What is "Narf"?

[Craig Crumpton]

This is for any fans of Warner Bros animated series "Pinky & The Brain":
http://dmoz.org/Arts/Animation/Cartoons/Titles/P/Pinky_and_The_Brain/

(...or for any others who have nothing better to do than to take the time to read this.)

I've been working on an extensive and tedious project that has been a rather wearying experience, but there is a bit of pay involved, so I tried to ignore how much of a task it was.

A few days ago, I felt the overwhelming urge to take a break from the monotony, and for no other reason than "why the @#$% not", I decided to do a google.com search on "narf".

Now, any "hardcore" P&TB reading this will most likely recall a key plot point in the premiere P&TB episode "Das Mouse" when the CIA deciphered Pinky's random password "NARF" as "Nuclear Attack Readiness Formation".

I can assure you that this organization does not exist (at least not on the web), though there was a P&TB fanpage with that name at one time.

In the space (or waste, I should say) of 2 hours, I discovered that N.A.R.F. has been in use as an acronym by a number of organizations -- some of them many years before the actual "word" (or "emotional sound effect", as it has been defined by the show's producer, Peter Hastings) was popularized (immortalized, even) by Pinky -- with credit largely due to Rob Paulsen's performance as the voice of Pinky - and also to Peter Hastings, but especially to Eddie Fitzgerald, a Warner Bros animator who once received a gag credit on "Tiny Toon Adventures" as the: "Guy Who Says 'Narf.'"

Following is the outcome of my research (from approximately 543 search results):

First off, one that many A! fans should be familiar with:

The Nifty Animaniacs Reference File (though horribly out of date)
http://www.faqs.org/faqs/tv/animaniacs/faq/

Now, prepare to be amazed and amused at all that is N.A.R.F. on the web:

[Note: If there are any non-English sites linked which you wish to view and comprehend (for whatever reason suits your fancy), I recommend using http://babelfish.altavista.com ]


The Native American Rights Fund
http://www.narf.org/

The Nortwest Agricultural Research Foundation
http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/NARF.html

The Nike Animal Rescue Foundation
http://www.narfrescue.org

The Northfield Animal Rights Front
http://www.stolaf.edu/orgs/messenger/2000/021601/news/narf.html

The Nordic Arctic Research Forum
http://www.geo.ruc.dk/nors/phd_net/narf.htm

NAzaRines In Fellowship
http://www.naznet.com/

The Nazarene Amateur Radio Fellowship
http://www.norcal.org/NARF/

The North American Railway Foundation
http://www.narfoundation.org/

The National Association of Research Fellows
http://www.anu.edu.au/narf/

The Newport Autumn Rowing Festival
http://www.newportaquaticcenter.net/Rowing/pages/narf_main.htm

Novell Account Request Form
http://www.cas.unt.edu/gal/narf/

The National Assembly of Rifle Forces
http://www.eckardt-web.de/narf/

The National Association of Retired Firefighters
http://www.narfire.org.uk/narf.html

Nathan Azrin & Richard Foxx (co-authors)
http://www.nurturingourfamilies.com/spirited/books/narf/narf.html

The North American Racewalking Foundation
http://www.hoys.com/narwf.html

Nambudripad's Allergy Research Foundation
http://www.naet.com/subscribers/naro.html

New Account Request Form
http://mira.lcsc.edu/olg/narf.html

The National Association of Retired Federal Employees
http://www.narfe.org/

Not Another Ridiculous Fanfic
http://xovers.reikaifiles.com/a/NARF.html

Natural Axial Resonant Frequency
http://www.bently.com/support/glossary/BncglossNARF.htm

The Natural Areas Rescue Fund
http://www.savetheprairiesociety.org/NARF/NARFdo.htm

Notgeile Alte Rentner Fraktion
(A Series of "Counterstrike" Clans, mostly in German)
http://www.narf-clan.de/
http://www.narfclan.de/
http://www.clan-narf.de/
http://www.narf-clan.de.vu/
http://www.clansite.com/NaRF/
http://narf-clan.virtualave.net/
http://narf.da.ru/
http://counternarf.fateback.com/

The Naval Air Rework Facility
http://www.skyhawk.org/NARF_AL.htm

The New Age Renaissance Fair
http://www.california.com/~eameece/narf.htm

NAtionale Regio Finale
http://www.tsr-vidar.nl/archief/NARF1998/narf.html

The Nuclear Air Resistance Fleet
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/8663/

Norges Autoriserte Regnskapsføreres Forening
http://www.narf.no/


And for those of you wondering how others have "defined" narf:

http://www.greyjedi.net/wordofweek.html#narf
http://www.csupomona.edu/~jasanders/slang/csrpn.htm

Two Dweebs Who Erroneously Claim to have Coined "Narf"
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&safe=off&q=princeton+narf
(The actual page is offline, but can be viewed via Google "cache". For the first search result listed after you click the above link, click where it says "Cached" to read the text in question. If you still can't get it to work, I'll post the text here later.)


Other noteworthy NARF-related sites ---- "Narf" is:

An Internet Service Provider
http://www.narf.com

An Invention (En Espanol)
http://www.argos.edu.uy/narf.htm

A Usenet Spam Filter
http://utcc.utoronto.ca/abuse/antispam-stuff/narf/

A Stamps & Graphics Company (En Espanol)
http://www.catar.com.br/hg/serv/narfs/

A French Anime Fansite
http://narf.free.fr/

A Windows Application for Playing Chess on your Computer
http://www.chessvariants.com/programs.dir/narf.html

A Swiss Punk Band
http://www.kuzeb.ch/narf/

A Canadian-themed Star Trek Spoof (with sequels)
http://www.theinsaneasylum.com/stories/narftrek/narftrek.htm
http://www.theinsaneasylum.com/stories/narftrek/narftrek2.htm
http://www.theinsaneasylum.com/stories/narftrek/narftrek3.htm

A Dutch Hard Rock Band
("Narf - The Band")
http://www.narftheband.com/ ...coming soon!
http://move.to/narf
http://members.tripodnet.nl/ANDRIESHANNAART/
http://www.redrival.com/narftheband/indexe.html
http://narfmusic.cjb.net/

A Breakfast Cereal
http://www.hytti.uku.fi/~halen/thepeli/pelinarf.html

The We-Call-Our-Site-NARF-For-No-Apparent-Reason Homepage
http://www.narf.gen.nz/

A Clever, Brief P&TB Fanfic
http://www.sonic.net/~xodiac/stories/narf.htm

A Cult
http://members.tripod.com/~Evk_Damascus/narf/


On a related note - the following are registered domains for sites not yet online:

http://naarf.com/
http://narf.net/

And in case anyone is curious, http://narf.cc/ is not currently registered.


And perhaps the most useless (or creative, depending on your POV) uses of "narfdom" on the web:

http://homepages.strath.ac.uk/~acu95268/narf.html
http://home.allgaeu.org/mkaltenh/
http://www.locksley.com/opennarf.htm
http://www.wcug.wwu.edu/~narf/


Gookie
--wins the prize for the *longest*, *most researched* yet thoroughly useless post of all time.

[Craig Marinaro]

--wins the prize for the most useless post of all time.

Well, I'll venture to say that I've made *MUCH* more pointless posts than that. Yours was even on-topic!

But it would probably win the award for *LONGEST* useless post of all time, if it's any comfort. Not to mention most researched!

The only one I was previously aware of was the Native American Rights Fund. "Narf Trek" is probably my favorite (the Swiss punk band might be if I could understand any of it). "Mr. Spork" was the same name used in the A! "Star Truck"...not sure if the writers are A! fans, or if it's just a coincedence. But making him a "strange guy from Mexico" was a nice touch, anyhow.

Hope all the new guys who've come along since your original reign on the Board take notice of this...stuff like this is why we all love Gookie, kiddies! ;)

-C
The Man With No Sig.

[The Mad Hatter]

I'll go with Craig... I've missed Gookie's meticulously-researched yet completely useless info. The man knows how to do useless facts that are absolutely fascinating.

[joker]

thats a lot of narfs

[Nftnat]

I'm just surprised NarfPinky hasn't weighed in on this yet.

[don Jaime]

Narf is all, man.

[Danielle]

Congrats, Gookie!

Honestly, I went to that Renaissance fair and didn't even know...and that Narf cult page is creepy.

[Sharklady]

Egad, Gookie, brilliant!

Esp. that "Clever, Brief P&TB Fanfic." Thanks for bringing it to my attention.

And that Cult page was good for a laugh too.

[Danielle]

I'm not sure if this was already mentioned (I'm not looking through that whole list!), but whatever. Here's another acronym for NARF:

NARF= Navy Arctic Research Facility

If it is.....sorry. Go ahead and mallet me.

[Narfpinky]

Originally posted by Nftnat
I'm just surprised NarfPinky hasn't weighed in on this yet.




NAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRFFF!

Egad, interesting, but NARF for me is just like ZORT or POIT!



Narf-ragious!

[Craig Crumpton]

Originally posted by Danielle
I'm not sure if this was already mentioned (I'm not looking through that whole list!), but whatever. Here's another acronym for NARF:

NARF= Navy Arctic Research Facility

If it is.....sorry. Go ahead and mallet me.

Nope, didn't find that one.

There's no website for it though - I checked. I found a "Navy Arctic Research Laboratory" which is also called the "Navy Arctic Research Consortium", but no "Facility".

Thanks for the addition.

[Craig Crumpton]

Originally posted by Craig


Well, I'll venture to say that I've made *MUCH* more pointless posts than that. Yours was even on-topic!

But it would probably win the award for *LONGEST* useless post of all time, if it's any comfort. Not to mention most researched!

If I'd been looking for comfort, I'd have gone to bed instead. ;)


Hope all the new guys who've come along since your original reign on the Board take notice of this...stuff like this is why we all love Gookie, kiddies! ;)

Well, it's nice to have friends who can appreciate this sort of pointlessness. I'm pleased you guys got a kick out of it. If you wanna know my personal favorite finds - it'd have to be:

- the 2 Nazarene organizations (really got a chuckle out of those two, for some strange reason - perhaps because it was 3am)
- The National Association of Research Fellows (which I find delightfully clever)
- Norges Autoriserte Regnskapsføreres Forening (those wacky Norwegians...)
- NARF Cereal (admit it, you know you wanna try some)

And like Sharklady, I also enjoyed that little P&TB fic.


Gookie
--Nerdy Anal-Retentive Fanboy

[Calhoun07]

I am most certainly impressed. Next time somebody asks me about "narf" I will know what to tell them!

[DR. BELCH]

--"narf" was just "Fran" spelled backwards. Perhaps Pinky is subconciously yearning for some kindly female scientist who took care of him as a whelp but has since left Acme Labs...and his poor, fragmented, backwards brain is still pining for her in its dim monosyllabic fashion....


...or perhaps that's one too many pina colada fruit smoothies talking. :p


This was post 600.

[Danielle]

*gasp* What if Billie found out?!

Post 191 for me.

[Nftnat]

And now it'll be interesting to get Romey's take on this. You must admit, it'd make for an interesting plot twist. As if Billie didn't have enough to worry about with the non-human competition (the dolphin, the pig, still waiting on Phar). Not to mention it maybe being genetic as Pinky's (& Brain's) clone --- oh, what was his name >:E) --- fell for a human, Pat / Bunny.

[DR. BELCH]

A further mystery of Pinky and Brain's origin...Dr. Mephisto apparently headed the B.R.A.I.N. project, though we see two male scientists, presumably his underlings, did most of the work. Fran may have been either a third scientist, or a kindly intern who comforted young Pinky in his darkest hours. Somewhere in the back of his tiny mind he still harbors a crush....
And what of whatever Snowball and Billie had? I've referred to it as a Liza-Higgins thing, although the hamster's intentions may have been less than noble--maybe a scheme to breed the perfect offspring with her (which she would have none of). She seldom speaks of it, and to my knowlege Brain never asks. Also, there's no reason Billie coundn't have her own crush on an Acme doctor....
As for Pinky's strange affairs, there was also (in the FanFic realm) Quinn Morgendorffer, who shares, as Brain might say, "Pinky's perversely original take on life". Here's a particularly humorous exerpt from my own "The Plot in a Nutshell" where Brain, posing as a Spanish tutor, tries desperately not to lose his mind as he teaches Quinn espanol:

BRAIN: Greetings, class, and welcome to Basic Introductory Spanish I. I am your teacher, Professor Braindulce. Today weshall be examining the differences between "ser" and
"estar", conjugating a few simple "-ar" and "ir" verbs
[PINKY starts waving his hand in the air and "ooh ooh"ing
excitedly. When BRAIN fails to notice him, he starts waving
both hands and "ooh"s louder], and, if we have the time, we
may examine masculine and feminine noun endings and how they
correlate to the endings of their respective adjectives--
[he notices PINKY at last and breaks off with an impatient
sigh] Yes, Pinky. What do you want?
PINKY: Poit! May I go get a drink of water, BRAI--er--Professor Braindulce?
BRAIN [sighs]: Yes. You may.
PINKY: Woo-hoo! Zort! [leaps off the pile of books onto the
floor and races happily out the door. QUINN starts raising
her hand and "ooh"ing for attention.]
BRAIN [sighs again]: Spit it out, Quinn.
QUINN: I don't think I need Spanish in my life, Professor
Braindulce. I mean, I have all I need to get by.
BRAIN: Oh, really? If life were all about getting by, my
child, then that would be all well and good. But it isn't.
Tell me--just how much Spanish do you know?
QUINN: Um-- [counts on fingers]--taco...enchilada...chimichanga... guacamole...burrito grande...lasagna....
BRAIN: That's Italian, Quinn.
QUINN: Oh. I meant to say...crepe suzette.
BRAIN: That's French.
QUINN: Schnitzel?
BRAIN: German.
QUINN [gasps]: God! I am so out of it!
BRAIN: Perhaps it would help to figure out where your interests are.
QUINN: Oh...that's easy. One, clothes. Two, bouncy hair.
Three, boys. Four, school. [ticks off each on her fingers]
BRAIN: Are you sure you don't wish to pause and reconsider
your priorities?
QUINN: Mmmm...nope.
BRAIN: Very well. From what you've told me, and from what I
see here [noticing QUINN's overstuffed closet], you are very
interested in haberdashery. Correct?
QUINN: No...just clothes.
BRAIN: Yes...well...suppose you purchased a garment that had
a label saying "Lavar en lavador en agua tibia con colores
similares. Secar en secadora a tempertura baja." What would
you do?
QUINN: Get a salesgirl to translate for me.
BRAIN: Forget the salesgirl. There is no salesgirl available.
QUINN: Find the label instructions in English.
BRAIN [exasperated]: There are none! [sighs] The garment is
made of 100% "algodon"...cotton. What would happen if you
washed it in hot water?
QUINN: The shirt would shrink up and pinch my [chest]! Duh!
BRAIN: Yes. The washing instructions clearly say "Machine wash in warm water with like colors. Tumble dry low." If you
can understand how to read the label instructions in another
language, you can avoid having your--ah--mammaries
constricted by a confining garment.
QUINN: Oooh...I think I'm going to like this class.
BRAIN: Okay...now...the Spanish word for "a shirt" [writes
it on the board] is "una camisa". Repeat that, please. "Una
camisa".
QUINN: Una camisa.
BRAIN: Now..."los pantalones" [writes it] means "pants".
Repeat that, please.
QUINN: Los pantalones.
BRAIN: Good. "Los zapatos" [writes it] means "shoes".
Repeat, please.
QUINN: Los zapatos.
BRAIN: Excellent! "Underwear" is "la ropa interior".
QUINN: La ropa interior.

Time passes, and Quinn eventually catches on.

BRAIN: Quinn...What would you say to the salesgirl if you
purchased a pair of trousers that were too tight for you?QUINN: "Perdoname, senorita, pero esos pantalones me demasiadan apretato."
BRAIN: And if your shirt had a stain on it?
QUINN: "Mi camisa es sucia."
BRAIN: And if you wished to look at a pair of brown shoes?
QUINN: Brown shoes? Uck!
BRAIN: Very well. Red shoes, then.
QUINN: Oh! OK! "Me deseo a mirar a los zapatos rojos, por
favor."
BRAIN: Excellent! Excellent! You've done very well today,
Quinn.
PINKY [raising hand]: Oh! I've got one too, Brain! Ahem!
"Puedes tu poner el sopa en mi bolsillo y vomitar en mi
sombrero?" Narf!
BRAIN [an exasperated sigh]: Pinky, you just asked me if I
could put the soup in your pocket and vomit into your hat.
PINKY: Oh...well...could you? Poit?
[QUINN claps her hand over her mouth and tries to stifle
giggles.]
BRAIN: Okay, class. Before we wrap this session up, we shall
learn one more useful phrase. [taps chalkboard with
chalk, indicating a phrase written there in block caps]
"Estas creando que yo estoy creando?" it's something to ask
another person to determine if the two of you are in
agreement. It means "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
QUINN [tilts head, smiling]: I think so, Professor
Braindulce, but calling it a flea market! I mean, what were
they thinking?
PINKY [high silly giggle]: Narf!
QUINN [high, girlish giggle]: Narf!
BRAIN [sotto voce, an aside]: D***ation...they're multiplying.
Be thankful Billie doesn't know about her. I have a feeling the words "strawberry-blonde tart" would be the nicest words out of her mouth at this revelation. :p

[Naraht]

and all this time, I thought Narf was a misspelling of my initials..
N.A.F.

*sigh*

Nicholas A. Frame

[Sharklady]

It's amazing what nuggets of information pop up on this Board from time to time.

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by Danielle
*gasp* What if Billie found out?!

Post 191 for me.

*gasp* Danielle's been keeping track of those post numbers for quite some time!

And isn't there a time limit when old threads should no longer be resurrected? Wow...this one goes back to July. brings back memories...

[Romanesque]

Blood pressure... dropping... arteries beggining to... drain... everything's fading... must stay conscious... must stay conscious... *passes out*

--Romey

[Nftnat]

He took that better than I thought.

[Danielle]

Originally posted by Nftnat
He took that better than I thought.


Yup. I thought he was gonna force himself to watch the Golf Channel. :eek:

I *have* been keeping track of all of my posts.....right now I have...........um.............hold on a sec.........it was..........no, wait.........

And a note: I know the difference between ser and estar, a sign that I actually *am* smarter than Pinky. There. Happy now?

[Sharklady]

> I know the difference between ser and estar, a sign that I actually *am* smarter than Pinky. <

That's not exactly High Praise, is it? ;)

[Danielle]

Originally posted by Sharklady


That's not exactly High Praise, is it? ;)


Well, no...........but I like to believe it is. :p Yes, it is! I AM THE ULTIMATE!!!

[Calhoun07]

The ultimate what?

[Danielle]

Originally posted by calhoun07
The ultimate what?

Don't get technical. :p

[Romanesque]

Eeah-yeah... Seems I must have missed this thread back in July, when I was running amok all over Italy. Time to catch up! Mwa ha ha ha haaa!Originally posted by Gookie
A few days ago, I felt the overwhelming urge to take a break from the monotony, and for no other reason than "why the @#$% not", I decided to do a google.com search on "narf".Wow, that's umm... a lot of info! Jinkies! Definitely hadn't had anything *this* extensive around here for a while. I know it's about six months late, but good work! Very impressive, narf!Now, any "hardcore" P&TB reading this will most likely recall a key plot point in the premiere P&TB episode "Das Mouse" when the CIA deciphered Pinky's random password "NARF" as "Nuclear Attack Readiness Formation".

I can assure you that this organization does not exist (at least not on the web), though there was a P&TB fanpage with that name at one time.Oooh, umm... that'd be cuz it's not an organization, it's an attack formation, a naval strategy in this case. That's what the whole cause for concern was when they noticed the spiral path the sub was following... If it did exist, it probably wouldn't be something you'd find on the web. Amazing what you can learn in a foreign policy class. ;-)Originally posted by Nftnat
And now it'll be interesting to get Romey's take on this. You must admit, it'd make for an interesting plot twist. As if Billie didn't have enough to worry about with the non-human competition (the dolphin, the pig, still waiting on Phar).Doubt my take will amount to much, on this one... once you've already got horses, dolphins, and pigs on the list, adding another species to the collection isn't really saying much. I'd actually use them more as potential evidence of Pinky becoming distanced from Phar... As we see them pop up, acknowledgement of Phar's existence on Pinky's part seems to dry up. We do see Phar again in "Wakko's Wish", but that doesn't necessarily fit into continuity, even for non-P&tB characters. ::shrug::Originally posted by DR. BELCH
A further mystery of Pinky and Brain's origin...Dr. Mephisto apparently headed the B.R.A.I.N. project, though we see two male scientists, presumably his underlings, did most of the work. Fran may have been either a third scientist, or a kindly intern who comforted young Pinky in his darkest hours. Somewhere in the back of his tiny mind he still harbors a crush...Yet another Mid-to-Late Third Season episode that I never really cared for... Not only threw all previously established origin stories out the window, but I found it rather bland. Another ::shrug::And what of whatever Snowball and Billie had?What of it? Was nothing there in the first place. =xI've referred to it as a Liza-Higgins thing, although the hamster's intentions may have been less than noble--maybe a scheme to breed the perfect offspring with her (which she would have none of). She seldom speaks of it, and to my knowlege Brain never asks. Also, there's no reason Billie coundn't have her own crush on an Acme doctor...No, no, and umm... no. Did I mention 'no'? Snowball has one main goal in life, to create misery for Brain. How does he typically do that? By taking all that he can from Brain, for his own. Brain's plans, Brain's goals, Brain's friends, Brain's life, and in this case Billie. ("And now that Billie is mine again, I suppose you'll be doing nothing but wailing.") Furthermore, she was running the show the whole time, just to get back to Pinky. Two year's worth of episodes pass, and she's still after him...

And lastly, we don't know what happened to her after "Brain Noir," so I'm not going to bother arguing about the rest of that paragraph. ;-)As for Pinky's strange affairs, there was also (in the FanFic realm) Quinn Morgendorffer, who shares, as Brain might say, "Pinky's perversely original take on life".Nope, I'm not even touching that one... sorry, folks.

Romey
--::sigh::

[mookie75]

Well, to answer the question of "What is Narf?" let us go to the tv show itself:


Pinky on the stand at the Presidential debate

Pinky: Narf stands for North American Ratified ffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Moderator: Mr. Dole? A rebuttal?

Bob Dole: Well, as anybody knows. Bob Dole came up with the North American Ratified fffffffffffffffffffffffff. That's Bob Dole's baby.

Moderator (looking confused): Senator Dole...you have three mintues left.

Senator Dole looks around nervously

Bob Dole: fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff.....


:)

Warning: This quote may not be 100% verbatim.... :p

Marc

[Craig Crumpton]

Originally posted by Sharklady
It's amazing what nuggets of information pop up on this Board from time to time.

Yes, and to remember how much time was wasted on such a useless post. Time I could've better spent... maybe taking a nap.

[Nftnat]

I was wondering if Romey was gonna look @ the early parts of this thread. Okkay, I didn't wonder, but I could've. Lessee.

Okkay, first, the Nautilus came long after concern was raised. Said concern was raised when Pinky changed the call letters of the sub from WHOI (Woods-Hall Oceanographic Institute) to NARF. Certain people @ the Agency remembered former agent Jack McGuire's concern over prospects for Nuclear Attack Readiness Formation. A man was dispatched to enlist McGuire's aid in taking care of the problem. The Nautilus pattern --- necessitated by the Sub Club allowing only right turns --- did raise McGuire's concern to another level. "Oh, he's good!" The sub was sunk, & McGuire & the agent celebrated by attending P&tB's pancake jamboree.

As to Fran, I agree with you, Romey. Now that you mention it, Phar got less & less mention as the series went on. Keep in mind I typed that long before I read the fic dealing with Phar, & now I suddenly find myself having switched camps. Altho Billie still might have cause for concern due to Pinky's apparent wandering eye; I seriously doubt that he even thins of her romantically. While it might be enough for her just to be with him, as you have said once; but what happens if the other animals or people show up again? Pinky has shown himself to be liable to fall for any pretty face that comes along while not noticing what's right in front of him. And as I've said, it's genetic, in a certain clone whose name escapes me taking up with a human, Pat / Bunny.

I also agree about Project B.R.A.I.N. It's just one of those versions of their origins the mice themselves found impossible to reconcile. I would write off whatever can't be reconciled as faulty memory. Even with creatures as smart as Brain & Billie.

As to Brain Noir, I dunno. I'm having trouble getting past it taking place back in the '40's, even as I am aware of all the Animaniacs having control over time & space as it suits them. Snowball did want Billie for the same reason he wanted Pinky, because he knew same meant something to Brain. And while he perceived her as being under his control, he figured why not do the whole Pygmalion thing. And if he noticed her feminine qualities, well, chalk that up to Snowball being Snowball, & all that that entails. Of course, she was using him more than he was using her...

And Quinn? Well, other than conceding the possibility that Pinky's head might be turned by a human of like mind & that Billie would be quite jealous, I'm not really inclined to touch it either. Billie did fall for "Pinky's perversely original take on life" going back to The World Can Wait. Now that she's smarter, while Billie could affect being her former simple-minded self, Pinky might be more inclined to those who don't have to fake it. And I might've just written myself into more corners than I've written myself out of. *sigh*

[Brainatra]

>>>

I also agree about Project B.R.A.I.N. It's just one of those versions of their origins the mice themselves found impossible to reconcile. I would write off whatever can't be reconciled as faulty memory. Even with creatures as smart as Brain & Billie.
<<<

As I suggested previously (and in that "Have Yourselves a Wakko Little Christmas: Special Edition" fanfic thing), the two main conflicting points I could think of are "Snowball" and "Project B.R.A.I.N." in terms of their origins... one version with Snowball and Brain present, another with just Pinky and Brain present (which the general theme music of the show would support---"they're laboratory mice, their genes have been spliced..."). I wrote off stuff like "Leggo My Ego"'s conflicting points (with Brain in a Dickens-esque version of the lab begging for gruel) as some sort of faulty memory problems---related to my point below, possibly re: "Brain Noir"...


>>>As to Brain Noir, I dunno. I'm having trouble getting past it taking place back in the '40's, even as I am aware of all the Animaniacs having control over time & space as it suits them. Snowball did want Billie for the same reason he wanted Pinky, because he knew same meant something to Brain. And while he perceived her as being under his control, he figured why not do the whole Pygmalion thing. And if he noticed her feminine qualities, well, chalk that up to Snowball being Snowball, & all that that entails. Of course, she was using him more than he was using her...
>>>


As I also suggested earlier, my explanation for the mice's temporal hopping: the mice went back in time for some sort of scheme of Brain's; however, the time-travel process used leaves the mice in partially-amnesiac state (as to their true temporal origins), and they quickly assume that they actually *live* in the time era they're in, and thus assimilate into their surroundings rapidly (living in that era's version of Acme Labs, Brain dismissing the likelihood of TV catching on in "Mice Don't Dance", etc.). Eventually, the amnesiac effect wears off, and the mice return to their native time, retaining full knowledge of their activites in the past...

Thus, for "Brain Noir", PatB (along with possible stowaways Billie and Snowball) went back to the 40's, where they carried on their usual relationships (at whatever state they were when they left the present) in the past. Eventually, they all returned to the present, of course...


>>>And Quinn? Well, other than conceding the possibility that Pinky's head might be turned by a human of like mind & that Billie would be quite jealous, I'm not really inclined to touch it either. Billie did fall for "Pinky's perversely original take on life" going back to The World Can Wait. Now that she's smarter, while Billie could affect being her former simple-minded self, Pinky might be more inclined to those who don't have to fake it. And I might've just written myself into more corners than I've written myself out of. *sigh*<<<

Not touching that one, either. Also ignoring: the PatB comic where Brain goes out on a date with Billie (though it could've taken place before they went back in time for the events of "Brain Noir"...).

-B.
Now ask me to explain DC Comics' continuity....

[Romanesque]

Originally posted by Nftnat
Okkay, first, the Nautilus came long after concern was raised. Said concern was raised when Pinky changed the call letters of the sub from WHOI (Woods-Hall Oceanographic Institute) to NARF.Yes, I do remember all of that. And it's "Woods Hole," by the way. ;-)

Having formerly pursued the study of marine biology, having spent some amount time around Woods Hole, having been a general fan of Rob Ballard, and having always liked sub-movies (The title of the ep is a take on "Das Boot"), this episode has long been a favorite. (Quite the sentence, eh?) One of a few eps where they make very nice use of lighting; I love that.As to Fran, I agree with you, Romey. Now that you mention it, Phar got less & less mention as the series went on. Keep in mind I typed that long before I read the fic dealing with Phar, & now I suddenly find myself having switched camps.Give me a bit, and I'll hopefully be able to build a nice wall between the two, and keep you over on this side. ;-)

Before we get any deeper into this, let me sum up my feelings on the matter as best I can. I think, out of all the possible male/female character combinations that could be drawn between characters on the show, one between Pinky and Billie would be the most successful. There may be roadblocks, there may be difficulties... but I think it would be the ideal.Altho Billie still might have cause for concern due to Pinky's apparent wandering eye; I seriously doubt that he even thinks of her romantically. While it might be enough for her just to be with him, as you have said once; but what happens if the other animals or people show up again?Aside from Phar, she may not have *that* much to worry about. It's not like he falls for a random species every day. It might happen again or it might not, who's to say for sure?

Phar was also the only one to return Pinky's sentiments. However, she had the distinction of being sort of a female equine version of Pinky, on some level or another. At least as close to Pinky as a horse, of all creatures, could be. That's what makes Phar a problem to be dealt with. Yet Billie is even closer to a female version of Pinky than Phar is, which is partly why I think they'd work well together. Other than Billie and Phar... there's probably not *too* many other "Versions of Pinky" running about.

We get Phar out of the way, and we're left with a sea lion and a pig. For all those two relationships added up to, he might as well have fallen for a brick. (I can see Pinky falling for a brick, actually.) I'll admit Billie would be jealous even of the brick, and I can see it causing trouble... But I think Pinky & Billie could have enough going to stay together. It might go either way, but if they can get past Phar, they can survive this.

Does Pinky think of Billie romantically? As far as within the show, I doubt it too. Does that rule it out as a possibility? No. Would it come easily? Probably not, Pinky's too dense... It would take time, much like any actual relationship would. They'd form some sort of bond rather quickly, though. I can see Pinky forming a sentimental attachment, such that he'd prefer to continue having her around than not.Pinky has shown himself to be liable to fall for any pretty face that comes along while not noticing what's right in front of him. And as I've said, it's genetic, in a certain clone whose name escapes me taking up with a human, Pat / Bunny.Sort of like what's already written in the first draft of the Billie/Phar story... (Still hard at work.) It's a trial to be overcome. As for genetics, I think the only hardwired thing necessary is a heavy dose of weirdness. Maybe an extra dose in that certain clone's case. =xAs to Brain Noir, I dunno. I'm having trouble getting past it taking place back in the '40's, even as I am aware of all the Animaniacs having control over time & space as it suits them.Thing is, you can't have it taking place before the events in "World Can Wait," or any of the prior Snowball episodes, because that just doesn't work. As I see it, the varying dates in which an episode takes place work the same as the varying geographic locations. It's all just a change in setting for the sake of a particular story. Any technical explanation, time hopping or devious writers, is pretty much arbitrary. The only thing that matters is continuity from the perspective of the characters in relation to each other.Snowball did want Billie for the same reason he wanted Pinky, because he knew same meant something to Brain. And while he perceived her as being under his control, he figured why not do the whole Pygmalion thing. And if he noticed her feminine qualities, well, chalk that up to Snowball being Snowball, & all that that entails. Of course, she was using him more than he was using her...Hmm... I dunno. His first priority we're agreed on, following through with his vendetta against Brain. Beyond that, who knows. I personally think she was just a trophy for Snowball to wave in front of Brain. It might depend on how long he had to dwell on things outside of revenge. It seems they hadn't met by "Welcome to the Jungle," so it may not have been very long at all. I also have to wonder how much of an annoyance she was to Snowball during his attempts to reform her. Just conjecture, though.

The important thing is that last sentence there. Billie really had him doing her bidding all along. So in regards to any possible relationship between the two, I'd have to ask, "What relationship?"And Quinn? Well, other than conceding the possibility that Pinky's head might be turned by a human of like mind & that Billie would be quite jealous, I'm not really inclined to touch it either.Good to know we're agreed on that one. ;-)Billie did fall for "Pinky's perversely original take on life" going back to The World Can Wait. Now that she's smarter, while Billie could affect being her former simple-minded self, Pinky might be more inclined to those who don't have to fake it. And I might've just written myself into more corners than I've written myself out of.Nah, you've only begun to write yourself into corners! Especially with those last few words. ;-)

There's nothing for Billie to fake. Hyper-intelligent or not, she still shares the same basic mindset, temperment, and interests. I'd compare it to what happened to Pinky in "That Smarts"; his mental capacity expanded, but he was still Pinky. And just because someone has the capacity for genious, they don't necessarily have to use it...

--Romey

[Matthew Hunter]

narrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrfffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff....that's a whole lot of narf pages. They all mean different things. And what's with the "narfist" cult? The page and music are kind of scary...what, do they all worship lab mice who express themselves with funny words? hmmmm... bet THEY don't have a lot of friends. I miss Pinky and the Brain...I wish more cartoons would be made with these characters someday.
-Matthew

[Naraht]

could be worse...

ppl @ the Sev Discussion board think they're living in a NARFocracy (http://www.sevspace.com/forum/sevilianboard/sb_messages/66276.shtml)

[Danielle]

Originally posted by naraht
could be worse...

ppl @ the Sev Discussion board think they're living in a NARFocracy (http://www.sevspace.com/forum/sevilianboard/sb_messages/66276.shtml)


These people reeeeeeeaaaaaallly need to get out more......myself excluded. :D

[Polychrome]

Dude, you are scaring me.

Then again, quite interesting that there's so many NARFs out there, eh?

[Dub]

NARF is POIT and POIT is NARF and NARF and POIT are both equal to the sum of ZORT! ^___________^


It all makes sense when you think about it in terms of Pinky :D

[Danielle]

Originally posted by Jon "WB" Gray
NARF is POIT and POIT is NARF and NARF and POIT are both equal to the sum of ZORT! ^___________^


It all makes sense when you think about it in terms of Pinky :D


And TROZ is ZORT in the mirror! Can't forget that one! (or was it the other way around....?)


Yes, when you think about it in terms of Pinky, styrofoam peanuts make sense. :p

[Narfpinky]

Originally posted by Jon "WB" Gray
It all makes sense when you think about it in terms of Pinky:D


Originally posted by Danielle
Yes, when you think about it in terms of Pinky, styrofoam peanuts make sense. :p

Now, wouldn't it be a wonderful world if everyone saw it my way? Fjord!

[Craig Crumpton]

Bump for relevancy!
(but don't expect all the links to work.)

Craig Crumpton
(formerly known here at TZ as "Gookie")

[Buster Bunny]

LOL holy cow, you guys went all out here. I wouldnt even do so much research for an important school assignment! :D NARF! lol

[Sr.Infierno]

"Narf" is the embodiment of every stupid cartoon character phrase in one word

[mamatrek]

I don't know if you'll ever read this, because I see this forum was started in 2001 and all the other replies happened in that year or the next, but there is yet another definition of "narf".

And thanks to the new "Lady in the Water", people are going to find this forum, like I did, by Google.

A narf is a water nymph.

:brain: :narf: Love you guys! I remember... ... ...! Come back... ... ...!:anime:

[veemonjosh]

I don't know if you'll ever read this,


We will, because you bumped it back up! :sweat:

Welcome to the forums Mamatrek!