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A trope is a storytelling device or convention, a shortcut for describing situations the storyteller can reasonably assume the audience will recognize. Tropes are the means by which a story is told by anyone who has a story to tell. The folks at TV Tropes collect them, for the fun involved. There are thousands of tropes mentioned on their site, and hopefully they'll all be listed here:
A Dog Named "Dog"
There is an ad named Ad. And an Atlanta souvenir cup named Atlanta Souviner Cup. And a can of bacon cola named Bacon Cola. And a bean sprout named Bean Sprout. And a Big Boy locomotive named Big Boy. And... you probably get it by now. Some competitors have the suffix -y in their name, like Briny, Rolly, Sketchy, and me. However, others are not named like that. See 123 Referee, 9150625, Bot the mew, Creative Commons & Copyright, Dexter Cut, etc.
Many object shows in general heavily use this trope. However, the characters of some object shows generally don't use this trope. A popular example is ONE, where the characters are given real names (ie. Liam Plecak, Bryce Hansen). Despite this, the trope is still used, albeit only by the host Airy.
Outside of the OSC, there are many examples:
- In The Backyardigans, Uniqua's species is, in fact, called the uniqua.
- Franklin, an anthropomorphic turtle, is pretty much the only member of his friend group whose name doesn't use this trope, as there is a bear named Bear, a rabbit named Rabbit, a beaver named Beaver, a fox named Fox, a snail named Snail, the list goes on.
Everything Is an Instrument
Music has no boundaries, especially when it comes to the objects people can make music with. So, yes, mayonnaise can still be called an instrument.
The website mentions Pogo, someone who remixes classic Disney films and turns them into bangers. Here's one by the name of "Forget".
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Jungles Sound Like Kookaburras
If whatever piece of media you are consuming has a tropical jungle in it, then chances are this sound effect will be used:
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That bird you are hearing is a laughing kookaburra, and despite its signature territorial laughing call being used for such scenes, this kingfisher is actually native to Australia and New Guinea. Now, this doesn't mean kookaburras don't live in jungles. They certainly can live in jungles, but they can be found in other biomes as well.
Stock Audio Clip
Otherwise known as recycled lines. Big Boy is the only competitor known to have recycled lines... well, sort of, but there is only one recording of him in the wiki:
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In Battle for Dream Island, Ice Cube regularly uses recycled lines. A famous example is:
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Similarly, Needle used to use recycled lines prior to BFB.
Stock Scream
These sound effect are perhaps the most recognizable sound effects in the industry. Once you can identify them, then you won't unhear it.
Wilhelm Scream
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This particular scream needs no introduction. It's actually the fourth in a recording of six. It was initially intended for usage whenever someone gets attacked by an alligator, but now it's a common running gag. Oh, how the tables have turned...
Howie Scream
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Another notable scream, named after the character Howie Long from Broken Arrow, where it was heard during his death.
Stock Sound Effects
Oh boy, this will be a doozy. There are a ton of examples of overused stock sound effects that are used, especially since it's harder to go out and get your own samples.
Animals
That damn sea lion
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It's obvious that not all pinnipeds sound like the California sea lion. Nevertheless, these barks induce the need for total seal extinction.
That moo
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You've heard this many times in your life, and you'll hear it many more times, especially as it might be another upcoming Wiki Camp 2 meme.
Those trumpets
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Not only is it being used in relation to elephants and elephant seals, but it might sound whenever Nerpy Scuba is mentioned.
Cucco's crow
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Virtually every sunrise is accompanied by the familiar crow of Cucco from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.
Those harsh quacks
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Someone in Soundeffects Wiki says a duck call might've been used for this recording instead of an actual duck. The source remains a mystery to this day.
Sources aside, not all ducks are that noisy.
Owls
There are actually multiple species of owls whose calls have been heavily used. Firstly, we have the great horned owl's distinctive hoots:
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And then we have these high-pitched calls from a tawny owl, which many Thomas & Friends fans will be very familiar with:
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Of course, not all owls sound the same. Take the screeches of a barn owl or the calls of a burrowing owl.
Red-tailed hawk
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That is, in fact, a red-tailed hawk. All this time, you thought it was a bald eagle, but they don't even come close. Instead, the calls of the bald eagle sound weaker and very similar to that of a gull, like this:
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That "dolphin" call
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What the fuck?!
There is no way that a dolphin would actually sound like that. Ever. That is actually a heavily edited recording of a kookaburra. Bottlenose dolphins, for example, sound something like this:
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Chimpanzees
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These sound like the distinctive pant-hoots of a chimpanzee. Despite this, it is commonly used for monkeys and apes in general, even when the vast majority of them don't make such noises.
Common loons
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A few seconds into this recording and you will hear the familiar tremolo calls of common loons. They are commonly associated with the open wilderness.
Kookaburra
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This specific recording is commonly used during scenes of a tropical jungle. However, the bird in question, the laughing kookaburra, is actually native to Australia and New Guinea.
Domestic goose
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The sound designers of Shrek 2 incorrectly used this recording of a domestic goose for a pair of mute swans. Mute swans don't even sound close to that.
Single Classic "Wolf" Howl
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That's not a wolf. Enough said. And plus, wolves do not howl at the moon.
Oh, so you wonder what wolves actually sound like? Well, there's this recording.
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Whinnies. Countless whinnies.
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This is just an example. I put it there because it's in The Legend of Zelda games. There are many recordings of whinnies that you'll typically hear.
Grizzly bear
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Recordings like this are typical not just for bears, but for other animals, even ones that aren't even close to sounding like a grizzly bear.
Pacific tree frog
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Out of over 7,500 species, the Pacific tree frog just has to be the stereotypical "ribbit" that people say frogs make. Like, come on! There are a lot more calls made by different frogs than just that.
That Poor Cat
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Enough said.
Rodents
If you hear a mouse, rat, or any rodent squeaking in your piece of media, then chances are it either came from a prairie dog...
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...or foley.
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So-called "bat" screech
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This sounds more like a hawk than a bat. You are more likely to hear very high-pitched chirps than something like this from a real bat.
Big cats
Roars from various big cats have been used for various other animals. For example, Lyle Lyle Crocodile uses this recording of a tiger for the titular character.
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And then there's this recording of a leopard, which has somehow been labelled as a lion.
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TV Tropes also mentions a specific recording of a cougar. Chances are it's this one:
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Red fox
Apparently any scene of a British countryside will have a specific recording of a red fox, although we don't know what exactly that recording is... At least we know what the fox says now.
Herring gulls
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Herring gulls are the stereotypical gull, and they make the stereotypical call of a gull. There are quite a few notable recordings, including this one, which are commonly used for beach episodes, regardless of where they are.
Stereotypical meow
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Throughout the media, recordings like this are still being used for cats to this day, ie. on Scratch as the default sound. Most cats often don't meow as high-pitched as this.
That jungle ambience recording
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I wonder what that species of bird that makes those "wee-weeyah" calls is.
Cicadas
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On a typical summer day in Japan, you'll probably hear a chorus of cicadas. For this reason, recordings like this are commonly heard in anime.
Crickets
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🔊 for being obtrusive
MGM Roar
Background music
Foghorn
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It started with a radio ad for soap, then it ironically became associated with horrid odours, and now it's a meme.
People
Stock screams
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Used so much to the point where they have their own entry. The most famous, the Wilhelm scream, can be heard above.
Diddy Laugh
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It was named that way because of its notable usage in Diddy Kong Racing. Also, you may think that two children were laughing, but those are two separate tracks made by the same child, 11-year-old-at-the-time Australian girl Astoria Morgan.
That gasp
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Perhaps the most iconic usage of this recording is when something notable happens in Super Smash Bros.
"WOOP WOOP!!"
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I wonder who that someone may be, and I wonder if they realize their distinctive whoops can be heard everywhere.
Vehicles
Truck doppler
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This recording is commonly used for any instance of a truck passing by.
Level crossing
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This is a typical American level crossing, with a mechanical bell. Such bells have mostly been replaced with electronic bells.
Train approaching a level crossing
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According to the TV Tropes website, you'll probably identify not only the bell used, but also the horn from the locomotive. Above is an example of you might have heard before.
Three train horn blasts
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Five seconds in and you will hear three short blasts coming from a locomotive's horn. According to the website, it is commonly associated with runaway trains, despite the fact that three short blasts mean the train is about to reverse.
That steam whistle
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If there happens to be a steam locomotive in the piece of media you are consuming, or a goal is scored while SMW is in VC, then chances are this whistle will sound. The sad thing is that the whistle at the time of recording was actually fouled. But, alas, it is the generic North American steam locomotive whistle and I don't think we can escape that thought, even if the same tones will most likely never be collectively heard in real life again, since the same whistle (worn by Canadian National No. 3254) was repaired.