History Main / MonkeysOnATypewriter

* LetsPlay/RTGame:

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boltzmann_brain boltzmann brain]] concept is basically the same principle applied to atoms, wherein they bump into each other in such a way as to form a sapient being. Assuming that A) [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proton_decay Proton decay]] isn't a thing, and B) the universe eventually dies by petering out rather than by collapsing back in on itself or ripping itself to shreds, the universe's long-dead corpse is expected to start churning these out.

[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infinite_monkey_theorem A standard thought experiment from probability theory]] states that a million monkeys hammering a million typewriters (or a hundred, or a thousand) will, given sufficient time, eventually bang out entire works of Shakespeare (or Dickens, or all the books in the British Library) by complete accident. This is a vivid enough mental image that it gets referenced a ''lot'' in fiction.

One common joke is to assume that the quantity of monkeys and/or allotted time required to write something is proportional to its artistic merit, so Shakespeare might take a million monkeys a million years, but three monkeys could write ''[[Film/TheRoom2003 The Room]]'' in half a day. This isn't actually true (in fact, all that matters is the length of the text that the monkeys are replicating), but it is [[RuleOfFunny funny]]. When we start throwing infinity in it (which is implied by the "eventually" in the first sentence of this page), then either one monkey is enough given an infinite time, or among infinite monkeys typing (for example) 400 pages each, one will type a particular 400-page text on the first try.

One common joke is to assume that the quantity of monkeys and/or allotted time required to write something is proportional to its artistic merit, so Shakespeare might take a million monkeys a million years, but three monkeys could write ''Film/TheRoom2003'' in half a day. This isn't actually true (in fact, all that matters is the length of the text that the monkeys are replicating), but it is [[RuleOfFunny funny]]. When we start throwing infinity in it (which is implied by the "eventually" in the first sentence of this page), then either one monkey is enough given an infinite time, or among infinite monkeys typing (for example) 400 pages each, one will type a particular 400-page text on the first try.

* "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E10TheDoctorDances The Doctor Dances]]" features this trope, or rather, an illiterate small boy (Jim) on a typewriter. Leads to an OhCrap moment a minute later when Jim stops typing, the typewriter starts typing on its own, and the only thing typed is "Are you my mummy?"

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS20E3MawdrynUndead Mawdryn Undead]]", the Doctor and Tegan discuss this trope as it applies to "a treeful of monkeys".

One common joke is to assume that the quantity of monkeys and/or allotted time required to write something is proportional to its artistic merit, so Shakespeare might take a million monkeys a million years, but three monkeys could write ''Film/TheRoom'' in half a day. This isn't actually true (in fact, all that matters is the length of the text that the monkeys are replicating), but it is [[RuleOfFunny funny]]. When we start throwing infinity in it (which is implied by the "eventually" in the first sentence of this page), then either one monkey is enough given an infinite time, or among infinite monkeys typing (for example) 400 pages each, one will type a particular 400-page text on the first try.

* The Website/SCPFoundation has [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-3149 SCP-3149]] ("Monkey Business"), a warehouse filled with 73 (originally 100) monkeys (designated SCP-3149-1) sitting at computers. These monkeys have an opening on their back which, when a document is placed within, imbues them with the personality of that document's author. 3149 also includes lampreys (designated SCP-3149-2) that feed on the monkeys if they fail to type a full page within a day.

* In Creator/GrantMorrison's run on ''Comicbook/AnimalMan'', the title character meets a literal type-writing monkey in the metafictional realm of Limbo. Morrison would revisit Limbo in ''Comicbook/FinalCrisis''; the monkey appears to have vacated, but we get to see his life's work: an infinitely-long book containing every possible story in TheMultiverse. Later in the same storyline, a mysterious monkeylike character, whose identity is never revealed, helps Monitor Nix Uotan regain his powers.

* ''FanFic/CivilizationVPeaceWalker'' has a StealthPun to this effect, when Snake staffs his Writer's Guild with a pair of MSF soldiers codenamed Lemur and Marmoset.

* From ''Literature/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'': After Arthur and Ford are rescued from virtually certain death from asphyxiation in interstellar space, there is a sequence of bizarrely improbable events on board the ship that rescued them-- because the ship is powered by the Infinite Improbability Generator. One of these events is Arthur and Ford being approached by "an infinite number of monkeys who want to talk to us about this script for ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' they've worked out."

* In ''Radio/TheHitchHikersGuideToTheGalaxy'', the Infinite Improbability Drive throws Arthur Dent and Ford Prefect into a highly improbable but not impossible situation:

--->'''Burns:''' This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon they will have written the greatest novel known to man. ''(takes paper)'' Let's see..." It was the best of times, it was the '''blurst''' of times!?!" You stupid monkey! ''(crumbles the paper and throws it at the monkey, causing him to screech frantically)'' Oh shut up!

[[quoteright:300:[[Magazine/TheNewYorker https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/typewriter_monkeys_newyorker.png]]]]

* The [[ComicBook/MickeyMouseComicUniverse Mickey Mouse comic]] "Monkey in the Middle" begins with this: a statistician, for whatever reason, is trying to disprove the claim that a million monkeys could produce Shakespeare in a million years, so he buys a ten or so monkeys to have them pound on typewriters for a few months ([[ArtisticLicenseStatistics not that it makes any sense.]]) Almost immediately, one of the monkeys actually ''does'' type out a legible Shakespearean drama. Later it turns out they were actually super-intelligent monkeys that escaped from a lab.

For comedic use of monkeys in general (as in lighthearted portrayals of this trope), see SillySimian.

->''"This is a thousand monkeys working at a thousand typewriters. Soon, they'll have written the greatest novel known to mankind. Let's see... '[[Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities It was the best of times]], it was the ''blurst'' of times'?! You stupid monkey!"''

* ''LetsPlay/TwitchPlaysPokemon'' is described in its page quote on Website/ThisVeryWiki as tens of thousands of monkeys fighting over ''one'' typewriter, [[{{Metaphorgotten}} half of them desperately trying to progress in the game and the other half throwing shit everywhere]]. They beat Pokemon Red in only sixteen days.

** He also directly talks about the trope when playing ''VideoGame/KeepTalkingAndNobodyExplodes'', since instead of getting a partner for the game, he instead opted to leave the job to the Twitch chat (with obligatory reference to ''LetsPlay/TwitchPlaysPokemon'', of course).

* ''LetsPlay/TwitchPlaysPokemon'' is described in its page quote on Wiki/ThisVeryWiki as tens of thousands of monkeys fighting over ''one'' typewriter, [[{{Metaphorgotten}} half of them desperately trying to progress in the game and the other half throwing shit everywhere]]. They beat Pokemon Red in only sixteen days.