20 Questions Round 357

[DreamTrawler]

Is the character female?

Yes.

[Spartaculous]

Btw - do we normally count songs as "written worIks" when doing fictional characters? That was why I passed and I couldn't remember if it had come up before.

I think there have been two previous instances of fictional characters from modern-day songs (rounds 215 and 285). In both cases, it doesn't look like the question "Is this character from a written work?" was asked. Instead, questions were asked about "printed form" or "printed media", and received "No." answers, which feels correct to me.

My instinct says that I would not classify songs as "written works", but I can see how someone would think otherwise.

[DreamTrawler]

Looks like it's up to the QM's discretion then (if the question is written work specifically).

[Spartaculous]

Did this character first appear in an English-language song that was first performed or recorded in 1929 or later?

[Jamiet99uk]

1,2,3,4,7.15. Fictional human female
5,12,14. First introduced in a song
6,8,9. Introduced between 1919 and 1946
10. Not introduced in a work primarily marketed at people less than 18 years old
11. Main character/subject of the work in which they are presented
13. The character's name features in the name of the song

Passed:
Was this character first introduced in a written work?

[DreamTrawler]

Did this character first appear in an English-language song that was first performed or recorded in 1929 or later?

Yes.

[Jamiet99uk]

Is the song mentioned on this page?:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_about_fictional_female_characters

[DreamTrawler]

Is the song mentioned on this page?:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_about_fictional_female_characters

No, actually. I promise the character is well known though.

[Jamiet99uk]

Is the song mentioned on this page?:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Songs_about_fictional_female_characters

No, actually. I promise the character is well known though.

That's ok. This is useful, as it rules out several possibilities.

[Spartaculous]

Free guess: Rosie the Riveter.

[Jamiet99uk]

Free guess: Rosie the Riveter.

Good guess.

[DreamTrawler]

Free guess: Rosie the Riveter.

Rosie the Riveter is correct! Most people (including me until recently) don't know she was first introduced in a song in 1942. The image of Rosie was popularized by a Norman Rockwell magazine cover in 1943. The 1942 We Can Do It! poster that most people think of today was not popularized/associated with Rosie until the 80s.

I also tried to give a hint early on that this was a fictional character based on real person(s). The song was inspired by one Rosalind P. Walter, but the images used other women as their models.

[Spartaculous]

Free guess: Rosie the Riveter.

Rosie the Riveter is correct! Most people (including me until recently) don't know she was first introduced in a song in 1942. The image of Rosie was popularized by a Norman Rockwell magazine cover in 1943. The 1942 We Can Do It! poster that most people think of today was not popularized/associated with Rosie until the 80s.

I also tried to give a hint early on that this was a fictional character based on real person(s). The song was inspired by one Rosalind P. Walter, but the images used other women as their models.

Good round! She is very well-known, but is hard to think of. I will get a round up later today.

[Wattsthematter]

Btw - do we normally count songs as "written worIks" when doing fictional characters? That was why I passed and I couldn't remember if it had come up before.

I think there have been two previous instances of fictional characters from modern-day songs (rounds 215 and 285). In both cases, it doesn't look like the question "Is this character from a written work?" was asked. Instead, questions were asked about "printed form" or "printed media", and received "No." answers, which feels correct to me.

My instinct says that I would not classify songs as "written works", but I can see how someone would think otherwise.

This issue comes up a lot in copyright suits... there's some pretty interesting videos out there about it