History UsefulNotes / NewJersey

* William J. Brennan, Jr.: Appointed by DwightDEisenhower even though he was a Democrat. Retired under GeorgeHWBush. Hyper-liberal. Best friends with Thurgood Marshall. Bane of first-year law students across the country for his perpetual dissents on civil procedure. Newark born and bred. Still refused to back New Jersey when it tried to do something about the stench.

* '''South Jersey:''' With the exception of the Shore, this area, like the Highlands, is rarely seen in the media, due to the fact that it's more closely associated with UsefulNotes/{{Philadelphia}} than NewYorkCity. Often shown as being poorer than the rest of the state, with the suburbs being more working-class. This is partially TruthInTelevision, but not exactly -- a visit to Cherry Hill, Moorestown, or Medford would quickly discredit this assumption. Home to two towns named [[Franchise/{{Halloween}} Haddonfield]] [[note]]Fun fact -- the Haddonfield in ''Film/{{Halloween 1978}}'' is actually named after the one in New Jersey, which is where Debra Hill, the co-writer of the film, was born and went to high school.[[/note]] and [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Voorhees]], which are served ([[MyFriendsAndZoidberg along with Gibbsboro]]) [[http://www.aaroads.com/northeast/new_jersey200/i-295_nb_exit_032_01.jpg by the same freeway exit]]; note, however, that Haddonfield is a bit more comfortable and is served by rapid transit (the [in]famous PATCO). If producers need a {{Gangsterland}}, then Camden (in terms of crime rate, imagine a FunSize Detroit) is often used in place of Newark.\\

* MichaelDouglas (New Brunswick)
* Kirsten Dunst (Point Pleasant)

* [[Series/GameOfThrones Peter Dinklage]] (Morristown)

* [[BigEater Chris]] [[BigFun Christie]] (born in Newark, raised in Livingston. Current governor of NJ; widely speculated to be a possible choice for the GOP nomination in 2016 or ''maybe'' 2020; notable for giving a scathing speech about BarackObama at the 2012 Republican National Convention, but dropping all partisanship after Hurricane Sandy hit--and ''crying'' in the speech thanking the Administration for its help. Which has caused many GOP commentators to turn on him; apparently they think he was supposed to screw over his own state in order to keep trashing the other party.)

* Antonin Scalia: Italian-American from Trenton. Famously conservative/"originalist". Appointed by RonaldReagan; still there. Got into well-publicized and snarky fights with Brennan while both were on the bench. Gave a reporter the Sicilian finger.
* Samuel Alito: Italian-American from Trenton. Famously conservative/"originalist"; for this reason, called "[[DetractorNickname Scalito]]". Appointed by [[GeorgeWBush Dubya]]. Has proved surprisingly independent of Scalia and seems to be more of a libertarian (unsurprising for those who know about his support for constitutionally-based gay rights while at Princeton).

* '''Central Jersey:''' To hear it from someone from the area, Central Jersey is a distinct region of the state consisting of the area covered by the Raritan Valley, in Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset, Middlesex, and Monmouth counties. To hear it from someone from North or South Jersey, Central Jersey is a nonexistent entity that is really an extension of whichever side of Jersey the speaker isn't from (e.g. North Jersey residents consider it part of South Jersey, while South Jersey residents consider it part of North Jersey), and its residents all have an inferiority complex. (A good rule of thumb is when someone from Jersey City tells you you're in South Jersey, and someone from Cherry Hill tells you you're in North Jersey, despite both times being in the same place, then you're in Central) The site of the state capital, Trenton, as well as suburban sprawl ballooning out from both New York and Philly. If a story requires that the characters consult a brainy professor, this scene will often either take place at [[IvyLeague Princeton]], or elsewhere with a professor who teaches there. If not Princeton, then the main campus of Rutgers University, in New Brunswick, will do in a pinch. (Never Rutgers Newark,[[note]]Unless it's a law professor; then Rutgers Newark, Rutgers Camden, and Seton Hall are your only options. Princeton has no law school.[[/note]] or Montclair State University, and for good reason.)\\

The (in)famous "Jersey stench" has been [[http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-02-05/local/17916726_1_smell-new-jersey-turnpike-garbage-bags described]] by different people as smelling like burning rubber, rotten eggs, burnt coffee and "something that I don't know what it is, but it just stinks!" In reality, it isn't nearly as bad as New Yorkers like to pretend it is, especially after the Clean Air Act was passed and the capping of landfills became common practice. It's primarily found in one area of northeastern New Jersey where most of the state's industry is concentrated... which just so happens to be the part of the state that New Yorkers go through on their way in. It also doesn't help that [[AmericanCourts the Supreme Court]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Philadelphia_v._New_Jersey literally forbade New Jersey from doing anything about other states using it as a landfill]].[[note]]To add insult to injury, New Jersey's most prolific Supreme Court Justice and the only New Jerseyan on the Court at the time, Newarker William Brennan, was part of the majority. Ouch.[[/note]] West of the Watchung Mountains or south of Elizabeth, the only nasty thing you might smell on the road is dead skunk. Still, the smell of the Turnpike is well-known enough that an insurance company has launched a [[http://www.jerseydoesntstink.com/ "Jersey Doesn't Stink"]] campaign dedicated to combating negative stereotypes of the state.

The (in)famous "Jersey stench" has been [[http://articles.nydailynews.com/2009-02-05/local/17916726_1_smell-new-jersey-turnpike-garbage-bags described]] by different people as smelling like burning rubber, rotten eggs, burnt coffee and "something that I don't know what it is, but it just stinks!" In reality, it isn't nearly as bad as New Yorkers like to pretend it is, especially after the Clean Air Act was passed and the capping of landfills became common practice. It's primarily found in one area of northeastern New Jersey where most of the state's industry is concentrated... which just so happens to be the part of the state that New Yorkers go through on their way in. It also doesn't help that [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Philadelphia_v._New_Jersey the Supreme Court literally forbade New Jersey from doing anything about other states using it as a landfill]].[[note]]To add insult to injury, New Jersey's most prolific Supreme Court Justice, Newarker William Brennan, was part of the majority. Ouch.[[/note]] West of the Watchung Mountains or south of Elizabeth, the only nasty thing you might smell on the road is dead skunk. Still, the smell of the Turnpike is well-known enough that an insurance company has launched a [[http://www.jerseydoesntstink.com/ "Jersey Doesn't Stink"]] campaign dedicated to combating negative stereotypes of the state.

* [[BigEater Chris]] [[BigFun Christie]] (born in Newark, raised in Livingston. Current governor of NJ; widely speculated to be a possible choice for the GOP nomination in 2016 or ''maybe'' 2020; notable for giving a scathing speech about BarackObama at the 2012 Republican National Convention, but dropping all partisanship after Hurricane Sandy hit--and ''crying'' in the speech thanking the Administration for its help.)

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/New_Jersey_Map_1090.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:[[http://i.imgur.com/Pwnf4.jpg Source]]]]

->''"Speaking the name of the State of New Jersey shall always get a big laugh. The Constitution cannot say exactly why."''
-->-- ''DaveBarry Hits Below the Beltway'', The Constitution of the United States of America, Article IV, Section 5

New Jersey is the fourth smallest state in the US, but it is also the eleventh most populated and single most densely populated. It has a high level of ethnic and religious diversity, being home to Italians, Irish, Jews, [[UsefulNotes/{{Russia}} Russians]], Asians, Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, [[UsefulNotes/{{Jamaica}} Jamaicans]], Haitians, [[UsefulNotes/{{Guyana}} Guyanese]], Trinidadians, etc. in large numbers. Its landscape is also highly diverse, especially for a state of its size, being home to forests, mountains, swamps, cliffs, white sand beaches, and miles of rolling farmland. It is the location of several military facilities, including one of the largest in the country, Joint Base [=McGuire=]-Dix-Lakehurst. It has the highest population density in the US, and combined with its excellent system of public transit, it is easy to get anywhere. New Jersey is the second most affluent state in the US, possesses one of the most highly-regarded [[AmericanEducationalSystem education systems]] in the country, and has the lowest poverty rate in the nation.There are affluent suburbs, bustling cities, and lush dairy farms all within a few miles of each other. In short, it's one of the most diverse states, filled to the brim with a plethora of different cultures and lifestyles.

In the media, New Jersey is often portrayed one of three ways:
# An overgrown Little Italy. Everybody seems to know somebody who knows somebody who is "[[TheMafia connected]]", be they a mechanic in Hoboken or a soccer mom in Parsippany. [[SleazyPolitician The politicians]] rival Third World dictators in brazen corruption. All the white people are Italian (and as of the 2010s they'll be white in name only, as they'll be slathered in fake-tan body paint), and they all know what the hottest clubs are. The men have blowouts, dress in either Armani Exchange clothing or muscle shirts, do vast quantities of steroids, drive [[CoolCar '80s IROC-Z Camaros or entry-level BMWs]], and are insanely misogynistic and homophobic. The women, known as "Jersey Girls," are all {{Hard Drinking Party Girl}}s, still have EightiesHair decades after it went out of style, wear ten pounds of makeup, and are always [[{{Stripperiffic}} dressed like they're headed to the club]]. The only radio station is WKTU, and they are always playing LadyGaga or Cascada remixes. If a techno-sounding beat starts playing, the natural response is to start pumping one's fist in the air. And everyone speaks with an obnoxious, nasally, highly {{Flanderized}} [[AmericanAccents Italian-American/New York accent]].
# A PlaceWorseThanDeath, where people's hopes and dreams go to die. {{Suburb|ia}}s, [[TheMall malls]] and smokestacks dominate the landscape, most of the kids are either vapid {{Alpha Bitch}}es, {{Jerk Jock}}s or guidoes (see above), and the adults [[AdultsAreUseless aren't much better]]. [[PoliceAreUseless The cops are inept]] and more concerned with DWB (Driving While Black) than with the dude beating his wife just down the street. [[EmoTeen Our]] [[JadedWashout heroes]] are forced to have "fun" by loitering in convenience stores or malls, going to [[AmusementParkOfDoom Action Park]], and moping around to either a hip indie[=/=]{{emo}} soundtrack or '80s {{power ballad}}s (preferably BonJovi or [[BruceSpringsteen The Boss]]). The highways are jammed with broken heroes on a last-chance power drive. You can only wonder why 8.7 million people choose to make New Jersey the most densely-populated state in the nation. This is arguably the most popular portrayal of New Jersey in the media, and will be played either [[PlayedForLaughs for laughs]] or dead seriously.
# A WeirdnessMagnet, with [=UFOs=], monsters, ghosts, and TheJerseyDevil waiting around every corner, and with the gateway to {{Hell}} sitting in the sewers of Clifton. Parts of it may be an out-of-[[HollywoodNewEngland New England]] branch of LovecraftCountry, only more likely to be PlayedForLaughs and/or snark (because hey, it's ''Jersey'').

Not to be confused with FunetikAksent.

Oh, and:

->''Q: How is New Jersey like the Vatican?''
->''A: Neither wants you [[DoubleEntendre pumping your]] [[ADateWithRosiePalms own gas]].''

At least one part of the stereotype is somewhat TruthInTelevision: New Jersey has the dubious distinction of being home to more Superfund sites (sites that are contaminated with radioactive or otherwise chemically toxic hazardous materials in need of cleanup) than any other state. Keep in mind that New Jersey is the fourth-smallest state by land area.

For information on the various regions, cities and locales of the state of New Jersey, as well as a long list of famous New Jerseyans, check out [[Trivia/{{Joisey}} our handy Trivia page]].

The former name of this article, Joisey, comes from what is commonly believed to be the local pronunciation of New Jersey. In reality, this is only how it is pronounced by people who think they're being clever -- saying "Joisey" to a New Jerseyan will earn you [[BerserkButton a boot up the ass]]. New Jerseyans, however, [[NWordPrivileges can use it any time they like]] -- as evidenced by billboards for the 2010 New Jersey State Fair, which proudly proclaimed that the fair "puts the 'Joy' back in 'Joisey'". One of the easiest ways to tell if someone is from New Jersey or not: those who are (poorly) faking a New York accent say "Joisey," those from anywhere besides Jersey (including ''actual'' New Yorkers) say "New Jersey," those from Jersey simply say "Jersey."

Not to be confused with [[UsefulNotes/TheChannelIslands that other Jersey]], from which it was named after.

!!Appearances in media:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Shangri-La, the hometown of most of ''Anime/MobileSuitGundamZZ'''s main characters, is a lot like the stereotypical image of Jersey... if it were a 60 km-long cylinder floating around in space. Unsurprisingly, it's mostly used as a [[LandfillBeyondTheStars space garbage dump]].
* Part of the Intoccabile Arc of ''Anime/{{Noir}}'', of all series, takes place in the Skylands.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Some comic book fans believe that ''{{Batman}}'s'' Gotham City is a thinly-disguised Newark. In current continuity, the city is now confirmed to indeed be located in New Jersey.
** If this is true, then perhaps Bludhaven is a version of the nearby Elizabeth or Linden.
** Given its position on the coast it seems Gotham is in the area of Little Egg Harbor. This would make Bludhaven the equivalent of Camden, which we can all agree is fair. Gotham's official history (yes, there really is such a thing) explains that it was heavily settled by Swedes; since Swedish immigrants had a large presence in southern New Jersey and Delaware, Camden is a fair candidate.
** And then there's [[http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111228234052/batman/images/6/6b/Gotham_New_Jersey.jpg this]].
* For a while, the third {{Steel}} lived and worked in Jersey City.
* In a ''BoosterGold'' comic, Booster travels to some point in the future and wonders aloud what Jersey City looks like at this point in time, or whether the city even exists.
* The MetalMen are headquartered in Hoboken.
* Buddy Bradley moves back to Jersey after giving up on Seattle in the pages of ''Hate''.
* While the state itself isn't featured, ''ComicBook/TomorrowStories'' had Cobweb and Clarice running into the Lost Housewives of New Jersey, a tribe of housewives who got lost on "a cheap package tour, never to return" in Gowandogandoland. Their "language" is a very exaggerated New Jersey dialect.
-->''Lost Housewife 1'': Ehwajehno! Wigodda perra skoytsfum sumuddaboyg! (Translation: Hey whaddaya know! We gotta pair of skirts from some otha' burg!)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]
* ''FelixTheCatTheMovie'' has Felix setting his eyes upon the crumbling, corrupt [[WretchedHive Progress City]], and what does he say? "Where are we, New Jersey?" Also an example of SelfDeprecation when you realize that Felix the Cat Productions Inc. just happens to be located in New Jersey.
** Rural New Jersey, no less.
* New Jersey features in every film of KevinSmith's ViewAskewniverse, often as the main setting. Smith himself is from Highlands.
* In ''[[Film/{{Superman}} Superman: The Movie]]'', Lex Luthor's master plan involves two nuclear missiles, one aimed at the San Andreas Fault in California, and the other aimed at Hackensack, New Jersey. It's implied that the latter target was chosen because he doesn't like his girlfriend's mother who lives there.
* ''Film/HaroldAndKumarGoToWhiteCastle''. Starts (and ends) in Hoboken, and goes through Newark, New Brunswick, Princeton, Cherry Hill, and miles of the New Jersey Turnpike.
** Which makes their journey all the more interesting as there are fifteen different White Castles within ten minutes of driving.
* ''Artie Lange's Beer League''. Became a running joke on ''Radio/TheHowardSternShow'' (which Lange is one of the hosts of) due to its poor production values.
* ''GardenState'', obviously.
* In ''DudeWheresMyCar'' the good Aliens threaten to banish the bad Aliens to none other than Hoboken, NJ.
* The first half hour of TheRemake of ''Film/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' had New Jersey (specifically Bayonne) getting blown up. The film crew actually did blow up a small park in Bayonne as part of the movie (the crew rebuilt it afterwards).
** For that matter, the infamous 1938 radio show was also set largely in New Jersey.
* The New Jersey Turnpike makes notable appearances in ''BeingJohnMalkovich'' and ''Film/MenInBlack''.
* ''NickAndNorahsInfinitePlaylist'', in which, if nothing else, the hip indie kids have the initiative to go into NewYorkCity. HilarityEnsues.
* ''PaulBlartMallCop'', though it suffers from some UsefulNotes/{{Boston}} Doubling (to be more precise, the well-loved South Shore Plaza in nearby Braintree).
* At one point in ''{{Zoolander}}'', Derek goes to work with his family in the coal mines of South Jersey. The real South Jersey is a vast coastal plain, hardly the place where one would find coal mines... but of course, this is supposed to be a joke.
** Especially since the scene was actually filmed in an old mine (now a tourist trap) in the Highlands.
* This is the state Gracie represents while undercover in ''MissCongeniality''. We never actually get to see the state outside of one deleted scene, but Gracie can't resist going for the easy target when her training starts to wear on her nerves.
-->'''Victor:''' Why is New Jersey called "The Garden State?"
-->'''Gracie:''' Because it's too hard to fit "Oil and Petrochemical Refinery State" on a license plate?
* ''Film/TheWrestler''. There the state is depicted as a feckless purgatory of trailer parks, run-down local shops, monotonous public housing, and abandoned amusement parks (no, not [[AmusementParkOfDoom that kind]]).
* ''Film/{{Hellboy}}'''s Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defense is located in New Jersey, where it's disguised as a waste treatment plant.
* In ''TheLongKissGoodnight'', Geena Davis' character, a CIA agent, lives in New Jersey, and has to get out. She complains that she [[strike:gave birth to a child]] got herself out of Beirut, so getting out of New Jersey shouldn't be too hard. SamuelLJackson's character disagrees, saying many have tried and failed, including the state's entire population.
* Camp Crystal Lake, the setting of the bulk of the ''Franchise/FridayThe13th'' series, is in New Jersey (most likely the Skylands -- there's even a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voorhees_State_Park Voorhees State Park]]).
** [[Film/FridayThe13th1980 The original]] was filmed in Hope and Blairstown, both in the Skylands.
* Most Creator/{{Troma}} movies, particularly ''Film/The ToxicAvenger''.
* ''[[Film/{{Transformers}} Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' spends a fair chunk of the movie in Princeton. (Although the university [[http://www.michaelbay.com/archives/site/2008-2010/newsblog/files/d56f71572ffbeb023c7bea941830a529-226.php is left unnamed]], it's pretty obvious that Sam's not going to [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Choir_College Westminster Choir College]].)
* The slasher film ''Film/TheProwler'' takes place in Avalon Bay, New Jersey.
* ''Film/TheProfessional'' (aka ''Leon'') [[YouFailGeographyForever fails Jersey geography spectacularly]] in its final moments: Mathilda is at the Spenser School, which is (according to an overheard conversation) supposed to be in Wildwood, New Jersey. However, the final moments of the film show that it overlooks the Hudson River and Manhattan. Wildwood is in fact an oceanfront community near the tip of Cape May, over 150 miles away from New York City. (The scene was actually filmed at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken.)
* ''LiveFreeOrDieHard'' opens up with John [=McClane=] keeping an eye on his daughter's dorm at Rutgers.
* Events of the 1982 ''Film/{{Alone in the Dark|1982}}'' happen in New Jersey.
* Daniel and his mom from ''TheKarateKid'' were originally from New Jersey.
* Michael Myers' hometown of Haddonfield, Illinois in the ''Franchise/{{Halloween}}'' series was named after producer Debra Hill's hometown of Haddonfield, New Jersey... which [[http://www.aaroads.com/northeast/new_jersey200/i-295_nb_exit_032_01.jpg shares a freeway exit]] with the nearby town of [[Franchise/FridayThe13th Voorhees]].
* ''SaturdayNightFever'' is largely set in New Jersey.
* In ''Film/EddieAndTheCruisers'' and its sequel, ''Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives!'', Joisey-accented Eddie Wilson is proud of his home state, warts and all. In fact it seems like the warts are what he likes about it. From a conversation about his inexplicable homesickness while on tour in [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Eddie_and_the_Cruisers_II__Eddie_Lives__1989.aspx?Page=9 the sequel]]:
-->'''Eddie:''' Baby, there's nowhere else in the world like the Garden State! You got miles of swamps and mountains of dumps... different colored rivers... automobile graveyards, breweries, factories, ballparks, all mixed up together. It's the best place to live.
-->'''Diane:''' Uh huh. Then why does the Statue of Liberty face the other way?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* The two protagonists of ''Literature/TheWizardTheWitchAndTwoGirlsFromJersey'', as one can easily guess by the title.
* F. Paul Wilson's short story "The Barrens" sees the Pine Barrens as an annex of LovecraftCountry.
** Almost ALL of F. Paul Wilson's books include some form of thise, especially the AdversaryCycle, this series being at least partially a OnceUponATime In New Jersey.
* StephaniePlum cheerily bills herself as a Jersey girl, and yes, among her relatives, friends, and colleagues, a lot of New Jersey stereotypes get covered.
* DanielPinkwater's books tend to be set in New Jersey.
* Several Creator/PhilipRoth novels, including ''AmericanPastoral'' and ''Literature/PortnoysComplaint'', are set in Newark, New Jersey.
* Jean Shepherd wrote many short stories about Joisey. Many of them satirizing pop art -- such as the large ship sailing against traffic on Route 22, Lucy, the giant elephant hotel room in Margate, and them concrete Mexicans and flamingos on people's lawns.
* Irene Adler, one of the few people (and the only woman) to have ever outwitted SherlockHolmes, was from New Jersey.
* ''TheAreasOfMyExpertise'' describes this as "The Too-Easy-To-Mock State". State motto: We Are Defensive About Our Faults.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* On ''BigBangTheory'' Leonard is from NJ, which comes up from time to time. For example in the 2011 Halloween episode Leonard manages to pull a trick on roommate Sheldon who says as a Texan native he is an expert at retribution. However when Sheldon tries to pull a trick on Leonard, Leonard manages to turn it against Sheldon.
-->'''Leonard''': You may be from Texas, but ''I'm'' from ''Jersey!''
* ''BoardwalkEmpire'' is set primarily in [[TheRoaringTwenties Prohibition-era]] Atlantic City.
* The highly acclamed {{dramedy}} ''{{Ed}}'' filmed exteriors of its fictional location Stuckeyville in Upper Middle Class Westfield, NJ. Many local residents were used as "Stuckyville Extras".
** The credits for ''{{Ed}}'' consisted of him driving through town. To this Westfield native, it was very odd to see the familiar sights of downtown Westfield, cut and pasted out of sequence.
** In certain towns in the area it was filmed some shops still have the Stuckyville name painted on their windows. Most visible at a Jewelry shop in Westwood.
* New Jersey is often used as the butt of jokes by late-night comics like [[TheTonightShow Jay Leno]] and DavidLetterman, as well as New York-based sitcoms like ''{{Seinfeld}}'' and ''{{Friends}}''. Listing all of the instances of this would require a separate page.
** Particularly notable is ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', which has devoted entire episodes to mocking Jersey, despite the writers seeming to have no idea what the state is like. [[note]] Nobody would say "There's a motel just down the Turnpike." The Turnpike runs the entire length of the state with very few exits, and is used to travel long distances quickly. They probably meant the Parkway.[[/note]] Needless to say, critics from New Jersey were not very happy.
* Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital, the fictional hospital where ''Series/{{House}}'' takes place, is in New Jersey.
** A genuine Princeton-Plainsboro hospital is under construction on Route 1 as of this writing; the [[http://www.princetonhcs.org/default.aspx?p=6234 design of it]] has obviously been inspired by ''House''. (The actual building used for ''House'' is just a mile or so away -- it's the back side of Princeton University's Frist Student Center.)
* ''Series/TheSopranos'' was set in New Jersey, and helped to reinforce many of the Mafia stereotypes.
* ''PointPleasant'' was set on the Jersey Shore, but was filmed in California. It showed.
* Similarly, the short-lived 1992/1993 {{sitcom}} ''DownTheShore'' was set in a townhouse in an unspecified Jersey Shore town (possibly Belmar).
* ''{{The X-Files}}'' featured the Jersey Devil in its fifth episode.
* The DocuSoap ''The Real Housewives of New Jersey''.
* The notorious {{MTV}} RealityShow ''JerseyShore'' follows eight self-proclaimed guidoes/guidettes (most of whom aren't from New Jersey, and two of whom [[FakeNationality aren't even Italian]]) living and partying in a Seaside Heights beach house, cranking the "Joisey" stereotype UpToEleven. [[http://www.thewrap.com/ind-column/state-new-jersey-mtv-jersey-shore-one-dimentional-portrayal-11238 New Jersey residents]] and [[http://www.npr.org/blogs/tellmemore/2009/12/mtvs_jersey_shore_reality_or_r.html Italian-American groups]] were ''pissed'', but it's done nothing to stop the show from turning into [[strike:a hit]] a pop culture phenomenon.
** Before that, MTV did two of their spring break specials (1998 and 2002) in Seaside Heights.
** According to Jersey-native and Cracked.com writer Daniel O'Brien, ''Jersey Shore'' is the [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/jersey-shore-is-the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-the-east-coast-since-911 worst thing to happen to the east coast since 9/11]].
** The upcoming season takes the entire cast to Italy itself to "get back to their roots." [[TrailersAlwaysLie According to the previews,]] we can expect an international diplomatic incident within the first episode or two.
* After the media started mocking New Jersey after [[http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=8162101 a massive corruption scandal]], [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]] took time out of his show to [[http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-july-28-2009/hey--c-mon-that-s-not----why-would-you----whoa- defend his home state]].
** Stewart is also a devoted fan of fellow Jersey native Bruce Springsteen. When he announced on the show that he went to see Springsteen in concert over the weekend, he added, "It was, uh, what's the word I'm looking for? Oh yeah, the greatest night of my life?" He also delivered a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=me86JWyAFTE heartfelt tribute to The Boss during the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors.]]
* ''The Cake Boss'' takes place in Hoboken. Chef Buddy was slightly irked when a Manhattanite took a call while ordering her cake with a "Yeah, I'm in ''Jersey'', can you believe it?"
** And later: "You went all the way to ''Jersey'' for a ''cake''?"
* ''WillAndGrace'' played with this. They described Jersey as something of New York City's suburb, a nice, peaceful place to raise a family. However, this being ''Will and Grace'', that was also considered where New Yorkers go to die. The only reason to go to New Jersey (aside from the outlet malls) is if you've gotten married and had kids (and essentially your "interesting" life as a New Yorker is over.)
* And let us not forget the inestimable UncleFloyd and the various incarnations of his (deliberately-cheap-looking) program.
** Particularly his character of Jerry Jersino ("I love New Jersey and I'm proud!") and his Cowboy Charlie parody song "Deep in the Heart of Jersey".
* Several episodes of ''TheAdventuresOfPeteAndPete'' took place in Cranford, New Jersey.
** Parts of (if not the whole) series was actually filmed in New Jersey. The bowling alley shown in the series is Lodi Lanes.
** Also, Rick Gomez is from New Jersey and has a perfect North Jersey accent.
* Series/{{Monk}}'s first assistant, Sharona Fleming, is from New Jersey originally (and [[PutOnABus moves back there]] in the third season).
* The reimagined ''Series/HawaiiFive0'' features a new Danny Williams that is a former Jersey detective. In a touch of irony (or possibly a TakeThat), he's not really all that fond of the beach.
* ''SonnyWithAChance'' briefly features [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=JBvrIkyfZ2A&feature=endscreen a skit]] about fairytale princesses in New Jersey.
* Jean Shepherd hosted a program on New Jersey Public Television called ''Shepherds Pie'', which concentrated on New Jersey.
* After New York's then-Governor David Paterson made an otherwise forgettable verbal jab at New Jersey, ''SaturdayNightLive'' cast member Fred Armisen made Jersey-slamming one of the main points of his caricaturization of Paterson, in part to make the joke portrayal [[DudeNotFunny less about Paterson's visual impairment]].
* This was pretty much the only joke of the early Joe Piscopo ''SaturdayNightLive'' character Paulie Herman, that he was from New Jersey.
** Problems arose from one Paulie sketch, which portrayed Piscataway as heavily-covered by chemical plants and toxic dust. Ted Light, Piscataway's then-mayor, was not at all amused.
* A ''Series/TheDailyShow'' interview mentioned a truly bizarre case of this: the interviewee, Maziar Bahari, is an Iranian reporter who was imprisoned and tortured for six months on suspicions of being an American spy. One of his captors, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was apparently obsessed with a "paradise on Earth" located in America named... New Jersey, which he apparently saw as "the prototypical American state where people drink all the time, have sex all the time [[UnfortunateImplications and never run into Jews]]"
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/{{Voltaire}}'s song "Bomb New Jersey" (the other Voltaire). However, there are enough in-jokes that only people from New Jersey would get that it's hard to be offended.
** Voltaire grew up in New Jersey (and hated it), and mentions it in more then one of his songs. For example: "Hell in a Handbasket".
-->I'm goin to Hell, ''(he's going to hell)'' in a handbasket. ''(in a handbasket)''
-->And I might like it that way.
-->No this ain't no lie, I'd rather be Kentucky Fried
-->Than live and kicking in Jersey any day
* BruceSpringsteen is from New Jersey, and several of his songs are love letters to his home state. Several others are about how much the state sucks (see: "Born to Run"). He also contributed the EndingTheme for the above-mentioned ''TheWrestler''.
* Less Than Jake's song, "Never Going Back to New Jersey"
* John Gorka has a song called "I'm from New Jersey," which is a pretty accurate impression of residents' reactions to New Jersey jokes. Can be seen [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkMTM7wrCs4 here]].
* The BloodhoundGang's "Ten Best Things About New Jersey", which is [[TakeThat around 10 seconds of silence]].
* The band Fountains of Wayne got its name from [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a lawn-decoration store in Wayne by that name, which closed in 2009.]]
** They sing about Jersey a lot, too -- "Hackensack", for instance.
* The rock band My Chemical Romance is from Newark. And even then, three of them are from Belleville and one is from Kearny.
* Dean Friedman's 1977 song "Ariel" is about a Jersey boy who meets a spacey Jewish girl in Paramus Park and falls in love with her.
* The Bouncing Souls are from Jersey, and reference the state (especially Asbury Park) a lot in their songs.
* "My Ancestral Homeland, New Jersey" by [[TheWorldInfernoFriendshipSociety The World/Inferno Friendship Society]]. Their first album, "The True Story of the Bridgewater Astral League," also takes place there.
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic has a song called "I'll Sue Ya", which states, "I sued Delta Airlines / 'cause they sold me a ticket to New Jersey / I went there, and it SUCKED!"
* BonJovi's fourth studio album was named ''New Jersey'', and most of the band hails from the state.
* The Gaslight Anthem, a Springsteen-esque punk band, are from and sing about New Jersey. They've even appeared on stage with The Boss
* Titus Andronicus, an indie-punk band, are from and sing about New Jersey
* TomWaits' song "Jersey Girl".
* "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4OfI4qm7sHA You Can't Get There From Here In Jersey]]" by Jason Didner, a commentary on Jersey's hard-to-navigate highways (made even harder by the other motorists).
-->And I can kiss the exit lane goodbye
-->They'd sooner crash than let you by
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* ''The Fusco Brothers'', which takes place in Newark, combines types 2 and 3. As the page quote indicates, the very name of the state is treated as a joke.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
* {{TNA}}, in a transparent effort to cash in on ''JerseyShore'''s popularity, briefly had the gimmick "Shore", featuring expies of the Situation and Snooki who feuded with the real J-WOWW.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* Comedian Artie Lange on ''[[HowardStern The Howard Stern Show]]''. When on the show and in his comedy act, he'll sometimes exaggerate his Joisey characteristics to the point of becoming the epitome of a stereotypical Hudson County resident.
* Humorist Jean Shepherd broadcast nightly from WOR, and would often talk about New Jersey, coining the phrase 'Slob Art' for concrete Mexicans, and other such, and particularly applying it to Rt. 22 in northern NJ, pointing to the big ship sailing along in the median.
** And Lucy the Margate elephant.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stand Up Comedy]]
* On his album ''What Am I Doing In New Jersey?'', GeorgeCarlin proposes retitling New Jersey from "The Garden State" (''"Ha-ha, sure...if you're growing smokestacks, yes"'') to "The Toll Booth State".
* Dom Irrera got mileage out of the fact New Jersey wanted to use ''Born to Run'' as the state's official song, apparently without having heard the lyrics.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* This bit from ''[[SeventeenSeventySix 1776]]'':
-->'''JohnAdams:''' Wake up Franklin, you're going to New Brunswick.
-->'''Creator/BenjaminFranklin:''' ''[half asleep]'' Like hell I am, what for?
-->'''Stephen Hopkins:''' The whoring and the drinking.
--> ''[Franklin leaps to his feet and marches out behind Adams.]
** The reference is to a camp of the Continental Army located at New Brunswick, New Jersey at the time, where whoring and drinking were rampant and discipline was nearly dead. One poor innocent delegate gets a truckload of jokes poured on him and his family when he says, confused, "That can't be, I have an aunt who lives in New Brunswick!" Of course, by the time ''1776'' came out in 1969, Rutgers University in New Brunswick had a strong reputation as a "party school", meaning that the joke still worked for modern audiences.
** And of course, the running joke about the delegation from New Jersey not being present.
-->'''John Hancock:''' New Jersey. Where the hell is New Jersey?\\
'''John Dickinson:''' Somewhere between New York and Pennsylvania.
** Which leads to the most love New Jersey has even been shown on screen: When the New Jersey delegates enter just in time to tie the vote for independence, prompting John Adams and co. to run to embrace them.
* In ''OneTouchOfVenus'', the characters, being New Yorkers, sing a number called "Way Out West In New Jersey," whose premise is that the territory beyond the Hudson River might as well be TheWildWest.
* The obscure, but hilarious ''OnceUponATimeInNewJersey''. It's exactly what it sounds like.
* The jukebox musical ''JerseyBoys'' about the singing group, The Four Seasons.
* The Toxic Avenger Musical is particularly gleeful in its bashing of New Jersey. The villain song is called "Jersey Girl", and it describes the mayor of Tromaville to be evil and slutty. Then there's the opening song that establishes the setting.
--> There's a place between heaven and hell/Don't need a map, just follow the smell/a place full of filthy air/a place filled with dark despair/a place you have no prayer/a place called New Jersey
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* The island of Alderney in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' is based on New Jersey.
** Which replaces the actual NewYorkCity island of Staten Island, which is an improvement on the geography of the city.
* New Jersey is the first level of ''[[TonyHawkProSkater Tony Hawk's Underground]]'', where it is depicted as a run-down, polluted suburb.
* ''SuperHeroLeagueOfHoboken'' takes in place in tri-state area, with super heroes having headquarters in, well, Hoboken. It's not much better even with heroes.
* The Cellphone game ''Tank Battles in Suburbia'' has eleven levels set across New Jersey suburbs like Montclair, Glen Ridge and Raritan, with the final level being on the Turnpike.
* The increased amount of RealIsBrown, grungy textures and [[PostProcessingVideoEffects film grain]] in ''SamAndMax: The Devil's Playhouse'' as opposed to its earlier two seasons is {{Hand Wave}}d in-story as being due to the New York local government 'importing grime from New Jersey'.
* In ''[[VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany Battlefield: Bad Company 2]]'', Pvt. Sweetwater says it "smells like Jersey" when your squad goes into a drainage ditch.
* ObsidianEntertainment's "Project New Jersey"[[note]]Obsidian assigns code names based on US states in order of introduction to the union.[[/note]], which was ultimately canceled.
* Several levels in the final stage of ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeed: The Run'' take place in New Jersey, and they play the Type 2 stereotype to the hilt. No prizes for guessing that said tracks mainly comprise industrial parks, highways and landfills, or that the one area of Jersey covered in greenery also happens to be within sight of [[BigApplesauce New York]]. And in Challenge Mode, there's even a race called [[JerseyShore "The Situation"]].
* Two levels in ''VideoGame/MaxPayne 3'' take place in New Jersey. Later, during Max's flashback to Panama, he jokingly compares the boat he's on to Jersey, what with all the tanned people with plastic surgery listening to dance music and doing drugs.
* The Unova region in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'' is partially based on New Jersey. ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2's'' new areas expand into New Jersey, including the new starting city.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* According to Faye of ''Webcomic/QuestionableContent'' New Jersey is where Wonder Bread is mined. Yes, ''mined.''
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''[[http://www.mynewhaircut.com/ My New Haircut]]''. Originally a pair of [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5QJ9i_o5vo viral]] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90if6EPsgeQ videos]] (warning: {{NSFW}}[[note]]Rated "R" for Real Fuckin' Funny. Mature audiences only. Viewer discretion is advised. This film contains graphic language. Kiss my ass.[[/note]]) that [[AffectionateParody affectionately parodied]] the Jersey guido lifestyle, it's now being turned into a web series. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?src_vid=Q5QJ9i_o5vo&v=HlVYLuI5isk&feature=iv&annotation_id=annotation_504016 Here's the trailer.]]
* Trollvorlord from the ''Blog/{{Bronyism}}'' blog series once took a trip to here. Constantly irritated during his stay by the arrogant locals who he believed tanned themselves too much. He soon became [[ConspiracyTheorist suspicious of the place and started to search for answers]] until he [[BlatantLies figured it out]]: It's a giant {{cult}}.
-->"''Why is it a cult, you may ask? WELL, yesterday, I went to the "Sunset beach"; as beautiful as it was watching the sun set over the ocean, EVERYONE was there. I mean everyone. It was just a normal day, no carnivals or anything. New Jersey just gathers at a single beach to worship the sun for giving them tanning privileges.''"
* JamesRolfe, of ''WebVideo/TheAngryVideoGameNerd'' fame, is from southern New Jersey and filmed the first 50 episodes (and a few segments of the 51st episode) in the state. In college, he made a film called ''[[http://www.cinemassacre.com/new/?p=184 Legend of the Blue Hole]]'' that was inspired by ''Weird NJ'' and New Jersey's urban legends. He has plans to make sequels to it, but thanks to his work doing ''AVGN'' videos, those plans have been [[DevelopmentHell put on hold indefinitely]].
* From ''Website/{{Cracked}}'': [[http://www.cracked.com/funny-258-new-jersey/ "A Pop Culture Tour of New Jersey."]]
* The American on ''TheBugle''.
* ''AH.com Wars'', a spin-off of ''AHDotComTheSeries'' that parodies ''StarWars'', features a Naboo-analogue planet called Najoisey, a {{Planetville}} version of New Jersey.
* In ''DecadesOfDarkness'', much of the action during the North American War takes place in New Jersey, which serves as an analogue to [[WorldWarI the Western Front]]. That's right, even in an AlternateHistory New Jersey is ''still'' [[WarIsHell Hell on Earth]].
* LetsPlay/{{Slowbeef}}, of LetsPlay fame, lives in Jersey. He alternates between mocking it and defending it.
** His ever-persistent AlternativeCharacterInterpretation of [[VideoGame/{{Metroid}} Ridley]] constantly speaks in a screechy Joisey accent.
* The automatic censor at [=Worth1000.com=] changes "hell" to "[[PlaceWorseThanDeath New Jersey]]".
* Michael Jones, RoosterTeeth employee and star of ''Rage Quit'', was a New Jersey resident before he moved to Austin, TX to work at RT full time.
* ''[[http://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=234191 The End of the World: The Jersey War]]''. On December 21, 2012, Snooki turns into an EldritchAbomination and gives birth to a tide of hair-gelled, tanned, A-shirt-wearing insectoid gremlins onto New Jersey, while a poisonous black gas that smells like hairspray swells over the landscape.
* ''WebVideo/TVTrash'' features one of the villains, Malicia, get sent away to "a far-away, desolate place" by [[IDreamOfJeannie Jeannie]] after the former's fight scene with Chris "RowdyC" Moore.
--> "So New Jersey? Yeah, Oklahoma's not far enough!"

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''MegasXLR'': [[TheTokyoFireball The New Jersey Fireball]] is a regular occurrence on the show. The show is set in Jersey City, although the creators seemed to know nothing about the location (culturally, Jersey City and indeed all of Hudson County are quite different from the suburbs and the Shore that most outsiders are familiar with). The suburbs and Shore tend to conform more to the Jersey stereotypes outsiders are familiar with. But Jersey City, on the other hand, most definitely does '''not'''.
* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'' had the Jersey Devil.
* The inexplicable 80s cartoon ''WesternAnimation/{{Dinosaucers}}'' features an odd episode revolving around football where the titular characters assume a football jersey and New Jersey are one and the same thing... and thus during the game wear "new jerseys" featuring the state's outline on the front rather than regulation numbers.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', taking place in (essentially) NewYorkCity, takes jabs at New Jersey on a regular basis:
** Fry and the gang are touring a beautiful apartment, after looking at several dumps earlier in the episode.
-->'''Fry''': Well, I give up, what's the catch?
-->'''Landlord''': Oh, no catch... although we are technically in New Jersey.
-->'''Fry''' ''(back home)'': Man, not one place even remotely livable.
** Or this tidbit:
-->'''Leela''': Who would've thought that Hell actually existed? And that it would be in New Jersey?
-->'''Fry''': Well, actually... ''(TrapDoor opens)''
** Seems to be a frequent target of ''Futurama''. In "A Big Piece of Garbage" the Planet Express crew watch a documentary about what New York did with its gigantic piles of garbage.
--> '''Narrator''': The landfills were full. New Jersey was full.
** And they continue to mock it since it was {{Uncanceled}}.
--> [After Fry has taken a swim in [[ItMakesSenseInContext goat vomit]])
--> '''Leela''': (hugs Fry and smells him in the process) What have you been doing, rolling around in New Jersey?
--> '''Fry''': Well, actually...
** In "All The President's Heads", it is revealed that back in 1776 the Continental Congress voted to make New Jersey the official joke state.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' has [[BumblingDad Randy]] and the boys going up against the Jersey people. ''Every'' person from New Jersey is incredibly loud and arrogant and "all they do is have sex and fight each other". [[RunningGag It's a Jersey thing]]. It gets so bad they have to get help from [[spoiler:Al Qaeda]].
** That whole episode was more of a [[TakeThat jab]] at ''JerseyShore''.
* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'', specifically South Jersey.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/ExtremeGhostbusters'' had the team going to New Jersey to fight the JerseyDevil. It's as awesome as it sounds.
* Referenced several times in [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003 the 2003 TMNT series]] -- which makes sense, given that most of the protagonists are life-long New Yorkers. One particular jab involved Casey Jones' description of a world were global warming had caused humans to evolve into mole-people to survive the scorching heat. Jersey, apparently, was the first to go. Also, in the first episode the Turtles are stuck above ground and trying to find a manhole with which they can head back underground without anyone seeing them. The first one they come across gets parked on by an armored truck; leading Raphael to kick it in rage.
-->'''Leonardo''': Way to be stealthy, Raph!
-->'''Michelangelo''': Yeah, I don't think they heard you over in Joisey.
** The [[WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles1987 1987]] series had characters making references and similes to New Jersey.
* BugsBunny: "Ho''bo''ken? Ooooooh, I'm dyin' again!"
* According to ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'', Care-A-Lot is turned into New Jersey as a result of the CareBears provoking the [[CrystalDragonJesus Great Cloudkeeper's]] wrath when they begin an [[SugarApocalypse ethnic cleansing]] of the Care Bear Cousins.
-->'''John Corzine:''' Hello. I'm New Jersey governor John Corzine. I hope you've enjoyed this reenactment of our state's proud history. [eats some rainbow] The Garden State: Come get in on some of this rainbow!
* [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries Harley]] [[{{Batman}} Quinn]] has a New Jersey accent, which mixes with the implications of Gotham City in relation to New Jersey.
* Squirt, the street smart chihuahua in [[Creator/TheHub The Hub's]] ''[[WesternAnimation/PoundPuppies2010 Pound Puppies]]'' has a Jersey accent and, in an episode, even mentions he's from Hoboken.
* In ''TheSimpsons'', they do a parody of ''JerseyShore'' when Fat Tony invites them to his mansion after Selma snubbed Marge at their wedding.
** In another episode, Marge and Homer are supposed to go to Dayton, Ohio for an elderly relative's birthday, but decide to take a last-minute romantic getaway to Miami...then wind up in Atlantic City when they find they're being tailed by Bart and Lisa. Homer and Marge are making out in a glass elevator, and Marge expresses (mock) concern about other people seeing them.
--> '''Homer''': "What, they've never seen a fat guy making out? It's on the freakin' state flag!" (Cue a shot of a flag featuring a fat man kissing an attractive woman.)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* The magazine ''[[http://www.weirdnj.com/ Weird NJ]]'' has undoubtedly contributed to New Jersey's reputation as a WeirdnessMagnet. Teenagers will often go on tours of the state using the magazine as their guide. Has been spun off into two books, as well as books covering other states.
* Atlantic City has the distinction of being the original setting for the board game ''TabletopGame/{{Monopoly}}''. While other variations (read: licensed editions) of the game are abound, official TournamentPlay uses the AC-based version, a fact that many Shore residents are proud (and defensive) of.
* Most media about TheAmericanRevolution will reference New Jersey in some capacity. The state played a pivotal role in the war, being the host of some of its most famous battles. GeorgeWashington's crossing of the Delaware River, immortalized by the famous painting, was the beginning of his attack on Trenton, and he made his winter camp at Morristown twice in the war.
** New York and Philadelphia (two of the three largest cities in the colonies at the time, with Patriot hotbed Boston the other) are literally next to it, and control of New Jersey meant quick access to both.
* An Iranian journalist who was imprisoned following the 2009 election riots said that his jailer/interrogator was obsessed with New Jersey, which he saw as some sort of capitalist American paradise and was intensely jealous that the journalist had been there. Neither the journalist nor [[Series/TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]] could figure out the cause of that.
* Be Nice To New Jersey Week was July 4-10, 2010.
* Why did New York get all the lawyers and New Jersey get all the toxic waste? [[TakeThat New Jersey got first pick.]]
* Speaking to almost any Pennsylvanian about New Jersey will almost inevitably result in them stating that New Jersey should be blown up. Why, you ask? Because New Jersey is the armpit of the country and Pennsylvania needs a beach. What lovely neighbors...
** It does not help that immediately across the river from Philidelphia is Camden, a WretchedHive of Scum and Villainy.
*** Nor does it help that on the other side of that very same river is Philadelphia.
* The vast majority of bridges leading out of New Jersey (either east across the Hudson to New York or west across the Delaware to Pennsylvania) are tolled (those that aren't are small ones that trucks wouldn't be able to use). Moreover, all tolls are collected one-way leaving New Jersey (in order to avoid perpetual traffic congestion in New York or Philadelphia). In other words, it's free to enter New Jersey but you have to pay to leave it (and it ain't cheap -- all six crossings of the Hudson[[hottip:*:from north to south: the George Washington Bridge, the Lincoln Tunnel, the Holland Tunnel, the Bayonne Bridge, the Goethels Bridge, and the Outerbridge Crossing]] costs $13).
** Unlike, say, the Brooklyn Bridge with its raised promenade, the Manhattan-NJ tunnels are not pedestrian-friendly. [[LordOfTheRings One does not simply walk into Jersey]].
*** On the contrary, friend. The Ben Franklin Bridge has not one, but TWO walkways on each side of the bridge that you can walk from Philly into Jersey. That said, the walkways lead into Camden, the aforementioned WretchedHive. You are advised to use the southern walkway if you care to save your life--the south side of the bridge leads to the actually pretty much OK area around the Camden campus of Rutgers University; some professors and students actually ''commute'' by taking the half-hour walk. However, "north of the bridge" is the proverbial worst part of Camden, with a violent-crime rate high enough to ''deter college students from walking there to buy cheap booze''.
** The Holland Tunnel is particularly cruel: it's labeled as an Interstate, but it's an at-grade road with driveways and stoplights.[[note]]Interstate 78 was originally planned to go through Lower Manhattan and into Brooklyn, but this would have required demolishing a lot of residences and led to "freeway revolts" that forced its cancellation.[[/note]] Which leads us to....
* An old cartoon in ''The New Yorker'' shows a religious pilgrim walking through a dark tunnel with a glum look on his face. The caption explains that he has just learned that "the light at the end of the tunnel" is New Jersey.
* Why do so many people move from New Jersey to [[HollywoodNewEngland Vermont]]? They were in the northbound lane, had to go that far out of their way to make a U-turn and figured they might as well stay...
* In late 2011 a New Jersey resident created a demographic map of the state (which is the current picture for the [[Trivia/NewJersey Trivia page]]). Thanks to Facebook and Twitter it immediately went viral and made the local papers. A couple of politicians were unhappy with the portrayal, but the vast majority of residents found it to be hilarious and pretty much dead-on, as seen [[http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/nj_man_puts_rednecks_hippies_a.html/ here]]
[[/folder]]

* After the media started mocking New Jersey after [[http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=8162101 a massive corruption scandal]], [[TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]] took time out of his show to [[http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/tue-july-28-2009/hey--c-mon-that-s-not----why-would-you----whoa- defend his home state]].

* A ''TheDailyShow'' interview mentioned a truly bizarre case of this: the interviewee, Maziar Bahari, is an Iranian reporter who was imprisoned and tortured for six months on suspicions of being an American spy. One of his captors, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was apparently obsessed with a "paradise on Earth" located in America named...New Jersey, which he apparently saw as "the prototypical American state where people drink all the time, have sex all the time [[UnfortunateImplications and never run into Jews]]"

* An Iranian journalist who was imprisoned following the 2009 election riots said that his jailer/interrogator was obsessed with New Jersey, which he saw as some sort of capitalist American paradise and was intensely jealous that the journalist had been there. Neither the journalist nor [[TheDailyShow Jon Stewart]] could figure out the cause of that.

The trope name comes from what is commonly believed to be the local pronunciation of New Jersey. In reality, this is only how it is pronounced by people who think they're being clever -- saying "Joisey" to a New Jerseyan will earn you [[BerserkButton a boot up the ass]]. New Jerseyans, however, [[NWordPrivileges can use it any time they like]] -- as evidenced by billboards for the 2010 New Jersey State Fair, which proudly proclaimed that the fair "puts the 'Joy' back in 'Joisey'". One of the easiest ways to tell if someone is from New Jersey or not: those who are (poorly) faking a New York accent say "Joisey," those from anywhere besides Jersey (including ''actual'' New Yorkers) say "New Jersey," those from Jersey simply say "Jersey."

** Particularly notable is ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'', which has devoted entire episodes to mocking Jersey, despite the writers seeming to have no idea what the state is like. [[note]] Nobody would say "There's a motel just down the Turnpike." The Turnpike runs the entire length of the state with very few exits, and is used to travel long distances quickly. They probably meant the Parkway.[[/note]]

* ''TheWrestler''. There the state is depicted as a feckless purgatory of trailer parks, run-down local shops, monotonous public housing, and abandoned amusement parks (no, not [[AmusementParkOfDoom that kind]]).

* Most {{Troma}} movies, particularly ''The ToxicAvenger''.

* ''SonnyWithAChance'' briefly features a skit about fairytale princesses in New Jersey.

* The CellPhone game ''Tank Battles in Suburbia'' has eleven levels set across New Jersey suburbs like Montclair, Glen Ridge and Raritan, with the final level being on the Turnpike.

* The vast majority of bridges leading out of New Jersey (either east across the Hudson to New York or west across the Delaware to Pennsylvania) are tolled (those that aren't are small ones that trucks wouldn't be able to use). Moreover, all tolls are collected one-way leaving New Jersey (in order to avoid perpetual traffic congestion in New York or Philadelphia). In other words, it's free to enter New Jersey but you have to pay to leave it (and it ain't cheap -- the Holland Tunnel to Lower Manhattan, for instance, costs $13).

* The vast majority of bridges leading out of New Jersey (either east across the Hudson to New York or west across the Delaware to Pennsylvania) are tolled (those that aren't are small ones that trucks wouldn't be able to use). Moreover (in order to avoid perpetual traffic congestion in New York or Philadelphia), all tolls are one-way leaving New Jersey -- it's free to enter New Jersey, but you have to pay to leave it (and it ain't cheap -- the Holland Tunnel to Lower Manhattan, for instance, costs $12).

** Holland Tunnel is particularly cruel: it's labeled as an Interstate, but it's an at-grade road with driveways and stoplights.[[note]]Interstate 78 was originally planned to go through Lower Manhattan and into Brooklyn, but this would have required demolishing a lot of residences and led to "freeway revolts" that forced its cancellation.[[/note]] Which leads us to....

* Several PhilipRoth novels, including ''AmericanPastoral'' and ''Literature/PortnoysComplaint'', are set in Newark, New Jersey.

* A ''DailyShow'' interview mentioned a truly bizarre case of this: the interviewee, Maziar Bahari, is an Iranian reporter who was imprisoned and tortured for six months on suspicions of being an American spy. One of his captors, a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, was apparently obsessed with a "paradise on Earth" located in America named...New Jersey, which he apparently saw as "the prototypical American state where people drink all the time, have sex all the time [[UnfortunateImplications and never run into Jews]]"

* In late 2011 a New Jersey resident created a demographic map of the state (which is the current picture for the Trivia:Joisey page). Thanks to Facebook and Twitter it immediately went viral and made the local papers. A couple of politicians were unhappy with the portrayal, but the vast majority of residents found it to be hilarious and pretty much dead-on, as seen [[http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2011/12/nj_man_puts_rednecks_hippies_a.html/ here]]

Not to be confused with [[FourLittleTaxHavens that other Jersey]], from which it was named after.

[[quoteright:158:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Joisey_small_6192.png]]