History Trivia / Cracked

** One of the egregious is [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20158_the-6-most-baffling-video-game-spinoffs_p2.html this article's #1 spot]]. It lists three Sonic games in reverse chronology, calls ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' a spinoff when it's a mainline game, and claims Shadow from ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' is Sonic with a dark redesign. Not accusing Shadow of being a palette swap, but claiming that Shadow is ''literally'' Sonic, whom Sega tried to reinvent as a gun-wielding badass.

* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Two dozen staffers, including writers who had been on the website almost from the start, got fired in early December 2017.

* GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity: Averted so heavily when two dozen staffers, including writers who had been on the website almost from the start, got fired in early December 2017.

** Unfortunately, they fell victim to this when they added this to "Ten Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Huge Nerds" (spoilers: it's one of their anti-nerd articles) sometime shortly after his tragic death, mocking him being a fan of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' by saying it's an anime that "[[EvenNerdsHaveStandards people with body pillows]] [[DudeNotFunny say is for losers]]".

** Unfortunately, they fell victim to this when they added this to "Ten Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Huge Nerds" sometime shortly after his tragic death, mocking him being a fan of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' by saying it's an anime that "[[EvenNerdsHaveStandards people with body pillows]] [[DudeNotFunny say is for losers]]".

* Unfortunately, they fell victim to this when they added this to "Ten Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Huge Nerds" sometime shortly after his tragic death, mocking him being a fan of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' by saying it's an anime that "[[EvenNerdsHaveStandards people with body pillows]] [[DudeNotFunny say is for losers]]".

* LifeImitatesArt: The photoshop contest [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_85_if-video-games-were-realistic/ If Video Games Were Realistic]] included [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_85_if-video-games-were-realistic_p27#25 a photoshop]] of a ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' guitar with 18 frets (each with six sub-buttons) and six strum bars, [[DontExplainTheJoke mocking the fact that playing Guitar Hero is much simpler than playing a real guitar]]. Not a year later, Harmonix announces that RockBand 3 will include a "Pro Mode" for instrument, which will use special controllers designed to perfectly simulate playing the actual instrument. Now take a look at their [[http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/06/rb3-pro-guitar-awesome-rm-eng.jpg Pro Mode guitar]].

* CreatorBreakdown: In 2015, David Wong agreed to participate in a {{Website}}/Reddit "Ask Me Anything" Q&A thread. The thread was soon filled with people asking questions like "What was the catalyst that began Cracked's transformation from witty satirical site to a second-rate version of ''Salon''?" Wong threw what could only be described as a temper tantrum, and using Facebook and Twitter he urged his fans to come to the Reddit thread and intercede on his behalf. However, Reddit has strict rules against brigading (inciting a group of people to downvote something you disapprove of), and as a result Wong managed to get his Reddit account banned.

* CreatorBreakdown: In 2015, David Wong agreed to participate in a Website/Reddit "Ask Me Anything" Q&A thread. The thread was soon filled with people asking questions like "What was the catalyst that began Cracked's transformation from witty satirical site to a second-rate version of ''Salon''?" Wong threw what could only be described as a temper tantrum, and using Facebook and Twitter he urged his fans to come to the Reddit thread and intercede on his behalf. However, Reddit has strict rules against brigading (inciting a group of people to downvote something you disapprove of), and as a result Wong managed to get his Reddit account banned.

* CreatorBreakdown: In 2015, David Wong agreed to participate in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" Q&A thread. The thread was soon filled with people asking questions like "What was the catalyst that began Cracked's transformation from witty satirical site to a second-rate version of ''Salon''?" Wong threw what could only be described as a temper tantrum, and using Facebook and Twitter he urged his fans to come to the Reddit thread and intercede on his behalf. However, Reddit has strict rules against brigading (inciting a group of people to downvote something you disapprove of), and as a result Wong managed to get his Reddit account banned.

** Their "[[http://www.cracked.com/article_19199_7-bizarre-early-versions-famous-cartoon-characters.html 7 Bizarre Early Versions of Famous Cartoon Characters]]" article says that Wilkins from Wilkins Coffee commercials was an early version of [[Franchise/TheMuppets Kermit the Frog], even though Kermit already existed by the time Wilkins was created.

* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer: One of the egregious is [[http://www.cracked.com/article_20158_the-6-most-baffling-video-game-spinoffs_p2.html this article's #1 spot]]. It lists three Sonic games in reverse chronology, calls ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' a spinoff when it's a mainline game, and claims Shadow from ''VideoGame/ShadowTheHedgehog'' is Sonic with a dark redesign. Not accusing Shadow of being a palette swap, but claiming that Shadow is ''literally'' Sonic, whom Sega tried to reinvent as a gun-wielding badass.

* TheyJustDidntCare: The Top 8 Video Games of 2012. Eight different Cracked writers chose a game they feel represents 2012. Almost every entry admits they either aren't gamers or they haven't actually played the game they chose. Some games on the list didn't even come out in 2012 (One came out in 2009, and another came out in 2013.[[labelnote:*]]To be fair to Brockway, the contributor in question, he was one of the actual gamers involved and using [[VideoGame/DiabloIII the game in question]] to criticize the predatory state of the industry.[[/labelnote]])

* FollowTheLeader: By far, ''Cracked'' was the most prominent ''Mad'' clone: a parody mag with an {{Expy}} of Alfred E. Neuman in Sylvester P. Smythe.
* HeyItsThatGuy: ''Mad'' stalwart Don Martin crossed over in the 1990s after leaving ''Mad'' over a salary dispute, with ''Cracked'' making a big deal about stealing away one of their rival's most iconic cartoonists. He is hardly the only artist or writer to have worked at both magazines; long-standing ''Cracked'' artist John Severin also worked with ''Mad'' in its comic days. Also, one of the last new talents to join ''Cracked'' in the 1990s was Tom Richmond, who now draws a large amount of the ''Mad'' movie and TV parodies. Other ''Mad'' personnel who once worked with the rival include Jack Davis and Al Jaffee.
** Bill Wray was a frequent contributor in the 80s. He later moved on to draw various comics for Dark Horse and ''Mad'', and even did some work on ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow''.

* ArtisticLicense: Occasionally. Of course, as a humor site, they aren't meant to be taken seriously in the first place. A particularly funny example, in one article mocking UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, they had a picture of ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rhodes_Colossus The Rhodes Colossus]],'' with the caption "This is how they viewed themselves. Seriously." Trouble is, the cartoon was ''satirical'' - the whole point of it is ''taking the piss'' out of the Imperialist ambitions of Cecil Rhodes ''et al''. Furthermore, it appeared in ''Punch'', a joke magazine. Presumably the original publishers of the cartoon would find it as funny that their joke pages are being used seriously as Cracked would be if one of their Photoplasty images makes into some far-off history tablet.

* HeyItsThatGuy: MaraWilson penned a column in May 2013, in the wake on Amanda Bynes' arrest, entitled [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/7-reasons-child-stars-go-crazy-an-insiders-perspective 7 Reasons Child Stars Go Crazy (An Insider's Perspective)]]. It received nearly two million views after just three weeks.

** Bill Wray was a frequent contributor in the 80s. He later moved on to draw various comics for Dark Horse and ''Mad'', and even did some work on ''TheRenAndStimpyShow''.

* UsefulNotes/TheBechdelTest: Luke [=McKinney=] points out in [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-4-best-moments-in-worst-movies-ever-made_p2/ The 4 Best Moments in the Worst Movies Ever Made]] that the movie based on the video game ''Franchise/DeadOrAlive'' "physically beats the shit out of the Bechdel test" "within the first 10 minutes".

* LifeImitatesArt: The photoshop contest [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_85_if-video-games-were-realistic/ If Video Games Were Realistic]] included [[http://www.cracked.com/photoplasty_85_if-video-games-were-realistic_p27#25 a photoshop]] of a GuitarHero guitar with 18 frets (each with six sub-buttons) and six strum bars, [[DontExplainTheJoke mocking the fact that playing Guitar Hero is much simpler than playing a real guitar]]. Not a year later, Harmonix announces that RockBand 3 will include a "Pro Mode" for instrument, which will use special controllers designed to perfectly simulate playing the actual instrument. Now take a look at their [[http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2010/06/rb3-pro-guitar-awesome-rm-eng.jpg Pro Mode guitar]].

* PlayingAgainstType: In the miniseries ''Rom.com'', Michael Swaim (best known as the sociopathic half of ''WebVideo/AgentsOfCracked'' and the dangerous, insane member of the foursome in ''WebVideo/AfterHours'') plays the ''[[OnlySaneMan voice of reason]]''.

* ArtisticLicense: Occasionally. Of course, as a humor site, they aren't meant to be taken seriously in the first place. A particularly funny example, in one article mocking UsefulNotes/TheBritishEmpire, they had a picture of ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rhodes_Colossus The Rhodes Colossus]],'' with the caption "This is how they viewed themselves. Seriously." Trouble is, the cartoon was ''satirical'' - the whole point of it is ''taking the piss'' out of the Imperialist ambitions of Cecil Rhodes ''et al''. Furthermore, it appeared in ''Punch'', a joke magazine. Presumably the original publishers of the cartoon would find it as funny that their joke pages are being used seriously as Cracked would be if one of their Photoplasty images makes into some far-off history tablet.