Dear bigsoccer, I am asking you all this because I know many people in the NSR forum tend to be well-versed in other areas, and I would like some help. Is there a word to represent what Kenny represents as a dramatic device in South Park, as in the recurring (whatever) of a show? What I mean is, Kenny always dies every episode. In Battlestar Galactica, there's an old (very detailed) model ship that Odama keeps shashing when he is mad, but it is suddenly in tact ready for him to smash again the next time he gets mad. In Home Movies, there is always a gnome somewhere in the background of every episode, briefly and without purpose (from what I've seen). "The MacGuffin" is something elusive or ambiguous that the hero is always after. "Jumping the shark" is when a show clearly illustrates that it has been on for too long and the writers have run out of material, and it comes from an episode of Happy Days. Is there a word for what Kenny is? A signature reoccurring element in a show and a nod to repeat viewers. Or in the case of the first two examples (not Home Movies), something that is destroyed repeatedly and keep reappearing, with little or no acknowledgment from the characters. I was going to call it "The Kenny." Is that appropriate, or is there already a term for this?
Specifically, this entry. "Running gag" seems like the most apt description, even if it feels generic and inadequate.
+1 Neat site. Very thorough. I went through 2 dozen tropes, and every example I had, the site had, including references to 30 year old Mad Magazine and Sports Illustrated covers.