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Whizz Kid

Whizz kid

:This article is about the stereotypical character. For the computer game, see Wizkid. The whiz kid is a stock character who is notably intelligent, but typically lacking in physical strength. In movies, comic strips and other visual mediums, they usually wear glasses and are typically dressed in a fashion that is slightly overdressed or different in style than the rest of the cast. The whiz kid is usually attached to books, the Internet, and other sources of information and often talks with big words in order to show off. The whiz kid usually serves as a sidekick to the hero and sometimes to the story as comic relief. Male whiz kids are often referred to as "geeks" or "nerds" by other characters, while their female counterparts are typically called "know-it-alls."

Examples

- Barry Ween (The Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius)
- Commander Keen (series of computer games)
- Connie Souphanousinphone (King of the Hill)
- Daniel Jackson¹ (Stargate and Stargate SG-1)
- Dexter (Dexter’s Laboratory)
- Doogie Howser, M.D. (TV series of the same title)
- Edd (Ed, Edd, and Eddy)
- Encyclopedia Brown (book series of the same title)
- Jason Fox (FoxTrot)
- Hermione Granger (Harry Potter)
- Honker Muddlefoot (Darkwing Duck)
- Jimmy Neutron (Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius)
- Leslie Clark (The ClueFinders)
- Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
- Martin Prince (The Simpsons)
- Max Fisher (Rushmore)
- Miles Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog)
- Patty Pryor (American Dreams)
- Penny (Inspector Gadget)
- Sammy Dullard (Rocket Power)
- Stewie Griffin (Family Guy)
- Aaron Rosman (University of Illinois)
- Wesley Crusher (Star Trek) Wade Load (Kim Possible) Izzy Izumi(Digimon)

Notes

#Although Daniel Jackson is an adult, he often takes to amazing events with an almost childlike sense of awe. He also fulfills several of the stereotypes relating to whiz kids, such as wearing glasses and being nerdy (the latter is especially true of him in the Stargate film.) #Commander Keen's only resemblance to a whiz kid is his intelligence. Category: Stock characters

Computer game

:This article is about computer and video games. For the magazine see Computer and Video Games (magazine). Technically, a computer game is a game composed of a computer-controlled virtual universe that players may interact with in order to achieve a goal (or set of goals). A video game is a computer game where a video display is the primary feedback device. Since nearly all computer games use some sort of visual display, these terms are usually considered interchangeable, and are frequently used as umbrella terms for interactive game software. The phrase interactive entertainment is the formal reference to computer and video games. To avoid ambiguity, this game software is referred to as "computer and video games" throughout this article. However, in common usage, "computer game" refers more specifically to games played on a personal computer, while "video game" (or "videogame") actually refers to both, and "[console name] game" refers specifically to games played on a particular console.
- For specific information regarding "computer games", see personal computer game.
- For specific information regarding "console games", see console game. console game) is held every year in Los Angeles. New projects are shown every year.]]

History

The first primitive computer and video games were developed in the 1950s and 1960s and ran on platforms such as oscilloscopes, university mainframes and EDSAC computers. Arcade games were developed in the 1970s and led to the so-called "Golden Age of Arcade Games". One of the most well-known of these games is Pong. The 1970s also saw the release of the first home video game consoles. The late 1970s to early 1980s brought about the improvement of home consoles and the release of the Atari 2600, Intellivision and Colecovision. The video game crash of 1983, however, produced a dark age in the market that was not filled until the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) reached North America in 1985. The last two decades of game history have been marked by separate markets for games on video game consoles, home computers and handhelds. See the article on Console wars for additional information on that facet of game history.

The future of console gaming

The end of 2005 and first and second quarters of 2006 will see the next generation of console gaming in the form of continuing advances in processor technology, graphics technology, design innovation, and even platform specific gaming community infrastructure. Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft are all participating in this coming year's "technology race". The second generation Microsoft offering, the Xbox 360, will be powered by a multi-core CPU, the PlayStation 3 will be powered by Cell processor technology, and the Nintendo Revolution will allow the gamer to interact with the game via a wireless motion sensing controller, although full technical specifications are yet to be revealed.

Gameplay

Main article: Gameplay In computer and video gaming, gameplay (sometimes called "Game mechanics") is a general term that describes player interaction with a game. It includes direct interaction, such as controls and interface, but also design aspects of the game, such as levels. Although the use of this term is often disputed, as it is considered too vague for the range of concepts it describes, it is currently the most commonly used and accepted term for this purpose when describing video games.

Genres

Main article: Computer and video game genres Games, like most other forms of media, may be categorized into genres based on gameplay, atmosphere, and various other factors. Any individual gamer is likely to favor some types of gameplay over others, these are refered to as video game genres. The most common genres in use today include platformers, adventure, role-playing games (RPGs), first person shooters (FPS), third person shooter (sometimes called shoot 'em ups), sports, racing, fighting (sometimes called beat 'em ups), action (although this term is abused), puzzle, simulation, and real time strategy (RTS), to name a few. It is rare that a game will fall purely into one genre, most games are a combination of two or more genres (e.g action/RPG). Although most genres have 2D counterparts, they are for the most part considered entirely different genres because of the differences in the way 2D and 3D games are played (e.g. Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario 64). The increase in the popularity of online gaming has also resulted in new sub-genres being formed, such as the massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Gaming platforms

massively multiplayer online role-playing game Today there are many different devices that games may be played on. Personal computers, consoles, handheld systems, and arcade machines are all common. There is an extremely thin line between games played on the computer and those on the console, which is a standardized computer with little or no setup. Many games intended for computer are now just as prevalent on consoles, both of which have many of the same titles. This is due to the fact that video game consoles have drastically increased in computing power and capabilities over the last few years to the point that they can handle games that were formerly only playable with comparatively higher-end computers. During the last generation of gaming, most major computer game releases have coincided with the release of console versions, and titles initially developed for a single platform are often ported to others if they prove to be successful.

Personal Computer

Main article: Personal Computer Games Personal computer games are commonly referred to as "computer games" or "PC games". They are played on the personal computer with standard computer interface devices such as the keyboard and mouse, or additional peripherals, such as joysticks. Video feedback is received by the user through the computer screen, sound through speakers or headphones. Computer games are often more powerful than console games because of early market releases of their external architecture and graphics cards. The most popular genres of Computer games are First-Person Shooters, Real-Time Strategy, Simulations, and MMOGs, given the long-standing nature of Internet access and online play. First Person Shooters benefit highly from using the keyboard and mouse to give very fine control over player movement that is still not matched on the consoles. Today, most PC games require the Windows operating system to be installed on the computer. There is, however, a continuing movement to get the most popular games to run under the Mac and Linux operating systems. According to the Entertainment Software Association, console games have outsold computer games roughly four units to one in 2003 and 2004 [http://theesa.com/facts/sales_genre_data.php]. For more information, see sales. One possible explanation for the declining sales of personal computer games in relation to that of consoles can be found within the PC itself: a computer must meet certain minimum requirements (listed on retail box of the title) such as CPU speed, memory, video card memory, hard drive space, operating system, Internet connection speed (for online games) and other criteria. Without the proper hardware, the game may perform poorly or not run at all.

Internet

Main article: Internet gaming Online Games are those which either require or benefit from a connection to the Internet to play. Online gaming began with PC games, but has over time expanded to include most moder consoles. It is now a key feature of modern games, with the inclusion of Internet connectivity in consoles such as the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, and in mobile/cellular phones. Online games need to allow several people to play at the same time, so not all genres are suitable; the most popular genres include MMORPG's, FPS's, racing/driving games, strategy games, and sports titles. The Internet is also host to thousands of small Flash and Java games, named after the programming language in which they are written. These games generally do not share the same magnitude of development costs, depth, or seriousness of PC and console games, and are generally quick to complete by comparison. Some of these games, such as Runescape, however, have expanded far beyond this, and can often be considered on the same level as "mainstream" PC games.

Console

Main article: Console games Console games are played video game console, a specialized computer specifically designed to play games of a certain format. The player usually interacts with the game through a controller, and video and sound are typically delivered to the player via a television, although most modern consoles support additional outputs, such as surround sound setups. Consoles themselves branched off from personal computers around two decades ago, a fact which is still evident not only in the name, but also in many of the peripherals available for many consoles, like the keyboard and mouse peripherals released for the Sony PlayStation 2 and the Sega Dreamcast.

Handheld

Main article: Handheld video games Handheld games are played on handheld game consoles, such as the Nintendo Gameboy, Nintendo DS, and Sony PSP. Handheld consoles act as their own controllers, which the player uses to interact with the game, as well as having in-built display and audio output devices. Because they are designed to be played on the go, they are usually small enough to fit into an average pocket (the virtual boy is an exception to this), but due to their small size, haldheld consoles have reduced processing power compared to larger consoles, meaning that games are shorter, and until the release of the DS, were limited to 2D.

Mobile Phone

Main article: Mobile/Cellular Phone Games Most mobile phones now have games built into them, and others are available for download, or can be bought for a small amount of money. These games are more restricted than traditional handheld games, and usually play more like arcade games.

Arcade

Main article: Arcade Games Arcade games, traditionally, are "coin-operated games", played on a standalone device originally leased to commercial entertainment venues. These are programmed, equipped, and decorated for a specific game, consisting of a video display, a set of controls, and the coin slot. Controls are similar to those available for many consoles (albeit usually as peripherals) and range from the classic joystick and buttons, to light guns, to pads on the ground that sense pressure. Arcade games that are no longer profitable to lease can be purchased by private individuals, many of whom then explore the game dynamics by altering the programs. This term has now expanded to include any game that has more direct action, with fewer long term objectives and, for the most part, shorter in-game levels.

Popularity

:What rock and roll was to the youth of the Sixties, gaming is to the youth of today. — Killol Bhuta, brand manager, Ford Motor Company [http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Features/articleId=107487] The popularity of computer and video games, as a whole, has been increasing steadily ever since the 1984-1987 dropoff caused by the video game crash of 1983, and the popularity appears to be continuing to increase. The average age of the video game player is now 29 [http://biz.gamedaily.com/features.asp?article_id=8540&filter=myturn], belying the myth that video games are largely a diversion for teenagers.

Sales

teenager) with a large selection of games for several major consoles]] The four largest markets for computer and video games are the United States, Japan, Canada and the United Kingdom. Other significant markets include Spain, Germany, South Korea, France, and Italy. China is not considered a significant market, most likely because an estimated 95% of video games sold in the country are pirated. [http://slate.msn.com/id/2116629/] Sales of different types of games vary widely between these markets due to local preferences. Japanese consumers avoid computer games and instead buy video games, with a strong preference for games created in Japan, that run on Japanese consoles. In South Korea, computer games are preferred, especially MMORPG games and real-time strategy games; there are over 20,000 PC bang Internet cafes where computer games can be played for an hourly charge. The NPD Group tracks computer and video game sales in the United States. It reported that as of 2004:
- Console and portable software sales: $6.2 billion, up 8% from 2003 [http://gameinfowire.com/news.asp?nid=5650]
- Console and portable hardware and accessory sales: $3.7 billion, down 35% from 2003 [http://gameinfowire.com/news.asp?nid=5650]
- PC game sales: $1.1 billion, down 2% from 2003 [http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/01/28/news_6117438.html] These figures are sales in dollars, not units; unit shipments for each category were higher than the dollar sales numbers indicate, as more software and hardware was sold at reduced prices compared to 2003. Retail PC game sales have been declining slightly each year since about 1998, but this fact should be taken with a grain of salt: the retail sales numbers from NPD do not include sales from online downloads, nor subscription revenue for games like MMORPGs. There is a commonly repeated, mistaken belief that video game sales now exceed the revenues of the movie industry. This is untrue; in the United States, video game sales have exceeded the movies' total box office revenue each year since about 1996, but the movie studios trounce the video game publishers when the movies' "ancillary revenue" is counted, meaning sales of DVDs, sales to foreign distributors, and sales to cable TV, satellite TV, and broadcast television networks. The game and film industries are also becoming increasingly intertwined, with companies like Sony having significant stakes in both. A large number of summer blockbuster films spawn a companion game, often launching at the same time in order to share the marketing costs.

Computer and video games in the broader culture

Computer games are huge business worldwide. Take for example South Korea. Developers there boast MMORPGs such as Lineage and Ragnarok Online with millions of subscribers and a third of the world's MMOG revenue. StarCraft gosu (expert players) are celebrities in a game that some have called the country's national sport. The success of computer and online gaming there is usually credited to South Korea's push for broadband Internet connections in the home and earlier bans on Japanese products (these restrictions were removed by the late 1990s). Numerous websites and publications devoted solely to games have been created, including Official Xbox Magazine, Nintendo Power, Official Playstation Magazine, GamePro, GameSpot, GameSpy, IGN and GameFAQs. Video gaming now ingrained in popular culture in the United States. Many T-shirts are available that directly reference video games, such as one with a picture of an NES controller with the text 'Know Your Roots.' Also, video games have also become a major part in cross marketing platforms, such as in Pokémon or Yu-Gi-Oh, where a child can watch the television show, buy the trading cards, and play the various video games available. Video game properties have had mixed success when migrating to the movies. One of the first films based on a video game property was The Wizard, which some criticized as a 90-minute ad for Super Mario Brothers 3. In the mid-90s, films for Super Mario Brothers, Street Fighter, Wing Commander and Mortal Kombat were released. Reviews have generally been poor. Despite the ultimately poor performance of these movies, many studios still want to turn big games into movies, hoping that the popularity of the game will help the movie. However, after the initial bunch, many projects materialized that were never finished, but the success of films like Lara Croft: Tomb Raider has led to more films materializing. Doom, a game which film makers were trying to cross over since the mid '90s, finally hit theatres 12 years after its initial release. John Woo is also producing a movie on the popular Nintendo game Metroid. There is still debate in the movie industry on whether video games can consistently be turned into good, profitable movies. Films like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which has received mixed responses from audiences, with some saying it is a great movie, and others saying it is a very bad movie with excellent computer-generated imagery, but ultimately flopped in the box office, and Uwe Boll's House of the Dead and Alone in the Dark, which both ended up being horrible flops both in fan reactions and box office success and both ending up on the IMDB's bottom 100 movies, do not, in turn, give much confidence in whether these movies will be handled seriously. The recently released Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children may change some people's minds though, even though it's a straight to DVD affair. On the other hand, video games get much more success when adapted into cartoons/animes. Some notables examples of major success includes the various Mario Bros. cartoons, Sonic SatAM, Captain N: The Game Master and Earthworm Jim while Sonic Underground, the American Mega Man cartoon and 4Kids' dubs (although this isn't limited to their video game-based dubs) are cited as being poor. Sometime, they even "help" more obscure/Japan-only games pick up popularity in America although rarely; To Heart would be the best example of such thing. Movies have had far more success moving the other direction, onto video games. Most summer blockbuster films now have a simultaneous video game release; some of the most lucrative video games of recent times are based on movies, such as Electronic Arts' and Stormfront Studios' The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and the series of EA LotR games that followed it, and Activision's two Spider-Man movie games. Even though movies have had more success in game conversion, not all movie games are popular amongst the gaming community. Some publishers believe that the success of the movie will help the game sell, and so may not have as lengthy a development schedule as needed to make a compelling game. Some examples of this are the Catwoman and King Arthur movie games. Also, video games have found themselves on MTV2, in a popular show called Video Mod, where characters from popular video games perform songs from hit artists, such as characters from The Sims 2 performing the song "Stacy's Mom" by Fountains Of Wayne. On the Internet, gaming has also become a popular subject of many webcomics. Currently there are two varieties. The first one is the sprite comic, such as 8 Bit Theatre, in which the artist uses sprites from the earlier Final Fantasy games to tell stories. Sometimes these are original stories, but are often parodies of the game in which the sprite came from. The other is a more traditional comic strip, containing original art, like Penny Arcade. Here, the storylines or jokes revolve around current events in video gaming. The success of Penny Arcade has attracted many people in the industry, including Ubisoft. Other parodies have come in the form of amateur videos, such as those of Mega 64. In Germany, the TV channel NBC Europe broadcasts a show called GIGA, which turned more and more into a video and computer game show. In the show, new games are presented and reviewed. Lately, the show featured the esports scene a lot, by introducing professional players to the audience and broadcasting live competition matches. Online shows are fast becoming the place to view live action gaming broadcasts such as gamespot's 'On the Spot'

Development

Main article: Game development Video games are made by developers, who used to do this as individuals in the 80's (Bedroom Coders) , but now are almost always a large team consisting of designers, graphic designers and other artists, programmers, sound designers, musicians, and other technicians. Video games are developing fast in all areas, but the problem is of price and how developers intend to keep the price where it is while incorporating better technology, that inevitably costs more. Most video game console development teams number anywhere from 20 to 50 people, with some teams exceeding 100. The average team size as well as the average development time of a game have grown along with the size of the industry and the technology involved in creating games. This has led to regular occurrences of missed deadlines and unfinished products; Duke Nukem Forever is the quintessential example of these problems. See also: video game industry practices. Visit http://magicalgames.suddenlaunch3.com/index.cgi for forums about videogames.

Game modifications

Main article: Mod (computer gaming) Games running on a PC are often designed with end-user modifications in mind, and this consequently allows modern computer games to be modified by gamers without much difficulty. These mods can add an extra dimension of replayability and interest. The Internet provides an inexpensive medium to promote and distribute mods, and they have become an increasingly important factor in the commercial success of some games. Developers such as id, Valve, and Epic provide extensive tools and documentation to assist mod makers, allowing for the kind of success seen by popular mods such as Counter-Strike. Popular mods are sometimes bought by the developers of the game. This is the case of Valve's Half-life. They bought a number of popular mods including Counter-strike and Day of defeat. After the release of Half-life 2 Valve developed these mods for the sequel and sold them through their digital distribution software Steam through the internet. Recently, computer games have also been used as a digital art medium. See artistic computer game modification.

Naming

Gamers use several umbrella terms for console, PC, arcade, handheld, and similar games since they do not agree on the best name. For many, either "computer game" or "video game" describes these games as a whole. Other commonly used terms include, "entertainment software," "interactive entertainment media," "electronic interactive entertainment," "electronic game," "software game," and "videogame" (as one word). Computer and video games may be considered a subset of interactive media, which includes virtual reality, flight and engineering simulation, multimedia and the World Wide Web.

References

- Lieu, Tina (August 1997). [http://www.cjmag.co.jp/magazine/issues/1997/aug97/0897pcgames.html "Where have all the PC games gone?"]. Computing Japan.
- Costikyan, Greg (1994) [http://www.costik.com/nowords.html "I Have No Words & I Must Design"]
- Crawford, Chris (1982) [http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/peabody/game-book/Coverpage.html "The Art of Computer Game Design"] Category:Games ko:컴퓨터 게임 ja:コンピューターゲーム nb:Dataspill simple:Video game th:Category:เกมคอมพิวเตอร์และวิดีโอเกม

Wizkid

:This article is about the computer game. For the stereotypical character, see whiz kid. Wizkid is a computer game for the Amiga and Atari ST computers, developed by Sensible Software and released by Ocean Software in 1992. Wizkid is officially the sequel to the earlier game Wizball, developed and released by the same companies. Although the story in Wizkid continues directly from Wizball, the actual games are only superficially related to each other. The story starts after the Wiz and his cat Nifta had restored colours to their world. They were both married (to different spouses, apparently) and had children: the Wiz had a son, Wizkid, and Nifta had eight kittens. All was peaceful and happy until the evil mouse wizard Zark came and kidnapped the Wiz, Nifta, and all the kittens, imprisoning them in different parts of the world. It is Wizkid's job to save them. Wizkid is a comically humorous arcade adventure game taking place over nine levels. Each level has a different style, with a different background picture and music. The levels are: #Sunset Wizoward, a normal rural landscape. #Ahoy Wiz Maties, a sunken sailing ship under water. #Mount Wizimanjaro, a volcano. #Elementree my dear Wizkid, a giant tree. #The Ghost of Wizkid Past, a graveyard. #Wizkid and the Wizball Mystery, a shoot 'em up game similar to the bonus sequence in Wizball. #Wizkid goes to the Circus, a circus. #Wizkid meets Dog Girl, a woman who barks like a dog. #Jailhouse Wiz, a giant turtle with a jail on its back. In each level, the player plays the disembodied head of Wizkid, which can fly around the screen in all four directions. The object is to knock various objects on top of enemies, killing them. When all enemies are killed, play proceeds to the next screen, and after all screens have been completed, proceeds to the next level. In the action parts of the game, two bonus objects are on offer - a nose which allows Wiz to juggle blocks, and teeth allowing him to grip them (they can even be taken to different screens - taking a large block onto a screen with only small blocks can be advantageous). The teeth are temporary, but failing to complete a level sees you lose either item. A bonus 'Crossword 2091' screen is sometimes activated by failing to complete a level, in which the player is presented with a grid and a sequence of words, which must be arranged so as to interlock into a crossword-style arrangement. Completion of this, which involves a fair amount of trial and error, adds $500 to the bank balance. The adventure aspect of the game comes into play when Wizkid manages to collect a whole sequence of bonus musical notes. This allows him to re-embody his head and interact with the background landscape. Items can be bought with money, and must be used throughout the game to collect enough kittens to reach Zark's Castle before Zark can get back. There is one more mystery task to be completed in order to win the game. Wizkid uses the famous "level warping" system originally introduced in Super Mario Bros. in reverse. Playing only the arcade part only takes the player to levels 1, 4, 7 and 9. Hidden routes in the adventure part are required to access the other levels, and thus obtain enough kittens to complete the game. Level 3 must be completed in 'head mode', and it features some of the harder screens. Category:Amiga games Category:Atari ST games

Stock character

A stock character is a fictional character that relies heavily on cultural types or stereotypes for its personality, manner of speech, and other characteristics. Stock characters are instantly recognizable to members of a given culture. Because of this, a frequent device of both comedy and parody is to wildly exaggerate the expected mannerisms of stock characters. Stock characters in the western tradition originate from the theatres of ancient Greece and Rome, and, somewhat more recently, from the Italian Commedia Dell'arte. In the United States, courts have determined that copyright protection can not be extended to the characteristics of stock characters in a story, whether it be a book, play, or film. Nichols v. Universal Pictures Corporation, 45 F.2d 119 (2d Cir. 1930).

Stock characters

- The absent-minded professor, an academic with important information whose focus on his learning leads him to ignore his surroundings. (possibly based in part on Archimedes or Isaac Newton)
- The Angst-ridden Youth, a young male character, usually handsome and virile, but conflicted, sullen, and at odds with the establishment. Epitomized by James Dean and Holden Caulfield. Anakin Skywalker is such a character before transforming to Dark Lord as Darth Vader, as is Harry Potter.
- The Avenger, a hot-blooded young man who has had a loved one (usually a fiancée) cruelly murdered and/or raped and seeks his revenge outside the law. (Batman, Laertes in Hamlet and Hamlet himself, as well as Amsterdam from the film Gangs of New York, are examples of Avengers.) Eric from the film The Crow is another example. He can often be the son of a Rake.
- The Bad Fiancé, a villain who is romantically interested in the heroine despite a complete lack of interest on her part. Often, the Fiancé is rich and snobbish or macho and sexist. The heroine will typically choose a seemingly less desirably male character to become romantically involved, leading to jealousy on the part of the Fiancé. The Fiancé may be in cahoots with the heroine's mother, who is usually a snob. Caledon Hockley from Titanic is an example.
- The Bitter War Veteran, A man who fought as a soldier during a war, most often the Vietnam war, usually leaves home a naive young man, goes into harsh combat, usually is injured in combat, watches his friends die or be injured, or is captured by the enemy and tortured. He returns home bitter, deranged, and often has flashbacks and nightmares about the war. Examples include Rambo, Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver, The Punisher from Marvel comics and Malcolm Reynolds from the television show Firefly and its sequel, the motion picture Serenity.
- The California Girl, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl who only eats health food and loves the environment more than anything else.
- The Clumsy Hero, a good meaning person, but usually accidentally destroys friend and foe alike, for example, Coop of Megas XLR
- The Competent Man, who can do anything well: repair a machine, fight, cook a meal, build a house — the heroes (and heroines) of Robert A. Heinlein's fiction are generally Competent Men, especially Lazarus Long. MacGyver is an example of a Hero who is also a Competent Man. James Bond and Odysseus are perhaps the most famous examples of Competent Men.
- The Contender: an athlete with raw talent, but who must rely on the guidance of a Wise Old Man or similar character in order to overcome internal limitations (lack of discipline or confidence) in order to triumph in an athletic competition.
- The Damsel in Distress: the young, beautiful, virginal woman who must be rescued from some cruel fate by the Hero (see below), à la Penelope Pitstop or Princess Peach. The damsel in distress is now often subverted, with the damsel being secretly formidable and waiting for the right moment to strike back.
- The Ingenue, also young, beautiful and virginal, in mental or emotional rather than physical danger, usually a target of The Cad (see below).
- The Dark Lord, a sinister villain with an entourage of henchpersons, usually bent on conquest of the world or universe. Emperor Palpatine, Darth Vader, Sauron, Lord Voldemort and Doctor Doom are examples.
- The Elderly Martial Arts Master is typically an extremely old Asian man who is nonetheless a near invincible master of the martial arts, for example Pai Mei from the Kill Bill movies, and Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid.
- The Evil Albino, a villain distinguished from the good characters through pale skin, blue or red eyes and platinum-blonde hair, though said appearance is not always a function of albinism. Examples: The Twins, Sephiroth, "The Albino" from Foul Play or Silas (from The Da Vinci Code) and the Malfoys from Harry Potter.
- The Evil Clown, a supposedly wholesome figure who hides inner horrors
- The Evil Genius, particularly as the foil of superheroes in comic books or of the hero in spy fiction such as the James Bond series.
- The English Butler, often present if the main character is upper-class or has wealth. Very proper, well-mannered, skillful, and loyal to his employers and always comes to their aid, when needed. Usually speaks with a posh English accent and may have a dry sense of humor or is prone to cynical remarks usually about his employers behavior. Examples include: Alfred Pennyworth from Batman, Cadbury from Richie Rich, Jeeves, and Mr. Belvedere. Such butlers or other servants sometimes overlap with the Competent Man in contrast to a less competent or intelligent employer character.
- The femme fatale, La belle dame sans merci, the Black Widow, the beautiful but evil woman who leads the hero to his doom.
- The Fool is a clown or joker who speaks in riddles and puns. Often, the fool is intelligent and witty and reveals key truths about the characters with whom he fools (Shakespeare's fools, such as the ones in Twelfth Night and King Lear, are well-known examples).
- The Fop, a highly fashionable aristocrat. He is typically overdressed and his speech is characterized by over-use or misuse of popular phrases (often French phrases) or various forms of hypercorrection. The fop is never intelligent and always talkative. (The Hero sometimes poses as a fop to allay his enemies' suspicions: Zorro hid behind the image of the Fop, Don Diego. The Scarlet Pimpernel hid behind the persona of Sir Percy Blakeney. Batman's public persona of billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne is a fop.)
- The Foreign Exchange Student, whose exotic appearance and/or mannerisms often serve as comic relief (especially due to culture shock). Examples: Fez from That 70's Show, Kaolla Su from Love Hina, Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles, Uter from the Simpsons, and Rowlf from Ed, Edd, and Eddy.
- The Gang members, this may be a single character representing the whole, or a group of members (also causing the stormtrooper effect). Usually, the sterotype includes Asian (and mainly Hong Kong or any Cantonese speaking Asian) Triads, Russian Army, Japanese big corporate companies, Middle East guerilla troopers, etc.
- The Girl Threesome, a group of three girls where one is blonde, one is a brunette (and/or Black) and one is a redhead. They are usually heroines and have different tempers, but may also serve as "hangers on", being the friendship group of the main Heroine. Examples: Charlie's Angels, the Powerpuff Girls, the Totally Spies main characters and Josie and the Pussycats.
- The Henchman, a major villain's frequently incompetent stooge. (Heroes have sidekicks; villains have henchmen.)
- Hooker with a heart of gold or the Tart with a Heart, outwardly tough and hard, hiding a heart of gold underneath. The modern interpretation of this character is often "The Stripper (also Whore or Hooker) with a Heart of Gold". Examples include Inara Serra from the television show Firefly, Alabama from the 1993 film True Romance or Vivian from the 1990 film Pretty Woman.
- The Reclusive Genius, an intelligent and antisocial character that is either related to or is a main character. He usually no longer interacts with the outside world and mocks the main characters for most of the story, but provides crucial support at the story's climax. Examples are Dr. Gregory House and Cid.
- The Ill-Fated Lovers are passionate, sensual, naïve. They love fiercely and irrationally, usually against societal or parental approval, or against the crushing inevitability of time. Examples include Romeo and Juliet (or their modern analogues, Tony and Maria), Scully and Mulder, and Zack and Kelly (from Saved by the Bell).
- The Jock is usually the best player on the sports team, and loved by everyone for his superlative athletic skills. The Jock appears in two general varieties: The Nice Jock, and The Mean Jock. The Nice Jock tends to be the muscle of the group, and he is usually found on the outskirts of The Misfits. The Mean Jock is usually used as an agent of antagonism, and takes pleasure in tormenting The Nerd. Both Nice and Mean Jocks are typified by far lower-than-average intelligence.
- The Major (or Jolly War Veteran) is lovable, awkward, and more than a bit daft. He is usually a veteran of one of the World Wars, and frequently sings old Military songs (melancholy or dance-tune are typical). Military aphorisms and lingo. Examples include the Major from Soap, the Major from Fawlty Towers, Grandpa Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
- The knight-errant, a chivalric wanderer who searches for adventures to prove himself as a knight. Don Quixote is a famous parody of the knight-errant.
- The mad scientist, the insane man of science who either accidentally or intentionally "meddles with the forces of nature" and causes the trouble that the hero must correct. Well-known examples are Doctor Frankenstein and Dr. Strangelove. The 20th century mad scientist is based in large part on Nikola Tesla or rather Thomas Edison's portrayal of him to the media, but sometimes based on Albert Einstein.
- The Military Man, typically career military (although there are retired variations), who is harsh and unforgiving, authoritarian, and is usually associated with the negative aspects of the military.
- The Miser, a wealthy, greedy man who lives miserably in order to save and increase his treasure. Though grumpy, he's not necessarily a villain. Dickens' Ebenezer Scrooge is an obvious example.
- The Noble Savage (and a related subtype, the Magical Negro), a representative of a disadvantaged or disempowered ethnic group or culture who aids the (usually white) Hero by helping him out of a jam or introducing him to spiritual enlightenment.
- The Nerd, with his pocket protector, visibly-mended spectacles, and usually with a strange or old-fashioned name, is often also struck with a speech impediment. He frequently has an ardent, futile crush on the Pretty Ugly Girl but can't get her attention because she herself has a crush on The Jock or the Nice Guy. Examples include Neil Goldman from Family Guy.
- The Nuclear Family consisting of a normal family with a simple-minded father, a reasonable mother, a troublesome son, an anxious daughter and a peculiar younger child. Famous examples would be The Simpsons, The Griffins, The Foxes and The Incredibles.
- The Outlaw, sometimes a cold-blooded desperado, but also often a gallant highwayman or a dashing thief after the manner of Robin Hood.
- The Pied Piper The living embodiment of an exaggeration of your parents' worst fears for you. The stranger with candy. The witch in the gingerbread house. The obvious villain that the children don't notice.
- The Pretty Ugly Girl, a 'Girl Next Door' type who is supposed to be somewhat plain looking, yet is actually quite attractive - the most famous example being Mary Ann from Gilligan's Island, and more recently Joey Potter from Dawsons Creek. Often this character is contrasted with someone considered the beautiful or popular girl (Ginger & Jen Lindley would apply to the above two cases, respectively.)
- The Private Investigator, a hero archetype who stumbles into detective stories to solve a mystery case, whether it be a whodunnit murder or other crime activity. The Private Investigator (or P.I.) is usually cool, relaxed, intelligent, sardonic, and introspective, often relating events through an internal monologue. A stereotype look would see him drink whiskey, smoke cigarettes, dress in a raincoat and fedora and be an excellent shooter (based on Clint Eastwood or Humphrey Bogart).
- The Rake or Cad, a man who seduces a young woman and impregnates her before leaving, often to her social or financial ruin. Often portrayed as a heavy drinker or gambler. Also known as a rake-hell. To call the character a rake calls attention to his promiscuity and wild spending of money; to call the character a cad implies a callous seducer who coldly breaks his victim's heart. See: Hogarth's A Rake's Progress.
- Redshirt, an inconsequential character who is killed or injured soon after his or her introduction in order to indicate the dangerous circumstances faced by the main characters. The term originated in reference to the frequent use of such characters in the television series Star Trek. In the series, these characters usually wore red uniforms, signifying both their station as security personnel, and their insignificance. Also see Cannon fodder.
- The School Bully, who is loud, aggressive, mean and is highly skilled at wedgies, but sometimes has an effeminate streak which he covers up with his bullying. Examples include Nelson Muntz, and Eric Cartman from South Park.
- The Sidekick, the Hero's helper: Sancho Panza in Don Quixote, Dr. Watson in Sherlock Holmes, Robin to Batman. The Sidekick is often a figure of fun, but is trustworthy and sometimes shows surprising resourcefulness and bravery. In whodunnits and secondary literature on detective fiction in general, the Sidekick is often referred to as the Watson—slightly dumber than the average reader, time and again overlooking decisive clues, occasionally drawing the wrong conclusions (such as Captain Hastings, a friend of Hercule Poirot).
- The Wise Old Man, an elderly Merlin or Yoda figure who trains and advises the Hero; often portrayed as a wizard or hermit.
- Prince Charming, the prince who rescues the damsel in distress, appears in a number of fairy tales, including Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty.
- The Town Drunk, serves as a figure of fun, serves as a moral example, or is used as a plot device to disrupt public gatherings. Marmeladov from Crime and Punishment is one example; another one is Huckleberry Finn's father "Pap" from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.
- The Whiz Kid, a brainy sidekick to the hero. Often, physically the weakest of the group. As a result, he can be useless in a fight, but knows his way around computers and technical stuff. Often witty in an erudite way. Typically talks using big words.
- The Jokester, often a part of a group of adventurers. Not to be confused with the fool, the Jokester copes with the seriousness of the situation (often war) with constant good humor. Sometimes he may be crying on the inside, or his laughter might mask insecurities. Occasionally, his perpetual good humor can be annoying, but he is always loved by his teammates. Nightcrawler or Iceman of the X-Men, Yorick from the comic book "Y: The Last Man" and Hawkeye Pierce of M
- A
- S
- H are examples.
- The Womaniser, normally male persons characterized by having many love affairs with different women. Examples: Casanova and Don Juan.
- The Subservient Negro, an ethnic stereotype: an aide-de-camp or second-in-command, always the one the Caucasian leader is "depending upon", and always expendable. The character usually dies nobly.
- The Tough guy usually uses his attitude and no-nonsense skills, including physical persuasion and intimidation, to get what he wants. A typical tough guy would be an Italian-American gangster with significant capacity to deal out and take punishment, such as multiple characters on The Sopranos.
- The Vigilante, an anti-hero of sorts, who must serve justice, usually for the wrong causes or outside the law, usually killing at will or at random and showing no mercy. (Examples: The Punisher, Rorschach from Watchmen, Casey Jones from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.)

Book

:This page is about bound sheets of paper. For the graph theory concept, see Book (graph theory). For the musical theater meaning, see Book (musical theater). A book is a collection of leaves of paper, parchment or other material, bound together along one edge within covers. A book is also a literary work or a main division of such a work. A book produced in electronic format is known as an e-book. In library and information science, a book is called a monograph to distinguish it from serial publications such as magazines, journals or newspapers. Publishers may produce low-cost, pre-proof editions known as galleys for promotional purposes, such as generating reviews in advance of publication. Galleys are usually made as cheaply as possible, since they are not intended for sale. A lover of books is usually referred to as a bibliophile, a bibliophilist, or a philobiblist, or, more informally, a bookworm. A book may be studied by students in the form of a book report. It may also be covered by a professional writer as a book review to introduce a new book.
History
book review.]] The oral account (word of mouth, tradition, hearsay) is the oldest carrier of messages and stories. When writing systems were invented in ancient civilizations, clay tablets or parchment scrolls were used as, for example, in the library of Alexandria. Scrolls were later phased out in favor of the codex, a bound book with pages and a spine, the form of most books today. The codex was invented in the first few centuries A.D. or earlier. Some have said that Julius Caesar invented the first codex during the Gallic Wars. He would issue scrolls folded up accordion style and use the "pages" as reference points. Before the invention and adoption of the printing press, almost all books were copied by hand, which made books comparatively expensive and rare. During the early Middle Ages, when only churches, universities, and rich noblemen could typically afford books, they were often chained to a bookshelf or a desk to prevent theft. The first books used parchment or vellum (calf skin) for the pages, which was later replaced with paper. In the mid 15th century books began to be produced by block printing in western Europe (the technique had been known in the East centuries earlier). In block printing, a relief image of an entire page was carved out of wood. It could then be inked and used to reproduce many copies of that page. Creating an entire book, however, was a painstaking process, requiring a hand-carved block for each page. Also, the wood blocks were not terribly durable and could easily wear out or crack. The oldest dated book printed by the method of block printing is The Diamond Sutra. There is a wood block printed copy in the British Library which, although not the earliest example of block printing, is the earliest example which bears an actual date. It was found in 1907 by the archaeologist Sir Marc Aurel Stein in a walled-up cave near Dunhuang, in northwest China. The colophon, at the inner end, reads: Reverently [caused to be] made for universal free distribution by Wang Jie on behalf of his two parents on the 13th of the 4th moon of the 9th year of Xiantong [i.e. 11th May, CE 868 ]. The Chinese inventor Pi Sheng made moveable type of earthenware circa 1045, but we have no surviving examples of his printing. He embedded the characters, face up, in a shallow tray lined with warm wax. He laid a board across them and pressed it down until all the characters were at exactly the same level. When the wax cooled he used his letter tray to print whole pages. It was not until Johann Gutenberg popularized the printing press with metal moveable type in the 15th century that books started to be affordable and widely available. This upset the status quo, leading to remarks such as "The printing press will allow books to get into the hands of people who have no business reading books." It is estimated that in Europe about 1,000 various books were created per year before the invention of the printing press. With the rise of printing in the fifteenth century, books were published in limited numbers and were quite valuable. The need to protect these precious commodities was evident. One of the earliest references to the use of bookmarks was in 1584 when the Queen's Printer, Christopher Barker, presented Queen Elizabeth I with a fringed silk bookmark. Common bookmarks in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries were narrow silk ribbons bound into the book at the top of the spine and extended below the lower edge of the page. The first detachable bookmarks began appearing in the 1850's and were made from silk or embroidered fabrics. Not until the 1880's, did paper and other materials become more common. The following centuries were spent on improving both the printing press and the conditions for freedom of the press through the gradual relaxation of restrictive censorship laws. See also intellectual property, public domain, copyright. In mid-20th century, Europe book production has risen to over 200,000 titles per year.
Structure of book
Depending of book's purpose or type (i.e. Encyclopedia , Dictionary, Textbook, Monograph) structure could vary, but some common (traditional) structural parts of the book usually are: #Book cover (hard or soft, fancy-looking, with illustration) #Title page (shows title and author, often with small illustration or icon) #Metrics page #(sometimes - dedication page) #Table of contents #Preface #Text of contents of that book #Index (publishing) #Back cover (hard or soft, fancy-looking, with illustration)
Conservation issues
In the mid-19th century, papers made from pulp (cellulose, wood) were introduced because it was cheaper than cloth-based papers (i.e. vellum or parchment). Pulp based paper made cheap novels, cheap school text books and cheap books of all kinds available to the general public. This paved the way for huge leaps in the rate of literacy in industrialised nations and eased the spread of information during the Second Industrial Revolution. However, this pulp paper contained acid that causes a sort of slow fires that eventually destroys the paper from within. Earlier techniques for making paper used limestone rollers which neutralized the acid in the pulp. Libraries today have to consider mass deacidification of their older collections. Books printed from 1850-1950 are at risk; more recent books are often printed on acid-free or alkaline paper. The proper care of books takes into account the possibility of chemical changes to the cover and text. Books are best stored in reduced lighting, definitely out of direct sunlight, at cool temperatures, and at moderate humidity. Books, especially heavy ones, need the support of surrounding volumes to maintain their shape. It is desirable for that reason to group books by size.
Collections of books
alkaline Maintaining a library used to be the privilege of princes, the wealthy, monasteries and other religious institutions, and universities. The growth of a public library system in the United States started in the late 19th century and was much helped by donations from Andrew Carnegie. This reflected classes in a society: The poor or the middle class had to share most books through a public library or by other means while the rich could afford to have a private library built into their homes. The advent of paperback books in the 20th century led to an explosion of popular publishing. Paperback books made owning books affordable for many people. Paperback books often included works from genres that had previously been published mostly in pulp magazines. As a result of the low cost of such books and the spread of bookstores filled with them (in addition to the creation of a smaller market of extremely cheap used paperbacks) owning a private library ceased to be a status symbol for the rich. While a small collection of books, or one to be used by a small number of people, can be stored in any way convenient to the owners, a large or public collection requires a catalogue and some means of consulting it. Often codes or other marks have to be added to the books to speed the process of relating them to the catalogue and their correct shelf position. Where these identify a volume uniquely, they are referred to as "call numbers". In large libraries this call number is usually based on a Library classification system. The call number is placed inside the book and on the spine of the book, normally a short distance before the bottom, in accordance with institutional or national standards such as ANSI/NISO Z39.41 - 1997. This short (7 pages) standard also establishes the correct way to place information (such as the title or the name of the author) on book spines and on "shelvable" book-like objects such as containers for DVDs, video tapes and software. In library and booksellers' catalogues, it is common to include an abbreviation such as "Crown 8vo" to indicate the paper size from which the book is made. When rows of books are lined on a bookshelf, bookends are sometimes needed to keep them from slanting.
Keeping track of books
One of the earliest and most widely known systems of cataloguing books is the Dewey Decimal System. This system has fallen out of use in some places, mainly because of a Eurocentric bias and other difficulties applying the system to modern libraries. However, it is still used by most public libraries in America. Another popular classification system is the Library of Congress system, which is more popular in university libraries. All books of the world are said to constitute the Gutenberg Galaxy, or, to use a term coined by eBook author Rick Sutcliffe in the early 1980s, the Metalibrary. For the entire 20th century most librarians concerned with offering proper library services to the public (or a smaller subset such as students) worried about keeping track of the books being added yearly to the Gutenberg Galaxy. Through a global society called the International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) they devised a series of tools such as the International Standard Book Description or ISBD. Besides, each book is specified by a International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, which is unique to every book produced by participating publishers, world wide. It is managed by the ISBN Society. It has four parts. The first part is the country code, the second the publisher code, and the third the title code. The last part is a checksum or a check digit and can take values from 0-9 and X (10). The EAN Barcodes numbers for books are derived from the ISBN by prefixing 978, for Bookland and calculating a new check digit. Many government publishers, in industrial countries as well as in developing countries, do not participate fully in the ISBN system. They often produce books which do not have ISBNs. In certain industrialized countries large classes of commercial books, such as novels, textbooks and other non-fiction books, are nearly always given ISBNs by publishers, thus giving the illusion to many customers that the ISBN is an international and complete system, with no exceptions.
Transition to digital format
The term e-book (electronic book) in the broad sense is an amount of information like a conventional book, but in digital form. It is made available through internet, CD-ROM, etc. In the popular press the term eBook sometimes refers to a device such as the Sony Librie EBR-1000EP, which is meant to read the digital form and present it to a human being. Throughout the 20th century, libraries have faced an ever-increasing rate of publishing, sometimes called an information explosion. The advent of electronic publishing and the Internet means that much new information is not printed in paper books, but is made available online e.g. through a digital library, on CD-ROM, or in the form of e-books. On the other hand, though books are nowadays produced using a digital version of the content, for most books such a version is not available to the public (i.e. neither in the library nor on internet), and there is no decline in the rate of paper publishing. There is an effort, however, to convert books that are in the public domain into a digital medium for unlimited redistribution and infinite availability. The effort is spearheaded by Project Gutenberg combined with Distributed Proofreaders. There have also been new developments in the process of publishing books. Technologies such as print on demand have made it easier for less known authors to make their work available to a larger audience.
Related articles and lists

- Author
- Bookbinding
- Bookselling
- List of books by title
- List of books by author
- List of books by genre or type
- List of books by award or notoriety
- List of books by year of publication
- List of banned books
- List of fictional books
- Metasearch engine sites search multiple online bookstore sites. Some require separate searches for new or used books.
- Addall.com
- BookFinder.com
- Online bookstores
- Abebooks
- Alibris
- Amazon.com
- Biblio.com
- BibliOZ
- Barnes & Noble
- Borders
- Powell's City of Books
- Book Sense
- Thriftbooks
Online book databases and lists

- The Internet Book Database of Fiction
- Internet Book List
- ISBNdb.com, books database built from libraries data
External links

- [http://headlesschicken.ca/eng204/ The History & Future of the Book - course syllabus & extensive bibliography]
- [http://www.thebookstandard.com/bookstandard/search/books_authors/index.jsp The Book Standard Books & Authors Database]
- Category:Documents ja:本 simple:Book tokipona:lipu toki

Sidekick

:For Borland's computer program, see SideKick. :For the T-Mobile-branded mobile device, see SideKick. SideKicks. By Gustave Doré]] A sidekick is a stock character, a close companion who assists a partner in a superior position. The origin of the term comes from pickpocket slang of the late 19th and early 20th century. The "kick" is the front side pocket of a pair of trousers, and was found to be the safest pocket from thieves. Thus the "side-kick" became an inseparable companion. ([http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_297a.html] [http://www.word-detective.com/122099.html] [http://www.brownielocks.com/wordorigins.html]) In fiction, the term sidekick most commonly referred to assistants to heroes, usually in a crimefighting capacity. The sidekick has the literary function of playing against the hero, often contrasting in skill, asking the questions the reader would ask, or performing functions not suited to the hero. Those functions may include being funny. The comic sidekick was a common feature in westerns, where Fuzzy Knight, Al "Fuzzy" St. John, and Andy Devine had longer careers than some of the heroic singing cowboys for whom they took pratfalls. Famous fictional sidekicks include:
- Sancho Panza: Sidekick to Don Quixote.
- Dr. Watson: Sidekick to Sherlock Holmes. The stories are told as his journals. Watson, an ex-military man, is also Holmes's "muscle", bringing along his service revolver on tough cases.
- Captain Arthur Hastings: Sidekick to Hercule Poirot, plays a similar role as Dr. Watson. An ex-military man, he's both romantic and unimaginative.
- Captain Haddock: Sidekick to Tintin. In stories without Haddock, the role of the sidekick can be attributed to Milou, Tintin's dog (known as Snowy in the English-language editions). The stories also feature two policemen, Dupont and Dupond (Thompson and Thomson in the English translation), who can be seen as equal sidekicks to each other.
- Obelix: Sidekick to Asterix.
- Tonto: Sidekick to The Lone Ranger. His name means "fool" in Spanish, although he was not foolish. Always described as the "faithful Indian companion", Tonto frequently served as a spy, going into town to find out what was going on.
- Kato: Sidekick to The Green Hornet. Kato served as chauffeur and assistant to the Green Hornet. Because of Bruce Lee's appearance in the television series based on the character, this is one property where the key interest is more on the sidekick than the hero. In Hong Kong during the original series run, The Green Hornet was known as "The Kato Show"
- Ebony White: Sidekick to The Spirit.
- Robin: Sidekick to Batman. He shows Batman's softer side. Batman, orphaned by criminals, takes on young Dick Grayson as his ward after his parents were killed by criminals. Batman trains Robin in crime-fighting. Three others have stepped in over time to fill the role of Robin: Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Stephanie Brown.
- Ronald "Ron" Stoppable: Sidekick (and boyfriend) of Kim Possible.
- Ron Weasley: Sidekick to Harry Potter. Ron was Harry's first friend and Harry considers him his "best friend in the world". While he commonly functions as the laid-back comic relief, he is fiercely loyal and will confront even his worst fears if he feels that is what must be done.
- Samwise Gamgee: Sidekick to Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings. He followed Frodo across Middle Earth and into the darkness of Mordor with his undying loyalty and need to aid his friends.
- Willie Garvin: Sidekick to Modesty Blaise. Garvin is notable as a male sidekick to a female hero, a setup less frequently encountered in adventure fiction. Most often the sidekick is of the same sex than the hero, and for male heroes, a female companion more often serves as a romantic object rather than a sidekick.
- Jolly Jumper: Sidekick and mount of Lucky Luke. Jolly Jumper is an example of an animal as sidekick, which is not at all unusual, though in most cases the non-human sidekick is a dog (such as Milou in Tintin or Devil in The Phantom). Jolly Jumper is more of a parody of a sidekick, poking fun at the wonder horses of the Western genre, and his specific task in the series is to provide witty and cynical commentary. Some stories also feature Ran Tan Plan, who in turn is the parody of the super-intelligent dogs prevalent in adventure genre (such as Rin Tin Tin): he is possibly the most stupid canine in fiction.
- Goose: Sidekick to Maverick (Top Gun).
- Arthur: Sidekick to The Tick. Arthur is a reluctant sidekick who wears a white body suit with wings, thus resembling a giant moth. He helps out his dense pal The Tick in numerous episodes of the comic book, cartoon series, and live-action show.
- Launchpad McQuack: Sidekick to Darkwing Duck.
- Gabrielle: Initially considered a sidekick to Xena by fans and even other characters, much to her annoyance. One of the few sidekicks who was openly suggested to have a physical relationship with a titular hero(ine).
- Linus: Sidekick to Gatsby from the show Cats
- Muttley: Sidekick to Dick Dastardly, an animated character in the Wacky Races and Dastardly and Muttley in their Flying Machines series.
- Miles "Tails" Prower: Sidekick to Sonic the Hedgehog in the game series of the same name. He has the ability to fly by twirling his two tails.
- Spencer Rice: Sidekick to Kenny Hotz in many of Kenny movies and the television show Kenny vs. Spenny. Category:Lists of fictional characters Category:Stock characters

Comic Relief

:For a description of the origin of the term comic relief see comic relief. Comic Relief is a charity organisation which was founded in the United Kingdom in 1985 in response to famine in Ethiopia. It now raises money for Africa and disadvantaged people in the UK. It was launched live on Noel Edmonds' Late, Late Breakfast Show on BBC1, on Christmas Day 1985 from a refugee camp in Sudan. The idea for Comic Relief came from the innovative philanthropist Jane Tewson, then head of a British NGO, Charity Projects. Initially funds were raised from live events, the most notable being a comedy revue at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London which was subsequently broadcast on television on 25 April, 1986. One of the fundamental principles behind working at Comic Relief is the 'Golden Pound Principle' where every single donated pound is spent on charitable projects. All operating costs, such as staff salaries, fair-trade chocolate and cheese sandwiches, are covered by corporate sponsors or interest which is earned while money raised is waiting to be spent (granted) to charitable projects.

Red Nose Day

Red Nose Day is the main way in which Comic Relief raises money. It is held in the spring every other year and is often treated as a semi-holiday, with, for example, schools having non-uniform days. The day culminates in a live television event on BBC1 starting in the evening and going through into the early hours of the morning, but other money-raising events take place. As the name suggests, the day involves the wearing of plastic red noses, which are available, in exchange for a donation, from many shops. There are also larger noses designed to be attached to the fronts of cars or even buildings. The design of the nose has been changed each year, beginning with a fairly plain one, which later grew arms and legs, turned into a tomato and even changed colour. See the table below. The first "Red Nose Day" was on 5 February, 1988, and raised £15 million. The TV show was hosted by Lenny Henry, Griff Rhys Jones and Jonathan Ross. More than £210 million has so far been distributed to projects by Comic Relief. Administrative costs are covered by corporate sponsors to ensure all public donations are passed on to the supported projects.

On television

Jonathan Ross as Emma in 1999's Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death]] The television programming begins in the afternoon, with children's BBC having various related reports, money-raising events and a celebrity gungeing. This is all in-between the regular programmes, but after the six o'clock news, the normal schedule is suspended in favour of a live show, with each hour overseen by a different celebrity team. These celebrities do the work for free, as do the crew, with studio space donated by the BBC. Regular themes throughout the shows include parodies of recent popular shows, films and events and specially-filmed versions of comedy shows. Smith & Jones and a parody sketch starring Rowan Atkinson are both regularly featured – the first being Blackadder: The Cavalier Years (1988).

1999 event

A parody of the Doctor Who series, Doctor Who and the Curse of Fatal Death, starring Rowan Atkinson as the Doctor, was featured during the show.

2001 event

In 2001 the total raised on Red Nose Day was £61,000,140. As well as donations on the night of the TV show money is raised from countrywide sponsored events and from merchandising, particularly of the red noses themselves. In 2001 5.8 million red noses were sold, approximately one each for 10% of the UK population. Jack Dee won Celebrity Big Brother.

2003 event

The 2003 "Red Nose Day" was held on March 14, 2003. The fund raising activities for included Lenny Henry providing the voice of the speaking clock between March 10 and March 23 with the cost of the call going to Comic Relief. On the night of the live show itself, £35m was raised, an on-the-night record. A total of £61,477,539 was raised that year, setting a new record. Jack Dee stood outside at the top of a pole for the duration of the show, parodying the acts of David Blaine. Celebrity Driving School lead up to the event, with the test results announced during the telethon.

2005 event

The 2005 Red Nose Day was held on March 11 and was hosted by a collection of television stars:
- Chris Evans
- Lenny Henry
- Davina McCall
- Graham Norton
- Dermot O'Leary
- Jonathan Ross The 2005 event was also noteworthy for supporting the Make Poverty History campaign Over £63m was raised as of November 2005.

Shows included

As usual a variety of specially-filmed versions of television shows were made. Popular BBC talent show Fame Academy was attended by celebrities singing cover versions of songs. Viewers voted for their favourite, with the proceeds going to the cause and the celebrity. Other shows included:
- Little Britain
- My Family
- The Vicar of Dibley Spider-plant Man, a parody of Spider-Man starring Rowan Atkinson, was also featured.

Donation progress

Times approximate and amounts rounded to the nearest million where not stated exactly:
- 7:30pm - £2 million
- 8:30pm - £7 million
- 9:30pm - £18 million
- 10pm - £22 million
- 11:30pm - £30,503,394
- 12:45am - £35,325,862
- 02:00am - £37,809,564 Raised by November 2005: £63m

Types of nose and amounts raised by Comic Relief

Source notes. The 'amount raised' figures from 1988 to 1999 are taken from[http://www.comicrelief.com/allaboutus/ourstory.shtml]. The description of noses was obtained from a history of the nose at [http://www.rednoseday.com/flash/nasalhistory.swf].

Year	Amount raised : on the night (£m)	Amount raised : total (£m)	Type of red nose
1988	Unknown	15.8	Plain plastic red nose.
1989	Unknown	26.9	Plain red nose with 'MY NOSE' on the front. The nose also contained a mild scent.
1991	Unknown	20.3	Also known as "The Stonker" (Named after that year's Comic Relief single), the nose had arms and a face.
1993	Unknown	18.0	The nose became a tomato with a face. The larger noses for cars and buildings looked like tomatoes thrown against the wall and were called splats.
1995	Unknown	22.0+	The nose changed colour (from red to pinky-purple or yellow) when heated; holding in a closed hand was enough.
1997	Unknown	27.1+	The nose was furry.
1999	Unknown	35.0+	The nose made a squeaky noise when squeezed and also glittered.
2001	22.0+	55.0+	The nose had a tongue, a small rolled-up tube of latex that would unfurl and make a raspy noise when the nose was squeezed.
2003	35.0+	59.0+	The nose had red stylable hair.
2005	37.0+		The nose had multi-coloured hair made from rubber strands, a funny face and came with stickers to add additional facial features. It was packaged with red hair gel and red/yellow face paints.

Comic Relief charity singles

In April 1986 the first Comic Relief charity single was released. It featured Cliff Richard and the cast of The Young Ones in a rendition of "Living Doll". Some of the money raised from the sale of each single is donated to Comic Relief. Normally a song is released just before the official Red Nose Day. There have been exceptions, such as "(I want to be) Elected" which was released to coincide with the 1992 UK general election. Before 1995's song, they were all more-or-less comedy records, mostly involving an actual band or singer and a comedy group. From 1995 on they have been generally more serious, although the videos still feature comical moments.

Release Date	Title	Artists	Highest chart position reached
April 1986	"Living Doll"	Cliff Richard and the cast of The Young Ones	No. 1
December 1987	"Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree"	Mel & Kim (Mel Smith and Kim Wilde)	No. 4
February 1989	"Help!"	Bananarama & La Na Nee Nee Noo Noo (French and Saunders with Kathy Burke)	No. 4
March 1991	"The Stonk"	Hale and Pace (backing band includes David Gilmour)	No. 1
April 1992	"(I want to be) Elected"	Smear C