History Series / Wishbone

* MeaningfulName: The tie-in novels reveal that Wishbone got his name from Joe wishing on a wishbone for a puppy, where shortly after his dad gave him Wishbone.

The series ran for 50 episodes from October 1995 to December 1997. In 1998, the TV movie ''Wishbone's Dog Days of the West'' was released.

** In ''Wishbone and the Amazing Odyssey'', the computer game adaptation of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', instead of actually blinding Polyphemus by stabbing his eye out, Odysseus merely puts a blanket over his head, covering his eye (though Polyphemus still screams in pain).
** In the same game's climax, Odysseus proving his identity is enough to make the suitors run away immediately, and he doesn't have to fight them at all.

** Amazingly averted in the official spin-off computer game ''Wishbone and the Amazing Odyssey'', telling the story of ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' nearly from beginning to end (editing only to remove the sexy parts).

* ARareSentence: In the game ''Wishbone and the Amazing Odyssey'', during his second visit to Aeaea, Wishbone says to Circe, "Hellooo! I'm back from the underworld! How many people ever get to say that?"

[[folder:#9: "Digging Up the Past" (''Rip Van Winkle'' by Washington Irving)]]

* FurryConfusion: In the ''Literature/RipVanWinkle'' episode, Wishbone as Rip has interactions with non-anthropomorphic dogs.

[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:#24: "Paw Prints of Thieves" (''Robin Hood'')]]
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%%[[folder:#13: "Sniffing the Gauntlet" (''Ivanhoe'' by Walter Scott)]]
%%[[/folder]]
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%%[[folder:#18: "Hot Diggity Dawg" (''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' by Jules Verne)]]

%%[[folder:#19: "One Thousand and One Tails" (''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' from the Arabian Nights)]]
%%[[/folder]]
%%

[[folder:#23: "Bark to the Future" (''The Time Machine'' by H. G. Wells)]]

* {{Bowdlerize}}: In the ''Time Machine'' episode, Weena is explicitly SparedByTheAdaptation. But hey, every movie adaptation of the novel does the same anyway. And the ''Wishbone'' version may be the only screen version in which she ''doesn't'' get PromotedToLoveInterest (Weena used to be the TropeNamer for that, actually).
* EverybodyHatesMathematics: The core of the real world plot is that Joe is struggling in math class.
* GilliganCut: Joe's math teacher explains how you need to challenge your mind or else it shrinks. Then we cut to Joe vegging out on the couch watching TV.
* ShoutOut: ''Literature/TheTimeMachine'' episode has a rather neat nod to the book crumbling scene from [[Film/TheTimeMachine1960 the 1960 film]]. Wishbone as the Time Traveler comes across ''The Collected Works of Creator/WilliamShakespeare'' (making this double as a ShoutOutToShakespeare) and reads the famous "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" monologue from ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', ending with the line "the way to dusty death." Then he touches the book and it collapses to dust.
* YouNoTakeCandle: Weena talks this way in the ''Time Machine'' episode: "Morlocks no like light."

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Episodes with their own pages)]]

[[folder:#1 & 2: "A Tail in Twain, Parts 1 & 2" (''The Adventures of Tom Sawyer'' by Mark Twain)]]

->''See: Recap/WishboneS1E01And02ATailInTwainParts1And2''

[[folder:#3: "Twisted Tail" (''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens)]]

->''See: Recap/WishboneS1E03TwistedTail''

[[folder:#4: "Rosie, Oh! Rosie, Oh!" (''Romeo and Juliet'' by William Shakespeare)]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Romeo]] doesn't kill Juliet's cousin Tybalt on-screen (justified as that killing was) or her fiancé Paris.
* CompressedAdaptation: ''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' goes from the balcony scene, to Wishbone explaining that Romeo is banished from Verona, to the ending in which the two die together.
* PoundsAreAnimalPrisons: Wishbone perceives the pound this way. He even complains that he doesn't know how to [[PrisonersWork press a license plate]] or [[CaptivityHarmonica play the harmonica]].

[[folder:#5: "Homer Sweet Homer" (''The Odyssey'' by Homer)]]

* AdaptationalContextChange: In the poem ''The Odyssey'', Penelope was forced to set a challenge for the suitors and so gave them an ImpossibleTask that only Odysseus could do: shoot an arrow through twenty battle-axes. Fortunately, Odysseus had already arrived, won the challenge with ease, and slaughtered everyone for violating SacredHospitality. Here, Odysseus reunites with her and they hatch the plan for him to kick the suitors out and establish himself as the real Odysseus. Penelope after she sets the challenge whispers for her husband to have courage before she gracefully exits.
* AdaptationalHeroism: [[Literature/TheOdyssey Odysseus]] on-screen at least [[DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale doesn't submit to Calypso's forceful advances]], is much less arrogant when [[OhCrap Poseidon confronts him]] and he chases away the suitors with slapstick combat rather than brutally slaughtering them and [[RedShirts the maids]] that betrayed his wife to them.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: In ''Literature/TheOdyssey'', Odysseus and his son expel the suitors with a slapstick fight rather than killing them.
* CompressedAdaptation: ''Literature/TheOdyssey'' is reduced to just three events: Odysseus leaving Calypso's island, the storm sent by Poseidon, and the battle with the suitors. At the end, Odysseus does refer to the cyclops as one of the dangers he faced, but that's just a brief in-passing reference.
* EdibleBludgeon: In the Odyssey episode, Odysseus's son uses a large ham as a club while driving the freeloading suitors out of Odysseus's home.
* EveryoneHasStandards: The bulldozer operator in "Homer Sweet Homer" was hired to do a job and is not a bad guy. When he realizes a dog got into the bulldozer scoop, he's horrified and immediately lowers it. This allows Wanda to issue a court summons to Mr. King before the tree is knocked down.
* JerkassGods: In "Homer Sweet Homer", Poseidon sinks Odysseus's raft simply because he doesn't like him (in the original tale, Poseidon hates Odysseus for blinding his son).
* SparedByTheAdaptation: The suitors in ''The Odyssey''; in the poem, Odysseus brutally murders them for the crime of invading his home and pressuring his wife to marry them. Here, Odysseus and Telemachus merely humiliate them in a food fight and allow them to leave.

%%[[folder:#6: "Bark that Bark" (African-American folktales -- ''Anansi the Spider'' and ''The People Could Fly'')]]
%%[[/folder]]
%%
[[folder:#7: "Cyranose" (''Cyrano de Bergerac'' by Edmond Rostand)]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: Cyrano de Bergerac is still a DeadpanSnarker but not an HonorBeforeReason StarvingArtist. He agrees to help Christian woo Roxanne because he wants Roxanne to be happy, and doesn't confess on his deathbed.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: The show's ending to Cyrano de Bergerac was significantly more cheerful than in the original work. When Cyrano confesses that he wrote the letters under Christian's name, he was dying in the original; here, Roxanne and Cyrano are alive and well, if much older, and Roxanne is the one who figures it out.
* PlagiarismInFiction: In "Cyranose", David brings a poem to class that he didn't write, that someone [[spoiler:aka Wanda Gilmore]] left anonymously on his porch. He confesses when Mr. Prewett wants to publish the poem, though his only punishment is to write a new poem because Mr. Prewett is a ReasonableAuthorityFigure not bound by modern school rules.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Mr. Prewett in "Cyranose". When David confesses that he didn't write the poem that Mr. Prewett wants to publish, he merely says "I'm DisappointedInYou," tells him to write another poem, and allows David to recite it. He also listens to David's story that the latter found the original poem on his porch, and decides to track down the actual writer (Wanda Gilmore).
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Subverted in "Cyranose" when Wanda delivers a poem to David without signing it, which he brings to class as his homework assignment. Although David could have gotten in trouble for PlagiarismInFiction when he confesses the truth, Mr. Prewett's desire to find the real author and the different values of the 90s allow David to only have to write another poem. Mr. Prewett and Wanda subsequently start to date.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Much as in the source material of ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', Christian feels guilty when he realizes that Roxanne is in love with him for the letters Cyrano is writing under Christian's name. He tells Cyrano they need to tell Roxanne the truth, and he will after a battle. Of course, he dies, and Cyrano can't bring himself to break Roxanne's heart further by confessing that ''he'' wrote the letters. Roxanne, when she finds out years later, reassures Cyrano that her heart isn't broken, and wishes he had told her.
* WrongInsultOffence: "Cyranose" does a CompressedAdaptation of ''Theatre/CyranoDeBergerac'' as the book of the week (with Wishbone of course playing Cyrano). It [[https://youtu.be/ioWi5j1RxIs?t=180 opens]] with the famous "how to insult my nose" scene (paraphrased from the play).
-->'''UpperClassTwit:''' Excuse me, Dog-face, but your nose ''is'' rather large.\\
'''Cyrano:''' "My nose is rather large"? "Rather large", you say? Is that the best you can do? ''(laughs)'' I do not need my sword to teach you a lesson! I have... words! ''(drops sword out of his mouth)'' Let me teach you how to insult my nose, monsieur! You could have said, "Your nose is so big, you should call a doctor and have it amputated!" Or, how 'bout this: "What do you carry around in that snout, your pens or your whole writing desk?" Ooh, how 'bout this one: "Do you love the birds so much that you let them perch on your nose?" But no! The best you can come up with is, "Your nose is rather large." Well, any fool can see that my nose is rather large, but your brain is rather small.

[[folder:#8: "The Slobbery Hound" (''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' by Arthur Conan Doyle)]]

* AdaptationalDumbass:
** Henry in the ''Hound of the Baskervilles'' book had the sense to not walk around the moor at night, since that was how Charles Baskerville died. He only does so when Sherlock asks him to, saying they have a plan to deal with the hound, and even then escapes by the skin of his teeth. Here, Watson reveals that Stapleton invited Henry for a late supper, making Holmes realize that Henry would have to cross the moor. Henry apparently didn't see any danger, even though Beryl was mysterious absent.
** Stapleton also gets this. He had the sense in the books to be plausibly away from [[spoiler:the murders so as to have an alibi. His attempt to flee when he is busted gets him killed in the moors because no one knows where he went]]. Here, he [[spoiler:reveals himself with a PsychoticSmirk and shows that the Hound is by his side before letting it give chase to Henry. Watson and Holmes had already figured out that Stapleton was the Hound's master and a potential heir to the Baskerville fortune, but Stapleton did not help his case]].
* AdaptationalExplanationExtrication: In the ''Hound of the Baskervilles'' adaptation, it's not explained why Stapleton [[spoiler:tied up and gagged Beryl in their rental, leaving her struggling and banging her bound feet against the floor for help. That's because she wasn't his sister but his ''wife'' and he was using her as a HoneyTrap on Henry. Beryl did fall for Henry for real and refused to take part in being an accessory to his murder when Stapleton killed another man, mistaking him for Henry]].
* ClearMyName: Wishbone is blamed for the damages caused by a stray bloodhound and is determined to catch him.
* EvilDetectingDog: Wishbone can always sense when something isn't right; this is exemplified in "The Slobbery Hound", where part of the reason he gets in trouble when a stray bloodhound terrorizes the neighborhood is that he's chasing the dog and is right behind it.
* FamilyFriendlyFirearms: Downplayed, in that Watson draws his revolver out of his jacket pocket at Holmes' instruction, but it's a gray area whether we actually see him firing it: the next shot in an extremely foggy one, to the point where we can't see actors or anyone on-screen, but we do hear gunshots and see the small spurts of flame you might expect from a revolver fired at night. Next shot, we can see the actors again, and Holmes is asking Watson if he's hurt.
* PoliceAreUseless: The dog catcher writes up a citation for the damage Wishbone is accused of, even though a cursory glance at the paw prints and bite marks point to a dog much bigger than him.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: In the original ''Hound of the Baskervilles'' novel, [[spoiler:Stapleton fled through the moors when Watson and Holmes busted him, shooting his hound. We find out that Holmes successfully caught him and put him in jail in the Wishbone adaptation]].
* ThisBearWasFramed: An "animal framed for the actions of another animal" variant -- the titular Jack Russell is blamed for a variety of incidents that were clearly caused by a dog given the paw prints and teeth marks found at the scenes, not to mention the garbage cans being knocked over. When the main trio investigates though, they discover that Wishbone couldn't have caused the problems because A) the paw prints and teeth marks were way too big to have come from Wishbone and B) he's too short to knock over the trashcans, not to mention that when they're full, they're too heavy for him to push. Ultimately they find the dog (a giant bloodhound, as befits a WholePlotReference to ''Literature/TheHoundOfTheBaskervilles'') responsible and use the evidence they collected to clear Wishbone.

[[folder:#9: "Digging Up the Past" (''Rip Van Winkle'' by Washington Irving)]]

* FurryConfusion: In the ''Literature/RipVanWinkle'' episode, Wishbone as Rip has interactions with non-anthropomorphic dogs.

[[folder:#10: "Bone of Arc" (''Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc'' by Mark Twain)]]

* BloodlessCarnage: Somewhat averted in the ''Joan of Arc'' episode when Joan takes an arrow to the shoulder. There's no blood but she is clearly in great pain.
* BothSidesHaveAPoint: In "Bone of Arc", Sam and her friends' soccer team have to meet with the head of a committee when the rival team coach contests the win because Sam was the best player on the field. The rival coach says that they broke the rules by signing up Sam one day before and not 48 hours before, though David had mistakenly assumed that she fit within the time frame. Sam and David's Dad who is the coach points out that she was helping out of her friends, and they think the coach is being sexist due to the fact that Sam is a girl playing on a boys' team. While the committee votes in favor of the Blast coach due to the technicality that Sam signed up too late, they are apologetic knowing that Sam had good intentions, and say that Sam is free to join the team next season and win. The Blast coach definitely looks the worst coming out, and Mr. Barnes said he considers it their victory nonetheless.
* BurnTheWitch: What happens to Joan of Arc, though the episode leaves out the witchcraft part. They DO say she received an [[KangarooCourt unfair trial]] after the English captured her.
* {{Demythification}}: The UsefulNotes/JoanOfArc episode pretty much drops the religious aspect entirely in favor of focusing on her desire to bring freedom to France. It does include the scene where she picks the dauphin (referred to in the episode as "the king") out of a crowd, but the episode [[MaybeMagicMaybeMundane only vaguely hints at a supernatural explanation for it]].
* LoopholeAbuse: Subverted in the "Joan of Arc" episode. Sam volunteers to play in Joe and David's soccer team since a rule says that as long as she's in the roster submitted a few days earlier she can play. Because she is a girl, and the one who ends up deciding the game, however, the opposing team contests their win and gets it reversed.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In "Bone of Arc", Joe's soccer team need a replacement player and Sam is convinced to sub in at the last minute during the championship and manages to score the winning point. However because she wasn't properly registered within a certain time frame (48 hours), the opposing team's coach contest it. Unfortunately, the soccer committee rule in the opposing team's favor and the win is voided.
* TraumaticHaircut: A variant; Joan of Arc starts her episode with long hair, and she seems to carry it with her into battle, under her helmet. When the English capture her and sentence her to death, however, her hair is noticeably shorter. The episode isn't clear as to whether or not the English themselves did the haircut, but the implications are there.

[[folder:#11: "The Impawssible Dream" (''Don Quixote'' by Miguel De Cervantes)]]

* ElSpanishO: In the tie-in book "Wishbone Classics'' #1: ''Don Quixote'', one of Wishbone's interjections is to explain the meaning of the name "Don Quixote", and remarks to himself "Hmm... Don Wishbono. Not bad." In the epilogue, he refers to himself as "Don Wishbono" again.

[[folder:#12: "Fleabitten Bargain" (''Faust'' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)]]

* {{Bowdlerize}}: In the ''{{Theatre/Faust}}'' episode, it is [[AdaptationExplanationExtrication not explained why Gretchen ended up dying in a dungeon]]. In the original play, Faust got her pregnant out of wedlock and she was sentenced to death for committing infanticide.
* {{Satan}}: He's depicted in the ''{{Theatre/Faust}}'' episode, and yes, they did one. He's mostly referred to as "Mephisto", but the InadvertentEntranceCue for his first appearance clearly identifies him as the Devil. Mephisto is portrayed as a man who dresses in Renaissance clothing (contemporary to Faust's time), speaks in a [[VoiceOfTheLegion modulated voice]], and [[PlayingWithFire controls fire]].

%%[[folder:#13: "Sniffing the Gauntlet" (''Ivanhoe'' by Walter Scott)]]

[[folder:#14: "The Hunchdog of Notre Dame" (''The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' by Victor Hugo)]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: [[Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame Quasimodo]] is framed for kidnapping Esmeralda rather than actually doing the deed.
* AsYouKnow: In the episode based on ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', Frollo's first appearance has him helpfully explaining his identity to Quasimodo. He starts with the words, "You know who I am." It's framed as him angrily berating Quasimodo for leaving the cathedral and becoming the King of Fools at a local festival.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: For ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', they end with Quasimodo rescuing Esmeralda and this is portrayed as a simple happy ending. No one dies, not even Frollo. Also, the novel's religious themes are dropped entirely. In fact, there is no reference to religion whatsoever, which is pretty remarkable for a story centered on a cathedral.
* CompressedAdaptation: ''Literature/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'' is simplified to the point where Quasimodo, Esmeralda, and Frollo are the only named characters. There's a passing reference to "Esmeralda's boyfriend", but he's neither shown nor named.

[[folder:#15: "Golden Retrieved" (''Silas Marner'' by George Eliot)]]

* GrumpyOldMan: Hubert starts out as this in "Golden Retrieved", but taking care of the lost Wishbone helps him to grow out of it.
* KickTheMoralityPet: In "Golden Retrieved", Joe is obsessed with a new bike and ties Wishbone to a tree while testing it out since Wishbone can't keep up. Wishbone escapes to play with a Golden Retriever, leaving behind his tags in the process. Joe notably looks regretful while putting up "Lost Dog" signs the next day.
* TakeAThirdOption: In "Golden Retrieved", Joe wants to test out a new bike, but Wishbone can't keep up, there's no basket for him to ride, and leaving him tied to a tree leads to Wishbone slipping out of his collar and getting lost. When Joe finds out that an old man named Hubert saved his dog, he allows Wishbone to hang out with Hubert so that Hubert gets the companionship he needs and Joe can safely test his bike without worrying about Wishbone disappearing.

[[folder:#16: "A Tail of Two Sitters" (''A Tale of Two Cities'' by Charles Dickens)]]

* AdaptationalContextChange: Sydney Carton utters his famous line "It's a far, far better thing..." to the prison guard as he switches places with Charles. In the book, it is spoken as part of a monologue when he is taken to the guillotine.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: They didn't show the beheadings in ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'', but they did show [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a cabbage being cut in half by the guillotine]], with several of the characters in the background staring at it in horror.
* CompressedAdaptation: ''Literature/ATaleOfTwoCities'' is divided into three "books". The ''Wishbone'' version, naturally, focuses almost entirely on "Book the Third: The Track of a Storm", which contains the most iconic parts of the story. Ernest Defarge and the Vengeance are AdaptedOut, effectively making Madame Defarge a CompositeCharacter of all the revolutionary characters. Well, maybe. After Darnay is sentenced to the guillotine, Madame Defarge is seen sharing a hug with an unnamed male revolutionary, so it's possible he's meant to be Ernest. Dr. Manette is only identified as Lucie's father with no mention made of his imprisonment in the Bastille, leaving him so DemotedToExtra that there appears to be no reason he's still in the story at all.

[[folder:#17: "Frankenbone" (''Frankenstein'' by Mary Shelley)]]

* {{Bowdlerize}}: Their version of ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' ends with Dr. Frankenstein ill in bed and the monster promising to go away and never hurt anyone. What they leave out is the part following this in which Frankenstein does indeed die as well as the fact that the monster was planning to kill himself when he went away.
* LostInImitation: Mostly averted, including in "Frankenbone", which follows the novel in portraying Frankenstein as a naive young student rather than a MadScientist and the [[FrankensteinsMonster monster]] does not have green skin, bolts in his neck, etc. Played straight, however, in that Wishbone as Frankenstein still brings the creature to life by running electricity into a corpse.
* RunningGag: Joe tries to make a skeleton of a T-Rex, and it keeps collapsing.
* TravelMontage: In "Frankenbone", the Monster's rampage through Europe and into the Arctic includes shots of the camera panning across a map of eighteenth-century Europe.

%%[[folder:#18: "Hot Diggity Dawg" (''Journey to the Center of the Earth'' by Jules Verne)]]

%%[[folder:#19: "One Thousand and One Tails" (''Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves'' from the Arabian Nights)]]

[[folder:#20: "Mixed Breeds" (''The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde'' by Robert Louis Stevenson)]]

* ApologyGift: In "Mixed Breeds", Mr. Prewett has a JerkassRealization when he assigns a surprise examination to his class after arriving late, and that night [[spoiler:he sees Joe, Sam and David studying when accompanying Wanda to Pepper Pete's]]. The next day, as an apology to his students, he [[spoiler:says they're doing a taste test; he cancels the examination and orders everyone pizza]].
* DrivenToSuicide: In a moment amazingly not edited out for the kiddies, Jekyll poisons himself onscreen and leaves a SuicideNote for Utterson explaining that he did so to protect London from Mr. Hyde, since he was not only getting addicted to the transformations but also that the changes were becoming more frequent.
* HypocriticalHeartwarming: In "Mixed Breeds", when Wanda and Bob Prewett have cancelled a date so that Wanda can go see a mysterious Elvis impersonator and [[spoiler:Mr. Prewett can ''be'' the impersonator]], Wanda tells Ellen that she finds Bob Prewett "stuffy" and she wants to impress this King of Rock and Roll. Later on, when [[spoiler:Bob confesses that he didn't tell her he was the impersonator because he was afraid she wouldn't like the boring him, Wanda laughs and tells him she likes him JustTheWayYouAre.]]
* LovesMyAlterEgo: In "Mixed Breeds", Wanda falls for an Elvis impersonator [[spoiler:who happens to be Bob Prewett]].
* WhamShot: In "Mixed Breeds", the singer that Wanda crushes on losing his Elvis wig, revealing him to be [[spoiler:Bob Prewett]].

[[folder:#21: "The Canine Cure" (''The Imaginary Invalid'' by Molière)]]

* MoralGuardians: They were even on this show's case. According to IMDB, the episode "The Canine Cure" was banned from some syndication because it somehow encouraged the {{Aesop}} that kids should challenge authority figures, apparently ignoring the fact that the overprotectiveness of some parents that was portrayed in this episode is, in fact, TruthInTelevision.

[[folder:#22: "The Pawloined Paper" (''The Purloined Letter'' by Edgar Allan Poe)]]

* HiddenInPlainSight: Overlapping with NeedleInAStackOfNeedles, within the adaptation segments, the namesake letter is hidden in a stack of mail on the suspect's desk.
* HotForTeacher: In "The Pawloined Paper" Joe develops a crush on his young female history teacher. She [[spoiler:finds out, but merely corrects his spelling on a crossword he made of her name.]]
* NamedByTheAdaptation: In the "Purloined Letter" episode, Dupin's sidekick (unnamed in the original stories) is given the name Claude.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: In "The Pawloined Paper", Ms. Malloy confiscates a paper that Joe and Curtis are fighting over in class. She apparently found it it was a crossword that Joe made of her name, but uses the other side to write some assignments. Later, when she sees Joe at school after hours, having recognized Wishbone running through the school, she tells him he misspelled "excellent" but is flattered that he finds her "cool". All in all, a pretty reasonable response to a PrecociousCrush.

[[folder:#23: "Bark to the Future" (''The Time Machine'' by H. G. Wells)]]

* {{Bowdlerize}}: In the ''Time Machine'' episode, Weena is explicitly SparedByTheAdaptation. But hey, every movie adaptation of the novel does the same anyway. And the ''Wishbone'' version may be the only screen version in which she ''doesn't'' get PromotedToLoveInterest (Weena used to be the TropeNamer for that, actually).
* EverybodyHatesMathematics: The core of the real world plot is that Joe is struggling in math class.
* GilliganCut: Joe's math teacher explains how you need to challenge your mind or else it shrinks. Then we cut to Joe vegging out on the couch watching TV.
* ShoutOut: ''Literature/TheTimeMachine'' episode has a rather neat nod to the book crumbling scene from [[Film/TheTimeMachine1960 the 1960 film]]. Wishbone as the Time Traveler comes across ''The Collected Works of Creator/WilliamShakespeare'' (making this double as a ShoutOutToShakespeare) and reads the famous "Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow" monologue from ''Theatre/{{Macbeth}}'', ending with the line "the way to dusty death." Then he touches the book and it collapses to dust.
* YouNoTakeCandle: Weena talks this way in the ''Time Machine'' episode: "Morlocks no like light."

%%[[folder:#24: "Paw Prints of Thieves" (''Robin Hood'')]]

[[folder:#25: "Furst Impressions" (''Pride and Prejudice'' by Jane Austen)]]

* SpitTake: Sam does a rather spectacular one in "Furst Impressions" after it is pointed out to Joe that his dress shirt is both on inside out and on backwards. Wishbone even comments "EW! It went up her nose!"

%%[[folder:#26: "The Prince and the Pooch" (''The Prince and the Pauper'' by Mark Twain)]]

[[folder:#27: "The Count's Account" (''The Count of Monte Cristo'' by Alexandre Dumas)]]

* ApologyGift: In "The Count's Account", as an apology for accidentally getting Wishbone covered in pink dye (long story), David makes him a personalized vending machine that goes him a treat every time he presses the lever. Wishbone takes to it.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: For ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'', Fernand isn't DrivenToSuicide by his reputation being slandered.
* CompressedAdaptation: The episode about ''Literature/TheCountOfMonteCristo'' spends a bit too much time on the story's setup, forcing Danglars and Caderrouse to become a case of WhatHappenedToTheMouse as Dantes' revenge is directed entirely against Fernand. This is even after removing Villefort entirely.
* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: Damont uses David's snow machine to frame him for ruining Wanda's flowers. [[spoiler:Then David returns the favor by filling the machine with food coloring instead of water, so that when Damont takes the VillainBall and tries to frame him ''again,'' he gets covered in dye.]]

[[folder:#28: "Salty Dog" (''Treasure Island'' by Robert Louis Stevenson)]]

* HollywoodFire: Downplayed; Joe and David start coughing after a fire starts in the barn where they are trapped with Sam. They shout for Sam to hurry because it's getting hard to see and breathe with the smoke. Nevertheless, they manage to work together to get Sam safely outside where she can unlock the door and free them. They cough outside just as the adults come with the fire department, and presumably the boys get treatment for smoke inhalation. By the end of the episode a few days later, they're fine.
* ItsAllMyFault: Sam's thoughts on getting herself, Joe and David trapped in a condemned barn. She makes up for it by getting them all out during a fire with minimal injury (apparently only smoke inhalation since they're all fine in the next scene which is implied to be the next day).
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Interestingly, "Salty Dog" both plays it straight and averts it. Basically Sam insists on going into a condemned barn to look for a special horseshoe and the trio gets trapped inside. That would be the playing it straight. Later the barn catches on fire and Sam manages to get herself and the boys out with minimal injuries. She then proceeds to apologize to which the boys respond by pointing out that she saved their lives.
* OutdoorsyGal: In "Salty Dog", Sam once persuades the boys to help her look for "Blackbeard's Horseshoe" inside a condemned barn.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** In "Salty Dog", the main trio becomes trapped in a condemned barn. Partway through, David and Joe charge the door with the intent to break it down...and bounce off with groans that are equal parts pain and frustration while the door remains un-budged.
** Likewise, Sam wanted to go inside the barn to find the horseshoe. Wanda and Ellen tell her no one is allowed inside because it's condemned. Part of the reason the barn is getting demolished is for safety purposes. Sure enough, Sam convinces David and Joe they could at least look at little...and the door slams shut due to it being old and rickety, trapping them inside. They also nearly burn alive when a fire starts in the hay. Sam's dad also tells her later he was scared when she and the others went missing and what she did was dangerous.
* TimmyInAWell: During "Salty Dog", the kids and Wishbone get trapped in a barn. Wishbone finds a hole in the barn and digs through the straw to make an opening big enough for him. The kids realize this means he can get help, since Wishbone is super smart, and Sam tucks the flyer for the barn into his collar. Sure enough, Wishbone makes it back to the Talbot household and gives the flyer to the adults. Wanda realizes what it means and they all hustle to the barn just as random sparks set it alight. Sam by then had already rescued herself, David and Joe, but they're able to get the fire department to contain the subsequent blaze.
* WhatTheHellHero: In "Salty Dog", where the trio gets trapped in a condemned barn that catches fire, Sam gives herself one of these speeches because [[NiceJobBreakingItHero it was her fault for getting them in there in the first place.]] Joe and David's opinions on the other hand...
-->'''Joe:''' ''(incredulous)'' Sorry? Sam, you rescued us!\\
'''David:''' Yeah, you saved our lives in there!

[[folder:#29: "Little Big Dog" (the story of David and Goliath from The Bible)]]

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: In "Little Big Dog", David taking his mother's new car out for a joyride despite being underage leads to him knocking off the rearview mirror.
* TerribleIntervieweesMontage: The musicians auditioning for King Saul in "Little Big Dog", to help cure his headache. They subvert GiftedlyBad, but the horns, flutes and bass instruments are inappropriate for the soothing melody he wants. One duo ''nearly'' wins the audition, but their melody is a BrokenRecord that gets annoying after a while.
* WatchThePaintJob: In "Little Big Dog", David's father gives his mother a brand new convertible. David proceeds to test-drive it despite being underage and breaks off the side-view mirror while backing it out of the driveway.
* YouAreGrounded: In "Little Big Dog", David's parents tell him after he confesses to damaging his mother's new car on an impulse. With that said, they do tell him SoProudOfYou for coming clean about it instead of letting his father blame it on the dealership.

[[folder:#30: "A Dogged Exposé" (''A Scandal in Bohemia'' by Arthur Conan Doyle)]]

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In "A Doggoned Expose", when Amanda gives the WhamLine mentioned below, Wishbone remarks "How's that for a Plot Twist?"
* WhamLine: In "A Doggoned Expose", when the trio confronts Amanda about the [[spoiler: smear campaign against Sam]], her response is one of these: [[spoiler: (while handing Sam a smear flyer against her: "Why would I do this to myself?")]]
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: In "A Dogged Exposé", Damont is astounded when Sam takes a humiliating photo of him in revenge for him smearing her all over town with flyers; rather than "play his game", she gives him the negatives because she doesn't want to stoop to his level. Damont is startled enough to sincerely apologize.

[[folder:#31: "A Terrified Terrier" (''The Red Badge of Courage'' by Stephen Crane)]]

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: In "A Terrified Terrier", Joe has a spell of this when some cool kids see his jump shots and invite him to hang out with them, albeit in the YouGetMeCoffee situation. He ends up ignoring Wishbone, Robin, Sam, and David.
* BloodlessCarnage: Averted slightly with the ''Red Badge of Courage'' episode, wherein Wishbone plays protagonist Henry Fleming. He's said to get grazed with a bullet; what we see is a bandage with a red smear.
* KickTheMoralityPet: In "A Terrified Terrier", Joe does this to Wishbone, Sam, David and Robin when he hangs out with a bunch of cool kids. His mother even calls him out for this. Said kids make fun of Sam and David for doing homework at a pizza parlor, saying their birdsong recordings are "geek mating calls". Joe doesn't laugh, and the next day he ditches the "cool kids" to chase after Sam and David to apologize.
* SleevesAreForWimps: "A Terrified Terrier" has Joe cutting all the sleeves off his shirts in an ill-considered attempt to join a group of "cool" kids. Wishbone asks "So, why don't we like sleeves anymore?"

%%[[folder:#32: "Shakespaw" (''The Tempest'' by William Shakespeare)]]

[[folder:#33: "Muttketeer" (''The Three Musketeers'' by Alexandre Dumas)]]

* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Ms. Gretchen Malloy can't help but smirk when she sees the whole school chasing after Wishbone, due to how fast he is. She tells Joe jokingly that he should be attending class.

[[folder:#34: "Hercules Unleashed" (the story of Hercules and the golden apples from Classical Mythology)]]

* CompressedAdaptation: The Hercules episode only covers one of the twelve labors, the one with the golden apples. King Eurystheus makes a passing reference to the previous labor (the one with Geryon's cattle), but we see nothing of it.
* JerkassGods: In "Hercules and the Golden Apples" it's mentioned that Zeus chained up Prometheus for giving fire to mortals. Despite the fact that Zeus is his father, Hercules frees Prometheus in a case of ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight.

[[/folder]]

%%[[folder:#35: "¡Viva Wishbone!" (the story of Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe)]]

[[folder:#36: "The Entrepawneur" (the story of King Midas from ''The Metamorphoses'' by Ovid)]]

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: In "The Entrepawneur", Joe when running a grocery-delivery business and using Sam and David as his (unpaid) employees because he believes in TheChainsOfCommanding rather than working as a team. Eventually they leave when Sam gets injured racing with David and Joe yells at her for the waste of groceries that she spills on the pavement. His mother lampshades it when Joe tries to look up "friendship" in business handbooks.
* AdaptationalHeroism: King Midas begs the gods to take away his [[BlessedWithSuck golden touch]] ''long'' before he accidentally turns his wife and daughter [[KickTheMoralityPet into gold]].
* AdaptationSpeciesChange: In "King Midas", Silenus is changed from being a satyr to being a human.
* KickTheMoralityPet: In "The Entrepawneur", Wishbone as King Midas does this to his wife and daughter when he accidentally turns them into gold. He immediately goes into MyGodWhatHaveIDone mode.
* WhatTheHellHero: In "The Entrepawneur", Sam and David call out Joe for only caring about money when she gets injured working for Joe. Granted, it was partly Sam's fault for racing with a bike-cart full of groceries, but Joe had NoSympathy for her falling down and scraping her knee.

[[folder:#37: "Pantin' at the Opera" (''The Phantom of the Opera'' by Gaston Leroux)]]

* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Carlotta in ''Phantom of the Opera'' shows none of her spoiled diva attitude. She merely happens to have irked the Phantom. Tellingly, Christine saves her from being crushed when the Phantom cuts a sandbag to fall on Carlotta.
* CompressedAdaptation: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgN6w1ckjaI&feature=related This]] review of the ''Literature/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' episode, by The WebVideo/PhantomReviewer, is mostly negative, but the reviewer can't help but be amazed that it's probably more faithful to the original novel than ''any'' other screen version of the story.
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Christine and the Phantom's relationship is played out with him as a terrible boyfriend practicing DomesticAbuse; she warns Raoul that the Phantom has a bad temper and not to anger him. Later on, when she and Raoul plan to elope, the Phantom kidnaps her and threatens to kill Raoul as Christine is begging for her love to run.
* HeroicBystander: Christine saves Carlotta from a falling sandbag when the Phantom targets her. She says later that she knows Eric too well.

%%[[folder:#38: "Dances with Dogs" (Native American Mythology -- "The Story of the Deathless Voice")]]

[[folder:#39: "Rushin' to the Bone" (''The Inspector General'' by Nikolai Gogol)]]

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: "Rushin' to the Bone" averts it with Wishbone winning the part for Mr. [=MacPooch=], but justified in that Wishbone wanted to BeYourself and only did his best at the audition to show off and make Joe happy. He chokes his performance during filming because of [[SelfParody the costume he's wearing and his "voice actor".]]
* EmbarrassinglyDresslikeOutfit: In "Rushin' to the Bone", Wishbone auditions to be the new "Mr. [=McPooch=]", the ostensibly Scottish mascot for his brand of kibble. He is extremely miffed at having to wear a kilt for the role, repeatedly calling it "a dress".
* NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals: Invoked in "Rushin' to the Bone", where Wishbone shows he's a tough actor to work with, being a house dog who [[SelfParody has never worn an outfit or having a voice actor]]. Joe realizes this more quickly than the director does and takes Wishbone home, though it means Wishbone is no longer the Mister [=MacPooch=] mascot.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In "Rushin' to the Bone", when Wishbone wins the part of Mr. [=MacPooch=], a mascot for a food brand, NeverWorkWithChildrenOrAnimals is invoked in full force. He takes offense at having to wear a dress, and at having a voice actor and thus ignores the stage directions.

[[folder:#40: "Picks of the Litter" (ClipShow)]]

* ClipShow: Wanda brings over a dog to keep Wishbone company in the season 1 finale "Picks of the Litter", and Wishbone recounts to the dog all his previous imaginary adventures.
* SuddenlySpeaking: Throughout the episode, the dog Penny has been silent, but at the very end, she startles Wishbone by saying "Thanks for telling me all those great stories! Call me sometime!"

[[folder:#41 & 42: "Halloween Hound: The Legend of Creepy Collars, Parts 1 & 2" (''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'' by Washington Irving)]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: Ichabod Crane does not appear to have any interest in inheriting Katrina's fortune through marriage. He does court her, but that's about it.
* TheBadGuyWins: In the show's telling of "Sleepy Hollow", it's implied that [[spoiler: Brom successfully chased away Ichabod Crane by posing as the Headless Horseman so as to court Katrina without interference]].
* DarkerAndEdgier: The show's retelling of "Sleepy Hollow", in contrast to the main story being a fun Halloween scavenger hunt, frames it as a ghost encounter. Due to making Ichabod Crane an AdaptationalNiceGuy and not conveying the original text's satirical notes, we feel more sympathy for him as he studies spirits and courts Katrina. [[spoiler:Rather than the text reassuring us that Ichabod probably fled for safer parts from the Horseman, the townsfolk find Ichabod's bell at the bridge, and a smirking Brom Bones looking onward from his black horse]].
* DickDastardlyStopsToCheat: In "Halloween Hound: The Legend of Creepy Collars", Damont is the first to reach the last challenge in the Halloween scavenger hunt. But instead of just, you know, claiming the prize, he decides to linger around at the end so that he can sabotage Joe, Sam, and David when they get there.
* HeadlessHorseman: "Halloween Hound: The Legend of Creepy Collars" (later renamed simply as "Wishbone in: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow")
* HiddenDepths: Damont is actually quite clever when he thinks to use his brains. While he follows the gang to solve the first puzzle of the Halloween scavenger hunt, he figures out the other two with only his cousin Jimmy for help. If he hadn't stopped to lock David in a room in the final location -- a haunted house -- he might have won the gift certificate.
* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: In the Halloween episode, Sam asks where Wishbone's costume is. "A dog, wear a silly costume? I think not."

%%[[folder:#43: "The Prince of Wags" (''Henry IV, Part 1'' by William Shakespeare)]]
%%[[/folder]]
%%
%%[[folder:#44: "A Bone of Contention" (''The Courtship of Miles Standish'' by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)]]
%%[[/folder]]
%%
[[folder:#45: "Groomed for Greatness" (''Great Expectations'' by Charles Dickens)]]

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: In "Groomed for Greatness", David gets this when working with Wanda's cousin, an artist, and adopting her arrogant attitude briefly. He grows out of it when the artist leaves town without building the statue she was commissioned to do, and Wanda does it instead.

%%[[folder:#46: "War of the Noses" (''The Black Arrow'' by Robert Louis Stevenson)]]
%%[[/folder]]
%%
[[folder:#47: "Moonbone" (''The Moonstone'' by Wilkie Collins)]]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the adaptation of "The Moonstone", Rachel has this reaction when the investigator recreates what happened the night of the theft and gives Franklin a draught to help with that. It turns out Franklin was sleepwalking that night, and he does it again, taking out the case with the diamond while mumbling about giving it to Rachel. Rachel says she saw him do it and was angry at him for loving a diamond more than her. She apologizes to his sleeping form for having misjudged him. The inspector deems that Franklin is innocent because logically if he was collapsed, the Moonstone should have remained with him when he woke up. Someone else took it from him.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: The inspector in "The Moonstone". He points out that everyone in the house the night of the theft is a suspect, but doesn't move to make accusations while analyzing Rosanna or Godfrey's possible motivations. Instead, he gathers the evidence such as that the suspect must have smudged drying paint; when Franklin shows him his own nightgown stained with paint but says he doesn't know what happened that night, the inspector helps recreate the events with a sleeping draught. This ends up clearing Franklin's name since he was sleepwalking when he removed the Moonstone from the cabinet, and the inspector points out that someone must have taken it from him after Franklin collapsed on the floor.
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Rosanna in ''The Moonstone'' doesn't commit suicide after hiding the evidence that Franklin is the most likely suspect for the crime. Instead, she goes away, and her DearJohnLetter is a mere AnguishedDeclarationOfLove.
* WhamShot: In "Moonbone", A photograph reveals that Wishbone stole an athlete's ring. [[spoiler:The full moon compels him to bury things, apparently.]]
* WhatTheHellHero: In "Moonbone", Joe to Wishbone for taking an athlete's ring and burying it. Wishbone says, "I feel so guilty. And dirty."

[[folder:#48: "Barking at Buddha" (''Journey to the West'' by Wu Cheng'en)]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: Sun Wukong immediately humbles himself before the Buddha when he realizes that he is not more powerful after failing to leave the palm of his hand. In the source material, he took a longer time to mellow.
* AngerBornOfWorry: The scene where Jimmy and Marcus accidentally start a fire at Pepper Pete's in "Barking at Buddha". They run away as the fire alarm starts, with Jimmy saying they probably burned the whole building down. Travis then comes to find the boys before they can run away or hide in the park forever, with Marcus apologizing. It turns out his uncle was both worried that he and Jimmy had gotten hurt and disappointed that they did something so irresponsible.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: In the ''Literature/JourneyToTheWest'' episode, Sun Wukong leaves a paw-print on the Buddha's finger instead of [[ToiletHumor urinating on his finger]], as he did in the original story.
* HeroicDog: Wishbone in "Barking at Buddha" wishes that he were one, but he has done some pretty cool feats. They include stopping a bulldozer from taking down an ancient tree in the parks -- by getting caught in it and the operator gets him down before the dog can get hurt -- as well as infiltrating a thief's hideout to save Wanda's flamingo; leading the kids to a Bloodhound framing him; getting the adults for help when Joe, Sam and David are trapped in a barn; and showing Sam the sabotaged bleacher in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader''. He's a good boy.

%%[[folder:#49: "Pup Fiction" (''Northanger Abbey'' by Jane Austen)]]
%%[[/folder]]
%%
[[folder:#50: "The Roamin' Nose" (''The Aeneid'' by Virgil)]]

* AdaptationalHeroism: Aeneas is more honest with Dido about why he has to leave her in Carthage, in that the Gods have sent him a message to depart and he would stay if he could. [[Literature/TheAeneid Aeneas]] was more of a {{Jerkass}} about it in the original source material, which led to Dido's suicide.
* {{Bowdlerize}}: The ''Literature/{{Aeneid}}'' episode omits Dido's suicide, only showing Aeneas leaving her behind in Carthage.
* DivineChessboard: In "The Aeneid" the Gods use a diorama of the Mediterranean to decide the fate of mortals. Jupiter and Venus use it to help and guide Aeneas to his destiny; Juno uses it to make his and the lives of his fellow Trojans as miserable as possible.
* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether: In "The Roamin' Nose", Joe's Mom, David's parents and Wanda reminisce about their high school years. They mention that Damont's Dad went to high school with them too.
* JerkassGods: In "The Aeneid", Juno makes life miserable for the Trojans because she can. (Apparently left out is the fact that she hated all Trojans because of Paris's preferring Venus over Juno and Minerva, but especially hated this particular group of Trojans because their descendants were destined to destroy her favorite city of Carthage, which was still being built at the time the story took place.)
* SparedByTheAdaptation: Dido in ''The Aeneid'' doesn't commit suicide, as far as we know. This is because Aeneas is nicer here than in the original source, honestly telling her that the gods have ordered him to leave. He says that he would stay if he could and that Dido will always be in his heart. Their farewell is thus more civil if a GutPunch for the viewers.

[[folder:Film: ''Wishbone's Dog Days of the West'' (''Heart of the West'' by O. Henry)]]

* DarkerAndEdgier: Believe it or not, the series sendoff ''Dogs Days of the Wild West'' reveals some pretty seedy parts of Oakdale's past, namely how Wanda Gilmore inherited parts of Oakdale through back alley deals and horsetrading. And also features a decent shootout, despite the dog not being able to hold a gun.
* LastEpisodeNewCharacter: Hank Dutton, who makes his first (and only on-screen) appearance in the GrandFinale movie, ''Wishbone's Dog Days of the West''. He'd later appear in some of the ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' novels.
* TheMovie: ''Wishbone's Dog Days of the West'', the GrandFinale to the series when PBS didn't renew it for another season.

[[folder:''The Adventures of Wishbone'' #4: ''Robinhound Crusoe'']]

* CordonBleughChef: In ''The Adventures of Wishbone'' #4: ''Robinhound Crusoe'', Wanda is this. During a pretty much town wide blackout, she makes do with what she has, resulting in sandwiches that are peanut butter/sardine (which Joe tastes but doesn't finish) and egg salad/mint jelly. No one besides Wishbone is interested, including Wanda but she tries to make the best of things.

[[folder:''The Adventures of Wishbone'' #18: ''Gullifur's Travels'']]
* SimpleSolutionWontWork: In a scene original to this version, Lemuel Gulliver suggests a simple solution that could end the war between Big-Endians and Little-Endians (those who prefer to break the big end of an egg and those who prefer to break the small end): TakeAThirdOption and crack the egg in the middle instead. Reldresal, principal secretary of Lilliput and friend of Gulliver, nervously tells him not to voice that idea where anyone else can hear him, because it would be considered a compromise -- and in Lilliput, compromisers are seen as disloyal and are put to death if caught.
* TakeAThirdOption: Suggested but averted in one of the segments that adapts the original story. In the original book, Gulliver does not offer an opinion on the cause of the war between Big-Endians and Little-Endians, merely promising to defend their country from invaders. In this version, while talking with Reldresal, Gulliver brings up the possibility of breaking eggs in the middle. Reldresal (who personally agrees that the reasoning for the war is silly) nervously tells him to keep that thought to himself, because compromisers are seen as being disloyal and put to death.

[[folder:''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #2: ''The Haunted Clubhouse'']]

* ContinuityNod: At one point, Joe visits the same antique store from #35: "¡Viva Wishbone!", and remembers the music box he bought there.

[[folder:''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #3: ''Riddle of the Wayward Books'']]

* EasterEgg: On the cover of ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #3: ''Riddle of the Wayward Books'', there are two copies of ''Riddle of the Wayward Books'' itself. And one of ''The Adventures of Wishbone'' #2: ''Salty Dog''.
* WriteWhatYouKnow: Referenced InUniverse in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #3: ''Riddle Of The Wayward Books''. Joe's working in a used bookstore, which has a parrot -- Mr. Faulkner, who keeps squawking the trope name -- as a resident. His words help Joe to be GenreSavvy and solve the mystery, linking the current rash of strange events (the store is seemingly being burglarized, but the "thief" is actually ''leaving'' rare books for the owner to find, sell and profit off of) with the events of the book ''The Haunted Bookshop'' (in which the same book keeps getting stolen from and returned to a store), which Joe is currently reading.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #9: ''Case of the On-Line Alien'']]

* AliensStealCable: {{Invoked}} in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #9: ''Case of the On-Line Alien'', involving a UFO sighting in Oakdale. Trying to unmask a hoaxer pretending to be an alien over IRC, David asks him what his favorite human TV show was in an attempt to catch him violating the speed of light. The hoaxer doesn't fall for it; he responds with ''Series/ILoveLucy''.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #13: ''Case of the Unsolved Case'']]

* ForWantOfANail: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' ##13: ''Case of the Unsolved Case'', Joe and Sam become worried when David doesn't turn up for a study group and leaves no message as to why he isn't coming. After they find David [[spoiler:(he was locked in a equipment shed near town; long story)]], they ask why he didn't leave a message and he very confusedly responds that he did. The humans dismiss it as a coincidence but Wishbone realizes that earlier he had knocked over the answering machine at the Talbots' and erased the message by accident. Wishbone at first considers admitting this and apologizing but then realizes that if the message HADN'T been erased, David would have been trapped even longer than he was. [[FridgeHorror And since the story was set as fall changes into winter...]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #14: ''Disoriented Express'']]

* SheCleansUpNicely: Sam gets this, and not for the first time, in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #14: ''Disoriented Express'' where the core trio, Ellen, Wishbone [[RememberTheNewGuy and the son of a friend of Ellen's]] end up on a role-playing mystery train; Sam is cast as a lovely young heiress and as such, spends a good portion of the book in the appropriate garb. She's in much better humor about it than she was about the above incident, likely because it is something she volunteered for and is for acting purposes.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'']]

* AcquiredSituationalNarcissism: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', [[spoiler:Crystal, the star of the show,]] reveals that she had attained this, [[spoiler:pulling the potentially dangerous pranks to "liven up rehearsals"]]. [[spoiler:Director Justin replaces her with Amanda and reports Crystal to the principal.]]
* ActuallyPrettyFunny: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', the ''Grease'' cast rib Ryan for forgetting his lines on a regular basis. He accepts the teasing with a sheepish grin.
* CutenessProximity: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', everyone's reaction to [[spoiler:Ryan's puppy Jinx.]] Except Wishbone, though justified in that Wishbone is a dog and [[spoiler:Jinx]] stole his squeaky toy.
* DeadlyPrank: Averted in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader''; while the pranks that occur during the Theatre/{{Grease}} rehearsals, like David's sign getting lit up and Robin's skates getting sabotaged, are dangerous, no one gets hurt. [[spoiler:Even so, everyone calls out Crystal when she has to confess to it because while no one ''got'' hurt, only one injury would have gotten the show cancelled.]] Also [[spoiler:Crystal slipping on a scarf was the only genuine accident, since Ryan's puppy Jinx stole the scarf and left it on the stage.]] They do mention that Robin's skates could have gotten her badly hurt and that the only reason she didn't get injured is that Wishbone, [[EvilDetectingDog sensing something was up]], barked loudly, causing her to lose her balance harmlessly on the stage instead of shooting off it because she couldn't turn.
* EveryoneHasStandards:
** Sam, David and Joe discuss who could be sabotaging the play in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader''. They rule out Amanda for this reason and MoralPragmatist: Amanda has all the incentive to want the show to go on, and she's not a person who would hurt others for personal gain. The same goes for Ryan, who is too much of a goofball to have malicious intent. Indeed, when [[spoiler:Sam forces Crystal to confess]], the whole cast is livid. Amanda rightly points out that [[spoiler:Crystal could have gotten Ryan and her hurt if they had danced on the bleachers]].
** Justin is a PrimaDonnaDirector in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader''. Even so, he's more worried about Crystal and Robin when they fall rather than about the fact that both rehearsals went wrong. [[spoiler:What's more, he says he's reporting Crystal to the principal because she could have gotten someone badly hurt]].
* EvilDetectingDog: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', he hears Robin's skate squeaking while she's rehearsing and starts barking in alarm. It turns out her skates were sabotaged so she was out of control. The barking causes Robin to fall onstage, but she says that if he hadn't, she would have rolled offstage and broken something the way Crystal sprained her ankle. Sam also finds the Allen Key that sabotaged the skate, thanks to Wishbone. [[spoiler:He also barks on locating the bleacher that Crystal has sabotaged, just in time for Sam, David and Joe to find it.]]
* HoistByTheirOwnPetard: [[spoiler:Crystal's final prank]] during ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'' [[spoiler:involves her taking nails out of the bleachers where her understudy Amanda and Ryan are supposed to dance, which would cause Amanda and Ryan to fall. Wishbone discovers it as Sam discusses her theory that Crystal is the prankster. Sam to trap Crystal relates her suspicions to the play's director, Justin, who agrees that for that dress rehearsal to have Crystal do the dance with Ryan with the cover of seeing if her ankle's healed. Crystal has to admit that she took the nails out when she refuses to dance on the bleachers.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', when Sam [[spoiler:exposes Crystal]] as the play saboteur, everyone in the cast is livid. As Amanda points out, [[spoiler:she and Ryan would have fallen with the nails taken out of the bleacher]] and the play would have been canceled. [[spoiler:Crystal]] admits to not considering that since [[spoiler:the pranks were just to "liven up the rehearsals" due to her getting bored]]. This is despite the fact that cutting the wires on David's car display was dangerous, with how it was shedding sparks everywhere. Robin also nearly rolled offstage and could have broken a bone, if not for Wishbone's barking causing her to fall on-stage harmlessly; she thanked Wishboe for that reason. Sam even bluntly says that [[spoiler:Crystal cared more about her own amusement than the play, even though she was the star]].
* ItAmusedMe: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', [[spoiler:Crystal]] sheepishly admits that this is why [[spoiler:she started playing pranks for "livening up the rehearsals" since she was getting bored.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', Sam says that [[spoiler:she agrees with [[PrimaDonnaDirector Justin]] to take Crystal out of the performance, since Crystal with her pranks showed that she put her entertainment ahead of the play, while Crystal's understudy Amanda showed that for her showing off she put the play ahead of herself.]]
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', Justin ultimately proves to be this despite being a PrimaDonnaDirector. He's more worried about Crystal and Robin when they fall in two different rehearsals rather than that the stagings went wrong despite his obvious frustration that they seem to have a saboteur and that nothing is going right. What's more, when he finds out from Sam that [[spoiler:Crystal is the potential saboteur, he agrees to stage a trap to test her theory without any hesitation. When Crystal is forced to confess, Justin is legitimately angry about her endangering the cast and her friends, saying that her apologies aren't enough. He's reporting her to the principal and replacing her with Amanda, effective as of their latest dress rehearsal]].
* LovableAlphaBitch: Discussed in ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', when the trio discusses if Amanda could be the perpetrator behind the stage pranks and Sam points out that it doesn't benefit Amanda to sabotage the play since she's the understudy, thus having all the incentive for the show to go forward and that [[spoiler:for all her showing off Amanda actually prioritized the play over her ego. She had a reason to get angry on hearing Crystal sabotaged hers and Ryan's bleachers for dancing, which could have gotten her injured]].
* PrimaDonnaDirector: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', Justin is this. Sam briefly wonders if he would sabotage the play for it not being perfect enough.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In ''The Wishbone Mysteries'' #15: ''Stage Invader'', after Sam reveals that [[spoiler:Crystal was behind most of the pranks and forces her to confess, Crystal apologizes and expects that she can still be Sandy in ''Grease''. The director Justin tells Crystal that's not happening; he has her understudy Amanda take over the part permanently and is reporting her to the principal. As Sam puts it, Crystal endangered the cast with her pranks and showed she cared more about her entertainment than the show. She ends up having to serve detention for a week and to clean up the auditorium after the play's opening night.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:''The Wishbone Super Mysteries'' #2: ''The Ghost of Camp Ka Nowato'']]

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In ''The Wishbone Super Mysteries'' #2: ''The Ghost of Camp Ka Nowato'', the culprit responsible for the pranks is horrified when he realizes Sam was in the tower he knocked over (he confesses that he'd thought it was empty), and promptly comes back to save her life.
* ScoobyDooHoax: ''The Wishbone Super Mysteries'' #2: ''The Ghost of Camp Ka Nowato'' revolves around one. [[spoiler: The "ghost" is a man who left civilization and lived on a corner of the property a few owners ago, but when he found out the first owner -- who knew he was there, and created the legend of Ka Nowato to help cover it up -- had died, he started pulling harmless pranks to dissuade the new owner from expanding the camp into the land where he was living. After he's exposed, he apologizes for his actions (including nearly drowning Samantha, since he didn't realize she was in the tower he'd knocked over), volunteers his personal funds to renovate the camp so its third owner won't have to sell it, and becomes an official staff member.]]

[[/folder]]

* {{Bowdlerize}}: They ended the ''Oliver Twist'' episode right at the point where Mr. Brownlow takes in Oliver, implying Oliver was HappilyAdopted. In the actual book, it's ''much'' more complicated than that.
* CompressedAdaptation: The ''Literature/OliverTwist'' episode is perhaps the most compressed as a lot more time was spent on the contemporary story than usual. The Artful Dodger becomes a CompositeCharacter of every underworld character in the novel. Nope, not even Fagin gets mentioned. It ends with Mr. Brownlow taking in Oliver, with this portrayed as HappilyEverAfter.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: "Twisted Tail" (adapting ''Oliver Twist'') was the first episode produced (though the third one aired), and spends less time on the book adaptation and more on the contemporary story. Other episodes would give equal focus to both stories.
* {{Expy}}: In "Twisted Tail", Max is clearly based on Oliver as a hungry orphan growing up in an institution where he is mistreated. Zach is clearly the Artful Dodger, being a FalseFriend to Max whose crimes are blamed on the latter.
* HeroicBystander:
** Deconstructed at first, and then played straight, in "Twisted Tail". Max tries to take on [[spoiler:Zach on learning that he's a thief and stole Joe's things. He gets a black eye for his troubles because he's smaller and younger]]. Joe tells him YouAreNotAlone and you need to take on a bully with friends. [[spoiler:The three of them and Wishbone work together to infiltrate Zach's hideout and get evidence that he was stealing from all around town. By the time Wishbone makes it out of there, the cops are ready to arrest Zach for petty theft]].
** In the same episode, Oliver Twist is about to be wrongly arrested for theft. Then one witness speaks up at the trial, saying that it wasn't him but another boy that served as the pickpocket and left Oliver to take the fall. He says that Oliver is innocent, seeking no compensation but instead wanting to prevent a wrongful conviction.
* RealWomenDontWearDresses: A mild case with Sam in "Twisted Tail", who seems to have this attitude about the ballroom dance lessons that led to the SheCleansUpNicely moment below and the moment itself.
* SheCleansUpNicely: Sam gets a bit of this in the contemporary story to the "Oliver Twist" episode. She comes over to David's house after ballroom dance lessons dressed neatly in a white dress, short gloves and with her hair down. The boys are momentarily stunned and Joe tries to compliment her, but she quickly cuts him off.
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In "Twisted Tail", Max tries to take on [[spoiler: Zach after he was inspired by Joe's story about fighting bullies like Damont. He gets a black eye as a result and fails to stop Zach from stealing Wanda Gilmore's last flamingo. It gets lampshaded when Joe tells Max that you shouldn't take on a bully and a thief alone, and that you need friends to help.]]
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: In "Twisted Tail", [[RedHerring Max]] telling his juvenile delinquent friend Zach about Joe's valuables leads to the latter getting robbed. Max seems to realize this and tries to take on Zach alone, getting a black eye in the process.
* YouAreNotAlone: In "Twisted Tail", when Max tries to take on Zach, a bully and a thief, he gets a black eye in the process. He tells Joe just as Zach steals Wanda's last flamingo, explaining that he was inspired by Joe's story of taking on Damont. Joe believes Max but is horrified on seeing him hurt and says, "You can't take on a bully alone." He, David, Sam, and Wishbone, with Max's help, find Zach's stash of stolen items and bust him.

* AndTheAdventureContinues: ''Wishbone''[='s=] version of ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer'' ends this way: "This is where the story of Tom Sawyer leaves off. It doesn't really end. It just stops for a while until the next story begins." And before you ask, the show did not adapt ''Literature/AdventuresOfHuckleberryFinn'', unless you count [[https://www.amazon.com/Huckleberry-Adventures-Wishbone-Alexander-Steele/dp/157064389X a spin-off book]].
* {{Bowdlerize}}: In the Tom Sawyer episode, the character Injun Joe is given the less offensive name "Crazy Joe".
* GraveRobbing: In the pilot Joe and his friends stumble upon a man attempting to dig up a grave with no name on the headstone that factors in a lot of local ghost stories. [[spoiler: Subverted when it turns out the "grave" was where a settler family hid their valuables from raiders, and he's a descendant of theirs.]]
* HarmfulToMinors: "A Tail in Twain" has the confrontation with that grave digger, while the kids are searching for a dead body in the park. Wishbone goes forward to investigate and the man lunges at him. Joe, who was hiding, exposes himself by shouting, "Don't you hurt my dog!" The second episode opens with the grave digger chasing Joe and the kids out. His mother then comes to the park, worried that he was out for so late. Ellen at first is skeptical about Joe's story but goes to investigate when she worries a dangerous man is in the park.
* MoodWhiplash: In "A Tail in Twain Part 1", the episode ends with Wishbone being discovered by a potentially dangerous man and Joe jumping out while yelling "Don't hurt my dog!"...and then comes the cheery closing credits. The next episode "A Tail in Twain Part 2" inverts this with the theme cutting to Wishbone and the kids running in fright from said potentially dangerous man.

* ClearMyName: Wishbone is blamed for the damages caused by a straw bloodhound and is determined to catch him.

* AdaptationalDumbass: The Sherlock Holmes episodes portray Dr. Watson as he's usually perceived by the public, as a bumbling, slow-witted sidekick rather than a competent doctor who is unable to keep up with Holmes.

* AnimalGoesToSchool: In "Muttketeer", Wishbone wants to go to school after his owner Sam goes back in to see his teacher's new computer, but the janitor tells him that dogs aren't allowed in school. When Wishbone sees a mouse lurking in the school, he has to go inside to stop it.

* AncientGrome: Averted in the episodes based off Myth/ClassicalMythology -- "The Odyssey", "King Midas", "Hercules and the Golden Apples", and "The Aeneid". Whether a deity is called by their Greek or Roman name depends on the myth and its source. The only exception is the tale of "Hercules and the Golden Apples", will the title character is using his Roman name in a Greek setting (although since every adaptation of Hercules does pretty much the same thing, this can be forgiven).

* FlyoverCountry: Averted. The series takes place in Texas, several of the lead characters have noticeable East Texas accents, and there's a gratifying lack of goofy stereotypes.[[note]]The series was shot in the UsefulNotes/DFWMetroplex as a production of the local PBS station KERA[[/note]]

* JerkassGods: Quite a few, since many episodes were based of classic mythology.

* FriendlyEnemy: Wanda is this to Wishbone. As long as he isn't digging up her lawn, she is very amicable to her.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Christine and the Phantom's relationship is played out with him as a BastardBoyfriend practicing DomesticAbuse; she warns Raoul that the Phantom has a bad temper and not to anger him. Later on, when she and Raoul plan to elope, the Phantom kidnaps her and threatens to kill Raoul as Christine is begging for her love to run.

* TakeAThirdOption: Suggested but averted in the ''The Adventures of Wishbone'' #18: ''Gullifur's Travels'' (one of the ten that was ''not'' adapted from an episode of the TV show), in one of the segments that adapts the original story. In the original book, Gulliver does not offer an opinion on the cause of the war between Big-Endians and Little-Endians, merely promising to defend their country from invaders. In this version, while talking with Reldresal, Gulliver brings up the possibility of breaking eggs in the middle. Reldresal (who personally agrees that the reasoning for the war is silly) nervously tells him to keep that thought to himself, because compromisers are seen as being disloyal and put to death.

* AdultFear: Wow; even in the 90s, [[WhatDoYouMeanItsForKids PBS was kinda scary]]. See the individual folders for examples.
** The incidents involving David in the mystery books mentioned under NightmareFuel. He gets framed for theft, nearly run over by the real perpetrator, and kidnapped in another story.

* AdultFear: "A Tail in Twain" has the confrontation with that grave digger, while the kids are searching for a dead body in the park. Wishbone goes forward to investigate and the man lunges at him. Joe, who was hiding, exposes himself by shouting, "Don't you hurt my dog!" The second episode opens with the grave digger chasing Joe and the kids out. His mother then comes to the park, worried that he was out for so late. Ellen at first is skeptical about Joe's story but goes to investigate when she worries a dangerous man is in the park.

* AdultFear: "Twisted Tail" has the new kid Max falls in with a local thief and nearly drags Joe along for the ride. Later, when he realizes that Zach is the thief, Max tries to take him on but gets a black eye. Joe is horrified that his new friend got hurt on his behalf and tells him you don't handle that alone.

* AdultFear: "Golden Retrieved" has Wishbone going missing after Joe ties him to a tree during a test-ride for his new bike. Joe goes OhCrap when he realizes that Wishbone slipped out of his collar, meaning he doesn't have a license and he could be anywhere in the woods. Fortunately, an old man named Hubert found Wishbone, rescued him from a ditch, and took him home. Joe sincerely thanks Hubert when they meet each other in the woods and Hubert helps him reunite with Wishbone.

* AdultFear: In "Salty Dog", the time the main trio got locked in that condemned barn, while Sam wants to search for a legendary horseshoe. Joe and David fail to knock down the door, and they have to send Wishbone outside to get help. Then a fire starts, and the boys start coughing as they help Sam swing out of the barn before she frees them. They barely escape with their lives just as their parents and the fire department come.

* AdaptationalHeroism: King Midas begs the gods to take away his [[BlessedWithSuck golden touch]] ''long'' before he accidentally turns his [[AdultFear wife and daughter]] [[KickTheMoralityPet into gold]].

* AdultFear: The scene where Jimmy and Marcus accidentally start a fire at Pepper Pete's in "Barking at Buddha". They run away as the fire alarm starts, with Jimmy saying they probably burned the whole building down. Travis then comes to find the boys before they can run away or hide in the park forever, with Marcus apologizing. It turns out his uncle was both worried that he and Jimmy had gotten hurt and disappointed that they did something so irresponsible.