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Rejected

 Rejected
type
TVTItem
 Rejected
label
Rejected
 Rejected
page
Rejected
 Rejected
comment
Rejected is a collection of animated shorts from animator Don Hertzfeldt, revolving around a fictionalized version of himself creating advertising bumpers for various companies, all of which are rejected on sight. Hertzfeldt utilized a very minimalist approach to the artwork and incorporated very surreal elements. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in the year 2000.An HD restoration of the short was put together for the Blu-ray release of Hertzfeldt's It's Such a Beautiful Day. It can be seen for free on Hertzfeldt's YouTube channel here.The cartoon is only 10 minutes long, so spoilers are unmarked. All the better reason to watch the cartoon before reading this page.
 Rejected
fetched
2024-05-07T03:48:29Z
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parsed
2024-05-07T03:48:29Z
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processingComment
Dropped link to DerangedAnimation: Not a Feature - ITEM
 Rejected
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Rejected / int_10f35f3a
type
Creator Breakdown
 Rejected / int_10f35f3a
comment
Creator Breakdown: invokedParodied; Don grows increasingly depressed as short after short is rejected, and as his creativity bottoms out, the animated world collapses in on itself.
 Rejected / int_10f35f3a
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1.0
 Rejected / int_10f35f3a
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 Rejected
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Rejected / int_10f35f3a
 Rejected / int_13556074
type
Brotherhood of Funny Hats
 Rejected / int_13556074
comment
Brotherhood of Funny Hats: Literally, with the "Silly Hats Only" segment.
 Rejected / int_13556074
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_13556074
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_13556074
 Rejected / int_1495d0e6
type
Non Sequitur
 Rejected / int_1495d0e6
comment
Non Sequitur: "Tuesday's coming. Did you bring your coat?" "I live in a giant bucket..." "Do you want to go see a movie?" "I'm feeling fat and sassy!"
 Rejected / int_1495d0e6
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1.0
 Rejected / int_1495d0e6
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1.0
 Rejected
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Rejected / int_1495d0e6
 Rejected / int_18aff462
type
Artistic License – Biology
 Rejected / int_18aff462
comment
Artistic License – Biology: Ticks cannot fly no matter how angry they are. Rabbits cannot howl or fire angry ticks out of their nipples.
 Rejected / int_18aff462
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_18aff462
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1.0
 Rejected
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Rejected / int_18aff462
 Rejected / int_1c79ae8c
type
Those Two Guys
 Rejected / int_1c79ae8c
comment
Those Two Guys: The two normal-looking stick figures, who get creepier and more surreal as their scenes are shown. They have three scenes, starting with a screaming tumor and culminating in one of the men getting his stomach ripped off and having it placed on the other man's head, who then goes on to declare that he's "the queen of France" while his arms grow and wiggle.
 Rejected / int_1c79ae8c
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1.0
 Rejected / int_1c79ae8c
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1.0
 Rejected
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Rejected / int_1c79ae8c
 Rejected / int_1e7487cd
type
Breaking the Fourth Wall
 Rejected / int_1e7487cd
comment
Breaking the Fourth Wall: Probably one of the most chilling examples with the ending. The cartoon becomes "unstable" and the stick figures have to outrun the pages being creased, holes become literal black-holes and characters get crushed by the credits.
 Rejected / int_1e7487cd
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1.0
 Rejected / int_1e7487cd
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1.0
 Rejected
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Rejected / int_1e7487cd
 Rejected / int_222dc873
type
Black Comedy
 Rejected / int_222dc873
comment
Black Comedy: "Honey, come quick, Poopie's taking his first steps!" (baby then falls down an endless flight of stairs to wild applause)
 Rejected / int_222dc873
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_222dc873
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_222dc873
 Rejected / int_2b5ea43c
type
Bland-Name Product
 Rejected / int_2b5ea43c
comment
Bland-Name Product: The Family Learning Channel is an obvious riff on The Learning Channel, while Johnson & Mills combines the names of household product manufacturer SC Johnson and food company General Mills.
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1.0
 Rejected / int_2b5ea43c
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1.0
 Rejected
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Rejected / int_2b5ea43c
 Rejected / int_32251696
type
Old-Timey Cinema Countdown
 Rejected / int_32251696
comment
Old-Timey Cinema Countdown: One appears before every segment, but only the 3 appears and it flashes away as soon as it ticks down to 2.
 Rejected / int_32251696
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_32251696
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_32251696
 Rejected / int_3346eb29
type
Overdrawn at the Blood Bank
 Rejected / int_3346eb29
comment
Overdrawn at the Blood Bank: Characters consistently bleed in the form of ridiculously large fountains. This eventually reaches its logical conclusion when the character with a ruptured anus drowns in a sea of his own blood.
 Rejected / int_3346eb29
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_3346eb29
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1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_3346eb29
 Rejected / int_3eee0728
type
Captain Obvious
 Rejected / int_3eee0728
comment
Captain Obvious: The "My spoon is too big" scene consists of a boy proclaiming that his massive spoon is too big for his diminutive bowl of food, before an anthropomorphic banana walks on-screen and states that they are, in fact, a banana.
 Rejected / int_3eee0728
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_3eee0728
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_3eee0728
 Rejected / int_415b3315
type
Stylistic Suck
 Rejected / int_415b3315
comment
Stylistic Suck: The left-handed cartoon, in which both characters are scribbly messes who spout gibberish.
 Rejected / int_415b3315
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_415b3315
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_415b3315
 Rejected / int_41f26c58
type
Happy Dance
 Rejected / int_41f26c58
comment
Happy Dance: The cloud-like characters perform this to a Swedish Christmas song, and they keep doing it even after one of the character's anus starts bleeding.
 Rejected / int_41f26c58
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_41f26c58
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_41f26c58
 Rejected / int_42839f8b
type
Sound-Effect Bleep
 Rejected / int_42839f8b
comment
Sound-Effect Bleep: As soon as the first Hong Kong Dub guy grows a talking tumor on his forehead, the second guy says, "Fuck!", but it's bleeped out.
 Rejected / int_42839f8b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_42839f8b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_42839f8b
 Rejected / int_4ae82f6a
type
Pop-Up Trivia
 Rejected / int_4ae82f6a
comment
Pop-Up Trivia: One version of the short has text commentary by Hertzfeldt.
 Rejected / int_4ae82f6a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_4ae82f6a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_4ae82f6a
 Rejected / int_4e3d253b
type
Downer Ending
 Rejected / int_4e3d253b
comment
Downer Ending: invokedEnds with the cartoon's world falling apart and collapsing in on itself to symbolize Don's Creator Breakdown. Especially eerie since the final shot is of presumably the final person to die, looking up in horror as the image distorts violently before swiping to black.
 Rejected / int_4e3d253b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_4e3d253b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_4e3d253b
 Rejected / int_504a1991
type
Body Horror
 Rejected / int_504a1991
comment
Body Horror: Having a giant growth form on your forehead, having your eye explode into a never-ending stream of blood, having your anus bleed infinitely...
 Rejected / int_504a1991
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_504a1991
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_504a1991
 Rejected / int_50b05d30
type
Disproportionate Retribution
 Rejected / int_50b05d30
comment
Disproportionate Retribution: The man with the top hat at the "Silly Hats Only" club gets beaten with aluminum baseball bats because his hat isn't silly enough.
 Rejected / int_50b05d30
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_50b05d30
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_50b05d30
 Rejected / int_51a12a6f
type
Hong Kong Dub
 Rejected / int_51a12a6f
comment
Hong Kong Dub: Played for laughs with the two normal-looking stick figures.
 Rejected / int_51a12a6f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_51a12a6f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_51a12a6f
 Rejected / int_549a92e7
type
Minimalism
 Rejected / int_549a92e7
comment
Minimalism: For a guy known for making the most of strange and sneaky camera tricks, this is incredibly stripped-down.
 Rejected / int_549a92e7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_549a92e7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_549a92e7
 Rejected / int_5f70322e
type
Public Domain Soundtrack
 Rejected / int_5f70322e
comment
Public Domain Soundtrack: The interstitial information cards use brief excerpts from Beethoven's 9th Symphony.
 Rejected / int_5f70322e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_5f70322e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_5f70322e
 Rejected / int_6023a9bc
type
Bloody Hilarious
 Rejected / int_6023a9bc
comment
Bloody Hilarious: Several of the segments have copious amounts of blood Played for Laughs, such as the second and third scenes with Those Two Guys and the "My anus is bleeding!" segment.
 Rejected / int_6023a9bc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_6023a9bc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_6023a9bc
 Rejected / int_61a503a7
type
Hell Is That Noise
 Rejected / int_61a503a7
comment
Hell Is That Noise: invokedWhen the Dream Apocalypse begins, right before the clouds and stars start to fall, a distorted moaning noise can be heard, likely Don moaning in agony from his depression.
 Rejected / int_61a503a7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_61a503a7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_61a503a7
 Rejected / int_6b35bdff
type
Serious Business
 Rejected / int_6b35bdff
comment
Serious Business: The sign says "Silly Hats Only" — and means it. Anyone who wears a non-silly hat is brutally beaten with baseball bats.
 Rejected / int_6b35bdff
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_6b35bdff
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_6b35bdff
 Rejected / int_6b8c8d72
type
Our Slogan Is Terrible
 Rejected / int_6b8c8d72
comment
Our Slogan Is Terrible: Several of the ads for Johnson & Mills products.
 Rejected / int_6b8c8d72
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_6b8c8d72
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_6b8c8d72
 Rejected / int_6f4af3e5
type
AcCENT upon the Wrong SylLABle
 Rejected / int_6f4af3e5
comment
AcCENT upon the Wrong SylLABle: A significant portion of the spoken dialogue has really weird intonation.
 Rejected / int_6f4af3e5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_6f4af3e5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_6f4af3e5
 Rejected / int_77922c8c
type
Batter Up!
 Rejected / int_77922c8c
comment
Batter Up!: The members of the "Silly Hats Only" club beat a man wearing a top hat with bats for insufficient silliness.
 Rejected / int_77922c8c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_77922c8c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_77922c8c
 Rejected / int_80bc43b5
type
Stick Figure Animation
 Rejected / int_80bc43b5
comment
Stick Figure Animation: The characters are drawn with stick-like appendages.
 Rejected / int_80bc43b5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_80bc43b5
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_80bc43b5
 Rejected / int_83a55c8e
type
Napoleon Delusion
 Rejected / int_83a55c8e
comment
Napoleon Delusion: One character tears a chunk of flesh off of another and wears it like a crown, proclaiming that "I am the queen of France!"
 Rejected / int_83a55c8e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_83a55c8e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_83a55c8e
 Rejected / int_87d7e9fa
type
Surreal Humor
 Rejected / int_87d7e9fa
comment
Surreal Humor: Heads straight into Surreal Horror territory by the end, when the animated world starts falling apart.
 Rejected / int_87d7e9fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_87d7e9fa
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_87d7e9fa
 Rejected / int_884e513b
type
Medium Awareness
 Rejected / int_884e513b
comment
Medium Awareness: During the climax, at least one character is desperately banging on the Fourth Wall, either trying to escape or seeking the viewer's help.
 Rejected / int_884e513b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_884e513b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_884e513b
 Rejected / int_91cab736
type
Major Injury Underreaction
 Rejected / int_91cab736
comment
The first of the Johnson & Mills ads has an alien steal a guy's eyes. Other than being blinded, he doesn't seem too bothered by it.
 Rejected / int_91cab736
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_91cab736
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_91cab736
 Rejected / int_91e894b4
type
Apocalypse How
 Rejected / int_91e894b4
comment
Apocalypse How: invokedClass X-4 through technicality. While it's established early on that the universe shown off in each vignette is nothing more than fiction, the characters themselves seem to have their own agendas and free will. Through a case of Creator Breakdown once Don's creativity bottoms out due to a depressive state formed from all of his shorts being shunned, he unleashes the apocalypse unto his creations, complete with page tearing and creasing. At one point, a stick figure is banging on the paper, pleading for help, showing at full display the fact that this human-created universe acts separately to our own.
 Rejected / int_91e894b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_91e894b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_91e894b4
 Rejected / int_9a0481a2
type
Dada Ad
 Rejected / int_9a0481a2
comment
Dada Ad: The entire point/Framing Device of Rejected. Don's ads are bizarre and disturbing, and they have nothing to do with the product they're supposed to advertise. Deconstructed, as because of this they are rejected again and again, causing Don's mental health to degrade more and more.
 Rejected / int_9a0481a2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_9a0481a2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_9a0481a2
 Rejected / int_9e0c3153
type
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!
 Rejected / int_9e0c3153
comment
Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: The character who says "My anus is bleeding" does so thrice: calmly the first time, more drawn out the second, and the third as a panicked "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD! AND ALL THAT IS HOLY! MY ANUS! IS! BLEEDING!"
 Rejected / int_9e0c3153
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_9e0c3153
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_9e0c3153
 Rejected / int_9f9a1f52
type
Screen Tap
 Rejected / int_9f9a1f52
comment
Screen Tap: Played for Drama. In the ending, a stickman desperately bangs on the paper as the animated world around him collapses. It's to no avail, as he is consumed by the Dream Apocalypse.
 Rejected / int_9f9a1f52
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_9f9a1f52
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_9f9a1f52
 Rejected / int_a2b38d3b
type
Eye Scream
 Rejected / int_a2b38d3b
comment
Eye Scream: The last of the segments for the Family Learning Channel has a guy start bleeding from one of his eyes. The first of the Johnson & Mills ads has an alien steal a guy's eyes. Other than being blinded, he doesn't seem too bothered by it.
 Rejected / int_a2b38d3b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_a2b38d3b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_a2b38d3b
 Rejected / int_a4c37cbe
type
Mood Whiplash
 Rejected / int_a4c37cbe
comment
Mood Whiplash: The "Dance!" segment begins with a fluffy, cloud-like creature encouraging similarly-shaped friends to dance and have fun. Everyone is happy and cheerful... and then the main character's anus starts bleeding profusely. He desperately screams for help, all while the others keep dancing and laughing. "First Steps" begins with a baby walking for the first time... and ends with said baby tumbling down a massive flight of stairs.
 Rejected / int_a4c37cbe
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_a4c37cbe
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_a4c37cbe
 Rejected / int_abad35b4
type
Soundtrack Dissonance
 Rejected / int_abad35b4
comment
Soundtrack Dissonance: "My anus is bleeding" uses a Swedish Christmas song.
 Rejected / int_abad35b4
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_abad35b4
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_abad35b4
 Rejected / int_b53077b3
type
Take That!
 Rejected / int_b53077b3
comment
Take That!: The entire short is meant to be a jab at the medium of advertising, which Hertzfeldt described as being built on lies. This is most overtly shown with the Johnson & Mills Kelp dip bumper, where a young child gladly proclaims "I am a consumer whore!"
 Rejected / int_b53077b3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_b53077b3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_b53077b3
 Rejected / int_bbb3a5a0
type
Splash of Color
 Rejected / int_bbb3a5a0
comment
Splash of Color: Blood, which is red in contrast to the black and white style, and the banana, which is yellow.
 Rejected / int_bbb3a5a0
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_bbb3a5a0
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_bbb3a5a0
 Rejected / int_c9597a03
type
Self-Deprecation
 Rejected / int_c9597a03
comment
Self-Deprecation: The basis of the film is that Don Hertzfeldt is having a nervous breakdown because he can't sell any of his work. Ironically, Don himself admits that he's turned down many commercial deal offers since his fame with Rejected.
 Rejected / int_c9597a03
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_c9597a03
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_c9597a03
 Rejected / int_d71d51fd
type
The End of the World as We Know It
 Rejected / int_d71d51fd
comment
The End of the World as We Know It: At the end, the entire cartoon world falls apart into nothingness as the creator has a nervous breakdown.
 Rejected / int_d71d51fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_d71d51fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_d71d51fd
 Rejected / int_dc0d80ee
type
High-Pressure Blood
 Rejected / int_dc0d80ee
comment
High-Pressure Blood: The scene where the guy's eye pops and the jet of blood from the socket sprays all over his friend. The character in the "My anus is bleeding!" scene ends up drowning in his own blood.
 Rejected / int_dc0d80ee
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_dc0d80ee
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_dc0d80ee
 Rejected / int_e13d1ebc
type
Mouth Flaps
 Rejected / int_e13d1ebc
comment
Mouth Flaps: Intentionally mismatched with the dialogue.
 Rejected / int_e13d1ebc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_e13d1ebc
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_e13d1ebc
 Rejected / int_e9e35e8f
type
Exact Words
 Rejected / int_e9e35e8f
comment
Exact Words: Silly hats ONLY.
 Rejected / int_e9e35e8f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_e9e35e8f
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_e9e35e8f
 Rejected / int_eef90616
type
Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick
 Rejected / int_eef90616
comment
Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: "Dance! Everybody dance!" "Yay!" "Life is good!" "This is fun!" "My anus is bleeding!"
 Rejected / int_eef90616
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_eef90616
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
hasFeature
Rejected / int_eef90616
 Rejected / int_f466c9b1
type
Overly Long Scream
 Rejected / int_f466c9b1
comment
Overly Long Scream: The segment where one guy starts bleeding profusely from his eye, and he and his friend just stand there screaming at each other.
 Rejected / int_f466c9b1
featureApplicability
1.0
 Rejected / int_f466c9b1
featureConfidence
1.0
 Rejected
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Rejected / int_f466c9b1
 Rejected / int_name
type
ItemName
 Rejected / int_name
comment
 Rejected / int_name
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 Rejected / int_name
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Rejected / int_name
 Rejected / int_name
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Rejected

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

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hasFeature
Funny Bruce Lee Noises / int_1fb5c26a
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hasFeature
Funny Spoon / int_1fb5c26a
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hasFeature
Old-Timey Cinema Countdown / int_1fb5c26a
 Rejected
hasFeature
Our Slogan Is Terrible / int_1fb5c26a
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hasFeature
Staircase Tumble / int_1fb5c26a
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hasFeature
Torpedo Tits / int_1fb5c26a
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hasFeature
Verbed Title / int_1fb5c26a
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hasFeature
Word-Salad Humor / int_1fb5c26a