Floating timeline
Encyclopedia
A Floating timeline is a device used in fiction
, particularly in comics
and animation
, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time - despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world.
A floating timeline is a subtle form of retroactive continuity
. This is seen most clearly in the case of comic book characters who debuted as teens in the 1940s or the 1960s but who are still relatively young in current comics. Events from the characters' pasts are alluded to, but they are changed from having taken place years ago to having taken place more recently. Any dates given within the comic are relative to the publishing date of the comic (i.e. "10 years ago" means "10 years before you read this"). This device enables publishing companies to continue to use their characters for as long as they wish without changing them significantly. If used completely, the floating timeline allows all the volumes of a series to be viewed in any order while still maintaining a solid perception of the plot. A floating timeline is usually abstracted from that of actual historical events, but may contain subtle references to the real world timelines.
, the character the Thing
states he fought in World War II. However, in comics in the 2000s, the Thing states that the idea of him fighting in World War II is ridiculous, as he would have to be much older.
A variation of the floating timeline effect was used in the Fantastic Four
comics when run by artist John Byrne in the 1980s. In these stories, characters appeared celebrating Christmas in the December issue and then, four issues later, they appeared in full Spring, although the events had happened just a few weeks ago in the storyline. This may be called "seasons shift" in periodical publications such as comic books.
Another example can be found in Iron Man
's origin. Tony Stark creates his first armor to escape his captors. In the character's first story, this event took place during the Vietnam War. Then, in the nineties, it was updated to the first Gulf War, and in the 2000s, it was depicted as having taken place in Afghanistan. While the specifics of the event never deviate from the canon, the place and time are updated, reflecting the real-world age it was published in and also preventing Stark from aging.
character Wonder Woman
. Wonder Woman was a heroine in 1940s comics; however, recent DC publications imply that she began as a hero in the mid-to-late 1980s. The fact there was a Wonder Woman in the 1940s is later explained by the retcon
that Diana is the second Wonder Woman, having inherited the mantle from her mother, Queen Hippolyta.
In the DC multiverse
, alternate explanations have been introduced for such enigmas; in the 1960s, it was shown that the stories from various eras took place in different parallel universes. The Wonder Woman of the 1940s, for example, is not Hyppolyta but an alternate-reality Diana. Later, in a series of stories entitled Crisis on Infinite Earths
, they were consolidated in a single universe from which a new timeline started over.
Such a timeline often creates confusion due to major historical events such as World War II or the Vietnam War
, which many characters, such as various members of the Justice Society of America
, need to be based on. It seems that only storylines (apart from those based on real-world events such as 9/11
, World War II, etc.), character designs, and dialogue abstracted from current affairs are truly canon, though as many of these fade into the distant past, it remains to be seen whether characters will be tied to these origins still or retcon
ned for a more recent war. For example, shortly after 1986's Man of Steel miniseries, Superman
's adopted father, Jonathan Kent, was revealed to have fought in World War II
in the mini-series The World of Smallville. Later, in the aftermath of 1993's Death of Superman he is said to have fought in the Korean War
.
Batman
's origin often shows his parents murdered in 1930s or 1940s fashions, while the adult Bruce Wayne clearly lives in the present (this is shown in fashion and technology). In The Return of Bruce Wayne #5, Batman travels in time to shortly after his parents were murdered. The 1930s-style clothes and cars are explained by a character who informs him that "retro is big this year," keeping the iconic image but being vague about the actual year.
is known to be "The Man Who Cannot Die" and "The Ghost Who Walks" since it's a well kept secret that the persona of the Phantom is inherited from father to son. The Phantom still uses a floating timeline which makes it possible for the 21st Phantom to be married to Diana, have slowly aging children and keep his best friend Guran the same age.
have a floating timeline spanning the period of 1929 to 1976, set invariably in the present of the respective episode's creation, as is visible from technology (cars, planes etc.) as well as alluding to current-day events of the interbellum and the rise of fascism
, and later the Cold War
and the space race
, while references to World War II
itself are conspicuously absent from those episodes created during the war when Belgium was under German occupation.
, in which all the characters have remained the same age since its inception in the 1940s, but have been adapted regularly to show current trends and fads. Archie Andrews
and his friends have been high school teenagers since they were first introduced in 1941.
. For example, in a certain FoxTrot strip, Andy remarks to Jason "You can stay 10 sweetie, I don't mind." Likewise, in one early Calvin and Hobbes
strip, Calvin
's unwillingness to live in the moment is criticized by his father, who says: "Yeah, I know. You think you're going to be six years old all your life." Indeed, throughout the strip, Calvin remained six years old, with the character Susie Derkins being the only character in Calvin and Hobbes to have a (shown) birthday
.
A different kind of floating timeline occurs in Peanuts
. As most established characters are young children, characters initially introduced as babies (such as Sally Brown
) age to roughly match their counterparts but then cease to.
often mentioned the fact that an hour from the characters' perspective could translate into months to the author and readers, while Megatokyo
, since the end of its first year, has had just over one day of in-comic progress per real-world year. Thus, for instance, preview posters for Metal Gear Solid 2
and Metal Gear Solid 4
have been seen within mere months of one another. The comic Least I Could Do
had a floating timeline until the July 9, 2007 strip, in which the cast opened a "letter" from the writer and artist which stated that from that moment on, they would age normally rather than remain a perpetual age 24 or so.
has on many occasions visited a past year which was still the future at the time of the story's writing. For example, various contemporary stories from the original series which were set in their respective decades feature Earth actively involved in interplanetary travel. Later episodes, the new series, and the series Torchwood
are written assuming real-life progress in space travel. The UNIT Dating Controversy
is an attempt to explain the confused timeline and the technology seen during those episodes.
In the series' revived era, an extra year was created when the program jumped ahead by a year in 2005. By 2007, both Doctor Who and its then-new spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures had restablished present-day in 2007 despite Doctor Who having depicted two successive Christmasses and myriad months of events that remained in-sequence.
, lasted eleven years, while the actual war lasted only three. The members of the 4077th celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving more times than the actual conflict would have allowed. In addition, some characters length of service in the military seems to vary, often wildly. When Colonel Potter, for example, takes command of the 4077th, the date is stated as 1952, however a later episode shows him hosting a New Year's Eve party in 1950. Compounding this, Alan Alda's character, Hawkeye, claims to have been stationed in Korea for two years, long before Potter takes over from Colonel Blake. Also, the characters of Frank Burns and Charles Winchester both, at separate points, claim to have been serving at the M*A*S*H for two years, despite Charles having been Frank's replacement and the two never having served together.
used a floating timeline as well. The first four seasons of the show focus on the main characters' lives through two high school years. With the beginning of the fifth season, Schwahn decided to skip the timeline four years ahead, showing their lives after college. In the seventh season, he adjusted the timeline fourteen months into the future after the sixth season. The last time jump is about to appear in series finale in 2012, when the show skips another five years. In the end, this means that One Tree Hill covered about fifteen years in it's nine seasons.
also used a floating (and at times anachronistic and uneven) timeline. At the end of the first season, which was set in the 1901-1909 time period, London Weekend Television
ordered a second season. The writers decided to keep the second season in the same time period as the first, interspersing the episodes temporally among those of the first season. However, certain aspects of the plot (Elizabeth's marriage, for instance) were continued as if the events in the first season had taken place immediately before those of the second. When the show was picked up for a third season, it was decided that the show would move forward in time. The final episode of the last season was set in 1930, 28 years after the first episode; while some characters (such as Rose Buck and James Bellamy
, both in their 40s at the end of the fifth season) had aged appropriately, others (such as Daisy Peel and Georgina Worsley, both of which were in their mid-20s eighteen years after being introduced at age 18) had not.
the entire length of the five seasons has taken place within one summer's time. After "Phineas and Ferb" released a Christmas special, the show humorously mentions it in the summer's timeline, even though the Christmas special supposedly takes place after summer ends.
Bart Simpson
has stayed in the fourth grade and Lisa Simpson
in the second grade for the show's entire run, and baby Maggie has never aged. The show has run through the presidencies of George H. W. Bush
, Bill Clinton
, George W. Bush
and Barack Obama
. All of them have been addressed as current or former presidents according to the dates when the respective episodes were aired. This was done either by direct means, such as cameos, or indirectly, (such as mentions or parodies of them or ongoing events). In "Lisa's Wedding
", the story takes place in 2010 - fifteen years in the future from the original air date - and Lisa is depicted as being 23. During "Boy Meets Curl
", Homer and Marge qualify for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, and Lisa is still in the second grade.
New technologies and trends appear, but the basic appearance of the characters never changes. This has been directly referenced by the show; Bart is in love with a girl and wonders why she rejects him, asking Lisa: "Is it the fact that I've worn the same clothes day in, day out, for the last four years?".
There is little continuity in The Simpsons. Major story developments or changes in one episode are not usually further developed in the next, though elements of earlier episode are sometimes subsequently mentioned or shown in the background as part of a joke. There are some instances of the passage of time, such as the aging of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
's octuplets. One fake explanation was made in "Behind the Laughter
" (a parody of the VH1
show Behind the Music
) where Lisa Simpson
stated that she was slipped pills to stunt her growth. The stories are similar to Archie Comics
or commedia dell'arte
, in which stock characters with identifiable personalities repeatedly appear without much reference to what has gone before.
Some major changes, like deaths, have been permanent. Maude Flanders and Bleeding Gums Murphy died and did not reappear except for flashback scenes or Halloween "alternate universe" episodes.
"That 90s Show" heavily retcon
ned its series history to parody the alternative rock boom
. Later episodes disregarded these events.
was depicted as having attended Buddy Cianci Junior High school at the start of the series; however, six years later, in the 2005 episode Jungle Love
, he began attending James Woods High School. His sister Meg
has attended James Woods High for the duration of the entire series, another example of the floating timeline. The floating timeline has also been referenced on the show, in the episode Road to Rupert
, when Brian
tells Stewie
that he thinks Stewie's getting a little old to have a teddy bear. Stewie responds with "Brian, I'm one," to which Brian responds with "Still?" The two characters then utter interchanging "What?"s before the story continues without either character mentioning it again. Similarly, Bonnie Swanson appeared to be pregnant through the first seven seasons of the show; Peter points this out in the episode "Blind Ambition" saying "Bonnie, you've been pregnant for like six years, either have the baby or don't!". When Bonnie finally gives birth to her child, Quagmire quips "It's hard to believe she's already eighteen."
, which has depicted Bill Clinton
, George W. Bush
and Barack Obama
as the current U.S. president. While the main characters have aged slightly, moving from third to fourth grade in school, there have been some continuity errors. In the episode "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut
", Eric Cartman's father is alleged to be a member of the 1989 Denver Broncos
, which would place the characters' conception in 1989, 8 years before the episode's 1997 airing. However, in the 2010 episode "You Have 0 Friends
", the Facebook
profiles of characters Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski list their birth dates as being in 2001. Since Season Fifteen, it appears evident that the events of the show took over the course of two years.
is one of the best examples of a floating timeline in film. Bond, as depicted by the films, remains in his early thirties through late 50s consistently since 1962. Bond decreases in age every time the actor changes. Even some of the supporting characters of the series, such as Felix Leiter
and Miss Moneypenny
exhibit the same ageless quality thanks to a frequent change in actors. For the remake of Casino Royale, Bond underwent a reboot, discarding the Cold War
history of the character for a modern day post-September 11 setting and ushering in the latest portrayal of Bond in the film series' history, showing Bond achieving his Double-O
licence to kill
status, while the same actor continued to portray his superior, M
.
, the first of the Edgar Rice Burroughs
' famous series, it is noted that Tarzan's parents sailed from Dover on their way to Africa on "a bright May morning in 1888" and that their son was born some months later, soon to be orphaned and raised by apes. But Tarzan's own son grows to manhood in the novel The Son of Tarzan, which was published in 1915. In Tarzan the Untamed
, Tarzan plays a role in the First World War, fighting members of the German Imperial Army (and many other foes besides). But in Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
- the last which Burroughs wrote - Tarzan is still perfectly fit during World War II
, serving as an RAF combat pilot and battling the Japanese after being shot down over Sumatra
. In that novel, Tarzan tells how in his youth, after saving the life of a witch doctor, he was rewarded by treatment that gave him immortality. Later (authorised and unauthorised) additions to the series placed Tarzan even later, for example fighting the Mau Mau in the 1950s Kenya
.
created a floating timeline for master detective Nero Wolfe
and other principal characters in the corpus, while the stories take place contemporaneously with their writing and depict a changing landscape and society. Nero Wolfe's age is 56. "Those stories have ignored time for thirty-nine years," Stout told his authorized biographer John McAleer. "Any reader who can't or won't do the same should skip them. I didn't age the characters because I didn't want to. That would have made it cumbersome and would seem to have centered attention on the characters rather than the stories." In the early novels, Wolfe dated himself somewhat by discussing his life before World War I and his combat service in that war, but in later stories he was less explicit about his past.
endure multiple school years and multiple summer vacations, never aging beyond twelve and six; and Nancy Drew
in her original series solved fifty-six mysteries, all apparently in the summer of her nineteenth year.
Another example of this is in The Babysitters Club books by Anne M. Martin. The books about Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, Mary Anne, Dawn, and Abby who were in 8th grade as well as Jessie and Mallory who were in 6th grade who all belong to a babysitting club started in the mid-1980s and continued until the early 2000s. During this time they did not age at all. They had books dealing with summer vacations, but they always returned to 6th and 8th grade.
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
, particularly in comics
Comics
Comics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
and animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
, to explain why characters age little or not at all over a period of time - despite real-world markers like notable events, people and technology appearing in the works and correlating with the real world.
A floating timeline is a subtle form of retroactive continuity
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
. This is seen most clearly in the case of comic book characters who debuted as teens in the 1940s or the 1960s but who are still relatively young in current comics. Events from the characters' pasts are alluded to, but they are changed from having taken place years ago to having taken place more recently. Any dates given within the comic are relative to the publishing date of the comic (i.e. "10 years ago" means "10 years before you read this"). This device enables publishing companies to continue to use their characters for as long as they wish without changing them significantly. If used completely, the floating timeline allows all the volumes of a series to be viewed in any order while still maintaining a solid perception of the plot. A floating timeline is usually abstracted from that of actual historical events, but may contain subtle references to the real world timelines.
Comics
The use of a floating timeline in comics often requires drastic revisions of a character's history, since many comic books are produced over a time period measured in decades.Marvel Comics
For instance, in 1960s comics by Marvel ComicsMarvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
, the character the Thing
Thing (comics)
The Thing is a fictional character, a founding member of the superhero team known as the Fantastic Four in the Marvel Comics universe. He was created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee in The Fantastic Four #1...
states he fought in World War II. However, in comics in the 2000s, the Thing states that the idea of him fighting in World War II is ridiculous, as he would have to be much older.
A variation of the floating timeline effect was used in the Fantastic Four
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
comics when run by artist John Byrne in the 1980s. In these stories, characters appeared celebrating Christmas in the December issue and then, four issues later, they appeared in full Spring, although the events had happened just a few weeks ago in the storyline. This may be called "seasons shift" in periodical publications such as comic books.
Another example can be found in Iron Man
Iron Man
Iron Man is a fictional character, a superhero in the . The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Tales of Suspense #39 .A billionaire playboy, industrialist and ingenious engineer,...
's origin. Tony Stark creates his first armor to escape his captors. In the character's first story, this event took place during the Vietnam War. Then, in the nineties, it was updated to the first Gulf War, and in the 2000s, it was depicted as having taken place in Afghanistan. While the specifics of the event never deviate from the canon, the place and time are updated, reflecting the real-world age it was published in and also preventing Stark from aging.
DC Comics
Another example is the DC ComicsDC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
character Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a DC Comics superheroine created by William Moulton Marston. She first appeared in All Star Comics #8 . The Wonder Woman title has been published by DC Comics almost continuously except for a brief hiatus in 1986....
. Wonder Woman was a heroine in 1940s comics; however, recent DC publications imply that she began as a hero in the mid-to-late 1980s. The fact there was a Wonder Woman in the 1940s is later explained by the retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
that Diana is the second Wonder Woman, having inherited the mantle from her mother, Queen Hippolyta.
In the DC multiverse
DC Universe
The DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, alternate explanations have been introduced for such enigmas; in the 1960s, it was shown that the stories from various eras took place in different parallel universes. The Wonder Woman of the 1940s, for example, is not Hyppolyta but an alternate-reality Diana. Later, in a series of stories entitled Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths is a 12-issue American comic book limited series and crossover event, produced by DC Comics in 1985 to simplify its then 50-year-old continuity...
, they were consolidated in a single universe from which a new timeline started over.
Such a timeline often creates confusion due to major historical events such as World War II or the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, which many characters, such as various members of the Justice Society of America
Justice Society of America
The Justice Society of America, or JSA, is a DC Comics superhero group, the first team of superheroes in comic book history. Conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox, the JSA first appeared in All Star Comics #3 ....
, need to be based on. It seems that only storylines (apart from those based on real-world events such as 9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, World War II, etc.), character designs, and dialogue abstracted from current affairs are truly canon, though as many of these fade into the distant past, it remains to be seen whether characters will be tied to these origins still or retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned for a more recent war. For example, shortly after 1986's Man of Steel miniseries, Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
's adopted father, Jonathan Kent, was revealed to have fought in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in the mini-series The World of Smallville. Later, in the aftermath of 1993's Death of Superman he is said to have fought in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
.
Batman
Batman
Batman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
's origin often shows his parents murdered in 1930s or 1940s fashions, while the adult Bruce Wayne clearly lives in the present (this is shown in fashion and technology). In The Return of Bruce Wayne #5, Batman travels in time to shortly after his parents were murdered. The 1930s-style clothes and cars are explained by a character who informs him that "retro is big this year," keeping the iconic image but being vague about the actual year.
The Phantom
The PhantomThe Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
is known to be "The Man Who Cannot Die" and "The Ghost Who Walks" since it's a well kept secret that the persona of the Phantom is inherited from father to son. The Phantom still uses a floating timeline which makes it possible for the 21st Phantom to be married to Diana, have slowly aging children and keep his best friend Guran the same age.
The Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of TintinThe Adventures of Tintin
The Adventures of Tintin is a series of classic comic books created by Belgian artist , who wrote under the pen name of Hergé...
have a floating timeline spanning the period of 1929 to 1976, set invariably in the present of the respective episode's creation, as is visible from technology (cars, planes etc.) as well as alluding to current-day events of the interbellum and the rise of fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
, and later the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
and the space race
Space Race
The Space Race was a mid-to-late 20th century competition between the Soviet Union and the United States for supremacy in space exploration. Between 1957 and 1975, Cold War rivalry between the two nations focused on attaining firsts in space exploration, which were seen as necessary for national...
, while references to World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
itself are conspicuously absent from those episodes created during the war when Belgium was under German occupation.
Archie
Another famous example is Archie ComicsArchie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
, in which all the characters have remained the same age since its inception in the 1940s, but have been adapted regularly to show current trends and fads. Archie Andrews
Archie Andrews (comics)
Archie Andrews, created in 1941 by Vic Bloom and Bob Montana, is a fictional character in an American comic book series published by Archie Comics, as well as the long-running Archie Andrews radio series, a syndicated comic strip, The Archie Show, and Archie's Weird Mysteries.-Character and...
and his friends have been high school teenagers since they were first introduced in 1941.
Syndicated Comics
This effect is also seen in most syndicated comic strips and, in some cases, is even mentioned by charactersMetafiction
Metafiction, also known as Romantic irony in the context of Romantic works of literature, is a type of fiction that self-consciously addresses the devices of fiction, exposing the fictional illusion...
. For example, in a certain FoxTrot strip, Andy remarks to Jason "You can stay 10 sweetie, I don't mind." Likewise, in one early Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes
Calvin and Hobbes is a syndicated daily comic strip that was written and illustrated by American cartoonist Bill Watterson, and syndicated from November 18, 1985, to December 31, 1995. It follows the humorous antics of Calvin, a precocious and adventurous six-year-old boy, and Hobbes, his...
strip, Calvin
Calvin (Calvin and Hobbes)
Calvin ' is a fictional character, and one of the two principal characters in the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Calvin demonstrates a level of wisdom, vocabulary and humor unusual for a six year-old boy...
's unwillingness to live in the moment is criticized by his father, who says: "Yeah, I know. You think you're going to be six years old all your life." Indeed, throughout the strip, Calvin remained six years old, with the character Susie Derkins being the only character in Calvin and Hobbes to have a (shown) birthday
Birthday
A birthday is a day or anniversary where a person celebrates his or her date of birth. Birthdays are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with a gift, party or rite of passage. Although the major religions celebrate the birth of their founders , Christmas – which is celebrated widely by...
.
A different kind of floating timeline occurs in Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
. As most established characters are young children, characters initially introduced as babies (such as Sally Brown
Sally Brown
Sally Brown is the younger sister of Charlie Brown in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz. She was first mentioned in early 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appearance in August 1959.-Appearance:...
) age to roughly match their counterparts but then cease to.
Webcomics
Continuity-based webcomics often exhibit floating timelines as well; the webcomic 1/01/0 (web comic)
1/0 is a webcomic created by Mason Williams . Its name is based on the mathematical concept of division by zero. It was one of the earliest webcomics to treat breaking the fourth wall as a central concept — its author interacts with the characters as they interact with each other...
often mentioned the fact that an hour from the characters' perspective could translate into months to the author and readers, while Megatokyo
Megatokyo
is an English-language webcomic created by Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston, debuting on August 14, 2000, and then written and illustrated solely by Gallagher since July 17, 2002. Gallagher's style of writing and illustration is heavily influenced by Japanese manga. Megatokyo is freely available on...
, since the end of its first year, has had just over one day of in-comic progress per real-world year. Thus, for instance, preview posters for Metal Gear Solid 2
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....
and Metal Gear Solid 4
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
is a video game developed by Kojima Productions for the PlayStation 3 console. The game was directed by Hideo Kojima and made its worldwide release on June 12, 2008, ten years after the release of Metal Gear Solid and twenty years after the North American release of Metal Gear.Guns of the Patriots...
have been seen within mere months of one another. The comic Least I Could Do
Least I Could Do
Least I Could Do is a humor webcomic by Ryan Sohmer and Lar deSouza , which debuted on February 10, 2003.The original artist for the strip was Trevor Adams, who was with Least I Could Do for about six months. Adams was followed by Chad W.M. Porter, who drew the strip for two years...
had a floating timeline until the July 9, 2007 strip, in which the cast opened a "letter" from the writer and artist which stated that from that moment on, they would age normally rather than remain a perpetual age 24 or so.
Doctor Who
Due to the show's use of time travel as a major plot element, Doctor WhoDoctor Who
Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
has on many occasions visited a past year which was still the future at the time of the story's writing. For example, various contemporary stories from the original series which were set in their respective decades feature Earth actively involved in interplanetary travel. Later episodes, the new series, and the series Torchwood
Torchwood
Torchwood is a British science fiction television programme created by Russell T Davies. The series is a spin-off from Davies's 2005 revival of the long-running science fiction programme Doctor Who. The show has shifted its broadcast channel each series to reflect its growing audience, moving from...
are written assuming real-life progress in space travel. The UNIT Dating Controversy
UNIT dating controversy
The UNIT dating controversy is an ongoing debate in Doctor Who fandom, concerning exactly when the stories featuring the fictional military organisation known as United Nations Intelligence Taskforce, or more recently as the Unified Intelligence Taskforce, take place in the timeline of the...
is an attempt to explain the confused timeline and the technology seen during those episodes.
In the series' revived era, an extra year was created when the program jumped ahead by a year in 2005. By 2007, both Doctor Who and its then-new spin-offs Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures had restablished present-day in 2007 despite Doctor Who having depicted two successive Christmasses and myriad months of events that remained in-sequence.
M*A*S*H
M*A*S*H, a TV series set during the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, lasted eleven years, while the actual war lasted only three. The members of the 4077th celebrated Christmas and Thanksgiving more times than the actual conflict would have allowed. In addition, some characters length of service in the military seems to vary, often wildly. When Colonel Potter, for example, takes command of the 4077th, the date is stated as 1952, however a later episode shows him hosting a New Year's Eve party in 1950. Compounding this, Alan Alda's character, Hawkeye, claims to have been stationed in Korea for two years, long before Potter takes over from Colonel Blake. Also, the characters of Frank Burns and Charles Winchester both, at separate points, claim to have been serving at the M*A*S*H for two years, despite Charles having been Frank's replacement and the two never having served together.
One Tree Hill
The drama series One Tree HillOne Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
used a floating timeline as well. The first four seasons of the show focus on the main characters' lives through two high school years. With the beginning of the fifth season, Schwahn decided to skip the timeline four years ahead, showing their lives after college. In the seventh season, he adjusted the timeline fourteen months into the future after the sixth season. The last time jump is about to appear in series finale in 2012, when the show skips another five years. In the end, this means that One Tree Hill covered about fifteen years in it's nine seasons.
Upstairs, Downstairs
The British drama series Upstairs, DownstairsUpstairs, Downstairs
Upstairs, Downstairs is a British drama television series originally produced by London Weekend Television and revived by the BBC. It ran on ITV in 68 episodes divided into five series from 1971 to 1975, and a sixth series shown on the BBC on three consecutive nights, 26–28 December 2010.Set in a...
also used a floating (and at times anachronistic and uneven) timeline. At the end of the first season, which was set in the 1901-1909 time period, London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
ordered a second season. The writers decided to keep the second season in the same time period as the first, interspersing the episodes temporally among those of the first season. However, certain aspects of the plot (Elizabeth's marriage, for instance) were continued as if the events in the first season had taken place immediately before those of the second. When the show was picked up for a third season, it was decided that the show would move forward in time. The final episode of the last season was set in 1930, 28 years after the first episode; while some characters (such as Rose Buck and James Bellamy
James Bellamy
Major The Honourable James Rupert Bellamy MC is a fictional character in the ITV period drama Upstairs, Downstairs, that was originally broadcast for five series from 1971 to 1975...
, both in their 40s at the end of the fifth season) had aged appropriately, others (such as Daisy Peel and Georgina Worsley, both of which were in their mid-20s eighteen years after being introduced at age 18) had not.
Animation
Floating timelines are used in animation in much the same way as in comics: characters can retain the same age or general appearance over the years.Phineas and Ferb
On Phineas and FerbPhineas and Ferb
Phineas and Ferb is an American animated television comedy series. Originally broadcast as a preview on August 17, 2007, on Disney Channel, the series follows Phineas Flynn and his English stepbrother Ferb Fletcher on summer vacation. Every day the boys embark on some grand new project, which...
the entire length of the five seasons has taken place within one summer's time. After "Phineas and Ferb" released a Christmas special, the show humorously mentions it in the summer's timeline, even though the Christmas special supposedly takes place after summer ends.
The Simpsons
On The SimpsonsThe Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
Bart Simpson
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
has stayed in the fourth grade and Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
in the second grade for the show's entire run, and baby Maggie has never aged. The show has run through the presidencies of George H. W. Bush
George H. W. Bush
George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...
, Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
. All of them have been addressed as current or former presidents according to the dates when the respective episodes were aired. This was done either by direct means, such as cameos, or indirectly, (such as mentions or parodies of them or ongoing events). In "Lisa's Wedding
Lisa's Wedding
"Lisa's Wedding" is the 19th episode of The Simpsons sixth season, which originally aired March 19, 1995. The plot focuses around Lisa visiting a carnival fortune teller and learning about her future love. It was written by Greg Daniels and directed by Jim Reardon. Mandy Patinkin guest stars as...
", the story takes place in 2010 - fifteen years in the future from the original air date - and Lisa is depicted as being 23. During "Boy Meets Curl
Boy Meets Curl
"Boy Meets Curl" is the twelfth episode of The Simpsons twenty-first season. It aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 14, 2010. In this episode, Homer and Marge Simpson form a mixed-doubles curling team with Agnes and Seymour Skinner, which is chosen to play in the 2010 Winter...
", Homer and Marge qualify for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games, and Lisa is still in the second grade.
New technologies and trends appear, but the basic appearance of the characters never changes. This has been directly referenced by the show; Bart is in love with a girl and wonders why she rejects him, asking Lisa: "Is it the fact that I've worn the same clothes day in, day out, for the last four years?".
There is little continuity in The Simpsons. Major story developments or changes in one episode are not usually further developed in the next, though elements of earlier episode are sometimes subsequently mentioned or shown in the background as part of a joke. There are some instances of the passage of time, such as the aging of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon
Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the episode "The Telltale Head". Apu is the proprietor of the Kwik-E-Mart, a popular convenience store in Springfield, and a friend of Homer Simpson. He is also...
's octuplets. One fake explanation was made in "Behind the Laughter
Behind the Laughter
"Behind the Laughter" is the twenty-second episode of The Simpsons eleventh season. It first aired in the United States on the Fox network on May 21, 2000. In the episode, which is a parody of the VH1 series Behind the Music, the Simpson family are portrayed as actors on a sitcom, and their...
" (a parody of the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
show Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
) where Lisa Simpson
Lisa Simpson
Lisa Marie Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons. She is the middle child of the Simpson family. Voiced by Yeardley Smith, Lisa first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Cartoonist Matt Groening...
stated that she was slipped pills to stunt her growth. The stories are similar to Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
or commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte
Commedia dell'arte is a form of theatre characterized by masked "types" which began in Italy in the 16th century, and was responsible for the advent of the actress and improvised performances based on sketches or scenarios. The closest translation of the name is "comedy of craft"; it is shortened...
, in which stock characters with identifiable personalities repeatedly appear without much reference to what has gone before.
Some major changes, like deaths, have been permanent. Maude Flanders and Bleeding Gums Murphy died and did not reappear except for flashback scenes or Halloween "alternate universe" episodes.
"That 90s Show" heavily retcon
Retcon
Retroactive continuity is the alteration of previously established facts in a fictional work. Retcons are done for many reasons, including the accommodation of sequels or further derivative works in a series, wherein newer authors or creators want to revise the in-story history to allow a course...
ned its series history to parody the alternative rock boom
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
. Later episodes disregarded these events.
Family Guy
As the show started in 1999, all characters have aged only a year or two at most. Chris GriffinChris Griffin
Chris Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the son and middle child of Peter and Lois Griffin, brother of Stewie and Meg Griffin. Chris is voiced by Seth Green.-Personality:...
was depicted as having attended Buddy Cianci Junior High school at the start of the series; however, six years later, in the 2005 episode Jungle Love
Jungle Love (Family Guy)
"Jungle Love" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of Family Guy. Chris runs away from his home after getting hazed on his first day of school and joins the Peace Corps, after which he is dropped off in South America...
, he began attending James Woods High School. His sister Meg
Meg Griffin
Meg Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is the eldest child of Lois and Peter and elder sister of Chris and Stewie. Meg is considered as the black sheep of the series due to the lack of attention she receives....
has attended James Woods High for the duration of the entire series, another example of the floating timeline. The floating timeline has also been referenced on the show, in the episode Road to Rupert
Road to Rupert
"Road to Rupert" is the ninth episode of season five of Family Guy. The episode follows Brian after he inadvertently sells Stewie's teddy bear, Rupert, during a yard sale. In an attempt to retrieve him, Stewie and Brian travel across the United States, eventually discovering he is with a child...
, when Brian
Brian Griffin
Brian Griffin is a character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the family, in a 15-minute short on December 20, 1998. Brian was created and designed by MacFarlane himself...
tells Stewie
Stewie Griffin
Stewie Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. Once obsessed with world domination and matricide, Stewie is the youngest child of Peter and Lois Griffin, and the brother of Chris and Meg....
that he thinks Stewie's getting a little old to have a teddy bear. Stewie responds with "Brian, I'm one," to which Brian responds with "Still?" The two characters then utter interchanging "What?"s before the story continues without either character mentioning it again. Similarly, Bonnie Swanson appeared to be pregnant through the first seven seasons of the show; Peter points this out in the episode "Blind Ambition" saying "Bonnie, you've been pregnant for like six years, either have the baby or don't!". When Bonnie finally gives birth to her child, Quagmire quips "It's hard to believe she's already eighteen."
South Park
Similar effects are observed on the animated TV show South ParkSouth Park
South Park is an American animated television series created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone for the Comedy Central television network. Intended for mature audiences, the show has become famous for its crude language, surreal, satirical, and dark humor that lampoons a wide range of topics...
, which has depicted Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, George W. Bush
George W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
and Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
as the current U.S. president. While the main characters have aged slightly, moving from third to fourth grade in school, there have been some continuity errors. In the episode "Cartman's Mom is a Dirty Slut
Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut
"Cartman's Mom Is a Dirty Slut" is the first season finale of the animated television series South Park, and the 13th overall episode of the series. It originally aired on Comedy Central in the United States on February 25, 1998. It is part one of a two-episode story arc, which concluded with...
", Eric Cartman's father is alleged to be a member of the 1989 Denver Broncos
1989 Denver Broncos season
-Regular season:One of Denver's new major additions was rookie running back Bobby Humphrey, who rushed for 1,151 yards, caught 22 passes for 156 yards, and scored 8 touchdowns. Humphrey gave the Broncos a powerful running attack that they lacked in their previous Super Bowl seasons. The defense had...
, which would place the characters' conception in 1989, 8 years before the episode's 1997 airing. However, in the 2010 episode "You Have 0 Friends
You Have 0 Friends
"You Have 0 Friends" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series South Park, and the 199th episode of the series overall. It first aired on Comedy Central in the United States on April 7, 2010...
", the Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
profiles of characters Stan Marsh and Kyle Broflovski list their birth dates as being in 2001. Since Season Fifteen, it appears evident that the events of the show took over the course of two years.
James Bond
James BondJames Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
is one of the best examples of a floating timeline in film. Bond, as depicted by the films, remains in his early thirties through late 50s consistently since 1962. Bond decreases in age every time the actor changes. Even some of the supporting characters of the series, such as Felix Leiter
Felix Leiter
Felix Leiter is a fictional CIA agent created by Ian Fleming in the James Bond series of novels and films. In both, Leiter works for the CIA and assists Bond in his various adventures as well as being his best friend. In further novels Leiter joins the Pinkerton Detective Agency and in the film...
and Miss Moneypenny
Miss Moneypenny
Jane Moneypenny, better known as Miss Moneypenny, is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. She is secretary to M, who is Bond's boss and head of the British Secret Service...
exhibit the same ageless quality thanks to a frequent change in actors. For the remake of Casino Royale, Bond underwent a reboot, discarding the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
history of the character for a modern day post-September 11 setting and ushering in the latest portrayal of Bond in the film series' history, showing Bond achieving his Double-O
00 Agent
In Ian Fleming's James Bond novels and the derived films, the 00 Section of MI6 are considered the secret service's elite. A 00 agent holds a licence to kill in the field, at his or her discretion, to complete the mission...
licence to kill
Licence to kill (concept)
Licence to kill is a literary device used in espionage fiction. It refers to the official sanction by a government or government agency to a particular operative or employee to initiate the use of lethal force in the delivery of their objectives...
status, while the same actor continued to portray his superior, M
M (James Bond)
M is a fictional character in Ian Fleming's James Bond series, as well as the films in the Bond franchise. The head of MI6 and Bond's superior, M has been portrayed by three actors in the official Bond film series: Bernard Lee, Robert Brown and since 1995 by Judi Dench. Background =Ian Fleming...
.
Tarzan
In Tarzan of the ApesTarzan of the Apes
Tarzan of the Apes is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the first in a series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was first published in the pulp magazine All-Story Magazine in October, 1912; the first book edition was published in 1914. The character was so popular that Burroughs...
, the first of the Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
' famous series, it is noted that Tarzan's parents sailed from Dover on their way to Africa on "a bright May morning in 1888" and that their son was born some months later, soon to be orphaned and raised by apes. But Tarzan's own son grows to manhood in the novel The Son of Tarzan, which was published in 1915. In Tarzan the Untamed
Tarzan the Untamed
Tarzan the Untamed is a book written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the seventh in his series of books about the title character Tarzan. It was originally published as two separate stories serialized in different pulp magazines; "Tarzan the Untamed" in Redbook from March to August, 1919, and "Tarzan and...
, Tarzan plays a role in the First World War, fighting members of the German Imperial Army (and many other foes besides). But in Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
Tarzan and the Foreign Legion
Tarzan and the Foreign Legion is a novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the twenty-second in his series of books about the title character Tarzan...
- the last which Burroughs wrote - Tarzan is still perfectly fit during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, serving as an RAF combat pilot and battling the Japanese after being shot down over Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. In that novel, Tarzan tells how in his youth, after saving the life of a witch doctor, he was rewarded by treatment that gave him immortality. Later (authorised and unauthorised) additions to the series placed Tarzan even later, for example fighting the Mau Mau in the 1950s Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
.
Nero Wolfe
Mystery writer Rex StoutRex Stout
Rex Todhunter Stout was an American writer noted for his detective fiction. Stout is best known as the creator of the larger-than-life fictional detective Nero Wolfe, described by reviewer Will Cuppy as "that Falstaff of detectives." Wolfe's assistant Archie Goodwin recorded the cases of the...
created a floating timeline for master detective Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective, created in 1934 by the American mystery writer Rex Stout. Wolfe's confidential assistant Archie Goodwin narrates the cases of the detective genius. Stout wrote 33 novels and 39 short stories from 1934 to 1974, with most of them set in New York City. Wolfe's...
and other principal characters in the corpus, while the stories take place contemporaneously with their writing and depict a changing landscape and society. Nero Wolfe's age is 56. "Those stories have ignored time for thirty-nine years," Stout told his authorized biographer John McAleer. "Any reader who can't or won't do the same should skip them. I didn't age the characters because I didn't want to. That would have made it cumbersome and would seem to have centered attention on the characters rather than the stories." In the early novels, Wolfe dated himself somewhat by discussing his life before World War I and his combat service in that war, but in later stories he was less explicit about his past.
Children's Novels
This phenomenon is even more evident in children's series. In the Sugar Creek Gang books, the series took place between 1940 and 1970, and yet the characters age only two or three years. However, the older books were continually being modernized to fit into the continuity of the series. Similarly, the two sets of Bobbsey TwinsBobbsey Twins
The Bobbsey Twins are the principal characters of what was, for many years, the Stratemeyer Syndicate's longest-running series of children's novels, penned under the pseudonym Laura Lee Hope. The first of 72 books was published in 1904, the last in 1979, with a separate series of 30 books published...
endure multiple school years and multiple summer vacations, never aging beyond twelve and six; and Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional young amateur detective in various mystery series for all ages. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm. The character first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published...
in her original series solved fifty-six mysteries, all apparently in the summer of her nineteenth year.
Another example of this is in The Babysitters Club books by Anne M. Martin. The books about Kristy, Claudia, Stacey, Mary Anne, Dawn, and Abby who were in 8th grade as well as Jessie and Mallory who were in 6th grade who all belong to a babysitting club started in the mid-1980s and continued until the early 2000s. During this time they did not age at all. They had books dealing with summer vacations, but they always returned to 6th and 8th grade.