The Mysterious Mansion of Jasper/Tropes

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The Mysterious Mansion of Jasper is an animated Horror Comedy series created by Erik Wiese (SpongeBob SquarePants, The Mighty B!) and produced by Disney Television Animation in cooperation with Laughing Ghoul Productions. It is widely regarded by many fans as the darkest and scariest Disney cartoon to date, taking a few cues from Courage the Cowardly Dog.

The series focuses on 10-year old Robert Featherson, whose parents were abducted by a mysterious ghoul one fateful day. Not long after, he hears an ominous voice chanting (heard earlier before his parents disappeared) and tracks it to a rumpled hundred-year old mansion once belonging to the now-deceased Jasper Johnson. Along with his two talking pets, Barker the Dalmatian and Tina the Siamese, he explores the mansion and makes friends with its current residents, Jasper's faithful butler Jonah and his living wife Judy, all the while solving the big mystery of what happened to his parents.

Despite the series' short run, having 2 seasons and 32 episodes altogether, it has gained a cult following.

Tropes

• Adorably Precocious Child: Robert manages to make himself at home in the mansion with little to no hassle at all.
• Adult Fear: Much of the show runs on this trope, with Robert almost getting killed by the supernatural beings around him.
• Always Night: Barring the first and last episode, the episodes always take place at night.
• Affectionate Nickname: Tina tends to affectionately call Barker "Spots", given that he is a Dalmatian, a spotted breed of dog.
• Badass Adorable: Robert himself. Barker and Tina have their moments too.
• Bat Scare: Occurs once in a while.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Barker has his rare moments.
• Cats Are Snarkers: Hoo boy, Tina.
• Cat Stereotype: Subverted with Tina the Siamese cat. She is sarcastic, but is clearly one of the good guys.
• Cowardly Lion: Barker's heroism is bigger than his cowardice.
• Dogs Are Dumb: Downplayed with Barker, as he is nervous and simple-minded, but far from being genuinely dumb.
• Dog Stereotype: Played with in the case of Barker the Dalmatian. He is good-natured and means well, but his main flaw is cowardice.
• Expy: Barker is either Scooby-Doo or Courage as a Dalmatian.
• Furry Reminder: Despite having the ability to talk, Barker and Tina still display some of the behavior from their species.
  • Barker often licks Robert, howls whenever he's distressed or happy, wags his tail when happy, etc.
  • Tina rubs her head against Robert and often meows a lot.
• Good Parents: Robert's parents, Kenneth and Juniper.
• Haunted House: The titular mansion.
• Hell Is That Noise: Lots of them.
• Jerk With a Heart of Gold: Downplayed with Tina. She's not really mean, just snarky and mostly irritated with Barker's insecurities. That said, she cares about him and Robert and supports them no matter what.
  • Snappy has evolved into this as the series progressed.
• Lovable Coward: You can easily compare Barker to Scooby-Doo.
• Nearly Normal Animal: Barker and Tina can speak English, but for the most part are still treated like normal animals.
• Ominous Fog: Shows up in a lot of scenes set outside and inside the mansion.
• Ominous Latin Chanting: One is heard just as Damien is about to drag Robert's parents away, and it is heard again which causes Robert to find the titular mansion.
• Parental Abandonment: The show's premise is kicked off with this trope.
• Talking Animal: Barker and Tina. How they are able to speak in English remains unknown.
• The Team: Robert and his cat and dog work together to solve mysteries and fend off ghosts and other supernatural beings.
• Undying Loyalty: Robert, Tina and Barker are this to each other even in the face of danger.
• Wicked Weasel: Downplayed with Judy's pet weasel, Snappy, who is merely grumpy and ill-tempered.
  • However, it temporarily gets played straight in his debut episode when a demonic spirit possesses him, turning him into a bloodthirsty beast who nearly kills Robert, Tina and Barker once.

Funny

• Barker himself often serves as the comic relief of the series.

Tearjerker

• Robert breaking down in tears after his parents mysteriously disappear in "The Petrifying Beginnings", and Tina and Barker try to console him.

Heartwarming

• Any time Tina and Barker show their affection to their 10-year old master.
• Robert reuniting with his parents in the final episode, "TBA".

Nightmare Fuel

• The general tone of the series itself.
• The series' Big Bad, Damien. He is a ginormous being with glowing red eyes, long pointed fingers, an eerie booming voice courtesy of Steve Blum, and a power-hungry desire to consume the souls of everyone.
• Even the Laughing Ghoul Productions logo that appears after the credits (before the less scarier Walt Disney Television Animation logo) fits the bill. It is basically Disney's answer to the infamous Stretch Films logo from Courage the Cowardly Dog.

Awesome

• Robert defeating every Monster of the Week throughout the entire course of the series.