History Main / EverythingsBetterWithCows

[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cows_6594.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:350:Creator/MarvelComics: Milking their titles for all they're worth! [[labelnote:groan...]][[HurricaneOfPuns Now that's what I call a moo-perhero! A bo-divine! Better watch out for the legendary hammer, "Moo-lnir", which can udder-ly destroy its enemies until they cow-er in fear. It's faster than a speeding bull, stronger than a loco-moo-tive, and able to jump over the Moo-n in a single bound.]]]][[/labelnote]]-]

->''"Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo"''
-->-- The opening to '''''A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man''''' by Creator/JamesJoyce

Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved herbivores and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult males are referred to as bulls. They are commonly raised as livestock for meat, milk, leather, and even dung, and are used as riding and draft animals. In some regions, such as parts of India, cattle have significant religious significance, and a few breeds are even kept as pets.

So, who knows why people love cows? They stand around and moo. They [[ConstantlyLactatingCow make milk whenever we want them too]] (in fiction at least). And yet, people love them anyway. This index refers to any trope that has anything to do with cattle specifically. Tropes related to GarnishingTheStory in general, such as DropTheCow, do not belong here.

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!!MOOOOOOOOO!
[[index]]
* AliensStealCattle: Whenever a FlyingSaucer passes over a farm, it always beams up the farmer's cows with its TractorBeam.
* BicolorCowsSolidColorBulls: Cows are depicted as being two colors while bulls are depicted as being one color.
* BrutishBulls: Bulls portrayed as aggressive, violent and far from bright.
* BullSeeingRed: The mere sight of red objects can drive bulls into rampaging anger.
* CattleDrive: A common Western plotline involving the moving of large herds of cattle across dangerous country.
* ComicalCattle: Cows being used as a comedy element.
* ConstantlyLactatingCow: Fictional cows and other milk-giving livestock seem to produce milk whenever the situation calls for it, even if they aren't pregnant or with offspring.
* CowTipping: An UrbanLegend about people sneaking into farms at night and pushing sleeping, standing cows over (never mind that cattle don't sleep standing up, and can get up from a lying position just fine).
* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Half-man, half-bull creatures or other anthropomorphic cattle, usually based on the eponymous monster of Myth/ClassicalMythology.
[[/index]]

* BrutishBulls: Bulls being portrayed as ferocious and short-tempered.

* CattleDrive: Transporting herds of cattle is risky business.

* ConstantlyLactatingCow: Fictional cows seem to produce milk whenever the situation calls for it, even if they aren't pregnant or with offspring.
* CowTipping: An UrbanLegend about people sneaking into farms at night and pushing sleeping cows over (never mind that cattle don't sleep standing up, and can get up from a lying position just fine).
* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Half-man, half-bull creatures based on the eponymous monster of Myth/ClassicalMythology.

* OurMinotaursAreDifferent: Half-man, half-bull creatures based on the eponymous monster of ClassicalMythology.

A link somewhere on the Internet sent you to this page.

It may refer to one of the following pages:
* AnimalStereotypes: Recurring behaviors and personality quirks associated with certain animals.

* GarnishingTheStory: The use of something or someone in a work solely for the sake of improving the work.
* SurrealHumor: Humor derived from bizarre things, such as animals thought of as odd or quirky, such as cows, or such things appearing in situations where you wouldn't expect them. One such case is DropTheCow.

Please change any link to point to the correct page.
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* SurrealHumor: Humor derived from bizarre things, such as animals thought of as odd or quirky, such as cows, or such things appearing in situations where you wouldn't expect them.

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1649138412024473700 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.]]]]]]

* SurrealHumor: Humor derived from bizarre things, such as animals thought of as odd or quirky, such as cows.

%% Image and caption selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1316701776016580100
%% Please do not change or remove without starting a new thread.
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[[quoteright:350:[[ComicBook/TheMightyThor https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cows_6594.png]]]]
[-[[caption-width-right:350:Creator/MarvelComics: Milking their titles for all they're worth! [[labelnote:groan...]][[HurricaneOfPuns Now that's what I call a moo-perhero! A bo-divine! Better watch out for the legendary hammer, "Moo-lnir", which can udder-ly destroy its enemies until they cow-er in fear. It's faster than a speeding bull, stronger than a loco-moo-tive, and able to jump over the Moo-n in a single bound.]]]][[/labelnote]]-]

->''"Once upon a time and a very good time it was there was a moocow coming down along the road and this moocow that was coming down along the road met a nicens little boy named baby tuckoo"''
-->-- The opening to '''''A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man''''' by Creator/JamesJoyce

Who knows why people love cows? They stand around and moo. They [[ConstantlyLactatingCow make milk whenever we want them too]] (in fiction at least). And yet, people love 'em. Some people love 'em enough to put 'em into their works regardless of appropriateness, just because they think cows are awesome.

This trope is about [[UnusualEuphemism female bovines]] inserted into a work of fiction without any actual purpose or logical explanation, except for the RuleOfCool or RuleOfFunny.

'''''Note:''' This trope is not a list of your favorite works featuring cows. Nor is it a list of all cow jokes in fiction. It's about gratuitous cows.''

Compare GarnishingTheStory. Sometimes overlaps with DropTheCow. See also AliensStealCattle and CowTipping. If you're looking for minotaur-esque critters, check out OurMinotaursAreDifferent. Contrast BrutishBulls, for much more negative portrayals of fictional cattle. Not really related to YouFightLikeACow (but it's a fun mental image, isn't it?)

If you ''do'' want to see a list of works featuring cows, [[BovineFiction see here.]]

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!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Advertising]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sINuf7zkzkw Dancing cows sell chocolate.]]
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gateway,_Inc Gateway computers]] played up their being founded in Iowa by delivering their product in boxes patterned after a Holstein cow. The cowbox became part of their logo in 1998.
* Chick-fil-A frequently uses [[Advertising/ChickFilACows intelligent cows]] in its ads that urge customers to "Eat Mor Chikin" instead of beef. They even used to sell comedic calendars that were loaded with cow puns.
* Subversion: ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' had a [[http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2012-02-28-what-happened-to-the-mass-effect-3-space-edition-copies "Space Edition"]], where some [[LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition special packages of the game]] were shot to the upper atmosphere in balloons, and then fans tried to track them down. One in England led to [[https://twitter.com/masseffect/status/174208835639197696 this amusing update]].
* In the 90's there was a TV-add for a German travel agency, that consisted of several pictures with voiceovers of family members telling what they want to do and see during their holidays. It got quite some infamy for the line by a little girl "I want cows!". Most germans of age 20 and older will instantly recognize that line.
* Krówki-ciągutki. A Polish milk toffee candy with crumbly outside and gooey interior, sold in every possible place where a lot of people are milling about with their children. Individually wrapped in paper that proudly bears a picture of a cow. Hence the name that means, more or less, "little cows that can be pulled" (pulled like cheese on pizza, not like a cow on a chain).
* A particular inner balcony room on Royal Caribbean's ''Freedom of the Seas'' had the misfortune (due to being located directly above a Ben & Jerry's) of having the scenic view of Holstein cow posteriors rather than the internal promenade. The cruise ship designers decided to have fun with this and thus created the [[http://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2011/08/01/look-royal-caribbeans-ben-and-jerry-sweet Ben & Jerry's Sweet]], a cruise cabin with an udder ludicrosity of cow theming (and suite privileges and free ice cream for the cruise duration) to make up for the view of cow butts.
** This has subsequently proved to be so popular that all ships of the ''Freedom'' class now have a "Ben & Jerry's Sweet". However, the versions on the ''Liberty of the Seas'' and ''Independence of the Seas'' do not have the mooing mirror (yes, the cow theming on ''Freedom'' extended to ''a motion sensitive mirror that mooed when you walked in front of it'') because that was the one bit of bovine theming people thought a bit annoying.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* In ''Anime/PrincessTutu'', the one-shot character [[OneSceneWonder Femio]] believes himself to be [[SoBeautifulItsACurse So Beautiful, It's A Sin]]. As punishment, he has a bull that comes to trample him when called. At one point--when he believes the MagicalGirl and [[DarkMagicalGirl her dark counterpart]] are fighting over him--he decides he's ''so'' sinful that ''an entire herd'' is called to trample him. There's enough bulls that they fill up a square of the town, leaving the residents to stare at them in confusion.
* ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'' had one episode where Nanami started turning into a cow. The highlight was the DreamSequence: Nanami dreams that her beloved brother Touga is taking her on a wagon to market, and there's a butterfly overhead...just in time for the chorus to start in on a 1940s [[YiddishAsASecondLanguage Yiddish]] song "Dona Dona," which is apparently popular in Japan.
* The first thing you see in the ''Manga/{{Chobits}}'' anime is a cow that has nothing to do with the plot. That is because Hideki lives on a farm until he moves to Tokyo.
* A random cow on the railroad tracks is what allows Ed to catch "MushroomSamba"'s bounty of the week in ''Anime/CowboyBebop''. It was not mentioned beforehand and simply appears without warning on the train tracks. And the only thing that even acknowledges it is the team pet, [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment nobody ever mentions it again.]]
* Subverted by the Demon Guard Minotauros in ''Manga/OnePiece''. He looks like a Holstein cow minotaur, and looks pretty harmless and cute.... until he starts [[KillerRabbit smashing people around]] with his [[CarryABigStick trusty spiked club]].
* In ''[[Webcomic/HetaliaAxisPowers Hetalia]]'', Spain's pet bull helps him to knock out the carriage where Romano was being kidnapped by Turkey, and much later aids in France's defeat. Such a reliable animal.
** [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext "Ice! There are cows flying in the sky!"]]
* Hiromu Arakawa, author of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'', even uses a cow as her avatar, although it is easily explained by the fact that she grew up on a dairy farm.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* In ''Animation/HappyHeroes'', FunnyAnimal cows are seen [[LionsAndTigersAndHumansOhMy living alongside]] the HumanAliens inhabiting Planet Xing for some reason.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comedy]]
* Creator/JerrySeinfeld joked about the impulse so-called "mature adults" have to stick their heads out of car windows and say "Moo" when they see cows, as if the cows could be fooled.
-->'''Jerry:''' Hey, there's a cow driving that car! How can he afford that!?
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Creator/MarvelComics:
** ''ComicBook/TheMightyThor'', the cow of thunder (pictured atop this page).
** ''ComicBook/FantasticFour'': Then, of course, there are the infamous Cow Skrulls (and the even more infamous Cow-Skrull Burgers).
** Behold, the terror of [[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix/hellcw.htm Hellcow]] the [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot vampire cow]]!
* In ''ComicBook/SupergirlCosmicAdventuresInThe8thGrade'', [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} the titular heroine]] spends one whole night dragging a herd of missing cows back to their pen. As a result of her nightly heroics, she falls sleep in class and gets punished.
-->'''ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}:''' Stupid cows. Keeping me up all night with their problems. Making me sleepy.
* In ''Recap/TintinTintinInTibet'', Captain Haddock tries to step over a sacred cow. The cow gives him an unasked-for ride.
* Creator/DCComics has the Battlin' Bovine: Bat-Cow! Starting as a one-off gag in ''ComicBook/GrantMorrisonsBatman Incorporated'' (and subsequently a background gag in the Batcave), she later got her own story in the ''Batman Incorporated'' one-shot, written by Creator/DanDiDio. A version of Bat-Cow also appears in ''ComicBook/TinyTitans'', who is a member of the League of Just Us Cows, which includes Aqua-Cow, Flaming Head Cow, and Bat-Cow [[WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond Beyond]].
* ''ComicBook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesAdventures'' would give us Cudley, the trans dimensional cowlick, a giant cow head that carries people to different worlds in his mouth. He would later appear in the Mirage comics.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* In an early ''ComicStrip/KnightsOfTheDinnerTable'' story, [[GameMaster B.A.]] [[FlavorText offhandedly mentioned]] that the party was walking past a cow in a field. Dave decided to investigate the cow. B.A.'s [[{{Railroading}} attempts to nudge him back on track]] only made him more determined. Finally, in exasperation, B.A. declared that the cow was magical.
* Cows (and to a much lesser extent, [[QuackingUp ducks]] and [[CluckingFunny chickens]]) gradually became a bit of a signature of ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'', with many, many strips - including the {{Trope Namer|s}} for CowTools - focusing on the animals. Gary Larson wrote in ''The [=PreHistory=] of The Far Side'', "I should have just called this thing ''The Cow Side'' and forgot about it." He believes cows are among the funniest animals on the planet, and even thinks [[InherentlyFunnyWords the word "cow" is inherently hilarious]]. Most ''Far Side'' collection books - one of which was titled ''Cows Of Our Planet'' - feature a cow or two on the cover, and when the complete run was printed as a boxed set, the covers - and the box itself - were printed with a Holstein pattern.
* ''ComicStrip/CowAndBoy'' by Mark Leiknes is a strip about a young farm boy and his friend, a cow. The cow is the reasonable, sensible one of the two.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In ''Fanfic/StrikeWitchesQuest'', you encounter a [[spoiler:hissing Martian robot]] cow, which quickly becomes a regular at Castle Barin.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' J/7 SlashFic ''Oh My God, They Killed Chakotay!'' by [=Sazzy1972=]. Captain Janeway believes that killing her boring first officer is the only way to break a GroundhogDayLoop, and so tries to bump Chakotay off with increasingly hilarious methods, including dropping a cow on his head in the holodeck.
* The ''Manga/{{Naruto}}'' fanfic ''Fanfic/YetAgainWithALittleExtraHelp'' has exploding cows, used to help train the Konoha Twelve. Needless to say, they're all scarred for life.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' featured farm equipment that acted like cattle, and one of the activities involving said farm equipment is called "tractor tipping".
* ''[[WesternAnimation/PixarShorts El Materdor]]'' also featured cattle, but this time, they are all portrayed as bulldozers instead of farm equipment.
* At the climax of ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', a squad of palace guards get accidentally dosed with shape-shifting potions, leading to:
-->'''Yzma:''' Get them!\\
'''Transformed guard:''' Um, I've been turned into a cow. Can I go home?\\
'''Yzma:''' You're excused. Anyone else?\\
'''Other transformed guards:''' No, no, we're good.\\
'''Yzma:''' GET THEM!
* ''WesternAnimation/HomeOnTheRange'' is a notable failure of the trope given the lackluster film had cows as the main protagonists. It's odd when you consider Disney usually excels in talking animal stories like ''Franchise/TheLionKing'' or ''WesternAnimation/{{Zootopia}}''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/{{Twister}}'' shows a cow flying through a tornado, while those watching can only say, [[CasualDangerDialogue "Cow."]] As Melissa (Creator/JamiGertz) says to a patient she's on the phone with, "I gotta go, we got cows".
* In ''Film/BackToTheFuture'', Marty encounters cows after crashing into the Peabodys' farm. On the DVDCommentary over this scene, [[WordOfGod Bob Gale]] cites this trope.
* ''Film/MontyPythonAndTheHolyGrail'': [[DropTheCow Fetchez la vache.]]
* ''Film/KungPowEnterTheFist'' features a [[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]-style fight between Chosen One and a cow.
* ''Film/RatRace'' involves cows in several of its gags. A hardware store guy ends up in a balloon and a cow ends up attached to the balloon. Then the cow ends up on top of a hooker, driving a car.
* In ''Film/TopSecret'', apparently Fleurgendorf Prison has a conveniently located farm on the grounds that allows LaResistance to infiltrate it by disguising themselves as, you guessed it, cows. Until a [[BlackComedyRape bull happens along]]...
* ''Film/OBrotherWhereArtThou'' has Babyface Nelson causing a stampede by [[TriggerHappy gunning down a cow]] ("[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apq46lA0uSM Cows! I hate cows worse than coppers!]]"), and a flood being followed by a cow atop a house.
* Charlie and Irene encounter a cow during their road trip in ''Film/MeMyselfAndIrene''.
* Creator/RobertMitchum's character in ''Film/WhatAWayToGo'' dies when he drunkenly tries to "milk" a bull.
* ''Film/DaysOfWineAndRoses'' is a crude drama about alcoholism in its second half... The first half is a heartwarming film that has a few funny moments like a cow and a chicken as part of a music band.
* ''Film/{{Shrooms}}'': While tripping on the shrooms, Bluto encounters a talking cow who turns out to be quite the DeadpanSnarker.
* Averted in the Irish horror film ''Isolation'', which concerns genetically-modified cows who have undergone some...[[BodyHorror unusual changes]].
* Danish movie ''Flickering Lights'' has [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XE4ZBcK01HU a scene]] where Creator/MadsMikkelsen shoots a cow for "looking at him funny". And later it seems more have walked into his TriggerHappy crosshairs...
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* ''[[Literature/{{Discworld}} Where's My Cow?]]'', an in-universe children's book. Screaming the words to it provide the MadnessMantra of [[spoiler: Sam Vimes while he's possessed by a demonic entity]].
** Leads to probably one of the oddest [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome awesome moments]] in all of fiction;
--> ''That. Is. Not. MY. '''COW'''!''
** Later it was {{defictionaliz|ation}}ed as an actual picture book, where the cow isn't gratuitous anymore.
** In ''Literature/{{Pyramids}}'', Pteppic, pharoah of Djelibeybi, has a suspiciously [[Literature/TheBible biblical]] [[Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat dream]] concerning seven cows playing the trombone.
* ''Literature/WaysideSchool Is Falling Down'': The school doesn't fall down, but it does get taken over by cows.
* ''Literature/OneHundredYearsOfSolitude'' has a herd of cows that reproduce too quickly. Only Melquiades' words of wisdom can calm them. Later, Aureliano Segundo would yell "Cease, cows! Life is short!" in the middle of his parties.
* ''Literature/BoredOfTheRings'':
** Bromosel recounts a strange prophetic dream involving cows:
--->"I had a dream one night in Minas Troney in which seven cows ate seven bushels of wheat, and when they were finished they climbed a red tower and threw up three times, chanting, [[Music/JamesBrown 'Say it now and say it loud, I'm a cow and I'm proud.']]"
** Lavalier's parting lament ends with the repeated line, "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honi_soit_qui_mal_y_pense Honi soit]] [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Laughing_Cow la vache qui rit]]." The text supplies this loose translation: "See, even now the cows laugh, Alas, alas."
* In one of Creator/ShelSilverstein's illustrated poems, a girl is picking up a cow and shaking it, ComicallyMissingThePoint of how to make a milkshake.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* Gene the cow on ''Series/{{Fringe}}''. Part of Walter's lab and generally present once per episode, Gene was brought in as fresh-from-the-cow milk was required for the "fringe science" for one incident in the ''series premiere,'' and has been there ever since. She's often discussed offhand in Walter's discussions with Astrid - for example, Walter postulating if he could make milk from Gene that would never spoil using a life-extending fluid that was part of the main plot, or wondering if he could make Gene produce chocolate milk by feeding it the right ingredients.
* On ''Series/TheXFiles'', Mulder has a close encounter with a very unfortunate cow that crashes through the ceiling of his motel room in "Rain King".
* The ''Series/BrassEye'' "Animals" episode features cows heavily. There's Carla Lane crying over the grave of a hypothetical cow, there's a crazy caravan man engaging in a surreal harassment campaign against a cow that's inherited his land and there's a cow being fired out of a cannon in a fictional Libyan folk custom and left for the dogs and jackals. And maybe scorpions if they eat meat, I dunno.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. Tom Paris pulls a practical joke on Harry Kim while he's in the Fair Haven holodeck program, transforming a pretty Irish lass into a cow just as Harry's about to kiss her.
* The ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'' likes this one.
** The ''Magazine/DoctorWhoMagazine'' comic strip "The Lunar Strangers" features two [[BeastMan humanoid alien cows]].
** One of the Literature/EighthDoctorAdventures novels reveals that the TARDIS has a cow, which is implied to provide their supply of milk.
** Another one takes place on an alien planet where the local fauna is much like that of Earth, except the cows are disconcertingly enormous:
-->''What I Learned in Outer Space'' by Anji Kapoor – impressive pause – They have bigger cows.
* Among the [[DerangedAnimation weird bumps]] Creator/{{MTV}} Brasil used to air were some starring space cow [[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRH6sAtJks5EHm8LKqmshNDWXTmsmpVx- Vacalática]].
* The Creator/JulieAndrews episode of ''Series/TheMuppetShow'' involved the discovery of a (non-muppet) cow backstage. They eventually get rid of it, but just before the credits, it's revealed that [[spoiler:the cow is allegedly Julie's]].
* One of the sketches in the Bavarian TV special ''[[Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus Monty Python's Fliegender Zirkus]]'' was ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' acted by a herd of cows, in mooing with German subtitles.
* Cows tend to turn up in a lot of Rose's stories of her hometown of St. Olaf, Minnesota, in ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', due to the town being a rural farming community. For example, every hotel room is required by law to have one.
-->'''Rose''': I remember my first love...\\
'''Sophia''': Let me guess... it was a cow.\\
'''Rose''': Why, yes! How did you know?
* On ''Series/SesameStreet'' back in TheEighties, there was a NewWaveMusic band called How Now Brown and the Moo Wave. The lead singer wore [[HornyVikings a stereotypical Viking hat]], and the keyboardist had horns on his headband. There were also cows as backup singers.
* On ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'', Raven and Chelsea cast a magical wishing spell that starts turning them into cows in the HalloweenEpisode. Their body continually becomes more cow-like as they also begin eating straw and mooing, which culminates in them completely transforming into the animal and deciding to "milk it." [[spoiler: However, the transformation was all in Raven's vision.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]
* Music/TheArrogantWorms song "I Am Cow."
** They also used a cow's moo in the background of a song about hunters shooting anything that moves.
* The Music/FooFighters song "For All The Cows", from [[Music/FooFightersAlbum their debut]].
* The Creator/{{Hipgnosis}} cover for Music/PinkFloyd's ''Music/AtomHeartMother'' album features cows--and deliberately has nothing to do the music.
* The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qeMFqkcPYcg video]] for "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" by Music/{{Eurythmics}}, which also features the same cow from the Music/PinkFloyd album mentioned above.
* "Cows With Guns" by Dana Lyons.
* "Mooo!" by Music/DojaCat is a humorous, tongue-in-cheek take on this trope.
* "Angus Dei" (not "Agnus Dei") from the "Missa Hilarious" by Music/PDQBach.
* "Little Tiny Song" by Music/BarenakedLadies which is actually about an angry cow.
* Independent piano-rock musician [[http://www.matthewebel.com/ Matthew Ebel]] has a song called "Trees" which has this as its "punchline":
--> ''All I wanted was to milk / A metaphor about the trees / And write some crap that really wows. / But now instead of / Writing 'bout the trees, / Somehow or another, I've ended up / Writing about...cows?''
** Immediately followed by the sound of a cow mooing. This has become a RunningGag among his fans; when he plays "Trees" during his live shows, and gets to this part, the ones who are familiar with the joke all go "Mooooooooo!"
* Music/WeirdAlYankovic's "Smells Like Nirvana" has a cow mooing right after the line "A GarageBand from UsefulNotes/{{Seattle}}, well it sure beats raising cattle!".
* A cow is pictured on the cover of Music/FrankZappa's album ''Music/{{Lather}}''.
* The Music/BlueOysterCult's early number ''She's As Beautiful As A Foot'' runs out of pedal-extremity metaphors and likens the lady, in a bewilderingly surreal switch of compliments, to a Guernsey cow.
* In Music/TomLehrer's "The Hunting Song", from ''Music/SongsByTomLehrer'', the only non-human animal bagged by the singer is a cow, revealed in the song's last line to be a pure-bred Guernsey. Unfortunately, it was shot out of season.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Myths & Religion]]
* Cows (and bulls) tend to show up fairly frequently in Greek Mythology, occasionally seemingly at random. Most notably, they are identified with Hera, whose traditional epithet used by Greek poets was "Boopis" (cow-eyed). This sounds like an EmbarrassingNickname, but it was actually considered a compliment - the Ancient Greeks considered cows to have very beautiful eyes.
* Genesis 41 tells the story in Literature/TheBible of the Pharoah's dream, famously interpreted by the Hebrew Joseph, concerning seven fat and seven thin cows:
-->Two years later the king[a] of Egypt dreamed he was standing beside the Nile River. 2 Suddenly, seven fat, healthy cows came up from the river and started eating grass along the bank. 3 Then seven ugly, skinny cows came up out of the river and 4 ate the fat, healthy cows. When this happened, the king woke up.
* Myth/EgyptianMythology features a (mostly) benevolent goddess named Hathor, who sometimes took the form of a cow.
* According to the origin story of the EasternZodiac, the Ox only became the second year because the Rat [[YouDirtyRat tricked the Ox by asking for a ride on his back and then rushing to the finish line himself]].
* Hinduism teaches that cows are symbols of innocence and should not be eaten, and once-domestic cows can be seen freely roaming around India. On the holiday Gopastami [[http://www.religionfacts.com/hinduism/things/cow.htm they honor cows]] although this may be more a celebration of cowherding than of the cows themselves.
* Cows were a measure of wealth for many Iron Age and late Bronze Age cultures, including the ancient Celts, many East African tribes, the Homeric Greeks, and the ancient Romans. ("Pecuniary" comes from the Latin _pecus_, "cattle".) Modern expressions like the Texan "all hat and no cattle" reflect this to an extent.
* In Myth/NorseMythology, Audhumbla the primordial cow was one of the two first beings in existence, existing in Ginnungagap before the world was created. Her milk fed the primordial giant Ymir, and she created the first god Búri by licking him out of a salty rimestone in Niflheim. Notably, it's left unexplained what happened to her after Ymir's death. Presumably she either drowned in the ensuing flood, or wandered of into the cosmos, looking for more salt to lick.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pinballs]]
* There's a longstanding tradition of hiding cows as {{Easter Egg}}s in PhysicalPinballTables. Some players even use the term "Hidden Cows" to refer to Easter Eggs.
** The tradition started in ''Pinball/TheMachineBrideOfPinbot'' (1991) because programer Creator/BrianEddy likes cows. When a ball starts, leave it in the plunger. Hold the right flipper for at least 45 seconds, then hold the left flipper for at least 45 seconds, then hold both flippers for at least 45 seconds. The game will beep; tap out "Old [=MacDonald=] Had a Farm" with the flipper buttons (right flipper first) and the game will display the lyrics in time with the song.
--->'''Brian Eddy:''' "Why breathe? Why eat? Why live without cows in pinball machines?"
* The pinball UrExample might be Williams' ''Pinball/Fire1987''. When a game is started, the moo of a cow can be heard, presumably a reference to [[http://www.greatchicagofire.org/oleary-legend Mrs. O'Leary's cow.]]
* ''Pinball/AttackFromMars'' has a playfield decal and an animation of [[AliensStealCattle aliens beaming up a cow]], and the "Saucer Attack" mode can randomly be replaced with "Cow Attack".
** The version of "Saucer Attack" seen in ''Pinball/JunkYard'' keeps this EasterEgg.
* In ''Pinball/RevengeFromMars'':
** One of the items taken during the "Alien Abduction" mode is a cow.
** The big martian on the backglass is holding a cow.
** One of the animals that you shrink in the "Big-O-Beam" mode is a cow.
* In ''VideoGame/MetroidPrimePinball'', a winged cow will randomly appear in the middle of a swarm of Shriekbats.
* The playfield for ''Pinball/{{Taxi}}'' has a cow sitting in a motorcycle sidecar.
* In ''Pinball/TalesOfTheArabianNights'', press both flipper buttons quickly when entering the Bazaar. On the fourth visit, the merchant will give you a cow worth 1 million points.
* One of the souvenirs in ''Pinball/RedAndTedsRoadShow'' is a picture plate with a cow on it.
* ''Pinball/MedievalMadness'' has a cow as one of the things that can be launched from the catapult. Also, if you launch three cows, the VideoMode will be "Save the Calves" (instead of children).
** Another appears in one of the peasant quotes ("They took our cows!").
* [=WhizBang=] Pinball's ''[[Pinball/WhoaNellieBigJuicyMelons Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons]]'' has a wry cow in the lower-right corner of the playfield.
--> "Complete and udder nonsense."
* ''Pinball/WhiteWater'' has no less than ''four'' of these:
** Pressing the left button 3 times, the start button once, the right button 15 times, the start button once, the left button 23 times, and the start button once during AttractMode reveals a cow.
** The fifth item in Bigfoot's Hotfoot is a cow.
** When the cow in Bigfoot´s Cave has been collected, getting the Mystery Canyon as a Whirlpool Award will show a picture of the Spirit pulling a string on the legless cow. A loud "moo" is heard.
** The animation after shooting Disaster Drop has a cow show up as a FreezeFrameBonus.
* In ''[[Pinball/IndianaJonesThePinballAdventure Indiana Jones: The Pinball Adventure]]'', the display for "Shoot Again" includes a cow in the hieroglyphs.
* Hitting a certain shot in ''Pinball/DoctorWho'' [[EasterEgg sometimes displays]] a cow in Doctor attire, mooing.
* ''Pinball/ScaredStiff'':
** One of the Deadheads is called Meat Head, and has a picture of a cow.
** If you enter the initials "M-O-O" on the high score, the display shows two frightened cows.
** One of the videotapes on the backglass is "Curse of the Zombie Cows".
* ''Pinball/CirqusVoltaire'':
** One of the obstacles Roonie the Kangaroo jumps over is a cow.
** The history of the Cirqus (played during the AttractMode) mentions fire-eating cows.
** One of the "Fun With Bonus" judges is a cow named "Heffer".
* ''Pinball/SafeCracker'':
** One of the "?" awards is a cow head.
** One of the Candy 2000 awards is "MOO", which gives you a Vault letter.
** Entering "MOO" as your high score initials prompts a cow sound effect to play.
* In ''Pinball/JackBot'', a cow can be awarded during Casino Run, adding a Special.
** Cheating during Casino Run prompts a soundclip of a moo to play.
* ''Pinball/BlackRose'':
** The jet bumper display can show cows fencing instead of men.
** Starting the Unlimited Millions Round can also show many small cows.
** Getting a Combo Shot can prompt cows to walk across the screen, mooing.
** The last sound clip in the SoundTest is a moo.
* If you enter your initials as "MOO" in ''[[Pinball/NoFearDangerousSports No Fear: Dangerous Sports]]'', Skull will say "Mooo!" after awarding your free game.
* An EasterEgg in Creator/SegaPinball's ''Pinball/GoldenEye'' has Bond get chased by a cow.
* Two examples of this from ''Pinball/TheChampionPub'':
** The 14th jackpot level is "Cow of a jackpot".
** Sometimes, when the Barfly is swatted, it will instead be a Cowfly (complete with moo).
* ''Pinball/MonsterBash'':
** One of the venues for the band is the "Cow Palace".[[labelnote:🐄]][[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Palace An actual arena]] just south of UsefulNotes/SanFrancisco[[/labelnote]]
** A skeleton of a cow can be seen in the animation for the Mosh Pit Multiball.
* ''3D Ultra Pinball: The Lost Continent'' has a table where you use a ray to turn the dinosaurs back to their original forms. The Tyrannousaurus Rex is a cow!
** Likewise, ''[[VideoGame/ThreeDUltraPinballThrillride 3D Ultra Pinball: Thrillride]]'' contains two cheat codes, one enables the Hershey Cow to be featured in Hide and Seek mode, the other turns the waterfall leading to the Fun Zone to turn into chocolate milk, complete with a mooing sound.
* The VideoMode for Creator/DataEast's ''Pinball/LethalWeapon3'' is a shooting gallery game, where players must shoot enemies and avoid bystanders. On occasion, one of the criminals will be replaced with a cow, and [[TakeThat/{{Pinball}} shooting it is worth one million points.]]
* ''Pinball/Indianapolis500'' has several:
** A farmer with a cow appears in the first animation of "Wrong Turn".
** The "Pit Stop" animation sometimes shows the player passing a cow being milked in the Pit.
** The final Raceway Souvenir is a Race Cow, worth 50 million points.
** The last Spanner word is COWS.
* In Creator/JerseyJackPinball's ''Pinball/TheWizardOfOz,'' the Horse of a Different Color is sometimes replaced with a cow. It's worth more than any of the other horses.
* ''Pinball/{{Corvette}}'':
** One of the Challenge race tracks is the "Holisten Track", which is shaped like a cow's head.
** Occasionally, instead of being challenged by a sexy model racer, the player will be challenged by a cow. Even the closed-caption text reads "Moo".
* In ''Pinball/DemolitionMan,'' the eighth [=AcMag=] award is an exploding cow.
* ''Pinball/AmericasMostHaunted'':
** The silhouette of a ghost cow can be seen in the center background of the backglass.
** On initial settings, the second high-score entry has the initials COW.
* During "Satellite Transfer" in ''Pinball/{{Congo}},'' the eighth image transmitted (in a series of images featuring gorillas and diamonds) is a cow.
* It's possible for a cow to appear on the display during ''Pinball/NBAFastbreak'''s [[EasterEgg hidden]] Midnight Madness mode.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
* ARSION had Bullfight Sora, because what better to fight bulls than a cow? Well ARSION went under and Sora trotted out to the wider wrestling world.
* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} had [[Wrestling/DasherHatfield [=MosCow=] the Communist Bovine]]. At ''Here Come the International Invaders 1st Stage- Attack of the Phantom Sith'', August 17, 2007, he was defeated by [=USApe=]. In what must have been a case of DefeatMeansFriendship, at ''Bruised'' on October 26, they teamed with Dragon Dragon in a losing effort against the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (Wrestling/{{Crossbones|TheWrestler}}, Hydra and Wrestling/{{UltraMantis Black}}).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]
* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': The episode ''Cow in Closet''. A cow is mistakenly delivered to Madison High School and Miss Brooks [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin is forced to hide it in her closet.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* Some versions of ''Balderdash'' have a cow adorning the game board.
* ''TabletopGame/PerplexCity'' has the [[http://wayback.perplexcitystories.com/?url=www.whipsmartice.com&season=1 Whipsmart Ice Cream]] factory, with the smartest cows in the multiverse.
* ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_Cattle Battle Cattle]]'', a board game about fighting your friends with a customised cow loaded down with high-tech weapons, [[NotMakingThisUpDisclaimer is a thing that actually exists]]. It even got remade as a CCG.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* In Creator/AndrewLloydWebber's ''Theatre/JosephAndTheAmazingTechnicolorDreamcoat'', there is the '''[[http://www.lyricsfreak.com/j/joseph+and+the+amazing+technicolor+dreamcoat/song+of+the+king+seven+fat+cows_20625835.html Song Of The King And The Seven Fat Cows]]'''
* Music/StephenSondheim's ''Theatre/IntoTheWoods'' features, among its cast (in a non-speaking but sometimes moo-ing role) a cow called Milky White. Now, costuming an animal in any theater is always a gateway to hilarity, but someone has collected many successful and nearly as many -- perhaps only three or four times the amount -- of unsuccessful cow costumes on a blog called Low Budget Milky Whites (https://lowbudgetmilkywhites.tumblr.com/).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theme Parks]]
* The flying cow from the [[Film/{{Twister}} movie]] was used again in the former ''Ride/TwisterRideItOut'' attraction at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal Studios Florida]]. Along with that, the attraction's gift shop was filled to the brim with cow-related items, including a park-exclusive line of merchandise called "The Flying Cow Squadron".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* The [[PunnyName Mukau]], a combiner model of two early Toys/{{Bionicle}} sets. It was later renamed "Mata Nui cow", since the story team decided "Mukau" [[{{Pun}} was just too silly.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* ''VideoGame/LittleKingsStory'' also heavily features cows. One of your units is a Cow Knight (a knight on a cow), and one of the enemy monsters will be the dreaded vampire cow.
* One of the enemy Earthlings in ''[[VideoGame/ToejamAndEarl Toejam and Earl: Panic On Funkotron]]'' is a ''ghost'' cow, which can possess and immobilize you for several seconds.
* Lon Lon Ranch in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'', milk cows can be found in a lot of places and one is even moved into ''your treehouse''.[[note]]Playing Epona's song near one will net you a free refill of milk.[[/note]]
** And for truly gratuitous cows, ''[[UpdatedRerelease Master Quest]]'' features living cows embedded in the walls of [[WombLevel Jabu-Jabu's belly]]. [[SolveTheSoupCans They act as switches.]] [[CrueltyIsTheOnlyOption For your slingshot.]] Making it arguably ''worse'', as the LetsPlay/FreelanceAstronauts [[LetsPlay discover]]...
* ''Franchise/BaldursGate'' franchise:
** ''VideoGame/BaldursGate''. "Cheats:Cow Kill();". Doubles as DropTheCow.
** ''VideoGame/BaldursGateIIThroneOfBhaal'' features a possible result of a wild magic surge as "cow drops on the spell's target".
* ''VideoGame/DestroyAllHumans'' has [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot radioactive, exploding zombie cows]]. And for the full Pox quote: "Brains? ...Healthy green glow? ...THOSE HUMAN FOOLS! Clearly, they've genetically altered these pathetic gasbags and turned them into RADIOACTIVE EXPLODING ZOMBIE COWS! Show them the folly of their mad science!"
* Grunties from ''Franchise/DotHack'' are Cow Expies and are generally funny -- especially milky grunties.
* ''VideoGame/WiiPlay'' has a minigame where you ride a cow down a racetrack and run down scarecrows for points.
* ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankSizeMatters'' includes the Mootator, which morphs enemies into cows. It can be upgraded into the Armoogeddon, which morphs them into exploding bulls instead.
* In ''VideoGame/TheWorldEndsWithYou'', one item's description says it's made of faux-leather "('cause cows are cute!)".
* ''VideoGame/EarthwormJim'' has a large emphasis on Cows. From using them as [[DropTheCow catapult fodder]] in the first, which is actually later seen in the background of Down The Tubes, [[FridgeLogic even though the level is underwater]] and [[spoiler: [[BrickJoke ends up landing on the Princess you been playing hours to rescue when you're three feet away from her]]]], to rescuing them in the second in Udderly Abducted to use their milk to fill buckets to open gates. Talking cows also congratulate the player at the ends of levels.
** Not to mention the complete MindScrew that was the ending of the second game. Suffice to say, said ending attempts to take this trope further than perhaps any other source.
* Everything's Better With... [[VideoGame/BackyardSports the Turf Herders]]!
* Many ''VideoGame/{{Raiden}}'' first stages have animated cows on the ground below you.
* The two-headed "brahmin" cattle have appeared all over the ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}'' series and are often associated with Easter eggs or mini-quests.
--> "Moo! ''Moo'', I say!"
** Also worth mention: [[Film/Terminator2JudgmentDay T-1000]] cow, cow-tipping, cows playing cards and mistaking the player's team for the Feds, Brahmin Armor.
* The sequel to ''VideoGame/CrystalQuest'' reveals your FlyingSaucer -- depicted in gameplay as a 16-pixel-wide circle -- to be piloted by a ''[[VertebrateWithExtraLimbs six-legged]] [[SpaceX Space Cow]]''.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver'' introduced Miltank, a bovine Pokemon.
* For no reason at all, one early boss in ''VideoGame/DeathSmiles'' is "[[BossSubtitles Giant]] [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Cow]] - Mary". Well, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxN6cBIwUZc&feature=related see for yourself]].
* Cows are used as a defense mechanism in ''VideoGame/RockOfAges''. They push boulders away, power fans, and can even be launched from your castle's catapult to deal heavy damage to the opposing boulder.
* The Tauren of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' are three meter tall BadassPacifist upright walking bovines (rather than [[OurMinotaursAreDifferent men with bulls' heads]].) They don't have udders, aren't herbivorous and certainly are never eaten by other sentient humanoid species. Regardless, they are notorious for being the butt of notoriously many bad cow related jokes among the player community, and vast majority of their players gives them names referring to beef or milk products or puns on the word 'bull'.
** In the expansion ''Cataclysm'', Tauren were allowed to take on the Paladin class. Lest ye think otherwise, the flood of "Holy Cow" related punny names came in a torrent-- which was oddly not so much the case with the previously (and still) available priest class.
** Given that many of the /silly and /flirt lines of the tauren ''also'' use bovine-related humor, it seems Blizzard expected this. They are also the only species that actually play a sound effect when the /moo command is used.
--> [[DeadpanSnarker "'Moo'. Are you happy now?"]]
* A rumor surrounding the first ''VideoGame/{{Diablo|I}}'' game involved a "secret cow level". It was an AscendedMeme in ''VideoGame/DiabloII''; the Secret Cow Level (aka The Moo Moo Farm) featured hordes of high-level bipedal bovines swarming toward your character wielding poleaxes, mooing all the while.
* In ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'', the cow is one of the Cretures you can choose at the start of the game. While the Creatures technically start as TrueNeutral, the cow is naturally inclined to be kind and helpful to your people, and will probably turn Good if left to its own devices. It has a habit of overeating, but its reasonable intelligence stat makes that relatively easy to fix with a bit of reinforcement. Its stats are mostly average, except for its speed which is the lowest in the game, even worse that the tortoise!
* In the ''VideoGame/DayOfTheTentacle'' intro the protagonists' car runs into a barn. Then they are followed by an upright-walking cow. Then the cow waves her foreleg at them and gives up the chase as hopeless. Later the evil Purple tentacle does some [[KickTheDog cow-tipping]].
* In ''VideoGame/FightersDestiny'', one of the unlockable characters is Ushi, a fighting cow from Hokkaido.
* ''VideoGame/CthulhuSavesTheWorld'' has "[[TheAhnold The Bovinators]]" as enemies on the Ultharian spaceship. The Ultharians [[AliensStealCattle steal cattle]] and turn them into genetically-engineered super soldiers with big guns.
* The "Whizz Words" on Addicting Games moos whenever you play the words cow, moo, bull, beef, farm or mad.
* ''VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon'' had Space Cows in the speedway levels. They were an inversion of AliensStealCattle; the aliens ''were'' cattle and were stealing other beings!
* ''VideoGame/{{Sacrifice}}'' has the "Bovine Intervention" spell that summons a cow and lunches it into the sky, where upon it somersaults and then dives into the ground and explodes. It [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt8Qc5Yxf0w has to be seen]].
* In ''VideoGame/TheHorde'', cows are the most valuable improvement in the game and the only kind of animal, and the hero was even [[RaisedByWolves raised by cows]].
* ''VideoGame/ThemsFightinHerds'' has Arizona, a rootin' tootin', lasso-slinging, take no guff, ready-to-rodeo, hiney whoopin', country [[ShapedLikeItself cow girl]].
* A cheat code in ''VideoGame/RaptorCallOfTheShadows'' activates a SillinessSwitch which adds extra enemies to levels, including the Battle Cow, a giant cow with missile launchers on its back and a laser cannon in its tail.
* In ''VideoGame/WestOfLoathing'', ever since [[ApocalypseHow The Cows Came Home]], demonic cattle have been one of the major factions of evil in the world. This being a game in the ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'' universe, it's played for laughs whenever possible.
* In ''VideoGame/TheAdventuresOfSquare'', Most levels inexplicably have cows, even in places like space station, the bottom of valley, or underground tombs. They are completely invincible, so you can never harm them.
* In ''VideoGame/Afterlife1996'', the ultimate Contentment reward is "Bovine Bliss Ranch", where the SOUL becomes a cow, "the single most blissed-out creatures in all of creation". (on the other hand, subverted with the Gluttony punishment "Ecoli Hut", whose description is simply "Two words: Cow sushi".)
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Animation]]
* WebAnimation/TomServo3 has cows as one of her many RunningGags (specifically Thomas and Alfred, the two cow-hating farmers, and Nazi Cows).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* Jowdie from ''Webcomic/FurryFightChronicles'' is a cow Combagal who acts as the TokenGoodTeammate of the Cyclone Crushers.
* In ''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'', the grass in the nature preserves is kept short by [[SlowLaser laser-equipped]] [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot robot cows]]. "Just like real cows! Only with lasers."
* ''Webcomic/LifeOfMaid'': A ''Franchise/TouhouProject'' comic where a cow [[DefeatingTheUndefeatable can defeat Yuyuko]] in a battle of {{Moe}}.
* In ''Webcomic/WillSaveWorldForGold'', these cows [[spoiler:infiltrate the signature line for a famous actress, seemingly to attempt an assassination, black robes and everything. Arlon and the group thwarts this attempt, despite its complete randomness]].
* Zigena from ''Webcomic/TowerOfGod'', a giant cow-like creature with two blowholes, one on its back and one on its belly, that lives in the ocean and is [[KrakenAndLeviathan very, very big]]. Big enough to be a stage for a test to find a big parasitic flower inside it's respiratory system.
* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Elliot tries to distract himself from the pain of transforming into a half-cat by asking random questions. He asks how the grass in the field he's in is kept trim when it's in the middle of nowhere. [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2002-08-26 Cue a cow]] [[WolvesAlwaysHowlAtTheMoon mooing at the moon]]. This gives Tedd the [[{{Squick}} disturbing idea]] to invoke YoureDrinkingBreastMilk with Grace in a [[HalfHumanHybrid half-cow form]] hence the title of the strip.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]
* ''Blog/HowToHero'': [[https://howtohero.tumblr.com/post/166241738624/photograph In this entry]], the guide's author claims that his Instagram is 80% cow puns and that he has one for every day of the "cowlendar."
* The help screen for ''apt-get'' (Debian Linux's package manager) mentions that it has "Super cow powers". Typing "apt-get moo" at the command line gives you an ASCIIArt rendering of a cow.
* [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cowsay Cowsay]][[note]]official site is down[[/note]] is a joke application to render input text as a speech bubble or a thought bubble of an ASCIIArt cow.
* Both Cowsay and apt-get EasterEgg have been inspired by a collection of ASCII cows that has circulated Internet from times immemorial.
* "E-Cow-Nomics", a poster that explains various economics models with cows. For example, traditional capitalism is explained as: "You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull. Your herd multiplies and the economy grows. You sell them and retire on the income." ... whereas Nazism consists of: "You have two cows. The State takes them both and shoots you."
* In ''Fanfic/FarceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', Shu transports their supplies in [[AnimalMecha robot cows.]]
* On a Reddit forum for Cisco study, someone asked for a simple summary of the differences between various Cisco operating systems for routers and switches. [[https://m.reddit.com/r/Cisco/comments/2o619f/would_someone_please_explain_succinctly_what_the/ Hilarity ensued as all of these were descrbed in terms of cows]] in a remarkably accurate fashion. The original has since [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Cisco/comments/8mxfpf/whats_the_difference_between_all_the_cisco_ios/ significantly expanded the bovine comparison with Cisco products]] (at this point covering almost every OS for every product Cisco sells for networks [[note]]with the sole exceptions of Cisco ACI and the rather obscure [=StarOS=] used in some specialized systems for cellular and [=WiMAX=] networks, and [[https://www.reddit.com/r/Cisco/comments/8mxfpf/whats_the_difference_between_all_the_cisco_ios/dzsp3b0/ at least one commenter added their OWN bovine comparison for the latter]][[/note]]). At least among Cisco network engineers, the Bovine Comparisons have become a bit of a trope in and of themselves...
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FavUpD_IjVY An animation by Cyriak.]]
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adq8xax-F3o Although the kids of]] ''[[WebVideo/{{React}} Kids React]]'' [[InvertedTrope didn't seem to be]] very fond of it.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken'' combines this trope with CluckingFunny.
* ''WesternAnimation/EarthwormJim'' would drop a cow on people's heads at the end of an episode. The evil cow was awesome. "You fools, I shall destroy you all, starting with lactose intolerant! Moo Moo... moo"
* ''WesternAnimation/WildWestCowboysOfMooMesa'' was created because of this trope.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FoDhrhGozE&feature=related Robin Hoof]], a Myth/RobinHood knock-off from the AnimatedAnthology series ''WesternAnimation/RawToonage''.
* One ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'' episode featured a Live Action Cow, which Wooldoor quickly got attached to after visiting the [[ForbiddenZone forbidden]] Live Action Forest. He eventually had to [[ShootTheDog put her down]] after it contracted rabies.
* ''WesternAnimation/JaneAndTheDragon'' Jane Turnkey's big green fire-breathing pal is quite taken with cows. Jane doesn't quite get why.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' once met a man-eating cow. She even got her own spin-off comic, and a cameo in the cartoon (although she didn't actually eat anyone there).
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' has the ''[[ShowWithinAShow Mary Moo-Cow]]'' show that D.W. watches, as well as a ''Bionic Bunny'' videogame where the player fights "moomies".
* ''WesternAnimation/BackAtTheBarnyard'' featured ''male'' cows. [[AnimalGenderBender Udders and all.]]
* ''[[WesternAnimation/MightyMouse Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures]]'' had The Cow, an archvillain whose voice and physique suggests another "male cow".
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', Heloise throws a cow that's ''on fire'' during one of her tantrums. Later, the cow (still on fire) shows up to apply for Heloise's job during a TerribleIntervieweesMontage.
* A stampede of cattle appear out of nowhere in an early episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', bearing very little impact on the plot, though they did provide an awesome scene. Turns out they are actually sapient (and speak with thick midwestern UsefulNotes/AmericanAccents), and simply easily panic and stampede (one of them had seen a snake).
* On ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' [[FictionalCounterpart McBurgertown]] suffered a publicity setback due to the testimony of a very brave cow voiced by Creator/RicardoMontalban.
* Cows factor predominately in the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' setting, presumably to lampshade what a tiny hick town it really is. Several episodes even feature cows as a plot point, such as ''Fun With Veal'', where the boys attempt to save baby cows from being eaten, or ''Ginger Cow'', where a redheaded cow is meant to signal the DawnOfAnEra. For their part, cows themselves are [[NearlyNormalAnimal nearly normal animals]] in this series: apparently being just smart enough to start a cult and commit [[SuicidalLemmings ritualistic suicide]]. Even aliens consider them to be the most intelligent life form on Earth ([[HumansAreMorons for whatever that's worth]]), as seen in ''Cartman Gets An Anal Probe''. The elementary school mascot is the cow, which is made doubly funny when their football team (the Cows) is in a game against a neighboring town whose team name is the Cowboys.
-->'''Kyle''': City kids get to go to museums for field trips. We get cow farms.
* Most of the entire cast of ''WesternAnimation/TheMooFamilyHolidayHoedown'' is comprised of anthropomorphic cows, with a [[CluckingFunny chicken]] thrown in the cast as well.
* ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'' has Kaltenecker, all of whose appearances have been PlayedForLaughs. She first shows up around the middle of Season 2, where Pidge and Lance get her as a free bonus from an [[AliensStealCattle alien shop]] in the space mall, the paladins [[ItMakesSenseInContext escape from the mall cop while riding on her back]], and Shiro sort-of lampshades how out of place she is when he gets back to the castle. Then, she suddenly reappears much later in Season 4 for a few gags involving milkshakes. She appears a third time at the end of season 6 when [[spoiler: everyone is taking as much as they can from the Castle before it is destroyed in a HeroicSacrifice]], Lance is seen struggling to drag her along, and, after a failed attempt at getting her into the Blue Lion, manages to get her into the Red Lion.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'', 'The Wrath of the Spider Queen,' Billy drinks expired milk from the cafeteria and hallucinates the cow mascots on each carton of milk. One of them, [[AnimalGenderBender full udder and all]], was called from another dimension to help Billy, apparently.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Real Life]]
* The 2013 PSAT had an [[MemeticMutation infamous]] question that said that some people had never seen a cow. It led to the makers of the test getting in on the joke and sending stickers with cow pictures to every school that had students take the test.
* University of California, Davis is well known for [[http://daviswiki.org/Cows cows]], rumored to smell like cows, the rock climbing competition is the Cow Crank, and used to trot out a fistulated cow (don't ask) at a school event every year. Oddly enough, the school mascot is not a cow. [[http://daviswiki.org/Mustang (not that they haven't tried...)]]
* [[http://www.cowparade.com Cow Parade]] is an art exhibit where artists in a city all get a cow to decorate. This has branched out into all kinds of merchandise tie-ins.
* The College of Wooster has adopted the cow as a second (or third, depending on how you count) mascot, to the point where there are [=MOOvers=] to help students on move-in day and shirts featuring the "Wooster Cow-Tipping Team." Three guesses as to [[FunWithAcronyms why the cow has become so popular.]]
[[/folder]]

* In ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'', you can choose a cow for a companion critter. While the Creatures technically start as TrueNeutral, the cow leans more to benevolent actions like eating grain instead of worshippers.

* The pinball UrExample might be Williams' ''[[Pinball/{{Fire}} Fire!]]'' When a game is started, the moo of a cow can be heard, presumably a reference to [[http://www.greatchicagofire.org/oleary-legend Mrs. O'Leary's cow.]]

* The boys' school mascot in ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' is the cow, presumably to lampshade what a tiny hick town they're in. Makes it doubly funny when their football team (the Cows) is in a game against a neighboring town whose team name is the Cowboys.

Compare GarnishingTheStory. Sometimes overlaps with DropTheCow. See also AliensStealCattle and CowTipping. If you were looking for minotaur-esque critters (Man-Cows), check out ALoadOfBull. Contrast BrutishBulls, for much more negative portrayals of fictional cattle. Not really related to YouFightLikeACow (but it's a fun mental image, isn't it?)

* The Tauren of ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' are three meter tall BadassPacifist upright walking bovines (rather than [[ALoadOfBull men with bulls' heads]].) They don't have udders, aren't herbivorous and certainly are never eaten by other sentient humanoid species. Regardless, they are notorious for being the butt of notoriously many bad cow related jokes among the player community, and vast majority of their players gives them names referring to beef or milk products or puns on the word 'bull'.

* Wrestling/{{CHIKARA}} had [[Wrestling/DasherHatfield [=MosCow=] the Communist Bovine]]. At ''Here Come the International Invaders 1st Stage- Attack of the Phantom Sith'', August 17, 2007, he was defeated by [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys [=USApe=]]]. In what must have been a case of DefeatMeansFriendship, at ''Bruised'' on October 26, they teamed with Dragon Dragon in a losing effort against the Order of the Neo-Solar Temple (Wrestling/{{Crossbones|TheWrestler}}, Hydra and Wrestling/{{UltraMantis Black}}).