History Main / SanityBall

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Twilight Sparkle's relative level-headedness amongst her more outlandish friends usually lands her in the role of the {{Only Sane Ma|n}}re. However, sometimes she can get carried away in her cynicism, and her SuperOCD makes her susceptible to stress-induced [[SanitySlippage mental breakdowns]], at which point the ball is, ironically, shared between her friends (most consistently, Spike).

* In ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', Hobbes generally carries the Sanity Ball when Calvin's interacting with him. On occasion, Hobbes's predator instincts/vanity/etc. take over and Calvin takes the ball. When Calvin interacts with adults or Susie, they'll almost always be holding the ball.
* In ''ComicBook/TheSandman - Brief Lives'', Delirium (the AnthropomorphicPersonification of madness) acts generally insane and wacky while her older brother Dream serves as her rational and pragmatic foil. After receiving some distressing news, however, he starts to lose it, and Delirium has to pick up the Sanity Ball, since "one of us has to keep this thing going". Later on when describing the event, she seems unable to remember anything beyond saying "It hurt..."

* In ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'', Hobbes generally carries the Sanity Ball when Calvin's interacting with him. On occasion, Hobbes's predator instincts/vanity/etc. take over and Calvin takes the ball. When Calvin interacts with adults, Calvin's usually the one with the ball. When he interacts with Susie, though, it's usually by chucking the Sanity Ball at her and running away.
** Calvin may hold the ball when his father is getting into one of his hobbies, but mostly the adults are a foil for his complete lack of common sense and some other qualities that don't exactly qualify him as the most sane character.

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Twilight Sparkle's relative level-headedness amongst her more outlandish friends usually lands her in the role of the [[OnlySaneMan Only Sane Mare]]. However, sometimes she can get carried away in her cynicism, and her SuperOCD makes her susceptible to stress-induced [[SanitySlippage mental breakdowns]], at which point the ball is, ironically, shared between her friends (most consistently, Spike).

-->'''Amy''': Bender, are you crazy?
-->'''Bender''': Nah, it's Fry who's crazy in this one[[note]]also a reference to how Bender went insane in the previous movie ''Bender's Game''[[/note]].

* ''Manga/OnePiece'' has this amongst the Straw Hat pirates. For instance, Usopp holds the ball relative to Luffy, Franky, and sometimes Zoro, but nobody else. Zoro held the ball pretty firmly until Robin joined the crew and took his OnlySaneMan job away from him, letting him indulge in frivolities like pretending he was Tarzan.

* The Urpneys often swap the Sanity Ball around erratically in ''WesternAnimation/TheDreamstone'', ranging from the more [[MadScientist intelligent but sociopathic]] Urpgor, [[DrillSergeantNasty Sgt Blob's]] more focused but overzealous drill instructions, or [[SicklyNeuroticGeek Frizz's]] cowardly ([[GenreSavvy but rightfully so]]) desire to self preserve or [[CloudCuckooLander Nug's]] occasionally brilliant delusions. The heroes are less prone to this, though some do still have the odd fluctuation, especially [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Amberley]].

* In ''Series/DoctorWho'', the characters seem to be playing a constant game of hot potato with their Sanity Ball. Sometimes the Doctor, sometimes a companion, sometimes a companion's family member, currently, Rory seems to be holding it the most.
** Though Rory more often comes across as OnlySaneMan. WordOfGod says he ''[[EnforcedTrope needs]]'' to be this actively or else he'll get sucked into life with the Doctor like Amy.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeCoolScoobyDoo'', Freddie and Velma toss this ball around [[RuleofFunny depending on the writer's gags for that episode in question.]]

** Though Rory more often comes across as OnlySaneMan. WordOfGod [[EnforcedTrope says he ''needs'' to be this actively or else he'll get sucked into life with the Doctor like Amy.]]

** Though Rory more often comes across as OnlySaneMan. [[EnforcedTrope WordOfGod says he ''needs'' to be this actively or else he'll get sucked into life with the Doctor like Amy.]]

Every faction has its own Sanity Ball, so the heroes may share one while the villains are sharing another.

* The Urpneys often swap the Sanity Ball around erratically in ''TheDreamstone'', ranging from the more [[MadScientist intelligent but sociopathic]] Urpgor, [[DrillSergeantNasty Sgt Blob's]] more focused but overzealous drill instructions, or [[SicklyNeuroticGeek Frizz's]] cowardly ([[GenreSavvy but rightfully so]]) desire to self preserve or [[CloudCuckooLander Nug's]] occasionally brilliant delusions. The heroes are less prone to this, though some do still have the odd fluctuation, especially [[AdorablyPrecociousChild Amberley]].

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': Spongebob tends to act like an actual ''adult'' whenever he and Patrick are the only characters on screen, if only to emphasize exactly how brain dead of a person Patrick really is. However, expect him to drop the Sanity Ball like a rock once [[OnlySaneMan Squidward]] gets involved.
** On the other hand, every now and then Squidward or another saner character such as Sandy will get a NotSoAboveItAll moment and cause a dilemma, usually with Spongebob acting as TheStraightMan. While this was more common in earlier seasons, this break in formula still occurs at times later on.

* In ''"BeCoolScoobyDoo"'', Freddie and Velma toss this ball around [[RuleofFunny depending on the writer's gags for that episode in question.]]

When characters on the same show take turns being the OnlySaneMan or StraightMan, but only one of them is sane at a time, that character is holding the Sanity Ball. Differs from the SmartBall in that the SmartBall gives a character the ability to problem-solve; the Sanity Ball gives its holder a rational perspective (and the knowledge that everyone around them is acting ''ir''rational).

* Generally shared between [[CloserToEarth Leela]] and [[TheCloudCuckoolanderWasRight Fry]] in ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'', with a few rare exceptions.

-->'''Bender''': Nah, it's Fry who's crazy in this one.

** Though Rory more often comes across as OnlySaneMan. [[EnforcedTrope WordOfGod says he ''needs'' to be this actively or else he'll get sucked into lfie with the Doctor like Amy.]]

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* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', a good dozen or so characters have passed the Sanity Ball around. Roy usually carries it, but when he was [[DeathIsCheap killed]], Haley and Durkon picked it up for their respective parties. Elan occasionally takes the ball for a bardic GenreSavvy moment. Recently [[ChaoticStupid Belkar]] has picked it up with regards to [[spoiler: Durkon's vampirism]] but so far only the readers [[spoiler: and Vampire-Durkon]] can see this, and therefore be suitably terrified by it.

** Though Rory more often comes across as OnlySaneMan.

* Much of the humor in ''Manga/GekkanShoujoNozakiKun'' derives from one (or two) characters holding the Sanity Ball while watching in bemusement (or actively snarking) the craziness caused by the other characters. There are a couple of characters that hold it more often than others, such as Sakura and Hori, but even they had moments when they lost the ball to others. Sakura for example is extremely prone on losing it whenever it involves her crush, the titular Nozaki.

* In ''WesternAnimation/Archer'', no-nonsense Lana and stick-in-the-mud Cyril get the ball most often, but even the most CloudCuckoolander characters get their turns, and the ball can change possession mid-scene.

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', a good dozen or so characters have passed the Sanity Ball around. Roy usually carries it, but when he was [[DeathIsCheap killed]], Haley and Durkon picked it up for their respective parties. Elan occasionally takes the ball for a bardic GenreSavvy moment.

* On ''JimmyTwoShoes'', either [[ThePollyanna Jimmy]] or [[EnfantTerrible Heloise]] hold the ball, depending on the joke. When interacting with Jimmy and Beezy, [[TheCaligula Lucius]] will occasionally hold.