History Main / DropTheCow

* Used in the early episodes of ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''; averted in recent episodes, resulting in fans and critics complaining that ''SNL'''s sketches are {{Overly Long Gag}}s with thin premises. That's true in some cases, but not all.

Originally coined by Creator/MontyPython, on the subject of sketch comedy -- if a scene is starting to go on too long, drop a cow on somebody. Used to mean any point where, if the comedy dialogue is wearing thin, you skip to silliness. Can also use [[EverythingExplodesEnding explosions]].

For the less zany versions of punctuation via vertical impact, see FlowerPotDrop and AnvilOnHead (which incorporates items like the 16-ton weight). For the anime equivalent of these, see DropTheWashtub.

* Used [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin literally]] and [[OverlyLongGag liberally]] in the comedies of Creator/SeltzerAndFriedberg, especially ''Film/DisasterMovie''.

* Keyboard Cat.

** Invoked in one sketch during the Dave Chapell hosted episode in 2016 where the bad sketch cuts early to a faux-news conference where the actors in the initial sketch are asked about their performance as if they were a Football team that just lost a big game.

* An example from the subscriber section of ''Webcomic/{{Drowtales}}'' happened in a story where the users put in options, and the story [[{{Rule34}} naturally devolved into porn]]. The next page showed Ariel punching Liriel to get the story back on track, since the premise of the section is that it's the daydream of a character telling it to the audience. Other stories in the same section have had other types of cow droppings including the story itself getting canned if it's derailed too far.

* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'' is, of course, the trope namer, and does this literally. It also did it without cows, such as with the ''"Get on with it!"'' chanters.

** That humorless colonel could be seen as a LampshadeHanging on their rationale for ending sketches like that; he would enter the skit and stop its participants on the grounds of no longer being funny because their scene has gone on too long.

** ''"It's The Arts"'' has a more subtle example: an interviewer is interviewing the last known relative of mostly-unknown German baroque composer Johann Gambolputty de von Ausfern-schplenden-schlitter-crasscrenbon-fried-digger-dangle-dungle-burstein-von-knacker-thrasher-apple-banger-horowitz-ticolensic-grander-knotty-spelltinkle-grandlich-grumblemeyer-spelterwasser-kurstlich-himbleeisen-bahnwagen-gutenabend-bitte-eine-nurnburger-bratwustle-gerspurten-mit-zweimache-luber-hundsfut-gumberaber-shönedanker-kalbsfleisch-mittler-raucher von Hautkopft of Ulm. Said relative ''literally dies of old age'' before the interviewer can even ask a single question due to one too many repetitions of the composer's OverlyLongName.

* The unnamed Newsman on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' once had a cow dropped on him as he read on a [[DeadlineNews stock market report]] that beef was [[{{Pun}} falling]]. Most of his other reports [[AnvilOnHead had similar results]]. Creator/JimHenson once said that if he didn't know how to end a sketch, he would blow something up, have a monster eat everything, or [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins throw penguins in the air]].

'''Jim:''' Ummm... Cue the cow! ''(it gets dropped right on top of Psy-Crow who pulls out a tiny umbrella)'' Guh-roovy! ''(episode ends)''

[[folder:Film]]

* Encouraged for UsefulNotes/NaNoWriMo in the case of WritersBlock. It's something of a blend between this and ChandlersLaw, but given that it's official advice given regardless of genre, setting, or situation, and [[GratuitousNinja ninjas are not always thematically appropriate]], it can trend toward this trope when taken literally depending on the writer and contents.

* Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus was better known for its use of a [[AnvilOnHead falling 16-ton weight]]. A knight wielding a dead chicken was also kept around for this purpose, as was a giant hammer and a humorless Colonel (played by Graham Chapman).

For other gratuitous uses of cows, see EverythingsBetterWithCows. Also, note that this trope is not ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin -- that is to say, just because someone gets a cow dropped on them doesn't mean it's Drop the Cow. You don't have to drop a farm animal for it to be Drop the Cow, either.

* The unnamed Newsman on ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' once had a cow dropped on him as he read on a [[DeadlineNews stock market report]] that beef was [[IncrediblyLamePun falling]]. Most of his other reports [[AnvilOnHead had similar results]]. Creator/JimHenson once said that if he didn't know how to end a sketch, he would blow something up, have a monster eat everything, or [[EverythingsBetterWithPenguins throw penguins in the air]].

'''Psy-Crow:''' ''(fearful)'' ...The cow thing?\\
'''Jim:''' Ummm... Cue the cow! ''(it gets dropped right on top of Psy-Crow)'' Guh-roovy! ''(episode ends)''

** This appeared in another Shiny's game as a MytholoGag. In the first VideoGame/MDK if you collect a powerup in the shape of VideoGame/EarthwormJim's face a bunch of cows is dropped on enemies closest to you.

* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ignobel#Ceremony The Ig Nobel Prize award ceremony]] features a character by the name of Miss Sweety Poo, a cute girl of about eight who will cut off overly long speeches by repeating "Please stop. I'm bored" again and again until the speaker complies.