History Main / SicklyNeuroticGeek

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' is occasionally implied to be this. He's certainly pretty geeky to begin with (wears a button-down shirt tucked into his pants and a tie, has dorky interests, etc.) When he gets too [[DramaQueen worked-up]] about something, he'll start wheezing loudly. Mr Krabs also implied in one episode that Spongebob takes allergy medication. In the first Christmas episode, he's so shocked to see Santa Claus that he basically has an extremely happy, excited asthma attack and then faints.
-->'''Spongebob:''' [[OverlyLongGag S-S-S-S-S-SAAA- ''wheeze!'' S-S-S-S-S-SAAA- ''wheeze!'' S-S-S-S-S-S-S-SAAA- ''wheeze!'' S-S-S-S-S-S-SAAA- ''wheeze!'']]

* Harold of ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland''.

* Cody from ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'', down to the long list of pills he has to take for his medical conditions.

* Milhouse from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* Melman from ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}}''

This character is frequently seen as a sidekick to the lead, and will be a {{Hollywood Nerd}}ly type. He will likely speak as though his nose is constantly congested, have myriad absurd allergies (and it usually ''is'' allergies, unless he needs a NerdyInhaler for his asthma) and go to equally absurd lengths to avoid any further ailments. Expect him to talk about his long list of medical issues openly and graphically whether he's asked to or not. His health issues are often implied to be psychosomatic, or {{Hypochondria}}: If this character [[TookALevelInBadass takes a level in badass]], expect them to clear up pronto.

* There's one in ''NationalLampoon's Film/VanWilder: Party Liaison''; He just goes by the name of "Sick Boy" most of the time.

* Subverted by Gretchen from ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''. She has the nasal voice, but otherwise doesn't have any known illnesses.

* In ''RubyGloom'' Misery's cousin Malady (an occasional guest character) will always treat the phrase "How are you?" as a cue for an epic description of her ailments, usually finishing with something like "...it's a scrape. I'll be fine."

* William Barfee in ''The25thAnnualPutnamCountySpellingBee''. Among other things, it's mentioned that a severe allergic reaction forced him out of the previous bee.

* Howard Wolowitz in ''Series/TheBigBangTheory''. He is asthmatic, allergic to peanuts, almonds, and walnuts, prone to canker sores and pink eye, succumbs to seasickness, has an incredibly high genetic risk of heart illness, and has transient idiopathic arrhythmia.
** Leonard Hofstadter counts as well, if not more so. On top of having NerdGlasses (which he is BlindWithoutEm) and asthma, he is also lactose intolerant and has a deviated septum. Also a rare example of this type as a lead character.

* Howard Wolowitz in Series/TheBigBangTheory.

* Tino's cousin in ''TheWeekenders'' is a subversion: when they were younger his health problems were so demanding that he slept with a humidifier ''and'' dehumidifier on for each nostril, and Tino dreads hanging out with him because of it. Once he finally lets his cousin get a word in edgewise, though, it turns out that he's now both healthy and cool.

* Gordy Rinehart from ''AngelaAnaconda''.

Compare JewishComplaining, DramaQueen, FakingSick.

Whatever the actual level of ill health, it will be a sign of physical incompetence and social awkwardness - or at least, that's what everyone will assume.

Compare JewishComplaining, DramaQueen.

* [[NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide Lisa Zemo]], who started off with [[LisaNeedsBraces braces]], NerdGlasses, and a perpetually stuffy nose. Subverted, however, because a season or two later she [[BeautifulAllAlong comes back looking less nerdy]] and on a new allergy medication. One episode has her temporarily revert to this, as she had allergies again and had to wear hypoallergenic clothing and glasses. This time without the curly hair and braces, though.
* Howard Wolowitz in TheBigBangTheory.

* Carl from ''TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutron''
* Macie from ''AsToldByGinger''

* Chuckie and his dad from ''{{Rugrats}}'' and ''AllGrownUp''.

* Milhouse from ''TheSimpsons''
* Arnold from ''TheMagicSchoolBus'', though his claims of illness/allergies ''could'' be a desperate attempt to avoid being taken on the (frequently bizarre and sometimes ''very dangerous'') field trips that Ms. Frizzle seems to be so fond of.
* Filburt from ''RockosModernLife'' who becomes physically ill even from the most mundane of tasks. [[OverlyLongGag "I'm nauseous. I'm nauseous. I'm nauseous. I'm nauseous..."]]

* Eddie in Creator/StephenKing's ''{{IT}}'', courtesy of his [[MyBelovedSmother mother's]] apparent case of Munchausen by Proxy.

* Osgood from [[{{Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor}} Day of the Doctor]]. It even become a plot point [[spoiler: to differentiate her from a Zygon double]].

* Tino's cousin in ''TheWeekenders'' is a subversion: he was a this when they were younger, and Tino dreads hanging out with him because of it. Once he finally lets his cousin get a word in edgewise, though, it turns out that he's now both healthy and cool.

* In a creepy example, Cousin Arnie from ''WesternAnimation/Hey Arnold''. He's pale and has postnasal drip/sinus problems, and he's also a creepy sociopath with some kind of AmbiguousDisorder.

* Georgette in ''{{Amelie}}''

* Among the four geeky leads in {{Fanboys}}, Windows is this.

* WoodyAllen in practically ''everything'' he's been in.