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So Bad It's Horrible Cleanup

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So Bad, It's Horrible is one of the more flame-bait-y parts of the site, so a cleanup thread is needed to ensure that works aren't added simply because someone doesn't like them.

If you want to list a work under this, keep the following in mind:

  • The work must have very few fans or defenders (both genuine and ironic). It should fail to appeal to any type of audience.
  • Being offensive in its subject matter isn't enough.
  • It isn't horrible just because a certain critic disliked it, though their reviews can be used as sources and citations.
  • The work should have notably poor reviews (e.g., less than 3/10 on IMDb, or single digit scores on Rotten Tomatoes)
  • For a Moral Substitute to qualify, it cannot even appeal to its target demographic.
  • Please be polite while writing and as much as possible, avoid falling into Complaining About Shows You Don't Like. Instead, focus on explaining why the work is horrible.

In addition, per No Recent Examples, Please!, a work must be at least one month old before it can be added, to prevent knee-jerk reactions.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Oct 6th 2024 at 3:34:45 AM

supernintendo128 Semi-retired editor from My desk Since: Feb, 2013 Relationship Status: Is that a kind of food?
Semi-retired editor
#651: Jan 24th 2020 at 5:08:18 PM

I second deleting the Toys "R" Us entry since there seems to be no information on it and it's a ZCE.

pee pee poo poo
Zuxtron Berserk Button: misusing Nightmare Fuel from Node 03 (On A Trope Odyssey)
#652: Jan 24th 2020 at 5:21:27 PM

[up] Since it objectively lacks some critical aspects that all SBiH examples require, I went ahead and got rid of it.

fragglelover Since: Jun, 2012
#653: Jan 26th 2020 at 7:37:26 AM

This was removed and readded to Webcomics:

Someoneman Since: Nov, 2011
#654: Jan 26th 2020 at 6:36:09 PM

[up] I honestly have no idea. According to this, the comic does have a fan following, but it's been established in this thread that a fanbase doesn't disqualify a work from being SBIH if it's just a tiny niche versus hordes of haters. I'm not a fan of The Last Airbender, but from what I've heard, its fandom has pretty intense Ship-to-Ship Combat, so I wouldn't be surprised if people were willing to forgive or ignore the comic's flaws just because they liked the pairings it portrayed. But whatever people actually do like this comic are obviously far outnumbered by people who absolutely hate it.

The weird thing is, the troper who removed the example also made a few edits about HIBY on other pages that seem to be pretty complain-y, so it's clear they hate the comic and shouldn't have any issues with it being listed on SBIH. If it was a fan of the comic objecting to it being listed, I'd say that would warrant a removal, but this makes me lean towards keeping it.


To change the topic, does anyone else think Entertainment Weekly's "Netflix's The Witcher is Nakedly Terrible" would qualify? It's a review of The Witcher (2019) where the reviewers admits they watched the first two episodes, skipped to the fifth, didn't watch anything else, and gave the show the lowest grade they could. Every comment I can find about the article is lamenting how it proves journalism is dead. I'm thinking of taking it, "100 Cable Channels We Don't Want", and the articles examples from Horrible.Music Other and making an "Articles" folder on Horrible.Other.

Edited by Someoneman on Jan 26th 2020 at 6:37:01 AM

Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#655: Jan 26th 2020 at 6:51:23 PM

[up] You have my blessing for that. [tup]

Contains 20% less fat than the leading value brand!
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#656: Jan 27th 2020 at 12:01:03 AM

As with the advertising examples, I kinda feel like that's wandering far afield from TV Tropes' mission. It's a horrible article, but it's not really a Horrible work in the sense we use the word.

The music articles have actually bugged me in the past for the same reason.

Edited by nrjxll on Jan 27th 2020 at 2:01:38 PM

GastonRabbit C'est la vie. (he/him) from Robinson, Illinois, USA (General of TV Troops) Relationship Status: I'm just a poor boy, nobody loves me
C'est la vie. (he/him)
#657: Jan 27th 2020 at 2:09:25 AM

[up]This is at least the second time you've said this thread is going over things it shouldn't. If there are criteria for what this thread should be working on, then what are they?

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jan 27th 2020 at 4:12:09 AM

I got a rock for Halloween.
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#658: Jan 27th 2020 at 4:46:36 AM

Like I said, actual works. Assuming the bad examples are all cleaned off the subpages (which I haven't gone over), and nothing that's currently come out fits the criteria to add, it's okay to let a thread like this go dormant.

Mind you, all that's just personal opinion. I wouldn't mind a mod weighing in with something more official either way.

Edit: The previous subject before the article in question was a lot more relevant, IMO. Although I honestly can't decide whether or not I agree with the cut - it sounds like the comic is executed so poorly that even the majority of people supporting its ship wouldn't like it, but there's a part of me that feels like listing fancomics at all is kinda circumventing the Fan Works subpage being permanently removed.

Edited by nrjxll on Jan 27th 2020 at 6:52:45 AM

Pichu-kun ... Since: Jan, 2001
...
#659: Jan 27th 2020 at 7:55:34 AM

I think How I Became Yours is generally considered So Bad, It's Good, though the two tropes are not exclusive.

NegaPosiMaybe Since: Feb, 2019
#660: Jan 28th 2020 at 5:53:51 PM

There's this entry in the toys section that i couldn't find anything about:

  • The 2003 Powerpuff Girls Girl's Makeup Kit, which contained pink lotion that was contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, not something you're going to want your little girl to be slathering on her face, as it can be deadly for children with damaged immune systems, and even in a healthy child can lead to eye abscesses, ear infections, and in rare cases meningitis. Sounds more like a evil plot by the Amoeba Boys than a kid's toy.

I looked up keywords related to this makeup kit and the lotion and i couldn't find anything on this specific thing. Not even an image. I'm thinking it might not have existed. I dunno, what do you think?

AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#661: Jan 28th 2020 at 6:04:46 PM

[up] Cutting time

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#662: Jan 28th 2020 at 6:57:49 PM

Do children's makeup kits count as toys, anyway?

Contains 20% less fat than the leading value brand!
CustardAndPie Oh Captain!~ from in a tank 'bout to steal yo girl Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Remembering what Mama said
Oh Captain!~
#663: Jan 28th 2020 at 7:13:45 PM

[up][up][up]I found this, but that's about it.

Edited by CustardAndPie on Jan 28th 2020 at 10:45:35 AM

Hey how you doing well I'm doing just fine I lied I'm dying inside
NegaPosiMaybe Since: Feb, 2019
#664: Jan 28th 2020 at 8:03:55 PM

[up] I wonder why i couldn't find that website?

I think i might have made a mistake. There were three results on Google that i couldn't find on Duckduckgo including yours.

1

2

I've never heard of these sources before though. How official are they?

I feel like this situation is a bit suspicious. There's no pictures to prove they existed at one point, and i'm not sure how much i should trust the sources.

No bad feelings for anyone. In fact, i'm glad to have a discussion like this. It just feels suspicious to me. I wonder where the original troper who added the entry heard of this from? It seems to have been around since the beginning of the page.

[up][up]

I wouldn't consider makeup a toy, even if it was aimed at children. It probably should have been placed in the other section.

CustardAndPie Oh Captain!~ from in a tank 'bout to steal yo girl Since: Apr, 2018 Relationship Status: Remembering what Mama said
Oh Captain!~
#665: Jan 28th 2020 at 8:34:20 PM

[up]Did some Whois lookups on both links. IPs are all US-based and the sites have been around since the beginning of the web 2.0 era. However, that doesn't always make it legit, so make of those what you will. As for the book... well, apparently the author, Russ Kick, used to write... interesting books in the 2000s but has gone on to completely different projects in recent years. I checked the book for citations but found none pertaining to the lotion.note 

So in conclusion... probably a good idea to cut.

Also RE: Makeup being a toy: As someone who uses makeup and skincare, I wouldn't consider those toys. Sure, play makeup and scented lotions are available at places like Claire's for young kiddos to experiment with. And sure, the stuff I use myself is a far cry from those things. But I still have no idea why the hell the troper that put that entry in there decided to put it under "Toys".

Edited by CustardAndPie on Jan 28th 2020 at 11:59:23 AM

Hey how you doing well I'm doing just fine I lied I'm dying inside
Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#666: Jan 29th 2020 at 8:59:18 AM

Yeah, I'm good to cut it, too. Of course, unlike [up], I'm a male, so I don't use makeup and thus am less qualified to comment on these things. (Skincare is another thing, but I'd rather save the details on that in place more suited for chatting. Take it to PMs, C&P, if wanted?)

I'll have to move this over, too, from the same page:

  • The CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit, released around 2007, which included powders for children to analyze fingerprints with that were found to contain alarming levels of asbestos. Since inhalation of it can lead to respiratory problems, including mesothelioma, the kit was almost immediately recalled.

Several entries later...
  • In mid-2019, child star Jojo Siwa (of Dance Moms fame) released her own Claire's Jojo Siwa makeup set. The big issue was the fact that the kid-oriented cosmetics contained asbestos, which can cause incredibly harmful side effects as mentioned above. The product was swiftly taken off store shelves, and the recall hurt Siwa's already low reputation.

Of course, in moving this over, we'd have to copy over the information on what asbestos does. Also, how low is Siwa's reputation? I would have that thought that it's a case of Periphery Hatedom meets GIFT in effect here, with her intended fans enjoying her.

Also, post 666. Fitting for this thread.

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Serac she/her (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Oh my word! I'm gay!
she/her
#667: Jan 29th 2020 at 9:47:28 AM

[up] Yeah, I see ads for Siwa's merch all over my local Walmart. Her reputation can't be that low.

WarJay77 It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000) from My Writing Cave (Troper Knight) Relationship Status: Armed with the Power of Love
It's NaNo, Bay-beeee! (10,238/50,000)
#668: Jan 29th 2020 at 9:50:36 AM

All I know is, I work at a store that used to sell Jojo Siwa party-decorations and then suddenly we were no longer able to.

Working on: Author Appeal | Sandbox | Troper Wall
Brainulator9 Short-Term Projects herald from US Since: Aug, 2018 Relationship Status: I get a feeling so complicated...
Short-Term Projects herald
#669: Jan 29th 2020 at 10:00:05 AM

How about a rewrite so it can be planted on Horrible.Other?

  • In mid-2019, child star JoJo Siwa released her own Claire's JoJo Siwa makeup set. The big issue was the fact that the kid-oriented cosmetics contained asbestos, which, when handled too much, can cause deadly illnesses such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. The product was swiftly taken off store shelves, and Siwa apologized for the product on YouTube.

I'll edit it again to remove the text "child star" (and change Creator/{{JoJo Siwa}} to Creator/JoJoSiwa) once she gets a page.

Contains 20% less fat than the leading value brand!
AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#670: Jan 29th 2020 at 7:22:12 PM

So, someone in the discussion suggested that Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory should be added. I don't think it qualifies, because this upload of the first 10 minutes has a significant amount of likes to dislikes. I'm taking it here though, as I have seen quite a lot of negativity over it. Do you think the film qualifies?

Edited by AlmightyKingPrawn on Jan 29th 2020 at 10:42:45 AM

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk
YamiVizziniX Since: Jan, 2015 Relationship Status: Who needs love when you have waffles?
#671: Jan 29th 2020 at 7:39:33 PM

It’s bizarre and kind of pointless, but at the same time it’s a serviceable adaptation with some good slapstick inserted.

There is no beginning. There is no end. There is only... Hooty.
kablammin45 art lizer from Cleese's Battle Circuit (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
art lizer
#672: Jan 29th 2020 at 7:54:27 PM

I agree. It's certainly quite far from being a masterpiece, but I don't think it comes very close to being outright horrible.

"Hey, least I didn't lose all my artistic talent when I crash landed in the arena here."
TalesofUnder Not Sherlock Holmes from 1900s England Since: May, 2017 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
Not Sherlock Holmes
#673: Jan 30th 2020 at 5:33:48 AM

On Western Animation:

  • After the Sputnik launch, there seemed to be a push for "educational" TV cartoons to raise kids' intellects, and they were generally awful at the time. One, The Big World Of Little Adam, was nothing but a still shot of two kids' heads behind a book, conveniently covering the mouths to avoid animating speech — the only movement was their pupils darting back and forth. This "action" framed montages of still pictures of the subject at hand. On a whole other level of awful, one installment dealing with missiles praised the V-1 and V-2 rockets (who cares where they come down?). However, the animated segments and slideshows weren't the only thing present: The Other Wiki claims the producer, Fred Ladd, who is best known for bringing Astro Boy, Gigantor, and Kimba the White Lion to America, and thus started the first wave of anime in the English-speaking world, got hold of a bunch of NASA documentaries, and with the space race of the 50s and 60s running about in kids' minds, created the segments as framing devices for said documentaries.
    Toonopedia: This show inspired as many extra-media spin-offs and merchandised products as it deserved — that is, none at all. Today, it's occasionally glimpsed alongside Bucky & Pepito, in "Best of the Worst" retrospectives.

This entry does a poor job of actually focusing on the awful bits for more than a few sentences: after that, it goes into an unneeded tangent about the V-1 and V-2 rockets and Fred Ladd. Big World of Little Adam is actually horrible, but the entry needs a write-up change.

“Now! Let us engage in the art of deduction!”
nrjxll Since: Nov, 2010 Relationship Status: Not war
#674: Jan 30th 2020 at 3:05:36 PM

...What's even supposed to be bad about the bit with Fred Ladd? There's nothing inherently wrong with framing devices.

Edited by nrjxll on Jan 30th 2020 at 5:09:49 AM

AlmightyKingPrawn I can chase the wind, I can race the rain from Down at Fraggle Rock *clap clap* Since: Oct, 2019 Relationship Status: I love you for psychological reasons
I can chase the wind, I can race the rain
#675: Jan 31st 2020 at 12:10:59 PM

So, Peta is trending on Twitter for this Super Bowl monstrosity showing animals taking the knee like Colin Kaepernick. People are pissed, with the left not liking the comparison of black people to animals and the right mad because it's Colin Kaepernick. I have been going through hundreds of Twitter posts on it to see if it qualifies and have only found 3 defenders. Shall I add? Or is that enough of a minority to not add?

Edited by AlmightyKingPrawn on Jan 31st 2020 at 3:17:37 PM

She/her. Profile pic is by Richard Michael Gomez @StarmansArt. Please watch Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock. https://youtu.be/Vm92JNgPbqk

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