Line #62 Main/AssumingTheAudiencesAge


1	->''"But now the last Roman emperor, a little boy just your age, had lost his throne."''
2	-->--''Literature/TheStoryOfTheWorld''
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4	Hey, there, youngster. I don't know if you've ever seen this trope in your short life, but {{Fourth Wall Observer}}s and characters in works with NoFourthWall have a tendency to assume the viewer/reader/player's age.
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6	In {{Edutainment}} shows and games, they will assume the viewer/player to be a child. In first-person novels, this can go either way -- the narrator might assume the reader to be an adult, or might assume the reader to be a child. Or maybe a teenager.
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8	Compare FakeInteractivity and MistakenAge. Related to TargetAudience. This often happens during AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle scenes.
9	----
10	!!Examples:
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12	[[foldercontrol]]
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14	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
15	* ''Anime/CardcaptorSakura'': In the "Leave it To Kero" segments, Kero assumes that the viewer is a child and asks them things like if they're helping with chores or doing their homework.
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18	[[folder:Fan Works]]
19	* ''Fanfic/MyImmortal'': Ebony assumes the reader to be old enough to be sexually aroused, calling you a "sicko".
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22	[[folder:Films -- Animated]]
23	* ''WesternAnimation/JoshuaAndThePromisedLand'' combines this with ViewersAreMorons; the narrator informs the audience about obvious things like pointing out what a pyramid is and it's bad to enslave people, while comparing the taste of [[AgeStereotypicalFood cookiese]] and attempting to relate Joshua to the audience.
24	* Zigzagged in ''WesternAnimation/TheLEGONinjagoMovie''. Garmadon says "OK, kids, there's one last thing I have to teach you ninjas." at the beginning of the credits, but it's not clear whether he's referring to the audience or the main characters.
25	* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies'': The movie ends with Robin saying to the audience, "[[TheTalk Ask your parents where babies come from!]]"
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28	[[folder:Literature]]
29	* ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'': Percy begins ''The Lightning Thief'' by saying that if you think you are a half blood, you should stop reading, but if you're a normal kid who thinks the story is fiction, you should keep thinking that.
30	-->'''Percy:''' If you're a normal kid, reading this because you think it's fiction, great. Read on. I envy you for being able to believe that none of this ever happened. But if you recognize yourself in these pages -- if you feel something stirring inside -- stop reading immediately. You might be one of us. And once you know that, it's only a matter of time before they sense it too, and they'll come for you. Don't say I didn't warn you.
31	* In ''The [[Literature/LittleHouseOnThePrairie Little House]] [[SpinoffCookbook Cookbook]]'' by Barbara M. Walker uses mostly age-neutral language. But in the recipe for green pumpkin pie, it veers sharply into assuming that the aspiring cooks are children, saying that to find an unripe pumpkin if you don't have a garden, "You will need adult cooperation."
32	* The teenage protagonist of ''Literature/TheLastOfWill'' assumes the reader is an adult, even saying in the first chapter that the reader probably isn't going to take her seriously because of her young age.
33	* In ''Literature/TheStoryOfTheWorld'', a series of history books, the narrator assumes the reader is six, since Romulus Augustus is said to have become an emperor when he was "just your age".
34	* ''Literature/WaysideSchool'' assumes the reader is an elementary school student like the students in the book. The first book opens with Louis saying that when he told the Wayside students about the reader's school, they thought the reader was the strange and silly one, and indeed, the final chapter of the book has the kids listen to a story about a normal elementary school and call it silly. The third book also claims Todd was sent to "your school" while Wayside was being repaired.
35	* Played for laughs in the book ''Welcome: A Mo Willems Guide to New Arrivals'', which assumes the reader is a baby and instructs them what to do now that they exist.
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38	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
39	* ''Series/BearInTheBigBlueHouse'': The episode "When You've Got to Go" has Bear assume the viewer is a toddler who isn't potty trained yet. He sings a song called "Your Potty Chair" about how it will be great once you're potty trained.
40	* ''Series/SesameStreet'': The episode "Elmo's Potty Time" assumes you're a toddler. It has a song about [[ToiletTrainingPlot how you will be able to "use the potty" some day.]]
41	* ''Series/WelcomeToPoohCorner'': In the special "TooSmartForStrangers", Pooh believes the viewers are children and tells them what to do if they run into a stranger. One of his pieces of advice is to tell an adult, such as a parent. Later, Tigger tells the audience, "Howdy-roo, kids!" and informs Roo that they have to tell the kids about how to stay safe when they're out and about.
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44	[[folder:Music]]
45	* ''Bad Arnie'': In the music video "The Potty Dance", the offscreen singer says, "Man, I know that you're busy, you're four years old, you have toys to play with and no time for bull" when he's singing about how it can be difficult to stop what you're doing to use the bathroom.
46	* ''Creator/MarloThomas'': In ''You and Me'', two of the sketches involve a character named Dudley Pippin, who is stated to be "about your age, or maybe a little older". The album was aimed at kids about six years old, and while Dudley's own age is never stated, it's clear he's about that old, too.
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49	[[folder:Video Games]]
50	* ''VideoGame/AdibooMagicalPlayland'': No matter what birth date you put in at the beginning of the game, the title character treats you as a playmate.
51	* ''VideoGame/FreddiFish'': In the second game the title character treats the player as a classmate at her school.
52	* ''VideoGame/HouseParty2017'': During one conversation, Derek breaks the fourth wall by noting that he and the protagonist have {{Vague Age}}s to appeal to the player, who he presumes falls within the 18-35 demographic.
53	* Naturally happens in the ''VideoGame/{{Jumpstart}}'' games, with the characters assuming the player to be an elementary schooler.
54	* In ''VideoGame/LEGOStuntRally'', Mr. X assumes that children are playing the game as he recommends getting help from someone older for its more advanced options.
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57	[[folder:Web Animation]]
58	* ''WebVideo/KidTimeStorytime'': Eileen, also known as Storyteller, the woman who runs the channel, always addresses the viewer as "kid".
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61	[[folder:Western Animation]]
62	* ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'': During some "[[AndKnowingIsHalfTheBattle Sonic Sez]]" segments, Sonic appears to think that the viewers are kids and addresses them as such. An example of this is in "Lovesick Sonic", where Sonic [[TooSmartForStrangers tells the audience that if they're sexually harassed]], they have to tell someone they trust, such as their parents or their teachers.
63	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': InUniverse. The children's ShowWithinAShow ''Mary Moo Cow'' assumes the viewers are children, since the presenter addresses the audience as "boys and girls".
64	* ''WesternAnimation/BluesClues'': An odd example where a fictional version of your voice will chime in just in case you don't respond to Steve/Joe's questions. Your fake voice sounds like a toddler or preschooler.
65	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Histeria}}'': "The Invasion Song" assumes that the listener is a adult, as the lyrics mention "those in-laws you have made". Usually, one doesn't get in-laws until they are married.
66	* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'': An exaggerated example in "[[Recap/FamilyGuyS12E11BriansABadFather Brian's a Bad Father]]". Peter does an AsideGlance and tells the audience, "Oh, you don't know who Creator/JoePesci is cuz you're fourteen", a nod to the show's popularity among that age group despite usually being described as an adult comedy (the show is rated TV-14, but that's a rating of how suitable it is rather than an indicator of its actual target demographic).
67	* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' did this. Johnny and his [[TalkingAnimal talking dog]] Dukey are trapped in an action movie (through the use of VR helmets created by his genius sisters), and when they realize how the movie's supposed to end (think Thelma & Louise) Dukey screams at Johnny "You couldn't have just stayed home and watched cartoons like normal kids!". [[BreakingTheFourthWall Johnny and Dukey then pause and look at the viewer]] before continuing to panic about getting out of the movie.
68	* In ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'', Bob and Larry always address the viewers as "kids".
69	* ''WesternAnimation/WordParty'': The babies and narrator address the viewer as the "big kid".
70	[[/folder]]

Context Main / AssumingTheAudiencesAge