[Interesting Trope] Attempts at fanservice/virality that failed not because they were hated, but because nobody noticed them or cared at all.

[u/mp3help]

1) Hoopy the Hoop, Portal (2007) When you defeat GLaDOS and her room is destroyed at the end of the game, debris rains down in the final cutscene, including a big metal hoop that bounces around a bit. Developer Erik Wolpaw said the team dubbed it "Hoopy the Hoop" and expected it to become the big meme of Portal. Of course, none of the fans paid much attention to the hoop since "The Cake is a Lie" became the biggest meme of the game, and overall one of the biggest video game memes of all time.

2) Burgh, Pokemon Black and White (2010) When designing Burgh, developer Yusuke Ohmura said Gamefreak had many of their female employees give input on his design to create their ideal handsome man. However, as someone who's been in the Pokemon fandom for almost 3 decades, in the 15+ years since Pokemon Black and White released, I have personally never seen any fans swoon over Burgh, or even mention him in general. If anything, characters like N and Colress are far more well-known within the fandom as the most handsome and beloved male characters of Pokemon Gen 5.

[u/Spike-Durdle]

Id say most of them are true or have elements of truth.

[u/andyetitwasnt → u/Spike-Durdle]

Damn near every bit is fabricated. The truest part will usually just be they were at the place the joke was set in.

[u/MiseryGyro → u/andyetitwasnt]

Hey comedian here.

There's fabrication in every bit. But it's anywhere from 25%-75%. People can tell when you 100% it. There needs to be truth and reality in the joke or it won't hit right

[u/-o-DildoGaggins-o- → u/MiseryGyro]

Yeah I feel like the best jokes are rooted in truth, y’know? At least a grain of realism. You can exaggerate, embellish, etc., but if there’s that little bit of truth there, it just makes it so much better.