"Kids Prefer Boxes, after all!"
Candace: I was wrong, Stacy. About everything. I'm not a grownup. I can't control mysterious forces. I can't even get my mom to see what my brothers are doing! ... Stacy, that's it! I can't get my mom to see what my brothers are doing!
Stacy: Candace, where are you going?
Candace: I'm gonna bust my brothers to my mom! And I'm gonna fail!
Stacy: Candace, where are you going?
Candace: I'm gonna bust my brothers to my mom! And I'm gonna fail!
Bob is in full Oh, Crap! mode, as he's in a situation where he and Alice are in deep trouble. But after a moment of thinking or talking, he realizes that this may very well be a blessing in disguise, or that there exists a solution he didn't think of before, and subsequently brightens up.
Sometimes combined with Repeat What You Just Said, when a listener realizes the good part before the speaker does. Related to Placebo Eureka Moment, when the person explaining gives the credit for the solution to the passive listener.
This is the inverse of Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!, and often related to a "Eureka!" Moment. Compare Again with Feeling, Bait-and-Switch, Berate and Switch. Can overlap with "Hell, Yes!" Moment.
Examples:
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Anime & Manga
- Samurai Pizza Cats: In "The Big Cheese's IQ Corral", Guru Lou gets the Pizza Cats to try out some of his new inventions, which all backfire on them. At the end of the episode, Bad Bird manages to steal Lou's box of inventions.
Speedy: Those weapons we tested were in there! [Beat] Super! That useless stuff'll give that turkey fits!
Comic Books
- Last of the Sandwalkers: Thinking all hope is lost, Lucy and crew joke about combining into a giant mecha to fly home. Then Lucy goes on a tangent about rebuilding Raef's rocket boosters into solar-powered turbines, and realizes that the plan might just work.
Comic Strips
- Calvin and Hobbes: In the "Calvin's Transmogrifier Gun" arc, a war between Calvin and Hobbes with the Transmogrifier Gun leaves Calvin stuck as an owl. He’s upset because it means that tomorrow he'll have to go to school as an owl, only for Hobbes to point out that owls don't go to school. Calvin is elated that he won't have to go to school anymore (but the transformation wears off while he's asleep).
Fan Works
- Heir of the Hound: When Bell realizes he is low on potions, he complains about having to see Naaza. Then he becomes ecstatic when he realizes he has an excuse to see Naaza and flirt with her some more.
- If Wishes Were Ponies...: While treed by a bunch of Timberwolves, Harry laments on the situation he and the CMC have wound up in, noting that it isn't much different from when Dudley used to chase him around, only now he's stuck by magical creatures. This reminds him that he is now a magical unicorn, and that Sweetie Belle is one, too. They combine their magic to cut the lower branches so they fall onto the Timberwolves, allowing the four children to escape.
- A Snow Queen In NYC: After he takes Elsa on her first tour of the Hidden City, Leonardo gets sidetracked... and she ends up accidentally using his sword to teleport away. Panicking, he runs to Señor Hueso for help. As he's telling the skeleton what happened, he sees Elsa sitting at the pizza counter and briefly greets her before going back to his explanation and asking Hueso for help... and then realizes that he already found her. Elsa wasn't mad at him and found the whole thing funny.
Leo: I brought my friend to the Hidden City because she’s never seen it before and I wanted to show it to her but there was an accident with my swords and now I don’t know what to do plus there’s some kind of tanuki yokai after her and I don’t know what he wants or if he’ll hurt her– Oh, hi, Elsa— and I’m starting to freak out a little bit so can you guys tell me if you’ve seen her... [does a Double Take] Elsa! [hugs her]
- Summit Apocalypse: When Himawari wants to adopt the stray cats that had decided to follow Anubis, he tries to deny that he wants them around, but then Himawari reminds him that their father has no issue with pets.
Oh. she was giving him an opening and plausible deniability. Huh. In that case... "Well, if you want to have them in the house so badly..." Anubis said blandly, suppressing an overly pleased smile. Himawari cheered in triumph and Anubis was content with his sneakiness. If he was caught petting them, he could just say that he was looking out for his sister's pets~. "Let's take them back." Papa could find out about it tomorrow, when it was too late to say anything but yes.
- Take the World by Storm
: When Vivi meets Robin (who she only knows as Miss All Sunday, at the moment), she panics, since Robin is The Dragon to Crocodile, the president of Baroque Works, the organization trying to take over her country, and the only one that knows Crocodile is said president - and then, she realizes that since Robin is the only person who knows Crocodile's identity, and since the Straw Hats were able to tell Vivi herself Crocodile was the president, Robin must be spying for them.
- Total Undead Drama: After Sadie is turned into a vampire by Storm and both of them go after Katie, Sadie tries to convince her to join them. Katie naturally at first is against the idea since, y'know, feeding on blood and becoming an undead monster and starts to list the "negatives" out loud.
Katie: Please, I don't wanna be a vampire, they're all grody and bitey for people's red juices. Not to mention always saying up all night and sleeping in during the day. And, no offense to your master here, he's cute, but we'd have share him as a boyfriend. Plus I'll never get any older and be, like 19 years old with some crazy superpowers with my best friend forever! [Beat]...Well I am already cornered and, admittedly, that hickey does look really cute on your neck.Sadie: I know, right!
- Untold, Retold: In "Sweetrobin's Upbringing", the canonically celibate maesters have been permitted to marry. Myrcella starts saying that, before seeking an annulment for her marriage to Robert Arryn, she should be examined by a maester to confirm her intact virginity. Then she realizes she is saying it to Maester Colemon — whom she is planning to marry after the annulment. She can't help but burst into a laugh.
Colemon: I think that in our case it would be more prudent to do it the other way round.
Film — Animated
- The Black Cauldron: After the Horned King is destroyed, his groveling lackey, Creeper, initially mourns the loss of his master... only for him to realize that his Bad Boss can't kick him around anymore.
Creeper: Oh, no! How... H-How horrible! Oh, Sire... He's... He's gone... [his eyes pop open, then he starts giggling] He's gone! HE'S GONE! [he hops away, cackling gleefully]
- A Bug's Life: While complimenting Flik on helping the "warriors" save Dot from a bird, Atta mentions that even Hopper is terrified of them. Flik starts humbly denying it... and then asks her to repeat herself. When she does, it gives him a "Eureka!" Moment and he races off to tell the circus bugs his latest plan.
- Finding Nemo: When Marlin and Dory are surrounded by a swarm of jellyfish, the ever-fearful Marlin panics while Dory blissfully bounces on their tops. Marlin tries to get Dory to stop, only to realize she's not getting hurt doing that and promptly comes up with the idea of inventing a "game" where they bounce on them to escape.
Marlin: [gasp] Dory! Dory! Don't bounce on the tops! They will... not... sting you. The tops don't sting you! That's it!
- The Great Mouse Detective: Basil, morose and despairing after being caught in Ratigan's trap, peps up again after Dawson suggests that if he's given up that they "might as well set it off now and be done with it." This inspires Basil to concoct an escape plan through a timed early triggering.
Basil: [morose] Hehe, set it off now... [eyes widen] Set it... off... now? [cackles with crazy eyes] Yes, we'll SET THE TRAP OFF NOW! [rapidly mutters calculations]
- Hercules (1997):
- When Pain and Panic fail to kill baby Hercules after removing his godhood, Panic lives up to his name, worried that Hades will find out. Pain adds in "If he finds out." Panic begins to freak again before he stops and agrees that "'If' is good."
Panic: Hades is gonna kill us when he finds out!
Pain: You mean if he finds out.
Panic: Of course he's gonna... If. "If" is good. - Happens again after Hercules punches Hades into the river Styx:
Panic: He's not gonna be happy when he gets outta there!
Pain: You mean if he gets outta there.
Panic: [nods] If. "If" is good.
- When Pain and Panic fail to kill baby Hercules after removing his godhood, Panic lives up to his name, worried that Hades will find out. Pain adds in "If he finds out." Panic begins to freak again before he stops and agrees that "'If' is good."
- Moana 2: When Moana tries to recruit Moni, he declines, saying that to find Maui, she'd need someone who knows the legends (he's the storyteller), who's strong (picks up a log bigger than himself), has great hair (does a Hair Flip)... and then realizes exactly who that applies to.
- Monsters Inc.: When Boo runs off from Sulley's watch, Mike is initially frustrated that he lost her again, only for him to realize that, since he wanted nothing to do with the kid to start with, she can now be someone else's problem.
Mike: I don't believe this! She got away from you again?! Well, that is just... Wait a minute. The sun is coming up. This is perfect! Ha-ha! She's gone!
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964): With the winter storm being too much for Santa to bear, he forlornly announces the cancellation of Christmas that year. His tone changes when Rudolph's lit-up nose starts acting up again, revealing the solution to the storm problem.
Santa: Rudolph, Rudolph, please, could you tone it down a bit? I mean that nose of yours, I... that nose! That beautiful, wonderful nose!
- The Secret Life of Pets: When Duke accidentally breaks a vase in Katie's apartment, Max worries about how his master will react... making him realize she's more likely to blame Duke, prompting him to start making a mess in the hope that it will get his new rival kicked out.
Max: Oh, Duke! Duke, Katie is not... Katie's gonna be so upset when she sees that! Katie's... [realizes] gonna flip out... when she sees how... you trashed her whole place.
Duke: Oh, it's just... it's just one vase.
Max: Is it, Duke? Is it?
Film — Live-Action
- Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: After Venessa is revealed to be a Fembot and explodes, Austin feels sad that his newly wedded wife wasn't real. And then, he realizes that her death means that their marriage is over and that he is single again.
Austin: I can't believe Vanessa, my bride, my one true love, the woman who taught me the beauty of monogamy, was a Fembot all along. Wait a tick, that means I'm single again! OH BEHAVE!
- Back to the Future: After the 1955 Doc discovers Marty's letter warning him about his death in 1985, he tears it up (although he puts the pieces in his jacket pocket when they're interrupted by a blown tree branch disconnecting their cable). But before Marty attempts to tell him out loud, the clock strikes 10:00 pm, giving them less than 4 minutes before the pivotal lightning strike, so Marty has to head for the planned starting point.
Marty: Dammit, Doc, why did you have to tear up that letter? If I only had more time... Wait a minute, I got all the time I want. I got a time machine! I can just go back early and warn him.
- Home Alone:
- Home Alone: After Kevin wakes up to find himself home alone, he's initially horrified that his wish for his family to "disappear" came true... only to remember the insults they heaped upon him the night before and decide he's better off without them.
Kevin: [smiling] I made my family disappear... I'm free!
- In Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Kevin (upon getting off the plane) learns that he ended up on the wrong flight, and is on the other side of the country from his family (who went to Florida). At first, he's upset (as he didn't want a repeat of what happened in the first film). However, since Buzz ruined the Christmas pageant the night before and let Kevin take the fall for it along with the fact Kevin wasn't keen on spending Christmas in Florida in the first place, he realizes that this might be for the better.
Kevin: [lamenting] My family's in Florida and I'm in New York... [coming to the realization]...My family's in Florida... [starts smiling]...and I'm in New York.
- Home Alone: After Kevin wakes up to find himself home alone, he's initially horrified that his wish for his family to "disappear" came true... only to remember the insults they heaped upon him the night before and decide he's better off without them.
- Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels: After several plotlines collide with spectacularly violent results, the one group that came out of it in one piece (Eddie, Bacon, Tom and Soap) starts taking stock of a day that has involved far too many bullet-riddled corpses for their liking...
Eddie: I don't know. What I do know is there's no more Harry. Which means there's no more debt. And if there's no more debt, there's no more problem. And there's no problem with the neighbors... because they're all dead. And I think, if I get this right, we haven't done anything wrong... we're in the clear.
- Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed: When they meet the Cotton Candy Glob, Shaggy and Scoob get scared of him, but then the Cotton Candy Glob introduces himself, Shaggy and Scooby initially look at each other confused, but then they realize that the Cotton Candy Glob is, well, cotton candy, so they gobble him up.
- Space Jam: As Mr. Swackhammer heaps scorn on the Monstars after they lose the big game, Michael Jordan feels bad for them and asks why they bother putting up with the guy. With that, they remember they're not the scrawny pipsqueaks they started as and promptly send Swackhammer packing. Doubles as Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap! as the Monstars do the explaining and Swackhammer gets an Oh, Crap! once it sets in for them that they can give him what for.
Michael: Why do you take it from this guy?
Bupkus: [cowering] Because he's bigger.
Pound: He's bigger?
Bang: Than we used... to be...
Monstars: Wait.....
Live-Action TV
- Frasier: In the Grand Finale, Frasier gets a call from Niles who he asks to speak up on account of the baby screaming in the background. Frasier doesn't even finish the sentence before the joy sets in when he realizes Niles' son has just been born.
Frasier: Hello? Well, finally, Niles! Stop babbling! Listen, Niles, you'll have to speak up, I can't hear you with that baby screaming in the backgr... [the realization hits him] Oh my God!
- Friends: When Monica is jealous that Phoebe and her new boyfriend are still in their “hot and horny for each other all the time" phase, she tries to get Chandler to keep up with them.
Chandler: Monica, I know you're competitive but this is nuts. To compete with another couple you wanna have sex over and over and, I'm saying no to this why?
- How I Met Your Mother: When Marshal and Lily are trying to have a baby, Lily wants to see a fertility specialist, but Marshal thinks they haven't been trying long enough.
Lily: Well, what are we supposed to do, just keep having unprotected sex over and over again in every position... This sounded worse in my head.
- Jeeves and Wooster: At the end of the first episode, Bertie is lamenting that the situation his friend got him into engaged his would-be in-laws...that he belatedly remembers he didn't want to be the son-in-law of in the first place. He quickly becomes elated and thanks his friend, and later Jeeves, for covertly arranging the situation in the first place.
- The Nanny: In "Oy Vey, You're Gay", after learning that the girl Maxwell's been pining for is gay, Fran worries about how Max is alone at a restaurant, vulnerable, and waiting to make a commitment to a woman. Cue a goofy look of realization and a scene cut to a dressed up Fran hailing a taxi.
- Sabrina the Teenage Witch (1996): In "What a Witch Wants", Sabrina, who is on a cruise to Bermuda, learns from Salem that witches who enter The Bermuda Triangle lose their magic powers, but being there also makes their every wish come true.
Salem: And your problem is?
Sabrina: My problem with this is that I've lost my magic, but all my wishes are coming true! [Beat] Oh... I guess I don't have a problem. - Suddenly Susan: When Jack was getting a divorce, he sold his car to Luis, intending to buy it back later, but Luis sold it to a film crew who wanted to blow it up.
Jack: You can't blow up that car, I have so many memories. I went on my first date with Margo in that car, I proposed to her in that car. On second thought, blow it up, blow it up real good.
- Superstore: In "Part Time Hires", recently-divorced mom Amy pours out her worries to manager Glenn that she fears she may have screwed up her daughter Emma, who has been acting different for a while. When Glenn points out that she's just behaving like a teenager, Amy protests that it's more than that and starts to reel off a list of Emma's issues, only to realize mid-sentence that she is, in fact, just describing a teenager.
Amy: She's secretive. She's distant. She doesn't listen to anything I say anymore oh my God I am stupid. She's a teenager. [sigh of relief] Thank you.
Video Games
- BioShock 2: One of Stanley Poole's audio diaries has him panicking upon hearing news that Sofia Lamb is getting out of jail and back into Rapture's public eye. Keep in mind that Stanley was sent by Andrew Ryan to infiltrate Lamb's cult to sabotage and discredit her, all the while hoping to build enough of a case for Ryan to lock her up with Lamb seemingly being none the wiser. With word of Stanley's deeds spreading fast in Dionysus Park, Stanley is at his wit's end, wondering if there's any solution to save his own skin. The idea of intentionally abusing faulty safety mechanisms in Dionysus Park to flood the entire region and kill off everyone inside slowly dawns on him...
Stanley Poole: So. Lamb broke out, and she's coming back. Wow. OK. Didn't see that coming, but OK. That is gonna be... what am I gonna do?! And I... I've heard some of these, a lot of these people down here, talking. Some of them I know saw the thing with Eleanor, and who knows who knows what! You can't just stop, you know, a whole... cult... from, from talking, can you?! Maybe you can. [Beat] Yeah. Maybe you can...
- PowerWash Simulator 2: During the Theater job, Derek Degas begins to vent at the Dirtfinder how his film Driving Me Barking ended up attracting the attention of some rather bored young people, instead of the all-ages family affair he was hoping it would become. It takes some ranting on his part before he realizes that this nevertheless led to his film becoming a success, albeit in a manner that he wasn't aiming for.
Derek Degas (10% completion): "OK, I suppose I was thinking big. Isn't that what you're supposed to do? Family blockbuster of the year. Four quadrant audience - a director's dream. But that's not how it panned out."
Derek Degas (50% completion): "The third night those same students came back, but this time they brought their friends - twenty of them, all mocking my work. Fourth night and there were forty, all crying with laughter."
Derek Degas (70% completion): "Suddy, I've just heard from the theater. They want to extend our run! By a month!? Apparently, we're all over the socials. Any idea what that means!?"
Derek Degas (post-completion): "Ok, people don't fully get my vision yet, but at least they're enjoying themselves. And you know what all this means, right? I can get straight to work on 'Driving Me Up the Wall', about an all-terrain vehicle powered by the brain of a gecko! "
Web Animation
- OverSimplified: In "Three Kingdoms: OverSimplified", Dong Zhuo arrives at the capital of China with his army and the child emperor in tow and finds the capital in flames. Then he reiterates those points, realizing that having the emperor and his army with him means he get to take over.
Dong Zhuo: Hey guys, how's it going? I see that the capital is on fire. Anyway, I'm here with my army, and I have the emperor with me. ...Wait a minute! The capital is on fire, I'm here with my army, and I have the emperor! Screw you guys! I'm in charge!
Webcomics
- Girl Genius: Lord Selnikov is initially dismayed to find that he's died and been brought back as a head in a jar, as none of his former social circle will want anything to do with him anymore due to bylaws among the nobility regarding resurrection, until he realises that he never liked any of them anyway.
Selnikov: None of my old friends will be in if I call (the wretched snobs). Even my wife won't—
[Beat]
Selnikov: Say — can I get a brass plate that says: "Reanimated Abomination of Science" bolted to my forehead? - Lil' Char and the Gang: Charmander is at first unimpressed when Squirtle tells him about the box Bulbasaur's family's new fridge came in, until he realizes the implications of a box the size of a fridge.
- Schlock Mercenary: Starting here, Captain Kaepu becomes angrier and angrier as different members of Tagan's Toughs walk in and start running different parts of his ship, until he realises something important...
Peri: Captain Kaepu, thank you so much for cooperating with us.
Kaepu: You never gave me any other choice. You have all the guns.
Peri: Because the owners of your lease might have been upset with you for letting us aboard.
Kaepu: Why? I didn't get to make that decision.
[Beat]
Kaepu: I didn't get to make that decision.
Peri: Our lawyer has been busy lately, but he's looking out for you.
Western Animation
- Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog:
- In "Momma Robotnik's Birthday", Dr. Robotnik's abusive mother, Momma Robotnik, escapes from the Mobius Home for Really Bizarre Mothers, scolds her son for failing to catch Sonic, and attempts to capture Sonic herself. After she fails and gets taken back to the home, Robotnik starts crying to his robotic childhood teddy bear, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, before realizing he's now free of her abuse.
Dr. Robotnik: Mama! No! She's gone. [he starts crying] She's gone, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, she's gooone! [he stops crying] Yeah. [smiling] She's gone!
- In "Big Daddy", Dr. Robotnik exiles Coconuts to a remote island as punishment for borrowing his Egg-O-Matic hovercraft without his permission and destroying it after a botched attempt to capture Sonic. On the island, Coconuts meets Boom-Boom, a baby gorilla who was separated from his father, Big Daddy, whom Robotnik had captured and hypnotized in his latest scheme to destroy Mobius. When Boom-Boom mistakes Coconuts for Big Daddy, he realizes he can use the primate to his advantage.
Coconuts: Stop calling me Daddy! What would I want with a two-ton baby ape who can lift giant rocks, fire bananas like a shotgun... Huh?... And help me capture that pesky hedgehog so Robotnik will take me back! Boom-Boom! My long-lost son!
- In "Momma Robotnik's Birthday", Dr. Robotnik's abusive mother, Momma Robotnik, escapes from the Mobius Home for Really Bizarre Mothers, scolds her son for failing to catch Sonic, and attempts to capture Sonic herself. After she fails and gets taken back to the home, Robotnik starts crying to his robotic childhood teddy bear, Fuzzy-Wuzzy, before realizing he's now free of her abuse.
- The Amazing World of Gumball: In "The Trumpet", Nicole needs to make sure Gumball makes something of himself, so he doesn’t become a freeloading slob. She gives Gumball an interest in the trumpet, however, Gumball isn't good at playing it. Nevertheless, Nicole supports him to pursue this talent, and he continues playing it, so much so he becomes an annoyance to the family, and gains a big ego. Eventually, when she sees how his trumpet playing has demotivated his other siblings from pursuing their talents and caused them to become lazy slobs, Nicole confronts Gumball to give his trumpet a break, but he callously dismisses her and plans to bring his "musical genius" to the world by performing at the school variety show. Nicole is bewildered that Gumball would perform to his school, and tries to warn him that he would be humiliated, but she cuts herself off as she realizes that by letting Gumball play his instrument to the world and fail, he would be so embarrassed that he would quit in shame, and leaves Gumball to practice with a smug smile.
Nicole: Gumball, you can't do the recital! You'll be publicly— [hears herself]
Gumball: ...Seen as the musical genius of our time? Yeah, I know! Now leave me to practice! - The Batman: When Harley Quinzel's show is canceled mid-air (as Harley had turned it into a massive joke for the sake of ratings), the Joker notes that she'll be feeling extremely vulnerable... and then remembers that he's in need of a new assistant.
Joker: Oh, the poor kid! Yanked in mid-show! She'll be an emotional wreck... [Starts smiling] Someone should take advantage of that.
- The Berenstain Bears Show: In the cartoon adaptation of "The Bad Dream", Brother Bear is explaining to Sister Bear the Nightmare Sequence he had about a bunch of Sleazos (a villain from a Show Within a Show) chasing him and a giant banana roll-up rolling towards him. He then decides that this was actually more funny than scary.
- Dexter's Laboratory: In "Dexter's Rival", Dexter meets his rival, Mandark, and he's so floored by Mandark's intelligence and more advanced laboratory that he powers down his own lab out of shame. But when Mandark becomes infatuated with Dexter's sister, Dee Dee, and he asks for advice on wooing her, Dexter imagines miniature versions of himself telling him not to even bother... until he realizes the one-girl demolition squad gives him an ideal method of revenge.
Little Dexter #1: No way! You don't owe that jerk any favors!
Little Dexter #2: That's right! He made you shut down your lab!
Little Dexter #3: He's right!
Little Dexter #4: Yeah!
Little Dexter #5: And besides, Dee Dee's hyper and clumsy and she would probably wreck Mandark's labor–
[their eyes widen, and they share a devious smirk] - Dragons: Riders of Berk: When Astrid becomes determined to fight the Flightmare (a very dangerous dragon that appears every decade or so with the arrival of the Northern Lights) in "Fright of Passage", Fishlegs and Hiccup try to talk her out of it. Fishlegs explains that her dragon, Stormfly, wouldn't be suited for the mission, as she'd need a dragon who's incredibly fast, intelligent, and practically invisible in the dark. Astrid gleefully realizes Fishlegs just described Toothless, and drags him and Hiccup along on her quest.
- DuckTales (1987): When Scrooge, Gyro, Launchpad, and Dufus search the bottom of the ocean for Scrooge's money bin, they discover the underwater city of Atlantis, which was built by mer-people out of garbage that has been dumped in the ocean, and they are not happy about their home being used as a garbage dump. They imprison the team for being surface-dwellers, and Gyro gets the idea to escape by getting the entire city to float to the surface.
Guard: COME BACK HERE WITH OUR... Trash? THANK YOU, SCROOGE MCDUCK!
- The Emperor's New School: In the finale "Graduation Groove", when Kuzco suddenly goes missing just a few days after graduation, Malina quickly figures it to be Yzma's doing and interrogates Kronk, pointing out how everybody knows he works for her. Kronk sadly tells her he doesn't anymore due to Yzma firing him after their recent success. It's upon saying he no longer works for Yzma that Kronk realizes he's free to tell Malina her plan, which he happily does.
- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends:
- In "Beat with a Schtick", Bloo tries to get himself evicted from Foster’s by Mr. Herriman so he won’t have to face the New Guy, a giant imaginary friend, in a fight. To get evicted, Bloo tells Herriman about some pranks he pulled, and how he’s getting in a fight later. When Herriman hears Bloo is fighting the New Guy, he says the New Guy would destroy Bloo, and then decides not to evict Bloo so that the blue thorn in his side will get killed.
- In "Camp Keep a Good Mac Down", Mr. Herriman joins Madame Foster, Mac, and the Imaginary Friends on a camping trip and leaves Frankie in charge of Foster's in their absence. Frankie is initially upset about Herriman leaving for two days, but then she suddenly realizes that during those two days, she's free from him bossing her around and is free to do whatever she likes.
Frankie: I can't believe Herriman left for two days. [Beat] Herriman left for two days! Woo-hoo!
- Futurama: Fry does it twice in "Space Pilot 3000":
- After waking up a thousand years in the future, Fry realizes that all the people he knows are dead... and lets out a joyous "Yahoo!" Considering how bad his 20th century life was, his reaction is understandable.
- Fry goes on the run because he's been assigned to be a delivery boy, a job he already had in the 20th century and hated. After getting taken in by his distant descendant Prof. Farnsworth and given a job at the latter's interstellar delivery company, he realizes he's become a delivery boy again – only this time he reacts with "All right! I'm a delivery boy!" It's not explicitly stated, but the prospect of being a delivery boy in space probably sounded more fun for him.
- The Garfield Show: In "Cuter Than Cute", Garfield gripes about how a new annoyingly cute kitten (actually an alien in disguise) has entered the Arbuckle household when Nermal is already visiting. However, while he gripes, he realizes that Jon mentioned the new kitten is even cuter than Nermal, and immediately delights in the idea that his obnoxious rival is about to be taken down a peg.
Jon: I know you don't like this, Garfield, but he's so cute! In fact, he's even cuter than Nermal!
Garfield: [groans] Why do we need another disgusting, cute — cuter than Nermal? This could be, uh... shall we say, interesting. [snickers] - Monsters vs. Aliens (2013): In "Vornicarn", when Coverton sees the alien huntress, Sta’abi, at Area Fifty-Something, he becomes terrified and starts talking about how her people are savage, pitiless warriors who can’t be trusted. Then, while Sta’abi fights all four members of Team Monster at once, Coverton starts saying how this proves she’s a savage, before realizing her fighting skills could be useful to him.
Coverton: [points at Sta’abi] Savage, you see! Look at her, effortlessly fighting [he smiles] all four… monsters… at once. I call that one for my team!
- The Simpsons:
- In the "Treehouse of Horror" segment "Island of Dr. Hibbert", Homer finds that everybody has been turned into animals by Dr. Hibbert. When they try to goad Homer into joining them, Homer desperately tries to speak reason to them all about how they shouldn't want to be stuck as animals on account of how all they do is eat, mate, and sleep. As Homer lists the reasons, he immediately asks Hibbert to make him an animal, too.
- In "Simpsorama", the Crossover with Futurama:
Bender: Well, little meatbag [Maggie], looks like it's just you and me, stuck in a horrible past... where I know the result of every horse race ever! To the track!
- SpongeBob SquarePants:
- In "Doing Time", Mrs. Puff ends up in jail thanks to SpongeBob's bad driving. As she tries to think of some positives to her situation, her entire outlook changes when she realizes she doesn't have to put up with that little yellow headache anymore.
Mrs. Puff: Let's see... I've got no more papers to grade. Yeah! [nervous giggle] I-In fact, n-no more work! No more boating school classes. No more driving, no more SpongeBob...
[a sonar pings as the realization dawns]
Mrs. Puff: [smiling] No more phone solicitors, no more SpongeBob, no more company potlucks, no more SpongeBob, no more road rage, no more SpongeBob, no more insurance payments, no more SpongeBob. No more SpongeBob! NO MORE SPONGEBOB! NO MORE SPONGEBOOOOB!!! ...I think I'm gonna like this place. - In "Krabby Road", Plankton escapes from prison and decides to form a rock band with SpongeBob and Patrick as part of his latest plan to steal the Krabby Patty formula. When SpongeBob decides to ask Squidward if he's interested in joining the band...
Squidward: Well, I could help you, but I wouldn't soil my art playing Rock-N-Roll; dressing all in black, wearing boots covered in spikes... playing enormous stadiums filled with screaming, adoring fans... clapping, demanding encores, cheering me... Oh, uh, changed my mind! I'll join your band and help you bottom-feeders! But I gotta get in shape first!
- The Inmates of Summer: Spongebob and Patrick end up getting on the wrong ship and going to a prison camp where they're mistaken for inmates. The warden's attempts to scare them keep backfiring as they're too oblivous, and, well dumb, to realize the situation they're in and end up having fun. When the Camp Counselor from where they were intended to go comes to the prison to pick them up and tells the Warden what they do at his camp (which is just simple camp activites for kids). The Warden cringes at the thought and claims that would be torture to someone as tough like him...and then realizes that would make a great way to punish his inmates. Ironcially, Spongebob and Patrick likewise don't find it as excitng as what they were doing at the prison either.
- In "Doing Time", Mrs. Puff ends up in jail thanks to SpongeBob's bad driving. As she tries to think of some positives to her situation, her entire outlook changes when she realizes she doesn't have to put up with that little yellow headache anymore.
- Steven Universe: After Blue Diamond kidnaps Greg, Steven panics about what she might do with him, suggesting things like eating him or putting him in a zoo. Pearl realizes that this is most likely what Blue Diamond did. She explains to Steven that Pink Diamond once kept a People Zoo, and that, should it still exist, then it is the best possible place for Blue Diamond to put a human she wanted to keep.