The problem: One Million BC is a trope about very stereotypical depictions of prehistory that aren't remotely accurate, with humans existing amongst dinosaurs and so on. The description makes this clear—going on about the various ways prehistory is portrayed in this trope. Unfortunately, this trope was suspected of attracting misuse for less-stereotypical prehistoric settings without dinosaurs but containing other inaccuracies, along with misuse for realistic prehistoric settings. Per Tropes Needing TRS:

• One Million BC: Supposed to be for a highly stereotypical depiction of prehistory which shows cavemen and dinosaurs existing together, but is sometimes used for depictions of the Stone Age that are more realistic yet still stereotypical (no dinosaurs but other inaccuracies are present), or for generally realistic works about prehistoric humans.

As part of my effort to mass wick check/create threads for all of Tropes Needing TRS to help clean out the massive backlog there, I decided to do a wick check to see if these suspicions were accurate, especially since the name wasn't super clear about the concept, referring to the setting but not quite capturing the "stereotypical aspect".

Wick check: Link here, but here's the quick results:

• 14/50 examples were correct, or 28%
• 4/50 examples were more realistic depictions of the Stone Age with no dinosaurs but other inaccuracies, or 8%
• 1/50 examples were realistic prehistoric works, or 2%
• 4/50 examples were other kinds of misuse, or 8%
• 25/50 examples lacked context, weren't clear, or were just "cavemen exist" potholes, or 50%
  • 7/50 of those examples, marked in red, were "cavemen exist" specifically, or 14%, and
• 2/50 examples were unclassifiable, or 4%

Totaled together, that's

• 14/50 correct, or 28%, and
• 34/50 incorrect, or 68%

Analysis: Alright, so there was more correct use than expected, and less misuse than expected. However, something I wasn't expecting was the large number of Zero-Context Examples and unclear examples, particularly potholes that merely referred to cavemen or the Stone Age existing. Those examples made up half of all checked wicks according to the check, and I suspect the name to be the primary reason there are so many.

Possible solution: I recommend a rename for this trope, as I believe the unclear name is encouraging low-context and "cavemen exist" potholes. Something like Stereotypical Prehistory or Hollywood Prehistory perhaps.

What does everyone else think? Any other ideas or suggestions?

1. Alternate History.Film: The Pixar film The Good Dinosaur takes in a world where the K-T extinction event never happened and Jurassic dinosaurs like Apatosaurus and Stegosaurus coexist with Cretaceous dinosaurs and animals that evolved after the K-T extinction like long-horned bison and human beings.
2. ComicBook.Garfield His 9 Lives: "Cave Cat": Garfield's first life as the world's first sabre toothed cave cat, living in the age of cavemen and dinosaurs.
3. Funny.Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: Greg buys a paper off of Rodrick, realizing that the two had the exact same teacher and assignment: a poem about the 1900s. When he reads it on the bus, he finds such enlightened lines as "Did cavemen ride on dinosaurs?" and "Did giant spiders rule the Earth?". Needless to say, Greg doesn't even bother turning it in. discussed
4. Let's Play.Kruggsmash: Thunderskull was primarily based around the Primal mod, which replaced the normal animals with prehistoric creatures like dinosaurs and dire wolves. The art style gave the characters a vague Stone Age aesthetic to reflect this.
5. Recap.My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic IDW Issue 51 To 53: When Pinkie and Applejack are sent into Equestria's prehistoric era, they find a jungle-covered, volcanic landscape where dinosaurs and cave-ponies living together. Correct use.
6. WesternAnimation.Rudolphs Shiny New Year: The first island Rudolph visits. It's a tropical isle inhabited by dinosaurs, of course. The year's personification is a caveman who goes by "O.M.", short for "One Million BC". Just go with it. Seems to fit.
7. Fridge.Sly Cooper: At first glance, this may be considered the One Million BC trope played straight as everyone knows that dinosaurs went extinct long before the Ice Age ever happened and before such diversity in mammals existed. Pothole implies correct use.
8. VideoGame.War Party: Neolithic humans interacting with Mesozoic dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are explained in-universe as creations of the ancient Go'n people. Seems to fit?
9. Animation.Boonie Bears: The film is set in the fantastic interpretation of the Stone Age, with usual prehistoric mammals like woolly mammoths, sabertooth cats, and cavepeople co-existing fantastic elements such as speedy giant jeweled turtles, a giant colorful bird, a magical bamboo forest. As written, it seems to fit the definition.
10. MagicTheGathering.Planes: It has this aesthetic, being an undeveloped jungle world inhabited by dinosaurs, cavemen and Lizard Folk. Seems to fit the definition.
11. Recap.Mickey Mouse S 5 E 8 Outta Time: The bulk of the short takes place in a prehistoric world full of dinosaurs, cavemen and volcanoes. Seems to fit.
12. CalvinAndHobbes.Tropes J To P: Some of Calvin's earlier dinosaur fantasies took place in this sort of imaginary setting, where tyrannosaurs would coexist with cavemen and sabre-toothed cats in a generic prehistoric jungle landscape. These got phased out after Watterson did some more research on dinosaurs. Seems to fit.
13. Series.Star Trek Voyager: Primitives, volcanoes, and giant lizards. "Basics Pt. II" is the last straw where the show tipped over from being relatively hard sci-fi to a pulp adventure serial. No-nonsense Janeway turns over some rocks and instructs her crew to eat the grubs they find underneath. No dinosaurs, but it seems to fit regardless.
14. NightmareFuel.Primal 2019: For a show that unashamedly embraces the inaccuracies of its One Million BC setting, the depiction of the titular disease is disturbingly realistic, aside from how quickly it progresses. The infected Parasaurolophus and Argentinosaurus act less like reanimated zombies driven by an unnatural will and more like delirious, terrified animals, and the first sign the disease is affecting the brain isn't an inexplicable desire to bite someone - it's severe dehydration, which drives the Argentinosaurus to obsessively gulp down water at an oasis, likely dooming the next animal to drink there... Setting seems to fit.

1. Characters.Warhammer Ogre Kingdoms: Their homeland is especially themed around this in later editions. The Mountains of Mourn are a bitterly cold, barbaric land where the ice age never truly ended, still roamed by primordial beasts long extinct in the rest of the world — including mammoths, woolly rhinos and saber-toothed tigers — and ruled by barbaric tribes of primitive, shamanistic warriors. Seems to be slightly more realistic—no dinosaurs present.
2. Recap.Phineas And Ferb Tri Stone Area: Brings the events of the series into prehistoric times. There's no Mesozoic life at least. no dinosaurs, but they invent the wheel/a car
3. Trivia.Planet Of The Apes 2001: Terry Hayes' script, based on an outline by Oliver Stone (1994): A gritty reboot with little to nothing in common with the films or the novel, where a scientist played by Arnold Schwarzenegger travels back in time to One Million BC to find the cure of a plague that is decimating mankind and finds himself in the middle of a war between primitive humans and far more advanced, gorilla-like hominids. Pothole refers to a prehistoric world with no dinosaurs, but including gorilla-like hominids. Misuse.
4. Recap.Littlest Pet Shop 2012 S 2 E 9 A Day At The Museum: The Imagine Spot places no concern on if the dinosaurs actually all lived at the same time. Justified, though, as this is all in Minka's imagination. No mention of humans in this setting, just that the dinosaurs lived at different times IRL. Misuse.

1. Literature.The Ugly Little Boy 1991: Half of the story takes place forty thousand years ago, from the perspective of the neanderthal tribe to whom the titular child belonged to. This tribe is frightened of the Other Ones who have been encroaching on their territory, and may need to go to war against them to defend themselves from complete eradication. As written, this setting seems to be more realistic, with no dinosaurs, and few innacuracies. Could be wrong though.

1. Characters.Brickleberry: Krogg supposedly originates from sometime in 400,000 B.C. Setting not even brought up.
2. Series.Rex Appeal: Discusses the time the "genre" was at its peak, and also how the overflow of Fanservice and increasingly diminishing roles of dinosaurs lead to its downfall. Referring to dinosaur media, not necessarily cavemen AFAIK.
3. Characters.Luigis Mansion: We don't know if he lived with dinosaurs in life, but in death, he's found in a paleontology museum and possesses the bones of a T-Rex. Doesn't refer to a setting, and additionally is speculative.
4. Characters.Board Game Online: Barbarian's skill artwork depicts them as very caveman-looking. Just a reference to cavemen.

1. Furo Scene: In Wild Rock, the Child Rock chapter features doting uncles Yuuen and Emba spending some quality bathing time in the lake with baby Nava.
2. Literature.Geronimo Stilton: The setting of the Cavemice series. commented out
3. VideoGame.Pac Man: The Prehistoric Age, set in Adventures in Time as one of the time zones Pac-Man has to travel through. No context.
4. YMMV.Master Of The World 1983: Spiritual Successor: To Quest for Fire. Like it's predecessor, Master of the World is a gritty portrayal of early human life that foregoes the more fantastical and anachronistic trappings of older caveman movies. Interestingly, it's actually set centuries before Quest for Fire. Pothole seems to be referring to the correct use—or not. Unclear.
5. WesternAnimation.Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Wonder Woman was trapped there. No context.
6. Gush.Western Animation: Primal (2019) is an absolutely epic show even by the standards of Genndy Tartakovsky, assuming you're not a stickler for historical accuracy and you can get past all the gore and Nightmare Fuel (both of which tend to be pretty cool in their own right). The animation is stunning (good god, the landscapes alone!), the two protagonists are remarkably likeable and relatable for a Neanderthal and a relatively-unanthropomorphized Tyrannosaurus rex, it has some spectacular (if occasionally veering into Narm Charm) action sequences, and it manages to tell a complex and engaging story that has more heart, drama, and humour than many shows out there without a single word of dialogue from anyone. Oh, and there's an episode with a fucking zombie dinosaur! What more could you want? While this work does contain humans and dinosaurs co-existing, it does not seem to contain many of the other stereotypical parts of this trope. I'm grouping it as unclear.
7. Webcomic.Dawn Of Time: About 100 in fact. Also, Dawn is the only primitive. Everyone else seems to be relatively further along. Low context.
8. Literature.As Tomorrow Becomes Today: Giving Radio to the Romans: In "Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne", a Short Story by R. A. Lafferty, the scientists kill one messenger in order to open up scientific exchange between Charlemagne's kingdom and the more advanced Muslim Spain, thus ending the Dark Ages centuries earlier. They succeed, but don't realize they did. They attempt something similar and end up sending civilization back to the Stone Age. Potholed to "stone age", no other context.
9. WesternAnimation.Lego DC Comics Super Heroes: Wonder Woman was trapped there. No context.
10. Anime.Osomatsu San: The "Cavematsu-san" shorts take place in this setting. No context beyond "this setting".
11. TimePolice.Anime And Manga: Flint the Time Detective: the main characters work for the Bureau of Time and Space, and were tasked with collecting all the Time Shifters who were scattered across time, despite being a couple of kids and an unfossilized caveman. This usually lead them to a famous historical setting where they would square off against renowned time thief Petrafina, who was collecting the time shifters for her own purposes. Potholed to "caveman", no other context.
12. Film.One Million Years BC: As it says on the tin. No context.
13. WesternAnimation.She Zow: The time of Sheanderthal, the first SheZow. Low context.
14. Fantastic Comedy: It's About Time was based on the Fish out of Temporal Water trope. It started with two astronauts accidentally Time Traveling back to the prehistoric era and making friends with a family of cave dwellers. Pothole to "the prehistoric era", no context on further details about the setting.
15. Film.GORA: A groundbreaking financial success on release following a troubled production phase, G.O.R.A. was followed by two sequels starring Yılmaz as Arif Işık, A.R.O.G. (2008) and Arif V. 216 (2018), both centered around accidental time travel to One Million BC and The '60s' Turkey respectively. No context pothole.
16. Series.Dinosaurs: Inverted, since the dinosaurs are civilized and the humans wild. Low context.
17. There's No Place Like Home: It's About Time: The astronauts, having been stranded in One Million BC, fix the Scorpio E-X-1 and get back to the future midway through the series ("Twentieth Century Here We Come"). However, they take their friends Shad, Gronk, Mlor and Breer with them, and Hilarity Ensues as the cave family reacts to modern life. Low context pothole as applies to the setting.
18. InNameOnly.Live Action Films: Done on purpose by the Cinemax "Creature Features" film series, which share their names (but nothing else) with earlier low budget movies: She Creature is a mermaid story Played for Horror while the original is a reincarnation/de-evolution tale, How To Make a Monster says New Media Are Evil when a video game A.I. goes rogue while the original deals with actors being brainwashed via their monster makeup, Earth Versus the Spider plays superhero tropes for horror while the original is a Giant Spider movie, and Teenage Caveman has the titular character clearly living After the End from the very start while the original seemingly takes place in One Million BC (with the post-apocalyptic setting being a Twist Ending). Pothole has no context.
19. TropersDoIt.Before Anyone Else: Cavemen do it while grunting. "Cavemen exist" pothole.
20. Film.Save The Green Planet: According to the executive's speech, humans were created by the aliens based on their DNA. This narrative includes many classic features of the trope, including the creation of cavemen and a Shout-Out to the beginning of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The aliens actually look like people from ancient Chinese/Buddhist art. "Cavemen exist" pothole.
21. ComicBook.Monicas Gang: The Cavern Clan/Turma do Piteco: A caveman dealing with his prehistorical life. "Cavemen exist" pothole.
22. Recap.Biker Mice From Mars S 2 E 17 Hickory Dickory Doc: The episode's setting. More precisely, "four or five million years" in the past according to Limburger. Not enough context.
23. WebAnimation.Teen Girl Squad: Strong Badia the Frees Cave Girl Squad. "Cavemen exist" ZCE.'
24. WesternAnimation.Oggy And The Cockroaches The Movie (in caption): From the Stone Age to the Space Age! "Stone age" pothole.
25. Music.Iron Maiden: "Quest for Fire", based on the eponymous movie about cavemen. Low context.

1. Analysis.Artistic License Paleontology: Anachronism stewing is endemic with popular depictions of paleontology, whether it is humans using Triceratops to plough fields, or depicting T. rex and Stegosaurus living alongside each other, despite the fact that they never would have met in real life. In fact the time between Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus is significantly greater than that of Tyrannosaurus and human beings.^note The time between Stegosaurus and Tyrannosaurus is roughly 80 million years, while that of T. rex and humans is about 66 million years This type of thinking probably comes from the idea that "prehistory" is just one single, vague time period, not considering that the scale of geologic time is unfathomably vast. relevant analysis pothole
2. SmallReferencePools.Real Life: The Stone Age (One Million BC to 4,000 BC): The cavemen period will typically either show ape-like humans or Neanderthals, because All Cavemen Were Neanderthals. They will be hunting or fighting mammoths, saber-toothed cats or giant bears: that is if people are smart enough to remember that men and dinosaurs never coexisted with one another. All cavemen wll typically be white, male, thickbrowed, retarded, have a lot of hair and women are Nubile Savage characters...They only have three memorable activities: 1) making cave paintings 2) discovering how to make fire by hitting two rocks together 3) Inventing the Wheel. A typical stone age landscape is nothing but mountains, rocks, caves and large open fields. unsure where to put