History Main / BlatantBurglar

Subtrope of MalevolentMaskedMen and StockCostumeTraits. A RascallyRaccoon may be this due to how a raccoon looks. HighlyVisibleNinja, InstitutionalApparel, ConspicuousTrenchcoat, and HighlyConspicuousUniform are related tropes. Mostly a DeadHorseTrope, [[DeadUnicornTrope if it was ever taken seriously]].

* ''[[ComicBook/{{Asterix}} Asterix in Britain]]'' features [[http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/11/35/67/80/voleur10.jpg an unnamed thief wearing a domino mask]]. In a setting supposed to be ancient Celtic England.

* ''[[ComicBook/{{Asterix}} Asterix in Britain]]'' features [[http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/11/35/67/80/voleur10.jpg an unnamed thief wearing a domino mask.]] In a setting supposed to be ancient Celtic England.

* The one time it actually makes sense for a burglar to be dressed this way is if he just escaped from prison: he doesn't have a lot of wardrobe options until he burgles some different clothing ... though in some cases it might be easier to explain away nudity than whatever the local distinctive "this man is a prisoner" outfit (stripes, arrows, orange jumpsuit) is.

* A commercial from Canada involves a man coming out of a store and putting on his ski mask because it's so cold, then being promptly arrested by cops who confused him for an actual thief. (HarsherInHindsight given what happened to Afro-American musician Elijah [=McClain=]; someone called 911 seeing him dancing to music on his ipod while wearing a ski mask.)

** In "The Great Snail Race," Patrick mistakes a referee for a burglar due to his striped shirt.

* ''ComicBook/WonderWomanBlackAndGold: "The Golden Age", a story set in 1948, has a trio of bank robbers dressed in stereotypical bank robber getup of domino masks, black and white striped shirts, and a flat cap on one of them.

** Assassins have the same deal with the Assassins Guild. They have to [[HighlyVisibleNinja wear all black (like a stereotypical ninja outfit), even when it makes them easier to see]]. Though, in their case, it's a matter of ''style'' rather than it actually being illegal for them to wear something other than black.[[note]]There's also a bit of PragmaticVillany; their 'clients' are allowed a chance to defend themselves, and being visible, even slightly, qualifies as a chance. Otherwise everyone would hide behind locked doors with a crossbow in their hands at all times.[[/note]]

** Assassins have the same deal with the Assassins' Guild. They have to [[HighlyVisibleNinja wear all black (like a stereotypical ninja outfit), even when it makes them easier to see]]. Though, in their case, it's a matter of ''style'' rather than it actually being illegal for them to wear something other than black.

* WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants has quite a few of these such as in the episode "Bubble Buddy". "Here at the Krusty Krab, everybody's money is good here!" (Cue to shot of bank robber eating Krabby Patty.)

* You play as one in ''Robbery Bob.'' However, he subverts many personality types associated with this trope (Aside from being somewhat dimwitted,) being fairly sweet, usually stealing easily-replaced objects, and having a surprisingly strong sense of justice, shown when he preforms a KarmicTheft on most of the villains at the end of every chapter.

* The Beagle Boys from ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' are the trope image. In addition to wearing {{Domino Mask}}s [[TwentyFourHourArmor every day]], they also are dressed in prisoner's caps and wear plates with prison inmate numbers across their chests.

* A commercial from Canada involves a man coming out of a store and putting on his ski mask because it's so cold, then being promptly arrested by cops who confused him for an actual thief.

** A recent Volkswagen commercial for the New Beetle convertible has a variation: A man wearing a black ski mask walks into a convenience store, take an armful of snacks, pay for them, then leave, then be told by his friends - also wearing ski masks - in their (top down) New Beetle convertible that he left his mask on. He tells his friends they should probably go.

* WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants has quite a few of these such as in the episode "Bubble Buddy". "Here at the Krusty Krab, everybody's money is good here!" (Cue to shot of bank robber eating Krabby Patty.)

* In the UK, Europe, and certain older works, the mandatory dress code is a DominoMask, a black and white striped shirt, a flatcap, and a ThiefBag (often marked "Swag" for extra honesty) slung over the shoulder. [[InstitutionalApparel Note that the black and white stripes are trademark old prisoner dress, implying one is dressing like one has already been caught and jailed.]] An even older variation is to give them a prison uniform covered in arrows (which is still popular with [[ComicBook/TheBeano certain children's comics]]).
* In North America, expect to see black clothes and either a ski mask, a flatcap (sometimes called a newsboy cap in the US) or a tuque/beanie. Gloves, a heavy coat and a crowbar are optional, but there's always a ski mask or a beanie. This is perceived as being more "realistic", since it actually covers the face. [[StockingMask Pantyhose is also common.]]

* The Hamburglar from Advertising/McDonaldland wears a domino mask and a costume with black-and-white horizontal stripes. One commercial claimed he wore an all-black costume when he first came to [=McDonaldland=], until one of his hijinks turned it striped. His frequent mutterings of "robble robble robble" don't exactly help to hide his intentions, either.

** A recent Volkswagen commercial for the New Beetle convertible has a variation: A man wearing a black ski mask walks into a convience store, take an armful of snacks, pay for them, then leave, then be told by his friends - also wearing ski masks - in their (top down) New Beetle convertible that he left his mask on. He tells his friends they should probably go.

* ''Anime/ParanoiaAgent'' had a retired policeman end up working on a construction site with a retired BlatantBurglar. [[GenreSavvy The burglar only dressed the way he did because he was imitating the way burglars were always depicted as looking]]. They both have a good laugh about how silly it seems now, and reminisce about the good old days.

* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation:'' In [[Recap/ParksAndRecreationS04E19 "Live Ammo"]] When checking out Tom's apartment Leslie wears her "Sneak-Around clothes", which consist of a black trenchcoat with matching fedora and accesorized heels.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDKNpVRwdtU The best variation of that sketch]] was when he called out to someone from the second floor window to please hold the ladder for him as he climbed down. Of course, as he exits, the person can suddenly see that he is dressed as a burglar and carrying a bag marked "swag". To top it all off, he then ran off down the street shouting about how he and "that guy" just burgled the house.

-->'''Michael:''' I never run around in the bushes in a ski-mask when I'm breaking in someplace. If somebody catches you, whaddya gonna say? You want to look like a legitimate visitor until the very last minute. If you can't look legit, confused works almost as well. Maybe get a soda from the fridge, or a yogurt. If you're caught, you just act confused and apologize like crazy for takin' the yogurt and nothing could be more innocent.

* In the video for "Shut up" by British group Music/{{Madness}} there is a multitude of striped shirts, domino masks, bowler hats and gloves. Also a terrifying checked car-dealer suit that looks truly dishonest. The lyrics are generally about criminal enterprises and actually start "I tell you I didn't do it 'Cause I wasn't there!".

* ''VideoGame/SlyCooper'': The titular character wears a dark blue variation on the flatcap-and-prison-shirt motif, with a black domino mask, in spite of the fact that he's a raccoon character whose markings look like that anyway. The outfit is basically just another way of saying, "I'm so good at what I do, I can ''advertise'' what I am and still get away with it."

* The Beagle Boys from ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' are the trope image. In addition to wearing {{Domino Mask}}s [[TwentyFourHourArmor every day]], they also are dressed in prisoner's caps, and wear plates with prison inmate numbers across their chests.

* When the title characters' clothes and sword were stolen in the ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' episode "Jack is Naked", he gave chase and ended up in a peculiar land. He ran into one of these types of crooks, and had to borrow his clothes (mask included... seriously, Jack, this didn't tip you off to anything?). Only later does he find out his mistake, as he'd usurped clothes from a [[{{Pun}} cat burglar]].

* The Trolls in ''WesternAnimation/GummiBears'' are like the fantasy version of the Beagle Boys: they wear bandit masks and use road bandit cloth all the time. Disregarding the fact that they ARE trolls (small green humanoids) and can easily be recognize.

* The Hamburglar from Advertising/McDonaldland wears a variation on the striped-shirt outfit.

* ''Franchise/{{LEGO}}'' are known for using this trope to identify criminal minifigures, especially in their City line.

Subtrope of MalevolentMaskedMen and StockCostumeTraits. HighlyVisibleNinja, InstitutionalApparel, ConspicuousTrenchcoat, and HighlyConspicuousUniform are related tropes. Mostly a DeadHorseTrope, [[DeadUnicornTrope if it was ever taken seriously]].