History Main / CloudcuckoolandersMinder

* [[Sidekick Barnacle Boy]] frequently has to keep [[OldSuperhero Mermaid Man]] out of trouble due to being the more rational and less senile of the pair.

* Don't tell Squidward this, but he often takes this role for the star of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' -- frequently trying to calm him down when he starts freaking out, warning him of the consequences of his crazy behavior ("Wigstruck"), cheering him up when his excessive naivete leads to depression ("Christmas Who?"), and defending him when he doesn't have the heart to stand up for himself ("Pizza Delivery").

** By the sequel, Harry has examples in both Bucky (bodyguard/mentor) and Carol (close friend and [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial absolutely-definitely-not-girlfriend]] [[spoiler:until chapter 46, after which she's absolutely-definitely his girlfriend]]), who temper his habit of finding and jumping straight into trouble, his occasional eccentricity, semi-self destructive tendencies, and general habit of leaping without looking. Jean-Paul also sort of qualifies, but he mostly functions as the OnlySaneMan bemoaning the antics of his friends.
*** It should be noted that Carol sometimes needs one of her own, because she's arguably as nuts as he is - just considerably more stable. As Nick Fury inwardly bemoans in ''Unfinished Business'', "BirdsOfAFeather might flock together, but those two maniacs ''deserved'' each other."
* ''Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers'' fanfic ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11886910/1/Gankona-Unnachgiebig-Unità Gankona, Unnachgiebig, Unità]]'': Both Germany and Japan are this to [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} Italy]]. However, [[YamatoNadeshiko Japan]] is ''a lot nicer'' about it than [[{{Tsundere}} Germany]] is.
* In ''Fanfic/{{Bird}}'' Taylor usually falls into a role like this. Mimi, Elle, and Taylor end up forming a violent, spacy, and sane trio as a result.

* Revan in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5672156/8/So-Not-My-Problem So Not My Problem]]'' is a ComicallyInvincibleHero hobbled by his [[BrilliantButLazy extreme apathy]], and has a succession of minders to keep him on track. Carth Onasi, despite being a terrible shot, is one of the most important people on the mission because he can talk Revan into doing stuff.
* [[TheApprentice Obi-Wan]] and especially [[VitriolicBestBuds Mace Windu]] take turns acting as this to Qui-Gon in ''Fanfic/StarWarsLineage''. Given that Qui-Gon is a BunnyEarsLawyer and CowboyCop who's always treating the rules as optional, Mace, as leader of the Jedi Council, and Obi-Wan, as the guy who usually has to help clean up Qui-Gon's messes, spends a lot of time {{facepalm}}ing.
* A recurring joke in ''Fanfic/BeyondHeroes: Of Sunshine and Red Lyrium'' is that [[VideoGame/DragonAgeII Hawke]] needs Varric to be this for him, reminding him to do things like put on pants. Hawke is implied to mostly be of the "purple" personality.
* [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002 Moss Man and Evilseed]] were this to [[WesternAnimation/SheRaAndThePrincessesOfPower Razzuma, aka Madame Razz]], in ''Fanfic/YinYang'' back when they were a singular being who embodied all of Eternia called Arbutus, as he kept her from going too far in her MentalTimeTravel and helped her stay anchored to the present. After Mara sent Etheria out of Eternia's system, she had no one to keep her on track and is a lot more senile in present day as a result.
* ''Literature/TheHungerGames''stories by Creator/SetaSuzume feature a PTSD-ridden victor's minder. District 10's first victor, Emmy Polak, is utterly traumatized after winning the Hunger Games and needs her district's escort to help her function around other people.

* ''[[WebVideo/LifeSMP 3rd Life SMP]]'': While he can't exactly tell [[TheDitz an accident-prone]] [[BewareTheSillyOnes [=GoodTimesWithScar=]]] "no" due to being indebted to him, Grian frantically warns anyone who comes near of Scar's attempts to scam them out of their items, and is generally the voice of reason in their duo. However, this is subverted; while Grian is less inclined to backstabbing and similar forms of chaos, he is more than happy to cause death, having set at least one potentially deadly trap a recording session from Day 4 to Day 6.

* For ''Fanfic/LoveDoubtAndSuperCuteBabies'', this is a role Izuku fulfills a lot for Mei, mitigating her more impulsive traits, and the one trusted with the keys to the support lab. She takes offense though at the extent others assume she is dependent upon him, and that his only role in their relationship is to be her babysitter and not a friend.

* ''[[LetsPlay/LifeSMP 3rd Life SMP]]'': While he can't exactly tell [[TheDitz an accident-prone]] [[BewareTheSillyOnes [=GoodTimesWithScar=]]] "no" due to being indebted to him, Grian frantically warns anyone who comes near of Scar's attempts to scam them out of their items, and is generally the voice of reason in their duo. However, this is subverted; while Grian is less inclined to backstabbing and similar forms of chaos, he is more than happy to cause death, having set at least one potentially deadly trap a recording session from Day 4 to Day 6.

* In ''Manga/HunterXHunter'', the naive AllLovingHero Gon ends up becoming this to the AxCrazy {{Yandere}} Palm Siberia in the midpoint of the Chimera Ant Arc, as he claimed to have experience with older women. [[TheLancer Killua]] and [[OldMaster Biscuit]] end up debating over who's really minding who.

* The main characters in the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series tend to be this to their sidekicks (at the very least they occasionally manage to prevent them from doing something stupid).

* In ''Literature/DragonBones'', Ward's mother Muellen is a mix of a Cloudcuckoolander and TheOphelia. Her lady in waiting doubles as her minder. Ciarra, the CuteMute daughter of Muellen, also has a lady in waiting who makes sure she looks representable at important occasions, as Ciarra DoesNotLikeShoes, and isn't very concerned about combing her hair, either. Ciarra is actually sixteen but acts more like twelve.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' has Marcie for Peppermint Patty and Charlie Brown for Snoopy ("[[CatchPhrase Why can't I have a normal dog like everybody else?]]")

* ''WesternAnimation/HiHiPuffyAmiYumi'': Yumi serves as the voice of reason to Ami.

** The fighter Wrecan is the elven priestess Veldrina's official bodyguard on their pilgrimage as the Western Pantheon's representatives to the Northern Godsmoot. This mostly involves [[https://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0986.html keeping her from walking straight into dangerous situations]], as she has a strong scientific curiosity for divine magic and very little common sense.

* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E1InThroesOfIncreasingWonder In Throes of Increasing Wonder...]]", Louis de Pointe du Lac is the caretaker of his brother Paul, who is mentally ill.

* ''Literature/TheHungerGames'' by Creator/SetaSuzume feature a PTSD-ridden victor's minder. District 10's first victor, Emmy Polak, is utterly traumatized after winning the Hunger Games and needs her district's escort to help her function around other people.

* ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'': Kyle takes on this role most times, usually to watch over the titular duo's wackiness and and to cope with their wild and outlandish behavior.

* In ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'', Pikachu often acts as this role in comparison to his other party members eccentricities to the point where he's become the OnlySaneMan of Ash's team in ''XY'' and ''Sun and Moon''. Mallow plays this role amongst the main cast of ''Sun and Moon'', especially when dealing with Lana's bizarre stories, Togedamaru's antics and Rotom's... detective failures.

* Sorata to Mashiro in ''LightNovel/ThePetGirlOfSakurasou'', the latter being an IdiotSavant. When she lived in Britain, it was Rita who acted this role towards Mashiro. [[LampshadeHanging In-universe, they refer to it as "Mashiro Duty"]]

* In the second season of ''Anime/LoveChunibyoAndOtherDelusions'', Yuta becomes this for Rikka. It's noted by the other characters that even though they're a couple, their relationship looks more like that of a parent and child.

* To his mild exasperation, ''[[LightNovel/FateZero Waver Velvet]]'', now Lord El-Melloi II, has been given this role by the Clock Tower in relation to his bizarre student [[Literature/FateStrangeFake Flat Escardos]]. It's not that Flat's incompetent, oh no, it's that he doesn't have the slightest idea of how he does his reality-defying stunts, is utterly hopeless at magical theory, and is a perpetually-innocent teen trying to join a society of sociopaths. El-Melloi II is reluctant to pass Flat in his courses, since he doesn't like letting inexperienced mages out of his sight, but finds dealing with Flat's strange antics perpetually trying.

* In ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'' series, Sheogorath, the [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Prince]] of [[MadGod Madness]], has one in his chamberlain, Haskill, who also doubles as the OnlySaneMan within Sheogorath's realm, the [[EldritchLocation Shivering Isles]]. Despite his best efforts, it is rather difficult to truly "mind" a god of madness. His assistance is instrumental in the main plot of ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion Oblivion]]'''s ''Shivering Isles'' expansion.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': "The Ballad of Duke Baloney!" introduces Zan Owlson, who takes over Glomgold Industries after Flintheart went missing during the events of the season one finale. When Glomgold gets his memory back and takes back his company, Ms. Owlson becomes the new CFO and basically ends up as Glomgold's babysitter. She frequently tries (and fails) to keep Glomgold from embarrassing himself in public and/or spending too much of the company's time and money on hair-brained, [[ComplexityAddiction needlessly-complex]] schemes to get back at Scrooge [=McDuck=]. She eventually gets fed up with Glomgold's antics and decides to work for the more level-headed Scrooge for a stint, only to get fed up with his reckless thrillseeking [[spoiler:and decides to work for Louie after he takes over Scrooge's company, [[RuleOfThree only to get fed up with]] his wasteful spending and wish-fulfillment. She eventually quits finance altogether to become mayor of St. Canard.]]