Space Ghost Coast to Coast

Today, Space Ghost has suffered perhaps the ultimate humiliation any superhero can endure. He has become a talk show host.
—~ Don Markstein's Toonopedia's entry on Space Ghost

Greetings, citizen! Are you getting enough oxygen?

What happens when you take stock footage from a 1960s action cartoon and re-use it in a nonsensical talk show spoof? You get something like Space Ghost Coast to Coast, one of the earliest outputs of Ghost Planet Industries (now known as Williams Street Productions). Coast to Coast, which had 104 episodes produced between 1994 and 2008 on a fairly sporadic basis, ostensibly followed the talk show career of titular former superhero Tad Ghostal (better known as Space Ghost) as he interviewed various celebrity guests -- but the episodes usually degenerated into Space Ghost bickering with Zorak and Moltar (two former enemies of Space Ghost who SG forced to become his band leader and director respectively) or some other off-the-wall craziness.

Tropes used in Space Ghost Coast to Coast include:

'Space Ghost: My other guest tonight is Mr. "Lost in Space" himself, Mystery Science Theater 3000s Joel Robinson.
Moltar: Joel Hodgson, Space Ghost, not Robinson.

Narrator: Space Ghost is talking about the three "R's": Reliability, ratings, and (screen shows "Relivery" before being replaced with...) delivery. Let's start with R number one... (screen shows "Research"; after that brief bit, the next "R" is "Power").

  • All Just a Dream: "Batmantis" and "Curses".
    • "Flipmode" became this some time after the gas leak.
  • Angels Pose: Seen in the transition title cards in "Jacksonville", parodying Charlies Angels.
  • Art Shift: Space Ghost briefly changes character designs to look more like Dr. Katz in two episodes: "Brilliant Number One" (and Two) and "King Dead".
  • Backdoor Pilot: Even though he would go on to become an Attorney at Law, (Harvey) Birdman would make an appearance here long before his show came to be. Voices changed, but they were still filming 'in the lot next door'.
    • "Baffler Meal" was supposed to be this to Aqua Teen Hunger Force, but it didn't air until long after the show had already premiered.
      • "Baffler Meal" became "Kentucky Nightmare". They initially decided not to make the episode because it focused too much on the Aqua Teens (Space Ghost only had about three lines). Once they made Aqua Teen Hunger Force into it's own show and it became a hit, they decided to finally make the "Baffler Meal" episode.
  • Bad Santa: Bizarro-Santa in "Girl Hair."
  • Badass Grandpa: Space Ghost's grandfather Leonard Ghostal's age and decrepitude is surpassed only by how violent and intimidating he is; his threats are enough to give even Zorak pause.

Leonard: Why, twenty years ago, I would've put your head in a half-nelson, twisted it around, saying each letter of the alphabet on every turn, and when I reached the first letter of my true love's name (that would be the lovely Elizabeth), I would yank your head clean off and roll it down the pike like a bowling ball!
[beat]
Zorak (subdued): Okay.

    • This is helped by the fact that he's voiced by Macho Man Randy Savage. Oh YEAH!
  • Beard of Evil: Chad parodies this; his facial hair is different every time he's on camera.
  • Beat: Uncomfortable pauses are used liberally in every episode, to the point of Lampshade Hanging:

Space Ghost: It lets me blend... just about anything! [beat]
Zorak: Beat!
Space Ghost: Classy people are always blending stuff. [beat]
Zorak: Beat!
Space Ghost: Now, I too can blend. [beat]
Zorak: [takes a sip of coffee] Beat!

  • Berserk Button: Space Ghost attempts to pick a fight with Bob Costas after he thought Bob called him a monkey; see Large Ham below.
  • Big No: Space Ghost delivers one before BooBooKitty hits the giant pin. His Big No is so long that he takes a breath and starts a second one.
  • Blatant Lies: In "Woody Allen's Fall Project", James Kirkconnell's claim that the re-enactments are word-for-word. Now to be fair, he's mostly right, but there are still some discrepancies between the original episodes and the re-enactments. For instance, in "Girlie Show", Zorak says "He can't fire me; I'm the hardest working mantis in showbiz! Yow!" But in the re-enactment, Zorak ends with "Hi-yo!" And in "Freak Show", Bill Manspeaker says "And I'd say, "Stop hittin' me, who's talking to me? Stop it!", while in the re-enactment, he says "And I'd say, "Stop hittin' me, who's hittin' you? Stop it!" And Weird Al belts out a different note in the re-enactment than in "Banjo".
  • Body Snatcher: The episode "Snatch", which involves the studio being invaded by alien pods that keep you up all night with their coughing kill and replace their victims.
  • Breaking the Fourth Wall: Joel Hodgson refuses to pretend that he is being interviewed in outer space.
  • Breakout Character: Andy Merrill's dumb-but-cheerful portrayal of Brak (Created for SGC2C and refined on Cartoon Planet) would eventually be given his own show to headline, The Brak Show, with Zorak along to play off of.
  • Brother Chuck: Anyone remember Tansit? Or Lokar? Or Christy (the band's drummer)?
    • Andy Merrill used in-character DVD commentary to provide Word of God that Lokar simply died at some point and the other characters literally forgot Tansit existed at all.
  • Butt Monkey: The aforementioned Tansit.
  • But Wait! There's More!: In "Joshua", the announcer says that if you take advantage of the power of the Space Ghost, you'll receive a deluxe canister set. But wait, there's more! You also get a shiny object!
  • Call Back: In "Spanish Translation", Zorak says, "I must go to the store to get butter and cheese." Later, in "Batmantis", Zorak says, "I must go to the store..." Space Ghost asks: "...To get butter and cheese?" This is also revisited in "Urges".
    • "Spaceman? Space Master?"
    • In "Bobcat", Space Ghost said that Bobcat Goldthwait reminded him of Judy Collins. Bobcat replied with, "Wow, Space Ghost, man, crack a window, will ya?" Much later, in "Kentucky Nightmare", Space Ghost says to crack a window when Zorak lets off a stink. He immediately flashes back to his interview with Bobcat.
  • Calling Shotgun: In "Warren", Moltar calls it when Space Ghost announces they're going to see Warren.
  • Catch Phrase: Space Ghost, to his guests: "Are you getting enough oxygen?"
  • The Chew Toy: Poor, poor Tansit.
  • Christmas Episode: "A Space Ghost Christmas". Also ostensibly "Boo Boo Kitty", since Space Ghost wishes everyone a merry Christmas at the end.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Space Ghost himself. A shining example is the episode "Brilliant Number One", which also paints guest Peter Fonda as one.
    • He does this to Björk, too, although some would say this is Truth in Television.
    • Pretty much everyone has at least a few traits of this.
    • The show has a tendency to turn its guests into these; see the Redubbing entry. The results often make the people Space Ghost interviews seem a bit...off.
  • Cold Open: Occurs frequently. It would actually be easier to list episodes which didn't use a cold open.
  • Confusing Multiple Negatives: In "Needledrop", Space Ghost says:

Space Ghost: There's only room for one ghost in this studio, and it's not the ghost that's not me!

  • Continuity Nod: One of the charges Space Ghost is threatened with in the episode "Lawsuit" is devastating Paris (see Disproportionate Retribution), which happened in an episode from the previous season.
  • Cover Version: Space Ghost sings "Space Cowboy" (extremely badly) in "Kentucky Nightmare". Actually, he really only sings one line of it and then makes up a second. All accompanied with Zorak merely pounding on the keyboard, not producing any discernible melody.
  • Credits Gag: Editor Tom Roche's name is always upside down since some scenes from early episodes were handed in to him upside down; it was his job to flip them back.
  • Curse Cut Short: From the other direction in "King Dead", which opens with Space Ghost shouting the title at Zorak and Moltar from outside the studio for locking him out.
    • "Boatshow" has a number which averts the word "dick" several times. Unsurprisingly, it occurs during the interview with Andy Dick.
  • Dance Party Ending: Played with in "Needledrop". Space Ghost orders Moltar to hit him with another of those "block-rocking beats" and proceeds to dance, but he's the only one who does so, and guest Fred Willard looks a bit annoyed at his dancing. Even Space Ghost begins to tire of chanting "Hey! Ho!" to the beat of the dance music halfway through the credits.
  • The Danza: Andy Merrill as Commander Andy.
  • Darker and Edgier: Not so much darker, but definitely edgier when it hit Adult Swim. Suddenly swearing was allowed, there were some innuendos, and there was more violence.
    • The series had already started going into this sort of direction by 1998. Only a year later, the series had gotten even stranger (there's semi-frequent talk about "the sex" in "Curling Flower Space" for instance). A lot of episodes from this period have a very proto-Adult Swim/Aqua Teen Hunger Force feel to them.
  • Deliberately Monochrome: "Brilliant Number One" starts out normal for the first few seconds, then inexplicably turns black and white and drops letterboxes on the top and bottom for the rest of the episode.

Zorak: Hey, what's going on? Is Turner de-colorizing now?

  • Department of Redundancy Department: "Living with you is like living in a living nightmare!"
    • "Americaners don't like foreigners... especially when they don't live there."
    • "Greetings, I'm Space Ghost, and I have an important announcement concerning my death. I, Space Ghost, am dying."
    • In "Needledrop", Space Ghost tries his hand at a rap:

Space Ghost: Well I'm S.G. and it's plain to see that I'm S.G., and my name is S.G.!

  • Disproportionate Retribution: Space Ghost devastates France in the episode "Anniversary" for inventing the word "montage" (this came after Space Ghost was shown a montage that appeared to be celebratory at first, but turned out to full of his embarrassments).
  • Dissimile: "Dames are like mustard. They taste great on a sandwich, but when you're not eating a sandwich, they just sit there in your refrigerator... on a shelf... in a jar... labeled... mustard."
  • Downer Ending: The last episode atmosphere in "The Justice Hole" makes you feel a bit sad for Space Ghost.
  • Epileptic Flashing Lights: Parts of the intro could certainly count. Also the barrage of previous episode clips at the end of "Joshua". Each clip is only a frame (two at most) long, leading to an almost epileptic flash effect.
  • Episode Title Card: In an unusual twist, the episode title card (always text on a single color background) is displayed at the end of the episode, sometimes after the credits! An exception is "Knifin' Around". Also, "Boatshow" features the title "O Coast to Coast!" at the beginning.
  • "Everybody Laughs" Ending: Seen in Space Ghost's flashback to last week's show in "Curling Flower Space". Also done in "Urges".
  • Everybody Must Get Stoned: Natural gas in "Flipmode", alcohol in "Idlewild South".
  • Everything's Worse With Bears: "Kentucky Nightmare".
  • Evil Twin: Space Ghost's evil brother, Chad
  • Eye Beams: Robin Leach (who is possessed by Moltar's brother-in-law, Zoltran) fries Space Ghost with one of these. Preceded by a very hammy Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner.

Robin Leach: And now, in very quick order, I will raise my arms, cover myself in black magic, and you are history!

  • Fear of Thunder: Space Ghost in "Cahill."
  • Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Zorak does this to Space Ghost in "Chambraigne".
  • Flash Back: "Curling Flower Space" is all about the flashbacks to last week's show.
  • Follow the Bouncing Ball: Demonstrated in "Chinatown" when Zorak sings about Moltar.
  • Funny Schizophrenia: shown in the episode "Self Help"
  • Gainax Ending: Several episodes end in this way.
  • Getting Crap Past the Radar: In "Warren": "...this set of auxiliary power bands that I had hidden in my space cavity."
    • Lampshaded in "Intense Patriotism", after Space Ghost says, "Open wide," he mutters, "That's gonna slide right past the censors."
    • In "Curses", Space Ghost tells Moltar to go grapple with his lever.
    • "Gallagher": If Bob Odenkirk's reaction is anything to go by, getting blasted by Space Ghost's rays is the equivalent of an orgasm. Driven home by Odenkirk saying "Oh I love you, I love you..." after one such instance.
    • "Curling Flower Space" is the first notable episode to have the word "damn" said, and the word "sex" is said quite a couple of times.
    • For that matter, all the 1999 episodes (and to a lesser extent, "Kentucky Nightmare" and "The Justice Hole" since they aired before Adult Swim got established) could count.
  • Happily Married: Moltar and his oft-mentioned but never seen wife, Linda.
    • Linda was actually seen on the pre-Adult Swim Space Ghost Web site. She used the alternate Moltar character design from the original series.
  • He Knows Too Much: In "Girl Hair", Space Ghost killed Hanson after they witnessed him hitting the Tooth Fairy with his Phantom Cruiser.
  • Helium Speech: Heard for long periods of time in "Flipmode" due to the gas leak.
  • Hero Worshipper: Moltar loves Erik Estrada. When Erik finally appears on the show, Moltar is ecstatic and a kiss-up:

Moltar: Oh, and, and remember the time when the skateboarder grabbed onto the back of that Chevy Malibu?
Erik: Right, right.
Moltar: And kept on skating? That was so cool!
Erik: That wasn't very smart, that wasn't really cool.
Moltar: Well that's what I meant. That was totally uncool!

  • Hostile Show Takeover: The Aqua Teen Hunger Force do this to Space Ghost in "Baffler Meal".
    • Comedian Dave Thomas (of SCTV, Not to be confused for the late fast-food baron) pulls this as well. Moltar and Zorak give their full support.
  • Hypocritical Humor: In Curling Flower Spaces, Jerry Springer accuses SGC2C of being an "ambush show."
  • I'm a Humanitarian: In the episode "Curses", Space Ghost is infected with the vapor of a vengeful demon that forces him to eat humanoids for sustenance. He eats his guests and eventually Zorak and Moltar. It turned out to be a dream of Kirk the Storyteller, though.
  • In Memoriam: "Sharrock," a tribute to musician Sonny Sharrock.
  • Instrumental Theme Tune
  • Intoxication Ensues: A gas leak makes the characters high in the episode "Flipmode". Sort of subverted in that Space Ghost deliberately caused the gas leak.
  • Jerkass: Everyone. Space Ghost takes it Up to Eleven in the episode "Pavement", in which he is allowed to write the script, to the point of plainly declaring that Viewers are Morons.
  • Keep Circulating the Tapes: In addition to the final six episodes, three episodes never made it onto DVD at all: "Self Help", "The Mask" (and its companion piece "Le Livre d'Histoire"), and "Gum, Disease". Also "A Space Ghost Christmas", which was never released to DVD in its entirety. Only two songs from the special made it. Also, the unedited versions of:
    • "The World Premiere Toon-In" (aka "President's Day Nightmare"): For copyright reasons, all the cartoons featured on the show were cut for the DVD release. Only the wraparounds are shown.
    • "Sleeper": A brief scene after the credits with Space Ghost, Zorak and Moltar in the commissary having ditched Slash on the set was removed.
    • "Explode": An announcement at the very end of episode from the late BBC DJ John Peel, stating that the Ghost Planet will now explode (hence the title of the episode...) was removed.
    • "$20.01": The Ultra Seven footage that Joel Hodgson and Space Ghost mock was removed from the DVD and replaced with non-copyrighted footage.
    • "Glen Campbell": The audio from The Simpsons clip at the beginning was removed, along with a line from Space Ghost ("Which one is Homer again? The baby?"), and an additional audio clip of Mr. Burns after the credits.
    • "Hipster": Sam Butera sings a portion of "Just a Gigolo", which was cut from the DVD and replaced with an original song.
    • "Joshua": William, The King of Imagination's brief appearance was cut for the DVD. Rumor is because Williams Street couldn't track him down to get him to allow his likeness to appear on home video.
    • "Cahill": Garrett Morris sings a portion of "For the Love of Money", which was cut from the DVD.
    • "Chambraigne": Al Roker was originally part of the Chambraigne commercial. He was replaced on the DVDs by George Lowe (though some would argue that was an improvement because... it's George freaking Lowe)
    • For a time, the unedited versions of the above (as well as the episodes not on DVD) could be obtained through the Adult Swim's "Create Your Custom DVD!" feature, but now that the Adult Swim Store has shut down, the only legal option is to buy the episodes via iTunes.
  • Kill'Em All: "Untitled" ends with the cast exploding.
  • Lack of Empathy: Space Ghost to a T. Heck, in one episode, he kills an intern, Joey, for annoying him and all he can think about is how it will affect his career.

Space Ghost: Way to go, Joey!

Space Ghost (in "Chambraigne"): YOU WANT A PIECE OF THE KING?

  • Lighter and Softer: In "Chinatown", Zorak sings about the recently-replaced Moltar, to which Space Ghost replies: "You're losing your edge."
  • Limited Animation: To the point where animation of a character walking is performed by bobbing a still frame up and down as it moves across the screen.
  • Limited Wardrobe
  • Loading Screen: A rare non-video game example, and a rare example done on purpose. "Waiting For Edward" opens with nothing but a black screen, some easy listening music, and the word "Waiting" for over a minute. Suddenly, we catch a one second glimpse of the show already in progress, with Zorak riding on Space Ghost's shoulders ("Hang on Zorak! Hang-"), before quickly going back to the "Waiting" screen for a few more seconds, and finally to the actual start of the episode.
  • Long List: In "Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite", Space Ghost lists every single ingredient used in Sugarman's Potted Meat Food Product, which he endorses:

Space Ghost: That's right, 2% real meat to go along with superhero-sized portions of sodium nitrate, potassium bicarbonate, pyrodoxine hydrochloride, biotin, cobalt iodate, thiamine mononitrate, thenadiol bisulfite, sodium selenite, D-L-alpha-tocopperal acetate, glucaronalactone, lanacetol, pantothenic acid, and maltodextrin!

  • Long Runner: It aired between 1994 and 2004; it was the longest-running show on Cartoon Network until Ed, Edd 'n' Eddy passed it in 2009.
    • One of the promos listed all the "real" talk shows that Space Ghost outlasted, and there were quite a few.
  • Luke, I Am Your Father: Comedian Steven Wright discovers that Space Ghost is his real father.
  • Magic Tool: Moltar carries out all of his duties with a single lever.
  • Mandatory Line: In "Boatshow", during the final number, Lokar's one line is: "I didn't have any lines today!" Zorak replies: "That made some people glad!"
  • Medium Blending: The whole concept of an animated character interviewing real people. But aside from that, there are other instances where Space Ghost or other characters are superimposed over live action backgrounds. Two episodes, "Chinatown" and "Pal Joey", feature a real dog and a guy in a Space Ghost costume, respectively, interacting on the cartoon set.
  • Medium Shift Gag: In "Pavement", when Space Ghost flies to Jupiter to battle Fidor, he becomes an action figure, filmed in live action.
  • Mentos Finger: Zorak gives one in "Zorak".
  • Morton's Fork: Played for laughs in "Gallagher" with the "Space Time Quiz Fun 9000" game. The rules are: Space Ghost asks David Cross and Bob Odenkirk a question; if they get it wrong, they get blasted. If they get it right... they get blasted.
  • Musical Episode "O Coast to Coast!", aka "Boatshow". Program is here.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Space Ghost says a variant of this in "Edelweiss" when he thinks he killed Zorak by blasting him too many times:

Space Ghost: Heaven help me; WHAT HAVE I DONE?! (beat) Oh well.

    • Another variation of this from "Baffler Meal":

Space Ghost: What have I done to the future of classic rock?!

  • Name's the Same: Seasons 3 and 4 each have an episode named "Switcheroo". Both have different premises.
  • Negative Continuity: "Idlewild South" ends with Space Ghost dying in a car wreck, and Space Ghost's ghost getting shot by a ghost bear. Don't ask.
    • This is odd, due to the fact that early on, the show had some form of continuity (for example, Zorak's cannibalization of his nephew, Raymond, was referenced in episodes beyond "Hungry", the only episode where Raymond was shown alive; the subject was dropped after Raymond became an angel).
      • This can be explained due to the show having multiple writers, some of whom didn't work with others or were just temps. Episodes penned by Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer are all pretty much tied together (e.g. Chad Ghostal appears in many of them, both "Lawsuit" and "Sequel" were written by them). In other episodes, Moltar occasionally mentions having a wife named Linda, which is something Matt Maiellero (who either wrote or co-wrote nearly every episode during the first season, and became heavily involved with it again starting with Season 5) hated and ignored. The show as a whole is so ridiculous and bizarre that nobody should really care about it having any continuity despite the attempts made at it. It's all just apart of the show's charm really.
    • A bizarre subversion: "Lawsuit" ends with Space Ghost in prison. Everything is back to normal by next week, but 10 episodes later, "Sequel" picks up where "Lawsuit" left off.
  • Never My Fault: Space Ghost always refuses to admit he's wrong. This is especially seen in "Brilliant Number One" (and "Two") when he keeps blaming his mistakes and clumsiness on fictional entities like "impostinators" and "The Polisher".
  • No Ending / Left Hanging: An odd variation: The episode "Snatch" ends with Space Ghost, Zorak and Moltar about to be devoured by replicating pods. That may seem like a solid enough ending (even if it is a bit of a downer), but the script for the actual ending was auctioned on eBay, and to this day has not surfaced anywhere online.
  • Noodle Incident: At the beginning of "Pal Joey", Space Ghost is being timed by Moltar to see how fast he can inviso onto the set. Space Ghost is repeatedly dissatisfied with his times, and even leaves guest Michael Moore waiting, because if he doesn't get his time down to 3.5 by 6 o'clock Sunday, he's a dead man. We never do find out the details of that comment.
  • No Theme Tune: Starting in season five, the theme song was dropped in favor of a black screen shot with the word "Waiting" on it that would last for a few seconds at most (it was extended in the season finale "Waiting for Edward"). Anything resembling an intro was dropped starting in season six; the original intro was brought back for most of the eighth and final season.
  • Not in the Face: At the end of "Cookout", Brak is about to be blasted by Space Ghost and pleads that SG not shoot him in the face. Space Ghost ignores it and shoots him in the face anyway.
  • Once an Episode: Space Ghost blasting Zorak. Space Ghost inviso-ing to the desk to Zorak's music (with a few exceptions, like "Kentucky Nightmare" when he claimed they've never done that).
  • One-Shot Character: Many:
    • "Spanish Translation": Sisto, who would later get a (slightly) larger part on the spin-off The Brak Show.
    • "Batmantis": Your Mother
    • "$20.01": MOE 2000
    • "Freak Show": Commander Andy
    • "Zoltran": Puff the Magic Dragon
    • "Piledriver": Grandpa Ghostal
    • "Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite": The Rappin' Space Goblin
    • "Lawsuit": Dr. Nightmare (ATTORNEY AT LAW!), although he has an off-screen cameo in "Sequel".
    • "Warren": Warren
    • "Pal Joey": Joey the intern
    • "Curses": Future Man
    • "Girl Hair": The Tooth Fairy and Bizarro Santa Claus
    • "Curling Flower Space": C. Ling Tile
  • Only Sane Man: Moltar is usually the voice of reason and the straight man bullied by Space Ghost.
  • Out-of-Character Moment Zorak in "Rio Ghosto":

Space Ghost: So, Zorak how was your weekend?
Zorak: I did some volunteer work over at the orphanage.
Space Ghost: Well... [stares blankly at Zorak] yeah.

  • Overly Long Gag: The second half of the "Fire Ant" episode, in which Space Ghost follows an ant. For 10 minutes. There's a shortened version for the quarter-hour slot that reduces this to 15 seconds, but is otherwise identical to the original.

Space Ghost. I'm gonna follow him home. Kill his whole family.

    • The original version of "Warren" looped three times in a bizarre Framing Device that had Space Ghost and company watch the events of the episode from his TV, only to start them again when Space Ghost asks, "That was good. What else is on?". The shortened version shows only one iteration.
  • Overly Narrow Superlative: "Overruled! I am the undisputed breakfast master!"
  • Pre-Mortem One-Liner: In "Warren", Space Ghost delivers one before zapping Warren's monitor:

Monitor: You've destroyed Warren, I'm tellin'. You've destroyed Warren, I'm tellin'. You've destroyed Warren, I'm tellin'.
Space Ghost: Tell 'em THIS! (zaps monitor) When you see 'em in Poland / Pelham / Conyers!

  • Precision F-Strike: "Dreams" has Mortar saying the "s" word (somehow) uncensored.
  • "Previously On...": "Jacksonville" features this. In a subversion of this trope, nearly all the clips displayed never actually occurred in the episode before this, "Glen Campbell". Some of the footage was actually from "CHiPs".
  • Pro Bono Barter: In "Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite", Space Ghost reveals that when he was making the commercials for Sugarman's Potted Meat Food Product, he was paid in sandwiches. He didn't seem to mind, though.
  • Product Placement: Parodied in "Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite" when Zorak repeatedly plugs an ointment. After Space Ghost chastises Zorak for this practice, he starts plugging Sugerman's Potted Meat Food Product.
  • Public Domain Soundtrack: "A Space Ghost Christmas" features a number of public domain Christmas songs, with new lyrics.
  • Quarter Hour Short: Although a handful of episodes fill the half-hour slot.
  • Rashomon Style: "Curling Flower Space".
  • Redubbing: The interviewees would be given one set of questions, their answers would be recorded, and then these answers would be juxtaposed against questions invented after-the-fact for comedic effect.
  • Retcon: Zorak had repeatedly explicitly stated in the first few seasons that he was a locust. Later on they realized he was supposed to be a mantis and retconned him as one.
  • Revised Ending: "Snatch" originally aired with a colonial man telling the viewers they can bid on the ending on eBay. On all repeat airings, this scene was simply replaced with "The End".
  • Rewind, Replay, Repeat: In "Urges", Moltar asks Space Ghost if he remembers his explanation of mantis mating habbits earlier in the show. Space Ghost promptly heads into the "little ghost's room" to replay it. "...the female typically eats the head and brain of the male... (rewinds) the male... (rewinds) the head..."
  • Running Gag: In "Curling Flower Space", Space Ghost threatening to Zorak or Moltar that he'll spin their head so fast it'll travel back in time.
    • In "Jacksonville", various characters announcing they're pregnant, followed by dramatic sting music.
    • In "Woody Allen's Fall Project", James Kirkconnell saying this phrase (or close to it): "And now, our word for word reenactment of a conversation that took place at a certain time, in a certain dimension, somewhere deep in space..."
  • Satan turns out to be Yogi Bear.
  • Say My Name: "Banjo! Banjo!! BAANJOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!"
  • Self-Deprecation: Among other things, the second season's DVD box cover features such critical blurbs as "Needs some work." and "Jarring and unpleasant."
    • From the intro to "Woody Allen's Fall Project":

Announcer: And now, in case you haven't already changed the channel...

    • From "Joshua":

Announcer: Welcome to Ghost Planet Industries, gateway to humor for literally hundreds of television viewers!

Moltar: Well you're just making all this (bleep) up! Oh what, you're the only one who gets to make (bleep) up?!

  • Special Edition Title: For the episode which parodied the Late Show with David Letterman, a new title was commissioned panning the galaxy in the manner the Late Show titles pan around New York. It was used on other episodes in order to amortize the cost of the titles on to the budgets for them. There was also a special opening for the Musical Episode.
  • Special Guest
  • Spin-Off: Cartoon Planet, which was pretty much Space Ghost Coast To Coast: Lite with a greater emphasis on sketch comedy, Toonami, CN's longtime action block which was "hosted" by a CGI Moltar for its first two years (and outlasted SGC2C), and The Brak Show, an Affectionate Parody of sitcoms.
    • Coast to Coast could be argued to have spun off the two very different things Cartoon Network is best remembered, and watched, for: its other original cartoons, including Dexters Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls, through its "World Premiere Toon-In" kick-off special, and Adult Swim as a whole (which launched with almost entirely Williams Street productions, including C 2 C and The Brak Show). That's before you even get to Toonami.
  • Spit Take: Done often, one time Space Ghost does it three times in a row (the third is bloody).
  • Start My Own: Before the start of the episode "Switcheroo" (with Mark Hamill and Bill Mumy), Zorak and Moltar attended Sci-Fi Con '97 behind Space Ghost's back. Space Ghost attempts to open Space Ghost Con '97 in bitterness.
  • Sting: Used in numerous episodes, including "Batmantis" and "Lawsuit".
  • The Stinger: Nearly every episode featured a brief vocal clip after the credits. In one of them, Space Ghost flat out says: "This is the end of the show."
  • Stock Footage: Occasionally, the 1966 Space Ghost and Dino Boy clips are shown. Even besides that, the vast majority of the animation in the show was recycled from the old series into the new setting (with some exceptions, such as when a character needed to do something the original animation couldn't provide). This practice was carried over to Sealab2021.
  • Stock Scream: When Santa transforms into his true self in "Girl Hair", the Howie Scream is heard.
  • The Stoner: The premise of "Flipmode". There's a gas leak inside the ship, and it gives Space Ghost several "good ideas".
  • Straw Fan: Moltar was one of these when Erik Estrada and William Shatner appeared on the show.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Zorak remarks that Space Ghost's grandfather "sounds like Randy Savage" and "looks like [him] with a pasted-on beard."
  • Suspiciously Similar Song: A few examples:
    • "Batmantis" features a parody of the Batman theme. Not surprisingly, it's a stock music piece called "Gotham City Hero".
    • "Urges" features a parody of the theme to That Girl. Again, it's a stock music piece called "Which Girl?"
    • The episode "Lawsuit" opens with a musical parody of the opening theme to My Favorite Martian (TV). It's a stock music piece called "The Goofy Alien".
    • "Sweet For Brak" briefly features a sound-alike to the I Dream of Jeannie theme. It's called "Genie in a Bottle".
  • Take That: Jeff Foxworthy is on the show after Foxworthy’s sitcom didn’t work out, but before Blue Collar Comedy. He has issues with how Space Ghost treats his underlings and points out that he once had a show, but didn’t treat anyone as badly as Space Ghost.

Space Ghost: But the difference between your show and my show is that mine is still on.

Space Ghost: Welcome back, stupid viewers! You'll watch anything! Go ahead, change the channel, you'll be back!

  • Talking to Himself: C. Martin Croker is Zorak and Moltar.
  • Talk Show: A send-up of the genre.
  • Techno Babble: Zorak delivers some in "Snatch" in his plan to get rid of the replicating pods.
    • Moltar in "Cahill":

Moltar: It seems the the static electricity from the oncoming storm is triggering a... uh micro inductor dilfrobrah... dioptiloid. Microinductor diloptiloid. Not a word I use every day.

  • Telethon: In the episode of the same name.
  • That's What She Said: In "Boatshow", Steve Allen and Brak engage in a discussion in Brak's lanaguge, and after Steve said a line, Brak replied with, "That's what she said!"
  • This Is Sparta: "I! AM! BATMANTIS!"
    • From "Flipmode":

Space Ghost: Do NOT... (hits Zorak with a wrench) DISTURB... (hits him again) THE JUDGE!

  • Those Two Guys: After 32 million years of service, Space Ghost plays this trope straight with Jan and Jace. No wonder why he gets sued.
  • Timmy in a Well: When interviewing Lassie, Space Ghost naturally resorted to this when Lassie barked.

Space Ghost: What is it, girl? There's trouble at the ranch? Hmm... trouble at the farm. You say Brak was bitten by a rattlesnake?

    • Also done in "$20.01" when Teller, as per his on-stage persona, didn't speak:

Space Ghost: Look, MOE, he's trying to tell us something. What is it, boy? There's trouble? Trouble at the farm? Farms have chickens.

  • Toilet Humor: In "Intense Patriotism," Zorak took a dump in his pod and invited Space Ghost to say hi to his kids, whom he dropped off at the pool.
  • Two for One Show
  • Unreadably Fast Text: Demonstrated at the end of "The Justice Hole", where we're informed to "stand by for super credits", at which point the end credits scroll by in less than a second.
    • In the "Batmantis" episode, Space Ghost's ray fires words in a parody of the written sound effects from the 1960s Batman series. Zorak tells him to shoot the theory of evolution and Space Ghost fires a shot that is accompanied by three paragraphs of text explaining Darwin's theory of evolution that only remains on the screen for about one second.
  • Vocal Evolution: At the beginning, Space Ghost and Zorak sound more like their original incarnations than they do over time; their voices deviate from the originals by the second season.
  • What Could Have Been: As it was created as a Backdoor Pilot (but broadcast after the series' launch), the episode "Baffler Meal" features outdated, preliminary versions of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force just 'cause.
    • It also shows us a new future of rock 'n' roll dominated by Colonial-era musicians, who perform a bizarre cover of "Black Dog" with fast-food-related lyrics.
  • What Is Going On?: Space Ghost asks, "...What happened?" at the end of "Girl Hair" while Bizarro Santa and the Tooth Fairy are fighting. In a subversion of this trope, Space Ghost was involved with the plot the whole episode; he just doesn't understand it.
  • Who Writes This Crap?: Subverted in "Pavement"; Space Ghost openly announces at the start that he wrote the episode. What follows is a very disorganized series of guest star interviews (for instance, Space Ghost trying to interview Goldie Hawn while indie rock darlings Pavement play loudly in the background, or defiantly eating chocolate ice cream throughout his interview with Steve Smith) and plots that go nowhere (such as Zorak and Moltar in Space Ghost's prison).
    • In "Flipmode", Zorak openly declares that the script sucks right at the start. Space Ghost forces him to participate, though.
  • Your Mind Makes It Real: Chambraigne, an intelligence-enhancing shampoo that turns out to be a placebo, does this to Space Ghost.
  • Your Mom: One of the techniques that Space Ghost tried on the blob in order to make it attack the replicating pods in "Snatch".
    • The villain in "Batmantis" is "Your Mother".
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