History Main / EverythingMakesAMushroom

The shape of a mushroom cloud is indelibly associated in everyone's minds with nuclear explosions. This trope is for explosions where that isn't the case--instead, the mushroom cloud is PlayedForLaughs, or just to show how powerful the explosive is.

* As previously mentioned, any powerful enough explosive will create a mushroom cloud, but few conventional explosives are that powerful. The Tall Boy bomb, as seen in ''Film/{{Rambo}}'', [[ShownTheirWork is one that is that powerful]], something many internet "comedians" failed to realize when snarking about [[RealityIsUnrealistic how Rambo should have been poisoned by nuclear fallout]].

* In ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'', "Los Insectos del Chavo" ends with an explosion at Don Ramón's house after he drinks some gasoline and lights a cigar. The first version of this episode emphazises this by overlapping the scene of a nuclear explosion between the shots before and after. Seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuG0Cb8srAY here.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', the impact of [[spoiler:The Red Death]] into the ground results in a large mushroom cloud, which [[spoiler:Hiccup and Toothless]] have to [[OutrunTheFireball outrun]].

* In the DS games based on the first live-action ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' film has a cheat what causes every destroyable object and enemy create a mushroom cloud-shaped explosion upon destruction.

* In ''Anime/AldnoahZero'', the [[MileLongShip Landing Castles]] used by the Martian Orbital Knights create these when they land on a planet. Completely {{Justified}}: each Castle is a [[AppliedPhlebotinum Aldnoah-powered]] spacecraft over two kilometers in length, and their version of "landing" is simply dropping down from orbit. The impact blast is more or less a nuclear strike minus the fallout, complete with incinerating shockwave and massive mushroom cloud.

* A non-comedic example occurs in ''WesternAnimation/PeterPan'', when a bomb [[BigBad Captain Hook]] left in [[KidHero Peter Pan's]] hideout explodes, resulting in a mushroom cloud that can be seen from Captain Hook's ship.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E11InsaneInTheMainframe Insane in the Mainframe]]", Malfunctioning Eddie is in the robot asylum because he explodes whenever he is told something surprising. When he's told he's being released, everyone tenses for an explosion, but all that happens is a tiny mushroom cloud erupts from his shoulder.

It's worth noting that this is somewhat TruthInTelevision -- the mushroom cloud effect is not actually exclusive to nuclear weapons, it's just that nuclear weapons are far beyond the heat and explosive force required to cause the effect, whereas very few non-nuclear explosions are powerful enough to result in mushroom clouds. Therefore, the two [[TheCoconutEffect became heavily associated with each other]]. Wiki/TheOtherWiki has [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mushroom_cloud a nice article]] about how they form, but very basically, the intense heat of a large-enough explosion causes a massive updraft of air, which draws in dust and debris from the ground (the "stem"), and as it rises, the lower, hotter areas push the higher, cooler areas to the side in a swirling movement that forms the "cap".

** As currently seen in the trope image, Azula's finishing move at Volleyball in "Ember Island" is kicking the ball so hard it creates as mushroom cloud of sand on impact.

* In the episode "The Desert" of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', Aang's airbending makes a mushroom cloud. [[PluckyComicRelief Sokka]], who is [[MushroomSamba tripping on cactus juice]], reacts hilariously:

** The Cain is specifically explained to ''not'' be nuclear in nature -- it's simply a large, explosive-filled shell launched at relativistic velocities towards a target. Since the resulting impact is powerful enough to create the characteristic mushroom cloud, it's referred to as the "Nuke Gun" by its users in-universe, and has radioactivity symbols plastered all over it. Presumably, this is just clever product marketing by the Cain's manufacturers.

* Seems to happen a lot in ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'', where even being thrown off of a seahorse or falling off one's bike and down a cliff results in massive explosions that give off a mushroom cloud.

* A small mushroom cloud is caused by an exploding gas station in ''WesternAnimation/{{Home}}''.

* The ''Series/MythBusters'' made a mushroom cloud with a 1,000 pound [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=LptXaQ4Wkjw bomb]].

* As the ''Blog/WhatIf'' physics blog demonstrates, [[http://what-if.xkcd.com/1/ a baseball can create one]], provided you can throw it at relativistic speed.

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDrama'':

** Chris spices up the toboggan race in "[[Recap/Total DramaWhoCanYouTrust Who Can You Trust?]]" with some leftover explosives. Each explosive creates a mushroom upon ignition.

** "[[Recap/TotalDramaAwwwwwwDrumheller Awwwwww, Drumheller]]"
** "[[Recap/TotalDramaBackstabbersAhoy Backstabbers Ahoy!]]"
** "[[Recap/TotalDramaTheEnchantedFrankenForest The Enchanted Franken-Forest]]"

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E18SoItsComeToThisASimpsonsClipShow So Its Come To This: A Simpsons Clip Show]], Homer is sent to the hospital due to Bart's April Fools prank. He took [[SodaCanShakeup a can of Duff beer and stuck it in a paint mixer at the hardware store]], then tricks Homer into opening it. The resulting mushroom cloud of beer ends up blowing the roof off the house, and can be seen by Chief Wiggum from a few blocks away. He initially pays no mind to it until Lou points out that it's beer.
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E22KrustyGetsKancelled Krusty Gets Cancelled]]", after a pickup truck driver drops a Duff Beer can in front of Creator/BetteMidler, she angrily throws it back at him. The can makes the truck spin out of control, go off the guardrail and crash into the nearby cliff, [[EveryCarIsAPinto exploding and making a mushroom cloud]].
** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS7E9SideshowBobsLastGleaming Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming]]," Sideshow Bob takes Bart and Lisa hostage next to a 50's A-bomb. His demands are refused, he pushes the detonator, and a mushroom cloud explodes... before the camera pans out to reveal the cloud is, at most, two inches tall. Sideshow Bob then comments that "he HAD to go for the retro charm". The nuclear bomb had a very explicit expiration date written on it: "Best Used Before 1959."

* In ''WesternAnimation/XavierRenegadeAngel'', the titular character pulls out a tobacco pipe when he starts getting philosophical at one point, and a tiny mushroom cloud puffs out of it, for whatever reason.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "[[Recap/FuturamaS3E11InsaneInTheMainframe Insane in the Mainframe]]", Malfunctioning Eddie is in the robot asylum because he explodes whenever he is told something surprising. When he's told he's being released, everyone tenses for an explosion, but all that happens is a tiny mushroom cloud erupts from his shoulder.
-->'''Doctor:''' We can control that with medication.

* Ditto on ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes''.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'' episode "Fight Fighters", Rumble Mcskirmish's [[OverlyLongGag Super Power Ninja Turbo Neo Ultra Hyper Mega Multi Alpha Meta Extra Uber Prefix Combo]] produces a mushroom cloud shaped like a fist.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeagueUnlimited'': Green Arrow and Speedy resort to their "quantum arrows" after Wade Eiling shrugs off everything they and five other heroes can dish out. The result is a building-sized mushroom cloud.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': In "Every Which Way But Ed", Ed manages to create a mushroom cloud out of supercharged static electricity. It manages to destroy Edd's house ([[MadeOfIron Ed and Edd survive, of course]]).
* ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'': When Rhinox [[{{Fartillery}} lets rip]] at the end of "The Low Road", the resulting mushroom cloud [[DistantReactionShot is visible from space]].

* In ''VideoGame/{{Skyhill}}'', you see a big green one in the intro cutscene.

* In ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'', the impact of [[spoiler:The Green Death]] into the ground results in a large mushroom cloud, which [[spoiler:Hiccup and Toothless]] have to [[OutrunTheFireball outrun]].

* ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTenseiPersona'':