Pinky and the Brain was cut from the same cloth as Animaniacs, so you'd have to be an idiot not to see where this show inherited its radar-dodging genes. And much like Animaniacs, a lot of the show's risque jokes and references also count as Genius and Parental Bonuses, which is why both this show and Animaniacs are touted by older viewers as being funnier when you grow up.
- Many of the "Are you pondering what I'm pondering" Running Gag riffs by Pinky are... Head-Tiltingly Kinky.Brain: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?Pinky: I think so, Brain, but where are we going to get rubber pants our size?
- Here's one:
Brain: Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering Pinky?Pinky: I think so Brain, but wouldn't his movies be more suitable for children if he was named, "Jean-Claude Van Darn"?- And here's one from the comic:
Brain: Are You Pondering What I'm Pondering Pinky?Pinky: (holding one of the pointy pieces from Sorry! and the bottle of Slick 'n Slide) I think so, Br...Brain: (shuts Pinky's mouth) No, on second thought, don’t tell me... I don't think they allow that in a book with the Comics Code.- "I think so, Brain, but we're already naked!"
- In another issue, Pinky reacts with Anticipatory Breath Spray and "Er... then again, let's not let our enthusiasm overwhelm us!"
- Brain's Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness was used for some rather risque Parental Bonus moments, such as telling Dolly Parton that "puberty was inordinately kind to [her]." Then there was the Samson episode, which seemed to be an excuse to use the word "ass" as many times as possible when Brain tried to harness the power of "the jawbone of an ass!"
- In "Mouse of La Mancha", Brain saves a village from a bull. A local villager gives him a big hug and loses him between her...uh... Another villager promptly blocks the camera and extracts Brain.
- In "TV or Not TV", two guys pitch a sitcom about a bikini designer who stumbles around pretending to be blind. Think about it for a sec.
- "Of Mouse and Man" got away with using workplace sexual harassment as a plot point. Played For Laughs, of course.Boss: Here's the company policy on vacation, on personal phone calls.(places a huge stack of papers on Brain's desk)Boss: ...and sexual harassment. Don't worry about this, you're safe as long as you avoid all contact with humans.
- Here's a gem when one of Brain's female coworkers hits on him:
Woman: "You know what they say. Big ears...big earmuffs." - In "This Old Mouse" when Brain and Pinky see their senile future selves:Pinky:[laughs] "Look at your floppy left ear! You can't raise it up anymore!"
- In the song/episode "A Meticulous Analysis of History"(a parody of "When I Was A Lad", from H.M.S. Pinafore) Brain sings about various would-be world conquerors who have preceeded him. Among these is Caligula, who's shown trying to sneak into a group of Boy Scouts while the song goes:Brain: Caligula was no Boy Scout.
He did things we can't even talk about.
The Romans knew he'd lost his head
when he filled a vacant senate seat with Mister Ed.
Pinky: What's wrong with being friendly with a thoroughbred?- Keep in mind that Pinky is in love with a horse.
- Not to mention in one of the final verses of the song, when Pinky mentions a certain "former governor of Arkansas" (Bill Clinton), who is very clearly shown not wearing pants.
- In "Meet John Brain", Larry Kling is interviewing Suzanne Slimmers on her invention, The Thigh Monster. When asked how she stays so thin she replies "Why Thigh Monster of course!" and demonstrates how to use it—she presses her elbows between it making her breasts bounce in the process. Kling remarks "I could watch this for hours!".
- In the Christmas Episode, Pinky is at Santa's workshop and invites Brain to have a party with the reindeer at Donner's house (Donner being the name of one of Santa's reindeer according to pop culture). Brain replies that the idea of joining the Donner Party
seems unappealing. - From "Welcome to the Jungle":Brain: "Pinky, display your savvy!"Pinky: "Braaiin...in public?"
- When Pinky and Brain have to go through T.H.E.Y.'s hazing in "T.H.E.Y.":Brain: "What's next, a panty raid on the Kremlin?!"
- A jab at Charlie Sheen from the episode "Calvin Brain"Brain: Come, we're off to a place where woman are paid huge amounts of money to look beautiful, and change clothes frequently.Pinky: Charlie Sheen's house?Brain: No, Pinky, a fashion show.
- In "Brinky", when Pinky and Brain find out that their new clone is a combination of both their DNA, Brain comes to the horrible realization that Pinky is it's mommy. Directly after that, Pinky goes to a phone and asks the operator for the number of "The La Leche League". La Leche League International is a non-profit organization that promotes breastfeeding.
- Then there's the ending:
Pinky: Why Brain? What are we going to do tonight?Brain: The same thing we do every night, Pinky... try to take over the world!Pinky: Oh, not tonight, Brain... I have a headache! - "Brain's Bogie"
- A Cher infomercial shows Cher showing off tattoos of her loved one's names. She says, "Wait'll you see where I put Ed Koch", followed by the sound of a zipper unzipping and Pinky and Brain giving an "Ew...".
- While disguised as Cher, Brain mentions that he's famous for a couple of special talents.
- This exchange from the Animaniacs-era skit "Jockey For Position"Brain: Promise me something, Pinky. Never breed.Pinky: I'll try.
- "Brainania"
- Pinky at one point asks a lady for 'Relations' - which Brain hastily corrects to Diplomatic relations.
- One scene shows a Brainainia postcard of Pinky made to look like a woman sunbathing topless.
- A blink and you'll miss it one appears in the "The Megalomaniacal Adventures of Brainie the Poo". When the story book first appears, the author listed on the cover reads, "A.A. Meeting", which works as a non-sexual Double Entendre, as not only is it a pun on Winnie The Pooh writer A.A. Milne, but it's a Parental Bonus (unless you're a child in a family of alcoholics, what kid is gonna know that that's a reference to a support group for people whose drinking problem has gotten out of hand).
- In one episode of Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, we get this following an intense playtime with Elmyra:Pinky: I think Elmyra's seen Titanic a few hundred times too many.
Brain: Let's hope she never rents A Clockwork Orange. - In the first issue of the comic, Pinky is rattling off a list of qualities a superhero needs, and is about to say that to be really popular, one needs "absolutely gigantic br -" only to be interrupted by Brain. Brain thinks he was going to say "brains", but the implication is clear.
- The cover of the comic shows both mice stuffing tissues down the front of their superhero costumes, to imitate breasts.
