History Main / TheOldCountry

[[AC:Web Original]]

The old country is usually a {{Ruritania}} or {{Uberwald}}, with splashes of [[{{Oktoberfest}} Bavaria]], [[OliveGarden the Mediterranean]], the Former Soviet Union, [[NorseByNorsewest Scandinavia]] and {{Scotireland}}. Expect everyone to drive [[TheAllegedCar Ladas]] and tractors (if not goat carts), eat some sort of [[ForeignQueasine bizarre offal sausage]] and speak in a lilting yet guttural tongue. May be a case of WhereTheHellIsSpringfield

Note that this has definitely ''not'' been TruthInTelevision since TheNineties in the east and TheSixties in the west. Most of Western and Northern Europe is as urbane, well-off and cosmopolitan as the United States, and even Eastern Europe (with a [[{{UsefulNotes/Albania}} couple of]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Belarus}} exceptions]]) is doing a lot better now than in the UsefulNotes/ColdWar days. And naturally, the ''people'' that come from such developed countries are not going to be poor, unlettered [[AlterKocker stereotypical 19th century Central European Jews]].

* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', the homeland of protagonist Niko Bellic is not named, and he and his cousin refer to "the old country". However, they speak Serbian in-game and Niko is quick to correct people that he's definitely ''not'' from Russia.

* Rolf from ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' claims to be from "the old country", which is a land of strange folk tales, ghastly traditions involving seafood, and lederhosen. Perhaps he's actually from {{Cloudcuckooland}}.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowskiSuburbanDaredevil'', this is where Gunther's family is from. Apparently it is set somewhere NorseByNorsewest, where the people [[HornyVikings still follow the old ways]]. One episode takes place there, and it is indeed called The Old Country.

* In ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowskiSuburbanDaredevil'', this is where Gunther's family is from. Aparently it is set somewhere NorseByNorsewest, where the people [[HornyVikings still follow the old ways]]. One episode takes place there, and it is indeed called The Old Country.

** His home country was actually called "Foreign Land", meaning that the ''actual name of the country'' was Foreign Land.

Note that this has definitely ''not'' been TruthInTelevision since TheNineties in the east and TheSixties in the west. Most of Western and Northern Europe is as urbane, cosmopolitan, and wealthy as the United States (Scandinavia in particular being considerably ''richer'' per capita, at least nominally), and even Eastern Europe (with a [[{{UsefulNotes/Albania}} couple of]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Belarus}} exceptions]]) is doing a lot better now than in the UsefulNotes/ColdWar days. And naturally, the ''people'' that come from such developed countries are not going to be poor, unlettered [[AlterKocker stereotypical 19th century Central European Jews]].

* ''Busch Gardens Williamsburg'' is a European themed amusement park in Williamsburg, Virginia. Formerly known as ''Busch Gardens: The Old Country'' in its early years.

* Troper SilentHunter used this term at PhoenixRoleplaying to euphemistically describe AJJEGames (where much of the membership originated from and left in unpleasant circumstances) and it seems to have stuck.

* Played with in the Creator/ChannelFour's ''Series/Gophers!'', which was made and set in the UK but had an Australian character (Merv Wombat) who called it the Old Country. ([[BellisariosMaxim Don't worry too much about why an Australian-native species would think that.]])

* ''TheMunsters'' reboot had Grandpa often musing on "The Old Country" with all its traditions of ghosts, vampires, werewolves, possibly Romania but never stated so.

-->--'''Abe Simpson''', ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''

* In ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'', the homeland of protagonist Niko Bellic is not named, and he and his cousin refer to "the old country". However, they speak Serbian in-game.
** He is quick to correct people that is definitely ''not'' from Russia though.

* In ''KickButtowski'', this is where Gunther's family is from. Aparently it is set somewhere NorseByNorsewest, where the people [[HornyVikings still follow the old ways]]. One episode takes place there, and it is indeed called The Old Country.
* Didi's parents on ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' are like this. Especially her father. Apparently, in the old country, a woman gives birth in the potato fields, puts the child on her back and keeps going. Yeah.
** He also claims they grew up "sleeping with the goats" at which point Didi states that he actually came from a well-off family, and wouldn't know a goat if it bit him.

* Didi's parents on ''{{Rugrats}}'' are like this. Especially her father. Apparently, in the old country, a woman gives birth in the potato fields, puts the child on her back and keeps going. Yeah.
** He also claims thay grew up "sleeping with the goats" at which point Didi states that he actually came from a well-off family, and wouldn't know a goat if it bit him.

* Parodied on ''TheSimpsons'' - see the page quote.

* A recurring character on ''LateNight with Creator/ConanOBrien'' was Gustavo, an arrogant European who constantly insisted that Europe was superior to America in every way. In each of his appearances, Conan asks what country in Europe he's from, but Gustavo always refuses to answer, usually claiming that Americans would be too stupid to have heard of it. This is the closest he's come to giving any details on his country:

Note that this has definitely ''not'' been TruthInTelevision since TheNineties in the east and TheSixties in the west. Most of Western and Northern Europe is as urbane, cosmopolitan, and wealthy as the United States (Scandinavia in particular being considerably ''richer'' per capita, at least nominally), and even Eastern Europe (with a [[{{UsefulNotes/Albania}} couple of]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Belarus}} exceptions]]) is doing a lot better now than in the ColdWar days. And naturally, the ''people'' that come from such developed countries are not going to be poor, unlettered [[AlterKocker stereotypical 19th century Central European Jews]].

* Let us not forget [[Creator/AndyKaufman Latka Gravas]] of ''Series/{{Taxi}}'' fame, whose country was entirely fictional and rather vague. Probably the TropeCodifier for the current era.

Note that this has definitely ''not'' been TruthInTelevision since TheNineties in the east and TheSixties in the west. Most of Western and Northern Europe is as urbane, cosmopolitan, and wealthy as the United States (Scandinavia in particular being considerably ''richer'' per capita), and even Eastern Europe (with a [[{{UsefulNotes/Albania}} couple of]] [[{{UsefulNotes/Belarus}} exceptions]]) is doing a lot better now than in the ColdWar days. And naturally, the ''people'' that come from such developed countries are not going to be poor, unlettered [[AlterKocker stereotypical 19th century Central European Jews]].

* [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] and [[ParodiedTrope parodied]] in the ''Series/ShakeItUp'' episode "Hot Mess It Up": When Gunther talked about taking a trip to the old country, he meant that he was heading to Saint Louis for a sequin convention.

* The titular character in ''Borgel'' by DanielPinkwater claims to be from TheOldCountry (more recently, he lived in The Old Apartment in The Old Building in The Old Neighborhood). His Old Country is in AnotherDimension instead of Europe, but otherwise is very much a parody of this trope; everyone there is so poor they all sleep in ditches and use dead skunks for clothing, they speak a language that sounds like someone preparing to spit, and Borgel has a number of stories from there which are generally total nonsense.

* Pierre, on ''Series/{{Danger 5}}''. While the other members of the eponymous team of spies represent the major Allied powers of World War Two - the USA, UK, and USSR - [[CreatorProvincialism plus Australia]], Pierre is simply "from Europe", and seems to be a mishmash of French, Italian, and Spanish stereotypes.

The old country is usually a {{Ruritania}} or {{Uberwald}}, with splashes of [[{{Oktoberfest}} Bavaria]], [[OliveGarden the Mediterranean]], [[InSovietRussiaTropeMocksYou the Former Soviet Union]], [[NorseByNorsewest Scandinavia]] and {{Scotireland}}. Expect everyone to drive [[TheAllegedCar Ladas]] and tractors (if not goat carts), eat some sort of [[ForeignQueasine bizarre offal sausage]] and speak in a lilting yet guttural tongue. May be a case of WhereTheHellIsSpringfield

* Let us not forget [[AndyKaufman Latka Gravas]] of ''{{Taxi}}'' fame, whose country was entirely fictional and rather vague. Probably the TropeCodifier for the current era.

* Rolf from ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' claims to be from "the old country", which is a land of strange folk tales, ghastly traditions involving seafood, and lederhosen. Perhaps he's actually from CloudCuckooland?