Daria and Jane hosting the 1998 MTV Daria Day Marathon
“Off-Canon” Canon is an old fandom nickname any official (i.e., MTV-produced) Daria material that is incompatible with the depiction of the characters and setting of that series as reasonably realistic and consistent from episode to episode. In short, it violates canon.
Daria: Real Character or Cartoon Actress?
Daria enjoys her moment in the spotlight
Dear Diarrhea
The first example of off-canon canon was the Beavis and Butt-head comics, where Daria "answered" the fan mail in two issues: the letters pages were renamed Dear Diarrhea and Dear Diarrhea, Number Two for the occasion. Daria was in character and giving in-universe answers, but was still aware she was a character in a comic.
Beavis and Butt-head Do Thanksgiving with Kurt Loder
When asked by MTV's Kurt Loder about their upcoming final episode, the two buttmunches revealed:
- Beavis: We had this cast party afterwards, and I got so drunk even Daria looked good.
Butt-head claims Beavis didn't get drunk, which is probably a good thing for Daria.
Daria and Jane as Show Hosts
Were Daria Morgendorffer and company acting out of character when they appeared as hosts of their own show, violating the fourth wall? Were they "actors" or "real people" in the manner in which the show portrayed them? Fans tend to ignore Daria and Jane Lane's appearances as hosts, though important information has been given out during such appearances. While talking between episodes on MTV's "Daria Day" marathon in February 1998 (transcript at link), Daria and Jane revealed their ages during the first season (16), Trent's age (21), and Quinn's age (14.5), and appeared to confirm that the family relationships seen on the show exist even off-screen. Daria is usually portrayed exactly in character during such appearances (e.g., MTV's Cool Crap Auction), though she is also aware that she is an animated character. Daria even introduced the band Garbage (also in animated form, and flying around Times Square in NYC) at the beginning of the TV premiere of Is It College Yet? in January 2002.
Quinn and Helen between takes in Is It Fall Yet?
Is It Fall Yet?
As shown here, a variety of alter-ego pictures supplied with the movie Is It Fall Yet? show the characters of the series as movie actors. The actors are shown clowning for the camera in some, or having problems like tripping or being hit by falling scenery. The effect is quite jarring for viewers accustomed to a "realistic" show.
The cover for the original DVD/VHS releases of the movie features Daria on a movie/TV set, sitting in a "Star" chair, backed by several setting boards and multiple copies of her signature outfit. In the run-up to the film, Daria wrote about the production.
Interviews and Essays
Daria has been "interviewed" several times in the media about her series. One excellent example is the CBS Early Show interview from 2002, with real-life show host, Jane Clayson. Daria has also written a number of short essays that appear on the "World According to Daria" section of the MTV Daria site, as well as Movie Review 2001, and several of them show she's aware of being a cartoon character (yet apparently still part of the "real world"). In the final essay, she discusses her plans to escape cancellation and appear in other MTV shows.
After the airing of Is It Fall Yet?, MTV had Daria, Jane, Quinn, Trent, and Tom answer fans' questions in a live online chat.
In 2011, the website Racked interviewed Daria about her "Greatest Retail Regret". In 2012, Daria wrote an essay for The Huffington Post, "What I Think About Valentine's Day", which identifies her as a "Philosopher and former TV star".
Jane Lane bonks her head on a microphone, one of a series of "outtake" alter-ego shots seen at the end of Is It Fall Yet?
Fantasy Episodes and Scenes
Though Daria was a fairly realistic animated show, certain episodes raised the ire of some fans because of their fantastic events. The most notorious of these are "Depth Takes a Holiday", with popular holidays appearing as disgruntled teenagers and an alternate dimension existing, and "Daria!", where everyone sings. A lot of fans have declared these as 'off canon canon' and tried to find explanations, ranging from Daria writing them to Daria being ill & having a weird dream.