History Main / ForgetfulJones

[[quoteright:349:[[Website/TapasMedia https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/livingwithadhd.png]]]]

* Website/TapasMedia: "[[https://tapas.io/episode/1394300 Living with ADHD]]" adroitly illustrates the challenges [[UsefulNotes/AttentionDeficitHyperactivityDisorder ADHD]] can present for the artist with ADHD in the comic as she forgot everything she learned about her new friend, including their name and job.

* Another Creator/PGWodehouse example: Lord Emsworth of ''Literature/BlandingsCastle''.

* "Biffy" Biffen from the ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' stories, who has found the girl of his dreams, but ''can't remember her last name!'' Also applies to the [[Series/JeevesAndWooster TV show]].

* ''Animation/PleasantGoatAndBigBigWolf'': Jolly's mother, Mama Hen, is somehow more forgetful than her own son (who's already a KnowNothingKnowItAll), forgetting such important information as where she lives and, in her debut episode, ''what her son looks like''.

[[caption-width-right:349:I forget to caption this... again.]]

* In the ''Series/DrakeAndJosh'' episode "Football" Drake and Josh meet the school janitor, Zeke Braxton, who used to be a pro football player until a head injury affected his memory.

* The TropeNamer is Forgetful Jones, the cowboy Muppet from ''Series/SesameStreet''. A RunningGag on the show is his inability to even remember that his memory is so bad.

* In one episode of ''Franchise/CareBears'', Beastly was written as having an extremely bad short-term memory. To the point where he would often lose his train of thought mid-sentence. He wasn't written that way in other episodes.

Usually played for comedy, this trope does ''not'' cover characters with Alzheimer's or brain injuries that medically impair their short-term or long-term memory.

* Website/TapasMedia: "[[https://tapas.io/episode/1394300 Living with ADHD]]" adroitly illustrates the challenges it can present.

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* Ira Rosenkrantz the security guard, in ''Webcomic/SkinHorse'', had way too many memory wipes, so his memory after a certain period a couple of decades ago until, oh, a few seconds ago, is shot. He's still mostly able to function, though, and his lack of need to sign any [=NDAs=] makes him a great asset for a black ops social services group. [[spoiler: Turns out it's all a sham, and he is in fact Mr. Green.]]

* Finch from ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles2'' will forget her own name in the same sentence she just used it. This is actually a gameplay mechanic for her, If she uses a special and her "Birdbrain" ability kicks in, she will "forget" to drain her special charge meter, letting her use it again immediately after

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': In the Key to the Starry Skies Arc, former ArcVillain Erigor returns having [[PowerAtAPrice exchanged his memories for incredibly powerful weather magic]]. As a side-effect, his memory periodically resets itself, to the point he occasionally [[ForgotAboutHisPowers forgets about his abilities]], his enemies while he's still fighting them, and doesn't even remember his very name and identity. PlayedForDrama, as he admits when [[TheMedic Wendy]] manages to force his memories to return in full that losing them was one of the worst experiences of his life.

* Quinton Zempfester from ''ComicBook/ThievesAndKings''.

* One ''ComicBook/AchilleTalon'' story involved a man with some kind of memory disorder that caused him to constantly forget or misremember things, along with a healthy dose of InsaneTrollLogic. To give an example, he begins the story knocking on Achille's door asking to see "the Marquess", then when Achille goes to check outside who brought this loony at his door slams it behind him then proceeds to go to bed, firmly convinced he's at his home. When Achille manages to prove that he's not him, the man then admits he has forgotten his own name, and asks the police if they have found someone on the street with a name that could be his.

* ''Film/TheLookout'' plays this for drama, with a main character who suffered brain damage and must now write reminders to himself to do basic things throughout the day.

* "Biffy" Biffen from the ''Literature/JeevesAndWooster'' stories, who has found the girl of his dreams, but ''can't remember her last name!'' Also applies to the [[Series/JeevesAndWooster TV show]].

* [[AbsentMindedProfessor Professor Plum]] from the ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}'' book series.

* Neville Longbottom of ''Literature/HarryPotter'', long before his MemeticBadass days, was this for the first four (and part of the fifth) books. It's implied that he was this because of his lack of self-confidence and drive to be better.

* Jeremiah Tortoise from ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'' often forgets things and often stops in mid-sentence because he can't remember what it was that he was saying. Other times, he will repeat greet someone a second time after having just greeted them.

* [[VideoGame/{{Nethack}} Who was that Maud person, anyway?]] (This is a reference to the eponymous poem by Creator/AlfredLordTennyson.)

* ''VisualNovel/Danganronpa2GoodbyeDespair'' has Akane Owari, who, in her Free Time Events, repeatedly forgets people's names. Given that she [[DarkAndTroubledPast grew up in a crime-ridden slum where there wasn't much point in remembering people's names because they're probably going to be dead in a week]], it's understandable. In the third game's Talent Development Plan mode, she tells Himiko that she usually forget the name of anyone who seems too weak to survive, and in a later event, still has trouble with Himiko's name, even though they've been going to school together for three years.
* ''VisualNovel/DanganronpaV3KillingHarmony'' has Monotaro, one of the Monokubs, who's even worse than Akane. He repeatedly forgets important or obvious information, and when he does remember, it's usually because he forgot that he'd forgotten it. Crosses over into AchievementsInIgnorance where he spontaneously becomes a computer genius just because he forgot that he wasn't one. Which is very lucky for the player since [[spoiler:Miu, the class's actual computer genius, had just been killed, and someone else with her skills is needed to solve the murder. Since Monotaro is under the impression that she was his mother (probably because he forgot she wasn't), he is happy to help you with the investigation this time despite normally being on the villains' side]]. Of course, he forgets all of his newfound computer knowledge just as quickly. [[spoiler:Since the killing game turns out to be [[ImmoralRealityShow a reality show]] [[MetaSequel based on the fictional]] ''[[MetaSequel Danganronpa]]'' [[MetaSequel franchise]], the crew running things behind the scenes are most likely remotely adding and deleting knowledge from his memory banks as they see fit]].
* Qiqi from ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'', being a zombie, lacks much of a long term memory, and thus forgets things easily. She carries around a notebook to write down important things to remember them, though there are times when she forgets about the notebook as well.
* ''VideoGame/CookingDiary'': Forgetful Customers, whose orders blink on and off as they attempt to remember.

* {{WebAnimation/Hololive}} vtuber Mumei Nanashi -- by her own admission -- has a really inconsistent short term memory, and often questions to herself before giving explanations on things whether or not she already explained it before. Part of this is built into her "persona" as [[AnthropomorphicPersonification an avatar of human civilization]], having forgotten most of what humanity has accomplished over the ages.

* In ''Webcomic/CityFace 2'', City Face forgets what Torus said, mere seconds after she said it.
* ''Webcomic/{{Gunshow}}'': [[http://gunshowcomic.com/806 "Please go to the hospital already, your short term memory is a burden to us all."]]

* ''All'' of the bots of the Website/JollyRogerTelephoneCompany are this. All of them will eventually claim, often multiple times, not to know what the caller called them about and that they need the caller to start over.
-->'''Whitey''': What is it? What are you... are you selling anything?

* The entire elephant village is depicted as this in ''WesternAnimation/ThunderCats2011''.

* On ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice,'' [[ComicBook/KlarionTheWitchBoy Klarion]], since he's a [[HumanoidAbomination Lord of Chaos]] whose mind works differently than a human's. Upon being told that [[MadScientist T.O. Morrow]] is in a coma, he pauses to ask "Did I know that already?" WordOfGod also noted that while everyone in [[OmniscientCouncilOfVagueness the Light]] knew about [[spoiler:Black Manta]] being Kaldur's father, "whether Klarion remembers is a legit question."

* ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'': Lumpy Space Princess can be ridiculously forgetful at times. In "Video Makers" after Jake tells her they're filming a food fight scene she immediately forgets they're filming a scene and gets mad when Peppermint Butler throws food at her.
* The [[WesternAnimation/SylvesterTheCatAndTweetyBird Tweety and Sylvester]] cartoon "Red Riding Hoodwinked" features a version of TheBigBadWolf who can never remember Red's name and has to be prompted by other characters. Another, even more forgetful wolf was WesternAnimation/BugsBunny's antagonist in "The Hare-less Wolf".

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'' episode "Mission Imp Possible", Genie, Iago and [[TheImp Nefir]] end up in [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Bog of Forgetfulness]].
-->'''Iago:''' You know, you're big, blue and funny looking; you must be a genie. Turn into something that will help us out.\\
'''Genie:''' How about an elephant? An elephant never forgets. ''(Turns into a hippopotamus)'' Was this what I was suppose to turn into?\\
'''Iago:''' You weren't always a hippo?
* In ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'' the Propulsions always forget ''not'' to tell people that they come from Bortron 7.
** Jet especially, who always needs to Sean to teach him the Scientific Method over and over, and often forgets things that he learned in previous episodes.
** A RunningGag in "[[Recap/ReadyJetGoS2E22MarsRockForMomSeanHasACold Mars Rock for Mom]]" is Jet leaving his things behind and forgetting where he put them. First, he forgets his jacket. Next, he forgets his wallet. Then, he devises a plan to get Jet 2 to pick up after him so he doesn't leave his stuff behind, only to realize that he left Jet 2 on Mars. Finally, Jet leaves behind Mindy's camera. Luckily, the camera was inside Jet 2's stomach compartment.
* Booey Bubblehead from ''WesternAnimation/GalaxyHigh'' was frequently shown to have a poor memory. For example, she'd often forget that she already introduced herself during her conversations with other characters.
* In ''WesternAnimation/LostInOz'', Scarecrow sacrificed his own memory to the Waters of Oblivion to protect Glinda's secrets (no one could force the information out of him if he couldn't remember it). However, this affected his ability to form new memories, and now he has trouble remembering anything.
* This is one of the characteristics of Special Agent Oso from the [[WesternAnimation/SpecialAgentOso series by the same name]] and one of the reasons why needs [[FakeInteractivity help from the viewers]]. He has a tendency to almost immediately forget things he's been told, such as in "Thunder Berries" when he forgets Dotty's instructions that the invisibility paint can be washed off simply with water.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHarlemGlobetrotters'': Bobby Joe Mason was a patented forgetful Ned. It didn't stop him from contributing to the team's victories.

* Bobby Joe Mason on the ''Harlem Globetrotters'' cartoon was a patented forgetful Ned. It didn't stop him from contributing to the team's victories.

* In ''Series/{{Kaamelott}}'', Dagonet doesn't even remember where the borders of his lands are. In TheMovie, ''Film/KaamelottPremierVolet'', he even has to be reminded that the Isle of Thanet belongs to him.
* The ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch "Mr. Short-term Memory", with Creator/TomHanks.

* Neville Longbottom of ''Literature/HarryPotter'', long before his MemeticBadass days, was this for the first four (and part of the fifth) books. It's implied that he was this because of his lack of self-confidence and drive to be better. Or, according to theorists, it could be due to the [[spoiler:Memory charm he received as a child to erase his traumatic memories of watching his parents be tortured into insanity.]]

* ''Manga/MonsterMusume'': Papi's memory borders on nonexistent. She forgets the protagonist literally five minutes after meeting him (she doesn't forget his ''name'', she completely forgets that she ever met him in the first place), and routinely has difficulty getting her own name and [[HarpingOnAboutHarpies species]] straight. This is mainly because her characterization is based on a Japanese legend that birds forget everything after taking three steps.

'''Newton:''' I know, I'm in a club for people with bad memories.\\

'''Newton:''' I forgot.\\

'''Newton:''': I dunno.\\
'''Orson:''' How often are the meetings held?\\

'''Newton:''' I can't! I'm the president! Incidentally, what was your name again?