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Flanderization is the process through which a fictional character's essential traits are oversimplified and exaggerated to the point where they constitute their entire personality over the course of a serial work.
The term Flanderization was coined by TV Tropes in reference to Ned Flanders of The Simpsons, who was increasingly caricatured over the show's run from a friendly and good-hearted Christian neighbor, among other characteristics, into a dogmatic, evangelical "".
Flanderization is often associated with and cited as a consequence of "jumping the shark", a term used to demonstrate a creative work's gradual decline in quality which leads to a sudden decline in popularity.
Flanders himself is a complex example of Flanderization, having undergone the process in the middle seasons of the show before once again returning to a similar portrayal to his original one. Originating as "perhaps the only genuinely well-meaning, good-natured person in Springfield", Flanders was originally intended to be an ideal ("annoyingly perfect"Emily Lackey, " 11 Annoying ‘90s Sitcom Neighbors, Ranked ", Bustle, Dec. 21, 2015; accessed 2021.03.19.) neighbor who served as a contrast and foil for Homer Simpson. As a devoutly religious and church-going man, his faith was intended to serve as a contrast to Homer's lack of religious sophistication. However, over the course of the show's run, Flanders was simplified into a religious fundamentalist whose Christianity was his primary defining characteristic.
While Flanderization is primarily discussed in the context of fictional characters, it has also been applied to real people and historical events.
Outside of The Simpsons, Family Guy has been highlighted as one of the most prominent examples in animation, particularly with the characters of Peter Griffin and Brian Griffin. Other animated series criticized for Flanderization include SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents.
Though the primary reference for Flanderization is in television, other fictional media can also have characters exhibit Flanderization. Many film characters have been described as being Flanderized in a sequel or franchise compared to their original portrayal. Flanderization in cinema is particularly prevalent in horror films, especially slasher films. Flanderization has also been described as a pitfall for tabletop role-playing games, where complex characters are often played for long periods of time by amateur writers. The practice of building roleplay characters around single quirks has been mentioned as a frequent cause of Flanderization. As well as player characters, non-player characters in role-playing games are frequently Flanderized, due to the need for a single game master to play multiple characters. (2020). 9781643190624, Loose Leaf Stories. ISBN 9781643190624
Flanderization has also been discussed in the context of real-world phenomena, such as subcultures that are Flanderized by the mainstream culture into simpler and more accessible forms; one example of this is the beatnik stereotype of the Beat Generation. Another example of real-world Flanderization is the tendency for musicians, especially those associated with social media such as TikTok and SoundCloud, to simplify their musical personas after finding some commercial success. Musicians accused of Flanderization include Lil Pump, Lil Yachty, and Flo Milli.
The specific case of Ned Flanders attracts special attention. Debate exists over whether Flanders is a consistently Flanderized character or whether he later returned to a more complex, dynamic portrayal. The appropriateness of the term "Flanderization" has also been disputed, as many characters in The Simpsons have undergone the caricaturing process, and Flanders himself may not be the most extreme case. Flanders's shifting portrayal has also been controversial as representative of a shift in media portrayals of religious people. As both the primary representative of Christianity on The Simpsons and as one of the most significant Christian fictional characters in the world, the simplification of Ned Flanders as a character has been the subject of criticism, study, and reinterpretation.
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