Trope

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 those used by The Wiki Camp 2 can be found 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.

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.

Animate Inanimate Object

Do I really need to explain this to you?

Bizarre Instrument

New instruments are being invented every single day.

• The original bazooka wasn't even a weapon, but rather a brass instrument with mechanics similar to a trombone. The weapon was only named "bazooka" due to its resemblance to the instrument.
• The blaster beam is essentially a long beam strung with tensed wires with electric guitar pickups underneath. The strings are struck or plucked with fingers, mallets, sticks, pipes, or just about any object you can think of. Its claim to fame was Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
• The singing Tesla coil or zeusaphone, well, is a singing Tesla coil.
• The theremin was originally meant to be a proximity detector, but it somehow became one of the more popular bizarre instruments.

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. Here are other examples in real life:

• When the blade of a hand saw is bowed, it creates an ethereal theremin-like tone. Saws are also capable of continuous glissando, as their blades can resonate for a long time.
• The bottom of a 55-gallon oil drum can be pounded into a bowl before being tuned with hammers, creating the notes. We thus get the national instrument of Trinidad and Tobago, the steelpan.

“		”
	— A pannist

• The ribbed metal surface of a washboard can act like a scraper. It can also be tapped on.
• The 1812 Overture famously uses cannons to symbolize warfare. A military band in Japan went even further by using 105mm cannons.
• In northern Australia, eucalyptus tree branches hollowed out by termites are traditionally modified by Indigenous people to make their sacred instrument, the yiḏaki (also known as the didgeridoo).

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:

“		”
	— Big Boy

In Battle for Dream Island, Ice Cube regularly uses recycled lines. A famous example is:

“		”
	— Ice Cube

Similarly, Needle used to use recycled lines prior to BFB.

Stock Scream

These sound effects are perhaps the most recognizable sound effects in the industry. Once you can identify them, then you won't unhear it.

Wilhelm Scream

“		”
	— Probably Sheb Wooley

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

“

”

Another notable scream, named after the character Howie Long from Broken Arrow, where it was heard during his death. It is also the exact same sound Paper Crane makes.

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

“		”
	— A California sea lion

It's obvious that not all pinnipeds sound like the California sea lion. Nevertheless, these barks induce the need for total seal extinction. This sound can also be heard on the radio.

That moo

“		”
	— A cow

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. This sound can also be heard on the radio.

Those trumpets

“		”
	— An elephant

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

“		”
	— A rooster

Virtually every sunrise is accompanied by the familiar crow of Cucco, the rooster from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Those harsh quacks

“		”
	— Either an duck call or an actual duck

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:

“		”
	— A great horned owl

And then we have these high-pitched calls from a tawny owl, which many Thomas & Friends fans will be very familiar with:

“		”
	— A tawny owl

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

“		”
	— A red-tailed hawk

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:

“		”
	— Bald eagles

That "dolphin" call

“		”
	— A laughing kookaburra, heavily edited

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:

“		”
	— Two bottlenose dolphins

Chimpanzees

“		”
	— A chimpanzee

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

“		”
	— Common loons

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

“		”
	— A laughing kookaburra

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

“		”
	— A domestic goose

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

“		”
	— An anonymous voice actor

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.

“		”
	— A pack of wolves

Whinnies. Countless whinnies.

“		”
	— A horse

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

“		”
	— A grizzly bear

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

“		”
	— A Pacific tree frog

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

“		”
	— Two cats

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...

“		”
	— A prairie dog

...or foley.

“		”
	— A foley artist

So-called "bat" screech

“		”
	— Unknown

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.

“		”
	— A tiger, with a lion in the background

And then there's this recording of a leopard, which has somehow been labelled as a lion.

“		”
	— A leopard

TV Tropes also mentions a specific recording of a cougar. Chances are it's this one:

“		”
	— A cougar

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

“		”
	— Herring gulls

Herring gulls are the stereotypical seagull, and they make the stereotypical call of a seagull. There are quite a few notable recordings, including this one, which are commonly used for beach episodes, regardless of where they are.

Stereotypical meow

“		”
	— A cat

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

“		”
	— Unknown ecosystem

I wonder what that species of bird that makes those "wee-weeyah" calls is.

Cicadas

“		”
	— Evening cicadas, Japan

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

“		”
	— Crickets

🔊 for being obtrusive

MGM Roar

So uh, I just realized it was a tiger, not a lion.

Pig

“		”
	— A pig

Hopefully The Hogs aren't here...

Background music

Sparkles

“		”
	— A synthesizer

This doesn't seem to be as heavily used, but it's still on the list. It's basically a high-pitched Dbsus4 chord with some sparkly bits.

Foghorn

“		”
	— A foghorn

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

“		”
	— Probably Sheb Wooley

Used so much to the point where they have their own entry. The most famous, the Wilhelm scream, can be heard above.

Diddy Laugh

“		”
	— Astoria Morgan

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

“		”
	— Several people

Perhaps the most iconic usage of this recording is when something notable happens in Super Smash Bros.

"WOOP WOOP!!"

“		”
	— Around 30 people, 1970s

I wonder who that someone may be, and I wonder if they realize their distinctive whoops can be heard everywhere.

Technology

35 mm single-lens reflex camera with auto winder

“		”
	— A 35 mm single-lens reflex camera with an automatic electric winder

It's important to note that the vast majority of digital single-lens reflex cameras don't have automatic electric winders and thus only make a single "click". But, alas, this is perhaps the most recognizable sound effect of a camera.

Dial-up internet

“		”
	— A modem

In this recording, a modem is establishing a connection with a local ISP server in order for its computer to get access to the Internet.

Vehicles

Truck doppler

“		”
	— An unknown truck

This recording is commonly used for any instance of a truck passing by.

Level crossing

“		”
	— An American level crossing

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

“		”
	— Probably a Southern Pacific locomotive

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

“		”
	— An unknown locomotive

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

“		”
	— Canadian National No. 3254, 1970s-1980s

If there happens to be a steam locomotive in the piece of media you are consuming, 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.