Shoulder angel

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A shoulder angel is a plot device used for either dramatic or humorous effect in animation. Often accompanied by a shoulder demon, the angel represents one's conscience while the demon represents temptation(s). They are handy for easily showing inner conflict of a character. These are derived from Sigmund Freud's concept of id and superego, where the id stands for basic instinctual desires and the superego for unrealistic adherence to universal morals.

The shoulder angel often looks like stereotypically angelic version of the character, with wings, a robe, a halo, and sometimes a harp. The shoulder demon likewise usually looks like stereotypically demonic version the character, dressed as devils with reddish skin, horns and (sometimes) cloven hooves.

[edit] Uses of shoulder angels

• The dim-witted henchman, Kronk, in The Emperor's New Groove had a shoulder angel and shoulder demon that frequently popped up when he faced a dilemma. The angel resembles Kronk, but is clad in a white robe (which he is insecurely proud of), carries a badly stringed harp, and wears a glowing tiara resembling a halo. The demon also resembles Kronk, but is clad in a horned, tailed, skintight red bodysuit and bears a flexible trident. He is capable of standing on one hand with his foot extended; of which feat he is very proud. Eventually, when Yzma insulted Kronk's cooking, the two agreed that she had to be defeated.
• Several comics and webcomics, including Pearls Before Swine, Narbonic, Ctrl+Alt+Del, and 8-Bit Theater have made use of shoulder angel/demons or in some cases, two shoulder demons if the character was considered very evil. Helen Narbon and Dave Davenport from Narbonic each have quite a few, each serving a special purpose; their coworker Mell Kelly only has one, a homicidal psycopath.
• Megatokyo has a winged hamster representing the conscience of one of the characters. As all it can do is make faces and squeak, that character can twist anything it tries to tell him to do or not do to his own prankish advantage. Another character has an angelic, feminine, and somewhat irritable "Conscience Enforcement agent" who is harassed by an obnoxious masculine entity with bat wings.
• KO Beast has a tiny winged female demon Akumako, who flies at the shoulder level of the male villain, perpetually counseling him to kill the heroes of the anime.
• The movie Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back contains a parody of this concept; in one scene, Jay is tempted to make a sexual advance towards Justice (his love interest). Two devils appear to Jay, with the second one explaining that the angel was absent because they had "bitch-slapped that motherfucker and sent him packing." Eventually, they left, after which the angel did appear. He then told Jay "Not to pull his cock out until she asks...or until she's sleeping", after which he vanished to go "beat the shit out of two bitch-slapping little bitches."
• In That 70's Show, Fez once had his shoulder angel and shoulder devil appear as Batman and his archnemesis The Joker.
• A webcomic called Shoulder Angels is set up at [1] , and is about a teenager and his moral dilemmas and his not-so-normal subconscious.
• Omishi Magical Theater: Risky Safety features a miniature angel-in-training and a shinigami-in-training, who attempt to gain promotions by helping or hindering a girl named Moe.
• The webcomic Boy Meets Boy has recurring shoulder entities for most of its main character, which interact with each other. The landlady of the main character has only a single shoulder demon, as her angel lost its job.
• In an episode of Family Guy Peter is faced with a dilemma, in which his shoulder demon pops up. The shoulder angel fails to show up, with the scene cutting to show that he is stuck in traffic. Later in the episode the shoulder angel appears, having just arrived to "work", and, humorously, when asked by Peter for the best course of action to take with Lois, the shoulder angel's own shoulder angel and demon appear.
• In another episode of Family Guy, Peter's wife, Lois, insists that Peter go to his friend Joe's house to cheer Joe up. Peter's shoulder angel appears and insists that Peter do the right thing and go cheer his friend up. Peter's shoulder demon then appears and encourages Peter to have a good time and "watch the game," whereupon the shoulder angel pulls out a gun, murders the shoulder demon, and makes Peter do the right thing, albeit at gunpoint.

• in the Tintin adventure, the Red Sea Sharks, captain haddock's shoulder angel tells him not to drink a bottle of whiskey, while his shoulder devil is telling him otherwise. the bottle falls and smashes, and the devil storms off.
• In an episode of The Simpsons (Treehouse of Horror VI) when the giant advertising statues are taking over Springfield the Devils statue receives advice from Bart about wheather to destroy Springfield Elementary who is on the shoulders of the devil as he plays both the angel and devil role. He gives him the same advice on both shoulders, to destroy the school.