...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!
Talking Lightbulb
- 183 statements
- 33 feature instances
- 9 referencing feature instances
| Talking Lightbulb | type |
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| Talking Lightbulb | label |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb | page |
TalkingLightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb | comment |
The Talking Lightbulb is some visual effect, often a simple blinking light, that flickers away whenever a robot or computer speaks, for no reason other than to look cool. Maybe it's supposed to help the audience focus on a character that doesn't move its face when it speaks, generally because it has no face. It is often used in combination with Robo Speak. Can be justified as a user-friendly feature, since for people on both sides of the Fourth Wall, it's the simplest way to make obvious at a glance which one is speaking when several robots, computerized appliances, and talking alarm clocks are around. Compare Head Bob, Action Figure Speech. For literal talking lightbulbs, see Animate Inanimate Object. |
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| Talking Lightbulb | fetched |
2024-04-13T05:31:37Z | |
| Talking Lightbulb | parsed |
2024-04-13T05:31:37Z | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to AnIcePerson: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to BigBad: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to CargoShip: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to DireStraits: Not an Item - IGNORE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to LizardFolk: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to PoweredArmour: Not an Item - UNKNOWN | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to RoboSpeak: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to StarWars: Not an Item - CAT | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to TropeCodifier: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingComment |
Dropped link to UniversalTranslator: Not an Item - FEATURE | |
| Talking Lightbulb | processingUnknown |
PoweredArmour | |
| Talking Lightbulb | isPartOf |
DBTropes | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1861f45b | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1861f45b | comment |
A non-technological example: when Protoss characters in Starcraft talk, their eyes flash and change colors. Protoss have no mouths and speak telepathically, so the eye glow serves as a nice visual aid during mission briefings. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1861f45b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1861f45b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| StarCraft (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_1861f45b | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1cf9838c | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1cf9838c | comment |
In the Bill Nye the Science Guy computer game Stop the Rock!, when the computer you had to convince humans were worth saving from a giant asteroid spoke, the screen it was using flashed large pixels expanding from the center, with color and number corresponding to volume. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1cf9838c | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_1cf9838c | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Bill Nye the Science Guy | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_1cf9838c | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_2ef7cb74 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_2ef7cb74 | comment |
In Lyrical Nanoha, if a Device has a prominent Power Crystal, it will blink and flicker in this manner when it speaks conversationally. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_2ef7cb74 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_2ef7cb74 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Lyrical Nanoha (Franchise) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_2ef7cb74 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_46dacb10 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_46dacb10 | comment |
The Richie Rich villain Dr. N-R-Gee is a human being with a lightbulb for a head. In his origin story, he was a scientist who was trying out an electric head scratcher with an experimental power generator that somehow electricuted him, and when he came to, he found out that his head has been replaced with a head-sized lightbulb. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_46dacb10 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_46dacb10 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Richie Rich (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_46dacb10 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_4f1f3628 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_4f1f3628 | comment |
London's identical, sarcastic, talking stand mirrors from The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and The Suite Life on Deck were surrounded by Talking Lightbulbs, in the manner of a typical frame-lit vanity mirror. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_4f1f3628 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_4f1f3628 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Suite Life of Zack & Cody | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_4f1f3628 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5bfa9c98 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5bfa9c98 | comment |
Warframe features a few variations. Cephalons do this by default, being data-based artificial intelligences with no human avatars. Your MOA companion can also do this, lighting up when it beeps at you. The debt-slaved Solaris of Fortuna light up when they talk because none of them seem to have normal human heads. Finally, mysterious space DJ Nora Night has flashing accessories that light up during her short transmission clips to you. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5bfa9c98 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5bfa9c98 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Warframe (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_5bfa9c98 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5d354f8 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5d354f8 | comment |
The talking toaster in early series of Red Dwarf. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5d354f8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_5d354f8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Red Dwarf | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_5d354f8 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_629cd094 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_629cd094 | comment |
Also in this category is Shepard's Blood Dragon Armornote bonus for owning a registered copy of Dragon Age: Origins in 2 and bought from a store in 3, which has a helmet with an opaque visor. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_629cd094 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_629cd094 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dragon Age: Origins (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_629cd094 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_63230cb | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_63230cb | comment |
Dragon Ball Z Abridged made the robots in DBZA Movie: Cooler 2: The Return of Cooler's Revenge: The Reckoning flash their eyes while talking, for comedic effect. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_63230cb | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_63230cb | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Dragon Ball Z Abridged (Web Video) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_63230cb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_755b343f | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_755b343f | comment |
Halo. The Monitors' eye light in the center of their 'body' flashes in sync with their speech. Funnily enough, a glitch in Halo 2 reversed it, causing the light to dim instead whenever they spoke. Johnson addresses Monitor 343 Guilty Spark as "lightbulb" because of the effect. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_755b343f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_755b343f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Halo (Franchise) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_755b343f | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_7668653b | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_7668653b | comment |
As of Mass Effect 3, it is shown that any Geth with the ability to speak has this. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_7668653b | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_7668653b | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Mass Effect 3 (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_7668653b | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_7988cb68 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_7988cb68 | comment |
Mass Effect: Tali'Zorah's helmet (and all Quarian suits for that matter) has a light that flashes in sync with her speech. Justified in that Quarian helmets obscure the face and as they wear them near-constantly it would make group conversations highly confusing. The Volus also have flashing lights, for exactly the same reason. The Geth, which were designed by the Quarians, also have this. Or at least, Legion does. As of Mass Effect 3, it is shown that any Geth with the ability to speak has this. Also in this category is Shepard's Blood Dragon Armornote bonus for owning a registered copy of Dragon Age: Origins in 2 and bought from a store in 3, which has a helmet with an opaque visor. |
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| Talking Lightbulb / int_7988cb68 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_7988cb68 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Mass Effect (Franchise) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_7988cb68 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_86e51bb5 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_86e51bb5 | comment |
In The Adventure Zone: Balance, the fuse in No. 3113's frame flashes whenever she speaks. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_86e51bb5 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_86e51bb5 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| The Adventure Zone: Balance (Podcast) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_86e51bb5 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8c135a20 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8c135a20 | comment |
In Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer, ON-X (pronounced like "onyx"), the mechanical flyingnote Literally, unlike Starlite, a "flying" horse who runs on the rainbows that Rainbow Brite makes from her Color Belt. horse speaks with a talking electronic mane. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8c135a20 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8c135a20 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Rainbow Brite | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_8c135a20 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8e8ed866 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8e8ed866 | comment |
KITT, the robotic car from Knight Rider, had and has a Talking Lightbulb speech display in both series. The original used a series of LED lights similar to a graphic equalizer, while the new one was an extra-cool plasma display. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8e8ed866 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8e8ed866 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Knight Rider | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_8e8ed866 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8ec33a88 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8ec33a88 | comment |
Xenoblade Chronicles 3: The party's combined Ouroboros forms have no mouths, but both members of a fusion can speak from within regardless of who's in charge, causing one of the gestalt's eyes to light up. When the left eye flashes, the Agnian member is speaking, and when the right eye flashes, the Kevesi member is speaking. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8ec33a88 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_8ec33a88 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_8ec33a88 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_99e32a93 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_99e32a93 | comment |
The Thing, in Cosgrove Hall's adaptation of Truckers, zig-zags between this and more complicated light patterns and projections, since a larger model is used for close ups. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_99e32a93 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_99e32a93 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Nomes Trilogy | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_99e32a93 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_9a7088bc | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_9a7088bc | comment |
Star Trek: The Original Series: The ship's computer displayed an oscilloscope display when it spoke (in heavy Robo Speak). Also, in the famous episode "The Menagerie", the infirm Captain Pike, in a futuristic wheelchair, can only communicate with brainwaves translated by the wheelchair - one beep for 'yes', two for 'no'. In the episode "The Changeling", the intelligent space probe Nomad has green flashing lights all the time, as well as yellow and red lights when it speaks. |
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| Talking Lightbulb / int_9a7088bc | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_9a7088bc | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Star Trek: The Original Series | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_9a7088bc | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_a183d57f | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_a183d57f | comment |
Many of the robots in Futurama have this effect. Bender is the one exception, he has a panel with a wave similar in appearance to an oscilloscope that is lipsynched to his speech. Futurama also parodied "The Menagerie"'s wheelchair when the characters had to testify in court in "Where No Fan Has Gone Before". | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_a183d57f | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_a183d57f | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Futurama | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_a183d57f | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_afa87e53 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_afa87e53 | comment |
Clanky from Backyard Sports has a lightbulb on his head which flashes in sync whenever Clanky "speaks." | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_afa87e53 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_afa87e53 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Backyard Sports (Video Game) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_afa87e53 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b2fba3e0 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b2fba3e0 | comment |
Some aliens in the Ultra Series have glowing patches on their bodies that light up when they talk, with the most famous examples being Alien Mefilas and Alien Metron. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b2fba3e0 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b2fba3e0 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Ultra Series (Franchise) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_b2fba3e0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b3710357 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b3710357 | comment |
Bit from TRON can fit this. As a bit, he is only capable of two responses—"yes" or "no"—and each response is accompanied by a change of shape: a yellow octahedron for "yes", or a red spiked 3D shape for "no". | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b3710357 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b3710357 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| TRON | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_b3710357 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b4652141 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b4652141 | comment |
In Fireball, Gedächtnis's eye lights up as he speaks. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b4652141 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b4652141 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Fireball | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_b4652141 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b6cb9396 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b6cb9396 | comment |
The Robot from Lost in Space looked a great deal like Robbie, including the glass-dome-lightshow head and the Talking Lightbulb "mouth". At Paul Allen's Science Fiction Museum there's a display with Robbie and The Robot next to each other. They converse with each other on various subjects. |
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| Talking Lightbulb / int_b6cb9396 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_b6cb9396 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Lost in Space | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_b6cb9396 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_bc848d30 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_bc848d30 | comment |
Karen, Plankton's computer wife in SpongeBob SquarePants, uses the oscilloscope version. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_bc848d30 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_bc848d30 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| SpongeBob SquarePants | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_bc848d30 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_c1b44782 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_c1b44782 | comment |
In the 1960s Aquaman cartoons from Filmation, recurring villain Manta spoke like this, with the eyes of his helmet lighting up. Later averted when he appeared in Super Friends as Black Manta, where they used a Head Bob instead. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_c1b44782 | featureApplicability |
-1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_c1b44782 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Aquaman (Comic Book) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_c1b44782 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_c43df4d8 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_c43df4d8 | comment |
Doctor Who: The Daleks (who are actually aliens in Powered Armour) have head-lamps that flash with the rhythm of their speech. The classic series incarnation of the Silurians, who have a third eye in their foreheads that lights up. Silurians aren't robots, but Lizard Folk. Some versions of the Doctor's robot dog K9 have this feature. All versions of the Cybermen introduced in the new series have their mouths light up when they speak. The altered (or "processed") Ood's translation devices light up when they speak. In "Legend of the Sea Devils", the only Sea Devil who talks has a pendant that lights up when he's talking. Though special effects have improved since the Classic series, the head isn't articulate enough to mimic human speech. The pendant may be acting as a Universal Translator. |
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| Talking Lightbulb / int_c43df4d8 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_c43df4d8 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Doctor Who | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_c43df4d8 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_e25322af | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_e25322af | comment |
The Visor Robot from Homestar Runner. An Easter Egg at the end of one cartoon starring it even revealed its voice box to be a red lightbulb after it exploded. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_e25322af | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_e25322af | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Homestar Runner (Web Animation) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_e25322af | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ece42231 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ece42231 | comment |
Filmation's Ghostbusters: Prime Evil has a metal jaw and a Jacob's ladder/oscilloscope in place of a mouth, with power flowing between two electrodes when he speaks. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ece42231 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ece42231 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Filmation's Ghostbusters | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_ece42231 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fb9c177d | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fb9c177d | comment |
Transformers: Some Transformers without normal mouths are like this. The most notable is Wheeljack. Also (in at least some series), when a Transformer speaks in vehicle mode, whatever applicable form of headlight will flash in rhythm with the words. |
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| Talking Lightbulb / int_fb9c177d | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fb9c177d | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Transformers (Franchise) | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_fb9c177d | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fc33d197 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fc33d197 | comment |
Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? had the titular character's eyes flash when he spoke. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fc33d197 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fc33d197 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_fc33d197 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fdc66d32 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fdc66d32 | comment |
In Kamen Rider Double, due to the titular hero being a Sharing a Body-style Fusion Dance of two characters, with Philip's soul entering Shotaro's body, Double's right eye lights up whenever Philip speaks. When using FangJoker, the roles are reversed, putting Shotaro's soul in Philip's body. As a result, FangJoker's left eye lights up whenever Shotaro speaks. CycloneJokerXtreme goes plays the fusion straight with both characters' bodies fusing together, resulting in either eye lighting up according to which person is speaking. | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fdc66d32 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_fdc66d32 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Kamen Rider Double | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_fdc66d32 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ff5cc447 | type |
Talking Lightbulb | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ff5cc447 | comment |
All SAINT robots in Short Circuit are equipped with a mouth cover. Nr. 5 loses his one early in the film, revealing a series of LEDs that light up when he talks. Johnny 5 refers to them as "lip lights". | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ff5cc447 | featureApplicability |
1.0 | |
| Talking Lightbulb / int_ff5cc447 | featureConfidence |
1.0 | |
| Short Circuit | hasFeature |
Talking Lightbulb / int_ff5cc447 |
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