Line #11 WebVideo/OddityArchive


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/oddity-archive-cover_245.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:♪ Dun dunnnn, dun dunnnnn...... ♪]]
3
4	->''"And welcome to the Oddity Archive, the show that reawakens nostalgia for things you didn't even know you had."''
5	-->-- '''Ben "That Shmuck with the Cardboard Box" Minnotte'''
6
7	In April 2012, Colorado resident and former folk musician Ben Minnotte became the victim of a car crash that left him with neither a job nor wheels, and with a damaged ribcage. Trying to find ways to cope so he could think less about his pain, he decided to look back on his childhood curiosity with technology and make an article about the ''Series/MaxHeadroom'' incident in June 2012. However, he discovered that his humor barely made any sense written, so he decided to make a one-off podcast. But then that was scrapped as well since there's a whole ''video'' component to the whole thing. So what did he do? He decided to try his hands out at being an internet CausticCritic towards this [[BuffySpeak stuff]]. And, thus, the ''Oddity Archive'' was born.
8
9	''Oddity Archive'' is a [[LongRunners long-running]] webseries regarding past technology and the odder, often [[NightmareFuel scarier]] but relatively obscure parts of film, television and music, occasionally making riffs on certain things.
10
11	You can find the show on its [=YouTube=] channel [[https://www.youtube.com/user/OddityArchive here]]. Oddity Archive was featured in [[http://web.archive.org/web/20180321152130/https://thezerolevel.com the now-defunct site Channel Zero]] which shut down mysteriously back in 2018.
12
13	----
14	!!"Aaaand welcome to the ''Tropes Related to the Series Archive''."
15
16	* AbusiveParents: Ben (as a character, at least) is implied to have these.
17	* ArtisticLicenseHistory: In the Bicentennial episode, Ben gives a history lesson in which he states that "Sam Wilson got a paper-cut while signing the Declaration of Independence." The Declaration was written and signed on animal skin, not paper. RuleOfFunny almost certainly applies here.
18	* AtomicHate: Several episodes deal with this.
19	* BadassBoast: Foul-mouthed CausticCritic Geno Cuddy's break-in during "Public Domain VHS Distributors" is one.
20	* BerserkButton: Ben, at the end of "Copy Protection Vol. 2 (odds and ends)", rants about companies, like the one that made the ''Cat Sitter'' video, who underestimate people's competence and who overestimate their own clout. It's a TranquilFury, but Ben does seem legitimately upset over it.
21	* BrownNote:
22	** Janet Greene's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZCxA2gw6uo Fascist Threat]]" is used twice as a method of [[ItMakesSenseInContext forcing people to join the Republican Party,]] because it is just that bad. [[note]]This mainly more of a joke than anything -- Ben seems to think Janet Greene's work is relatively decent for conservative folk music (not that this is presented as any great honour).[[/note]]
23	** This is also the case with the ''Italian Dance Party'' record's rendition of "Arrivederci Roma". It leads Ben to do some... [[NoodleIncident unpleasant-sounding things]] before redacting his prior panning of the album.
24	** Ben seems to regard the musical sting for the ''Protect and Survive'' shorts as this, leading him to later dub other uncanny-synth jingles trying to sound futuristic as having "Protect and Survive Syndrome".
25	* CallBack:
26	** Max Headroom pops up in "Format Wars" when Ben describes a damaged, skipping CED like watching ''Max Headroom'' even when you didn't want to.
27	--->'''Max Headroom:''' He's a FRICKIN' nerd!\
28	'''Ben:''' NO, not you, the ''GOOD'' one!
29	** When he sees that the ''Clue II: Murder in Disguise'' VCR game has no logos at the start...
30	--->'''Ben''': What, no scary logo?! Rip-off!
31	** The EAS Zombie Hoax video starts with the opening joke from the Max Headroom incident, and the commercial is the 'Max Headroom for Preparation H' gag.
32	--->'''Ben:''' I swear, I keep having all these flashbacks lately...
33	** And another one in the 2014 Halloween Special/Archive Wares debut episode.
34	--->'''Ben:''' [[Series/DoctorWho As far as I can tell, a massive electric shock. She died instantly.]] [[note]]Bonus: That line comes from "The Horror of Fang Rock," which Chicago PBS affiliate WTTW-11 had on when "Max Headroom" broke into the transmission. The "electric shock" line is the first one heard when the show resumes.[[/note]]
35	** When one of the clips from "Intermission" starts playing "Pop Goes The Weasel", Ben is reminded of one of the programs from "Local TV Vol. 2 (Kiddie Show Hosts)".
36	---> '''Ben''': Great, now I'm having flashbacks to "The Magic Garden".
37	** Lampshaded in "Number Stations (And Other Radio Oddities)" when Ben makes a joke about the Backwards Music Station being a whale aphrodisiac, harkening back to the duck joke in "Emergency Broadcast Salute".
38	---> '''Ben''': That joke seems familiar....
39	** In "Public Domain VHS Distributors", there's a reference to the end of "Copy Protection Vol. 2 (odds and ends)" when Ben explains the conditions of Trans-Atlantic Video Inc.'s warranty, claiming the warranty wasn't good if you smeared peanut butter on the tape.
40	** The number for Ben's home shopping network in the "Home Shopping Channels" episode is the [=DivX=] phone number, a callback to "Disposable DVD’s (DIVX & Flexplay)".
41	** When Ben looks at the Odyssey 2 Voice Module he says that the voice it produces is a lot like Max Headroom to which he remarks "The real Max Headroom, not the hijacker."
42	* TheCameo: WebVideo/{{Techmoan}} and WebVideo/{{TheCHR83}}, among others, appear in interviews in the Episode 200 special, "Behind the Box".
43	* CatapultNightmare: A rare audio example appears at the start of "Halloween Special 2013", where, after enduring a nightmare mix of Max Headroom, scary logos, Emergency Broadcast System beeps and the Happy Hamster, we hear Ben rise out of bed and a good plenty of creaking.
44	* CausticCritic:
45	** Ben played this up initially, but it would later be toned down quickly, because the pain from the aforementioned car accident affected him too much to continue that attitude (not to mention the [[FollowTheLeader glut of similar reviewers]] making him want to do something more original).
46	** Another CausticCritic drops in on the "Public Domain VHS Distributors" with a....[[ClusterFBomb unique take]] on the UAV VHS distribution house.
47	* CensorBox: Almost every written mention of Walt Disney or WGN is blacked out (see YouWannaGetSued below). In the "Copy Protection Vol. 2" episode, the contact information for the company behind the ''Cat Sitter'' video was blacked out, possibly in retaliation for the failed "KTC" scare tactic (see BerserkButton above).
48	* CharacterisationMarchesOn: In earlier Archives, Ben was a lot more irritable and shouted more often. Now he's more laid back, only shouting if something really makes him annoyed.
49	* ColdOpen: Some episodes open with these.
50	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: At the end of "Weather Warnings", warning sirens go off as a funnel cloud approaches Archive HQ. Ben sees this as an opportunity to capture the entire event on tape.
51	* ConspiracyTheorist: [[AvertedTrope Averted]] with Ben, who usually tries to find rational explanations for unexplained phenomena. However, conspiracy theorists (and their theories) are discussed (and mocked) in a few episodes.
52	* ContentWarnings:
53	** Ben notes in "American [=EXXXtacy=] (and Other C-Band Nastiness)" that guys with girlfriends shouldn't watch it.
54	** He issues a more serious one at the beginning of ''Protect and Survive'' due to its discussion of nuclear war and its GallowsHumor.
55	** Ben will also sometimes insert these into the middle of episodes before potentially offensive or upsetting segments, such as in "Prehistoric Television", where he advises people who are sensitive to Nazi imagery to skip the following part of the episode.
56	* CouchGag:
57	** The opening credits are often modified to fit the theme of the episode, such as video effects that mimic the format discussed in the episode or a different theme song related to the subject.
58	** Ben's first line in regular episodes is almost always "And welcome to the ''Oddity Archive'', the show that...", the rest changing from episode to episode. "Ben's Junk" episodes almost always begin with "And welcome to a [adjective] episode of Ben's Junk".
59	** The picture on Ben's box is almost always something loosely connected to the topic of the episode. Often to the point where the image on the box isn't directly acknowledged in the episode itself. [[labelnote:Example]] The image during the Max Headroom Incident Revisited episode is an aged version of the ''real'' Max Headroom, from a series of UK commercials promoting the digital TV switchover.[[/labelnote]]
60	** The end card has a credit to Ben Minnotte and a copyright holder for the original content which change every episode.
61	* CowboyBebopAtHisComputer[[invoked]]:
62	** A claim from ''Hell's Bells'' is put to the test in, well, "Hell's Bells". Ben decides to see if vibrations from a speaker playing loud rock music can really hard-boil an egg, by having a speaker play the entirety of Music/{{ACDC}}'s ''Black Ice''--of which he notes is [[LoudnessWar the loudest album in his collection]]--next to one. To put it bluntly, it doesn't.
63	** Ben's ''Cat Sitter'' VHS opens with a warning stating it's coated with a substance called "KTC", which apparently damages the VCR if it is copied. He does a series of tests to see if it really does. It doesn't. He also points out the inherent issues with the concept (namely, how the substance on the ''Cat Sitter'' tape could possibly get "activated" by a separate VCR dubbing the footage to a separate blank tape).
64	* CreditsGag: Can be found in several episodes. Especially notable in "Teknikel Diffikultees", where a good chunk of the credits are misspelled.
65	* CuteKitten: Shown on the ''Cat Sitter'' [=VHS=] in "Copy Protection Vol. 2 (odds and ends)". Ben notes in the description that he expects the appears of kitties to boost his views.
66	* [[invoked]]DudeNotFunny: Used in "1-900-ARCHIVE (Vol. 2)". After Ben riffs on some commercials for sex lines that only feature women, the ''Archive's'' "audience" starts booing at him and heckles him for being disrespectful to women.
67	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness:
68	** Episodes 1 and 2 don't feature Ben on-camera, and a few other early episodes had him use another object to hide behind instead of his now-signature cardboard box (he used a mic on Episode 2.5, an LP cover on Episodes 4, 9.5, 14 and 18 and a Laserdisc cover on Episode 16). Until Episode 13 he tended to avoid showing his eyes above the cardboard box (or other hiding object) and until Episode 19 he only made one on-camera appearance per episode.
69	** The first two regular episodes show Ben taking on an angry-CausticCritic persona, instead of the laid-back personality he's known for.
70	** The opening credits initially ended with Ben opening a file containing images pertaining to the episode's subject. This was dropped after Episode 4.
71	** A quickly abandoned RunningGag was [[SelfDeprecation having random bizarre photos captioned as "Your Humble Host."]]
72	** The series' theme tune, "Pavanned", doesn't show up until Episode 6. Until that point, the theme song was XTC's "Senses Working Overtime".
73	* EarWorm: Episode 184 presented the "Top 10 Earworms (to Date)", as voted by the viewers among the various tunes that showed up on Oddity Archive across the years. Ben opens the episode by stating it "may very well be the all-time, single most diabolical episode of the Oddity Archive" before listing the top 10:
74	** Honorable mentions (read: Ben's favorites which only got 1-2 votes) were "I Buy at Alexander's", "Go See Cal" (jingles from ads featured in Episode 63, "Local TV Vol. 4: Local Commercials"), "Candy Pants" by Rev. Lionel Davis, "Non-Sectarian" by Roland Steele and "The Shrink" by the Penny Magic Show (all from Episode 165, "Local TV Vol. 6: More Public Access"). The preceding introduction featured "Celebration" (from Episode 39, "QUBE Interactive TV") and the Creator/MagneticVideo jingle (from Episode 23, "Scary Logos (and Other Nostalgic Terrors)").
75	** #10 was "When You Think (You're Feelin') You're Ready", a jingle from a Crazy Eddie Electronics ad featured in Episode 63, "Local TV Vol. 4: Local Commercials".
76	** #9 was "Jiminy" by the Jimmy Fith Band, a smooth jazz instrumental which first appeared in Episode 23, "Scary Logos (and Other Nostalgic Terrors)".
77	** #8 was "Day by Day", a track from the obscure "8-track rip-off" ''Themes from "Theatre/{{Godspell}}"'' by an uncredited organ combo first played on Episode 55, "Return of the Son of Record Rip-Offs (or: Record Rip-Offs Vol. 3)", which Ben often used on subsequent episodes as "montage music".
78	** #7 was Santo Gold's eponymous song from his film ''Blood Circus'', covered in Episode 41, "Infomercials".
79	** #6 was "We're Stayin' in Tonight", from RCA's "Introduction to CED" video featured in Episode 92, "[[Platform/{{CED}} Capacitance Electronic Discs]] (or, CED's)".
80	** #5 was "V.D. is for Everybody", the jingle from the [[Main/PublicServiceAnnouncement PSA]] of the same name featured in Episode 45, "Public Service Announcements (or, PSA's)", a still of which is still part of the opening sequence to this day.
81	** #4 was a Muzak cover of Berlin's "Take My Breath Away" which briefly played in Episode 78, "The Death of Analog Television".
82	*** In Episode 222 ("Record Ripoffs Vol. 11 (‘80’s Hits: Woodgrain & Neon)"), it was revealed that this cover originated on a 1987 album titled ''Box Office Blasts: Latest Movie Themes'', recorded by the Movin' Dream Orchestra for Denon Records and released only in Japan.
83	** #3 was "Who Made the Egg Salad Sandwiches?" from an ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' "Five Neat Guys" faux-infomercial, which appeared as a non-sequitur joke in Episodes 2 and 159, "Emergency Broadcast Salute Vol. 1/2".
84	** #2 was "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmHoeS4sA0Y Cyclotron]]" by [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Mansfield Keith Mansfield]], used in a [=Tele1st=] startup countdown shown in Episode 11, "Pay TV (but Not Cable or Satellite)".
85	** #1 was, of course, Ben's own "Pavanned" theme song. "I don't know if y'all are just kissing my ass or it's just the sheer tonnage of times I've played it, but [it] won by a freaking landslide", getting 70 mentions and likes, way ahead of "Cyclotron" which only got 15.
86	* ElmuhFuddSyndwome: It's not very pronounced, but when Ben says the phrase "Beautiful Downtown Aurora", the r's in "Aurora" come out sounding like w's.
87	* EmergencyBroadcast: The main focus of episodes 2 ("Emergency Broadcast Salute, Vol. 1"), 51 ("Weather Warnings"), and 159 ("Emergency Broadcast Salute, Vol. 2"). In the first of those episodes, Ben describes how the Emergency Alert System started as a nuclear attack warning system called CONELRAD before expanding to also report on severe weather; in the second, he puts more focus on said severe weather broadcasts; and in the third, he gives what little information he could find about international emergency broadcast protocols, such as those in Japan and Canada.
88	* TheFaceless: Ben is almost always shown with a cardboard box covering the lower half of his face. He claims that whenever his full face is shown the camera breaks, and he doesn't want to have to buy a new one.
89	** The only times his full face can be glimpsed at are second-long clips in the Oddity Archive Promo (where he immediately covers the camera lens with his hand), the demonic video tape in Episode 9, and the first "Ask the Archive". [[note]]His upper lip can also be seen at points during "Bye Bye Blippie", but his face as a whole remains hidden.[[/note]]
90	** Episode 89.5, "Frequently Asked Questions", begins with the inevitable question "Dude, what's with the box?" His reply:
91	--->'''Ben:''' Privacy... And I'm one ugly-ass mother[BLEEP].
92	** Episode 210 ("PSA’s Vol. 2 (or, Only You Can Prevent PSA’s)") shows Ben's upper lip during the intro to the "earworms" segment.
93	** Ben briefly shows his full face at various points in Episode 227 following his "Vampess" transformation. He [[JustifiedTrope justifies]] these shots in Episode 248.75, saying the amount of makeup he was wearing made him fairly hard to recognize.
94	* FakeBoobs: Ben accuses a woman in a phone sex ad of this trope in "1-900-ARCHIVE".
95	--> '''Ben:''' I don't think those are real or implants. I think she just stuffed a pillow down her shirt.
96	* FemaleGaze: Ben goes to great lengths to unearth an example of this in "Philips CD-I (Compact Disc Interactive)".
97	* {{Foreshadowing}}: During the [[OnceAnEpisode "Local Commerical Break"]] for "Scary Logos (and other Nostalgic Video Terrors)", an Amvest Video clip of Grampa is used, followed by Ed saying, "We might have to revisit that one. ;)" Sure enough, Amvest Video was profiled three episodes later.
98	* GallowsHumor: Used often, especially in episodes pertaining to AtomicHate in a significant way. Ben says in the "Film/DuckAndCover" episode that this kind of "comes with the territory". He'll usually issue some sort of [[ContentWarning warning]] prior to its use.
99	* GoryDiscretionShot: The shadowy screen while Ben is doing [[NoodleIncident whatever it is]] [[ItMakesSenseInContext that "Arrivederci Roma" drives him to do]] in "Halloween Special 2013 (Part 1 - Italian Dance Party)" can be read as this.
100	* HandOrObjectUnderwear: A blink-and-you-miss-it shot at the very beginning of "American [=EXXXtasy=] (and other C-band nastiness)" has a woman posing topless on a couch, her arm concealing her breasts.
101	* HypocriticalHumor:
102	** In "Halloween Special 2013 (Part 1 - Italian Dance Party)", Ben condemns the "Italian Dance Party" for being disrespectful toward Italian music. Deciding he needed to bring "ethnic authenticity" [[note]]Ben is of partial Italian heritage[[/note]] to the show, he then begins a rendition of "Arrivederci Roma"... before fumbling on the words and crapping out.
103	---> '''Ben:''' I could never remember the words to that damn song, anyway.
104	** As revealed in "Conservative Folk Music", the ''Archive'' strongly believes in civil discourse. And if you disagree, they'll break your kneecaps.
105	* InstrumentalThemeTune: The theme song from episode 6 onwards, "Pavanned", does not contain any spoken lyrics.
106	* LongRunners: ''Oddity Archive'' has been running continuously since 2012.
107	* LuddWasRight: Invoked in several episodes, most prominently in "Going Analog". Not literally, since Ludd would have been aghast at Betamax moreso than Jack Valenti.
108	* LyricalDissonance:
109	** Ben's original song in "Industrial Musicals (or, The Archive Sells Out!)" is a fairly upbeat song about how Ben would prostitute himself out to corporate sponsors in order to get out of his poor financial situation.
110	** This is discussed in "Conservative Folk Music", where Ben points out that the promotion of Mutually Assured Destruction in the Spokesmen's "The Dawn of Correction" goes against the song's allegedly "comforting" nature.
111	* MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext: In "Emergency Broadcast Salute", Ben cuts to a clip from ''Series/{{SCTV}}'' of five guys singing "Who Made The Egg Salad Sandwiches". If you watch the original sketch, the song is just as much of a non-sequitur as it is here.
112	* MaleGaze: Most of the sexual oddities use this.
113	* MoralGuardians: Mocked mercilessly in "Hell's Bells".
114	* MotorMouth:
115	** The voiceover on the ''Cat Sitter'' FBI warning bumper.
116	--->'''Voiceover''': Theprogramportionofthistapehasbeencoatedwithanewsubstancecalled[=KTC=]topreventillegalcopying. [=KTConlyreactswhensubjectedtothemagneticheadfluctationcasuedbytherecordmode.=] Ifyouhavealreadystartedtorecordthistape, wearerequiredbylawtoinformyouthattheKTCprocessmaydamageyourVCR. [=KTCwillnotaffectyourVCRintheplaymode.=] [=ThetapecoatedwithKTCdoesnotbeginforanotherfifteenseconds.=] [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Stop. Recording. Now.]] Thankyouforpurchasingthisvideo. Enjoytheshow.\
117	'''Ben''': I guess John Moschitta wasn't available.
118	** Ben's summary of Bob Harris (a.k.a. "Santo Gold") in "Infomercials" is spoken rather rapidly, at least by his standards.
119	** In one episode, Ben mentions that if the voiceover on an Emergency Alert System broadcast were just as scared as the audience would be of the alert itself, maybe he would care more about it. Cue an EAS alert where the voiceover speaks like this as a side effect of it being scared.
120	* MisplacedNamesPoster: An accidental one occurs in "VHS Vault Vol. 4 (VCR Games)", when a caption reading "billiard room" appears in front of a ''Clue II'' character.
121	-->'''Inspector Pry''': My name... is Inspector Pry.
122	-->'''Ben''': No, it's not, i-it's "Billiard Room", I could see it there right on the screen! Oh, everybody in ''TabletopGame/{{Clue}}'' IS a compulsive liar, so I shouldn't be surprised.
123	* {{MST}}: The "Archive Riffs" subseries is this, but there are also other examples of riffing on media throughout the regular series as well.
124	* NetworkSignOff: One episode features a recreation of a network sign-off the for the fictional KLAK-13 network.
125	* NoodleIncident:
126	** In "Number Stations (And Other Radio Oddities)", we're not told exactly what Ben did at the previous year's Oktoberfest, other than that it involved wooden clogs.
127	** The audience is also never shown what Ben does after going to bed with "Arrivederci Roma" stuck in his head during the 2013 Halloween special. All the viewers are given is the sound of some kind of metallic weapon, the sound of footsteps on grass, and [[NightmareFuel what sounds like the dumping of a dead body]].
128	** The "Urinal Cake Thing" from "Local TV Vol. 3 (Public Access)". A Blip exec named George, a New York subway station, the previous summer, and 10,000 urinal cakes. That's all George needs to hear to return ''Oddity Archive'' to Blip. [[note]]Except not really.[[/note]]
129	* NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer: Sometimes used with the more absurd oddities. Often, awkward edits in the source material are disclaimed with text reading "NOT OUR EDIT".
130	* OurLawyersAdvisedThisTrope: The ''Cat Sitter'' video from "Copy-Protection Vol. 2 (odds and ends)" opens with one of these, claiming the company that made the tape was required by law to warn viewers that duplicating the tape could damage their [=VCRs=]. After Ben debunks the copy protection (see CowboyBebopAtHisComputer above), the warning comes across as an attempt at a BadassBoast more than anything.
131	* PrecisionFStrike: Normally, Ben strays away from harsher profanities in his videos, or censors them. However, the final episode of the "Ben's Musical 'Career'" subseries has an extremely powerful subversion, when he closes the episode by delivering a moral to his viewers.
132	-->'''Ben''': With regards to any creative endeavor: [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Just. Fucking. Do it.]] And I'm not gonna censor that F-bomb there, I think I earned that one.
133	** An accidental example was with the [=UAV=] guy who hacked into the "Public Domain VHS Distributors" episode, who mentioned that [=UAV=] "had a little licensey-license with [[Creator/{{Filmation}} Film-fucking-mation]]!"
134	* PunnyName:
135	** "Interstitials" features the [[ItMakesSenseInContext (fake)]] book ''Don't Mime If I Do'', written by [[ImYourWorstNightmare "R. Wirst Nitemayer"]][[note]]"Our worst nightmare".[[/note]], and published by "Munnee, Hungree & Bastards Inc." [[note]]"money hungry [&] bastards"[[/note]].
136	** The show's subtitle producer, Ed Itor (say that out loud if you don't get it).
137	* RunningGag:
138	** The picture on the cardboard box varies between episodes.
139	** "Aaaand welcome to the ''Oddity Archive'', the show that [does a verb]."
140	** "Join us next time when we [do something interesting, sometimes related to the episode's subject]."
141	** The ''Max Headroom'' hijacker has become a running gag throughout the series.
142	** Connie Francis is also used as a semi-reccurent gag, starting with "Emergency Broadcast Salute".
143	** "Beautiful Downtown Aurora".
144	** A semi-recurrent gag is Ed the Editor reacting negatively to one of Ben's "history lessons."
145	--->'''Ben:''' That means...\
146	'''Ed:''' NO!\
147	'''Ben:''' ...it's time for another one of my history lessons.\
148	'''ED:''' ''YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US!''
149	** It's a gag among commenters to mention that ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' episodes are almost always in the related videos -- which Ben addresses in episode 89.5, saying he doesn't get why and didn't even know what ''Code Lyoko'' was until people started mentioning it.
150	** In video riffs, [[{{Blooper}} flubs by actors]][[invoked]] are often followed by Ben yelling "[[ThrowItIn KEEP ROLLING!]]"
151	* ScareEmStraight: Ben discusses this tactic in "PSA's (or, The More You Know, The Less You Understand)".
152	* ScreamerPrank: Used in "Protect and Survive" as TheStinger.
153	* SelfDeprecation: At the end of episode 124, "Useless VHS Tapes":
154	-->'''Ben:''' Join us next time, when I release my own useless video! In other words, just another Archive episode.
155	* SeriesFauxnale: Although the series wasn't in actual danger of ending, "The Death of Analog TV" is set up as one of these, wherein Ben claimed the higher-ups in the geek community got ''Archive'' cancelled, as it was "obsolete". Ben soon took to social media to assure fans that the show was not, in fact, ending, and that regular episodes would resume in the near future.
156	* {{Sermonette}}: The KLAK-13 [[NetworkSignOff sign-off]] also includes a parody sermonette slot titled "Give Us This Day". The slot is hosted by Pastor George Needlesman of the Needmoney Church in Beverly Hills, CA.
157	* SigningOffCatchPhrase: The regular episodes always end with "That's it for today's Archive. Join us next week when we...", the rest changing from episode to episode. Many of the non-regular episodes, especially the "Ben's Junk" episodes, end with "I'll talk to you again soon."
158	* SilentCredits:
159	** Used in "Protect and Survive", "Prehistoric Television", and "Weather Warnings".
160	** As of late 2014/early 2015, "Emergency Broadcast Salute" features this [[EnforcedTrope due to a copyright claim on the jingle that was used through the credits.]]
161	* SpoofAesop: "TV Sign-Offs" features a mock [=PSA=] that shows Ben shedding a single tear before dumping trash on a clean floor. The message? "If it feels good... why not?"
162	* SoundtrackDissonance: In the 'Scary Logos' video, Ben refers to this as "Protect and Survive Syndrome."
163	* TheStinger: Regular episodes always end with a short non-sequitur clip from one of the media featured in the episode.
164	* SurrealHumor: Full of this, especially during the episode about the ''Series/MaxHeadroom'' [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Headroom_broadcast_signal_intrusion incident]].
165	* TakeThat:
166	** In "Valentine's Day Special (Dating Services)", Ben taped a paper reading "HAPPY NOW, BLIP???" onto the cardboard box. This is credited in the next episode (the third Local TV Special) to having led to the series' suspension from Blip.
167	** Blip officially attributed the cancellation to ''Archive'' not filming in high-enough quality. This was also mocked in said episode when at the end, as part of [[ExecutiveMeddling an executive-mandated decision]] to bring in guests on the show (the episode revolves around Ben having to move his show to a local network instead of on Blip, due to them booting him off), Ben calls an executive at Blip to bring his show back. After the exec declines after Ben explains why he doesn't film in high-quality (it's a budgetary and stylistic choice), Ben brings up [[NoodleIncident the Urinal Cake Thing]]...which leads to the exec promptly giving back Ben his spot.
168	* TakeThatAudience:
169	** After issuing the aforementioned ContentWarning in "American [=EXXXtacy=]", Ben says that people watching Oddity Archive probably don't have girlfriends.
170	** In "Local TV Vol. 2 (Kiddie Show Hosts)", Ben spends a good while at the beginning cursing the viewer(s) who requested the episode's topic.
171	** The Box in the first Halloween Special has the words "SCREW YOU" written on it as an irritated Ben mutters about filming at night.
172	* TakeThatUs:
173	** Some of the opening "show that [x]" lines are this.
174	---> '''Ben:''' Welcome to the Oddity Archive, the show that metaphorically embodies circling the drain.
175	** The official website credits Ben as "Ben (That Shmuck With The Cardboard Box) Minnotte".
176	* ThisIsForEmphasisBitch: Used in "PSA's (or, The More You Know, The Less You Understand)" during Ben's rant at a child abuse [=PSA=].
177	--> '''Woman in ad''': You can't be ''my'' kid!
178	--> '''Ben''': You're right... I'm your worst nightmare. ...Bitch!
179	* ToiletHumor: The discussion of the [=WOWO=] Emergency Broadcast incident is followed by an underwear commercial, [[BringMyBrownPants because you'll need new underwear after hearing that broadcast]].
180	* VagueAge: Ben's age is deliberately kept vague, with the only certain thing being that he was born in the 80s. [[note]]During "VHS Vault Vol. 1 (Amvest Video)", it's strongly implied that Ben was born around 1984-1985, which would make him about 30-31 in 2015, but even that's unconfirmed.[[/note]]
181	** He would semi-confirm this during "Ben's Music "Career" Vol. 1 (The Outsider Years, Pt. 1)", saying that he was 15 throughout 2001 (and also lampshading that he gave away his age), making his birth year likely 1986.
182	** He would later confirm his star sign on Episode 197, "Switched-On Archive (Carlosplotation)", which is Scorpio (October 23 - November 21).
183	** Ben would outright state that his birthday is (Presumably) November 12, as it was the original date Episode 206, "Benny's Birthday Bash" was uploaded. In the episode he states that he would likely just say that he is turning 29 that year. [[note]] For those of you keeping up at home, that would make his (presumed) birthdate November 12, 1985.[[/note]]
184	* VanityPlate: The subject of a couple of episodes:
185	** Episode 23, "Scary Logos (and Other Nostalgic Video Terrors)", partially focused on logos notorious for scaring certain viewers; the remainder of the episode talks about the FBI warnings often seen at the beginning of videocassettes.
186	** Episode 203, "Cheesy Logos", focuses instead on, well, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin cheesy logos]], with logo montages centered around a particular "cheesy" aspect (trumpet jingles, synthesized jingles, logos that try to look "majestic", logos that blatantly rip off other logos, flat-out dull logos). Ben also discussed [[LogoJoke logo variants]] and how they used to be unusual and creative, but that nowadays every production has its own logo variants, making them lose their surprise value and become more unimaginative. The "cheesy logos" subject was a compromise between certain fans having requested a "Scary Logos" sequel for years and Ben just not being the type to be scared over logos (on top of his considering "Scary Logos" to be one of his worst episodes), though he did throw the fans a bone with a montage of logos that "used to kinda sorta creep me out as a kid" along with recent finds.
187	* VerbalTic: Ben uses the word "indeed" a lot, sometimes inserting the word several times into a single thought.
188	* VisualPun: Ben makes one at the end of "Captain Midnight/Vrillon" about signal jamming.
189	* VoiceClipSong: "Employee Training Videos Vol. 2 (Loss Prevention)" ends with a remix of the music from one of the videos using some of the dialogue from one of the shoplifters.
190	* WaxingLyrical: From "Archive Riffs: Cigarette Commercials", Ben jokingly quotes "Wonderwall" by Music/{{Oasis}} when riffing a cigarette ad from a company of the same name.
191	--> '''Commercial Narrator:''' Oasis.
192	--> '''Ben:''' 'Cause today's gonna be the day that they throw it all back to you.
193	* WeAreExperiencingTechnicalDifficulties:
194	** "Teknikel Diffikultees" revolves around the technical difficulties experienced by television channels.
195	** Also used in "PSA's (or, The More You Know, The Less You Understand)" to interrupt Ben's rant at a PSA about child abuse.
196	** "Special Bulletins (or, We Interrupt This Archive)" has a segment on "weather break-ins" which includes footage of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake interrupting an MLB World Series broadcast and KNBH coming back from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake that threw it and all the Los Angeles TV stations off the air.
197	* WeInterruptThisProgram: Episode 190, "Special Bulletins (or, We Interrupt This Archive)", is all about these. Many of the famous ones get covered: the [[UsefulNotes/TheHindenburg ''Hindenburg'' disaster]] ("Oh, the humanity!"), [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the Pearl Harbor attacks, D-Day]], the [[WhoShotJFK JFK assassination]], 9/11, the Port Kaituma shootings which preceded the [[UsefulNotes/JimJones Jonestown mass suicide]], the UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan assassination attempt (featuring Frank Reynolds' infamous "all this information!" outburst), Princess Diana's death and Air Florida Flight 90.
198	* WhamLine: The Ben's Music "Career" series is pretty topsy-turvy on its own with its details about how Ben's music career came to be, but Volume 3's showing of why he scrapped his ''West of Elderbush Gulch'' album is especially noteworthy.
199	-->"I had a classmate who got a record deal...with Creator/EpicRecords, for his band...and that band was called '''Music/TheFray'''."
200	* WorstNewsJudgmentEver: Discussed in "Special Bulletins (or, We Interrupt This Archive)". The intro gets "interrupted" by a brief rant from Ben about how ''everything'' is "breaking news" these days, and what he introduces as his "whoop-de-freaking-doo montage" mostly features breaking news interruptions that Ben feels could've at least waited until the next commercial break.
201	* YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle: In "Number Stations (And Other Radio Oddities)", Ben [[ItMakesSenseInContext wins the lottery]], and declares that this episode of the ''Archive'' will be the last. Of course, he says this with a good eight minutes left in the episode, so it's no surprise when it turns out he's blown it all and must continue making the ''Archive''.
202	* YouWannaGetSued: When Creator/{{Disney}} or Chicago's WGN channel are mentioned, Ben often bleeps them out to avoid invoking them directly, and their names are usually blanked out when they appear on screen. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] in that, as Ben notes in an episode of "Ask the Archive", Disney and WGN can be a bit litigious when it comes to copyright, and referencing either entity directly could result in the offending episode being pulled from Website/YouTube.
203	----

Context WebVideo / OddityArchive