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Tutenstein is an Emmy Award winning animated television series, produced by Porchlight Entertainment for Discovery Kids. It also airs on Jetix in Turkey. It began broadcasting on November 1, 2003. The half-hour series features young mummy Tutankhensetamun (based on real-life Tutankhamun and usually called "Tutenstein" as in the title) who is awakened about 3,000 years after his accidental death and now has to face the fact that his kingdom is gone.
Tropes used in Tutenstein include:
- Aesop Amnesia: Most episodes involve Tut learning that he should treat his friends well and/or not use magic for selfish reasons. It never sticks.
- Ambiguously Gay: Luxor fits the bill, when you see the episode where he and Chloe have a Freaky Friday Moment. "Perhaps I could wear that powder blue mini with a matching nehru jacket. I think Jake would find me quite fetching in it!"
- Big Bad: Set.
- Black and Nerdy: Cleo, at least when it comes to Egyptology.
- Blessed with Suck: Arguably, Luxor. The scepter's magic made him intelligent and able to speak, but also forced him to become Tut's Extreme Doormat Beleaguered Assistant.
- Luxor also counts as a Butt Monkey and a Woobie.
- Cats Are Mean: Averted with Luxor, who's one of the most good-natured characters in the series.
- Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Did you just trap Apep with a fishing net?
- Disappeared Dad: Cleo's father. It's never clear exactly what happened to him.
- Disproportionate Retribution: It's hard to blame the gods for being annoyed with Tutenstein, but threatening a ten-year-old child with eternal damnation for crimes like vandalizing a wall or cheating at a board game seems a little harsh.
- Cleo even points this out, mentioning that in spite of his position, is just a kid.
- Downer Ending: "The Comeback Kid". Not only does Tut turn back into a mummy, he will never get the chance to become flesh and blood again. Fridge Logic makes the whole series kind of a downer from then on.
- Elvis Impersonator: The characters visited a convention of them in "The King of Memphis".
- Egyptian Mythology
- Eternal English: Tutenstein and the Egyptian gods all speak modern English, though Tut has Just a Stupid Accent. Presumably the Scepter of Was did it.
- Five-Man Band: Sort of....
- The Hero: Cleo
- The Lancer: Tut (Subversion, he's the star)
- The Smart Guy: Luxor (also the Team Pet)
- The Big Guy(s): Kyle and Jake
- The Chick: Natasha
- For Halloween I Am Going as Myself: In "Day of the Undead," Tut walks among mortals on Halloween, impressing trick-or-treaters with how much his costume looks and smells like a long-dead Egyptian mummy.
- Freudian Trio:
- Id: Tut
- Ego: Chloe
- Superego: Luxor
- Large Ham: Tut
- Losing Your Head
- Magic Skirt: in this case it's Tut's kilt.
- Magic Wand: The Scepter of Was functions as one.
- Meaningful Name: Cleo's full name is Cleopatra Carter. The first part is obvious, while "Carter" alludes to Howard Carter, the archaeologist who found the original Tutankhamun's tomb.
- Nice Hat: Tut's gigantic nemes headress. He only takes it off a few times in the entire series.
- Not Growing Up Sucks: An occasional source of angst for Tut. It comes to a head in "Old Man Tut", when he uses magic to grow into a teenager so he can cut off his sidelock of youth, but then has to deal with Rapid Aging.
- Royal Brat: Tut acts like a spoiled little Jerkass most of the time.
- Sassy Black Woman: Cleo has her moments.
- Servile Snarker: Luxor, so very much.
- Slap Slap Kiss: Cleo and Tutenstein's relationship is full of this. Enter Squick here.
- Cleo even gets a He Is Not My Boyfriend moment at one point.
- Status Quo Is God
- Talking Animal: Luxor.
- Tears of Joy: Tut did shed tears of joy in one episode.
- Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: As with Aang and Katara, Cleo is taller because she's two years older.
- Undead Child
- Undeath Always Ends: Averted - by the end of the series, Tutenstein is still a living mummy.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Tut and Cleo.