this comment describes my older brother to a t (in a good way)! he also uses my grandma's laptop to burn cds, we play a lot of soul calibur, older street fighter games, virtua fighter, and the like with my older sister as well whenever we visit him.
@@haterodiadordeplantao.680 I don't even understand why you're upset....nothing they said made it seemed like they're complaining, just a statement lmao, you good?
But anyways, that was definitely a large part as to why I never wanted to wear glasses as a kid lmao, I remember always having that fear since poor sight is a trend in my family.
I always noticed that in a lot of cartoons. If the main character is white they have a nerdy black friend, and on the few occasions the main character was black they also had a nerdy white friend.
Well I don't about Virgil. Even though he was the biggest nerd he was still smart. He was smart enough to get into the Vanmoor institute which was a highly advanced science and technology school that Virgil briefly attended.
@@jankoleon3785yeah, but they difference is that they weren’t using Virgil being a nerd as a way to alienate him or make him relatable by removing American blackness and making weird, but allowed him to just be an authentically normal person who was kind, intelligent, geeky, but also hip. Though being created by Dwayne McDuffie, another black nerd, would be why Virgil was a lot more authentic and well rounded than a lot of the examples presented in this video.
I think 6teen was one of the few shows to not include this specific stereotype with the character Wyatt. He played guitar, drank coffee and got into philosophical ponderings every once in a while. It was cool to see a character like that because I saw a lot of myself in him. edit: Though I must admit, as a black man with a terrible eyesight and even worse fashion sense who's really into diy electronics, I suppose I see myself in everyone else mentioned here too.
He was definitely the dork of the boys (Jen for the girls) and would be the butt of many jokes. Jude was a relaxed, dumb skater boy, and Jonesy was a cool, egotistical player guy (who later changed by Nikki). Wyatt was the musical nerd, but he was cool when the story focused on his musical talent (not so much on his jealousy which was cringe at times). I think a better example would be Broseph from Stoked, who was a mixture of Wyatt and Jude. He was seen as cool, fun, likable, and enjoyed surfing. He's someone you would hang out with. Johnny... ehh, he was another black character, but it felt like they made Wyatt again, but they took out his hobby which was a vital identity, leaving only Wyatt's responsibility, following orders, the mature one of the group, and how bad the two are with girls. I guess... he's into surfing but it's clear he doesn't have the same passion for it as Broseph (mainly cause S1 just focus on his crush on Emma) Kahuna leans more toward Jude. Johnny leans more toward Wyatt. Broseph is just right in the sweet spot between both of them.
@@Samantha_lynnekkkkkkkkOr even more of the “nerd” archetype, there was Cam who was a finalist from the Revenge season who was even more of a Urkel type of nerd than someone like DJ
Their dynamic needs to be studied. They were actually closer friends with each other than with Timmy. I think it's cool considering that vastly different lives.
They also were complex because despite Chester being poor, Timmy somehow had a worse life despite growing up in a Middle Class 2000’s family I think that’s because Chester’s dad was actually there for him while Timmy’s parents are constantly gone. AJ is unironically the richest in the friend group-which is an inversion of the steriotype
You did a great job breaking down the rise of this character archetype, I love cultural studies like this. It's just as important to have these imperfect depictions of marginalized characters to lay the path toward better and more dynamic ones, as it is to break them down and understand what the issues were so future writers can do better. Def agree with you on the Danny Phantom tokenization stuff - but you know that haha. King Tuck is a mess. Lastly thanks for the mention man. This is more thoughtful, researched and well executed than most of the 'video essays' being put out rn. The editing is super clean and tight. I won't be surprised at all when you blow up. You're one of the best!! Keep it up.
It seems like 90s and early 2000s media found it "safer" to portray Black youth through two dominant archetypes: the "nerdy Black kid" or the "young thug." The nerdy Black kid was essentially the "what we want Black youth to be" archetype, while the young thug was the "what we don't want Black youth to be"-a dichotomy crafted by predominantly white writers. What was missing was a character like Static Shock’s Virgil Hawkins: a well-rounded, strong Black teen who was relatable, heroic, and placed in a realistic middle-class household. Virgil stood out because Static Shock addressed the complexities of being a Black teen without resorting to stereotypes. The show tackled race and identity in a way that shows like Fairly OddParents or even The Proud Family-with its portrayal of the Gross Sisters-did not. In The Proud Family, for instance, the light-skinned family was portrayed as good, while the darker-skinned Gross Sisters were literally called "gross" and framed as antagonists. This dichotomy subtly (and sometimes overtly) reinforced colorism and the idea that "blackness" equates to something negative. As a grown white dude with no skin in the game, I've always felt that many cartoons of that era seemed more focused on shaping Black youth to reject "Black" culture and assimilate into a "model minority" ideal-similar to the stereotypes often pushed onto Asian communities-rather than celebrating the diversity and strength within Black culture itself. What made Static Shock remarkable was its willingness to go deeper. Virgil wasn't sanitized into a one-dimensional archetype to make him palatable to white audiences. He was an "urban youth," a superhero, and a good kid all at once, navigating real-life issues like race and prejudice in an authentic and approachable way for young viewers. One of the most powerful moments was the episode about Richie’s dad being racist. It showed that cartoons could handle these topics honestly while still uplifting a strong Black lead. We didn’t need reductive archetypes that were easy for white audiences to consume. We needed, and still need, more characters like Virgil-archetypes of strong Black youth who inspire growth, pride, and positivity within their communities.
Great video! On a related note, Jaleel White is such a great actor, it's a bit of a shame we didn't get to see him in more stuff... at least the later seasons of Family Matters allowed him to show his range through Steve's various alter-egos.
Being remembered as the archetypal “black nerd” and Sonic the Hedgehog is a strange legacy to leave, and you’re right that it’s not one I think Jaleel would have wanted as a serious actor
That image just freaked me the fuck out - I never even realized that those were these sort of Urkel offshoots until you put them all up next to each other
That Twitter comment is incorrect . All of those were side characters. While they are good characters I think people looking for representation in cartoons would prefer to see a poc main character in a cartoon.
@@Fr.O.G. Yes, and I love the show very much. I would argue that Numbah 1 is the main character because he is the leader even though the operatives got their own episodes.
I think, as always, the _most important aspect of representation_ is *VARIETY.* So whenever there's this sort of intersection of "characters of a particular race" with "trope that shows up over and over", I love to see the discussion of where that comes from and how that speaks to perceptions and the way we've traditionally approached representation. basically, i loved this video
I have serious problems with family matters, as a black man on the spectrum. Urkel harassing the same girl the entire show, then finding someone who actually likes him and then she just vanishes and he's back harassing that same girl again, to the point he has to build a machine to turn himself into another guy for her? what message is that sending?? i hate that show.
Steve and Laura getting married at the end of the show definitely sent the wrong message to me as a kid. And Myra was a 10/10 Steve should never have quit on her.
I kinda always figured the 'Black nerd' trope was an easy one that would allow for an easy source of jokes and character beats while contradicting the older, racist stereotypes about intelligence and physical prowess. It's a pretty liberal response to the whole thing in order to avoid intersectionality... but, it's not the worse potential direction.
Having grown up in the 90s, it honestly felt like an attempt to counter the ghetto stereotype media had pushed prior (I grew up on reruns of 70s and 80s shows and even Fresh Prince kinda pushed the ghetto stereotype a bit, but at least it usually did so to show it in a negative light.) Man I miss the days of the classical, centrist liberal before our name was stolen from us by others. Heck, I had the biggest crush on Numbah 5 growing up. We truly were colorblind in the 90s/00s... what the hell happened?
@@CommanderRedEXE I think what happened was people wanted to see stories about the whole intersectionality of things and to stop having centrist stories where it’s like “both sides are equality wrong”. As unlike in fiction. The real world do see color as that’s a huge part of peoples identity. And saying “you don’t see color/you’re color blind” Doesn’t help with nothing. It just ignores the issues and brushes it off
@@SammyRobinson62232 right so when someone who is white has a friend who is black it is more hurtful for him to call him a friend and he should refer to him as his black friend instead. otherwise he would be ignoring his friends color and belittling him as a result.
Great break down. Another example of the "black nerd genius who invents gadgets" is Wade from Kim Possible. I really didn't notice the trend until this video, but its definitely a trope, i just dont know if it's negative, positive, or neutral.
@@icecreamhero2375Ya I mean there's a reason why tropes exist in the first place and imo there's nothing wrong with not reinventing the wheel every single time
@@xavierjuno4572 Yep. I wouldn't call the black tech genius trope a bad thing. People like AJ will be super rich in the future and practically run the world. People like Steve Jobs are loaded.
I love deep dives like this. Glad the algorithm brought me to your channel. You've just earned yourself a new subscriber. ;) Something else about Big Brother Chad that I rarely see discussed despite how many retrospectives of the show I've come across is that it's essentially a "90s very special gay episode". It follows the typical beats of a "coming out episode" of that era to a tee: the straight family member/friend in denial/clueless about the gay character's identity, the subsequent refusal to accept the gay character's identity, and the "I've known since I was a kid" speech. There are also lots of little nods to stereotypical queerness sprinkled throughout the episode: Chad's pink shirt, his rainbow bicycle helmet, his mannerisms, and his love of musical show tunes.
You could literally do 1000 of these. Every cartoon trope is based on something. If you really want a trope that goes back almost 100 years, look up Peter Lorre. He was an actor during the Golden Age of Hollywood. But then look up every character inspired by him. There are so many characters that borrowed and were directly inspired by him. There's a compilation of it on youtube. But he's often been the basis for almost every Igor character. Dr Frankenstein's assistant. Pretty much anytime you see an Igor-like character, it's a Peter Lorre impression. And it's cool that Urkel has inspired a trope that will be around for the next 100 years. Just like we've all but forgotten about Peter Lorre, people will eventually forget about Urkel. But he will be remembered for centuries by way of the trope he created. I'm willing to bet that it will be named the Urkel. And the Urkel will be a name that is so closely connected to this trope, but nobody in the future will know it's actual origins. Just like nobody knows nachos were named after a person, and not a food.
"We've all forgotten about Lorre" ironically it was him being caricatured so much (especially in Spongebob) that made me discover his film career and now I'm a huge fan. Many other current Lorre fans basically discovered him thru cartoons. Now I can't help but wonder if there's anyone who got into Urkle because of the character trope.
Yeah, it's sweet how we see the characters' perception of him differ based on their age. It made perfect sense too, they saw him as cool for spending time with kids, but the kind of person who spends time with kids is usually a bit too awkward, childish, or just more maternal/paternal than the average person... and for a kid? Yeah, probably not very popular in their age group, so he can make more time for them. Chad was a really nice guy and he totally was cool when he saved his brother. ^^
I had a nerdy black friend in elementary school long before I was even familiar with this type of character. I can relate to these characters because of my friend but I don't look at it in a bad way or anything. Impressive deep dive! Well done! Keep up the great work!
I don't think the video suggested they were bad in any way either. That would be a purely modern fallacy. Not every stereotype is bad, and not everything is racist(some people in the comments have the latter mindset and it becomes sadly quite apparent. Thankfully they are rare). The 90s/00s had, hands down, the best cartoons ever. Artists weren't forced to make character follow a "safe and sterile" ideology, writers didn't have to check boxes nearly like they do today(stereotypes always existed long before then, and will always exist in the future. Political agendas also were kept highly subtle back then compared to today).
At 35:00 with regards to black characters having heritage in Egypt. Why did you show Irwin as an example of cartoons doing Egypt with black characters and not "meaning much by it"? Irwin's mother was a mummy from Egypt! It's brought up multiple times and there's even an episode that expands on his Egyptian heritage with him learning that he's the heir to his grandfather's pyramid. Irwin's supernatural ancestors is an important factor, him being half mummy, half vampire. It's not a one-off thing like it was in Danny Phantom where they don't expand at all on Tucker's supposed Egyptian heritage.
Jordan was based off a real person and Bernie Mac life and Stevie at least wasn’t weird or just a awful person like a lot of these “clones” mentioned, as a dude who likes sitcoms shoot I think Malcom in the middle did the best with black characters in sitcoms in my opinion they didn’t try to make everyone nerds but they did have some nerdy characters and they didn’t have some racist serotypes for the most part. Francis friends in the army school like Stanley and a lot of the other characters they just acted like normal dudes from what I watch of the show I’m in the second season rn while watching it could of gotten worse tho.
You did a great job of highlighting how prevalent this trope was and im sure most of us as black kids never really peeped what that “nerdy” character represented. We rarely got a black character who wasn’t nerdy or overly showcasing some stereotype. And like you pointed out the nerdy character isn’t necessarily bad but I think it’s food for thought of why we couldnt just simply exist in a lot of media back then. Bravo this was amazing 👏🏾
This is an incredible man! I had my UA-cam on auto play and had no idea I wasn’t listening to a big video essayist. Really looking forward to hearing more!
Y'know, funny thing, I didn't even realise Wade from Kim Possible was meant to be black when I was a kid, I thought he was Hispanic, which I guess just goes to show he wasn't really "written as black" so much as "the genius character who makes Kim's gadgets who happens to be black"? (can't think of a better way to phrase that) Some of the other characters here have definite Urkel influence, like Vince's brother Chad from Recess, or Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle, but dang, it's like 100% obvious Irvin is a parody of Urkel, he's so Urkel it's got to be intentional, they even CALL him Urkel that time.
@bluebaron6858 Apparently not, we his his mother at one point and she's black, but it's possible he's mixed, his voice actor is half Afro-Caribean and half white though
@@bluebaron6858 I mean apparently not, I don't think it's definitively stated but his mother is more obviously black and has a black voice actress, and Wade is played by Tahj Mowry who has a black mother and I think white father.
@@ricodoubleswiththelines5240 That's not true. There are several intelligent black characters. In Night of the Living Dead the black guy was competent and lived the longest.
@@hannahb7038 Its not rare people need to watch more things. While white people tend to get prominent roles more often the black characters side characters usually aren't portrayed as dumb and are often the voice of reason.
@@hannahb7038 It isn't rare. While white people tend to be main characters and people of color tend to be side characters in stuff made in the US. The black side characters often aren't portrayed as dumb. In the shows and movies I've seen they are often the voice of reason. I can name more smart black characters than dumb ones.
I thought this trope actually had genuine merit in true life not only from animation… but when I was a kid, I had a best friend who looks exactly like these characters. Short hair, glasses, nerdy, the works. We were able to register how obviously funny it is that it lines up so well with a lot of fiction that we joked about it all the time like: “I’m white and you’re black so it makes it special for the audience!” That’s a Peter Griffen quote, not sure what episode…
Yo, I really like how in your "Good Cop Bad Cop" sequence, you silently crossfaded tangential footage in for historic context. I watch enough video essays that I've started noticing common methods in how people quote/cite stuff, and maybe I've seen that before, but that's the first time I've ever caught it. Even if it was just to avoid copyright strike, well played.
The Black boy genius cartoon nerd trope predates Urkel. There’s Gene from “The New Archies”, IQ-1 from “Bionic Six”, Woody Daniels from the “Mr. T” cartoon, Doc from “Adventures Of The Galaxy Rangers” in the ‘80s
Asian American cartoon characters are characterized by archetypes too. It's not just black people who are characterized by cliches and archetypes. For example, every Japanese girl in a cartoon is depicited as being upbeat, ditzy, obsessed with "Kawaii" things, cutesy, having colored hair, and being the best friend of the main character. I think there's two reasons for this. One is the popularity of The BabySitters Club and the character Claudia Kishi. Claudia was one of the few recurring Japanese characters in American media at the time, and was widely praised for that. However, her characterization of "ditzy upbeat girl who is the best friend of the main character" stuck with most depicitons of Japanese girls in American media, mostly cartoons. The other reason for this trope is the rise of anime and otaku culture in the USA in the late 90s and early 2000s, which led to Japanese girls in cartoons always loving "Kawaii" things as well as the Colored hair trope. Pretty much every Japanese girl in a cartoon follows these tropes, even nowadays. Stacy Haruno from Phineas and Ferb, Kuki Sanban from Codename KND, Peni Parker from The Spider Verse films, Bridgette Hashima from Close Enough, Lee Lee from Dexters Labratory. Similarly, Indian guys in cartoons were also archetyped in cartoons as the nerdy comic relief with a funny accent. I think one of the reasons this became popular was because of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in the the Simpsons, who at the time, was one of the few South Asian characters to have a prominent role in a TV show, leading to TV shows modeling Indian characters after Apu. The other reason why Indians are characterized as being nerds in Cartoons was due to the rise of Indian Americans in high level jobs during the 80s and 90s, leading to Indians in cartoons being characterized by the "Model minority" myth. Even modern Indian characters like Connie Maheswaran from Steven Universe, still fall into some of the tropes of these characters, such as being a nerd. Thankfully, this is starting to change in the modern animation industry, with more cultural awareness and diverse backgrounds in the industry becoming more common. There's starting to become more accurate Asian characters in Cartoons nowadays, sometimes even as the leading role. Anne Boonchuy from Amphibia, Kipo Oak from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Diane Nguyen from Bojack Horseman, Willow Park from the Owl House, Eileen from Craig of the Creek. Asian representation in American Cartoons has gotten a lot better in recent years, especially with Asian characters written by actual Asian people who even incorporate some of their background into the characters. Sure, most of the representation is still pretty flawed, but it's a lot better than it was 20 to 30 years ago.
Oh yeah asian particularly japanese people easily had it the worst in the 90s and SPECIALLY the 90s, it was always anime (with the added layer of it's weird and it sucks, american cartoon better) the thing you said and the blandest nothing character possible. i will add that latin america as a whole also had horrible representation like, imagine your whole continent being reduced to just mexico and sometimes brazil
The "model minority" archetype has always been a dominant narrative in media, especially in children's cartoons, which were largely written from a white-centric perspective. Media, especially for kids, isn't just entertainment-it's a tool used to shape behaviors and social norms. For Asian characters (encompassing the entirety of Asia, from Japan to India), the goal often seemed to be reinforcing the idea that they needed to fit into the "model minority" mold to be acceptable in white-dominated spaces. This is why we constantly saw characters like Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb. He wasn’t allowed to just be a "normal" kid. Instead, he was portrayed as the perfect student, subservient, and helpful-exactly how white writers thought minorities "should" behave. It was never about showing diversity in its full spectrum but about creating a sanitized, overly compliant version of Asian youth for white audiences. Meanwhile, white kids in media were always allowed to just be "normal." They could be flawed, quirky, rebellious, or even downright mediocre, and their stories were still seen as relatable and valid. Asian kids, on the other hand, were confined to archetypes that reinforced their "usefulness" or their "otherness," whether as the cutesy kawaii girl, the nerdy genius, or the quiet overachiever. This pattern wasn’t just about representation-it was about social conditioning. By pushing these "socially acceptable" roles, media subtly reinforced the idea that the only way for Asian kids to fit into society was by adhering to the standards set by white-dominated structures. It’s insidious and deeply reflective of how media has historically been used to enforce conformity among minority groups.
@@shiiikaaariiiIt's funny you mention Baljeet from P & F considering that out of everyone in their friends circle, Baljeet is probably the most flawed of them all: - He's socially awkward and has trouble talking to girls - He's insecure about not seizing the day - He's worried because his brain hasn't developed that much during the summer - He's indecisive when forced to make a choice - He's nervous about going on stage and only does it when he realizes that "Grades" didn't matter
@@shiiikaaariii first off almost everyone in Phineas and Ferb aren’t normal characters phineas is very smart just as smart as baljeet and doesn’t act like a normal person and phineas is seen as your dude who always helps, just like the og commenter said if anything baljeet has more flaws than someone like a phineas. he has trouble talking to girls. he constantly worried about grades, he socially awkward etc, if anything baljeet seems more normal than your phineas or ferbs which phineas rarely gets mad about anything at all and only got mad at his sister one time, and is super smart if anything just as smart as baljeet if anything a little more smarter same with phineas. Shoot the only normal person who acts normal is Candace
It’s crazy how much of an impact Steve Urkel had and the actor that plays him is such a great actor since he was able to communicate Steve’s alter egos too!
I’ve always wondered if the nerdy black archetype was a result of people clocking undiagnosed neurodivergence long before any psychiatrist could. That was my experience growing up, at least. Perhaps part of the writer intent back then was defanging the image of violent black men, but seemingly unintentionally, they created these socially awkward savants most people couldn’t empathize with without great effort. I could certainly relate to that. Considering the regurgitative nature of TV, there’s no doubt black neurodivergent people existed for a long time, but no one identified them for myriad reasons, just called them weird.
There is a parallel here in the way the characters are perceived as different: In the USSR cinema, there were a few science fiction and space movies. The aliens were often depicted as a force, people, or race that had overcome the troubles of society and had arrived at Earth to help us prosper. In the western movie industry we can see how it is the opposite: Alien, Independence Day, War of the Worlds, Predator, The Thing, all of them are about a savage thing, an invader, a colonial power that is trying to do to Earth what Earth history already is. I am not saying that other races are to be alienated or that they are different, I'm saying that they are portrayed the way they are because the cultural background of the writers has made them project themselves and their culture into the works. (This also is not socialist propaganda)
Im a little confused at the idea of sitcoms reinforcing "conservative values". The lessons seemed to be pretty base-level stuff like "don't be a bully" or "stay in school". If anything, sitcoms tended to lean liberal for the time period.
Those are base conservative values. Old school liberals, despite what is taught today, still adhered to many classically conservative values. What set them apart is that they equally accepted many progressive values. Liberals used to be the centrists back then. Back before media and other things shifted the Overton window and the meaning of Liberal changed when people hijacked the label to hide their being Socialist or Communist. This is one of the reasons I hate modern US politics. People have no idea what Conservative or Liberal actually mean anymore. They've lost their meanings and become mere labels. Hopefully this helps that statement make more sense now.
I have two things on this. One, the majority of MCs in animated shows now are black, brown, and asian, and indigenous. Nick: - Monster High G3(Afro-latina) - Transformers Earthspark(Black) - FOP: A New Wish(Black) Disney: - Moon Girl(Black) - Primos(Chicano) - Hailey's On It(Polynesian) Warner: - Craig of The Creek(Black) - Invincible Fight Girl(Black) - Jessica's Little Big World(Black) - Iyanu(Black/West African) Netflix: - Jentry Chau(East Asian) - Wake Up, Carlo(Brazilian) Everyone in that tweet was a side character. Frankly, I want more of this. Even the modern white characters feel more cultured(Hilda and Kid Cosmic from Netflix and Big Nate from Nick). Two, I feel like the black nerd totally has a place in black culture. Fairly Odd Parents and Monster High literally has them as their main characters and I love the kinds of stories they get in to.
Maybe Urkel was the most famous so far, but the "black smart kid of the group" was already a thing before him. Just think about *Paul,* from *Dinosaucers,* that came out few years before. Or (not a kid, but still "the smart guy of the group") *Walter,* from *the Galaxy Rangers.*
Bro thank you so much for making this!!! As someone who was a Black boy with glass in the early 2000’s, I loved Billy and Mandy, But I always HATED Erwin with a passion. I ddnt get why the one kid who looked like me had to be nerdy, cowardly, dumb, always getting beat up, and saying “Yo” all the time. The writing for him seemed almost racist at times with the stereotypes they would put on him and his family. Honestly out of all the Urkel clones, he was the worst.
Irwin always bothered me as a kid, and I never could pin down why exactly until I got older and saw the clips with him..Like I think he's funny now cause I'm like how tf did the writers get away with writing him like this lmao 😭- but yeahhh. At least Grim evens it out a bit.
Irwin was supposed to be the main character of the Billy and Mandy spin off, Underfist. But Cartoon Network canceled it because they wanted to do Live Action shit. Its a shame. Despite Irwin being a loser, he was slowly becoming one of the most basass characters of the show. Literally Half Mummy, Half Vampire Superhero? Would have been awesome.
This was an incredibly well written analysis of a black archetype. I could listen to this like a podcast, but the video was also well edited so gonna check out more vids!
Am I the only one who gets the impression that Irwin, from grim adventures, in particular was cringe *by design?* To me it just seems too over-the-top and exaggerated to be unintentional.
I still remember having my mind blown when Urkel grows up into a good looking man and they wrote an episode around it where he transforms himself into suave Urkle. Family Matter was a huge part of TGIF.
I think the "black nerd" character was so popular because it portrayed black male youth in a comfortable way for white audiences. Characteristics like angry, sexually/socially confident, tough, strong, etc, were threatening to a lot of white America, as the dominant stereotype for black men for generations was the "angry, violent black man who 'stole' white women." So black nerds (chill, socially awkward, often anxious or outright cowardly , etc) were a way to incorporate black males while excising any characteristics that might be seen as threatening to an audience that, in some ways, feared black males due to longstanding harmful stereotypes.
This video made me realize that a lot of black representations in media I grew up with seem to depict black people from either the East Coast or Chicago if they're not immigrants. Do we not live anywhere else? I've never lived in Chi, the DMV, or NY. My only representation is the L.A. Riots and every hood movie.
It’s mind boggling for one culture not to appreciate the things earned. Sure a few of characters here follow a troupe but have transcendence overall to do things beyond their external outlook. If you insist on internalizing Urkel Effect to racism that’s not the writer’s fault. It’s the one’s who bullied you for it.
Great video. First of yours ive seen. Very well edited. Also i didnt realize how pervasive the urkel stereotype is. Like if they dont have suspenders or glasses i dont see it lol.
Yes most black nerds after ‘Urkel’ are pretty much based on him look and personality wise in cartoons and shows. The little boy on the show ‘In The House’ ‘Austin’ was clearly based on Urkel. ‘Jordan’ on ‘The Bernie Mac Show’ was based on Urkel. But the thing people don’t know is ‘Urkel’ was not really the first official black nerd. That would have to go to a character named ‘Rudey Butler’ played by actor Larry O. Williams Jr. on the Jimmie Walker late 80s show Bustin Loose’. The ‘Rudey’ character wore probably the nerdiest glasses known to man and had ‘Jerry Lewis like’ penchant for slapstick comedy. Mainly bumping into things and falling that Jaleel would later develop in playing ‘Urkel’!
Vallery on Josie and the Pussycats was the one black character and she was the smartest character in the show. She set up the traps and she was good with machines. That show is from the 70's.
My best friend who I’ve known since 6th grade looks like Irwin from Billy and Mandy. Aside from that, Irwin’s dorky charisma makes him my favorite character in the show. My friend embraced it and even has a thanos/irwin shirt 😂
28:03 This is an important point that highlights a misconception that was never addressed. These writers by and large were not necessarily "white". Nearly every hollywood writer for these shows (and most TV shows in general to this day) was Jewish.
Virgil wasn't portrayed as nerdy for the 90s though. In the 90s being a nerd was derogatory. Virgil and static were cool. They had a personality that the nerdy black character didn't have. He wasn't treated as a "safe black kid" for white kids to consume. Virgil/static was given a voice to speak for himself and his community
This was an awesome video. And I'm curious how much of this is mostly "That worked, let's keep doing it" or just how they grew up so that must be how characters are. You bring up the cartoons created in Nick but they are definitely influenced by characters or shows they watche din the 90s. Much like how recently, almost so many black characters in media suddenly has the Killmonger hair when it used to be very unique to the character, this including Tekken. Suddenly it's the one hair style because it was so cool then. Thank you for making this! It definitely made me think of the black nerd character was in so much media and I never realized it, and it totally makes sense for usually the black nerd character is made as it is white people writing the show, so it made it WAY more easier to write for them if they were relatable to themselves.
I feel like AJ while inspired by Urkle is different enough that he's his own character he's more of a smart ass know it all than a geeky weirdo like Cookie from Ned's Declassified or Irwin from Billy and Mandy. That's just me tho Edit: oh ok you kinda say that at the end so Its not just me, even the "I'm gonna stare at her until she feels awkward enough to talk to me", while definitely not good, sounds like Butch Hartman fairly odd parents dialogue, like "in respecting your privacy by knocking but asserting my authority as a parent by coming in anyway!" When the dad busts into Timmy's room that episode, I could see any of those three saying something like that. Tucker on the other hand...
Never clocked Brain as black. Only learned he was when I was older and someone brought up that his family celebrated Kwanza in that one episode. Then again, I ran into a lot more kids from East Asia than black kids growing up; so maybe it was more obvious to other people.
40 years? Family Matters just turned 35 last year. Anyways, not only was Steve Urkel the first sitcom character I was exposed to on TV as I was starting school back in '96 (via early season reruns on TBS), but Family Matters was the first sitcom I actually watched in full (other sitcoms, then, only captured my interest until the theme song intro was done)
The nerdy black friend is usually associated with the loser white guy main character. To the best of my understanding the creators probably thought why would a cool black guy with options ever hang out with the loser white guy unless they were also a loser.
AS being a white kid who wasn't exposed to as many cartoons growing up, I never realized how common this trope was. There are times in this video where it made me realize that "Oh shit that can apply to that character too huh?". I never would of thought about that when I saw Aj in Fairly Odd Parents or even Irwin in Billy and Mandy (where it is definitely more blatant) since I didn't even occur to me that this was a trope. I think the way you looked at this trope with this much complexity (especially with your background) was an interesting perspective which I don't think I would of gotten if I watched any of these shows. BASICALLY, GOOD SHIT! I feel like I learned something about black culture from this video.
I think there's a second aspect you're missing in this. It's not just that a lot of these characters were Black nerds, the social awkwardness was autistic coded (which is why Recess's Chad is a stand-out, he's a nerd, but he's not socially awkward). It's a confluence of two stereotypes.
@@ws16-19 it's almost as if you say that like television only stereotyped black & brown people or specifically black and brown people...... stereotyping is prevalent to any and every race.
Nerd is autistic coded… 90% of nerds and dorks in the 90s were autistic. They could find refuge in “Nerd” This term “coded” is used. It’s being used wrong. A collection of tropes isn’t a dog whistle to those in the know. Coding rarley happens. You mean headcannon
He was right in his choice of words and it would be headCANON if the word is associated with canonization and not an actual cannon. Ironically though, your opinion is fodder and headcan(n)on sounds goofy either way, no one is saying that bs
@@wompwompcryabttit I'd say yes and no to that. Max can be a bit socially awkward at times, and invisible for the most part, but I don't think he's anywhere near as clumsy or stalker-esque like Urkel or Irwin
Fantastic video! I wonder which category of nerd would Carlton from The Fresh Prince would land on. Because besides being quite smart, he was athletic, a great dancer and singer and because less socially awkward as the show went on
This was a very fine video! I gotta give props to JD, A.K.A. IQ, from Bionic Six, who was very much a glasses-wearing black boy genius, but wasn't an annoying nerd. He was extremely intelligent, intellectual, super strong, and I'd dare to say, a little on the debonair side compared to what's come down the pipeline since. I'd also like to show love to Paul from Dinosaucers, who was another bespectacled black male who was intelligent and soft-spoken without being an annoying nerd. Both cartoons are from the late 80s.
No 90s-00s black nerd archetype ever felt sincere because none of them were playing Sonic and Megaman and watching Dragonball Z.
Is this a reference to how Sonic was voiced by Steve Urkel?
@@louisjefferies2733 No, just things almost universally loved by nerdy black dudes around the turn of the century
The great racial uniters.
Damn… I felt that…
this comment describes my older brother to a t (in a good way)! he also uses my grandma's laptop to burn cds, we play a lot of soul calibur, older street fighter games, virtua fighter, and the like with my older sister as well whenever we visit him.
"black nerds in 90s cartoon"
Urkel: Did I do that??
😡
URKEEEEEEEEEEEL!!!!
Is Sonic the hedgehog black tho 👀
@@SZF123456 in some depictions yes, in others no def not movie sonic only white people are capable of sayin dumbass shit like "konichi-what?"
@@SZF123456 I don’t like sonic but I’ve known this for years sonic and tails are supposedly white or Asian while knuckles is black
If you were a black, male with glasses growing up then you've definitely been called "Urkel" at some point during your childhood
cry about it
@@haterodiadordeplantao.680 I don't even understand why you're upset....nothing they said made it seemed like they're complaining, just a statement lmao, you good?
But anyways, that was definitely a large part as to why I never wanted to wear glasses as a kid lmao, I remember always having that fear since poor sight is a trend in my family.
@lifeisadrag7705 People just be looking for reasons to say "cry about it"
@@haterodiadordeplantao.680 9 out of 11 people who say cry about it will, in fact, be the ones crying the most about it.
Wait cause I used to point out how there was always a “black boy tech wiz” in early 2000s shows but I never connected that to Urkel
Bruh same here, when i saw that thumbnail i was like LMAOO thiss what i been saying since forever!
Always thought it was a way to include a black character without associating him with bad stereotypes
I always noticed that in a lot of cartoons. If the main character is white they have a nerdy black friend, and on the few occasions the main character was black they also had a nerdy white friend.
I'm from Mexico, never saw Family Matters but I knew all those characters could be traced back to Urkel lol
Same lol 😂
Shoutout to Virgil Hawkins and Filmore being some of the only early 2000s black cartoon characters who escape that troupe
Well I don't about Virgil. Even though he was the biggest nerd he was still smart. He was smart enough to get into the Vanmoor institute which was a highly advanced science and technology school that Virgil briefly attended.
@jankoleon3785 Virgil Hawkins aka Static from DC comes off authentic, not a manufactured stereotype, just a typical black kid
Virgil was the smart one. He was smarter than Richie before Richie's powers manifested. @@jacobsunday6561
@@jankoleon3785yeah, but they difference is that they weren’t using Virgil being a nerd as a way to alienate him or make him relatable by removing American blackness and making weird, but allowed him to just be an authentically normal person who was kind, intelligent, geeky, but also hip.
Though being created by Dwayne McDuffie, another black nerd, would be why Virgil was a lot more authentic and well rounded than a lot of the examples presented in this video.
And also the shows' main protagonist!
I think 6teen was one of the few shows to not include this specific stereotype with the character Wyatt. He played guitar, drank coffee and got into philosophical ponderings every once in a while. It was cool to see a character like that because I saw a lot of myself in him.
edit: Though I must admit, as a black man with a terrible eyesight and even worse fashion sense who's really into diy electronics, I suppose I see myself in everyone else mentioned here too.
Also total drama with DJ
He was definitely the dork of the boys (Jen for the girls) and would be the butt of many jokes. Jude was a relaxed, dumb skater boy, and Jonesy was a cool, egotistical player guy (who later changed by Nikki). Wyatt was the musical nerd, but he was cool when the story focused on his musical talent (not so much on his jealousy which was cringe at times).
I think a better example would be Broseph from Stoked, who was a mixture of Wyatt and Jude. He was seen as cool, fun, likable, and enjoyed surfing. He's someone you would hang out with.
Johnny... ehh, he was another black character, but it felt like they made Wyatt again, but they took out his hobby which was a vital identity, leaving only Wyatt's responsibility, following orders, the mature one of the group, and how bad the two are with girls. I guess... he's into surfing but it's clear he doesn't have the same passion for it as Broseph (mainly cause S1 just focus on his crush on Emma)
Kahuna leans more toward Jude.
Johnny leans more toward Wyatt.
Broseph is just right in the sweet spot between both of them.
6teen mentioned‼️
@@Samantha_lynnekkkkkkkkOr even more of the “nerd” archetype, there was Cam who was a finalist from the Revenge season who was even more of a Urkel type of nerd than someone like DJ
@@LessGo7921 yeah
AJ and Chester were really good characters, its a shame that they got relegated to irrelevance after the good seasons ended...
Their dynamic needs to be studied. They were actually closer friends with each other than with Timmy. I think it's cool considering that vastly different lives.
They also were complex because despite Chester being poor, Timmy somehow had a worse life despite growing up in a Middle Class 2000’s family
I think that’s because Chester’s dad was actually there for him while Timmy’s parents are constantly gone. AJ is unironically the richest in the friend group-which is an inversion of the steriotype
You know it!
@@shewolfcub3 I disagree Season 7 is one of the best season and it came after Poof was born.
i mean they weren't the only ones who got that treatment, even Timmy got pushed to the side as the show spiraled out of control.
You did a great job breaking down the rise of this character archetype, I love cultural studies like this. It's just as important to have these imperfect depictions of marginalized characters to lay the path toward better and more dynamic ones, as it is to break them down and understand what the issues were so future writers can do better. Def agree with you on the Danny Phantom tokenization stuff - but you know that haha. King Tuck is a mess. Lastly thanks for the mention man. This is more thoughtful, researched and well executed than most of the 'video essays' being put out rn. The editing is super clean and tight. I won't be surprised at all when you blow up. You're one of the best!! Keep it up.
🥹🥹
It seems like 90s and early 2000s media found it "safer" to portray Black youth through two dominant archetypes: the "nerdy Black kid" or the "young thug." The nerdy Black kid was essentially the "what we want Black youth to be" archetype, while the young thug was the "what we don't want Black youth to be"-a dichotomy crafted by predominantly white writers. What was missing was a character like Static Shock’s Virgil Hawkins: a well-rounded, strong Black teen who was relatable, heroic, and placed in a realistic middle-class household.
Virgil stood out because Static Shock addressed the complexities of being a Black teen without resorting to stereotypes. The show tackled race and identity in a way that shows like Fairly OddParents or even The Proud Family-with its portrayal of the Gross Sisters-did not. In The Proud Family, for instance, the light-skinned family was portrayed as good, while the darker-skinned Gross Sisters were literally called "gross" and framed as antagonists. This dichotomy subtly (and sometimes overtly) reinforced colorism and the idea that "blackness" equates to something negative.
As a grown white dude with no skin in the game, I've always felt that many cartoons of that era seemed more focused on shaping Black youth to reject "Black" culture and assimilate into a "model minority" ideal-similar to the stereotypes often pushed onto Asian communities-rather than celebrating the diversity and strength within Black culture itself.
What made Static Shock remarkable was its willingness to go deeper. Virgil wasn't sanitized into a one-dimensional archetype to make him palatable to white audiences. He was an "urban youth," a superhero, and a good kid all at once, navigating real-life issues like race and prejudice in an authentic and approachable way for young viewers. One of the most powerful moments was the episode about Richie’s dad being racist. It showed that cartoons could handle these topics honestly while still uplifting a strong Black lead.
We didn’t need reductive archetypes that were easy for white audiences to consume. We needed, and still need, more characters like Virgil-archetypes of strong Black youth who inspire growth, pride, and positivity within their communities.
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
You forgot Teen Titans did the same with Cyborg. Not as much but it did. One of the best episodes of television history, Troq.
A lot, if not the majority, of those writers weren't White.
You call something a dichotomy then immediately introduce a third example?
One of those reasons why I loved Static Shock so much growing up.
Great video!
On a related note, Jaleel White is such a great actor, it's a bit of a shame we didn't get to see him in more stuff... at least the later seasons of Family Matters allowed him to show his range through Steve's various alter-egos.
Being remembered as the archetypal “black nerd” and Sonic the Hedgehog is a strange legacy to leave, and you’re right that it’s not one I think Jaleel would have wanted as a serious actor
That image just freaked me the fuck out - I never even realized that those were these sort of Urkel offshoots until you put them all up next to each other
That Twitter comment is incorrect . All of those were side characters. While they are good characters I think people looking for representation in cartoons would prefer to see a poc main character in a cartoon.
I mean, Numbuh 5 is technically part of the main team. However, that is true to most of the characters listed
Numbuh 5 was a side-character? Did you watch the show?
@@Fr.O.G. Yes, and I love the show very much. I would argue that Numbah 1 is the main character because he is the leader even though the operatives got their own episodes.
@@Fr.O.G. that guy defended Scientology don't listen to his yapping.
then make one
It’s honestly insane because I live in Florida and the AP African American history studies class was recently disbanded while I was still in the class
What?!
@@bluebaron6858 yeah so the governor basically said the class is stupid and shouldn’t exist and eventually poof gone
I remember that lol
I think, as always, the _most important aspect of representation_ is *VARIETY.* So whenever there's this sort of intersection of "characters of a particular race" with "trope that shows up over and over", I love to see the discussion of where that comes from and how that speaks to perceptions and the way we've traditionally approached representation.
basically, i loved this video
I have serious problems with family matters, as a black man on the spectrum.
Urkel harassing the same girl the entire show, then finding someone who actually likes him and then she just vanishes and he's back harassing that same girl again, to the point he has to build a machine to turn himself into another guy for her?
what message is that sending??
i hate that show.
I hated that too, how tf did that make sense? And or make me want to root for them?
never watched it since I can't stand sitcoms but yikes that sounds strange to do.
The women actor that like urkel died though I don't remember when she died.
You missed a lot of context of the show
Steve and Laura getting married at the end of the show definitely sent the wrong message to me as a kid. And Myra was a 10/10 Steve should never have quit on her.
I kinda always figured the 'Black nerd' trope was an easy one that would allow for an easy source of jokes and character beats while contradicting the older, racist stereotypes about intelligence and physical prowess. It's a pretty liberal response to the whole thing in order to avoid intersectionality... but, it's not the worse potential direction.
Having grown up in the 90s, it honestly felt like an attempt to counter the ghetto stereotype media had pushed prior (I grew up on reruns of 70s and 80s shows and even Fresh Prince kinda pushed the ghetto stereotype a bit, but at least it usually did so to show it in a negative light.)
Man I miss the days of the classical, centrist liberal before our name was stolen from us by others. Heck, I had the biggest crush on Numbah 5 growing up. We truly were colorblind in the 90s/00s... what the hell happened?
@@CommanderRedEXEbarack obama ran for president and white people realized they actually didnt like equal rights
@@CommanderRedEXE
I think what happened was people wanted to see stories about the whole intersectionality of things and to stop having centrist stories where it’s like “both sides are equality wrong”.
As unlike in fiction.
The real world do see color as that’s a huge part of peoples identity. And saying “you don’t see color/you’re color blind”
Doesn’t help with nothing. It just ignores the issues and brushes it off
@@SammyRobinson62232 You genuinely believe that? Who wants those things?
@@SammyRobinson62232 right so when someone who is white has a friend who is black it is more hurtful for him to call him a friend and he should refer to him as his black friend instead. otherwise he would be ignoring his friends color and belittling him as a result.
the Urkel Singularity Point is the best thing i've learned today
Great break down. Another example of the "black nerd genius who invents gadgets" is Wade from Kim Possible. I really didn't notice the trend until this video, but its definitely a trope, i just dont know if it's negative, positive, or neutral.
I think it's neutral. There are no new tropes under the sun.
@@icecreamhero2375Ya I mean there's a reason why tropes exist in the first place and imo there's nothing wrong with not reinventing the wheel every single time
@@xavierjuno4572 Yep. I wouldn't call the black tech genius trope a bad thing. People like AJ will be super rich in the future and practically run the world. People like Steve Jobs are loaded.
@@icecreamhero2375I mean heck we even saw AJ as very successful in the FOP: A New Wish
@@xavierjuno4572 Hazel is a kind of nerd but not AJ levels of nerdy.
Might be the single highest quality video I have ever seen below 1k views. Hoping ya blow up mate.
I love deep dives like this. Glad the algorithm brought me to your channel. You've just earned yourself a new subscriber. ;)
Something else about Big Brother Chad that I rarely see discussed despite how many retrospectives of the show I've come across is that it's essentially a "90s very special gay episode". It follows the typical beats of a "coming out episode" of that era to a tee: the straight family member/friend in denial/clueless about the gay character's identity, the subsequent refusal to accept the gay character's identity, and the "I've known since I was a kid" speech. There are also lots of little nods to stereotypical queerness sprinkled throughout the episode: Chad's pink shirt, his rainbow bicycle helmet, his mannerisms, and his love of musical show tunes.
You could literally do 1000 of these. Every cartoon trope is based on something. If you really want a trope that goes back almost 100 years, look up Peter Lorre. He was an actor during the Golden Age of Hollywood. But then look up every character inspired by him. There are so many characters that borrowed and were directly inspired by him. There's a compilation of it on youtube. But he's often been the basis for almost every Igor character. Dr Frankenstein's assistant. Pretty much anytime you see an Igor-like character, it's a Peter Lorre impression.
And it's cool that Urkel has inspired a trope that will be around for the next 100 years. Just like we've all but forgotten about Peter Lorre, people will eventually forget about Urkel. But he will be remembered for centuries by way of the trope he created. I'm willing to bet that it will be named the Urkel. And the Urkel will be a name that is so closely connected to this trope, but nobody in the future will know it's actual origins. Just like nobody knows nachos were named after a person, and not a food.
Have you seen Slappy Lazlo from SpongeBob? He's pretty much directly based on Peter Lorre.
@@TuesdaysArt hundreds.
"We've all forgotten about Lorre" ironically it was him being caricatured so much (especially in Spongebob) that made me discover his film career and now I'm a huge fan. Many other current Lorre fans basically discovered him thru cartoons.
Now I can't help but wonder if there's anyone who got into Urkle because of the character trope.
Fantastic video, I’m subscribing now.
Saying “Family Matters” was almost 40 years ago made me pass out
😂😢
I always appreciated that episode of Recess and I appreciate it more now! It seems like a direct response to the Urkel genre of character.
Yeah, it's sweet how we see the characters' perception of him differ based on their age. It made perfect sense too, they saw him as cool for spending time with kids, but the kind of person who spends time with kids is usually a bit too awkward, childish, or just more maternal/paternal than the average person... and for a kid? Yeah, probably not very popular in their age group, so he can make more time for them. Chad was a really nice guy and he totally was cool when he saved his brother. ^^
“Did I do that “
- Urkel
Looking for comments mentioning Cameron from Total Drama. The comments have disappointed me. He is the literal embodiment of that trope.
Same! he literally hits the "erm actually"
I had a nerdy black friend in elementary school long before I was even familiar with this type of character. I can relate to these characters because of my friend but I don't look at it in a bad way or anything. Impressive deep dive! Well done! Keep up the great work!
I don't think the video suggested they were bad in any way either. That would be a purely modern fallacy.
Not every stereotype is bad, and not everything is racist(some people in the comments have the latter mindset and it becomes sadly quite apparent. Thankfully they are rare).
The 90s/00s had, hands down, the best cartoons ever. Artists weren't forced to make character follow a "safe and sterile" ideology, writers didn't have to check boxes nearly like they do today(stereotypes always existed long before then, and will always exist in the future. Political agendas also were kept highly subtle back then compared to today).
@@CommanderRedEXE
11:37 Aw yes this is very subtle.
@@SammyRobinson62232 Compared to modern times? Absolutely. But that's my point. Even the least subtle 90s stuff is still subtle compared to today.
@@CommanderRedEXE
Literally how?!
The scene is Eddie literally saying he’s getting racial profile by the cops.
That isn’t subtle at all.
No way there was an urkel ripple effect?!?!
At 35:00 with regards to black characters having heritage in Egypt. Why did you show Irwin as an example of cartoons doing Egypt with black characters and not "meaning much by it"? Irwin's mother was a mummy from Egypt! It's brought up multiple times and there's even an episode that expands on his Egyptian heritage with him learning that he's the heir to his grandfather's pyramid. Irwin's supernatural ancestors is an important factor, him being half mummy, half vampire. It's not a one-off thing like it was in Danny Phantom where they don't expand at all on Tucker's supposed Egyptian heritage.
Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle and Jordan from Bernie Mac
Yeah
Jordan was based off a real person and Bernie Mac life and Stevie at least wasn’t weird or just a awful person like a lot of these “clones” mentioned, as a dude who likes sitcoms shoot I think Malcom in the middle did the best with black characters in sitcoms in my opinion they didn’t try to make everyone nerds but they did have some nerdy characters and they didn’t have some racist serotypes for the most part. Francis friends in the army school like Stanley and a lot of the other characters they just acted like normal dudes from what I watch of the show I’m in the second season rn while watching it could of gotten worse tho.
Junior from My Wife and Kids too
You did a great job of highlighting how prevalent this trope was and im sure most of us as black kids never really peeped what that “nerdy” character represented. We rarely got a black character who wasn’t nerdy or overly showcasing some stereotype. And like you pointed out the nerdy character isn’t necessarily bad but I think it’s food for thought of why we couldnt just simply exist in a lot of media back then. Bravo this was amazing 👏🏾
while Valerie’s characterization in DP still isn’t perfect, i think her representation was a far better example than what Tucker’s ended up being.
Man that acronym is unfortunate in hindsight.
@ yikes, you got me there.
Oooh dang UA-cam algorithm finally fed me right today! Subscribed in a heartbeat
This is an incredible man! I had my UA-cam on auto play and had no idea I wasn’t listening to a big video essayist. Really looking forward to hearing more!
Y'know, funny thing, I didn't even realise Wade from Kim Possible was meant to be black when I was a kid, I thought he was Hispanic, which I guess just goes to show he wasn't really "written as black" so much as "the genius character who makes Kim's gadgets who happens to be black"? (can't think of a better way to phrase that)
Some of the other characters here have definite Urkel influence, like Vince's brother Chad from Recess, or Stevie from Malcolm in the Middle, but dang, it's like 100% obvious Irvin is a parody of Urkel, he's so Urkel it's got to be intentional, they even CALL him Urkel that time.
He's not Hispanic?!?!?!
@bluebaron6858
Apparently not, we his his mother at one point and she's black, but it's possible he's mixed, his voice actor is half Afro-Caribean and half white though
@@bluebaron6858 I mean apparently not, I don't think it's definitively stated but his mother is more obviously black and has a black voice actress, and Wade is played by Tahj Mowry who has a black mother and I think white father.
Funny about this subject this is the one stereotypical arc that I love rarely as black people we even get to be the intelligent character
@@ricodoubleswiththelines5240 That's not true. There are several intelligent black characters. In Night of the Living Dead the black guy was competent and lived the longest.
@icecreamhero2375 They said it's rare, which it is. Listing one character doesn't make it common - it's not.
@@hannahb7038 Its not rare people need to watch more things. While white people tend to get prominent roles more often the black characters side characters usually aren't portrayed as dumb and are often the voice of reason.
@@hannahb7038 It isn't rare. While white people tend to be main characters and people of color tend to be side characters in stuff made in the US. The black side characters often aren't portrayed as dumb. In the shows and movies I've seen they are often the voice of reason. I can name more smart black characters than dumb ones.
@@icecreamhero2375go ahead then name some
Steve Urkle had heart, pulled baddies, and had that shit on 24/7. I'm not Steve Urkle, I can only wish to be as cool.
Cords you continue to one up each video after the other. I’ve really enjoyed your 2024. But I gotta say this one has got me really inspired. Bravo
I thought this trope actually had genuine merit in true life not only from animation… but when I was a kid, I had a best friend who looks exactly like these characters. Short hair, glasses, nerdy, the works.
We were able to register how obviously funny it is that it lines up so well with a lot of fiction that we joked about it all the time like: “I’m white and you’re black so it makes it special for the audience!”
That’s a Peter Griffen quote, not sure what episode…
Yo, I really like how in your "Good Cop Bad Cop" sequence, you silently crossfaded tangential footage in for historic context. I watch enough video essays that I've started noticing common methods in how people quote/cite stuff, and maybe I've seen that before, but that's the first time I've ever caught it. Even if it was just to avoid copyright strike, well played.
It was very smooth!
I thought Urkal bot only appeared in an issue of Archie Sonic
Honorable Mention: Chester from Minutemen
Sleeper pick!
The Black boy genius cartoon nerd trope predates Urkel. There’s Gene from “The New Archies”, IQ-1 from “Bionic Six”, Woody Daniels from the “Mr. T” cartoon, Doc from “Adventures Of The Galaxy Rangers” in the ‘80s
Asian American cartoon characters are characterized by archetypes too. It's not just black people who are characterized by cliches and archetypes.
For example, every Japanese girl in a cartoon is depicited as being upbeat, ditzy, obsessed with "Kawaii" things, cutesy, having colored hair, and being the best friend of the main character. I think there's two reasons for this. One is the popularity of The BabySitters Club and the character Claudia Kishi. Claudia was one of the few recurring Japanese characters in American media at the time, and was widely praised for that. However, her characterization of "ditzy upbeat girl who is the best friend of the main character" stuck with most depicitons of Japanese girls in American media, mostly cartoons. The other reason for this trope is the rise of anime and otaku culture in the USA in the late 90s and early 2000s, which led to Japanese girls in cartoons always loving "Kawaii" things as well as the Colored hair trope. Pretty much every Japanese girl in a cartoon follows these tropes, even nowadays. Stacy Haruno from Phineas and Ferb, Kuki Sanban from Codename KND, Peni Parker from The Spider Verse films, Bridgette Hashima from Close Enough, Lee Lee from Dexters Labratory.
Similarly, Indian guys in cartoons were also archetyped in cartoons as the nerdy comic relief with a funny accent. I think one of the reasons this became popular was because of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon in the the Simpsons, who at the time, was one of the few South Asian characters to have a prominent role in a TV show, leading to TV shows modeling Indian characters after Apu. The other reason why Indians are characterized as being nerds in Cartoons was due to the rise of Indian Americans in high level jobs during the 80s and 90s, leading to Indians in cartoons being characterized by the "Model minority" myth. Even modern Indian characters like Connie Maheswaran from Steven Universe, still fall into some of the tropes of these characters, such as being a nerd.
Thankfully, this is starting to change in the modern animation industry, with more cultural awareness and diverse backgrounds in the industry becoming more common. There's starting to become more accurate Asian characters in Cartoons nowadays, sometimes even as the leading role. Anne Boonchuy from Amphibia, Kipo Oak from Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts, Diane Nguyen from Bojack Horseman, Willow Park from the Owl House, Eileen from Craig of the Creek. Asian representation in American Cartoons has gotten a lot better in recent years, especially with Asian characters written by actual Asian people who even incorporate some of their background into the characters. Sure, most of the representation is still pretty flawed, but it's a lot better than it was 20 to 30 years ago.
Oh yeah asian particularly japanese people easily had it the worst in the 90s and SPECIALLY the 90s, it was always anime (with the added layer of it's weird and it sucks, american cartoon better) the thing you said and the blandest nothing character possible.
i will add that latin america as a whole also had horrible representation like, imagine your whole continent being reduced to just mexico and sometimes brazil
Funny that you mention that… It’s What’s inside, features only cliche characters… It happens to have a 2-hair color, up beat, super chill Asian girl.
The "model minority" archetype has always been a dominant narrative in media, especially in children's cartoons, which were largely written from a white-centric perspective. Media, especially for kids, isn't just entertainment-it's a tool used to shape behaviors and social norms. For Asian characters (encompassing the entirety of Asia, from Japan to India), the goal often seemed to be reinforcing the idea that they needed to fit into the "model minority" mold to be acceptable in white-dominated spaces.
This is why we constantly saw characters like Baljeet from Phineas and Ferb. He wasn’t allowed to just be a "normal" kid. Instead, he was portrayed as the perfect student, subservient, and helpful-exactly how white writers thought minorities "should" behave. It was never about showing diversity in its full spectrum but about creating a sanitized, overly compliant version of Asian youth for white audiences.
Meanwhile, white kids in media were always allowed to just be "normal." They could be flawed, quirky, rebellious, or even downright mediocre, and their stories were still seen as relatable and valid. Asian kids, on the other hand, were confined to archetypes that reinforced their "usefulness" or their "otherness," whether as the cutesy kawaii girl, the nerdy genius, or the quiet overachiever.
This pattern wasn’t just about representation-it was about social conditioning. By pushing these "socially acceptable" roles, media subtly reinforced the idea that the only way for Asian kids to fit into society was by adhering to the standards set by white-dominated structures. It’s insidious and deeply reflective of how media has historically been used to enforce conformity among minority groups.
@@shiiikaaariiiIt's funny you mention Baljeet from P & F considering that out of everyone in their friends circle, Baljeet is probably the most flawed of them all:
- He's socially awkward and has trouble talking to girls
- He's insecure about not seizing the day
- He's worried because his brain hasn't developed that much during the summer
- He's indecisive when forced to make a choice
- He's nervous about going on stage and only does it when he realizes that "Grades" didn't matter
@@shiiikaaariii first off almost everyone in Phineas and Ferb aren’t normal characters phineas is very smart just as smart as baljeet and doesn’t act like a normal person and phineas is seen as your dude who always helps,
just like the og commenter said if anything baljeet has more flaws than someone like a phineas.
he has trouble talking to girls.
he constantly worried about grades, he socially awkward etc, if anything baljeet seems more normal than your phineas or ferbs which phineas rarely gets mad about anything at all and only got mad at his sister one time, and is super smart if anything just as smart as baljeet if anything a little more smarter same with phineas.
Shoot the only normal person who acts normal is Candace
It’s crazy how much of an impact Steve Urkel had and the actor that plays him is such a great actor since he was able to communicate Steve’s alter egos too!
I’ve always wondered if the nerdy black archetype was a result of people clocking undiagnosed neurodivergence long before any psychiatrist could. That was my experience growing up, at least. Perhaps part of the writer intent back then was defanging the image of violent black men, but seemingly unintentionally, they created these socially awkward savants most people couldn’t empathize with without great effort. I could certainly relate to that. Considering the regurgitative nature of TV, there’s no doubt black neurodivergent people existed for a long time, but no one identified them for myriad reasons, just called them weird.
There is a parallel here in the way the characters are perceived as different: In the USSR cinema, there were a few science fiction and space movies. The aliens were often depicted as a force, people, or race that had overcome the troubles of society and had arrived at Earth to help us prosper. In the western movie industry we can see how it is the opposite: Alien, Independence Day, War of the Worlds, Predator, The Thing, all of them are about a savage thing, an invader, a colonial power that is trying to do to Earth what Earth history already is. I am not saying that other races are to be alienated or that they are different, I'm saying that they are portrayed the way they are because the cultural background of the writers has made them project themselves and their culture into the works. (This also is not socialist propaganda)
3:27 this SNL skit is so iconic lmao
Im a little confused at the idea of sitcoms reinforcing "conservative values". The lessons seemed to be pretty base-level stuff like "don't be a bully" or "stay in school". If anything, sitcoms tended to lean liberal for the time period.
Bullies are cool and school is lame
@matthewtartt9422 no
Yeah, I think younger people don't realize that liberalism has morphed into something completely different over the decades.
@@spadinnerxylaphone2622imagine defending schools
Those are base conservative values. Old school liberals, despite what is taught today, still adhered to many classically conservative values. What set them apart is that they equally accepted many progressive values.
Liberals used to be the centrists back then. Back before media and other things shifted the Overton window and the meaning of Liberal changed when people hijacked the label to hide their being Socialist or Communist.
This is one of the reasons I hate modern US politics. People have no idea what Conservative or Liberal actually mean anymore. They've lost their meanings and become mere labels.
Hopefully this helps that statement make more sense now.
i came across this video in my recommendations, and i have to say you did a very great analysis/breakdown of the blerd archetype!
what a connective thread narrative with an original and engaging thesis! good job
I have two things on this. One, the majority of MCs in animated shows now are black, brown, and asian, and indigenous.
Nick:
- Monster High G3(Afro-latina)
- Transformers Earthspark(Black)
- FOP: A New Wish(Black)
Disney:
- Moon Girl(Black)
- Primos(Chicano)
- Hailey's On It(Polynesian)
Warner:
- Craig of The Creek(Black)
- Invincible Fight Girl(Black)
- Jessica's Little Big World(Black)
- Iyanu(Black/West African)
Netflix:
- Jentry Chau(East Asian)
- Wake Up, Carlo(Brazilian)
Everyone in that tweet was a side character. Frankly, I want more of this. Even the modern white characters feel more cultured(Hilda and Kid Cosmic from Netflix and Big Nate from Nick). Two, I feel like the black nerd totally has a place in black culture. Fairly Odd Parents and Monster High literally has them as their main characters and I love the kinds of stories they get in to.
Fun fact: Tucker is voiced by Ricky D'Shon Collins. So in other news, Vince did become a geek like his brother, Chad.
Maybe Urkel was the most famous so far, but the "black smart kid of the group" was already a thing before him.
Just think about *Paul,* from *Dinosaucers,* that came out few years before.
Or (not a kid, but still "the smart guy of the group") *Walter,* from *the Galaxy Rangers.*
This is a great video. And it highlights a good point about how a lot of cartoons in the early 2000’s basically portrayed cartoon black face
d-did i do that...?
also steve urkel and sonic share the same VA
THE MORE YOU KNOW
Still the definitive Sonic voice for me, and you can tell exactly where everyone who came after Jaleel took inspiration from him.
Remy, of big city greens, is basically if you made Bronny James into Erwin from B&M…
Bro thank you so much for making this!!!
As someone who was a Black boy with glass in the early 2000’s, I loved Billy and Mandy, But I always HATED Erwin with a passion. I ddnt get why the one kid who looked like me had to be nerdy, cowardly, dumb, always getting beat up, and saying “Yo” all the time. The writing for him seemed almost racist at times with the stereotypes they would put on him and his family. Honestly out of all the Urkel clones, he was the worst.
Some of these writers need to be seriously questioned for the images they put out on screen
He was a big simp too
Irwin always bothered me as a kid, and I never could pin down why exactly until I got older and saw the clips with him..Like I think he's funny now cause I'm like how tf did the writers get away with writing him like this lmao 😭- but yeahhh. At least Grim evens it out a bit.
Irwin was supposed to be the main character of the Billy and Mandy spin off, Underfist. But Cartoon Network canceled it because they wanted to do Live Action shit.
Its a shame. Despite Irwin being a loser, he was slowly becoming one of the most basass characters of the show. Literally Half Mummy, Half Vampire Superhero? Would have been awesome.
Wow. Never realized how many nerdy black fictional characters there were until I saw this.
You saying “syndication is a form a redlining” makes me wanna go back for my masters
That one stuck with me too. Multiple essays can be made from that statement alone.
That's freaking good
This was an incredibly well written analysis of a black archetype. I could listen to this like a podcast, but the video was also well edited so gonna check out more vids!
Am I the only one who gets the impression that Irwin, from grim adventures, in particular was cringe *by design?*
To me it just seems too over-the-top and exaggerated to be unintentional.
This was great man! Appreciate the SWV sample at the end too
I still remember having my mind blown when Urkel grows up into a good looking man and they wrote an episode around it where he transforms himself into suave Urkle. Family Matter was a huge part of TGIF.
I think the "black nerd" character was so popular because it portrayed black male youth in a comfortable way for white audiences. Characteristics like angry, sexually/socially confident, tough, strong, etc, were threatening to a lot of white America, as the dominant stereotype for black men for generations was the "angry, violent black man who 'stole' white women." So black nerds (chill, socially awkward, often anxious or outright cowardly , etc) were a way to incorporate black males while excising any characteristics that might be seen as threatening to an audience that, in some ways, feared black males due to longstanding harmful stereotypes.
alright settle down, there.
This video made me realize that a lot of black representations in media I grew up with seem to depict black people from either the East Coast or Chicago if they're not immigrants.
Do we not live anywhere else? I've never lived in Chi, the DMV, or NY.
My only representation is the L.A. Riots and every hood movie.
And Fresh Prince, of course. The town is in the title
Fresh Prince was amazing. Watched it every morning before school in the early 00s.
To be fair, most of these sitcoms were set in Chicago or New York
It’s mind boggling for one culture not to appreciate the things earned. Sure a few of characters here follow a troupe but have transcendence overall to do things beyond their external outlook. If you insist on internalizing Urkel Effect to racism that’s not the writer’s fault. It’s the one’s who bullied you for it.
...
Great video. First of yours ive seen. Very well edited. Also i didnt realize how pervasive the urkel stereotype is. Like if they dont have suspenders or glasses i dont see it lol.
Yes most black nerds after ‘Urkel’ are pretty much based on him look and personality wise in cartoons and shows. The little boy on the show ‘In The House’ ‘Austin’ was clearly based on Urkel. ‘Jordan’ on ‘The Bernie Mac Show’ was based on Urkel. But the thing people don’t know is ‘Urkel’ was not really the first official black nerd. That would have to go to a character named ‘Rudey Butler’ played by actor Larry O. Williams Jr. on the Jimmie Walker late 80s show Bustin Loose’. The ‘Rudey’ character wore probably the nerdiest glasses known to man and had ‘Jerry Lewis like’ penchant for slapstick comedy. Mainly bumping into things and falling that Jaleel would later develop in playing ‘Urkel’!
Vallery on Josie and the Pussycats was the one black character and she was the smartest character in the show. She set up the traps and she was good with machines. That show is from the 70's.
36:20 me: "omg is he playing heart pt 6?!" cords: "he really drew from the heart of the urkel character" shut upppp liked and subscribed
My best friend who I’ve known since 6th grade looks like Irwin from Billy and Mandy. Aside from that, Irwin’s dorky charisma makes him my favorite character in the show. My friend embraced it and even has a thanos/irwin shirt 😂
28:03 This is an important point that highlights a misconception that was never addressed. These writers by and large were not necessarily "white". Nearly every hollywood writer for these shows (and most TV shows in general to this day) was Jewish.
A lotta of those kinda Urkel effects styled characters had a lot of unique and totally good plots in their episodes.
An example of a good nerdy black character is static shock.
virgil hawkins
Virgil wasn't portrayed as nerdy for the 90s though. In the 90s being a nerd was derogatory. Virgil and static were cool. They had a personality that the nerdy black character didn't have. He wasn't treated as a "safe black kid" for white kids to consume. Virgil/static was given a voice to speak for himself and his community
Miles Morales
This was an awesome video. And I'm curious how much of this is mostly "That worked, let's keep doing it" or just how they grew up so that must be how characters are. You bring up the cartoons created in Nick but they are definitely influenced by characters or shows they watche din the 90s. Much like how recently, almost so many black characters in media suddenly has the Killmonger hair when it used to be very unique to the character, this including Tekken. Suddenly it's the one hair style because it was so cool then.
Thank you for making this! It definitely made me think of the black nerd character was in so much media and I never realized it, and it totally makes sense for usually the black nerd character is made as it is white people writing the show, so it made it WAY more easier to write for them if they were relatable to themselves.
Don't forget the little boy from In the House, literally an Urkel clone
I feel like AJ while inspired by Urkle is different enough that he's his own character he's more of a smart ass know it all than a geeky weirdo like Cookie from Ned's Declassified or Irwin from Billy and Mandy.
That's just me tho
Edit: oh ok you kinda say that at the end so Its not just me, even the "I'm gonna stare at her until she feels awkward enough to talk to me", while definitely not good, sounds like Butch Hartman fairly odd parents dialogue, like "in respecting your privacy by knocking but asserting my authority as a parent by coming in anyway!" When the dad busts into Timmy's room that episode, I could see any of those three saying something like that.
Tucker on the other hand...
Don't forget Brain from Arthur.
Never clocked Brain as black. Only learned he was when I was older and someone brought up that his family celebrated Kwanza in that one episode. Then again, I ran into a lot more kids from East Asia than black kids growing up; so maybe it was more obvious to other people.
40 years? Family Matters just turned 35 last year.
Anyways, not only was Steve Urkel the first sitcom character I was exposed to on TV as I was starting school back in '96 (via early season reruns on TBS), but Family Matters was the first sitcom I actually watched in full (other sitcoms, then, only captured my interest until the theme song intro was done)
I love these characters that do not have offensive stereotypes, especially these characters really feel like people.
I just can't hate Tucker. He's hilarious 😂😂😂
I LOVE UKREL YOU LOVE URLEL WE ALL STAN FOR URKEL
The nerdy black friend is usually associated with the loser white guy main character. To the best of my understanding the creators probably thought why would a cool black guy with options ever hang out with the loser white guy unless they were also a loser.
AS being a white kid who wasn't exposed to as many cartoons growing up, I never realized how common this trope was. There are times in this video where it made me realize that "Oh shit that can apply to that character too huh?". I never would of thought about that when I saw Aj in Fairly Odd Parents or even Irwin in Billy and Mandy (where it is definitely more blatant) since I didn't even occur to me that this was a trope. I think the way you looked at this trope with this much complexity (especially with your background) was an interesting perspective which I don't think I would of gotten if I watched any of these shows.
BASICALLY, GOOD SHIT! I feel like I learned something about black culture from this video.
I think there's a second aspect you're missing in this. It's not just that a lot of these characters were Black nerds, the social awkwardness was autistic coded (which is why Recess's Chad is a stand-out, he's a nerd, but he's not socially awkward). It's a confluence of two stereotypes.
I think the point is that television either stereotyped black and brown people as ghetto or stereotyped them as nerds against that first stereotype.
@@ws16-19 it's almost as if you say that like television only stereotyped black & brown people or specifically black and brown people...... stereotyping is prevalent to any and every race.
Nerd is autistic coded…
90% of nerds and dorks in the 90s were autistic. They could find refuge in “Nerd”
This term “coded” is used. It’s being used wrong. A collection of tropes isn’t a dog whistle to those in the know. Coding rarley happens. You mean headcannon
@@partysugar519...
He was right in his choice of words and it would be headCANON if the word is associated with canonization and not an actual cannon. Ironically though, your opinion is fodder and headcan(n)on sounds goofy either way, no one is saying that bs
A fascinating video to watch as someone who was universally called Urkel by my peers from Grade school to high school.
i think its kinda wild to me that while not knowing the Urkel effect, Ive known about them for years unintentionally via Sonic the Hedgehog
Wheres the one black nerd from miraculous ladybug lmfaoo
Oh Nino? He's alright ig?
@ nah the other one with the glasses😭 I forgot his name lol
@@wompwompcryabttitYou mean Max?
@ YES! The horse miraculous guy 😭😭 he’s the embodiment of the Urkel effect 😂
@@wompwompcryabttit I'd say yes and no to that. Max can be a bit socially awkward at times, and invisible for the most part, but I don't think he's anywhere near as clumsy or stalker-esque like Urkel or Irwin
2:56 - I can’t wait for that day. I’ll definitely be tuning in. ☺️
Fantastic video! I wonder which category of nerd would Carlton from The Fresh Prince would land on. Because besides being quite smart, he was athletic, a great dancer and singer and because less socially awkward as the show went on
New Cords while I cook?! (Also NOID supremacy!)
😏😏
This was a very fine video!
I gotta give props to JD, A.K.A. IQ, from Bionic Six, who was very much a glasses-wearing black boy genius, but wasn't an annoying nerd. He was extremely intelligent, intellectual, super strong, and I'd dare to say, a little on the debonair side compared to what's come down the pipeline since. I'd also like to show love to Paul from Dinosaucers, who was another bespectacled black male who was intelligent and soft-spoken without being an annoying nerd. Both cartoons are from the late 80s.
I can see how Irwin drew inspiration from Urkel but he never does anything remotely "boy genius".
It doesn't matter what color your skin is, when you're a cop, your race is cop.
“I’m gonna stare at her until she has no choice but to talk to me”✨💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀✨
This video was both awesome and thoughtful! You did a great job. I'm glad I was a part of it. Can't wait to see more videos from you!
"Hey Danny! If you could control a girl for just about 2 minutes..."
- Actual line from Tucker Foley.
I feel like the Recess episode with Chad was like ABC’s regret of not making a Steve Urkel cartoon years prior lol 39:01
As a black male, I would like to apologize to the black community for occasionally saying oy vey during periods of peak exhaustion 😔 28:00
No Filmore? He was basically Urkel and Stefan put together.
Love this video! Hard to think it's been 40 years since Family Matters. 😮