This is discussion archived from a time before the current discussion method was installed.
All right, I finally forced myself to do this one. No inspiration here. Fix if necessary.
From You Know That Thing Where:
Dark Sasami: This bit from Jackie Chan Adventures Discussion got me thinking...is this a trope in and of itself?
BT The P: This isn't a Danza. Jackie didn't actually do his own voice work, he only appears in the live-action sequences. The cartoon Jackie was voiced by James Sie.
Specifically, the animated show about a specific famous real person that does not, in fact, feature the famous real person. Not just impersonation in general (that's No Celebrities Were Harmed). For example, The Beatles would be one, since they weren't in it (except in recordings of their songs), but The Gary Coleman Show would not count, since Gary Coleman played the main character. It's a particularly egregious type of cashing in on some celebrity's popularity.
Corahs Uncle: Whatever this trope is called, Hanna-Barbera did it frequently. Examples are Laurel and Hardy, the Harlem Globetrotters (which later became The Super Globetrotters), the Three Stooges (as The Robonic Stooges) and the Little Rascals. Abbott And Costello is a borderline case, as Bud Abbott performed his own voice, but Stan Irwin portrayed the animated Lou Costello.
Tabby Not Quite Starring..., maybe?
Ununnilium: I like it. `.`v
Ununnilium: Was the New Kids On The Block cartoon an example of this? Or had their star faded sufficiently by this point? Similarly, what about the MC-Hammer-as-superhero series Hammerman?
Kendra Kirai: Don't forget Kid'n'Play, and that cartoon about the 'All Stars' with Wayne Gretzky, Micheal Jordon and...another guy, I can't remember..I think there was actually a Milli freakin' Vanilli cartoon. The late 80's early 90's were a sad, sad time to watch cartoons. Oh, and Camp Candy, the Pink Panther and Sons...at least, if animated characters count for 'not quite starring'...is so, what about Baloo's starring role in Tale Spin? With guest stars Shere Khan and King Louie. After Ducktales was cancelled Launchpad got shuffled off to join Darkwing Duck...Goofy and Pete got given kids (and actual backstory) in Goof Troop...
(BT The P: The show with Jordan and Gretzski was Pro Stars. The third guy was Bo Jackson, then-famous baseball and football star.)
Looney Toons: "I think there was actually a Milli freakin' Vanilli cartoon." Oh, the painfully amusing recursive irony...
Ununnilium: Animated characters joining a new series is a completely different trope.
Pteryx: It's my understanding that Hammerman actually did have M.C. Hammer doing the voice, but he was credited under his real name. Thus, I'm removing that.
Removed the Jabberjaw ref. It fits on No Celebrities Were Harmed, but not here. Plus, he's a Curly Howard impression.
Dark Sasami: Removed Ace Ventura and The Mask. While these did not star Jim Carrey, they weren't shows about Jim Carrey--they were shows about characters that he happened to play.
Dark Sasami: Took out the following:
- Exceptions to the Voice Impersonator rule:
- Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos
- The Mr T cartoon
It sounds like these are supposed to be "this is the same thing, only the voices aren't impersonated." Problem is, the crux of the trope IS the voice impersonation. Is the vanity cartoon a separate trope? I think so. Think of a fictional rise-to-stardom scenario: "Billy Sparkleteeth is an overnight hit! He's making movies, showing up on Carson -- heck, he's got his own cartoon show!" This would overlap with Not Quite Starring...hmm, actually, it would encompass it, come to think of it. Hrm.
Given the small number of cartoons that DO feature the celebrities, I would be tempted to make the "didn't even bother to appear in it" thing a subfocus of the article, and have the article be the vanity cartoon, but the current title doesn't work for it at all. And I like the article. Hrm. Any ideas? Lump or split?
Ununnilium: I say split. Trying to refocus this entry would probably result in a great giant mess.
Morgan Wick: It's a combination of The Danza and The Alkazar, I think. The latter, particularly, if the person in question is actually spoofing his own image (self-No Celebrities Were Harmed). If the person is actually reveling in his image (and playing it straight), then it's either still The Alkazar or a show with a Large Ham as the lead instead of a guest star.
Looney Toons: Hm. Would self-spoofing also include Jennifer Grey's role in the live-action Its Like You Know?
Fly: Cutting:
- Subverted in Clone High, where the characters are literal clones of famous people.
because I don't see how it has anything to do with the trope, subverting it or playing it straight.
Dark Sasami: Ok, I got confused for a bit when someone added "He's also his own voice actor" to Jackie Chan Adventures, and IMDB didn't immediately back up the James Sie thing. But if you look at James Sie's page, it becomes clear that he does play Jackie. So I took the addition out.
