History Main / Birdcaged

* In the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'', "Sneaky, Lying, Cheating, Giant Ninja Koopas", the heroes, minus Mario, are placed in a giant parrot cage by a pack of recently giant-sized Koopa Kids. The cage in question belonged to the parrot owned by the Koopa Kids' captive, Prince Hugo the Huge of Giant Land. Being that it is Giant Land, the cage is more than large enough to fit all three of them.

* In the first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' the heroes, sans Mario, are placed in a giant parrot cage by a pack of recently giant-sized Koopa Kids.

* This happens to Mario's team in ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfSuperMarioBros3'' episode "Sneaky, Lying, Cheating, Giant Ninja Koopas". When Cheatsy, Big Mouth, Bully and Kooky are sent to capture Prince Hugo the Huge of Giant Land so King Koopa can transform him into a miniature poodle, they use the cage belonging to Prince Hugo's parrot to keep Luigi, Princess Toadstool and Toad locked in. Being that it is Giant Land, the cage is more than large enough to fit all three of them. Mario, however, escapes with the royal parrot and the two come up with a scheme to save Hugo the others and recover the cage. Mario, unfortunately, breaks it after rescuing Hugo and the others, at which point [[HereWeGoAgain Mario is stuck dealing with a Miserable, Squawking, Angry, Giant Ninja Parrot]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': Principal Prickly and T.J. are put in one in the school's cellar by Benedict and his anti-recess legion, [[spoiler:but Prickly managed to steal the keys before they were locked up in order to free themselves, though not before he gives T.J. a ReasonYouSuckSpeech of how GrowingUpSucks:]]

-->'''Principal Prickly:''' [[spoiler:I'll let you in on a little secret, Detweiler. Every adult you've ever known was a kid at some time in his life. You think we don't remember summer vacation? Riding bikes down by the creek, catching polliwogs in a jar, camping out under the stars? Well, you're wrong! Some days, I sit there in my office, looking out at you kids on the playground and I think, 'They don't know how good they got it. In a few years, they're all going to be grownups like me and all those good times will just be memories for them, too.' So go ahead. Put a whoopie-cushion in my chair. Cover my carpet with fake vomit. Make fun of my big, saggy butt. But don't you ever say I don't care about summer vacation, 'cause those memories are the last part of childhood I got left.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': Principal Prickly and T.J. are put in one in the school's cellar by Benedict and his anti-recess legion, [[spoiler:but Prickly managed to steal the keys before they were locked up in order to free themselves, though not before he gives T.J. a ReasonYouSuckSpeech of how GrowingUpSucks]]:
-->'''Prickly:''' I'll let you in on a little secret, Detweiler. Every adult you've ever known was a kid at some time in his life. You think we don't remember summer vacation? Riding bikes down by the creek, catching polliwogs in a jar, camping out under the stars? Well, you're wrong! Some days, I sit there in my office, looking out at you kids on the playground and I think, 'They don't know how good they got it. In a few years, they're all going to be grownups like me and all those good times will just be memories for them, too.' So go ahead. Put a whoopie-cushion in my chair. Cover my carpet with fake vomit. Make fun of my big, saggy butt. But don't you ever say I don't care about summer vacation, 'cause those memories are the last part of childhood I got left.

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': Principal Prickly and T.J. are put in one in the school's cellar by Benedict and his anti-recess legion, [[spoiler:but Prickly managed to steal the keys before they were locked up in order to free themselves, though not before he gives T.J. a ReasonYouSuckSpeech of how GrowingUpSucks]].

* ''WesternAnimation/RecessSchoolsOut'': Principal Prickly and T.J. are put in one in the school's cellar by Benedict and his anti-recess legion, [[spoiler:but Prickly managed to steal the keys before they were locked up]].

* ''Series/{{Lost}}'': During the first few episodes of the third season The Others lock Sawyer and Kate in large outdoor cages that were built by the Dharma Intiative to contain the polar bears they were experimenting on.

* During ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline''[='s=] "Fairy Dance" arc, Asuna is held prisoner in a [[GildedCage luxurious]] human-sized bird cage atop TheWorldTree of ''Alfheim Online'', not only behind bars, but unable to log out from the virtual reality game.

** After Professor Ratigan [[NotTheFallThatKillsYou survives his fall from Big Ben by landing into Cat R. Waul's sandwich]] in the prologue, he falls unconscious. He wakes up caged in a birdcage, aboard a ship sailing to America and being [[VillainTeamUp offered by Waul a partnership (which he accepts)]].

* In ''Heart of Fire'', the first part of ''Fanfic/TheHeartTrilogy'', Smaug first captures Kathryn because of her beautiful singing. The dragon initially keeps the human female locked in a giant birdcage until he's convinced that keeping her in the cage won't do good to her singing voice. He returns her to the cage after her failed escape attempt, but they soon make a truce, and the cage is never again used.

* An episode of ''Series/{{Lost}}'' incorporates Sawyer locked away in one.

This becomes even more common when a character is shrunk or otherwise much smaller than their captor(s).

* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Valiant}}'', the one captured in the first few minutes of the film [[spoiler: and Bugsy]] were, naturally, imprisoned in a birdcage. Justified as they are birds and all.

* In ''Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife The Videogame'', there is a group of sailors who are trapped in a birdcage.
* In the video game adaptation of ''VideoGame/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream'', AM, when not [[StealthPun playing games]] with them, holds his 5 human playthings in birdcages, each one [[TailorMadePrison specifically built to exploit the weaknesses of whoever is inside.]]

* In an ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', [[https://www.egscomics.com/sketchbook/2020-006 filler comic]], Sarah is shrunk and put in a birdcage for breaking the rules of the party she's at.

* Happens to Wilykat in the ''WesternAnimation/{{ThunderCats|1985}}" episode "The Tower of Traps". While investigating the titular tower, he gets caught in a trap which leaves him imprisoned in a cage suspended from the treasure room's ceiling. Lion-O and Wilykit must get past the rest of the traps and reach the top of the tower in order to rescue him.

* ''Film/ThorRagnarok'': At the beginning of the slapstick comedy, Thor is chained in Surtur's bird cage. He is telling someone a story, who turns out to be just a skeleton.

* When Tristran gets turned into a mouse in ''Literature/{{Stardust}}'', this happens to him.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman1987'': When [[ComicBook/WonderWoman Diana]]'s supporting characters come tearing after her to save her from Neron he puts Cassie and ComicBook/{{Artemis}} in giant spiky birdcages to watch as he tortures their friends.

* We get two examples of this trope in ''Fanfic/OliviaGoesWest'', a crossover between ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective'' and ''WesternAnimation/AnAmericanTail''.

* In ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', one of the things [[spoiler:Jafar does after taking control of the lamp is to turn Rajah, Jasmine's pet tiger, [[FountainOfYouth back into a cub]]. Rajah is later seen imprisoned in a birdcage.]]

* ''Disney/TheLionKing'': When Scar takes over Pride Rock, he traps Zazu inside an animal's ribcage. Also this seems to also be to keep the hyenas ''out'', as they would likely eat Zazu if nothing else was available.