Western Animation: My Life As A Teenage Robot aka: My Life Asa Teenage Robot
The Hero of the show, saving some of the "regular" people.
My Life as a Teenage Robot was an Animated Series that premiered on Nickelodeon in 2003 and had recently aired previously-unaired episodes on Nicktoons network from 2008 until 2009.The show, which takes place Twenty Minutes into the Future, revolved around a Robot Girl named XJ9 (or simply Jenny Wakeman) who was designed in order to protect the Earth by a female scientist, but, after meeting her next door neighbor Brad and his little brother Tucker, decides she would rather live a normal adolescent life. Jenny attempts to fit in at school, but usually fails, with hilarious results.Her antics cause friction with her "mother" Nora Wakeman. Nora's strict treatment doesn't sit well with Jenny, either. Despite this, they care about each other, and eventually accept each other as mother and daughter.Jenny must also fight various menaces in the series, most notably The Cluster, a race of alien robots bent on conquering Earth, led by the evil Queen Vexus.One of Jenny's friends, a nerd called Sheldon, has a crush on her, but she doesn't like him that way. Some sources say that the creator has said that they do get together after the series, or he at least wants them to/hopes people think they do.He adopts the identity of a superhero robot himself (the Silver Shell) by wearing a suit of Powered Armor, but must keep this a secret from Jenny and the rest.By the made for TV movie, Jenny finds out that The Cluster aren't really evil, but are being manipulated by Vexus. She helps free them, and considers staying in their world, where she fits in better, but ultimately decides to return to Earth.
Aliens Speaking English: The Cluster and several other of the spacegoing creatures Jenny meets. But inverted in an episode where feline aliens only say "Meow" ...but Jenny, Brad and Tucker understand them.
Angel Face, Demon Face: A rather extreme example in Todd, at the end of "A Robot For All Seasons". When he learns the true meaning of Christmas, his dour, dark face cracks and falls away revealing a smiling, rosy cheeked face.
Anime Hair: A lot of people, actually, in this rare western example.
Tuck: You're going to blow us up, or vaporize us, or get us grounded! [Brad lifts off the UFO] Or get us un-grounded.
Art Shift: In "Daydream Believer", Jenny gets a hold of some software that allows her to dream, which she eventually abuses to work while she's awake. Each of her dream sequences has a rather large art shift, from Greco-Roman style to even more 1920s than the show was to begin with to - of all things - Dr. Seuss.
Asspull: The sudden paperwork fetish of Skyway Patrol when they were able to act without having to fill out mounds and mounds of paperwork the whole series, just to show Brad that being a hero isn't fun.
Though, like in Hot Fuzz, this could be evidence that the crew has Shown Their Work and fleshed out the formerly two-dimensional "STOP THAT ROBOT" Skyway Patrol.
Soak it in folks, this is likely the only time the two will ever be mentioned in conjunction.
Badass Family: The Wakemans, obviously. Nora Wakeman is a Mad Scientist and a former officer of the Skyway Patrol, and can still hold her own in combat at an advanced age; Jenny is a ridiculously powerful crime-fighting robot; and Jenny's sisters (XJ 1 through 8) are single-purpose prototypes who are still pretty strong in their own right (plus, they kick major ass when they join forces). Arguably, you could also include Armageddroid in the family roster (he might be a Well-Intentioned Extremist, but he's the most powerful robot ever created).
Batman Can Breathe in Space: Jenny, being a robot, is justified. Less justified is the first episode where she was able to rocket into space, blast away several meteors, get smacked around a bit, and reenter the atmosphere and return safely to Earth... with Tuck clinging onto her every step of the way. And he survived. And thought it was "Cool!"Don't even go into the facts about survival in space.
Then there are the scenes where non-robotic characters seem to have no problem breathing in space (though it is Lampshaded very often).
Bullying a Dragon: Jenny is sweet, gentle, and kind. She wants to fit in with her peers, and is a generally good person. Her tormentors, however, don't ever seem to grasp that she's also a walking, talking, sapient weapons system capable of destroying entire space fleets on her own. As mentioned below, this requires a very special kind of stupidity.
However, they're probably fine... given that she probably couldn't get away with using those weapons on even the meanest of bullies who was totally asking for it.
Bungling Inventor: Krakus, despite the fact that one of his inventions worked perfect in the episode he was introduced, it is clear from dialog that it is not a common occurrence.
Cool Loser: Jenny. Brad is also a possibility, but considering that he's somehow able to get invites to Don Prima's parties on his own, it's debatable.
Dark Reprise: The theme song's film reel disintegrates in Escape From Cluster Prime, which begins an orchestral arrangement of the song that isn't so cheery.
Death Course: The eponymous "Enclosure of Doom". Which is Armagedroid.
Demonization: Deconstructed In-Universe: Queen Vexus of Cluster Prime demonizes XJ 9, presenting her like an Always Chaotic Evil, horrible monster robot that wants to destroy his own kind in various propaganda videos showed to the robots. When XJ 9 accidentally goes to Cluster Prime, all the robots see her for the cute, normal, heroic robot who wants to help and protect others. Even when someone recognizes her and the Robot police try to catch her, she is helped by her new friends. This leads to Queen Vexu’s downfall.
Distressed Dude: You can bet that Brad and Tuck will usually be in danger if they are part of the focus of an episode. Sheldon can fall victim to this often as well, especially in his first appearance.
Do Androids Dream?: Lampshaded by Dr. Wakeman in the episode "Daydream Believer".
Do-Anything Robot: Jenny. But as a teenager, whether or not she'll actually do anything is related to her mood at the moment.
Does Not Know Her Own Strength: Jenny has some initial problems fitting in due to this, but eventually gets used to her surroundings.
At home, she seems to have either figured out how to lounge around without breaking stuff, or Dr. Wakeman has simply reinforced a lot of the house.
Fantasy Gun Control: In "Escape From Cluster Prime", Vexus is revealed to have disarmed the Cluster by removing microchips that would allow them to transform and keeping them in a vault.
Feel No Pain: Only once, when it was relevant to the plot.
Flawed Prototype: Of a sort. XJs 1 through 8 are clearly not as complete as Jenny, although 'flawed' isn't really the right word here, as they all seem to be testbeds for various functions eventually incorporated into Jenny. (Dr. Wakeman herself describes them as "failed" and "incomplete" in successive sentences.) Armagedroid, on the other hand, is something of a Gone Horribly Right...
Played with, with Krackus. He has few problems with building his gadgets, but getting them to stay together, let alone work, is another story entirely...
"Hostile Makeover" - "...and it smells like fish tacos!"
The beginning of one episode where Jenny has just finished telling the boys how babies are made, leaving them with horrified expressions. That is all.
Watch the backgrounds in a few episodes.
"Puppet Bride" - Little Acorn talks about how all the other puppets have a life partner: Punch has Judy. Erthas Bernie...
"The Boy Who Cried Robot" - "The dike! She is about to blow!"
"Voyage to the Planet of the Bikers" - Tammy is teaching an elementary school class. Behind her on the chalkboard is the equation "Birds + Bees = Baby". She then request the class open to page 69.
Not to mention the recurring biker chicks with a dom/sub theme. Or Jenny's speaker system that comes out of her chest....OK, let's just say this whole show as a whole can be Getting Crap Past the Radar.
In one episode, Jenny is expelled and has to be home-schooled. Dr Wakeman sets up a fake prom, and pairs Jenny up with XJ-8, her sister.
In one episode she has to keep saving the world during school, and since she already used I have to go to the bathroom, she leaves a blow-up doll of herself in her chair. She comes back and lets the balloon blow off - and it zooms into Sheldon's desk, who closes it with a smile...It's a robot blow up doll. He's just creepy.
Sheldon: Nice set...of wheels.
Then this, from the fashion episode...
Jenny: No time, Mom! I'll just download some new upgrades from the Internet!
Heel Face Door Slam: In their first appearance, Brit and Tiff actually defended Jenny when the police were planning on bringing her downtown after the science lab caught on fire (which they caused), as thanks for saving their lives. They actually wanted Jenny to start hanging out with them, until Brit shook Jenny's hand too hard and dislodged the hair pin Tiff shot into it. As the two were being led away by the police they blamed Jenny for it.
Heroic BSOD: Jenny, when Brad tosses an old calculator for a new one and tells her about Planned Obsolescence.
Hero with Bad Publicity: Jenny in Escape From Cluster Prime, especially in said place, where she was framed for destroying special defense chips, although there was so much focus on an artist's interpretation, no one knew that Jenny was the enemy until a policeman recognized her.
I Just Want to Be Normal: Jenny's got no chance or real desire to actually be human, but she does want to fit in - in fact, Dr. Wakeman seems to have designed her with this in mind.
Interspecies Romance: Sheldon's crush on Jenny, for one. And Jenny's attraction to Don Prima in the first season.
Not to mention the fanfics where Jenny and Brad end up together.
Let's not forget Brad's near-marriage by Tammy. He would've agreed to do it, too, it it wasn't for the clause that would turn him into a domestic slave.
Brad seems quite prone to this, considering his short relationship with Melody.
Laugh with Me: Smitus monologues about his evil plan and then lets out an Evil Laugh, while his minions just stare. He gives them an icy glare and says, "You laugh too." The minions all start laughing themselves silly, so much so that they accidentally let the episode's Applied Phlebotinum out of their ship's airlock.
Lawful Stupid: The Skyway Patrol. So much so that they need to fill out a mountain of authorization forms (in quintuplet, mind you) to take unauthorized actions.
Armagedroid too, although he's just programmed to be extremely single-minded.
Magic Skirt: Many times. Best example is the first episode. We see Jenny and Brad looking through a box, and her position clearly shows her in a way that she is showing what she has (if anything) to the world. Next shot of Tuck aiming at her shows differently, though the next shot goes back to the original position.
A publicity picture shows Brad and Tuck going through Jenny's drawer and pulling out a pair of her steel panties.
Nerd Glasses: A few times, but not on Sheldon (the biggest nerd of the show) or Tuck (second-biggest).
Never Mess with Granny: The majority of Tremorton thinks Nora's a dotty old lady at best and a demented Mad Scientist at worst. But she was once Skyway Patrol, and the asskicking she did then she has not forgotten by the time Escape From Cluster Prime occurs.
No Water Proofing In The Future: Pretty much all robots in the show react negatively to water exposure. Well, at least if the plot needs them to have said negative reaction to water.
No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: Averted - Jenny has "sisters" who are prototypes (it's even played more realistically than is usual). However, this doesn't stop her from being the only one like her, ever.
Oh Crap: Jenny on occasion. One of the drawbacks of a near-human personality.
Vexus at the end of Escape From Cluster Prime, when Vega and her friends give Cluster Prime back their golden chips.
Older than They Look: Sheldon after the episode Good Old Sheldon only LOOKS 15. He's now officially 105 years old. Holy cow.
Jenny herself is technically 5 years old physically, but was being designed and built a good 11 years before that (so, 16, including a really long gestation period).
The Other Darrin: In the episode "Around the World in 50 Pieces", Vexus is voiced by Cree Summer (who also voices Tiff). Eartha Kitt returns to form in the TV Movie.
Paper-Thin Disguise: In "Dressed to Kill", monstrous alien warrior Smytus convinces several characters that he's a Ukrainian supermodel by putting on a wig.
In "Escape From Cluster Prime", Jenny's superhero costume is the Cluster Prime flag and a pickelhaube.
Pie Eyed: Most of the cast has these eyes, unusual for a modern cartoon.
Pinocchio Syndrome: Averted with Jenny - she's perfectly fine with being a robot, but wants acceptance and assimilation... which sometimes means playing the trope straight.
Planet of Hats: Played straight in "Good Old Sheldon" and subverted in "Voyage To the Planet of the Bikers".
Playing to the Fetishes: It's debatable, but the episode "Victim of Fashion" is rife of these...y'know, if you have a thing for catsuits, Victorian era dresses, sea life, and the Notorious B.I.G.
Punch Clock Hero: Misty in "Mist Opportunities". Jenny herself will occasionally gripe about having to save the world on a regular basis (=less time for a social life), but is always on duty.
Punch Clock Villain: The biker gang, who are only marauding dominatrices on the weekend, and work at an elementary school for the rest of the time.
Actually played with throughout the series. Jenny experiments with devices that make her more like a human (she's mostly cool with being a robot), including pleasure/pain sensors. But they're still working out the kinks.
Also, Melody.
Robo Family: Jenny has several "sisters" who are actually failed/incomplete prototypes created by her inventor who have since been shut down and locked up in the basement.
Robot Kid: Or teenager, whatever; a couple of her 'sisters' fit this better than she does.
Safety Worst: Tuck is almost hit by a car. As a result he shuts himself away from the outside world Jenny tries to reassure him of his safety by showing him at a ripe old age through the "Future Scope", which leads him to believe he will live to old age no matter what, and spends the rest of the episode performing a number of life threatening stunts. He forgets that even if he lives he still could get badly damaged.
Scare Chord: Spoofed by Killgore in "Enclosure of Doom".
Screwed by the Network: The second season was delayed for many months. And after lack of adverts, the third season didn't air for years after the show was canceled.
Scooby Stack: Jenny, Sheldon, Brad and Tuck spy on Dr. Wakeman's boyfriend this way in "Mama Drama"
Self-Destruct Mechanism: The main warship in "Escape from Cluster Prime." Also used in Armagedroid, for a bomb, and by Killgore in "Enclosure of Doom".
Possibly explained in "Victim of Fashion": Tuck is sifting through Jenny's arsenal and discovers an object that opens up into nowhere.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Spoofed. When Jenny wants to get pretty for a party invite, she visits a garage and gets a full tune-up and new paint job. ...from a bunch of greasy gearheads, at that.
The male half of the alien couple in "Unlicensed Flying Object" sneaks one in.
Alien: Yeah, well, personally I can't wait to get off this hick planet! Bunch of rip-off artists, these earthlings: five bucks for a cup of coffee, no Extraterrestrial discount at the hotel, and I know that bellboy stole my tricorder.
In "Future Shock" when Jenny gets to the Vault: Jonny Quest, Batman, Tintin and probably a couple others.
The Cluster (for the most part a fully roboticised version of the Borg from Star Trek) uses the "resistance is futile" line.
Vexus says "be seeing you" to Jenny in her first appearance, complete with the same hand gesture.
The bad guys in the first part of "Speak No Evil" are a reference to Zedd's putties (remember the giant frickin target on their chests?) in Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
In "The Puppet Bride", the boy that eventually finds Little Acorn looks identical to Lucas from Mother 3.
That episode is also based on the original story of Frankenstein.
In one episode, Tuck calls Dr. Wakeman to get Jenny and Brad in trouble for throwing a party while she is away. When Brad decides to let him stay for the party, Tuck responds to Dr. Wakeman's "Hello?" with, "I just called to say I love you."
Vega could be seen as a shout-out to Zero, just by virtue of being a sword-weilding robot who is best friends with another blue robot who fights for justice. Did we mention that she also has an evil parental figure that acts as an arch-enemy to their best friend?
After Brad finds out that Melody is a robot, he asks how he can trust her again, and she kisses him. His response: "So she's mechanical!"
Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace: Subverted somewhat in "Ball and Chain" - Jenny bangs on the window and calls Brad's name. Brad tells Jenny he doesn't want to be rescued and marries Tammy anyway. He justifiably begins to regret it because Tammy's species treats spouses as somewhere between slave and house pet and calls the marriage off at the reception, resulting in him needing to be rescued.
Stalker with a Crush: Sheldon. Viewer reaction with him tends to swing between, "Aw, that's kind of cute." and "What the hell is wrong with that boy?"
Stop Worshipping Me: In one episode, Jenny is mistaken for the Comet Goddess by a group of Adorkable aliens, and while the worship is nice at first, she eventually gets sick of it.
Suicide Attack: The Horde in "Humiliation 101" uses this.
Super Prototype: XJ8 is physically stronger than Jenny... but doesn't have Jenny's quirk and charm.
Super Strength: "The strength of a million-and-seventy men," if the theme song is to be taken literally.
One episode has Jenny lost her Language OS Disc, forcing her to speak Japanese for almost the whole episode.
Telescoping Robot: Jenny does this for comedy mostly, with a stretchy neck and even pigtail-antenna (not to mention "stretchy arms and extendo-fingers", to which an entire episode was devoted), but can use her body as a combination Green Lantern Ring and Shape Shifter.
Quickly deconstructed as well, as she is unable to make her self smaller or thinner when the Krust sisters come up with a social situation requiring it. (She settles for completely removing all her external armor... and decides to never do it again.)
Too Dumb to Live: Tucker in "Indes-Tuck-tible," and Jenny's tormentors Brit and Tiff pretty much all the time. See the above entry for Bullying a Dragon, and note that more than once, their schemes have backfired with extremely severe consequences.
Trailers Always Spoil: Semi-Averted for Escape from Cluster Prime, Vega, or basically any footage Jenny having fun in Cluster Prime, wasn't featured, but we did get to see a policeman taking off Jenny's superhero disguise, and all of Cluster Prime being alerted that Jenny was in their presence. To be honest though, we were expecting that to happen, so not a huge problem.
Twenty Minutes into the Future - The set year is never explicitly stated, but one episode mentions that Jenny, being built only 5 years prior, missed Super Bowl C (100).
Dr. Wakeman, when she's homeschooling her, once asked her who the first female president was, so certainly farther than 2012?
Well, Super Bowl C will be played in January 2067, which means that the series takes place in late 2072 or 2073 at the absolute earliest. Of course, during the same conversation where this is brought up, Brad also mentions that Jenny missed seeing the "Great Blizzard of '24", which is someone puzzling; assuming that he's referring to the year 2024, there's no way he could have experienced the latter event and still be a teenager, either, unless Brad's older than he looks (like Sheldon after he was lauched into space) or time travel is somehow involved.
...OR the "Great Blizzard of '24" started in 2024 and stopped a few years after Brad was born...
Unusually Uninteresting Sight - The show is about a robot packed with a huge arsenal of incredibly destructive gadgets/weapons attending a local high school. Other people in the show very rarely find this concept, or even Jenny herself, odd, even though she appears to be the only one around.
Urine Trouble - In "Trade Show Showdown", a robotic dog lifts its leg after it gets annoyed with Jenny deriding it for being a one trick pony puppy.
Very Special Episode: "Victim of Fashion" has Jenny competing against Brit and Tiff to see who can be more fashionable. But when it comes to getting slim, being a robot her only option is having her armor and weapons removed leaving her body as just a robot skeleton, of course an obvious metaphor for anorexia. She's so weak that even the smallest member of the biker chicks gang kicks her butt easily.
Well-Intentioned Extremist: Armegedroid is on a mission to destroy all "weaponry" (and then presumably himself when he's done - maybe). Jenny doesn't have much of a problem with this, just that he's hurting people in the process.
What the Hell, Hero?: Brad's response when Jenny wrongly tries to prove Melody is secretly evil. Also when she attacks one of two groups of alien visitors not realizing Beauty Is Bad.
And in "Escape From Cluster Prime" when everybody in Tremerton, including Dr. Wakeman, calls her out for accidentally ruining a parade while stopping a bad guy. It sets off her leaving for Cluster Prime in the first place.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Generally played straight, although it's usually only Jenny who has the power to invoke this trope at all in the show.
Wheel of Pain: When first informed about the Cluster, we see humans chained to this, apparently to power some kind of Ice Cream Parlor for robots.
Wingding Eyes: Wisteria's glasses turn into mod and psychadelic symbols sometimes.
Wire Dilemma: Subverted in "Escape From Cluster Prime".
Word Of God: It's probably a great comfort to many shippers that Rob Renzetti said in an interview that he and his team would've loved to see Sheldon and Jenny as a couple.
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