History Main / DramaticDrop

* ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'': This is the CharacterTic of Kazu, who drops whatever he's holding almost every single time he's asked a question or is told something even remotely dramatic. (This is in almost every scene he's in.) He hardly even seems to be fazed by this in any way, regardless of what he may be holding, be it a spoon, a suitcase, a teacup, etc., even if the object breaks.

* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "The Sting of Death", a milkman discovers the first BodyOfTheWeek, which is covered in bees, and drops the basket of milk bottles he is holding. The bottles shatter dramatically when the basket hits the ground.

* In ''The Bronze Horseman'' by Paullina Simons, Tatiana overhears her family arguing with Alexander over whether to tell her something. She walks in and demands to know, whereupon she's told that her grandfather has died. Tatiana drops the tea tray she's carrying and rushes out.

* ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}'': Parodied with Queen's [[AGlassOfChianti wine glasses]]. She keeps a stash of glasses that shatter on impact, but the shards are completely harmless and they're ''meant'' to be broken; she even refers to it as her "throwing glass." On the other hand, she also has "Extra Dangerous Glass" that '''[[UpToEleven violently]] [[MadeOfExplodium explodes]]''' on impact. The two are indistinguishable from each other.

* In the ''Series/InspectorGeorgeGently'' episode "Gently With the Women" Gently dropping his glass, [[SlowMotionDrop which shatters in slow motion,]] is the main reason why he decides to go get checked out at the hospital.
** He drops a bottle in the next episode, prompting his partner Bacchus to start to worry about his mentor's health, and in the last episode of the season, "Son of a Gun" it is mentioned that this is happening frequently.

* ''Series/KamenRiderDouble'':
** This is the CharacterTic of Kazu, who drops whatever he's holding almost every single time he's asked a question or is told something even remotely dramatic. (This is in almost every scene he's in.) Inverted in the fact that he hardly even seems to be fazed by this in any way, regardless of what he may be holding, be it a spoon, a suitcase, a teacup, etc, even if the object breaks.
** Played straight with Shoutarou late in the series with his phone.

** The vicar's wife drops a laden tray, when suddenly faced with "Daddy" in a gas mask, carrying a shotgun.

** A RunningGag in the series is that Hyacinth's neighbour Elizabeth frequently drops or spills cups of coffee, whenever something startles her, such as the telephone ringing, or Hyacinth shouting out.
* Parodied in ''Series/LittleBritain'': during a classroom test, a boy drops a pencil, causing the teacher to hiss "SSSSSSSSHHH!". The teacher then starts noisily vacuuming the classroom.
* When [[spoiler:Henry Blake's death is announced]] at the end of the third season of ''Series/{{MASH}}'', a nurse is heard dropping a scalpel amidst the shocked silence in the operating theatre. This was a case of ThrowItIn. The actors had [[EnforcedMethodActing not been told prior to filming]] what would happen, [[spoiler:they expected Radar to announce that Henry had made it back to the States safely]]. The actress' reaction in the first take was genuine, and the director decided to keep it in later takes.
** In an earlier episode, Hawkeye decides to walk through the mess tent naked just to see if anyone notices. The first guy who does promptly drops his lunch tray.
* In one episode of ''Series/{{Matlock}}'', a woman drops a tea tray when she walks into her living room and sees the murder victim lying dead on the floor. This turns out to be a plot point, because [[spoiler:the absence of tea stains on the carpet]] confirms Matlock's suspicions that [[spoiler:she was the murderer, and she dropped the tea tray deliberately to feign surprise for the benefit of an onlooker.]]
* Wendy is consoling herself with ice cream from the carton because she just screwed up ''badly'' and got sent home by her boss, ''Series/TheMiddleMan'', when roommate Lacey casually mentions that the Villain Of The Week is hanging out at the restaurant from which she just quit working. Wendy turns attentively to Lacey, and the viewer hears the spoon clatter to the floor.
* ''Series/MidsomerMurders'': In "Sting of Death", a milkman discovers the first BodyOfTheWeek, which is covered in bees, and drops the basket of milk bottles he is holding. The bottles shatter dramatically when the basket hits the ground.

** "Mr. Monk and the Genius": Linda Kloster is nervous because her husband has been threatening to kill her. Her housekeeper tries to calm her, then leaves the room to get her a sandwich. When the housekeeper reenters the room, she drops her tea tray as she sees Linda's dead body on the bed. {{Lampshaded}} and played with in the same episode: Randy tells Stottlemeyer to put down his coffee mug so he won't drop when he hears the news. He puts it down, but when Randy tells him Linda is dead, he picks it up again and hurls it against the wall.
** "Mr. Monk and Little Monk": When Natalie tells him he has a visitor and that it's his childhood crush, he drops the cup he's holding and temporarily forgets that they're no longer thirteen years old.

* In ''Series/MrBean'': When Mr Bean rearranges his furniture, he moves a table away from the serving hatch in his living room. He then goes into the kitchen, and drops a coffee jar through the hatch, forgetting that he has moved the table; the jar shatters on the floor. He does the same with another jar, and a glass bowl, puzzled by the sound of breaking glass each time. When he discovers his mistake, he doesn't move the table back to where it was: he moves his serving hatch instead.
* It happened in ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' when Gibbs drops his coffee after hearing a bullet whiz by, shattering glass, and [[spoiler:the sound of Abby screaming]]. I repeat, [[MustHaveCaffeine he DROPPED his COFFEE.]]
* ''Series/TheNewAvengers'': The villain attending Steed's party drops his champagne glass when he hears the general announce that the 'Eye of God' satellite is going to do an underground scan of Buckinghamshire, where he has concealed his stolen missile.
* On an episode of ''Series/NightCourt'', someone said "Who's willing to drop everything and help me?" Roz drops her lunch tray, just before she passes out. (Turned out she had diabetes.)

-->'''Rumpelstiltskin:''' You will serve me my meals, and you will clean the Dark Castle... You will dust my collection and launder my clothing... You will fetch me fresh straw when I'm spinning at the wheel... OH! [[BreadEggsMilkSquick And you will skin the children I hunt]]. For their pelts.\\

* Happens on ''Series/OneTreeHill'' when Peyton finds [[spoiler:the body of her biological mother, Ellie Harp, who has succumbed to her battle with breast cancer,]] resulting in Peyton dropping the box of [=CDs=] she is carrying.
* ''Series/{{Psych}}'', "Ghosts": Gus drops his cocoa mug when he sees someone moving in the woods outside. [[spoiler:Later the pattern on the china turns out to be a clue.]]
* Ned's mother in ''Series/PushingDaisies'' was brushing dust off him when she died suddenly, the brush falling from her hands. She then drops a pie after being revived and seeing her neighbor drop dead across the street.

* ''Series/{{Sherlock}}''. Done as a RuleOfThree in "The Reichenbach Fall" when Moriarty breaks into the cabinet holding the Crown Jewels. First he takes out the CCTV cameras. The security guard monitoring them is holding a couple of coffee cups, which slop visibly as he quickly puts them down so as to call someone. Then Moriarty remotely opens the vault of the Bank of England; as the bank manager gapes at this impossibility, the cup he's holding tilts in his hand until it pours coffee into this lap. Finally someone bursts in on the Governor of Pentonville Prison to tell him that all the cells are unlocking. Cue the Governor knocking the coffee mug off his table as he leaps to his feet.
* ''Series/{{Sisters}}'': "... soon as we find a Justice of the Peace." Alex hears these words, and things just start dropping.
* At the end of the ''Series/{{Sliders}}'' pilot episode, the Sliders are sitting down to dinner believing they are safe and sound on their home earth. Quinn and the others make a toast just as Quinn's father, who died years ago, walks into the room. Realizing this means they didn't make it home, Quinn drops his wine glass and it shatters on the floor.

** Lana once dropped her phone when she received a message that [[spoiler:brainwashes her into [[CurbStompBattle beating the living daylights out of Chloe]]]].
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. In "The City on the Edge of Forever" a hobo in 1930 New York City who has just pilfered a bottle of milk witnesses Dr. [=McCoy=] suddenly appear on the street (from a time portal), ranting crazily, until he spots the hobo and cries, "You! What planet is this?", prompting the anxious hobo to drop the milk bottle, shattering it.
* ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine''. In "Dramatis Personae" a telepathic HatePlague has caused the main characters to turn on each other. Kira is in Quarks' bar, trying to convince Dax to join her in a conspiracy against Commander Sisko. At one point she drops a strong hint that she's planning to have Sisko assassinated, whereupon there's an OffScreenCrash. Kira turns to look at Quark with an evil smile on her face, realising he's been listening in on their conversation.
* On ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', Sam drops a cup of coffee when [[spoiler:his father dies suddenly as part of a DealWithTheDevil.]] Notably, the cup doesn't tip over when it lands.
* There's an episode of BrianClemens' ''Thriller'' in which the heroine tries to phone for help but the villainess cuts the phone line. The heroine then drops the receiver.
* In ''Series/TrueBlood'', last episode of the first season, Sookie drops the pitcher she was holding when she realizes the killer is in the room with her.
* ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'': In the episode "Mr. Garrity and the Graves", Mr. Garrity tells the bartender that he brings back the dead for a living. The bartender promptly drops a full mug of beer.

* ''[[Series/{{V 1983}} V: The Series]]''. After the Star Child [[PlotRelevantAgeUp grows overnight from an eight-year-old to a beautiful teenager]], the other characters bring her home. She drops a glass, which looks like she's having trouble adjusting to her new adult body...until they realise she's staring out the window at an alien shuttlecraft discharging a squad of Visitor soldiers -- this is a MassOhCrap because up to then everyone assumed the Visitors had been driven off Earth for good.
* ''Series/TheWeeklyWithCharliePickering'': While explaining the 5G/Corona Virus conspiracy theory, Charlie has a sudden moment of clarity where it makes sense and he drops his mug of bone broth and it shatters on the floor. It then cuts back to Charlie who points out why none of it makes sense.
* Jed Bartlet of ''Series/TheWestWing'', on discovering that [[spoiler:his daughter, Zoey, had been kidnapped]] dropped first of all the photos he had been holding, followed shortly by his whiskey glass. A particularly well-executed example of the trope.
* On ''Series/{{Wishbone}}'', David drops a glass when [[spoiler:his father walks in holding the rearview mirror of the new car.]]

* OlderThanFeudalism: This even happens in ''Literature/TheBible''. Moses drops the tablets with the Laws and breaks them (well, trashes them) when he notices that his followers have started worshiping the Golden Calf. He had to go back to get the Commandments since he had [[{{Pun}} broken the Laws]], and [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup God apparently had failed to keep a spare copy.]]

* In ''Theatre/CharleysAunt'' upon hearing the news that one man intends to marry Charley's Aunt, who is actually another man in drag, drops the tray he's holding.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'': At one point during the ending, Cid drops his cigar from his mouth. The team is stuck in a collapsing cavern, with things about to get worse. Cid mutters to himself something along the lines of "Lady Luck, don't give up on me now." Cue the reaction above when [[spoiler:the ''[[CoolAirship Highwind]] literally drops from the ceiling.'']]
* ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'': Near the end, Count Veger drops his cane upon seeing that the legendary Precursors are [[spoiler:actually ottsels.]]
* ''VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand'': This is the young Malice's reaction to realizing that her mother has just died; she was fixing Rizuna some fruit beforehand, and we hear the plates shatter when she drops them.
* ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'': In the ending, [[spoiler:the loser of the BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind drops whatever they were holding (Sunny his violin and bow, Omori his knife) before fading away.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'': In the short "Occupational Hazards", when a yellow Pikmin goes into a cave and accidentally wakes up a large [[PredatorsAreMean Bulborb]], the Pikmin drops the two bolts it was carrying it shock.
* ''VideoGame/TonyHawksUnderground'': After the [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy drunk]] Eric Sparrow hijacks a military tank, he drops his beer bottle and flees when he realizes the tank is about to crash into a building.

* In Creator/AGnosis' comics on [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Greek myth]]:
** ''The Family Party'': Zeus' lover Ganymede [[https://www.deviantart.com/a-gnosis/art/The-Family-Party-9-514405772 drops his wine jug]] when he hears that the gloomy-looking man he's pouring for is Hades, GodOfTheDead. Hades lets it pass in long-suffering silence.

%%* [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20080324 This]] ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'' comic.
%%** Also, [[http://www.cad-comic.com/cad/20031110 Zeke's first appearance]].
* ''Webcomic/DaughterOfTheLilies'': A servant drops a tray when she spots [[spoiler: Thistle with her [[LittleBitBeastly true]] [[CreepyLongFingers form]] revealed, performing magic to heal a premature baby.]]
* Dominic's father Donovan displays it upon a harsh shock in [[http://www.dominic-deegan.com/view.php?date=2007-04-03 this]] ''Webcomic/DominicDeegan'' comic.

** Done by Bangladesh Dupree with a [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20120224 person]].
** One of those frozen in time in Mechanicsburg had just dropped his cup in shock when the time stop hit so it has been sitting midair just beneath his hand for the better part of three years.

* ''Webcomic/{{Homestuck}}'': Ms Paint has [[https://www.homestuck.com/story/4678 this]] [[https://www.homestuck.com/story/4679 reaction]] upon seeing [[spoiler:[[EldritchAbomination Lord English]] [[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou behind the fourth wall]].]]
* Done by Meimi, Yuki's mother [[spoiler:and retired {{magical girl}}]] at the end of ''Webcomic/{{Megatokyo}}'''s 9th chapter to introduce an element of uncertainty to [[spoiler:Miho's]] NoOneCouldSurviveThat, providing a massive {{cliffhanger}} as well.

** "No man has ever been able to give me an orgasm!" -- [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/crash CRASH]]
** "Thanks to '''you''' I've been eating '''pussy''' on a '''nightly basis'''!" -- [[https://pixietrixcomix.com/menage-a-3/mad-mad SMASH]]
* The webcomic ''Webcomic/NothingBetter'' has it at least twice:
** Jane drops her shower bucket when she discovers a prank grodying up the shower stall.
** Katt drops her art supplies when she is shocked.

** [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots1126.html In a memory of Durkon's first day as a cleric,]] his mother Sigdi Thundershield drops her spoon when her son reveals he saw her name on Thor's temple's Wall of Donors.
%%* The trope is discussed in [[http://www.pvponline.com/2011/02/28/two-cups-one-floor/ this]] ''Webcomic/PvP'' strip.
* ''Webcomic/QueenOfWands'': Shannon drops the phone due to [[spoiler:a complication with her pregnancy]], and Angela thinks Shannon just got disgusted and hung up on her.

%%* ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld''. [[http://satwcomic.com/brand-new-equipment Denmark's reaction]] to Iceland's new exhibit.
* ''Webcomic/SleeplessDomain'': In Chapter 10, Kokoro recieves a threatening phone call from the Purple One. She's initially confused, but she [[https://www.sleeplessdomain.com/comic/chapter-10-page-12 drops her protein shake in shock]] when the voice on the other end mentions her [[MissingMom mother]].

* Liu Bei drops his chopsticks out of nervousness when Cao Cao calls him a hero in ''Fanfic/FarceOfTheThreeKingdoms.''
--> '''Liu Bei:''' [[BlatantLies Don't worry, I was really smooth about it.]]

** Invoked: the Critic sees the sharks from ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfTheTitanic'' agreeing to sink the ''Titanic'', starting with a JawDrop. Then he says he needs to drop something, picks up a glass, pours water into it, and promptly drops it.
** Then there's his review of the ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'' reboot. He prepares to celebrate the end of the review with his favorite and most expensive champagne inside his favorite and most expensive champagne glass. Then [[spoiler:the cartoon revealed that Della Duck, Donald's twin sister and mother of Huey, Dewey, and Louie, would play a part in the MythArc]].

* ''WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment'': Spoony drops his controller at the sight of Quistis in his ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIII'' review. A very hot teacher.
* In ''Roleplay/SurvivalOfTheFittest'' version 4 Reiko Ishida does something like this with a piece of bread she had been eating when she finds out that [[AngstySurvivingTwin her twin sister Reika has been killed]]. This quickly reached MemeticMutation.

* In ''The Waiting Room'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjaTLFai5tw Episode 9]], ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is playing with a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Fluttershy]] toy, when ComicBook/{{Elektra}} tells him, "Last week, I killed forty men in a bathtub, wearing nothing but bubbles." -- and Deadpool drops Fluttershy.

** [[InvokedTrope Invoked]] during an episode:

'''Stan:''' [[{{Jerkass}} Good. Now clean that up and help me look]].
** Played straight in "Pulling Double Booty", where Stan drops his coffee mug after Francine tells him that Jeff broke up with Hayley, sending her into an UnstoppableRage through the mall.
* In the third season premiere of ''WesternAnimation/{{Amphibia}}'', [[spoiler:Anne's mother drops the bowl of batter she was holding upon seeing Anne on her front porch, finally home after five months of being missing]].

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episode "Bleep" when DW is in a store she sees a mother arguing with her son and when she tells him he can't go to a concert he swears and the mother drops the glass she was holding in shock. Later she repeats the word to Arthur to ask what it means and he drops his model plane. She gets the idea that this is some kind of magic word that makes people drop things.
* ''WesternAnimation/AsToldByGinger'': Macie's father, on realizing Ginger's right and he and his wife have forgotten Macie's 13th birthday, drops the stylus to his PDA -- and then lets the PDA fall.

** "Imprisoned": Katara drops what she's doing (a perfectly nice ceramic jug of water) when she realizes that Haru's been arrested and taken prisoner for illegal Earthbending.
** "The Fortuneteller": Aang goes all the way up the mountain at the top of the village for a panda lily to give his crush. He drops it when he realizes that the volcano atop said mountain is close to erupting.
** Season 3: Katara again, when she discovers that Aang has run (well, flown) away (perfectly good food).

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "See No Evil": There's a criminal who is ''[[InvisibilityCloak literally]]'' the DisappearedDad, thanks to the AppliedPhlebotinum. He pretends to be his daughter's ImaginaryFriend and holds a toy so she can tell where he is. When the little girl tells him they're moving, he drops the doll in shock.
* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' where Sam drops her teacup when she gets word Danny and Valerie have been in the same room together for hours. Can be taken as a DoubleEntendre as well.
* WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'s Mom was busy talking to her boss, Eric, on the phone when Jake collapsed from a heart attack. As soon as she realized what happened, she dropped her phone.
* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales2017'': At the start of "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!", Scrooge drops the Cartographer's Quill, causing it to shatter, out of shock at opening the door to his mansion to find Donald's long-lost sister Della standing outside.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Green Eggs and Ham|2019}}'': Just as Guy and Sam dine on Green Eggs and Ham at the end of the season, Sam drops his fork in alarm [[spoiler:because the eggs taste similar to ones his mother made.]]
* Helga and her father Big Bob on ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' both drop their glasses in shock when Miriam announces she's going to be away from a few days, suggesting they spend some father-daughter quality time together while she's gone in the episode "Quantity Time".

* ''WesternAnimation/TheKarateKidTheAnimatedSeries'': Kina when Daniel and Taki come suddenly into her hut. A more problematic example than most because she drops the remaining water from the fountain of youth.
* In the episode Hand in Hand on ''WesternAnimation/KickButtowski'', Kendall drops her phone in the middle of a conversation with her boyfriend, Ronaldo, when she realizes she's right outside the store he's in and he's about to exit and sees the possibility of him catching her and Kick together.

** And when Nana Possible gets mind-controlled, she lets her lemon squares drop to the floor.

** This also happens in "Fathers and Pies", when she catches Mike and Lu eating a pie (she thought Og had been turned into said pie).
* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "G.I. D'oh", when Bart announces that he's going to join the Army when he turns 18, and Marge is conveniently carrying a bust of Homer.

* Felicia Hardy drops a jar of face cream when she hears the [[spoiler:body of Michael Morbius]] has been found in an episode of the '90s' ''[[WesternAnimation/SpiderManTheAnimatedSeries Spider-Man]]'' AnimatedSeries.

* ''WesternAnimation/YinYangYo'': Master Yo, who is extremely fond of soft pretzels, drops one when he realizes the twins have been duped into actions that will result in letting SealedEvilInACan out.

-->''"[[LampshadeHanging Yes, I don't blame you for dropping something...]]"''
* [[https://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jul/03/judas-priest-rob-halford-quentin-crisp-interview-redeemer-of-souls According to]] Rob Halford of ''Music/JudasPriest'', this happened when he came out of the closet in 1998, which was basically a slip of the tongue. During an interview with MTV, he accidentally said "Speaking as a gay man..." while he was talking about something else, and the next thing he heard was the sound of the producer dropping his clipboard in shock.

* ''Film/RunLolaRun'': plays this after Manny calls Lola; because the story explores several ForWantOfANail possible outcomes, it's repeated three times.
* A comical example happens in ''Film/SavingMrBanks'' when P.L. Travers walks into her hotel room and drops her suitcase upon seeing Disney character plush dolls in her room.
* Parodied again in ''Film/ScaryMovie'' when they figure out that [[spoiler:Doofy is the killer.]] The coffee cup shatters to reveal a small goldfish lying in the pool of coffee gasping for air.

* In ''Film/SororityRow'', Ellie drops her glass of champagne when she thinks she sees Megan (who is supposed to be dead) at the sorority luncheon. [[spoiler:It turns out to be Megan's sister Maggie.]]
* In ''Film/{{Spaceballs}}'' the cook at the space rest stop drops what he's carrying when he catches sight of the little alien doing its song and dance number on the counter.
* ''Film/SpeedRacer'' Speed's mother drops the glass she is holding when she [[spoiler:hears that her eldest son Rex has died in a car crash]].

* ''Film/SympathyForLadyVengeance'': When Geum-ja knocks the symbolic tofu out of the Preacher's hands outside the prison, the band is shocked and the cymbalist drops one of his cymbals. Later, Geun-shik catches sight of Geum-ja for the first time and is so struck by her beauty that he drops the stack of boxes he is carrying.
* A bar patron in ''Film/TalladegaNightsTheBalladOfRickyBobby'' dropped his beer the second that Jean Girard introduces everyone to his "husband".
* In ''Film/TheUsualSuspects'', Agent Kujan drops his coffee cup when he realizes that he [apparently] [[spoiler:let Keyzer Soze walk out the door after having him in the police station for several hours spinning his yarn.]]

* ''Literature/TheBalladOfBlackTom'': When Suydam takes a room in his mansion "Outside," the view from the window suddenly becomes the deep sea. Tommy is so shocked he drops his guitar.
* In ''Literature/TheBFG'', the Queen's maid drops the Queen's breakfast tray when the Queen recounts her nightmare, as it matched the day's headlines about something terrible that really happened.
* ''Literature/TheBronzeHorseman'' by Paullina Simons. Tatiana overhears her family arguing with Alexander over whether to tell her something. She walks in and demands to know, whereupon she's told her grandfather has died. Tatiana drops the tea tray she's carrying and rushes out.

** ''Literature/{{Elantris}}'' begins with Prince Raoden's servant bringing him breakfast and dropping the tray when she sees he's {{Metamorphos|is}}ed into an Elantrian — effectively an undead abomination at the time. Since the transformation happened in his sleep, he's quite confused before he notices the TomatoInTheMirror.

* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'': In book 6, ''Literature/BloodRites'', Murphy meets Harry's mentor, Ebenezar. She is not impressed, and demands brusquely she be the driver since he doesn't have a license in Chicago. Harry tells Ebenezar he better just let her do so, calling the older man 'sir'. Cue Murphy dropping her armload in pure, unfiltered shock at hearing ''Harry Dresden'' address someone with authority with ''respect''. She talks to Ebenezar afterwards as if he's on the same level as the Pope.

** ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheOrderOfThePhoenix'': Hermione is compulsively worrying over an exam while Ron tries to convince her she should eat ''"when her fork slid from her limp fingers and landed with a loud clink on her plate.'Oh, my goodness,' she said faintly, staring into the Entrance Hall. 'Is that them? Is that the examiners?'"''
** In ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows Deathly Hallows]]'', Hermione dumps a whole armload of basilisk fangs to kiss Ron after he finally earns his RelationshipUpgrade by showing concern for the Hogwarts house-elves.
** Also, in ''[[Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Philosopher's Stone]]'', Minerva [=McGonagall=] dropped the books she was carrying when she learned the Golden Trio knew about the Philosopher's Stone being kept inside Hogwarts.
* ''Literature/NecessaryEvil''. The previously infallible {{seer|s}} Gretel scalds herself with boiling water when she drops a kettle after a prediction of the future turns out to be wrong for the first time in her life.

* This tends to happen to Ravenswood in the ''Literature/{{Relativity}}'' stories. One time he drops a platter when he hears that the waitress he hired is secretly in love with the superhero Overcast (who, she doesn't know, is actually Ravenswood). Another time it occurs when he's visiting the home of Sara's foster father and hears that Queen Elizabeth will be one of the dinner guests.
* ''Franchise/StarWarsExpandedUniverse'': In ''Literature/LeiaPrincessOfAlderaan'', it's narrowly averted when [[spoiler:Moff Quarsh Panaka]] meets Princess Leia while holding a teacup and saucer. [[spoiler:As Queen Amidala's former chief of security, Panaka is seriously shocked upon seeing Leia because of how much she resembles her biological mother, which is helped along by the fact that Leia had to borrow a traditional Naboo "jubilation dress" from Queen Dalné.]] As a result, [[spoiler:Panaka]] nearly drops his cup, but manages to recover in time to only splash tea on himself.
* In ''Faith of the Fallen'', from Terry Goodkind's ''Literature/SwordOfTruth'', Nicci "was only dimly aware of the eggs hitting the floor" after being informed that Richard had been taken prisoner. Although, thinking about it, he gets captured so frequently in the series - indeed, by Nicci herself just earlier in the book - that you think she'd just roll her eyes or something.
* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'': In ''Breaking Dawn'' Alice drops a vase because she had just had a vision of [[spoiler:the Volturi coming to kill the Cullens.]]
* ''Literature/WickedGood'': When Archer [[spoiler:introduces herself to Kitty as the adopted mother of her child]], Kitty drops a pot full of coffee. Archer jumps out of the way to avoid getting burned.

** In ''After the Flood'', Leafstar gives her mate Billystorm a DeathGlare when she's mad at him for something. He has an OhCrap reaction and drops the prey he was holding.
** In ''Crookedstar's Promise'', Oakpaw is so shocked to see the [=WindClan=] deputy in the [=RiverClan=] camp that he drops the frog he's carrying. Amusingly, it's still alive and hops to safety while everyone is distracted.

* Used semi-humorously on ''Series/NineOneOne'', when a man stuck in traffic stops to get a hot dog and drink from an equally-stuck food truck. He asks two other customers what they're giggling about on their phones, and when shown an online clip of the cause of the highway stoppage - a middle-aged woman in mid-nervous breakdown, standing on an overpass platform and alternately screaming at and flashing the road below - he immediately drops his purchases and takes off running, as the woman in the live viral footage is ''his own wife''.
* In the ''Series/{{Angel}}'' episode "[[Recap/AngelS01E19Sanctuary Sanctuary]]", Wesley walks into an alley intent on attacking Faith who just spent the last couple hours torturing him. He sees Faith collapsed on the ground in Angel's arms sobbing (having just begged Angel to kill her). We see Wesley's blood-soaked hand drop the knife to the ground framing Angel/Faith in the background.

* The last 30 seconds of an episode of ''Series/BabylonFive'' has Delenn dropping a snow globe which shatters at her feet. This is a fairly normal reaction to [[spoiler:the supposedly dead wife of your love interest walking into the room to find you spending the night with her husband.]]
* ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'':
** Hilariously parodied in ''Blackadder the Third'': Prince George is reading the news that a criminal (who unknown to the prince, Blackadder teamed up with then was almost immediately betrayed by) was hanged:

** In an earlier episode of the same series, Blackadder "accidentally" dropped a tray full of refreshments after the Prince insulted him one time too many, leading him to the brink of resigning that very moment.

** This happens in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E13Surprise Surprise]]" for no real reason other than some {{anvilicious}} foreshadowing.
** Also happens in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS2E17Passion Passion]]", when [[spoiler:Giles discovers Jenny's corpse.]]
** Also happens in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS3E18Earshot Earshot]]", in which Buffy is temporarily telepathic and suddenly hears someone in the cafeteria think about killing everyone in the school. She's so shocked by this that she drops her lunch tray, and the whole cafeteria applauds her (while she, of course, goes into a mindless panic).
** And also happens in "[[Recap/BuffyTheVampireSlayerS5E4OutOfMyMind Out of My Mind]]", when Joyce is preparing breakfast for Dawn before suddenly asking Dawn who she is and then dropping the plate and collapsing.
* In ''Series/ChariteAtWar'', Nazi nurse Christel drops her tray of surgical instruments when she hears that there has been an attempt on the life of Adolf Hitler.
* On ''Series/Charmed1998'', when Phoebe and Dex got married under a spell, Dex carried Phoebe over the threshold and then they realized what happened. Confused by what happened, Dex promptly dropped Phoebe on the floor.

** In the first episode, the hotness of Sarah is startling enough to Chuck that he drops the phone he's using.
** This develops into one of the series' {{Running Gag}}s, becoming Chuck's standard reaction to anything unexpected Sarah does - like when she fake-outs with Bryce, or sneaks up on him at the Buy More, or walks into their living room wearing nothing but a corset and matching stockings.
** Big Mike drops his fishing tackle box when he gets a text about a security breach at Buy More. In a much earlier episode, he likewise drops his danish (a huge shift in moment-to-moment priorities for the character) when the fire alarm is pulled at the Buy More.
* ''Series/{{Cluedo}}'': This sometimes happens when the body is found, especially if Mrs White makes the discovery.
* Happens in the ''Series/CriminalMinds'' episode "Won't Get Fooled Again". A mother is cooking when she realizes her daughter is holding a package containing a bomb. She drops an egg she was holding and it smashes to the floor.

** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E4AliensOfLondon "Aliens of London"]]: The Ninth Doctor brings Rose back to London after her first journey in the TARDIS. Problem is, he overshot the return date. He intended to drop her off only twelve hours after they left, but they arrive twelve ''months'' into the future. Rose's mum thought her daughter was ''dead'', and she's so stunned at her daughter's sudden return (while Rose has no idea of how much time really passed), she drops her coffee mug and it smashes into pieces... [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking what a waste of good Joe]]. And then she furiously [[MamaBear bitch-slaps]] [[YouBastard the Doctor]] when she hears he's responsible for whisking away her beloved child for a year.
** [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E11BoomTown "Boom Town"]] has it just offscreen: The Ninth Doctor goes to confront a previous enemy, who is currently [[MayorPain Mayor of Cardiff]] and asks her receptionist to tell her "The Doctor" is there to see her. He goes in, the Doctor turns, waits... and looks rather smug when he hears something shatter.

** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E12ThePandoricaOpens The Pandorica Opens]]": It takes the Doctor a [[FailedASpotCheck long time]] to notice that [[spoiler:Rory's mysteriously come {{back from the dead}}, after being killed and {{Retgone}}d in "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS31E9ColdBlood Cold Blood]]"]]. So long, that he walks out of the room carrying two Cyber guns before the penny drops — as do the guns, offscreen.

* In ''Series/TheDuchessOfDukeStreet'', a character's very quiet death is heralded by his cigarette falling from his fingers.

** In the episode "Communication Problems" Basil drops an expensive vase when The Major tells Sybill that Basil had been betting on the horses behind her back.
** In "Gourmet Night", Polly tries to get Basil to put down the bottle he's opening first, but he still ends up dropping it on his foot after she tells him that the chef has gotten drunk right before an important dinner.
** In "The Kipper and the Corpse", Manuel happens to be salting a plate of sausages. On hearing the news that a guest has died, he stands still, holding the salt jug, which empties its entire contents over the sausages.
** In "Basil the Rat", Basil has a wine bottle in his hand; he suddenly sees a box of rat poison in the presence of the health inspector; he grabs the poison box, dropping the bottle, which smashes. Moments later, he drops and smashes another bottle.
* In ''Series/{{Fringe}}'', Olivia Dunham drops the bowl of cereal she was eating when her dead love and partner walks into the room. Seeing as this is ''Fringe'', we see the shot several times over a couple of episodes.
* Parodied in ''Series/TheGoodies'' - Bill isn't really shocked, he's just into loud noises.
* In the ''Series/{{Heritage Minute|s}}'' about Dr. Wilder Penfield, Mrs. 'burnt toast' famously announces her seizure by dropping the traditional plate.
* ''Series/{{Heroes}}'': In "The Eclipse, Part 1" when Mrs Bennet walks into the room [[spoiler:and finds Claire unconscious on the sofa]] she drops what she's holding.
* In one episode of ''Series/HomeAndAway'', Leah drops the plates and cutlery onto the floor [[spoiler:after she learns Dan dies]].
* ''Series/HorribleHistories'': In the Boudica special, Boudica snatches a pot off a Roman who has come to the reading of her husband's will. When she finds out he has left everything to the Roman Empire, she drops the pot, and and the Roman complains about her breaking his pottery.

*** If a younger character does something [[FromTheMouthsOfBabes or says something]] outrageous or rude, you can expect this trope to be played out by their parents or people nearby.
** The person was minding their own business, and fell ill or succumbed to some injury or illness they were previously unaware of. What they were doing gets dropped.
*** In particular, seizures, heart attacks, catatonia due to major emotional trauma (or HeroicBSOD), etc., are frequently announced by dropping crockery.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUok2JztwNo This PSA]] against texting and driving.

-->'''CEO:''' [[ThisCannotBe Who can do all that?]]
-->'''Spy:''' Daihatsu. ''(CEO drops his coffee cup, which [[DramaticShattering shatters on the floor]])'' That's who.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-S4UcU7iNGE This British Child Safety PIF]] when the mother sees her son Mark running into the road, she drops the eggs she was holding.
* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f29mh5ntlw4 this New Zealand internet safety PSA,]] a young teenager drops his bowl of cereal when two naked porn stars show up on his doorstep to discuss the nature of real world relationships.

* In ''Anime/DGrayMan'', episode "The Black Order Annihilation Incident", both Lenalee and Alan drop their trays full of coffee during their encounter with Komui's robot.

* ''The Fantastic Adventures of Manga/{{Unico}}'' features a variant, in that Katy drops the bucket she was carrying to fetch water ''after'' the Baron D'Ghost invites her to his castle, and then only after he leaves.
* Used at least twice in [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist the 2003 anime adaptation]] of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'': first, Edward drops a basket of vegetables when he sees his sick mother collapsed on the floor, and later on, Hughes's wife drops a tea set when she goes into labor.
* A heartbreaking example occurs in ''Manga/FushigiYuugi''. [[spoiler:Just before Miaka and her Seishi leave for Hokkan, Tamahome pays a visit to his family with Miaka and Nuriko. He buys them a few gifts before heading to their home, but when he opens the door to their house, he is horrified to see that his entire family had been murdered. The ball he had bought for Yuiren rolled right out of his hands and bounced on the floor before reaching her barely-alive fingertips.]]
* In ''Anime/GirlsUndPanzer'', this happens twice. Darjeeling drops her teacup, breaking a pre-fight promise, when Oarai manages to put pressure on her. Mako drops her cell phone after receiving a call informing her that [[spoiler:her grandmother has collapsed and been hospitalized]].

* Done in a blatant fashion in ''Manga/KashimashiGirlMeetsGirl'', when Tomari catches Hazumu and Yasuna kissing, which in turn makes her realize her own feelings for Hazumu.

** In ''Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs'', Shamal is preparing a bento when she gets a message on her cell phone from Suzuka about wanting to visit the hospitalized Hayate with some friends. Shamal's initially pleased to hear this, but when she recognizes Nanoha and Fate (whom she fears will expose Hayate as her mistress), in the attached picture, she becomes shocked and drops her chopsticks.
* In ''Literature/MoribitoGuardianOfTheSpirit'' when Shuga, who was the tutor of a young prince receives a message that the boy is dead: He reads it and wordlessly drops several probably valuable books. The scene has some impact as he's normally very composed and circumspect.

* In ''Anime/PokemonHeroes'' movie, when the team was just about to leave the island, Bianca (or Latias, it is never made clear) kisses Ash on the cheek. It seems to be so shocking that Misty drops her Togepi.

* ''Anime/SwordArtOnline'': During [[BigBad Kayaba]]'s announcement of SAO's [[TheMostDangerousVideoGame avatar death = player death]] function early on, every player receives a 'Mirror' item that converts their avatar to reflect their real appearance. Some characters are still holding the item when he signs off with what is basically an AGodAmI announcement; [[EarlyBirdCameo Silica]] dropping hers and screaming is what turns the crowd into a furious/panicking horde.
* In a flashback from the second ''Manga/TokyoBabylon'' OAV, a woman drops her shopping bags in horror when she enters her house and sees that [[spoiler:his CreepyChild eldest son (the BigBad of the story) has accidentally strangled his little sister to death.]] Even worse, [[spoiler:the boy [[AndCallHimGeorge doesn't seem to realize what happened]] and when he notices his mother, he happily and obliviously goes to her...]]

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'': When the death of Bart Allen is announced to Tim Drake via cellphone, he drops the phone in shock. There's no dialogue on the page and if the audience hadn't known exactly what had been happening in the DCU of late you probably wouldn't realize why.
* In ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', Wong was about to serve a tray of tea to Comicbook/DoctorStrange, but he drops it on the floor when [[spoiler: ComicBook/{{Thanos}} wipes him out of existence by [[BadassFingerSnap using the eponymous gauntlet]] to kill half of the universe's population]].
* In the ''ComicBook/IronMan'' issue 182, Tony Stark is drinking a bottle of alcohol when his friend, Gretyl, announces that she's giving birth. Tony promptly drops the bottle to help her.

* In ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4101650/2/Backward-With-Purpose-Part-I-Always-and-Always Backward with Purpose,]]'' Snape drops his wand in shock when Dumbledore admits to having the Elder Wand. Several more revelations later, he states that he needs to sit down as well.
* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfiction ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14800721/chapters/34243049 In The Black,]]'' the first part of ''Fanfic/TheBlackSheepDogSeries'', Sirius drops his wand in shock when his father reveals he never actually disowned Sirius after he ran away.

* In ''Fanfic/InfinityTrainBlossomingTrail'', Titus drops a pepper mill in his hand when Chloe shows off a silver tome with torn pages...because said book is ''his son'' whom he had not seen in years.
* ''Fanfic/KingdomHeartsPsiTheSeekerOfDarkness'': In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/25481830/chapters/61812535 Loose Ends,]]'' Aqua goes to the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee to ask if they know anything about Zack Fair. When she mentions his name, Aerith drops a teapot and it shatters.

* In a chapter of the ''Life During Wartime'', a canon sidestory of ''Fanfic/NeonMetathesisEvangelion'', Kaji let his coffee cup drop when he learns from Kaworu that SEELE had purposefully caused Second Impact. [[DramaticShattering Naturally, the mug shatters upon hitting the ground]].

* In ''Fanfic/QueenOfShadows'', Ikazuki drops his teacup after Ozeki [[spoiler: casts the deciding vote to make him the Acting Yojimbo]].
* In ''WebVideo/TheWaitingRoom'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjaTLFai5tw Episode 9,]] ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is playing with a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Fluttershy]] toy, when ComicBook/{{Elektra}} tells him "Last week, I killed forty men in a bathtub, wearing nothing but bubbles." -- and Deadpool drops Fluttershy.
* ''Fanfic/TheSmeetSeries'': In Chapter 4 of ''Vindictive'', Dib drops his drink after Foxtrot manages to actually beat [[GamerChick Gaz]] at a video game.
* In ''Fanfic/AFrozenFlower'', Olive is told that Orchid broke the seal to her dinosaur room and drops the pitcher of water that she's holding. Octavia then comes in and is told the same news by Olive and drops her tub of bouncy balls, but she has no idea what Olive is referring to.

* Happens [[RuleOfThree thrice]] during the formal dance in ''[[Franchise/{{Barbie}} Barbie and her Sisters in a Pony Tale]]''. All three of the boys from École Montagne drop their (glass) punch cups in some form of shock, one of which is SheCleansUpNicely. Barbie's younger cousin Max is ''not'' happy when he has to [[NeatFreak clean up the mess]].
* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanUnderTheRedHood'': Alfred drops a tray when [[spoiler:he sees that Batman's analysis of a blood sample [[TheReveal has identified the Red Hood as being Jason Todd]].]]
%%* ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'' did this with a dog and his bone.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'': The mustache grilles of Chick Hicks' forklift crew all fall off upon seeing how Guido can change all four of Lightning [=McQueen=]'s tires in four seconds.

* Done offscreen in ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'': Megara, holding a vase, is told by Hades that she will be freed from her DealWithTheDevil if she finds Hercules' weakness. The camera is held close on Meg's reaction, but a distinct crashing sound is heard.

* Near the beginning of ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', After Tiana realizes that she had made enough money to start her own restaurant for being a waitress at another, said restaurant's owner actually drops a fried egg from a spatula.
* Happens in ''WesternAnimation/QuestForCamelot'' when Kayley sees the shadow appearing over her and the rooster. She gasps and drops one of the eggs she was carrying.

** Chick's ex-wife drops the phone when her small child says, "Mommy? That salesman is on TV." 'That Salesman' was her ex-husband, and the TV announcement was of the Freedom and Independence teams being launched to save the world.
** Also, later one in the movie Truman drops a mug (which shatters on impact) after receiving bad news.
* ''Film/CitizenKane'' provides one of the best-known examples: when Kane dies, the snow globe in his hand rolls down the stairs and shatters.

* In ''Film/ETTheExtraTerrestrial'' Elliott's mom doesn't completely drop what she's doing when she sees E.T. isn't just a great Halloween costume, but her fingers go slack on her coffee cup and it dangles from her fingers, spilling messily to the floor.
* In ''Film/TheEye'', a man and woman are having a conversation over the phone. The man drops the phone in the middle of a conversation with her because he's been [[MindControl mind controlled]]. The woman he's conversing with realizes something is wrong, and ''she'' drops the phone and her bags to rush to him and see if he's all right.
* At the climax of ''Film/TheGiver'', when [[spoiler:the memories are returned to the community]], Jonas' father lets go of [[spoiler:the injection machine just as he is about to administer a lethal injection]] and it slowly rotates back toward the wall.
* In ''Film/GranTorino'', Walt drops his glass when he sees [[spoiler:Sue come back into her house bloody and beaten from being kidnapped and raped by Spider's gang.]]

* In ''[[Film/HomeAlone Home Alone 2: Lost in New York]]'', Harry and Marv sneak up behind Kevin as he's looking at a map of New York City. Harry says, "Hiya, pal!" which makes Kevin drop the pocket knife and map he just bought at Duncan's Toy Chest.

* ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk2008'' has Stan Lee, who drank a soda with Banner's blood in it getting gamma poisoning and dropping the soda.

* Subverted in ''Film/KnivesOut''. Fran enters Harlan's study while carrying a tray loaded with food and coffee only to discover him dead of apparent suicide. She starts to drop the tray but at the last moment notices and clumsily corrects herself with a muttered curse.

-->'''Wes Ramsey (Christian):''' ''(on the commentary track)'' [[spoiler:A ghost!!]]
* ''Film/TheLoft'': When Luke enters the loft and finds the dead body of the woman handcuffed to the bed, he drops the two bags of bottles of alcohol he is carrying, and the bottles shatter on the hardwood floor.
* When the Police Inspector in ''Film/{{M}}'' finds out that [[spoiler:the criminals caught the SerialKiller he was looking for]], the cigar he's smoking falls out of his mouth.
* ''Film/MurderAtTheBaskervilles'' When Simpson tells Mrs Straker that Hunter is dead, she drops the teacup she is holding.

* ''Film/PearlHarbor'' has a slow-motion shot of President Roosevelt dropping the stack of papers he's handed that inform him of the Japanese attack.
* ''Franchise/PiratesOfTheCaribbean''
** At the end of ''[[Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanAtWorldsEnd At World's End]]'', it happens when Pintel and Ragetti are confronted by Barbossa.
*** [[BowelBreakingBricks And when they drop the cannonballs.]]

* In ''Film/RedDawn1984'', after a Soviet squadron is killed following a chance encounter, Matt Eckeret is sent on a recon. mission, and when [[TheDragon Col. Bella,]] gives the order to open fire, Matt drops his binoculars at the sight of over a dozen unarmed civilians being machine-gunned in front of a mass grave.
* ''Film/Revenge2017'': Jen is walking slowly through the lounge room with a cold glass in her hand when she turns and sees the two threatening-looking hunters leering at her through the glass wall. She gasps and drops the glass which shatters on the floor.

* In ''Film/RedDawn1984'', after a Soviet squadron is killed following a chance encounter, Matt Eckeret is sent on a recon. mission, and when [[TheDragon Col. Bella,]] gives the order to open fire, Matt drops his binoculars at the sight of [[ObligatoryWarCrimeScene over a dozen unarmed civilians being machine-gunned in front of a mass grave.]]

* OlderThanFeudalism: This even happens in ''Literature/TheBible''. Moses drops the tablets with the Laws and breaks them (well, trashes them) when he notices that his followers have started worshiping the Golden Calf. He had to go back to get the Commandments since he had [[IncrediblyLamePun broken the Laws]], and [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup God apparently had failed to keep a spare copy.]]

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f29mh5ntlw4 this New Zealand internet safety PSA]], a young teenager drops his bowl of cereal when two naked porn stars show up on his doorstep to discuss the nature of real world relationships.

* In ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4101650/2/Backward-With-Purpose-Part-I-Always-and-Always Backward with Purpose]]'', Snape drops his wand in shock when Dumbledore admits to having the Elder Wand. Several more revelations later, he states that he needs to sit down as well.
* In the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' fanfiction ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/14800721/chapters/34243049 In The Black]]'', the first part of ''Fanfic/TheBlackSheepDogSeries'', Sirius drops his wand in shock when his father reveals he never actually disowned Sirius after he ran away.

* ''Fanfic/KingdomHeartsPsiTheSeekerOfDarkness'': In ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/25481830/chapters/61812535 Loose Ends]]'', Aqua goes to the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee to ask if they know anything about Zack Fair. When she mentions his name, Aerith drops a teapot and it shatters.

* In ''WebVideo/TheWaitingRoom'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjaTLFai5tw episode 9]], ComicBook/{{Deadpool}} is playing with a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Fluttershy]] toy, when ComicBook/{{Elektra}} tells him "Last week, I killed forty men in a bathtub, wearing nothing but bubbles." -- and Deadpool drops Fluttershy.

See also JawDrop, BowelBreakingBricks, DramaticShattering, SpitTake. Not to be confused with MicDrop. Sometimes subverted with a DesperateObjectCatch.

* ''Film/TheIncredibleHulk'' has Stan Lee, who drank a soda with Banner's blood in it getting gamma poisoning and dropping the soda.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'': When the death of Bart Allen is announced to [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Robin]] (Tim Drake) via cellphone, he drops the phone in shock. There's no dialogue on the page and if the audience hadn't known exactly what had been happening in the DCU of late you probably wouldn't realize why (it was pretty safe for them to assume everyone who read ''ComicBook/TeenTitans'' might well have known about events in ''The Flash'', but still possible that somebody could pick up the issue for the first time and wonder why Tim was dropping the phone and looking so depressed).
* In ''ComicBook/TheInfinityGauntlet'', Wong was about to serve a tray of tea to Comicbook/DoctorStrange, but he drops it on the floor when [[spoiler: Comicbook/{{Thanos}} wipes him out of existence by [[BadassFingerSnap using the eponymous gauntlet]] to kill half of the universe's population]].

* At one point during ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'''s ending, Cid drops his cigar from his mouth.
** The team is stuck in a collapsing cavern, with things about to get worse. Cid mutters to himself something along the lines of "Lady Luck, don't give up on me now." Cue the reaction above when [[spoiler:the ''[[CoolAirship Highwind]] literally drops from the ceiling.'']]
* Near the end of ''VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander'', Count Veger drops his cane upon seeing that the legendary Precursors are [[spoiler:actually ottsels.]]
* In the ''[[VideoGame/RivieraThePromisedLand Riviera]]'' drama [=CDs=], this is the young Malice's reaction to realizing that her mother has just died; she was fixing Rizuna some fruit beforehand, and we hear the plates shatter when she drops them.
* In the ending of ''VideoGame/{{Omori}}'', [[spoiler:the loser of the BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind drops whatever they were holding (Sunny his violin and bow, Omori his knife) before fading away.]]
* Parodied with Queen's [[AGlassOfChianti wine glasses]] in ''VideoGame/{{Deltarune}}''. She keeps a stash of glasses that shatter on impact, but the shards are completely harmless and they're ''meant'' to be broken; she even refers to it as her "throwing glass." On the other hand, she also has "Extra Dangerous Glass" that '''[[UpToEleven violently]] [[MadeOfExplodium explodes]]''' on impact. The two are indistinguishable from each other.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'' short "Occupational Hazards", when a yellow Pikmin goes into a cave and accidentally wakes up a large [[PredatorsAreMean Bulborb]], the Pikmin drops the two bolts it was carrying it shock.
* In ''VideoGame/TonyHawksUnderground'', after the [[AlcoholInducedIdiocy drunk]] Eric Sparrow hijacks a military tank, he drops his beer bottle and flees when he realizes the tank is about to crash into a building.