History Main / BedsheetLadder

* In ''Irma La Douce'' Nestor Patou is put in jail for "murdering" his alter ego "Lord X" after being caught throwing the Lord's clothing into the Seine when he tired of the pretense. The local bartender, Moustache brings him a bunch of Irma's trademark green silk stockings. When he asks why Moustache says that if he doesn't want them then he should throw them out the window. He finally gets the hint and makes his escape later that day.

* Nicely subverted by ComicStrip/ModestyBlaise; she carefully keeps track of the guard rotations and uses equipment specially [[VictoriasSecretCompartment smuggled in her bra]] to saw through the bar. When the guard sees the Bedsheet Ladder and rushes into the cell, she brains him from behind with the cut out bar. Now she has the run of the place to recon the real escape before hiding in the neighboring cell.

* ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'': Jason places a ladder constructed of tied together handkerchiefs in Quincy's cage, along with a book on lock picking and a few paperclips and hair clips, in an attempt to create plausible deniability when turns the iguana loose in Paige's sleepover.

* ''Webcomic//TheWorldIsFlat'' depicts this [[http://theworldisflatcomics.tumblr.com/post/141107098814/moonlighting-as-a-dinosaur-i-recently-surpassed here.]]

* Parodied on ''MarriedWithChildren'', as Al tries to escape from his greedy family by climbing down a rope made of toilet paper. It works, even though there's no way it could have supported his weight, but Peg and the kids catch him trying to sneak out anyway.

* During a particular MacGyver-ish escape attempt from Dannemora prison, an inmate carved the keys he needed from observing the guard's keyring, built a dummy, then tried to climb over the wall with a rope made from bedsheets and clothes. He wasn't, however, bulletproof.

->'''Hobbes:''' We're going out the window?
->'''Calvin:''' We're going out the window.

The second snag that never occurs should be getting the window open. Has no one ever heard of glass, locks, or bars? (Of course, if they have, the solution may be for someone to send them [[JailBake a cake with a file in]].)

Note: This was tested by the ''Series/MythBusters'' and ''confirmed''-- Grant was able to climb down a 14-story building using a rope made from prison bedsheets. Kari did it with [[RapunzelHair human hair plaited into a rope]], while Tory did the same thing with ''toilet paper''.

** ''WebVideo/YuGiOhTheAbridgedSeries''' take: [[DidntThinkThisThrough "I probably should have thought this throoooooouugh!"]]
*** "Oof! I sure am glad I'm a cartoon!"

* Euphemia uses one in her debut episode of ''CodeGeass''. It's about two stories too short, so of course [[MeetCute she falls into the arms of her future romantic interest]].
* In ''IppatsuKikimusume'', Kunyan is stuck in the restroom. To get out, she braids a rope out of toilet paper. It works, but about halfway down, rain dissolves the paper so yeah...

[[folder:Fan Fic]]
* Calvin uses this a few times in ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries''.
* Harry attempts this in ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9300041/2/In-Betweens-Book-5-What-Ifs In Betweens: Book 5 What-Ifs]]'' when his uncle has men from St. Brutus' Secure Center for Incurably Criminal Boys come to pick him up, but doesn't get very far down it before they drag him kicking and screaming from his excuse for a room.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]

[[folder:Film - Live Action]]

* ''Film/JamesBond''

* Done with a rope in the MarxBrothers ''HorseFeathers'' - Chico and Harpo are locked into an upstairs room by the rival football team, but Harpo luckily has a large piece of rope in his coat. Chico tells him "Tie on-a the bed, throw out the window!" Harpo takes off his tie, drops it on the bed, and throws the rope out the window.

[[folder: Folk Tales]]
* "Literature/{{Rapunzel}}, Rapunzel, let down your [[RapunzelHair hair]]!" Slightly unusual in that the braid was also the only way ''up'' the tower, and it was intended for other people to access said tower.
** The main illustrations that show her wrapping it about some kind of hook are wise. The hair could probably take the weight; it's keeping the weight from unrooting your hair that's the problem, and a hook would do it.
** Creator/TheBrothersGrimm have the prince bringing her stuff to make a replacement rope when she gives the game away. Apparently he never thought of just bringing ''a rope''.
[[/folder]]

* In Creator/StephenKing's ''Literature/TheEyesOfTheDragon,'' a prince attempts this with individual threads of the napkins. Guess whether he succeeded or not.
** This being Stephen King, [[spoiler: he has to jump the last 50 feet or so.]]

* This is NOT done in ''TheShieldOfStars''. The main character escapes through a trapdoor. However, he thoughtfully makes a rope blanket and tosses it out the window anyway, just in case the guards thought he really was stupid enough to try that death-defying drop onto jagged rocks. (And lucky enough to survive, too!)

* In Literature/TheBible itself, Michal helps her beloved David escape her father King Saul's wrath with this trick. She also sticks a human-sized idol in his bed so she can tell her father's messengers he's sick and still asleep.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's "Literature/TheSlitheringShadow", ConanTheBarbarian uses a tapestry instead of sheets.

* ''Literature/JamesBond''

[[folder:Live Action TV]]
* A rare subversion occurred on ''Series/JeevesAndWooster'' when Gussie wanted to use Bertie's sheet to escape. Bertie refused to let him, as much because it wouldn't work as because he didn't want his sheets dirty and knotted.
** To be fair, Bertie's been known to use his sheets for the same purpose. At least in [[Literature/JeevesAndWooster the books]].

-->'''Steed''': How did you get out?
-->'''Mrs. Peel''': I knotted some sheets and climbed out the window.
-->'''Steed''': Oh, that old thing.
-->'''Mrs. Peel''': Well, originality didn't seem important at the time.

[[folder:Machinima]]
* Referred in episode 42 of ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'', when Church and Grif were trapped in a cell and left to die.
-->'''Church''': We gotta find a way to escape, Grif.
-->'''Grif''': If only we had bedsheets.
-->'''Church''': There's no window. What good is tying together bedsheets gonna do us?
-->'''Grif''': Who said anything about tying them together? I wanna take a nap. If I have to die of hunger, I wanna do it in my sleep.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
* Nicely subverted by ComicStrip/ModestyBlaise; she carefully keeps track of the guard rotations and uses equipment specially [[VictoriasSecretCompartment smuggled in her bra]] to saw through the bar. When the guard sees the Bedsheet Ladder and rushes into the cell, she brains him from behind with the cut out bar. Now she has the run of the place to recon the real escape before hiding in the neighboring cell.
* One ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip had Calvin use one of these to sneak out of the house and phone his dad that "It is now three in the morning. Do you know where I am?"
* Nasty uses one to escape from Hunter Yurk's compund in ''TerryAndThePirates''.
* The escape-obsessed crayfish in ''ComicStrip/{{Swamp}}'' escapes from his tank in one strip by tying all of the diner's dishcloths together into a rope.
* ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'': Jason places a ladder constructed of tied together handkerchiefs in Quincy's cage, along with a book on lock picking and a few paperclips and hair clips, in an attempt to create plausible deniability when turns the iguana loose in Paige's sleepover.
[[/folder]]

* ''WebComic/{{Precocious}}'': [[http://www.precociouscomic.com/archive/comic/2011/02/23 All she wanted to do]]. Which is why her parents planted roses under the window.

* In ''WereAlive'' one of these was used to escape the hospital in Chapter 23. [[spoiler: Unfortunately it broke, leaving Angel and Burt trapped.]]

* WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck does it to escape from gangsters in the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes short ''Golden Yeggs'', but the bottom half of the ladder turns out the be the gangsters themselves.
** Did anyone else find it particularly funny that, as a ''duck'', there's no real reason for him to bother with the rope in the first place...
** In ''Porky Pig's Feat'', Daffy and Porky use one to try and escape a hotel without paying. The hotel manager catches them at the bottom and gives Porky a hotfoot that sends them flying back up the Bedsheet Ladder to their room.
*** Daffy stops along the way to ogle in a window and wolf whistle - going down and again going back up.
* In the [[ClassicDisneyShorts Mickey Mouse cartoon]] ''Ye Olden Days'', when rescuing Princess Minnie Mickey is surprised to find that there is no prearranged rope in the tower she's locked away in, so he constructs one out of lady in waiting Clarabelle Cow's many articles of clothing. The couple is caught on their way down while passing the King's window.

* In ''WesternAnimation/PuffTheMagicDragon and the Incredible Mr. Nobody,'' Terry, after being told by his parents that his eponymous imaginary friend isn't real, and unable to find him after that talk, runs away to find his friend by making a bedsheet rope and climbing out the window. But since his friend wasn't there to help him tie the knots, the rope comes apart, and he lands in Puff's waiting arms. They go on a journey and eventually find Mr. Nobody, and Terry resolves his issues. [[spoiler:Then it's revealed that he actually landed in the lilac bush outside his window and had been [[AllJustADream knocked out the whole time]].]]

* ''BobsBurgers'': Linda turns their home into a bed-and-breakfast and manically insists their guests participate in her 'fun' activities - when she locks the guests in their rooms, a couple try a bedsheet ladder escape, but need to ask for help when the ladder is too short.

* Riley attempted this from ''TheBoondocks''. This literally backfired as Huey lit the rope on fire. Riley immediately retreated to his room.

* In one episode of ''ILoveLucy'', Lucy attempts to escape from an alleged apartment fire via a ladder made of bedsheets. While they unloop while she's climbing down, her fall is broken by the apartment building canopy. There are other reasons for hijinks, though, which do ensue.

* ''BobsBurgers'' - Linda turns their home into a bed-and-breakfast and manically insists their guests participate in her 'fun' activities - when she locks the guests in their rooms, a couple try a bedsheet ladder escape, but need to ask for help when the ladder is too short.

* ''BobsBurgers'' - Linda turns their home into a bed-and-breakfast and manically insists their guest participate in 'fun' activities - when she locks the guests in their rooms, a couple try a bedsheet ladder escape, but need to ask for help when the ladder is too short.

* Subverted in the first ''Film/CharliesAngels'' movie, Bosley tries this one, but the Thin Man happened to be stationed below the window the ''BedsheetLadder''.

* In the 12th episode of ''MacrossFrontier'', Alto used a bedsheet ladder to escape the custody of a rogue Zentradi group. It looked somewhat realistic because they were kept on a second floor only, in a ''very'' makeshift cell, guarded by not terribly determined guards, and all that on a military base full of 20-meter-tall soldiers armed to the teeth.

* In ''JunjouRomantica'', Usami's brother Haurhiko locks Misaki [[LockingMacGyverInTheStoreCupboard in a store room where bedsheets are kept]] (alongside a desk full of notebooks that Usami wrote stories in as a kid). Misaki soon sees his way out, though the sheets rip causing him to fall and sprain his ankle.

The second snag that never occurs should be getting the window open. Has no one ever heard of glass, locks, or bars?

Contrast INeedNoLadders.

* One of the craftable items in the prison-break game ''The Escapists'', called the "Sheet Rope." It's used to descend from rooftops.

* In ''{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=3155 Fuschia's escape]].

* In ''Literature/TheShadowOverInnsmouth'' by HPLovecraft, the protagonist escapes from an upper story of the HellHotel by using the drapes as a ladder.