History Main / MadLibsCatchphrase

A CatchPhrase that's slightly different every time -- the same phrase structure, but with one or two words varied each time it's used, either completely at random or somehow related to the current situation. Perhaps the most famous is ComicBook/{{Robin}}'s "Holy [noun], Series/{{Batman|1966}}!"[[note]]Mad Libs, a pun on "ad lib", is a pen and paper game. The game consists of text regarding a scenario for which some of the words have been replaced by blanks. One player asks the second player for the appropriate parts of speech (noun, verb) that are missing, without showing them the page. At the end, the first person reads the resulting text, which often contains silly or nonsensical content. [[/note]] This is pleasing to the audience, as it contains a mix of old and new content using an established pattern.

** "The [gendered personal noun] who waited."

* Website/TVTropes itself has "Back to [trope]" at the end of PlayingWith pages.

* [[WebVideo/JoJosBizarreAdventureAbridged I have learned that the only way to defeat [noun] is to burn it!]]

* WebVideo/TheAnnoyingOrange has "I'm not [adjective], I'm an Orange".
** Also, Hey [noun]!" "What?" "[noun that kills previous noun]"
* ''[[WebVideo/AskThatGuyWithTheGlasses Ask That Guy]]'': [Looks up from his book] "Oh! [Foreign, or just made up, greeting]! Didn't hear you come in."

* Over time, Linkara (of ''WebVideo/AtopTheFourthWall'') evolved "[[XtremeKoolLetterz Because poor literacy is kewl!]]" into one of these, with a random word or phrase replacing "kewl".

* In the ''WebAnimation/ChimneyChickens'' episode ''Comebck King'', Rob's mad-libs comeback follows the pattern of "(variant on the previous line of dialogue) [[BigShutUp SHUT UP]]!"
** '''Buzz''': You wanna do me a huge favor and hand me that wrench?\\
'''Rob''': You wanna do me a huge favor and SHUT UP?
** '''Blaze''' (after [[DestinationDefenestration Rob throws him out the window]]): I've fallen, and I can't get up!\\
'''Rob''': You're talking, and you can't SHUT UP!
* ''WebVideo/CinemaSins'' has several, including "X is a dick to Y", "[actor] isn't doing [something they're famous for] in this scene" (eg. "Liam Neeson isn't killing anyone in this scene"), "Visionary [genre] director rips off [classic film]", and "[[SarcasmMode No one will be seated]] during the [boring stuff happening] scene."
** They actually sell a shirt that says "[[DeusExMachina Blank-ex-machina]]" because of how frequently use that particular phrase.
* WebVideo/TheCinemaSnob has a couple:
** "If I want [''X, typically a film genre''], I'll stick with ''real'' [''X''], like [''better-known but still obscure example''], thank you very much!" [[note]]If I want woodchipper movies, I'll stick with ''real'' woodchipper movies--like Film/{{Fargo}}--thank you very much!"[[/note]]
** "You're about as [''adjective''] as [''well-known actor deliberately used as a bad example'']!"[[note]]Yeah, you're about as Southern as [[Creator/LarryTheCableGuy Dan Whitney!"]][[/note]]
* Many ''WebVideo/ComicTropes'' videos start with "Oh, hi, you caught me [doing something]! Speaking of [something related to that], let's talk about the [something comic related]."
* The introductions to ''Website/{{Cracked}} TV'' and its spinoff ''Does Not Compute'', starring Michael Swaim. ''Cracked TV'' starts with "Welcome to episode X of ''Cracked TV'', where [phrase [[FunWithAcronyms fitting into the acronym S.W.A.I.M.]]]" On ''DNC'', it gets a little more versatile. "Welcome to episode [cultural reference relating to episode number] of ''Does Not Compute''. I'm your host, [two word reference with initials M and S]. With me as always is my co-host, clips of [some bizarre thing scoured from the bottom of the internet]".
* ''WebVideo/EpicMealTime'': [[OnTheNextEpisodeOfCatchPhrase Every episode is closed]] with ''"Next time, we eat [X]"'', where [X] is something ridiculous and inedible.
* The members of ''WebVideo/GameGrumps'' have a habit of using the catchphrase "<adjective>-ass <noun>."
* Lowtax of ''LetsPlay/GamingGarbage'' responds to Shmorky pointing things out by saying that it's "nature's _____"
* ''WebVideo/GirlfriendReviews'': "This isn't a review of [game], this is a review of....".

* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'':
** The Homestar Runner Wiki has a whole list of [[http://www.hrwiki.org/wiki/Category:Variable_word_running_gags "Variable Word Running Gags"]], like Homestar's use of the phrase "Best/worst x bucks I ever spent!" and Strong Bad scolding The Cheat with "The Cheat! I told you to...".
** In ''WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad'', the girls wil cry out "Ow! My [body part or attribute]," when they get injured or killed. This is usually caused by the "comic"'s trademark cathphrase/running gag: "[noun]'d!!!" This descended from the first strip's use of "Arrowed!!!", and includes "404'd!!!", "MSG'd!!!", "Cerebellum'd!!!", and "Late 360 shove-it to boneless...'d!!!"
** Parodied in the WebAnimation/StrongBadEmail "best thing". On the ShowWithinAShow "Limozeen: But They're in Space!", Limozeen's manager Teeg Dougland would always proceed [[MrExposition whatever plot point he had to bring up]] with "I'm afraid I've got some bad news, boys..."

* On ''WebVideo/IsItAGoodIdeaToMicrowaveThis'', safety is whatever host Jory Caron says it is.
--> '''Jory:''' Here at Jory Caron Laboratories, [something about safety]].
* ''WebVideo/{{Jreg}}'': Horseshoe Centrist tends to state his thoughts as "The way I see it, there's no difference between [X] and [not X/the opposite of X]".
* [[WebVideo/JoJosBizarreAdventureAbridged I have learned that the only way to defeat [noun] is to burn it!]]

* Every episode of ''WebVideo/LongboxOfTheDamned'' opens with Moarte doing some variation of "Hello, my children", with "Hello" usually being replaced with some other phrase associate with the comic he's reviewing.
* ''WebVideo/NinetySecondMovieReviews'' closes every video with "Well my ninety seconds are almost up [''action relevant to film being reviewed'']"

* At the end of most episodes of ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'', the Critic would say, "I'm the Nostalgia Critic. I remember it so you don't have to." Occasionally, he would instead say, "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and (something relevant to the situation)." Here is a partial list of such uses of the latter phrase:
** From [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS6E10 the review of]] ''Film/TheMasterOfDisguise'': "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and...you killed my fucking fart joke!"[[note]]Reacting to the film's running gag of the BigBad farting.[[/note]]
** From [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS9E9 the review of]] ''Film/{{Blade}}'': "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and some Fruit By the Foots are always a few inches short."[[note]]Making fun of Blade's PreMortemOneLiner, "Some motherfuckers are always trying to ice skate uphill."[[/note]]
** From [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS4E19 the review of]] ''Film/{{Gordy}}'': "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and [[SuddenlyShouting PIG POWER'S IN THE HOUSE!!!!]]"[[note]]The Critic considers "Pig Power" by Tag Team to be the best thing to come out of the movie.[[/note]]
** From [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS3E25 the review of]] ''Film/{{Hook}}'': "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and I don't believe in fairies."[[note]]According to Peter Pan lore, every time someone says "I do not believe in fairies", a fairy dies.[[/note]]
** From [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS7E11 the review of]] ''Film/BluesBrothers2000'': "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and hopefully, in a few minutes, I won't remember who I am."[[note]]He found the film such an unworthy successor to [[Film/TheBluesBrothers the original movie]] that he needed BrainBleach.[[/note]]
** From [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS12E38 the review of]] ''Film/{{Venom|2018}}'': "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and...see ''Film/{{Upgrade}}''."[[note]]In a TwistEnding, what he assumed to be a Symbiote possessing him turned out to be the AI from ''Upgrade''.[[/note]]
** From [[Recap/TheNostalgiaCriticS11E29 the review of]] ''Film/{{DOOM}}'': "I'm the Nostalgia Critic, and ''VideoGame/{{DOOM}}'' should never be dull."[[note]]His main criticism for the movie is the relative lack of action compared to the video games.[[/note]]

* The Evil Guitarist from the ''WebAnimation/PimpLando'' series has this (overlaps with PhraseCatcher):
-->'''Some character (usually Pimp Lando):''' Why do you call it the evil <noun>?\\
'''The Evil Guitarist:''' 'Cause sometimes it does this.\\
''[<noun> does something to injure [[ButtMonkey Mr. Smiles]], who walks on just for the occasion]''
* ''WebVideo/PlayStationAccess'': Rob will start the Friday lists with him saying "Hello. You've caught me (doing thing relevant to the topic of the week)".
* ''WebVideo/ProJared'':
** "I'm playing [name of game]."
** "That’s why my final rating for this game is [[[IdiosyncraticRatingsScale object or activity related to the game]]] out of ten."
* Washington of ''WebAnimation/RedVsBlue'' often uses the phrase "[[WorstWhateverEver Worst [noun or action] ever]]. Of all time."
* Mr. Regular from ''WebVideo/RegularCarReviews'' has "Which <car brand> is best <car brand>?".
* ''WebVideo/RegularOrdinarySwedishMealTime'':
** A variant of "Next time" at the end of almost every episode.
** "[cooking technique], if you want to. We won't; this is ''REGULAR''!"
* ''WebVideo/ScottTheWoz'':
** Scott himself opens his videos with "Hey all, Scott here! [Random tangent that leads into the video's topic]"
** Rex Mohs has "If there's one thing I hate more than x, it's y."

* WebVideo/TBSkyen starts most of his videos with "Hello [noun]s and [other noun]s", where both nouns are a) thematically relevant to the video he's introducing and b) generally start with the same letter. For example, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0kNYRyPhPY this video]] on Yordle trickster Lulu in ''VideoGame/LeagueOfLegends'' starts with "Hello Yordles and yahoos".

* [[{{WebAnimation/TOME}} NYLOCKE!]] Dragon/Master of [X]!

* Matt from ''WebVideo/TwoBestFriendsPlay'':
** "It's [''positive adjective''] than you'd think, and [''negative adjective''] than you'd hope!"
* ''WebVideo/TheWhiskeyVault'' started out with a scripted intro in which co-host Rex Williams was described as a "level [X] whiskey mooch" where the level was never consistent from episode to episode.

* ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries'':
** "[[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney Screw the [plural noun], I have [plural noun]!]]"
** Also, "[[NoYou It is]] ''[[NoYou you]]'' [[NoYou who is/are [adjective[=]=]]]!"
** "ATTENTION DUELISTS! My hair is [action]"
** "My [noun] gives me super strength!" Used by several people.

* The ''Comicbook/HouseToAstonish'' opening spiel has "And in the week when [real world event], we ask: [strange comics tangent]?"

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}''':

* The English dub of ''Manga/GirlsBravo'' frequently had Kirie exclaim "Go do your [action that just pissed her off]] in Hell!"

Subtrope of CatchPhrase and a prime source for the "mutation" part of MemeticMutation -- turns of phrase like "X is the new Y" which behave this way are sometimes called '{{snowclone}}s'. Unrelated to MadLibsDialogue.

** Team Rocket's mottos, particularly in Sinnoh. Bulbapedia has a complete list. They're too long to put here, though "Listen, is that a/n [adjective noun]/[noun] I hear?" "It [verb]s to me loud and clear!" is a common one. And when defeated and going offscreen, they used to cry out that they are "_____ing off again" (usually "blasting off"). It was a normal CatchPhrase in the Japanese.

* ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'': "No one [verbs] like Gaston!" More a subject of MemeticMutation than an actual CatchPhrase from the movie, as he just says it during his VillainSong. In the ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'', it went beyond CatchPhrase to practically the only thing he ever said.

* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': In ''Literature/ADanceWithDragons'', Reek tries to remind himself of his name (he also has the uncharinging {{Catchphrase}}, "I have to remember my ''name''") with the help of the MadnessMantra "Reek, Reek, it rhymes with [word that rhymes with reek]," such as ''sneak'' or ''freak''. He also uses it sometimes with Jeyne: "Jeyne, Jeyne, it rhymes with [word that rhymes with Jeyne]", like ''plain'' or ''pain''.

** Troy and Abed occasionally do a fake talk show they ended with "Troy and Abed in the mor~ning". Eventually this becomes a MadLibsCatchphrase for when they're particularly enjoying something they do together, in the form of "Troy and Abed [in/doing something]" or other ways that fit the cadence of the original like such as "[[BadFuture Evil Troy and Evil A~bed.]]"

*** This actually got Creator/RobertPicardo the role as the EMH on ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]''. Despite not being familiar with Bones' constant use of the CatchPhrase in ''[[Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries TOS]]'', his audition included griping about the hologram not being turned off as characters left sick bay; he ad-libbed "I'm a doctor, not a lightbulb!"

** Binky the Clown's CatchPhrase is normally "HEEEEEEEY, KIDS!" but he sometimes changes it to fit who he's addressing such as "HEEEEEEEY, CAT!"

* Dr. Drakken of ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible''. His usual CatchPhrase is "You think you're all that, Kim Possible! But you're not!" But he often changes it, especially if she has something new, or brought someone else with her:

** Carlos didn't have a CatchPhrase per se, so he made "[terrible pun]" his CatchPhrase, since this is ''Magic School Bus'' and everyone's gotta have a CatchPhrase.

* ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II'': In "Potato", Captain Redbeard Rum has "Aar, you have a ''woman's'' [body part or item], my lord! I'll wager that [body part or item, sometimes described more elaborately] never [did something during a nautical disaster]!"

* ''Series/{{Blackadder}} II'': In "Potato", Captain Redbeard Rum has "Aar, you have a ''woman's'' [body part]], my lord! I'll wager that [elaborate description of body part] never [did something during a nautical disaster]!"

** Homer's "stupid Flanders" has changed on occassion to add another adjective: "stupid sexy Flanders", "stupid best friend Flanders", "stupid misleading silhouette Flanders"... In "Future-Drama", the future Homer lives in an undersea home and says "Stupid flounders!".

* ''Franchise/FiveNightsAtFreddys'': The Chica line of animatronics has a small non-verbal example in the form of the "Let's [verb]!" slogans on her bibs. [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys1 Original Chica]] has [[BigEater "Let's Eat!"]], [[VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFreddys2 Toy Chica]] has "Let's Party!", and [[VideoGame/FreddyFazbearsPizzaSimulator Rockstar Chica]] has "Let's Rock!"

* ''LightNovel/ShakuganNoShana'': "My [adjective] [noun], Margery Daw!"

A CatchPhrase that's slightly different every time -- the same phrase structure, but with one or two words varied each time it's used, either completely at random or somehow related to the current situation. Perhaps the most famous is ComicBook/{{Robin}}'s "Holy [noun], Series/{{Batman|1966}}!"[[note]]Mad Libs, a pun on "ad lib", is a pen and paper game. The game consists of text regarding a scenario for which some of the words have been replaced by blanks. One player asks the second player for the appropriate parts of speech (noun, verb) that are missing, without showing them the page. At the end, the first person reads the resulting text, which often contains silly or nonsensical content. [[/note]] This is pleasing to the audience, as it contains a mix of old and new content using sn established pattern.

A CatchPhrase that's slightly different every time -- the same phrase structure, but with one or two words varied each time it's used, either completely at random or somehow related to the current situation. Perhaps the most famous is ComicBook/{{Robin}}'s "Holy [noun], Series/{{Batman|1966}}!"[[note]]Mad Libs, a pun on "ad lib", is a pen and paper game. The game consists of text regarding a scenario for which some of the words have been replaced by blanks. One player asks the second player for the appropriate parts of speech (noun, verb) that are missing, without showing them the page. At the end, the first person reads the resulting text, which often contains silly or nonsensical content. [[/note]] This is pleasing to the audienc, as it contains a mix of old and new content using sn established pattern.

A CatchPhrase that's slightly different every time -- the same phrase structure, but with one or two words varied each time it's used, either completely at random or somehow related to the current situation. Perhaps the most famous is ComicBook/{{Robin}}'s "Holy [noun], Series/{{Batman|1966}}!"[[note]]Mad Libs, a pun on "ad lib", is a pen and paper game. The game consists of text regarding a scenario for which some of the words have been replaced by blanks. One player asks the second player for the appropriate parts of speech (noun, verb) that is missing, without showing them the page. At the end, the first person reads the resulting text, which often contains silly or nonsensical content. [[/note]]

A CatchPhrase that's slightly different every time -- the same phrase structure, but with one or two words varied each time it's used, either completely at random or somehow related to the current situation. Perhaps the most famous is ComicBook/{{Robin}}'s "Holy [noun], Series/{{Batman|1966}}!"[[note]]Mad Libs, a pun on "ad lib", is a pen and paper game. The game consists of text regarding a scenario for which some of the words have been replaced by blanks. One player asks the second player for the appropriate parts of speech (noun, verb) that is missing, without showing them the page. At the end, the first person reads the resulting text, which often contains silly or nonsensical content. [[/notes]]

A CatchPhrase that's slightly different every time -- the same phrase structure, but with one or two words varied each time it's used, either completely at random or somehow related to the current situation. Perhaps the most famous is ComicBook/{{Robin}}'s "Holy [noun], Series/{{Batman|1966}}!"

* WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons:

* [[WesternAnimation/TheRaccoons Bert Raccoon]], [profession or activity] ace!

* Butt-head of WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButthead has “This (noun, activity, or episode theme) sucks!”

* [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] had a few of these, most commonly "Why don't you [noun/verb] your ass on out of here!" and "I'm gonna take your [noun], shine it up real nice, turn that sumbitch sideways, and [[AssShove stick it straight up your candy ass]]!". The first promo he'd cut during shows would also feature one, in the form of "FINALLY… The Rock has come back to [show location]!".

* In the ''WebAnimation/ChimneyChickens'' episode ''Comebck King'', Rob's mad-libs comeback follows the pattern of "(variant on the previous line of dialogue) SHUT UP!"

* Pukari from ''Literature/EllaAndFriends'' loves to threaten others by saying "I'll X you in the Y if you [do something he doesn't want them to do].

* ''Literature/TheCandyShopWar'' has Pigeon's "I just like to read books about [noun]!"
* Pukari from ''Literature/EllaAndFriends'' loves to threaten others by saying "I'll X you in the Y if you [do something he doesn't want them to do].