but Daffy and Grumpy are not fooled. Then after the third and final story, Daffy tosses the dish towel over Grumpy's head, saying that it can be his Halloween costume.
- Bound and Gagged: Happened to Daffy in "Golden Book Video Killers XVI", by Grumpy. This also happens to Grumpy in the episode where Si and Am Take Over!
- By the Lights of Their Eyes: This creeps out Daffy during "What Was That" in "Golden Book Video Killers VIII".
- The Cameo: Lots of plush toy versions of characters from different studios (Disney, Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, Jay Ward, etc) have made cameo appearances throughout the series. The following characters have made cameos and served as guest hosts; Bolt, Stitch, Dopey, Dug, Ludwig Von Drake, the White Rabbit and the Cheshire Cat, Lady and Tramp and Si and Am, Marie and O'Malley, Ben Ali Gator, Mushu, Tito, Rabbit, Eeyore, and Piglet, Banzai the hyena, Timothy Mouse, the Big Bad Wolf, Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps, Bugs Bunny, Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird, Speedy Gonzalez, Wile E. Coyote, Road Runner, Pepé Le Pew, Foghorn Leghorn, Henrey Hawk, the Tasmanian Devil, Marvin the Martian, K-9, Gossamer, Porky Pig, the New Daffy Duck, Wakko Warner, Rocky the Flying Squirrel, Mewtwo, Scooby and Scrappy-Doo, Rainbow Dash, My Pet Monster and Odie.
- Catchphrase
- "Greetings, and welcome to Golden Book Video Killers"
- "Greetings, Golden Book Video Killers fans!"
- "Chuckimation!"
- "Awwww, that's CUTE!"
- "Hey kids, it's Comparison Time!"
- "Well, that's all for now."
- "Aw man/crap/nuts/darn it! This one doesn't have the space logo (either)! That's lame/stupid/dumb!/What a rip-off!/That's just DreamWorks territory!/Duck Dodgers disapproves!"
- "AHHHH! The white screen of death!"
- Clip Show: The tenth anniversary special is sort of like this, except it consists of new footage of Grumpy, Daffy and the Yoshis watching Golden Book Video moments they previously looked at.
- Crossover: It's a web series with a bunch of puppet and plush toy versions of famous cartoon characters interacting with each other, so it's pretty much unavoidable.
- Dramatic Thunder: Spoofed in "Golden Book Video Killers VIII" when Daffy is introducing the story "What Was That," which he claims to be incredibly spooky. Also played straight a bit in the second Halloween special.
- Early-Installment Weirdness: The first episode was different to the future content that would follow, notably ending with Daffy and Grumpy getting "killed" by the comet. When it was remade as a "Special Edition" with normal episode content, much of the weirdness was replaced by normal gags.
- Fantastic Racism: Daffy is often complaining about his popularity being ruined by Disney (most notably by Pixar).
- Follow the Bouncing Ball: Parodied in the Golden Book Music Videos or whenever sing-along lyrics appear on a Golden Book Video, in which Daffy Duck would act as the "bouncing duck" on the lyrics.
- Formula-Breaking Episode:
- At the beginning of "Golden Book Video Killers XVI", since they were covering the Golden Book Video version of Bible stories (Noah, David and Goliath, and Jonah), Grumpy tied up Daffy, for fear that Daffy would make fun of the biblical lessons. Similarly, Grumpy himself gets tied up in "Si and Am Take Over".
- The "3-2-1 Contact" edition has Grumpy doing the video by himself, due to the episode's requester being impatient and forcing him to rush the episode out.
- Hypocritical Humor
- Daffy often expresses his dislike of Pixar killing the Looney Tunes' popularity, despite the fact that his co-host and friend is a Disney character, while Disney owns Pixar.
- Also, at the end of "Golden Book Video Killers IX", Bugs Bunny managed to scare Grumpy and Daffy with the white screen of death, before being chewed out for it by Mushu, despite the fact that Mushu himself was the one who first utilized the gag back in "Golden Book Video Killers VI".
- I Am Not Weasel: In "Golden Book Video Killers III," during "The Ugly Duckling" story, Grumpy frequently jokes that the titular "ugly duckling" in the story is Daffy, and Daffy keeps insisting that it's not him, such as mentioning that his feathers are black and not gray. Daffy finally proves his point when the ugly duckling grows up into a swan.
- Insistent Terminology:
- In "Golden Book Video Killers IV," in the "Little Toad to the Rescue" story, the narrator refers to the monarch caterpillar Monique pupating in a "cocoon," Yoshi and Daffy correct him, saying "It's a CHRYSALIS!" Daffy also briefly goes over the differences between butterfly chrysalises and moth cocoons as well.
- In "Golden Book Video Killers XXXI," when the Mother Goose puppet refers to the rooster as "the cock," Daffy and Grumpy insist "Rooster!"
- Running Gag
- Daffy often hurling himself into the air while yelling "CHUCKIMATION!" (as a reference to a similar "animation" style utilized on Kablam's "Action League NOW!"
- Daffy saying "Awwww that's cute!" at some adorable illustration (such as the Ugly Duckling curled up and sleeping in the grass, or Scuppers of The Sailor Dog sleeping in his makeshift driftwood house.)
- When a certain character illustration is frequently reused in a story, Daffy often refers to it as a "famous pose."
- When a character on the video "slides" past on screen (due to the Limited Animation effects utilized), Grumpy and Daffy say in a sing-song voice "They're sliding!" and often mimic them.
- When a character (or at least the picture of a character) in the video is being moved up and down to simulate walking, Grumpy and Daffy often mimic it while chanting "Up, down, up, down, up, down."
- It's taken to an extreme in "Golden Book Video Killers XVII" during the "Little Red Riding Hood" story, the title character "walks" in a very slow manner, with Daffy and Grumpy imitating her and saying in Slow Motion "Uuuuuuuuuuup... dowwwwwwwwwwwn..."
- Whenever a Hanna-Barbera Stock Sound Effect shows up in a video they're reviewing, Daffy will say "Hanna-Barbera!"
- Daffy and Grumpy pointing out familiar stock music cues from The Ren & Stimpy Show, Rocko's Modern Life, Spongebob Squarepants or previous Golden Book Videos.
- Daffy complaining about a Golden Book Video not having the space logo at the end of the tape.
- And if it DOES have the space logo, Daffy Duck will usually do his Duck Dodgers act, only to collide with the comet!
- Grumpy and Daffy freaking out and running away in fear when the aptly named white screen of death comes up at the end of a tape when it's left running.
- Running on the Spot: In "Si and Am's Edition," the characters imitate the robbers' run cycles in "The Musicians of Bremen," to which Daffy announces "Everybody do the Hanna-Barbera run!" (complete with the video featuring H-B's "bongo run" sound effect at that part).
- Shave And A Haircut: In "Si and Am Take Over", during "The Wolf and the Kids" story when the Wolf knocks "Shave and a Haircut" on the door, Si and Am respond by singing "Two bits!" This gag is then reenacted in the tenth anniversary special.
- Shout-Out: So many to name;
- There are numerous references to TV shows and movies such as Mission: Impossible, James Bond, I Love Lucy, Dumbo, G.I. Joe, etc.
- There's also a 'blink-and-you'll-miss-it' moment in "Golden Book Video Killers XVIII"; at one point during the Golden Goose story, Daffy is heard saying, "Slippin'-rippin'-dang-fang-rotten-zarg-barg-a-ding-dong!"
- In "Golden Book Video Killers - Si And Am's Edition", during the "Old McDonald's Farm" segment, Daffy, Mushu, and Si and Am do another reference to Calvin and Hobbes during the bathtime scene by reenacting the comic strip where Calvin splashes water out of the tub, to which Daffy then comments, "Maybe the seal around the tub leaks". This gag was reenacted in the tenth anniversary special.
- "Golden Book Video Killers XVII" and "Si and Am's Edition" both start off with Daffy saying "Hel-lo I'm Daffy Duck, we review it so YOU don't have to!"
- "Golden Book Video Killers XVII" also ends with a parody of the Looney Tunes short Duck Amuck (as Daffy is featured in the series, anyway).
- In "Golden Book Video Killers XX", after the first act, due to there being a song about turtles at the end of said act, Daffy says "Am I not turtle enough for the Turtle Club? Turtle! Turtle! Turtle!"
- In "Golden Book Video Killers II" and "Si and Am's Edition," Daffy accompanies the Wolf's little poem about catching the young goats with playing bongo drums. After his poem finishes, Daffy (and whoever else is there, like Grumpy or the cats) say "Snappy snappy!" and snap their fingers rhythmically, to which Daffy says "Groov-i-tacious!" and gets the response, "You said it, duck!"
- Stock Sound Effects: Daffy loves pointing out whenever some of Hanna-Barbera's famous sound effects show up in the videos (most notably in "Five Sesame Street Stories," "Golden Jungle Tales," "Get Ready For School" and any of the "Pound Puppies" videos.)
- In "Golden Book Video Killers XXVI," Daffy points out what he calls "overused cliched 1990s sound effects" (from the Hollywood Edge Premiere Edition library) during the "Just Me and My Dad" video.
- That's All, Folks!: The end of the series finale, where Daffy and Grumpy and many other toons say goodbye to the viewer. It even has the Trope Namer himself, Porky Pig, deliver the famous sign-off phrase during the Golden Book Video closing logo!
- Totem Pole Trench: Daffy and Mushu both do this during the Giraffe song in "Golden Book Video Killers XX".
- Vanity Plate: The opening logo for Golden Book Video is used as the series title card, complete with Grumpy and Daffy singing along with the theme.
- The "Golden Step Ahead" opening logo is also featured on videos using it, with Daffy and Grumpy imitating the children walking and singing along with the theme.
- Daffy is obsessed with the "outer space" Golden Book Video closing logo, and when it comes on he will act like Duck Dodgers, only to collide with the comet that zooms toward the screen and explodes.
- Vomit Discretion Shot: Grumpy and Daffy do get seasick quite easily during storms at sea, or after some other crazy spin shot or gory scene (like the wolf being murdered in "Little Red Riding Hood.") This is also their reaction to the ugly Mother Goose puppet in "Songs From Mother Goose."
