Line #8 ComicBook/GiraffesOnHorsebackSalad


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/giraffes_on_horseback_salad.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:When Reality & Dreams go to war, love is the greatest weapon of all. [[note]]HONK![[/note]]]]
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4	In 1936, world-famous film star [[Creator/TheMarxBrothers Harpo Marx]] and renowned art icon Creator/SalvadorDali met at a party in Paris, then quickly became lifelong friends over their shared love of {{Surrealism}} and absurdist humor. This bond inspired Dali to propose ''Giraffes On Horseback Salad,'' a romantic comedy that would blend his [[CrazyIsCool off-kilter worldview]] with Creator/TheMarxBrothers' madcap antics into a movie like none before. But the idea was too much for MGM, who rejected the pitch, leaving it to languish in obscurity...
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6	...until 2014, when pop-culture historian (and [[PromotedFanboy longtime Marx Brothers fan]]) Creator/JoshFrank recovered Dali's notebook for ''Giraffes'' and vowed to make it real. Teaming up with writer [[Creator/TimAndEric Tim Heidecker]] and artist Creator/ManuelaPertega, they reformed ''Giraffes'' as a graphic novel published by Quirk Books. The result is a distinctively unique work of SequentialArt that is simultaneously zany, touching, silly, absurd, and ''very'' surreal, a glimpse into a movie that never was.
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8	The story itself centers around Jimmy (Harpo), a highly successful entrepreneur who is [[{{Workaholic}} locked into success]] and engaged to Linda, his [[SocialClimber social-climbing]] [[AlphaBitch attention-seeking]] girlfriend. His life is abruptly thrown off-course when he runs into the Surrealist Woman, an enigmatic {{Socialite}} and MysteriousWaif whose [[RealityIsOutToLunch every appearance is a spectacle]]. Aided by her assistants Groucho and Chico, the Woman Surreal finds herself falling in love with Jimmy, even as Linda's ire grows exponentially. But what is the fate for the newfound lovers when their passion threatens to (literally) change the world?
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10	The book's website is [[https://www.horsebacksaladbook.com here]]. The official soundtrack is available [[https://smarturl.it/GOHS here]].
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13	!!''Giraffes On Horseback Salad'' demonstrates the following tropes: [[note]]HONK![[/note]]
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15	* AlphaBitch: Linda, full stop. She ''insists'' on being the queen bee of any situation, pushes around her friends and fiancee with unveiled contempt, and stares daggers at anyone who challenges her authority.
16	* AnimalMotifs: Jimmy and the Woman Surreal are represented by different animals.
17	** Jimmy is symbolized by butterflies. Love is compared to a butterfly, trapped in a cocoon as it transforms into something beautiful, yet it must be protected even when it's ugly. Butterflies are also [[ScrewTheRulesImBeautiful allowed to fly freely because of their beauty,]] even if the chaos they spread isn't always welcome. Finally, the butterfly reflects [[spoiler:Jimmy's metamorphosis into Harpo Marx when he embraces surrealism completely]].
18	** The Surrealist Woman (and surrealism as a whole) is represented by flaming giraffes, [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext because.]]
19	* ApatheticCitizens: When the world starts to become more and more surreal, most people -- including authority figures -- respond with feeble attempts to cope as best they can.
20	* BigFinaleCrowdSong: "Tomorrow Isn't Just Another Day", an uplifting song sung by the entire cast.
21	* CantStayNormal: After her [[RealityWarper reality warping powers]] causes Jimmy to have a near-fatal auto accident, the Woman Surreal tries to settle for a life of [[HomeSweetHome domestic normalcy]] to keep them safe. Unfortunately, she finds it [[AllergicToRoutine too stifling and repressive,]] and eventually tells him that she must [[BeYourself return to her surrealist ways]]. In response, Jimmy [[spoiler:abandons his dreams of a normal life and fully embraces surrealism, [[{{Clownification}} turning into Harpo Marx]] in the process, and [[ActOfTrueLove devotes himself to a life with her]]]].
22	* ClingyJealousGirl: Played with; Linda is very protective of her relationship to Jimmy, even though she treats him as an afterthought and has a lover on the side. She's obviously only after Jimmy so she can leverage his meteoric rise to success.
23	* CourtroomAntics: The trial of the Surrealist Woman quickly descends into zany hijinx thanks to the efforts of Groucho and Chico.
24	* CreatorCameo: In flashbacks, the Surrealist Woman's father resembles Creator/SalvadorDali.
25	* {{Cuckold}}: At the start of the story, Jimmy is engaged to Linda even as she is romantically involved with Michael. Jimmy doesn't particularly care, as their relationship is primarily [[MarriageOfConvenience one of convenience]].
26	* {{Determinator}}: As the story progresses, Linda becomes more and more obsessed with tearing down the Woman Surreal, both for [[ClingyJealousGirl stealing Jimmy away from her]] and for [[ItsAllAboutMe being the center of attention]].
27	* DiegeticSoundtrackUsage: In keeping with ''Giraffe's'' origins as a Creator/MarxBrothers movie, the graphic novel features several songs incorporated into the story. These include "Doing the ''Chez La Vie''" (Groucho's opening act for the Woman Surreal), "The Pull of the Heartstrings" (Jimmy's harp solo), and "La Femme Surreal" (Groucho's report to Linda).
28	* DoingInTheWizard: Invoked in-universe as the Socialites initially discuss the Woman Surreal's [[RealityIsOutToLunch amazing public spectacles]], theorizing that they're elaborate special effects funded with a secret fortune. This debate is dropped when her RealityWarper powers grow powerful enough to affect the entire planet.
29	* TheFaceless: Played with; the Woman Surreal is almost always shown either with her face hidden or her eyes masked. She only appears clearly two times -- once in flashbacks to her youth, and once when [[spoiler:she reveals her innermost self to Jimmy]].
30	* FancyDinner: The Surrealist Woman invites Jimmy to such a dinner along with a bevy of other guests. The dinner is served on her massive bed, where they eat while she reclines.
31	* FearSong: "The Shadow Plays", an inner monologue about Jimmy's self-doubts.
32	* GladIThoughtOfIt: After it is revealed that the Woman Surreal bathes every day in a bathtub full of fresh small oysters while wearing a stoat wrap, [[YouAreTheNewTrend Linda does the same thing]]... while ''insisting'' that this has been her routine for the last three years.
33	* HelpingHands: Groucho is often assisted by a swarm of disembodied hands that perform assorted odd jobs.
34	* HiddenDepths: Jimmy first catches the eye of the Woman Surreal after he [[TheCastShowoff beautifully plays the harp]] at the ''Chey Phoenix''. His friends are astonished that he's never demonstrated any musical skills before, and he halfheartedly mumbles that it's something he learned from a long time ago.
35	* ItsAllAboutMe: Linda insists on being the center of attention wherever she goes. She becomes visibly angry when the [[MysteriousWaif Surrealist Woman]] appears and draws everyone's interest, and she seethes at Jimmy for simply being inquisitive about her.
36	* LiteralMetaphor: When Jimmy finally meets the Surrealist Woman, she points to a picture of herself from a flashback and says "You wanted to see me. So, here I am."
37	* LiteralMinded: Invoked by Groucho; when Linda demands "What is the meaning of this?!", he looks up the meaning of "this" in a dictionary.
38	* LiteralTransformativeExperience: After Jimmy fully embraces surrealism, he turns into [[spoiler:Harpo Marx, [[{{Clownification}} complete with top hat, trenchcoat, and bicycle horn]]]].
39	* LoveTheme: "What They Call Falling In Love" is a duet between Jimmy and the Surrealist Woman.
40	* MarriageOfConvenience: This is the nature of Jimmy and Linda's engagement -- he marries her to get access to her father's fortune, while she gets to ride his entrepreneural success and become famous as a result.
41	* MediumAwareness: Groucho is aware that he's in a graphic novel.
42	-->"We could go on like this all night, but this publisher only allowed us 240 pages."
43	* MobWar: Parodied. While the Surrealist Woman is imprisoned, Jimmy, Groucho, and Chico start spreading madness throughout the city in an attempt to [[MundaneFantastic normalize surrealism]]. They are opposed by the Realists, led by Linda, Michael, and their socialite friends. The Realists use weapons modified to shoot [[AbnormalAmmo food, confetti, paint, and rubbish,]] while the Surrealists retaliate with circus animals, tentacled eyeballs, and other indescribable apparitions.
44	* MysteriousWaif: The Woman Surreal is an in-universe example; the story begins with a group of socialites gossiping over her identity and her rumored fortune.
45	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Groucho attempts to spoil [[PartySchedulingGambit Linda's dueling party]] by zapping it with a surrealism beam, causing the venue to grow legs and walk away. Unfortunately, this enrages Linda's guests, causing them to [[TorchesAndPitchforks attack the Surrealist Woman's party]] and have her captured by authorities.
46	* NoNameGiven: Many of the characters are never referred to by name, most notably Groucho and Chico's characters.
47	* OnlyOneName: Named characters only go by their first name, such as Jimmy and Linda.
48	* PartySchedulingGambit: When she learns that the Surrealist Woman is planning a party in the California desert, Linda rents out a nearby farmhouse and schedules her own party at the same time to try and overshadow it.
49	* ThePowerOfLove: When the Woman Surreal begins falling in love with Jimmy, her powers are quickly amplified to the point where she begins altering ''the entire world'' into a [[WorldOfWeirdness surrealistic fantasyland]].
50	* PresentDayPast: Used by Groucho when he shows off his pager (a ghostly page that is used to send messages):
51	-->'''Groucho:''' "The pager allows you to have people call you from wherever you, or they, are! The patent is pending, as is the technology, which won't be available to the everyman until the 1980s, so I wouldn't use it if you need a response before Ronald Reagan is president."
52	* RealDreamsAreWeirder: The Woman Surreal explains that her manifestations are simply products from her dreams.
53	* RealityIsOutToLunch: The Surrealist Woman is the living embodiment of this trope, as her RealityWarper power lets her alter herself and her environment with every step. She has to actively concentrate to ''prevent'' creating oddities everywhere she goes.
54	* RealityWarper: The Surrealist Woman can alter herself and her surroundings with nary a thought; her appearance changes from moment to moment, and her assistants only need to express a request before it's fulfilled. Coupled with her CloudCuckooLander tendencies, it's no wonder she leaves a trail of surrealism wherever she goes.
55	* TheRunaway: After a childhood incident when the Surrealist Woman endangered a schoolmate with her abilities, her parents were ordered to send her abroad to avoid harming anyone else. She instead creates a giraffe and rides away, and her parents are never mentioned again.
56	* SeenItAll: As the longtime assistants of the Surrealist Woman, Groucho and Chico take their bizarre working conditions in stride. Whether it's answering phone calls with lobsters or driving cars that rain inside, nothing fazes them.
57	* SurrealHumor: This is a romantic comedy written by Creator/SalvadorDali with [[Creator/MarxBrothers Harpo Marx]] as the leading man -- how could it be anything else?
58	* {{Surrealism}}: Not surprising for a work by Creator/SalvadorDali, this story is full of surrealist imagery and philosophy. The tale begins with a woman traversing an exclusive nightclub in a winding white velvet tunnel, an orchestra playing music with roast chickens tied to the tops of their heads, and a ballerina dancing while a swarm of [[HelpingHands disembodied hands]] caress her -- and it simply gets ''more'' inexplicable as the story progresses.
59	* ThoseTwoGuys: Groucho and Chico, whose duties consist of an equal balance between fulfilling the Surrealist Woman's requests and making nonstop jokes at the people and situations around them.
60	* {{Turncoat}}: Played for laughs when Chico gets hired as Linda's prosecuting attorney in the trial against the Woman Surreal. Given that this is ''[[TheDitz Chico]]'' here, it's not particularly effective.
61	* WillfullyWeak: After the Woman Surreal is imprisoned and awaiting trial, Jimmy asks why she doesn't simply free herself with her powers. She explains that she doesn't want to risk hurting anyone with them, as she's frightened by what she might do when scared.
62	* WordSaladTitle: Good luck trying to figure out what exactly is a "horseback salad". And while (flaming) giraffes appear, they're not directly related to the plot.
63	* {{Workaholic}}: Jimmy is this at the beginning. Not content to be the visionary CEO of a massive company, he spends much of his workday in the trenches, answering multiple phone calls and performing mundane tasks that should be done by his subordinates.
64	* WorldOfWeirdness: Earth becomes one of these when the Surrealist Woman falls in love with Jimmy and her RealityWarper powers are amplified -- the streets of UsefulNotes/{{Paris}} all go in one direction, UsefulNotes/{{Venice}} has been drained and floats twenty feet off the ground, bridges of slime fill the city and lead to roads in the air, and more.
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Context ComicBook / GiraffesOnHorsebackSalad