History YMMV / TheHardyBoys

** In a more meta sense, the ''Casefiles'' themselves are an example of this. Removing the typical roadblocks of NoHuggingNoKissing, NeverSayDie, etc., and making a deliberate move toward DarkerAndEdgier seems to have given the ghostwriters more room to breathe, giving the characters much more development and generally writing better stories. Just look at the number of ''Casefiles''-exclusive tropes on the various pages.

* CompleteMonster: See [[Monster/TheHardyBoys here]].

* ValuesDissonance: The original editions published before 1959, which featured plenty of stereotypes, particularly of different nationalities, and racist attitudes, especially towards African-Americans, Native Americans, and Asians. The post-1959 revised editions took them out.

** Thanks to quite a few protests from parents about the racism and negative stereotypes present in the original books (see ValuesDissonance), the revised versions of the 1950's and beyond removed these elements. However, this is subverted in that it had mixed results: instead of just portraying the nationalities and characters of color in question more respectfully, the revisions were done in such a way that such characters were removed from the books entirely, sparking complaints of whitewashing the series.

*** A few books in the ''Adventures'' series and graphic novels also feature same-sex couples who aren't treated any differently or less respectfully than straight couples.

*** A few graphic novels and books in the ''Adventures'' series also feature same-sex couples who aren't treated any differently or less respectively than straight couples.

*** In the Digests, the Hardys make a new friend, Jamal Hawkins, who is African-American and becomes a recurring character in the series along with their other friends, and is consistently portrayed as a nice guy and a loyal friend to the Hardys.

* MyRealDaddy: While Edward Stratemeyer is the actual creator of the Hardys, all he did was create a rough idea of the character and general outlines for stories for his ghostwriters to follow. It was Leslie [=McFarlane,=] the first ghostwriter, who (after originally working on another series called ''Dave Fearless'' and finding himself disappoined at how slapdash and generic it was treated) added a lot more beyond his outline and really brought them to life. Ironic since he later grew to absolutely despise them.

* NightmareFuel: [[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328718453i/76984._UY475_SS475_.jpg This 1962 cover]] for "While The Clock Ticked".

* HarsherInHindsight: Considering the sheer number of stories that have been written, it's almost inevitable that this will eventually come up. One good example is "Stress Point" from the ''Casefiles''. The details of the book are different (A reporter is murdered after he finds out that a construction company in bed with the mob cut corners on a new skyscraper, which makes it dangerous in an upcoming storm,) but it doesn't change the fact that the story ends with a building beginning to collapse in the middle of New York City.

** Though the franchise probably isn't really what one would call progressive in terms of diversity and representation, later installments in the series at least made much a better effort to correct the problem and actually include more diversity in way that wasn't insulting or playing on old stereotypes:

*** The boys are also shown to react negatively to displays of racism from others. The most prominent example is probably "The Phoenix Equation" from the ''Casefiles'': Joe is undercover in a human trafficking ring smuggling illegal immigrants into the States. The other immigrants are from a variety of different countries, and the only one who's portrayed negatively is the one other white man in the group, who is racist towards the others. When he tries to suck up to Joe due to him being the only other white guy present, Joe promptly moves as far away from him as possible in order to get to know the other immigrants better.

* HarsherInHindsight: Considering the sheer number of stories that have been written, it's almost inevitable that this will eventually come up.
** One good example is "Stress Point" from the ''Casefiles''. The details of the book are different (A reporter is murdered after he finds out that a construction company in bed with the mob cut corners on a new skyscraper, which makes it dangerous in an upcoming storm,) but it doesn't change the fact that the story ends with a building beginning to collapse in the middle of New York City.
** A more downplayed example: another ''Casefiles'' book, "Law of the Jungle", had the Hardys trying to thwart a plot by the Assassins to infect innocent people around the world with a mutated strain of anthrax and then charge millions of dollars for the cure. This can be harder to read after the COVID-19 pandemic that infected millions of people worldwide in 2019 and 2020; though COVID wasn't being purposely spread by terrorists, it was the result of a mutation in a virus that was previously only found in animals, and at the time of writing, does not have a cure.

* NightmareFuel: [[https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328718453i/76984._UY475_SS475_.jpg This 1962 cover]] for ''While The Clock Ticked''.

* CrossoverShip: With Nancy Drew, with whom the Hardys have many different crossover works. This is particularly true of the first Supermysteries series, which crosses the ''Casefiles'' and ''Nancy Drew Files'' together; in canon, Frank's in love with Callie and Nancy's in love with Ned, and while Franky and Nancy do share a mutual attraction, they're too loyal to their respective partners to pursue it. In fan works, there are plenty of fanfiction stories that ditch Callie and Ned to pair Frank and Nancy together.

** Though the franchise isn't really what one would call progressive in terms of diversity and representation, later installments in the series at least made a better effort to correct the problem:
*** In the Digests, the Hardys make a new friend, Jamal Hawkins, who is African-American and becomes a recurring character in the series, and is consistently portrayed as a nice guy and a loyal friend to the Hardys.

*** In the most modern-day series like ''UndercoverBrothers'', ''Adventures'', and the graphic novels, where most of the Hardys' friends from the previous books are PutOnABus, their friends in these series are shown to be more diverse. One graphic novel, "Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys in The Case of the Missing Adults", gives [[RaceLift Race Lifts]] to quite a few long-standing characters from both of their respective series, creating a much more diverse cast.

* CrossoverShip: Despite the fact Frank's still with Callie, he and Nancy Drew are pretty cozy pals...

** Vanessa Bender, Joe's second long-standing girlfriend (i.e. the first since Iola who wasn't just a GirlOfTheWeek) in the Casefiles, who, despite not having appeared in the books since that series' cancellation over ten years ago, still makes regular appearances in fanfic.

** In a more meta sense, the ''Casefiles'' themselves are an example of this. Removing the typical roadblocks of NoHuggingNoKissing, NeverSayDie, etc., and making a deliberate move toward DarkerAndEdgier seems to have given the ghostwriters more room to breathe, giving the characters much more development and generally writing better stories. Just look at the number of Casefiles-exclusive tropes on the various pages.

* HarsherInHindsight: Considering the sheer number of stories that have been written, it's almost inevitable that this will eventually come up. One good example is Casefile #125: ''Stress Point.'' The details of the book are different (A reporter is murdered after he finds out that a construction company in bed with the mob cut corners on a new skyscraper, which makes it dangerous in an upcoming storm,) but it doesn't change the fact that the story ends with a building beginning to collapse in the middle of New York City.

* ValuesDissonance: The original editions, published before 1959 which featured plenty of stereotypes, particularly of different nationalities, and racist attitudes towards African-Americans with Native Americans and Asians not treated any better. The post-1959 revised editions took them out.

* FairForItsDay: Although Tony and Phil were always referred to as the "Italian friend" and "Jewish friend" in the early books and there was some mild stereotyping, they were also two of the first positive portrayals of non-WhiteAngloSaxonProtestant characters in the early twentieth century, and were otherwise treated as no different than any of the other teenagers in the Hardys' circle of friends.

* ValuesDissonance: The original editions, published before 1959 which featured plenty of stereotypes, particularly of different nationalities, and racist attitudes towards African-Americans. The post-1959 revised editions took them out.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Vanessa Bender, Joe's second girlfriend in the Casefiles who despite not having appeared in the books since that series' cancellation over ten years ago still makes regular appearences in fanfic.