People going "OMG THEY DID NOT" when a character breaks the fourth wall

Anonus

You see this in the MLP:FIM fandom with people freaking out over Pinkie Pie as if this were a new thing. It's not.

Bugs Bunny talked to the viewer all the time. Tom winked at us in "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Mouse". I could go on.

Naas_Human

It bugs me that you choose old cartoons to point out this is not a new thing, instead of like, something from pre-modern era.

Anonus

Like what?

Anonus

Also, why wouldn't picking Looney Tunes or Tom and Jerry be valid? Lots of people are familiar with them, and they demonstrate how far back this goes - it's not like I dug up some relative obscurity like King Leonardo.

Naas_Human

Those are valid examples, but there are famous instances of breaking the fourth wall going even in Shakespeare, and the idea even predates him by a forever. (there's some indication that keeping the fourth wall up might actually be a later invention compared to breaking it) I'd say examples from pre-industrial stuff drives the point of an idea being old waaaaay better  than Looney Tunes.

lrdgck

I'd wager this is because Looney Tunes seems a bit like a better reference point for My Little Pony than Shakespeare.

glennmagusharvey

One thing I loved about DKC's version of King K. Rool was how he'd look toward the "camera" when he did stuff -- especially if he knocked you out.  It looked so cheesy on his part, and was quite hilarious.

Noimporta

It bugs me that you choose old cartoons to point out this is not a new thing, instead of like, something from pre-modern era.

It bugs me in the opposite direction. Most of MLP's fandom is young, and the Looney Tunes haven't been relevant, sadly, for several years.

lrdgck

Just been thinking. Looney Tunes was actually quite close to the theatre, right? I mean, it didn't come from nowhere. Playing on motifs coming from cabaret or vaudeville (or some other old entertainment buzzwords that I pretend to understand). Perhaps, one could argue it's more natural for the original audience of Looney Tunes to laugh at fourth wall breaking than for ponytards, at least I could make such a guess. I remember old shorts that made sense only when watched in cinema, like a character telling a small black silhouette at the bottom of the screen to sit down and let others watch.

glennmagusharvey

I didn't grow up watching Looney Tunes and I can still find them quite entertaining.

Noimporta

Of course you can, they're really good.

Anonus

Time Warner, the dysfunctional behemoth that they are, has done a lot to devalue Looney Tunes. I think it might make some sort of comeback to the spotlight if they do it right (it's one of those "dead" franchises in the sense that The Muppets is, e.g. not nearly as much as it is said to be), but it is kind of sad that something that shaped multiple generations' idea of animation and holds such a large place in pop culture has taken a backseat.

Anonus

Also, Bob Iger-era Disney is an intellectual property titan and nobody seems to be able to compete with them right now

Zennistrad

Pinkie breaking the fourth wall is a lot more of a fanon thing, really.

Bee

I don't think I've seen anyone ever particularly surprised when Pinkie breaks the fourth wall.  It's been established since the series premiere.

Granted fanworks tend to take the ball and run victory laps around the field with it, but still.