What the fuck is this character archetype?

[The Lawgiver]

I don't see this much these days but like a lot of media from like the 80s (or maybe a bit earlier) to mid 2000s had this weird trend of "bad guy scientist who wears dome helmet with 2 lightbulbs on it"


Where the fuck did this start and why did it stop? There doesn't' seem to be a name for this and despite it being a thing that showed up frequently I've literally never seen it brought up.

For a moment I thought"hmm maybe it's like a back to the future reference?" but earlier examples seem to predate back to the future by a little or came out too fast for it to be a direct reference to doc brown. There's also the fact the helmet he wears is nowhere near as simple as 2 lightbulbs on a dome.


Even if you have no knowledge of what the fuck this ties to I'm cursing you with the knowledge I've lived with for the last nearly 3 decades of my existence.

 

[dick brain]

Delete this thread before it's too late.

 

[We Are The Witches]

Two of those images don't even have lightbulbs on their helmet.

But humoring this, it's a common element & stereotype that lightbulbs signify the scientific world, specially in cartoons, when having an idea literally is shown by one getting lit up.

The helmets they wear need to have something more for aesthetic purposes since they're for a children's show, so what better than lightbulbs? Why 2 though? Because 1 would be ridiculous and make him look like a unicorn if placed on the front, or asymmetrical, if placed on the side as a single unit.

Also ties back to the "evil" design for an "evil" scientist, where they may attempt to resemble horns, an element commonly present in villains of many cartoons.

 

[The Lawgiver]

Delete this thread before it's too late.

The people must know

Two of those images don't even have lightbulbs on their helmet.

Either you're blind or you actively ignored The first image is small lightbulbs and the third one is siren style lightbulbs because it's ape escape and all the monkeys in that have that kind of light for their helmet.

Because 1 would be ridiculous and make him look like a unicorn if placed on the front, or asymmetrical, if placed on the side as a single unit.

I've got bad news for you...
There are some that have just one

 

[We Are The Witches]

Either you're blind or you actively ignored The first image is small lightbulbs and the third one is siren style lightbulbs because it's ape escape and all the monkeys in that have that kind of light for their helmet.

Those are alert lights, far more sophisticated than anything called "lightbulbs", don't insult the scientist.

Also, the ones in the Doctor seem more like antennaes, or receptors of some kind.

 

[PixarsTedKennedy]

Cyberpunk was big back then.

 

[Alex Hogendorp]

They wanted to be a football fish or a firefly.

 

[2mm and 99 others]

I've got bad news for you...

Something like this one?

 

[parsnip]

the retardation levels of this post are way too low for Q&A. now that you point it out this has definitely been going on in cartoons since the 80s. it's so familiar but I never consciously noticed it.

 

[The Lawgiver]

Something like this one?
View attachment 6596304

That's the space feds, not the same but similar helmet.

 

[Sparkletor 2.0]

Boy are you stupid. Connect the dots it's right in front of you

• Mad Scientist
• Dr. Frankenstein is a mad scientist
• Frankenstein is a German name
• Helmut is a German name
• You put a helmet on your head. It can't be too heavy or you can't lift your head.
• Helmet must be light
• Light bulb
• Helmet =1 Light = 1
• 1 + 1 = 2
• 2 light bulbs
• Mad scientist wears helmet with two light bulbs

I hope this helps.

 

[Local Farmer]

Aryan