Unclear Description: Dumb Dodo Bird

In an ATT query from a few years back, it was pointed out that Dumb Dodo Bird’s description has a paragraph with a few sentences that make the definition “this work contains a dodo” rather than the intended “dodo birds are portrayed as unintelligent”:

In the same query, a mod pointed out that excising the bolded sentences would be changing the trope’s definition and thus required TRS. While a wick check was stated to not be strictly necessary here, it was still recommended to see if any other problems existed. The results of said wick check are as follows:

• 26% of examples are correctly used.
• 20% of examples are incorrect usage as "dodos exist/aren't stupid"
• 2% of examples are incorrect usage as referring to other birds. ^note If you're curious, it's a pair of Pokemon whose only relation to dodos is in their name.
• 44% of examples are ZCEs or potholes.
• 8% of examples cannot be fit into the above categories.

In nearly half of wicks checked, Dumb Dodo Bird is potholed whenever dodos are mentioned, similar to how various animal tropes were used when their names still followed the “Everything’s X-er with Y” format. In addition to the two problem sentences being removed, the potholes in the ZCE section should be removed and misuse cleaned up.

Opening.

I'm okay with cutting ZCEs and "dodo exists" examples and redefining the trope as "dodos are depicted as dumb".

Edited by I--Vanya--I on Jun 18th 2021 at 11:47:01 AM

The reason it was determined to be Chairs was mainly because of this unilaterally removed paragraph, which was there even when the page was created:

jandn2014 removed it on November 9 of last year without going through TRS, even though Septimus said the change does require TRS.

But anyway, I'm in favor of defining it as dodos being depicted as unintelligent.

Edited by GastonRabbit on Jun 18th 2021 at 4:19:33 AM

I'm fine with purging any ZCE and chairs-y examples.

We should absolutely remove the "actually ignore everything we just said about dodos and dumbness, dodos merely existing is the entire trope" part of the definition.

Edited by wingedcatgirl on Jun 18th 2021 at 9:43:29 AM

and

Should we call in jandn2014 to ask why they removed it?

Edited by themayorofsimpleton on Jun 18th 2021 at 10:45:42 AM

I removed it since I wasn’t aware that it had been there since the start (meaning that the trope’s fundamental basis was pretty much “dodo birds exist”, and that said section wasn’t just something irrelevant to the actual definition). If it’s a problem, I can briefly re-add it for now, though everyone does seem to agree to cut any “dodo birds exist” examples.

Edited by jandn2014 on Jun 18th 2021 at 10:51:33 AM

"Dodo birds exist" is absolutely chairs-y, but we could probably expand the trope scope from "this dodo is stupid" to "the presence of dodos is played for inherent silliness and absurdity", even if the dodo in question is not particularly unintelligent. Dodos are fat, flightless, goofy, and most importantly, extinct. So the presence of one is usually chalked up to Rule of Funny.

Off the top of my head I can think of the dodo from Alice in Wonderland. He's not particularly stupid (or at least not any more stupid than the other deranged Wonderland denizens), but the fact that he's around is obviously meant to be surreal and humorous. And I'm sure I've seen more like that.

Edited by WackyPancake on Jun 18th 2021 at 5:02:44 PM

Tropes Are Flexible and the page doesn't have a whole lot of wicks (but it's still thriving), so I'm fine with expanding the trope to include dodos being portrayed as silly in general.

Cut chairs-y examples

Yep.

Another example I can think of is the recurring Yoyo Dodo character from Looney Tunes, who is definitely silly, but not at all stupid.

I’m okay with expanding slightly and cutting the ZCE and “dodo exists” examples.

Support for a redefintion and cutting the chairs.

Ditto

Cut the "dodo exists" bit and expand to dodos being specifically Played for Laughs, whether they're silly or stupid. Kind of a weird combo of broadening and narrowing the trope simultaneously.

I agree.

to changing the definition to "dodos are Played for Laughs".

However, I'm concerned that the trope's current name wouldn't properly fit the redefinition. Maybe change it to something like Doofy Dodo Bird to keep the alliteration?