History Main / WeirdnessCoupon

** Works against her in "Swarm of the Century", when Pinkie's attempts to get the others to help her get the means to deal with the problem of the week are dismissed as her just being Pinkie Pie.

* The role of TheJester, or "[[TheFool fool]]", in olden times was closely tied to this trope. A fool could pretty much say anything he wanted, however offensive, because he was "just a fool". Either he was a professional fool -- in which case he had been granted permission to act the way he did for comedic purposes -- or he was a "natural" fool, a guy who was [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} eccentric]] or [[ValuesDissonance mentally ill]], in which case he "couldn't help" the way he acted and had to be excused. As a result, the fool often served as the DeadpanSnarker and/or OnlySaneMan, who had free permission to say whatever he liked... and in a lot of cases, it was what everyone else was thinking, but didn't have the guts to say themselves. The Weirdness Coupons only extended as far as the tolerance level of the Fool's master -- if a fool went ''too'' far, the punishment was, at the very least, a whipping.

** ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' uses a similar tactic to help with GettingCrapPastTheRadar.
** ''Creator/JeffDunham'' lists this as the same reason people were okay with [[CrossesTheLineTwice Achmed the Dead Terrorist.]]

* In ''VisualNovel/GrisaiaNoKajitsu'', this is the general reaction whenever Sachi is found doing something weird. A combination of [[ExtremeDoormat following any order she's given]] and an [[CloudCuckoolander amazing lack of common sense]] lead to her having no problem with doing such things as stripping off her maid uniform and using it as a makeshift mop to clean the bathroom. When Sakaki walks in on that scene, and Yuuji protests he did ''not'' order her to do that (he'd just earlier made a joke about using clothing as cleaning rags), Sakaki immediately accepts it, because she knows Sachi well enough to realize Sachi just took something she heard way too literally again.

* In the ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' episode "The Kiss Hello," Elaine has no idea how to tell one of her friends that her hairstyle is unflattering. Jerry points out that "[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kramer]]'s the only person who could say something like that," and George suggests introducing them to cue Kramer's reflexive BrutalHonesty. It only doesn't work because Kramer actually likes her hair.

* In the ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' episode "The Kiss Hello," Elaine has no idea how to tell one of her friends that her hairstyle is unflattering. Jerry points out that "[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kramer]]'s the only person who could say something like that," and George suggests introducing them to cue Kramer's reflexive BrutalHonesty. It only doesn't work because Kramer likes her hair.

* In the ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' episode "The Kiss Hello," Elaine has no idea how to tell one of her friends that her hairstyle is unflattering. Jerry points out that "[[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Kramer]]'s the only person who could say something like that," and George suggests introducing them to cue Kramer's reflexive BrutalHonesty.

* In the ''Series/{{Seinfeld}}'' episode "The Kiss Hello," Jerry, George and Elaine have no idea how to tell one of Elaine's friends that her hairstyle is unflattering without hurting her feelings. They decide to introduce her to [[CloudCuckoolander Kramer]] because his reflexive BrutalHonesty offends no one.

* ''Webcomic/StandStillStaySilent'': In a crew deliberately built with BunnyEarsLawyer in mind, Lalli accumulates mage powers that let him see things InvisibleToNormals, an AmbiguousDisorder, NoSocialSkills, a solitary nature and a very lackluster education, which results in a pass to act even more strangely than everyone else. His cousin and CloudcuckoolandersMinder, already guilty of getting TactfulTranslation and TranslationWithAnAgenda mixed up, seems to confuse "letting Lalli be his strange self" and "not taking Lalli's perspective on the situation seriously".

** An exploited example occurs when the Question discovers [[spoiler:an alternate universe where Franchise/{{Superman}} kills Lex Luthor leading to a coup where the Justice ''Lords'' rule the world]]. The Question, in response to what he thinks is a probable future, attempts to [[spoiler:kill Lex first]], because as he is a well known loon, the Justice League will be able to diplomatically calm things down afterward.

* On a meta level, this is a frequent aspect of games involving players of ChaoticStupid characters, particularly TheLoony. [[TropesAreNotBad If it fits the tone of the game]], the rest of the table may be happy to grant such [=PCs=] Weirdness Coupons, but if not it can cause tension if the GM permits "wacky" characters to get away with stuff others would [[RealityEnsues suffer consequences for]].

-> '''Jamie:''' Did you get any looks driving a truck full of pig corpses around?
-> '''Adam:''' A few people did slow down and stare; then they looked in the cabin, and went "Oh. It's just ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}.''"
-->-- ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}''

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

[[folder: Comics ]]

* Jughead Jones in the ''Franchise/ArchieComics'' gets a lot of freedom in this regard; anytime his oddness is called into question it's usually answered with something along the lines of "that's Jughead, he doesn't count". Subverted in one early story. Archie and Reggie see Jughead walking a seal down the street on a leash, and laugh at how only Jughead can get away with such a crazy stunt. They then do a DoubleTake and ask him what's going on.

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Live Action Television ]]

** Somewhat related, the first couples to avert SleepingSingle in the early days of television had some type of Weirdness Coupon that made it not "count." Fred and Wilma Flintstone were animated, Samantha Stephens was a witch, Herman and Lily Munster weren't really considered human. Apart from UrExample ''Mary Kay and Johnny,'' all the way back in ''1947,'' who [[UnbuiltTrope snuck in before the rules were made,]] whose stars were married in real life, and are sadly forgotten due to only one episode of the show surviving, the first real, human, coupon-free couple sharing a bed on television were [[Series/TheBradyBunch Mike and Carol Brady]].

* As shown in the page quote, the ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' can get away with a wide variety of bizarre requests and actions by virtue of their reputation at this point. It's a far cry from when they started out; the group originally had to jury-rig a rocket together due to the difficulty of obtaining one legitimately.
** Hilariously, when they first attempted to obtain a JATO rocket, the Air Force sent not one, but two letters of denial. The [=MythBusters=] interpreted this as a literal NoJustNoReaction--the second letter was just to reinforce just how denied their request was.
* [[Series/{{House}} Dr. House]] is given a lot of leeway in doing bizarre, irritating, and often illegal things by the staff at PPH. One of many, ''many'' instances of this included his shooting a corpse in the hospital's morgue. A horrified technician hears the gunshot and runs to find House with a pistol standing over the body. House's explaination:
-->'''House''': He's dead. I shot him.
** Nothing more is made of the incident.

-->'''Cuddy''': "When I hired you, I knew you were insane. I will continue to try and stop you from doing insane things, but once they're done, trying to convince an insane person not to do insane things is, in itself, insane. So when I hired you, I also set aside fifty thousand a year for legal expenses. So far, you've come in under budget."

-->'''Ron''': Not to worry, I have a permit.
-->[Hands Ranger a piece of paper]
-->'''Ranger''': This just says "I can do what I want."

[[folder: Music ]]

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Visual Novels ]]

[[folder: Webcomics ]]

* In ''Webcomic/TheAdventuresOfDrMcNinja'', the titular Doctor is apparently licensed by the city of Cumberland to deal with all the weird supernatural occurrences, such as giant rampaging Paul Bunyans, dinosaur-riding banditos, tricky lobster-men, and zombie ninjas.
** As revealed in "There's a Raptor in My Office", the law has been bent to accommodate the Doc--his actions are frequently less than legal, but if he can get back to his office and declare "Base", then all charges against him are dropped.
* ''WebComic/StandStillStaySilent'': In a crew deliberately built with BunnyEarsLawyer in mind, Lalli accumulates mage powers that let him see things InvisibleToNormals, an AmbiguousDisorder, NoSocialSkills, a solitary nature and a very lackluster education, which results in a pass to act even more strangely than everyone else. His cousin and CloudcuckoolandersMinder, already guilty of getting TactfulTranslation and TranslationWithAnAgenda mixed up, seems to confuse "letting Lalli be his strange self" and "not taking Lalli's perspective on the situation seriously".

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* ''Series/{{Noob}}'': The wake of the first WhamEpisode put a spotlight on the Weirdness Coupon the protagonists give each other. At the time, Omega Zell isn't aware of what happened and would be completely freaking out if he was. He runs into Arthéon and can tell something is on his mind, while Arthéon is surprised at his blissfulness. The following conversation happens:
--> '''Omega Zell:''' What's up? Has [[StupidGood Sparadrap]] been acting up again?\\
'''Arthéon:''' No...\\
'''Omega Zell:''' Has [[TheScrooge Gaea]] looted the guild funds?\\
'''Arthéon:''' If only she had!\\
'''Omega Zell:''' Has [[HangingJudge Judge Dead]] banned you again?\\
'''Arthéon:''' It's worse than that!\\
'''Omega Zell:''' What then? You're scaring me, Arthéon...

--> '''Roommate:''' Is that a squid in our shower?
--> '''Skippy:''' Yep.
--> '''Roommate:''' What's it doing in there?
--> '''Skippy:''' Thawing.
--> '''Roommate:''' Goodnight.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': she, or her {{sidekick}}, are often hit by weird ray-guns, or grabbed by {{Clingy MacGuffin}}s, or affected by magic amulets or whatever, and have to deal with the wacky consequences to their home lives, but no-one seems to think this behaviour out of the ordinary - for her. And that's not even mentioning their [[ShouldntWeBeInSchoolRightNow frequent bunking off school]] to go and save the world.
* An exploited example occurs in ''WesternAnimation/{{Justice League Unlimited}}'', when the Question discovers [[spoiler:an alternate universe where {{Superman}} kills Lex Luthor leading to a coup where the Justice ''Lords'' rule the world]]. The Question, in response to what he thinks is a probable future, attempts to [[spoiler:kill Lex first]], because as he is a well known loon, the Justice League will be able to diplomatically calm things down afterward.

* Pinkie Pie from ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic''. In a show where weather-controlling pegasi and magical unicorns are the norm, she regularly does things [[UpToEleven even more outrageous]] [[RuleOfFunny as long as it's funny]]. Examples include popping out of locations [[BehindAStick she could not possibly fit inside of]], [[OffscreenTeleportation arriving at a destination ahead of characters flying at MACH 3]], and [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall fighting the show's closing iris to argue with the audience.]]
** In-universe, too - It's common for Pinkie to do something inexplicable and the other ponies just write it off as Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, in about that many words. Even scenes of Pinkie Pie doing blatantly impossible physical acts like [[https://trixiebooru.org/552904 crawling walls]] or [[https://trixiebooru.org/1536872 stretching her neck out]] tend to only elicit, at most, mildly confused reactions from those around her.

** The best demonstration of this may be from the episode "Party of One." While trying to figure out what her friends are doing behind her back, she dresses up as a haystack... wearing Groucho Marx glasses. In a world where Groucho Marx never existed. Rainbow Dash not only immediately recognizes and casually greets her, but her freak-out right after is ''completely unrelated'' to how Pinkie is dressed.

** Pinkie has an almost ''literal'' coupon: [[WordOfGod the show's creators]] work under the regulation of trying to minimize the normal gags in cartoons; they pop up from others but rather infrequently. When one script/storyboard for an early episode has Pinkie doing something outlandish (the specific incident wasn't addressed), the response was basically "Okay, but only Pinkie". Then they realized the [[RuleOfFunny potential for hysterics]] of having ''exactly one'' pony act toonish could be, if only for the juxtaposition.

** The bloopers segment of ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]'' had a scene where human!Pinkie and pony!Pinkie ''[[https://derpiboo.ru/1146231 high-five and swap worlds as it's routine]]''. Any other character in the show, even ''[[RealityWarper Discord]]'', and fans would have pointed out plot holes. With Pinkie Pie, '''"THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING"'''.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

* The role of TheJester, or "[[TheFool fool]]", in olden times was closely tied to this trope. A fool could pretty much say anything he wanted, however offensive, because he was "just a fool". Either he was a professional fool--in which case he had been granted permission to act the way he did for comedic purposes--or he was a "natural" fool, a guy who was [[CloudCuckoolander eccentric]] or [[ValuesDissonance mentally ill]], in which case he "couldn't help" the way he acted and had to be excused. As a result, the fool often served as the DeadpanSnarker and/or OnlySaneMan, who had free permission to say whatever he liked...and in a lot of cases, it was what everyone else was thinking, but didn't have the guts to say themselves. The Weirdness Coupons only extended as far as the tolerance level of the Fool's master--if a fool went ''too'' far, the punishment was, at the very least, a whipping.
* Due to the somewhat random nature of youthwork games, you can buy [[NoodleImplements a surprising selection of props from a local supermarket]] and if the cashier looks at you strangely just reply 'I'm a youthwork leader'.
* The Internet and the users who dwell online. It's a place where a man in his forties and a teenager can become FireForgedFriends or [[ArchEnemy Arch-Enemies]] after a passionate comparisen and discussion of whether an [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic adorkable bookworm winged unicorn princess]] or a [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog chili-dog eating hedgehog faster than the speed of sound]] would be best suited to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty infiltrate the Big Shell and save the hostages]], while {{Troll}}s suggest sending either [[TheScrappy Flash Sentry or Big the Cat]], someone else asks [[CrossoverShip "can't we ship them instead"]], and others still argue that it's a stupid discussion because either of those two [[ComicallyMissingThePoint would be better suited]] for [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity The Luxemborg Palace assassination]] instead, yet it's the guy who ''calls them out for their weirdness'' who will be singled out as the strange one and spammed with pictures of [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] insisting [[MemeticMutation he must be new there]].

Contrast HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster RefugeInAudacity is a closely related trope that involves someone behaving so far outside of accepted norms that everyone else is too stunned to stop them, but this trope tends to be recurring with a character to the point that everyone is just used to it while RefugeInAudacity is usually a one-time action. See also UnusuallyUninterestingSight, a potential reaction (or lack thereof) to the shenaningans of the Weirdness Coupon holder.

* The Internet and the users who dwell online. It's a place where a man in his forties and a teenager can become FireForgedFriends or [[ArchEnemy Arch-Enemies]] after a passionate comparisen and discussion of whether an [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic adorkable bookworm winged unicorn princess]] or a [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog chili-dog eating hedgehog faster than the speed of sound]] would be best suited to [[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty infiltrate the Big Shell and save the hostages]], while {{Troll}}s suggest sending either [[TheScrappy Flash Sentry or Big the Cat]], someone else asks [[CrossoverShip "can't we ship them instead"]], and others still argue that it's a stupid discussion because either of those two [[ComicallyMissingThePoint would be better suited]] for [[VideoGame/AssassinsCreedUnity The Luxemborg Palace assassination]] instead, yet it's the guy who ''calls them out for their weirdness'' who will be singled out as the strange one and spammed with pictures of [[Film/WillyWonkaAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] insisting [[MemeticMutation he must be new there]].

* On a meta level, this is a frequent aspect of games involving players of ChaoticStupid characters, particularly TheLoony. [[TropesAreNotBad If it fits the tone of the game]], the rest of the table may be happy to grant such PCs Weirdness Coupons, but if not it can cause tension if the GM permits "wacky" characters to get away with stuff others would [[RealityEnsues suffer consequences for]].

** In-universe, too - It's common for Pinkie to do something inexplicable and the other ponies just write it off as Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie, in about that many words.
** Works against her in "Swarm of the Century", when Pinkie's attempts to get the others to help her get the means to deal with the problem of the week are dismissed as her just being Pinkie Pie.

* As shown in the page quote, the ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' can get away with a wide variety of bizarre requests and actions by virtue of their reputation at this point. It's a far cry from when they started out � the group originally had to jury-rig a rocket together due to the difficulty of obtaining one legitimately.

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:{{Comics}}]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTelevision]]

* As shown in the page quote, the ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}'' can get away with a wide variety of bizarre requests and actions by virtue of their reputation at this point. It's a far cry from when they started out — the group originally had to jury-rig a rocket together due to the difficulty of obtaining one legitimately.
** Hilariously, when they first attempted to obtain a JATO rocket, the Air Force sent not one, but two letters of denial. The [=MythBusters=] interpreted this as a literal NoJustNoReaction--the second letter was just to reinforce just how denied their request was.

[[AC:{{Music}}]]
* Many critics would probably write off Music/OfMontreal's lyrics as misogynistic if they were more conventional in music style or presentation, especially on the albums ''Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?'' (answer: "You are not the destroyer" / "[[ForeignCussWord Du er ikke densom ødelegger]], [[CountryMatters fitta]]") and ''Icons, Abstract Thee'', written when the primary lyricist was having problems with his wife... but they're so ''creatively'' misogynistic...

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:Visual Novels]]

[[AC:{{Webcomics}}]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]
* ''Series/{{Noob}}'': The wake of the first WhamEpisode put a spotlight on the Weirdness Coupon the protagonists give each other. At the time, Omega Zell isn't aware of what happened and would be completely freaking out if he was. He runs into Arthéon and can tell something is on his mind, while Arthéon is surprised at his blissfulness. The following conversation happens:

'''Arthéon:''' No...\\

'''Arthéon:''' If only she had!\\

'''Arthéon:''' It's worse than that!\\
'''Omega Zell:''' What then? You're scaring me, Arthéon...

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:RealLife]]

** The bloopers segment of ''[[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls Equestria Girls]]'' had a scene where human!Pinkie and pony!Pinkie ''[[https://derpiboo.ru/1146231 high-five and swap worlds as it's routine]]''. Any other character in the show, even ''[[RealityWarper Discord]]'', and fans would have pointed out plot holes. With Pinkie Pie, '''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome "THIS EXPLAINS EVERYTHING"]]'''.

-> '''Jamie:''' Did you get any looks [[ItMakesSenseInContext driving a truck full of pig corpses around]]?

* Most of the works of Creator/AlanMoore qualify.
* Similarly, Creator/GrantMorrison.
* Jughead Jones in the ''Franchise/ArchieComics'' gets a lot of freedom in this regard; anytime his oddness is called into question it's usually answered with something along the lines of "that's Jughead, he doesn't count".
** Subverted in one early story. Archie and Reggie see Jughead walking a seal down the street on a leash, and laugh at how only Jughead can get away with such a crazy stunt. They then do a DoubleTake and ask him what's going on.

Contrast HaveYouTriedNotBeingAMonster RefugeInAudacity is a closely related trope that involves someone behaving so far outside of accepted norms that everyone else is too stunned to stop them, but this trope tends to be recurring with a character to the point that everyone is just used to it while RefugeInAudacity is usually a one-time action. See also UnusuallyUninterestingSight, a potential reaction (or lack thereof) to the holder of the Weirdness Coupon.