Tumblr Thread: Mojo Jojo's Speech Patterns Are Connected To The "40 Cakes" Meme

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Eric Lund
Mar 9, 2022 4:00 PM EST

This Tumblr thread discusses the connection between Powerpuff Girls villain Mojo Jojo's note-writing speech patterns and the language of the Lex Luthor 40 cakes meme. The Super Dictionary itself was a 1978 comic book dictionary featuring DC comic book characters describing various words in context. The language itself, meant to be more demonstrative of the use of a particular word, rather than entertaining or succinct, feels stilted and weird. One excerpt of Lex Luthor stealing 40 cakes gained popularity as its own meme because of the inherent absurdity of the whole thing. How dare that bad, bad man take all those cakes. He couldn't possibly eat them all himself.

This thread posits that Mojo Jojo's letter-writing is directly influenced by this style of over-descriptive educational writing aimed at children. And with the two side-by-side, it's really easy to see the comparison. Leave it to Tumblr to look for such specific connections like this.

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  • 01
    Font - str8aura-no-not-that-one S helloitsbees Follow str8aura-no-not-that-one • The Powerpuff Girls main villain Mojo Jojo has a very distinctive speech pattern where he repeatedly explains the meanings of the words he's using: for instance, when he says he will conquer the world, he'll go on to say that he will take it over through military force. According to Craig McCracken, this was based on The Superdictionary, which uses the exact same cadence as Mojo Jojo's dialogue, and is mostly only k
    via piconuke
  • 02
    Font - forty When no one was looking, Lex Luthor took forty cakes. He took 40 cakes. That's as many as four tens. And that's terrible. What
    via piconuke
  • 03
    Vertebrate - thepsychobreak Follow Go away! Don't bother these people. Don't make trouble for them. You have bothered them too much. bother CHUP Y GHUP. 54
    via piconuke
  • 04
    Cartoon - rich This plan is going to make me rich. It will make me worth a lot of money. I will be richer than all my friends. I will be the richest man in the world. XX
    via piconuke
  • 05
    Cartoon - There is no escape from this room. There is no way to get out. All the escapes have been cut off! I must find a way to escape the fire. I must get away from the fire. I wonder how the fire ever escaped from the stove.
    via piconuke
  • 06
    Handwriting - DEAR POWERPUFF GIRLS I HAVE KIDNAPPE D PROFESSOR VTONIVM! I HAVE TAKEN HIM SOMPLACE AGAINST HIS WILL! IF YOU Look FOR HIM IN THE SPOTS HE IKES To BE, YOU WILL NoT FIND HIM! HE'S WITH ME, BUT NOT BY CHOICE! I Took HIM AND HE DIDN'T uKE IT! THIS MESSAGE IS FROM AND WAS WRITTEN BY, MaJO Jo JOl
    via piconuke
  • 07
    Font - yeah this checks out helloitsbees Follow #i think if my archnemesis was a group of eight year olds id write like that too #like yeah they PROBABLY know what kidnapping is but it would be really awkward if they didnt
    via piconuke

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super heroes tumblr animation comics lex luthor dictionary 40 cakes weird
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