History Main / CoatfullOfContraband

This is a visual way of establishing [[BlackMarket a place]] or person as being shady. Often will be parodied by replacing the watches with whatever item likely to make the people around him go {{Squee}} and have a {{Nerdgasm}}. Another common variant is for the seller to be wearing numerous wristwatces on the same arm, pushing up his sleeve to display them.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' once declared his intention to go into the business of "black-market kittens", complete with a trenchcoat with Nermal hanging inside. [[FridgeLogic Never you mind where he got it]].

-->''WesternAnimation/{{Robots}}''

* ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'': The Strong Bad Email "licensed" has Strong Bad explaining how he and The Cheat have lent their likenesses to "officially licensed unlicensed merchandise" that is required to be sold this way. Bubs, an ''unlicensed'' unlicensed seller, is selling this way, but his goods are actually of a higher quality than what he sells at the concession stand.

'''Bubs:''' Exactly! I got a rep-uh-tation to uphold!\\
'''Bubs:''' Oh. Uh... I'm a public flasher!

->'''The [[AnimateInanimateObject Watches]]:''' ''[[LampshadeHanging Don't buy us! We're fakes!]]''

* One of the generic henchmen ''Where In The [=USA=] Is Franchise/CarmenSandiego'' was a very sneaky, sleazy-looking guy who opened his trenchcoat to reveal sparkling, gleaming watches.

* A RunningGag in ''TheWizardOfId'''s early days had one of these guys scamming Sir Rodney with items that were [[ExactWords always exactly what he'd said they were]], but naturally, never what he'd ''implied'' ("racy French postcards" that turned out to be of [[AnachronismStew the Tour De France]], for example).

[[folder: Film - Animated ]]

[[folder: Film - Live Action ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

[[folder: Machinima ]]

* ''Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers'': Parodied in "Desert Head". A Bandit and his 3 other friends tricked Mario into getting attacked, and then they later throw him into [[spoiler:the pyramid where he met Oscarm and John Gayham (who hosts a strange game called [[ShowWithinAShow Pyramid Puzzle]]), respectively]]. The lead Bandit acts shady as first, but then he demands money when Mario comes to him.
--> '''Bandit:''' Hey buddy over here!
--> '''Mario:''' Ohh a drug dealer! Sure I'll come! ''(cut to another shot with himself, Bandit and 3 other Bandits)'' So what you got? Weed? Cocaine? Some sort of thing you found off the ground? I'll sell you this [[spoiler:Chinese]] fish behind me for all you got!
--> '''Bandit:''' No! We just want to know...do you have any money?
--> '''Mario:''' Well look in the top right corner idiot! Do I have any?
--> '''Bandit 2:''' Wow!! [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall Look he has 972 coins]]!!!
--> '''Bandit 1:''' Shh I know what to do... [[RougeAnglesOfSatin ATTT]][[SuddenlyShouting ACK]]!!!

[[folder: Magazines ]]

* The Polish computer magazine ''Bajtek'' had a regular section devoted to prices of used electronics at the bargain market. It was accompanied by a drawing of a shady trenchcoated guy with keyboards, motherboards etc. inside his coat.

[[folder: Music ]]

* "Life Is a Carnival" by Music/TheBand. "Hey buddy, would you like to buy a watch real cheap?"
* In one of Creator/CheechAndChong's "Pedro & the Man" skits, the duo are approached in their stalled car by a Harlem youth offering them a watch, a transistor radio and a diamond ring.
-->'''Youth''': Check it out, only real diamonds can cut glass!\\
'''Pedro''': Hey, look what you did to my windshield, man!
* Dan The Automator's mixtape ''Wanna Buy A Monkey?'' (named after the David Letterman line from ''Cabin Boy'').
* The video for Music/WeirdAlYankovic's ''White and Nerdy'' had him buying ''Film/TheStarWarsHolidaySpecial'' from such a vender.
* Music/JoeJackson is depicted wearing such a coat [[http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7020/6620311225_b1f489ac62_b.jpg on the cover]] of his album ''I'm the Man''.

[[folder: New Media ]]

* [[http://th04.deviantart.net/fs71/PRE/i/2012/116/3/1/shady_the_drug_dealer_by_tokkiko-d4xn9oh.png This deviantART picture]] depicts a shady dealer selling [[spoiler:drugs]] this way.

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* Clyde, the closest thing that ''ComicStrip/{{Candorville}}'' has to a stereotypical black male, is often found selling these. On one occasion he used a similar approach to sell something highly secret--the main character thought it was drugs, but it turned out to be videos that were GuiltyPleasures.
* ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'':
** "Hey, buddy.... You wanna buy a hoofed mammal?" WordOfGod says it was originally going to be "wanna buy an ungulate?" but he erred on the side of ViewersAreMorons.
** Another one had a caveman in an overcoat, showing another caveman a campfire.
* A RunningGag in ''TheWizardOfId'''s early days had one of these guys scamming Sir Rodney with items that were [[ExactWords always exactly what he'd said they were]], but naturally, never what he'd ''implied'' ("racy French postcards" that turned out to be of [[AnachronismStew the Tour De France]], for example).
* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' once declared his intention to go into the business of "black-market kittens", complete with a trenchcoat with Nermal hanging inside. [[FridgeLogic Never you mind where he got it]].

[[folder: Radio ]]
* A RunningGag on ''Radio/TheJackBennyProgram'' was a shady-sounding man hissing to Jack, "Psst. Hey. Buddy. C'mere."

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]
* ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'' has [[http://magiccards.info/rtr/en/112.html Viashino Racketeer]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Theatre ]]
* In ''Theatre/GuysAndDolls'', a shady watch seller distracts the Times Square crowd in the OpeningBallet. This also appears in the 1955 film adaptation.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

-->'''Shady cat in trenchcoat''': Psst! Whole milk.
-->'''Aby''': Get out.
-->'''Cat #1''': But Aby...
-->'''Aby''': Forget it. You wouldn't want what he was selling.
-->'''Cat #1''': You mean it's-?
-->'''Aby''': Skim.
-->'''Cat #2''': [[BeatBag I once got ground-up chalk]].

[[folder: Web Original ]]

* The [[WebAnimation/HomestarRunner Strong Bad Email]] "licensed" has Strong Bad explaining how he and The Cheat have lent their likenesses to "officially licensed unlicensed merchandise" that is required to be sold this way. Bubs, an ''unlicensed'' unlicensed seller, is selling this way, but his goods are actually of a higher quality than what he sells at the concession stand.
--->'''Strong Bad:''' So wait a minute...your shady bootleg operation sells quality goods, while your legal storefront sells dangerous crap?!
--->'''Bubs:''' Exactly! I got a rep-uh-tation to uphold!
---->'''Bubs:''' Oh. Uh... I'm a public flasher!

[[folder: Western Animation ]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'', a shady salesman tries to sell Fry some 'bootlegged' alien organs. The salesman tries to sell him some gills, but says they won't come until next week. Meanwhile, he'll take the lungs, since Fry obviously won't need them (and Fry agrees). Leela has to rescue him from the operating table.

--->'''Newton:''' Hey buddy, I've got a watch here that's ''you''! Heck, I've even got one that ''was'' yours!
* One ''WheresWaldo'' illustration in a train station or airport shows (among many other things) a group of smugglers arrested, one carrying watches in his coat.

[[folder: Real Life ]]

[[AC:{{Film}} - Animated]]

[[AC:{{Film}} - Live Action]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:{{Machinima}}]]

[[AC:Magazines]]

[[AC:{{Music}}]]

[[AC:NewMedia]]

[[AC:NewspaperComics]]

[[AC:{{Radio}}]]
* A RunningGag on ''TheJackBennyProgram'' was a shady-sounding man hissing to Jack, "Psst. Hey. Buddy. C'mere."

[[AC:TabletopGames]]

[[AC:{{Theatre}}]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WebOriginal]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

[[AC:TruthInTelevision]]

* A comedy stint on Spanish TV once had a trenchcoated shady salesman selling a video full of [[ExactWords "men in leather... goats... and little girls dressed as nuns!"]] To the avid buyer's dismay, it turned out to be [[spoiler:TheSoundOfMusic]]

* In the ''SmallWonder'' episode "The Hustle", a street vendor calling himself Discount Eddie tricks Jamie into buying a portable TV set that doesn't work properly. Later, Ted confronts Eddie and is sold what appears to be a fur stole.

* Clyde, the closest thing that ''{{Candorville}}'' has to a stereotypical black male, is often found selling these. On one occasion he used a similar approach to sell something highly secret--the main character thought it was drugs, but it turned out to be videos that were GuiltyPleasures.

** And there's a regularly occurring Korean peddler who sells dubious products like watches that run backwards and Hitler's pencil case.

* There's an illegal tomato dealer in ''ReturnOfTheKillerTomatoes'' who pulls his wares out of the lining of his trenchcoat in this manner.

* In ''Film/TheManCalledFlintstone'', Fred, getting desperate to buy Wilma a present, purchases a bootleg necklace from one such man for a quarter. Said necklace comes in handy later when Fred [[spoiler:uses it as bait to lure the Green Goose into his missile, trapping the Green Goose and his henchmen in it as it launches into space.]]

* Music/JoeJackson is depicted wearing such a coat [[http://memberdata.s3.amazonaws.com/jo/joejackson/photos/joejackson_photo_gal_all_photo_508894622_md.jpg on the cover]] of his album ''I'm the Man''.

* Music/JoeJackson is depicted wearing such a coat [[http://images.wikia.com/lyricwiki/images/f/f7/Joe_Jackson_-_I%27m_The_Man.jpg on the cover of his album]] ''I'm the Man''.

* A first-season ''{{Series/MASH}}'' episode has Hawkeye and Trapper dealing with black-marketeers for some stolen medicine. When one of them is questioned by Frank Burns, he hikes up a pant leg to show a dozen watches arrayed on his shin and offers to sell him one.

* "Life Is a Carnival" by TheBand. "Hey buddy, would you like to buy a watch real cheap?"

* Joe Jackson is depicted as wearing such a coat [[http://images.wikia.com/lyricwiki/images/f/f7/Joe_Jackson_-_I%27m_The_Man.jpg on the cover of his album]] ''I'm The Man''.

--> '''Bandit 1:''' Shh I know what to do... [[RougeAnglesOfSatin ATTTACK]]!!!

* In ''GuysAndDolls'', a shady watch seller distracts the Times Square crowd in the OpeningBallet. This also appears in the 1955 film adaptation.

* ''KevinAndKell'': A band of roving [[ItMakesSenseInContext milk pirates]] [[http://www.kevinandkell.com/2009/kk0707.html causes a shortage]], with milk only available on the "[[BlackMarket white market]]":