History Main / TechnicallyASmile

* Sheldon of ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' [[TheUnsmile cannot smile (or laugh) to save his life]]. As Leonard put it: "We're here to see Koothrapali, not kill Batman!"

* Michael Keaton's Film/{{Batman}} smiles a couple of times. It's easily the scariest expression he's got.

* Mentioned in ''Literature/DannyTheChampionOfTheWorld''. A "mouth smile" without an "[[WindowsToTheSoul eye smile]]" is said to look [[UncannyValley disturbingly wrong]]. Therefore, the protagonist's father skips the mouth smile entirely, smiling ''only'' with his eyes.

* In ''Literature/TheFifthSeason'', the Stone Eaters are (occasionally) human-shaped creatures of living stone whose imitations of humanity usually fall straight into the UncannyValley. When they bare their teeth, it's as a threat display to each other, enhanced by the fact that their teeth are diamonds.

See also TheUnSmile, BrokenSmile, and SlasherSmile.

See also TheUnSmile.

* Played with in ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima''. When BigBad Fate attempts an EvilLaugh, it seriously freaks out Asuna, because "it doesn't touch his eyes".

* Arba, ''Manga/{{Magi}}'''s resident queen of the NightmareFace, gives one when the Djinn Paimon arrives to rescue Hakuei from Arba's DemonicPossession in [[http://archiveofourown.org/works/4975984 Maelstrom]]:

** ''Technically'' almost many canines can "smile" to some degree. What most can't do produce a "friendly" looking gesture with their teeth close together. Canines have little incentive to open their mouth and not open their teeth as well since constant panting is usually necessary for regulating body temperature.

** Dalmatians are the only dog breed that can approximate a smile, usually done so if they know they're in trouble or are just very happy. It looks like a snarl, but they do not show their back teeth, and they're usually wagging their tails.

** Most of the retriever-type breeds are capable of smiling (it goes along with the "soft mouth" that's essential for returning a downed game bird to the dog's master undamaged). Labradors and Goldens are particularly known for it.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': [[http://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1988/12/16 Calvin does a grotesquely awful/hilarious one for a photograph.]] (Think [[JimCarrey "Fire Marshall Bill"]] from ''Series/InLivingColor'')

* In Disney's ''Disney/BeautyAndTheBeast'', Lumiere attempts to coach the Beast in order to help him win Belle over, "Give her a dashing, debonair smile. Come, come, show me the smile." The Beast tries, but the result mostly involves baring a mouthful of very sharp fangs and is not remotely dashing or debonair.

* This was implied in SonicUnleashed where one of the [=NPCs=] asked Sonic why he doesn't smile in his Werehog form and wants him to do it. Sonic does so (albeit offscreen) and the NPC was startled by the [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily discovery]], regretting that he asked.

* In Creator/RoaldDahl's ''TheWitches'' the first witch the protagonist encounters is described thusly:

* We humans are the only species on Earth who have turned toothed smiling into a sign of joy. If an ape or a monkey grins at you, it is conveying either aggression or submission, because it feels threatened. When you show your teeth, you are doing what translates as "bare your weapons" in animal language. In fact, this may be why it became a friendly gesture in humans in the first place; when you express friendliness or happiness, you are advertising that you do not want any trouble.

* Joey Wheeler from Anime/YuGiOh sometimes makes a creepy grin which the internet has dubbed "Joey Wheeler's Creepy Chin" when either

--->'''Kaiba''': (''Referring to Noah'')Oh my god! What’s wrong with his face? Guys, are you seeing this? What the hell’s wrong with his face?!

Related to the CheshireCatGrin, SlasherSmile, TheUnsmile and PsychoticSmirk.

* We humans are the only species on Earth who have turned toothed smiling into an expression of joy. If a non-human primate bares its teeth in what looks like a human smile or grin, it is actually frightened; the "non-human primate grin" is a warning to potential challengers that the barer of this expression will attack if one is not careful. This is because when you show your teeth, you are doing what translates as "bare your weapons" in animal language. In fact, this may be why it became a friendly gesture in humans in the first place; when you convey friendliness or happiness, you are advertising that you do not want any trouble.
** A friendly chimpanzee smile, if it shows any teeth at all, only shows the lower ones.