History Main / GirlfriendInCanada

A convenient way for a character to disabuse the idea that [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday they're either gay]] or [[HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday too socially inept for a relationship]] is to claim that they indeed have a girlfriend -- but the other characters have never met her because she lives in Canada. She doesn't visit very often, but when she does they just spend all day in bed. Look, here's her entry in his phone's contact list. No, you can't see a picture.

[[quoteright:349:[[ComicBook/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gf_in_canada.png]]]]

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheSimpsons https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gf_in_canada.png]]]]

A convenient way for a character to disabuse the idea that [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday they're gay]] or [[HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday otherwise too socially inept for a relationship]] is to claim that they indeed have a girlfriend -- but the other characters have never met her because she lives in Canada. She doesn't visit very often, but when she does they just spend all day in bed. Look, here's her entry in his phone's contact list. No, you can't see a picture.

A convenient way for a character to disabuse the idea that [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday they're gay]] or [[HaveIMentionedIAmSexuallyActiveToday otherwise too socially inept for a relationship]] is to claim that they indeed have a girlfriend -- but the other characters have never met her because she lives [[CanadaEh in Canada]]. She doesn't visit very often, but when she does they just spend all day in bed. Look, here's her entry in his phone's contact list. No, you can't see a picture.

* ''Theatre/AvenueQ'': [[TransparentCloset Rod]] sings "My Girlfriend Who Lives in Canada". The song ends with an incredibly unexpected and exaggerated shout of [[spoiler:[[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday "AND I CAN'T WAIT TO EAT HER PUSSY AGAIN!!!!!"]]]] A slightly bowdlerized version of the show used "boink her beaver", which adds another CanadaEh joke.

* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'': The second season premiere "Traffic Jam" features a decidedly cruel subversion. While the family is stuck in the titular traffic jam, Malcolm manages to strike up a friendship with a cute girl who he starts to become infatuated with. It's revealed at the end when he's trying to pursue things deeper with her that she's Canadian and is currently heading home from a road trip with her family, which leaves Malcolm rather deflated to say the least what with any potential romance between them now being unlikely. But at the last moment as the cars start moving again and hers pulls up next to his, she extends out a piece of paper with her number on it which he almost manages to grab before the dog that Lois had freed from another car earlier in the episode jumps up and snatches it out of her hand.

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Disenchantment}},'' [[DoggedNiceGuy Elfo]] gets embarrassed about trying to kiss [[RebelliousPrincess Bean]] and claims that he actually has a girlfriend in a faraway land, who's [[HasAType really tall]], [[HeroesWantRedheads has red hair]] and [[BadLiar only one eye]]. This ultimately leads to him getting into a FakeRelationship [[TinyGuyHugeGirl with a giantess]].

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* ''Animne/LucyMayOfTheSouthernRainbow'': When the Popples immigrate from England to Australia, the ship's sailor, John, takes a liking to their eldest daughter Clara and frequently flirts with her. Even though he has to go back to England, they keep in touch through letters and [[spoiler: John eventually moves to Australia so they can get married]].

'''Mrs Hofstadter:''' I see. ''[to Sheldon, eyebrows raised]'' Her grandmother died.\\

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow'': After falling victim to a love potion that makes her fall head-over-heels for M.O.D.O.K., Ms Marvel says the worst part is that it made her cheat on her boyfriend. He's totally real. And great. And on a mission. In space. That's why no one else has heard of him. Of course, it eventually turns out that she ''does'' have a boyfriend in space: Captain Marvel.

* Proving this trope OlderThanFeudalism, one record claims that Creator/{{Sappho}} (yes, that one) had a husband named Kerkylas of Andros. Most people are pretty sure that this was Sappho (or a later poet) either joking or telling a very inept lie, given that "Kerkylas" is derived from "kerkos", meaning "penis," and "Andros" means "man." Website/TheOtherWiki, in a truly wonderful sentence, notes that this is comparable to claiming you're married to Dick Allcock from the Isle of Man.

* ''Franchise/MarvelUniverse'':
** ''ComicBook/{{Champions|MarvelComics}}'': Parodied in ''ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}'' #16, where the others make fun of [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]] for claiming that he has [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen a girlfriend in an alternate universe]].
--->'''Amadeus Cho:''' I thought you were going to say "in Canada", but that was ''so much better!''
** ''ComicBook/UncannyXMen'': In ''The Heroic Age'' one-shot, Beast gets stood up on a date. When he mentions this to Molly Hayes of the ComicBook/{{Runaways}}, she assumes that this trope is in effect, but Beast is quick to correct that his girlfriend is actually from ''space'', which doesn't help his credibility in Molly's eyes. (She's real.)

** ''ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}'': Parodied in issue #16, where the others make fun of [[Characters/MarvelComicsMilesMorales Miles Morales]] for claiming that he has [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen a girlfriend in an alternate universe]].

The idea is that since "she" lives in a different country, and presumably would have to get a passport and go through all that hassle in order to visit her "boyfriend", it's particularly tempting to make her Canadian as a way of discouraging others from asking too many questions. But if they do ask questions, it's almost ''de rigueur'' that any discussion of her living situation more detailed than "in Canada" will be comically inconsistent with any real Canadian geography or culture. It's also convenient for writers, who can put someone in a "relationship" without having to write an actual character or cast someone to play her.

** ''ComicBook/{{Champions|2016}}'': Parodied in issue #16, where the others make fun of ComicBook/MilesMorales for claiming that he has [[ComicBook/SpiderGwen a girlfriend in an alternate universe]].

** Manny dates a Canadian girl he met at camp and can't convince anyone that she's real. He ends up arranging a FaceTime call with her so his family can see she exists. She ruefully admits that this isn't the first time she's had to do one of these calls.

* ''Series/StrangerThings'': At the start of Season 3, Dustin returns from some time away at summer camp, claiming to have met a girl named Suzie while he was there, who lives in Utah. Everyone else in the Party is understandably skeptical that she actually exists. [[spoiler: [[BrickJoke The season finale]] reveals that she actually is, [[ChekhovsGunman and she ends up being plot-important]].]]

* ''WebVideo/PiratesSMP'': PlayedForLaughs in regard to why Eloise has named her ship the "HMS Ladykriller".

* In ''WebVideo/Dimension20'' Riz makes up a significant other from the Baronies named Baron. He later encounters a creepy mannequin in a {{mirror|Monster}} who claims to be Baron from the Baronies, his "romance partner", and which demands he make up additional details about their relationship.
--> '''Riz:''' What did we do on our first date?
--> '''Baron:''' Riz Gukgak, you have not been kind enough to give me that yet. But if you invent it, I promise I can make it true.

* In ''VideoGame/HypnospaceOutlaw'', Corey and Zane, two members of the Teentopia community that go to the same school, claim to have long-distance girlfriends, and these girlfriends do have their own pages. [[spoiler:Metadata the player, as an Enforcer, can access indicates they were made with the same headbands as their "boyfriends".]] Zane's is pretty obvious since it's entirely her gushing about him. Corey puts a bit more effort into creating an OneOfTheBoys dorky persona for his fictitious girlfriend, but it's still blatant.