History Theatre / AvenueQ

* ComedicSociopathy: A song, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin "Schadenfreude"]] (which is German for "happiness at the misfortune of others"[[note]]"Happiness at the misfortune of others? [[AllGermansAreNazis That]] ''[[AllGermansAreNazis is]]'' [[AllGermansAreNazis German]]!"[[/note]]), is made out of this. They even got to Reconstruct the idea at the end of the song!

* ContentWarnings: These are often placed outside the theatre, on the off chance someone might not realize the play is a lot more raunchy than its inspiration.

* CrosscastRole: In the original Broadway production, and most subsequent American shows, Gary Coleman is played by a woman. For the London production, who [[EaglelandOsmosis might not know the show]], Gary Coleman is played by a man.

* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife:
** Princeton just knows he's meant for great things, he just has no idea what they might be, nor how to find out.
--->'''Princeton:''' ''[sung] I don't know how I know--but I'm gonna find my purpose! I don't know where I'm gonna ''look,'' but I'm gonna find my purpose!''
** Ultimately deconstructed, as he never ''finds'' his purpose, at least within the play itself.
* DeusExMachina: Trekkie's secret savings. When the rest of the cast is desperate for funds to give to Kate's dream of a monster school, as soon as he hears about the idea he's moved to donate millions of heretofore-unmentioned dollars, which he keeps in sacks in his apartment, instantly solving the problem.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: Despite the description of the BittersweetEnding above, it's worth noting that there's nothing stopping Princeton from finding his calling offscreen. And even if happiness is temporary, he really is quite content come the end of the play.

** Christmas Eve's line in "It Sucks to Be Me" about working in a Korean deli is sometimes changed to a Chinese restaurant.

*** "For Now" was originally written with the line "[[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush George Bush]] is only for now." When this [[ForegoneConclusion inevitably came true]], the lyric began to be replaced with several other things over its various runs, usually tied to current events in the US. "George Bush ''was'' only for now." 2016, it's Nastyman Trump, or sometimes "Fake News!" The August-September 2016 Tallahassee, FL, community theater run has it as "Rick Scott!" In a Columbus, OH showing, it was replaced with "John Kasich is only for now," referencing the Ohio governor who had at the time made the unpopular decision to turn down stimulus money meant to build up a rail travel system.

* GoingCommando: Brian's song "I'm Not Wearing Underwear Today." Five lines all about his lack of underwear is what passes for an opening act at the nightclub. No wonder he hasn't hit the big time.

* GoodFeelsGood: The central message of "The Money Song".

* InterchangeableAsianCultures: Averted by Christmas Eve in the song "It Sucks to Be Me," where her being Japanese prevents her from getting a job at a [[EvolvingMusic Korean deli, nail salon, or Chinese restaurant]]. However it's sometimes invoked through casting: some of the actresses playing the part have not been Japanese (for instance the London production had a Filipina in the role).

* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: Subverted. At the end of the reprise of "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English," Princeton starts getting excited about the idea that the purpose is to take everything he's learned and put it into a show, only to be shut down flat by Brian and the new tenant that arrives.

* JerkassHasAPoint: May as well be JerkassHasAPoint the musical edition.
** Trekkie reveals, to Kate's disgust, that lots of ordinary people--including most of the other men of Avenue Q--use the Internet for porn. Her denial isn't going to change that.

** Gary Coleman says everyone laughs at other's misfortune, so you may as well join in; a homeless Nicky has no response except to agree.

* JustJokingJustification: One song tries to use this for ethnic jokes.

* MasturbationMeansSexualFrustration: Played with. Trekkie Monster is an antisocial shut-in (later revealed to have a FriendlessBackground) who is addicted to masturbating to porn which Kate thinks is gross. However, during "The Internet is For Porn," he makes a point that ''all'' guys, including those with wives and sex lives like Brian, use the internet to masturbate.

* MiseryPoker: The appropriately-named "It Sucks to Be Me." The cast introduces themselves by trying to one-up each other's terrible life stories. Gary Coleman--who was well off as as FormerChildStar and had all his money stolen by his own parents--wins.

* NoAntagonist: The only true "antagonist" in the musical is the main cast's various issues as adults. Lucy comes closest to being one due to being the primary obstacle in Princeton and Kate's relationship, but that's only one aspect of the story and thus not enough to qualify her as a BigBad--not to mention she's not really evil, just promiscuous and kind of petty. The most evil characters are the Bad Idea Bears, but they have very few appearances and may just be the personification of Princeton's own negative thoughts.

* PursueTheDreamJob: After [[spoiler:she quits her job as Mrs. Thistletwat's teaching assistant]] Kate decides to work towards her goal of opening her [[ExtranormalInstitute monster school]].

** Nobody bats an eyelash at puppets and humans interacting (though a team-up with the cast of ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' for Broadway Cares explored the idea in greater depth). In fact, the characters seem to think the difference between monster puppets and human puppets is more striking than between human puppets and human... humans. This is similar to ''Sesame Street'' where no one treats the puppet characters different than the human ones. However, in various in-character interviews and events, the characters seem to be aware that humans and puppets are different (they sometimes reveal themselves as AnimatedActors). One video featuring Rod even treats puppets as a separate race, with him calling himself "the first Republican Puppet-American."

* SlobsVersusSnobs: On an interpersonal level--Rod versus Nicky, best friends and roommates; Nicky is the slob while Rod is the snob.

* TertiarySexualCharacteristics: The male Bad Idea Bear is blue and wears a bow-tie, while the female is yellow and wears a bow on top of her head. In some productions they're green and pink, respectively, instead.

* {{Trekkie}}: In early drafts Trekkie Monster was an actual ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fan. This got changed due to potential copyright issues, but the name remains.

The musical centers around a group of residents in the titular Avenue Q, a slummy apartment building in a UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity neighborhood that newcomer Princeton has moved into after graduation from college. The play focuses on the various characters trying to live out their lives while dealing with adult obstacles obstacles as trying to hold a job, have relationships, and find a purpose in life along with adult themes such as sex, drinking, and pornography. Much of the humor is crude and the language is quite foul, and there is one on-stage depiction of puppet sex, so despite appearing to be a children's show, it's definitely for mature audiences.

All of the characters except for the live actors for Brian, Christmas Eve, and Gary are puppets; however, unlike ''Sesame Street,'' the actors for the puppets (and additional stage hands for two-handed puppets) are visible on stage and dressed in black; the idea is to ignore their presence, but they act along with their characters; all of the characters except Kate and Trekkie are human, with the two monsters being treated as a separate race [[FantasticRacism with all the racism that comes with them being different]].

The show premiered Off-Broadway in March 2003 for a 3-month run, and on Broadway that July for a run that lasted until September 2009. There have been numerous other productions and tours since the Broadway debut, including a 10-year Off-Broadway run that began shortly after the first Broadway production closed (so 2009-19) and a London and Las Vegas performances.

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: It's harder to notice because the tempo slows down for the part, but the last few notes of "What do you do with a BA in English" say "the human" as "''THE huMAN''".

* CluelessAesop: The song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" accurately points out that many of us have internalized prejudices we consciously know are wrong but at times get the better of us. However, rather than advising thinking more closely about what we say and believe in the name of self-improvement, the song advises the audience not to sweat it and just live with it, as more of an AtLeastIAdmitIt. Because the best way to approach a major social problem is to just ignore it and tell the people affected by it to suck it up, right because it's all the same. [/sarcasm]

Music/RobertLopez and Jeffrey Marx's multiple Tony Award–winning musical that can be summed up as [[JustForFun/XMeetsY ''Sesame Street'' for adults]].

Music/RobertLopez and Jeffrey Marx's multiple Tony Award–winning musical about a group of friends in a UsefulNotes/NewYorkCity neighborhood trying to live out their dreams, despite such mundane obstacles as trying to hold a job. The show is loosely based on and inspired by ''Series/SesameStreet'', though it handles adult themes such as sex, drinking, and pornography. Much of the humor is crude and the language is quite foul, and there is one on-stage depiction of puppet sex, so despite appearing to be a children's show, it is very definitely for mature audiences.

At least one song from the show, "{{The Internet Is for Porn}}", has become incredibly popular on the web after being used for a number of user-produced videos.

All of the characters except for Brian, Christmas Eve, and Gary are puppets. The singers are on stage, dressed in black, and although the audience is supposed to ignore their presence, they tend to act along with their characters. The puppets are supposed to represent humans, although the two monsters (Kate and Trekkie) are treated as a separate race, just like white, black, etc., and are distinguishable by the fact they're plush, while the other puppets are slightly fuzzy felt.

The show premiered Off-Broadway in March 2003 for a 3-month run, and on Broadway that July for a run that lasted until September 2009. There have been numerous other productions since the Broadway debut, including a 10-year Off-Broadway run that began shortly after the first Broadway production closed (so 2009-19).

!!The main characters of the show are:
* Princeton – A recent college graduate DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife.
* Kate Monster – A kindergarten teaching assistant.
* Rod – An investment banker; parody of Bert.
* Nicky – A slacker and Rod's roommate; parody of Ernie.
* Trekkie Monster – Cookie Monster, except obsessed with porn instead of cookies.
* Brian – An unemployed aspiring comedian.
* Christmas Eve – Japanese therapist with no clients and Brian's fiancée/wife.
* Gary Coleman – FormerChildStar turned superintendent ([[CrosscastRole usually played by a woman]]).
* [[MeaningfulName Mrs. Thistletwat]] – Kate's domineering and bitchy boss.
* [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Lucy The Slut]] – Exotic dancer and singer at the local bar.
* The Bad Idea Bears – [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Two bears who encourage people to do naughty things.]]
----

* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: It's harder to notice because the tempo slows down for the part, but the last few notes of "What do you do with a BA in English" say "the human" as "THE huMAN".

* AnAesop: The show parodies the way ''Series/SesameStreet'' delivers morals through simple songs and Audience Participation bits. The show uses those children show tropes while dropping more adult aesops like how nobody is above having racist thoughts. The purpose of mocking this trope is to deliver the show's earnest message that Big Bird isn't going to hold your hand while you learn how to be an adult, that's something you need to figure out for yourself.
* AffectionateParody: The creators of the show have an admiring attitude towards Creator/JimHenson's works (and a number of them actually worked for Henson, to the point that they had to convince them not to sue over the similarities to ''Series/SesameStreet''). They were thrilled when Jane Henson (Jim Henson's widow) saw the show and loved it.

* AllGermansAreNazis: And I quote,

* AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: The puppet characters have a broad range of skin colours: Princeton is orange, Rod is blue, Nicky is green, Lucy the Slut is pink, and Trekkie Monster is covered in reddish-brown fur. Ironically, Kate Monster's tan fur is the most human-like, despite her being a "monster" puppet.

* AnimatedShockComedy: Fits pretty well in this category, despite not being animated.

** "The Money Song" ends with most of the cast running up and down the aisles, soliciting donations for the "monster school" with outstretched hats (the donations go to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS or, depending on the production, a regional charity). When they return to the stage, a character will usually ad lib some humorous remark about a non-monetary item they've collected.

* BrokenAesop: "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist". The message is that [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin everyone's a little bit racist,]] but certain lines come off less as "everyone makes incorrect assumptions about other based on race" and more as "AtLeastIAdmitIt." For example, Kate, Princeton, and Gary laughing at Christmas Eve's accent, then telling Brian to "come off it" when he defends her, is more than a "little" racist.

* {{Catchphrase}}: The Bad Idea Bears like to shout, "Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" when someone agrees to one of their horrible proposals.
* CluelessAesop: The song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" correctly points out that many of us have internalized prejudices we consciously know are wrong but at times get the better of us. However, rather than advising thinking more closely about what we say and believe in the name of self-improvement, the song advises the audience not to sweat it and just live with it. [[SarcasmMode Because the best way to approach a major social problem is to just ignore it and tell the people affected by it to just suck it up, right?]]

* ComingOutStory: Rod's main story arc.
* ContentWarnings:

* CrosscastRole: Gary Coleman is frequently played by a woman.
* CuteMonsterGirl: Kate (though she's a monster in name only... well, she is a bit fuzzy).
* DarkerAndEdgier: This is, in a nutshell, an adult version of ''Series/SesameStreet''.

* DefenestrateAndBerate: Variation; Kate throws a penny off the Empire State Building[[spoiler:, nearly killing Lucy,]] when she is StoodUp.

** "For Now" was originally written with the line "[[UsefulNotes/GeorgeWBush George Bush]] is only for now." When this [[ForegoneConclusion inevitably came true]], the lyric began to be replaced with several other things over its various runs, usually tied to current events.
*** "George Bush ''was'' only for now."
*** In the London production of the show, George Bush's name was replaced with UsefulNotes/GordonBrown sometime in 2009. (Two nights after he lost the 2010 election, this line prompted a standing ovation.)
*** Or in Australia, "Tony Abbott is only for now." (He's the Federal Opposition Leader, and hilariously nuts.)
*** One of the most recent US showings went with "Fox News is only for now."
*** Radio/GlennBeck is also a common replacement for George Bush in recent US showings.
*** In the California regional showing, it's "Prop 8 is only for now." Similarly, in North Carolina it's "Amendment One is only for now."
*** During the mid-2009 off-Broadway run: "Swine Flu is only for now."
*** Mid-2010: "BP is only for now."
*** The UK tour (Late 2010) had: "Lib Dems are only for now," referencing the unpopular move of the Liberal Democrats to form a coalition with their near polar opposites in Parliament, the Conservative Party.
*** The final performance on London's West End (Oct 2010): "''This show'' is only for now." It also appeared in the recent Singapore tour, as well as the final performance of the original Broadway production in 2009.
*** The UK tour (Feb 2011) is using: "{{Jedward}} is only for now."
*** And the 2012 UK tour had "Music/JustinBieber". Same for New York as of late March 2014.
*** In New York as of November 2014, it's "Ebola".
*** In a Columbus, OH showing, it was replaced with "John Kasich is only for now," referencing the Ohio governor who had recently made the unpopular decision to turn down stimulus money meant to build up a rail travel system.
*** A Chicago production in 2012 had "Chick-fil-A is only for now." (Chick-fil-A is a Christian fast-food chain that revealed it gives money to anti-gay charities, which got it a huge boost from conservatives and a banning in Chicago. A few months later they claimed they wouldn't donate to anti-gay charities any more.)
*** In one Boston University production (November 2012) it's been changed to "TWINKIES!" (It also changed the Empire State Building to the Prudential Center, as well as many other local/school-specific references.
*** In March of 2013, it was changed to "UsefulNotes/ThePope!"
*** In a Toronto production 2013, it was "Rob Ford!"
*** In late June and July 2013, it was "DOMA!"
*** UK tour 2015 had it as One Direction.
*** UK tour 2016 had it as David Cameron.
*** As of 2016, it's Nastyman Trump, or sometimes "Fake News!"
*** The August-September 2016 Tallahassee, FL, community theater run has it as "Rick Scott!"
*** The 2019 UK tour initially used Donald Trump, but after she stepped down as Prime Minister, they started using UsefulNotes/TheresaMay instead, prompting cheers.
*** This has since been changed to Boris Johnson, also prompting cheers.
*** A virtual original cast reunion for the Actors Fund in 2020 had "[[UsefulNotes/COVID19Pandemic COVID]] is only for now".

** Trekkie, Nicky and Rod for Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert respectively. Although Kate's design slightly resembles Elmo, Grover, or especially Prairie Dawn, she doesn't parody any specific ''Sesame'' character.

** "Monsters" sometimes face mild discrimination--with their only biological difference being fur as opposed to... cloth... covering their bodies. (Well, Kate is a fuzzy human, but Trekkie looks like he stepped out of a sexually frustrated version of ''Literature/WhereTheWildThingsAre''.)

* GirlfriendInCanada: Rod once again--literally. "Her name is Alberta, she lives in Vancouver..."

* GoodAngelBadAngel: The Bad Idea Bears, although as the name suggests they're both Bad Angels. The male bear comes up with horrible advice, and the female reinforces it.

** "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" speaks for itself. Both it and "Schadenfreude" have more or less the same message: it's not nice, but everyone does it to a certain extent.

** "My Girlfriend, Who Lives in Canada".
** Also, "If You Were Gay". "Because you see, if it were me, I would feel free to say that I am gay [[NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat (but I'm not gay)]]."
* HenpeckedHusband: Brian often puts up with his hot-tempered wife.

** {{Invoked|Trope}} in "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist." Christmas Eve gets offended when her white Jewish husband uses the term "oriental," but after he points out that ''she's'' racist too, she sings about how "The Jews have all the money and the whites have all the power!" Granted, just before she sings that, Christmas Eve does indeed acknowledge that she's racist, too ("Yes, I know.").

'''Rod:''' I'M NOT BEING DEFENSIVE.

* TheImmodestOrgasm: Highly encouraged by the cast, who sing "You Can be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Making Love)" while Princeton and Kate are having onstage puppet sex. Except for Christmas Eve, [[Funny/AvenueQ who angrily reminds her fiancé that it's not a race.]]

* InterchangeableAsianCultures: Averted by Christmas Eve in the song "It Sucks to Be Me," where her being Japanese prevents her from getting a job at a [[EvolvingMusic Korean deli or Chinese restaurant]]. However it's sometimes invoked through casting: some of the actresses playing the part have been of a different race, for instance the London production had a Filipina in the role at one time.
* TheInternetIsForPorn: Trekkie and the rest of the guys certainly think so, to Kate's fervent disgust. The song is, of course, the {{Trope Namer|s}}.

* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: Subverted. At the end of the reprise of "What Do You Do with a B.A. in English," Princeton starts getting excited about the idea that the purpose is to "take everything he's learning and put it into a show," only to be shut down flat by Brian and the new tenant.

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: Inverted, Lucy to Princeton:

* IWantSong: "[[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife Purpose]]".
* JerkassHasAPoint: May as well be JerkassHasAPoint the musical edition:
** Trekkie reveals, to Kate's disgust, that lots of ordinary people use the Internet for porn. Her denial isn't going to change that.
** While Nicky is trying to get Rod out of his shell, straight-laced Rod is correct that Nicky is overstepping his bounds in forcing him out of the closet.

** Trekkie Monster, a "pervert" in Kate's words, contributes the money she needs to start her monster school so that no monster kid like them will be bullied while learning.

* LargeHam:
** Trekkie's loud abrasive personality is very conducive to awesome hamminess.
** Gary falls into this on occasion.
* LarynxDissonance: Averted. Gary is played by a woman, but the part is written for an alto (low female) voice, to match the real Gary Coleman's high voice.

** Especially in the second act, "There's A Fine, Fine Line" for Kate representing [[spoiler: her broken heart]].
* LoveInterestVsLustInterest: Princeton is in a Love Triangle with Kate Monster, a sweet kindergarten teacher who is falling in love with him, and Lucy the Slut (her actual name) who only wants him for sex.

* ManlyGay: Ricky, who sports plaid vests and wife beaters, has huge muscles, and has PermaStubble.

* MasturbationMeansSexualFrustration: Played with. Trekkie Monster is an antisocial shut-in (later revealed to have a FriendlessBackground) who is addicted to masturbating to porn, which Kate thinks is gross. However, during "The Internet is For Porn," he makes a point that ''all'' guys, including those with wives and sex lives like Brian, use the internet to masturbate.
* MaybeEverAfter: [[spoiler:By the end of the show, Kate and Princeton]] have decided to try being a couple again by taking their relationship one day at a time.
* MeaningfulName: A video screen reveals that Lucy's name is actually Slut, Lucy The.

* MiseryPoker: The appropriately-named "It Sucks to Be Me." The cast introduces themselves by trying to one-up each other's terrible life stories. Gary Coleman (was rich as a child; had all his money stolen by his own parents) wins.

* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Subverted, nay, annihilated by Lucy the Slut. Yes, that's her name.
* NearDeathExperience: [[spoiler: To Lucy, thanks to Kate,]] who accidentally hits her with a penny dropped from the Empire State Building and puts her into a coma. She finds religion afterward.
* NoAntagonist: The only true "antagonist" in the musical is the main cast's various issues. Lucy comes closest to being one, due to being the primary obstacle in Princeton and Kate's relationship, but that's only one aspect of the story and thus not enough to qualify her as a BigBad, not to mention she's not really evil, just promiscuous and kind of petty. The most evil characters are the Bad Idea Bears, but they have very few appearances and may just be the personification of Princeton's own negative thoughts.

** Insistently averted: "I'm Gary Coleman, from TV's ''Series/DiffrentStrokes'' / I made a lot of money that got stolen by my folks!" (In the original Broadway production, and most subsequent American shows, Gary Coleman is played by a woman. For the London production, who [[EaglelandOsmosis might not know the show]], Gary Coleman is played by a man.)
** Even more insistently averted in the Israeli production, which replaces Coleman's character entirely with local actress Michal Yanai, then '''[[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome actually got Michal Yanai to play the role]]'''.
** Hungarian productions replace Gary Coleman with Michael Jackson.

* NostalgiaFilter: The entire point of the song "I Wish I Could Go Back to College," when things were simpler and the future seemed assured. Nicky points out, however, that to go back to college now would make him the creepy old guy on campus.
* NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat: "If You Were Gay."

* PoorCommunicationKills: Nicky tries to get Rod out of the closet, but Rod understandably isn't ready to talk about his sexuality with his friend and roommate, on whom he was a crush and states repeatedly that he's not gay. When Nicky crosses the line, Rod kicks him out until Nicky as an apology finds him a new partner.
* {{Reconstruction}}: The show isn't just an adult parody of ''Series/SesameStreet'', but one made in the structure of its source material, complete with AnAesop that would actually be applicable to its target audience. It could very well be what ''Sesame Street'' would look like if it were made for young adults.
* {{Retool}}: The show was initially designed to be a TV show on Creator/ComedyCentral. But when that fell through they said, "well if we can't put this on TV, why not put it on Broadway?"
* PursueTheDreamJob: After Kate [[spoiler: quits her job as Mrs. Thistletwat's teaching assistant]] she decides to work towards her goal of opening her [[ExtranormalInstitute monster school]].

** Nobody bats an eyelash at puppets and humans interacting (though a team-up with the cast of ''Theatre/FiddlerOnTheRoof'' for Broadway Cares explored the idea in greater depth.)
** In fact, the characters seem to think the difference between monster puppets and human puppets is more striking than between human puppets and human... humans.
** The audience can easily be lulled into ignoring the actors onstage who are controlling the puppets. This can be jarring when the cast comes out for the curtain-call at the end ''without'' the puppets in their hands. ("Who's ''that'' guy?")
** However, in various in-character interviews and events, the characters seem to be aware that humans and puppets are different (they sometimes reveal themselves as AnimatedActors). One video featuring Rod even treats puppets as a separate race, with him calling himself "the first Republican Puppet-American."

* SadistTeacher: Kate's boss, Mrs. Thistletwat. She actually lampshades this herself as she's firing Kate, saying she never should've hired a monster:

** "It Sucks to Be Me".
** The part where Princeton thinks his purpose is to create a theatre show about starting a new life after college and the difficulties of it, which is similar to the theme of the show itself, and everyone shoots him down.

** The musical's logo is stylized as a fuzzy version of a UsefulNotes/NewYorkCitySubway route bullet, in particular, the bullet used by the Q train from 1990 to 2001 when it operated via Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.

* SlobsVersusSnobs: On an interpersonal level--Rod versus Nicky, best friends and roommates.
-->'''Rod:''' You leave your clothes out, you put your feet on my chair!\\
'''Nicky:''' ''Oh yeah?!?'' You do such anal things like ironing your underwear!\\
'''Rod:''' You make that very small apartment we share--a hell!\\
'''Nicky:''' So do you! That's why I'm in hell too!\\
'''Both:''' It sucks to be me!

* StoodUp: [[spoiler:Kate, or so she thinks. Lucy stole the note she left for Princeton asking him to meet her.]]

* SubvertedKidsShow: A possible subversion, ironically enough, as one of the creators noted, "We're not subverting ''Series/SesameStreet--Sesame Street itself'' is subversive!"
* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Lampshaded when Nicky decides to help Rod get a boyfriend who is exactly his type. He finds a guy named Ricky who is ''exactly'' like Nicky. Rod is pleased.
* TakeAThirdOption: In "It Sucks to Be Me":

* {{Trekkie}}: In early drafts Trekkie Monster was an actual ''Franchise/StarTrek'' fan--that got changed due to potential copyright issues, but the name remains.

* UnexplainedRecovery: After being hit in the head by a coin [[spoiler: Lucy's head falls off (twice) on the way to the hospital (off stage) but she survives]] and becomes an Evangelical Christian. Similarly, at the end of the show it's revealed that [[spoiler: The Bad Idea Bears]] have become Scientologists.
* TheVamp: Lucy The Slut.
* WhamLine: After Princeton grows fearful of commitment, he asks Kate to talk to him.
-->'''Princeton:''' Kate, I have something to say.\\
'''Kate:''' Princeton, you can tell me anything.\\
'''Princeton:''' Listen, when I moved here to Avenue Q, [[DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife I was looking for my purpose]].\\
'''Kate''': I remember.\\
'''Princeton''': And we've been spending so much time together and I lost track of finding it. I don't wanna be an old man and realise I never found my purpose in life.\\
'''Kate''': So, you're saying you don't wanna spend time with me?\\
'''Princeton''': [[HopeSpot No, no, I love being with you]].\\
'''Kate''': Oh, good, because I thought you meant-\\
'''Princeton''': [[DifferingPrioritiesBreakup But I don't want a girlfriend before I find my mission in life]].\\
'''Kate''': But you said...\\
'''Princeton''': [[BetterAsFriends If we stay together now, we'll never be friends in the end]].\\
'''Kate''': I'm not looking for friends. I have plenty of friends.\\
'''Princeton''': Well, don't you like me?\\
'''Kate''': Well, yes, I do. [[GetOut And that's why I think you should get out of here.]]\\
'''Princeton''': You mean I should leave?\\
'''Kate''': Unless you have another definition for "get out of here".

** Princeton and Kate [[spoiler:got married]] and [[spoiler:opened Monsterssori schools]] all over the nation.

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: The musical takes place in an unidentified "outer-outer borough" of New York City. Notably, there is no Avenue Q anywhere in New York City. South Brooklyn has a series of lettered avenues running from west to east, but what should be Avenue Q (the road between and parallel to Avenue P and Avenue R) is named '''Q'''uentin Road instead, having been renamed after World War II in honor of UsefulNotes/TheodoreRoosevelt's youngest son Quentin, who was killed in action in World War I.

* HomoeroticDream: [[spoiler:Rod dreaming about Nicky confessing his love for him is what prompts Rod to finally accept that he is definitely gay and that he's in love with Nicky.]]

** {{Invoked|Trope}} in "Everyone's A Little Bit Racist." Christmas Eve gets offended when her white Jewish husband uses the term "oriental," but after he points out that ''she's'' racist too, she sings about how "The Jews have all the money and the whites have all the power!"

** Princeton isn't any specific character's Expy either, but his design resembles Guy Smiley.

*** One of the most recent US showings went with "Creator/{{Fox News|Channel}} is only for now."

* DoubleStandard: During the song "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want", Brian, while having sex with Christmas Eve, shouts ''"WHO'S YOUR DADDY?!"'' which she is understandably [[{{Squick}} grossed out by.]] But later in the song, she orgasmically shouts ''"WHO YOUR MAMA?!"''

*** In the London production of the show, George Bush's name was replaced with Gordon Brown sometime in 2009. (Two nights after he lost the 2010 election, this line prompted a standing ovation.)

-->'''Brian:''' Are you ''high?!''
-->'''New Tenant''' And I'm not some dumb kid who doesn't know anything. Fuck you!

--> '''Kate:''' You've Got a Friend, The Theme from "Friends", That's What Friends Are For ... ''shit!''

* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Subverted, nay, annihilated by Lucy The Slut. Yes, that's her name.

* SameRaceMeansRelated: Lampshaded. It is assumed that Kate and Trekkie are related because [[SameSurnameMeansRelated they have the same last name]] and because they're the only two monsters on the avenue. Kate debunks the claim and teaches a very important lesson that just because two people are the same race, it doesn't mean they're related.

** The part where Preston thinks his purpose is to create a theatre show about starting a new life after college and the difficulties of it, which is similar to the theme of the show itself, and everyone shoots him down.

** The musical's logo is a fuzzy version of a UsefulNotes/NewYorkSubway service bullet, in particular, the bullet used by the Q train from 1990 to 2001 when it operated on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: The musical takes place in an unidentified "outer-outer borough" of New York City. Notably, there is no Avenue Q anywhere in New York City. South Brooklyn has a series of lettered avenues running from west to east, but what should be Avenue Q (the road between and parallel to Avenue P and Avenue R) is named '''Q'''uentin Rd instead, having been renamed after World War II in honor of Quentin Roosevelt (Teddy's youngest son), who was killed in action in World War I.

--> '''Rod''': You leave your clothes out. You put your feet on my chair. \\
'''Nicky''': Oh yeah? You do such anal things as ironing your underwear! \\
'''Rod'': You make that very small apartment we share a hell. \\
'''Nicky''': So do you, that's why I'm in hell too!

* {{Engrish}}: Christmas Eve

* ADateWithRosiePalms
-->'''Guys:''' The Internet is for porn!\\
'''Princeton:''' Sorry, Kate!\\
'''Guys:''' The Internet is for porn!\\
'''Princeton:''' I masturbate!\\
'''Trekkie Monster:''' All these guys unzip their flies for porn, porn, porn!

* SexMontage: "You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Making Love)" starts with Kate and Princeton having loud, nasty sex, then includes snippets (shown in silhouette) of Christmas Eve and Brian's sex life, and a brief glimpse of Trekkie Monster on ADateWithRosiePalms while [[TheInternetIsForPorn on his computer]]. Gary and the Bad Idea Bears (who in some productions also start screwing each other) sing as everybody around them moans.

-> The sun is shining,\\

!!The Internet is for tropes!

!!What do you do with a BA in Tropish?

The show premiered off-Broadway in March 2003 for a 3-month run, and on Broadway that July for a run that lasted until September 2009. There have been numerous other productions since the Broadway debut, including a 10-year off-Broadway run that began shortly after the first Broadway production closed (so 2009-19).

!!What do you do with a BA in Tropeish?

->''Except for death and paying taxes, everything in life is only for now!''

* {{Muppet}}: All the characters except Brian, Christmas Eve and Gary are portrayed by puppets.

* CutAndPasteTranslation: Sorta [[ZigZaggingTrope zig-zagged]] by the German translation: The lines referring to the Germans as Nazis are removed (a German audience would've been quite miffed by such jokes), but the line about a "vegetarian being told, he just ate chicken" is replaced with a "Muslima being told, she just ate pork" (most likely for the sake of rhyme) and the words of the song aren't less dirty than in the English original.
** The German translation of the song "The Internet Is for Porn" is even a tad dirtier than the original (also most likely for the sake of rhyme).
** The Spanish translation is somewhat in the middle: Nicky calls the concept of schadenfreude not German, but Nazist (and thus agrees with the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, who characterized schadenfreude as a cruel and diabolical trait).

* {{Bowdlerise}}: ''Avenue Q: The School Edition''. This version was still made by the original creators but with some of the the more offensive and provocative jokes removed in order for it to be "more accessible".

%%* ExpositoryThemeTune

** Some productions replace Gary Coleman with Michael Jackson, which is in Hungary.

* HenpeckedHusband: Brian.