History Main / DishDash

# the most important dish falls and breaks, which also happens to be the heaviest, and then since they are now off balance, everything goes

** TomAndJerry have had several variations, including the first film, "Puss Gets the Boot".

* In ''MahouSenseiNegima'', Chachamaru is acting as waitress for Chao Bao Zi, and is carrying two stacks of dim sum bowls seven high ... and trips.[[http://www.mangafox.com/page/manga/read/71/mahou_sensei_negima/chapter.11123/page.6/ Asuna, Setsuna, and Negi catch all the bowls]]

* Pikachu does this in an episode of ''{{Pokemon}}''. After Pachirisu, who's floating through a steamboat's kitchen after tying some balloons to its tail, knocks over a bunch of dishes, Pikachu catches them all with his front paws, back paws, and his own tail.

* In ''MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' Apple Bloom can do a DishDash in the "spinning on a stick" manner, and the "sure-footed, quick hand--er hoofed" method.

* Apple Bloom can do a DishDash in the "spinning on a stick" manner, and the "sure-footed, quick hand--er hoofed" method.

* The titular {{Astroboy}} (2009) does a scene like this, even though he realizes it could give away he's a robot.

* This happened in the ''{{My Little Pony}}'' film ''A Charming Birthday,'' where Minty is balancing a bunch of plates, drops all of them, and only saves the green one. (This troper can't remember exactly what happened; they think Rainbow Dash might have saved the rest of the plates after Minty dropped them, or Rainbow Dash was the one who dropped the plates in the first place.)
** They were teapots, and Rainbow Dash had them first, until Minty bumped into her. At first she caught all the teapots on her head, but dropped them all when she took a bow, saving only the green one.

* In the ''ChipAndDaleRescueRangers'' episode "Out of Scale", the eponymous chipmunks are captured and presented to Ignatz "Ratso" Ratskiwatski to give to his daughter Buffy as playthings. She dresses them in a robe and dress, respectively, and places them into a dollhouse. Dale gets a little too much into the role, though, and when Buffy simulates an earthquake by shaking the house...\\

He's too late for most of it, though, and is forced to drop the rest when Chip bonks him on the head.

[[PrincessAndTheFrog http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princessandthefrogdishdash4.jpg]]

->''Chip the glasses and crack the plates!\\

So, carefully! Carefully with the plates!''

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]
* The quote for this trope comes from ''TheHobbit''. Subverted in that the dwarves did none of the things they threatened in their song, they just sung about it to make fun of Bilbo.

* TheUrkel frequently does this. ''The'' Urkel from ''FamilyMatters'' frequently caused scenes like that, but sheepishly asks after the dust settles, "Did ''I'' do that?"

* There's what I think could be considered a subversion in ''StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'': In the episode, "Take Me Out to the Holosuite", there's a scene where Quark has his employees dropping his glasses down on him from the second floor on purpose - so that he can improve his catching skills for the big game.

* Olga Orly does this after every BigNo in ''[[PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]]''. Until the one time she can't... and the dishes land perfectly anyway.
** Angel from the first game does the same with her box lunches.

* In a recent episode of ''FamilyGuy'', Brian goes out to dinner with his ex-girlfriend Jillian and her new beau. A waiter walks by and trips, causing him to drop his full tray, but Jillian's boyfriend catches everything with no problems. Wanting to one-up him, Brian then trips the next waiter who walks by and tries to do the same thing. He winds up covered in food and hurting the waiter's leg (which Jillian's boyfriend 'fixes' with some fancy handwork).

* MyLifeAsATeenageRobot uses both versions of the trope:

* In the opening titles sequence of the ''DennisTheMenace'' cartoon, Mrs. Mitchell finds herself in this situation after Dennis, riding on Ruff, sends her armload of clean dishes flying.

* Similarly, in ''MrAndMrsSmith'', Mrs. Smith [[AwkwardAbility catches a falling wine bottle in front of her husband]], which confirms him that she was an undercover assasin, and her that she just screwed up in front of him.

** Furthermore, one of the first scenes of the series JackieChanAdventures feature Jackie doing this.

* In one ''{{Tintin}}'' album, Snowy chases the Marlinspike resident cat around and runs into Nestor, triggering an acrobatic sequence as the man attempts to save the palce of bottles and glasses that culminates with the cat toppling the entir thing.

Inevitably, the character ends up precariously balanced on one foot, with dishes in both hands, balanced on their head, in the crooks of their elbows, tilting dangerously on the point of one knee. If it's a comedy, it's meant to elicit sympathy for the character's plight. If it's action, it's meant to display the dexterity, nimbleness and quick-handed, sure-footed prowess of the character. But either way, the outcome is meant to elicit a laugh.

There's also a DiscreditedTrope variation of the DishDash -- when someone is showing off their skills at keeping dishes balanced atop spinning sticks. It used to be popular in VarietyShow TV, this is rarely seen in modern tv (anything after the 1970s).

* Olga Orly does this after every BigNo in ''[[PhoenixWrightAceAttorney Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney]]''. Until the one time she can't... and they land perfectly anyway.

** The second-season ''PacMan'' episode "Goo-Goo at the Zoo" did this with Pac-Man and the escaped zoo animals in a china shop.

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** You mean [[CatchPhrase one hell of a]] BattleButler

* The quote for this trope comes from ''TheHobbit''.

[[PrincessAndTheFrog http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princessandthefrogdishdash4.jpg [[caption-width-right:267:She should be in the circus.]]]]

[[PrincessAndTheFrog http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princessandthefrogdishdash4.jpg]][[caption-width-left:267:She should be in the circus.]]

[[PrincessAndTheFrog http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/princessandthefrogdishdash4.jpg]]

* Subverted in the first Spider-Man movie: Peter impresses Mary Jane in the cafeteria by catching an entire lunch tray worth of stuff, and nothing get dropped, broken, or splattered.

* Pikachu does this in an episode of ''{{Pokemon}}''. He catches a bunch of dishes with his front paws, back paws, and his tail.