History Main / MexicansLoveSpeedyGonzales

** The show's title also references a musical comedy bit by PeterSellers as a very stereotypical Anglo-Indian doctor. They were originally going to be a lot harsher about Seller's broad use of {{Yellowface}}, but the character he played was actually a pretty decent, intelligent guy, they decided on an AffectionateParody instead.

* The {{trope namer}}: surprising to many, SpeedyGonzales of LooneyTunes, despite being an obvious stereotype of Mexicans, is actually quite a popular and beloved character in Mexico and throughout Latin America, where his cartoons still run to this day. From 1999 to 2002, the cartoons were banned in the USA by Cartoon Network, who had exclusive broadcasting rights, and discontinued by Warner Bros., but a massive fan campaign and lobbying by the League of United Latin American Citizens eventually led to this practice ending. Of course, the most offensive aspect of Speedy (his broken English and terrible Spanish) is not present in actual Spanish-language dubs of the shorts for export, so this may explain some of his appeal outside of the United States.
** It presumably helped that the stereotype Speedy was playing off of was the ironic-inverse variety: "Mexicans are '[[OnceAcceptableTargets supposed]]' to be slow and lazy, and therefore it's funny that a guy who goes really fast and has all this energy is Mexican." As it turned out, many audiences didn't really get the joke, and so Speedy just appeared as a superhero.

This trope is GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff [[XMeetsY crossed with]] ActuallyPrettyFunny (or with MisaimedFandom, depending on your perspective): when people of a particular ethnicity or nationality ''embrace'' an unflattering caricature of them concocted by another. This is ''occasionally'' a case of {{insult backfire}}, though it happens most often when the caricature in question is clueless rather than intentionally offensive.

It is often a case of {{refuge in audacity}}. It may help if the allegedly offensive characters has strong sides (Speedy may be somewhat stereotypical, but note that he always wins), or at least if the other characters aren't better. Compare GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff, AmericansHateTingle, CrossCulturalKerfluffle, AffectionateParody, and ThisLoserIsYou.

It is often a case of {{refuge in audacity}}. It may help if the allegedly offensive characters has strong sides (Speedy may be somewhat stereotypical, but note that he always wins), or at least if the other characters aren't better. Compare GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff, AmericansHateTingle, CrossCulturalKerfluffle, and ThisLoserIsYou.

* An odd example would be ''{{King of the Hill}}''. The series began as a jab at Southern, Bible-thumping, redneck, middle-class Americans However, the show found itself to be a smash hit among that exact demographic. After the first season, the show became less 'look at this dumb white guy' and more 'laugh along with this hard working father and his loving family'.

* A non-ethnic example: The film crew of AngelsAndDemons was allowed to film on-site at the CERN research institute, and were even allowed in the underground cavern housing the state-of-the-art ATLAS experiment (though they didn't do the actual shots with actors there), and a large number of CERN scientists were allowed to go to an early screaning of the movie. This despite the fact that the story details the theft of anti matter that CERN made and being used as a weapon of mass destruction. And the filming took place at the height of the [[ScienceIsBad LHC-black hole panic]].

* In the {{Gundam}} franchise there are two "American" characters who stand out, Duo Maxwell of GundamWing and Chibodee Crockett of GGundam. Both characters are the BoisterousBruiser of their show and have their own fair share of {{EagleLand}} tendencies, but are both highly popular characters in the United States. Duo because he's a BadAss and one of the sharpest characters in the show and Chibodee because he's so damn CrazyAwesome.

* Many Russians enjoy inaccurate portraits of Russia and the USSR in Hollywood movies. They affectionally call it klyukva (cranberry).

* In [[HarryPotter Quidditch Through the Ages]] it is mentioned that Quidditch isn't particularly popular in America, as Americans prefer Quodpot, a game which is similar, except the Quaffle [[StuffBlowingUp explodes]]. A typical American reaction to reading that passage? "They need to make a Quodpot World Cup videogame."

* English comedian Russ Abbott's character of "See You Jimmy" is on the face of it a really insulting caricature of Scottish people in general, and Glaswegians in particular. Sales of "See You Jimmy" hats and wigs in Scotland soar everytime their is a national event though, and the character was voted the third best Scottish person in a poll by the Glasgow Herald newspaper.

* In [[HarryPotter Through the Ages]] it is mentioned that Quidditch isn't particularly popular in America, as Americans prefer Quodpot, a game which is similar, except the Quaffle [[StuffBlowingUp explodes]]. A typical American reaction to reading that passage? "They need to make a Quodpot World Cup videogame."

* [[YuGiOh Bandit Keith]]... ''[[YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries in]]'' ''[[MemeticMutation America!]]''

* Many rock fans and rock stars [[LoveItOrHateIt either really love or really dislike]] ThisIsSpinalTap for being a close-to-the-bone AffectionateParody of rock excess and culture, especially as the "Spinal Tap" analogy has become synonymous with such behavior and art. Some of that may have to do with how deeply involved with their own excesses they were at the time they viewed the movie; Steven Tyler of {{Aerosmith}}, fueled by drug-induced paranoia, allegedly thought the movie was specifically mirroring the Aerosmith story and hated the movie as a result.

* In [[HarryPotter Quidditch Through the Ages]] it is mentioned that Quidditch isn't particularly popular in America, as Americans prefer Quodpot, a game which is similar, except the Quaffle [[StuffBlowingUp explodes]]. A typical American reaction to reading that passage? "They need to make a Quodpot World Cup videogame."

* Just about any ''TotalDrama'' fan who was [[HomeschooledKids homeschooled]] seems to like [[ButtMonkey Ezekiel]]. This includes BigNameFan the Kobold Necromancer, whose fanfics played a huge part in [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap rescuing him from the Scrappy Heap]].

* French actor (although Spanish by birth) Jean Reno was asked whether he felt disgraced voicing a stereotyped French character in the animated movie ''FlushedAway'' (this being only shortly after the vicious Iraq War-fueled feud between France and the U.S. His response? "No, this is humor."

* In spite of (or, more likely, because of) its relentless mockery of rednecks, {{NASCAR}}, and {{NASCAR}}-loving rednecks, ''TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' became a box office smash in middle America, beloved by the very demographics it was (lightheartedly) making fun of.

** It should be pointed out that JTG and Shad Gaspard were ''RobinHood''-like face characters during almost their entire WWE run, and always got the better of their (somehow always deserving) heel victims.

* French actor (although Spanish by birth) Jean Reno was asked whether he felt disgraced voicing a stereotyped French character in the animated movie ''FlushedAway''. His response? "No, this is humor."

* One of the commentaries for ''{{Veggie Tales}}'' has the creators explain that when Canadians were shown the French Peas they thought they were offensive and they shouldn't have them. They then showed the show with the peas to some people who were French that thought it was hilarious.

It is often a case of {{refuge in audacity}}. It may help if the allegedly offensive characters has strong sides (Speedy may be somewhat stereotypical, but note that he always wins), or at least if the other characters aren't better. Compare GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff, AmericansHateTingle and CrossCulturalKerfluffle.

* The song "Yankee Doodle", so the legend goes, was invented by the British as a means to demean American troops during the Revolutionary War. Nowadays, the song is considered patriotic in America, and often sung unironically by children. ''Definitely'' a case of {{insult backfire}}.
** Given solid proof by the much later song "Yankee Doodle Dandy," which is a ShoutOut to the older ditty and written by [[PatrioticFervor George M. Cohan]].

** Some irony at play in that the song is based on the idea that americans were too dumb to realise they were being mocked.