History Main / DishDash

*** "Royal Cat-Nap" includes one with Jerry and Tuffy/Nibbles throwing dishes to force Tom into the Dish Dash.

* Done with a twist to Tom in the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' short "Quiet, Please!" (1945): Jerry throws lightbulbs onto the floor trying to wake Spike the Bulldog (who has threatened Tom with dire punishment if he gets wakened). Tom catches them all-- and then Jerry plugs his tail into an electrical outlet, making Tom light up like an old movie sign.

* A watered-down version happens in the ''Film/FantasticFour'' movie, when Reed reaches out to catch a glass Sue knocked over, and discovers his powers this way.

* In one of the first issues of ''[[Comicbook/TheFlash Impulse]]'', the title character's {{mentor}} who has SuperSpeed is having a cup of coffee while in his civilian identity. He knocks the cup off the desk and instinctivly catches it, hot liquid and all. This is done in front of his LoveInterest who at the time, had no idea of his superhero persona. He tries his best to play it off.

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* A mother bird from ''Disney/AliceInWonderland'' actually does this with ''her own eggs.''

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Inevitably, the character ends up precariously balanced on one foot, with dishes in both hands, balanced on his head, in the crooks of his 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.

* Similarly, in ''Film/MrAndMrsSmith'', Mrs. Smith [[CoverBlowingSuperpower catches a falling wine bottle in front of her husband]], which confirms him that she was an undercover assassin, and her that she just screwed up in front of him.
** Later on Mr Smith is sneaking through the house when he knocks over a china vase. He catches it in mid-air, only for the lid to slide off and shatter on the floor, revealing his position to his shotgun-toting wife.

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* In ''Film/MaryPoppins'', the Banks household must engage in this every time their neighbor Admiral Boom shoots off his cannon. (Luckily he has precise military timing; unluckily he does this ''every day''. Mr. Banks actually sets his watch by it.) Nothing ever gets broken, although the piano requires tuning.
* A newly empowered Peter Parker rescues Mary Jane's upended lunch this way early in the first ''Film/SpiderMan1'' movie. Made all the more impressive by the fact that this ''wasn't'' a special effect; other than adhesive sticking his hand to the tray, that was all Tobey Macguire's natural reflexes.
* A watered-down version happens in the ''Film/FantasticFour'' movie, when Reed reaches out to catch a glass Sue knocked over, and discovers his powers this way.
* Similarly, in ''MrAndMrsSmith'', Mrs. Smith [[CoverBlowingSuperpower catches a falling wine bottle in front of her husband]], which confirms him that she was an undercover assassin, and her that she just screwed up in front of him.
** Later on Mr Smith is sneaking through the house when he knocks over a china vase. He catches it in mid-air, only for the lid to slide off and shatter on the floor, revealing his position to his shotgun-toting wife.
* Commonplace in Creator/JackieChan movies.
** Furthermore, one of the first scenes of the series ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' feature Jackie doing this.

* Tiana in ''ThePrincessAndTheFrog'' {{DishDash}}es as part of her work, as seen early in the movie during the number "Down in New Orleans".

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* Commonplace in JackieChan movies.
** Furthermore, one of the first scenes of the series WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures feature Jackie doing this.

* 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/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/v09/c075/6.html Asuna, Setsuna, and Negi catch all the bowls]]

* ''FamilyMatters'': Steve Urkel frequently does this. And sheepishly asks after the dust settles, "Did ''I'' do that?"
* ''TheYoungOnes'': Neil can't get the lentils out of the cupboard because if he opens the door all the plates will fall out and smash, so he enlists Vyvyan's help to knock a hole through the wall into the back of the cupboard. HilarityEnsues.

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

* When Barry Allen made his first appearance in ''Showcase'' #4, he discovers his superspeed when a diner waitress trips, and he finds he can move fast enough to straighten the tray, catch all the plates and flying food and replace them. He does it so quickly that she doesn't even see him move and is left wondering what happened.

* The first issue of the Silver Age ''Flash'' Barry discovers he has superspeed when a diner waitress trips, and he finds he can move fast enough to straighten the tray, catch all the plates and flying food and replace them. He does it so quickly that she doesn't even see him move and is left wondering what happened.

* In one of the first issues of ''[[TheFlash Impulse]]'', the title character's {{mentor}} who has SuperSpeed is having a cup of coffee while in his civilian identity. He knocks the cup off the desk and instinctivly catches it, hot liquid and all. This is done in front of his LoveInterest who at the time, had no idea of his superhero persona. He tries his best to play it off.

* A few examples come from ''[[RanmaOneHalf Ranma ½]]''. In one, Kasumi drops the dinner pan in shock, and Ranma rushes in to catch the pan and then the pan's contents. In another, Ranma has to wait tables at the Cat Cafe and caught multiple ramen bowls tossed at [[strike:him]]her by Cologne -- and she actually does the dishes atop spinning sticks variant later.

# the most important dish falls and breaks, leaving the person still holding dozens of breakables
# the most important dish falls and breaks, which also happens to be the heaviest, and then since they are now off balance, everything goes in rapid succession
# everything goes, leaving the character to stand in the middle of the destruction, having failed to save anything
# everything goes except one piece, which the character hugs protectively
# everything goes except one piece, which the character then throws over his shoulder with a sigh just to make the destruction complete
# everything goes except one piece, which an antagonist then smashes just to be a JerkAss
# everything goes except one plate, which rolls on out of the destruction, then slowly spins to a halt.

** At the Grand Galloping Gala, Rainbow Dash ends up saving the pie of one of her heroes this way.

The animated and/or comedy trope wherein a character has to pretty much dash madly around a room catching stacks of falling breakable dishes/plates/cups/mugs/lightbulbs/vases before they hit the floor and smash into a million pieces.

->''"Chip the glasses and crack the plates!\\
Blunt the knives and bend the forks!\\
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!\\
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!\\
...\\
That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!\\
So, carefully! Carefully with the plates!"''
-->-- ''Literature/TheHobbit''

* ''GuiltyGear'' series: One of Jam Kuradoberi's {{victory pose}}s involves this.

* Subverted disturbingly in an episode of ''TheWildThornberrys'' in which a troop of macaques play "Smash and Crash" and completely destroy anything breakable they can get their hands on.

* {{Hanna-Barbera}} is a popular supporter of this trope:
** WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry have had several variations, including the first film, "PussGetsTheBoot".
*** "Royal Cat-Nap" includes one with Jerry and Tuffy/Nibbles throwing dishes to force Tom into the DishDash.
** The second-season ''{{Pac-Man}}'' episode "Goo-Goo at the Zoo" did this with Pac-Man and the escaped zoo animals in a china shop.
** The ChristmasSpecial ''TheTownSantaForgot'' has a failed Dish Dash caused by Jeremy Creek throwing a temper tantrum so severe it knocks all the dishes from the cabinets to the floor before his mother can even attempt to catch any.

* A ''{{Popeye}}'' cartoon has him landing in Olive's arms, sending the dishes she was carrying flying. He catches the whole big pile as they fall, sees one more spinning down, and drops all the others with a crash to grab it. Olive snatches it from him and beans him on the noggin with it (and it's apparently made of metal).
* The "discredited version" of this trope was used on ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}'', when Spinelli first tried her hand at plate-spinning.

* This happened in the ''MyLittlePony'' film ''A Charming Birthday,'' where Rainbow Dash had a bunch of teapots, until Minty bumped into her. At first Minty caught all the teapots on her head, but dropped them all when she took a bow, saving only the green one.

* [[TheBBC BBC2]] once had an ident using the "discredited" version. Darren Meldrum has it [[http://www.meldrum.co.uk/mhp/identzone/bbc2/bbc2_animations.html here]]; scroll down to "Spinning Plates".

* A newly empowered Peter Parker rescues Mary Jane's upended lunch this way early in the first ''{{Film/Spider-Man}}'' movie.
** Made all the more impressive by the fact that this ''wasn't'' a special effect; other than adhesive sticking his hand to the tray, that was all Tobey Macguire's natural reflexes.

* 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 palace of bottles and glasses that culminates with the cat toppling the entire thing.

* Done with a twist to Tom in the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' short "Quiet, Please!" (1945): Jerry throws lightbulbs onto the floor. Tom catches them all to avoid waking up Spike the bulldog-- and then Jerry plugs his tail into an electrical outlet, making Tom light up like an old movie sign.