History Main / FingerInTheMail

** "Trapped" deals with the heir of a wealthy family whose younger brother was abducted as a child. When the family was slow with the ransom money, the brother's ear was cut off and sent to them; later, the brother was killed. The surviving man ''kept the ear'' in a jar of preservative.
** In "Brooklyn 'Til I Die," kidnappers send a millionaire his son's finger in a ring box, with a distinctive ring still attached.
** In "Seth and Apep," Christine's kidnappers taunt Mac with a tongue delivered to him at the precinct. It turns out not to be hers, though.

* ''Literature/{{Pendragon}}'': In the fifth book, St. Dane leaves Bobby a bag containing [[spoiler:Gunny's severed hand]].

* Happens in ''Manga/BattleAngelAlita'' when Alita shows up at Desty Nova's lab looking for [[spoiler: her foster father, Ido.]] When she demands that Desty tell her where he is, he casually tosses her a head-sized metal box and tells her to take a look for herself.
* In ''Manga/BlackLagoon'', Balalaika has a yakuza boss who betrayed her killed and (offscreen) cut into pieces. She then sends a box containing some of the pieces back to his organization as a reminder that she's ''not'' to be trifled with.

* Used in ''Anime/HeatGuyJ''. A CorruptPolitician kills [[EliteMook Ian]] when the latter was caught spying. The guy then cuts off Ian's hand (with his Phi Beta Kappa ring on the middle finger) and sends it to Ian's boss (and friend), who then declares war on the senator.
* ''Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventureGoldenWind'' has a particularly extreme example. When the assassination branch of the Passione mafia tries to discover their boss's identity so they can [[KlingonPromotion kill him and take over]], the boss sends them a message to back off by killing one of them, chopping him into pieces, and mailing his entire body preserved in blocks of formalin to the rest of the squad for them to reassemble like a grisly puzzle straight out of Damien Hirst's gallery.
* A brief {{Fingore}} moment appears in ''Manga/MoriartyThePatriot'' when Milverton leaves a finger wearing a wedding ring with a note telling one of Whiteley's bodyguards he has his wife and child.
* A killer in ''Manga/MPDPsycho'' sends one of the detectives looking for him the armless, legless torso of [[BodyInABreadbox the detective's girlfriend in an ice chest]].

** In ''[[ComicBook/DarkVictory Batman: Dark Victory]]'', someone steals the body of previous untouchable crime lord BigBad Carmine Falcone (who was killed by Two Face in an attempt to "do what is necessary" to take down organized crime) and, later, sends his daughter, who has taken over the crime family, his ''finger'', which her aide recognizes as an "old style message," meaning that someone means to take everything from her, "piece by piece." At the end, the person who stole the body is revealed to be Two Face who, throughout the story, was acting leading nearly all of Batman's rogues gallery to take down the Falcone family and its associates.

* In one ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' story, ComicBook/BlackCanary is captured by crooks who send a chunk of her hair to the police. The cops think it is a fake as the hair is from a wig, but Green Arrow knows that Canary's blonde hair is actually a wig.
* The ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' story arc [[OriginStory "Origins"]] begins with a small box containing a ransom note and a sample of living tissue belonging to Judge Fargo, the first Chief Judge of Mega-City One and the founder of the Judge system, being delivered to the Hall of Justice.
* In the [[DarkerAndEdgier "Five Years Later"]] run of ''ComicBook/LegionOfSuperHeroes'', the crazed killer Roxxas blows up the rock Legionnaire Blok and mails the pieces to the other Legionnaires. But he does so with a message addressed to Graym Ranzz, one of Saturn Girl and Lightning Lad's children, saying it's a play set he can put together courtesy of his "Uncle Roxxas." Thank God Graym didn't actually open the container.
* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' In an early comic, the police ask the bereaved to ID the body part. "Is this your husband's scrotum?"
* In ''ComicBook/ThePunisherMAX'''s "Kitchen Irish" arc, Maginty kidnaps a rival gangster, has him extensively dismembered while he's still alive, and sends each piece in a separate package to his wife. We're shown all the gritty details, including Maginty furious about how much Fed Ex charges for same-day delivery. The wife isn't really fazed, for the record.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'': In a story that followed ''ComicBook/TheDeathOfClarkKent'', Clark receives a letter from Conduit (a fierce enemy of his who died in the previous arc) saying, "The Golden Gopher was mine!" that also contains a lock of ComicBook/JimmyOlsen's hair. This instantly sends Clark flying off to the address indicated by the note, which was what Conduit wanted as he had set up a DeadMansSwitch to kill Jimmy after his death (and, if possible, Superman as well).

* {{Discussed}} in ''Fanfic/HostageSituation'': Mags asks Saint if he's willing to go so far as to remove fingers from [[spoiler:Panacea]] in order to pressure the PRT to [[spoiler:release Teacher]]. Saint seems inclined to say yes, and she chastises him for that.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''Fanfic/PrincessCelestiaGetsMugged'', the StupidCrooks who kidnap a disguised [[PhysicalGod Princess]] [[PlayAlongPrisoner Celestia]] originally planned on doing this to 'Sunny Skies' with her ear, but ultimately [[EvenEvilHasStandards don't have it in them to do it]] and decide to use her tail and mane instead.
* A common feature in ''Series/TheProfessionals'' fanfics. If Doyle is kidnapped it is almost certain that Bodie (or Cowley or [=CI5=] or [[IHaveYourWife whoever they're trying to persuade]]) will be sent anywhere from one curl to pretty much all of his hair.
* In ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4030232/44/Flames_and_Family_II_Road_of_Ruin Flames and Family II: Road to Ruin]]''--a ''Manga/Reborn2004 fanfiction--Mochida gives Tsuna a box that is supposedly a gift from Mochida's boss. However, it's revealed to be [[spoiler: the finger of a little child who had been used in a deadly experiment that Mochida's boss was in charge of]]. To make matters worse especially when Mochida [[spoiler: was revealed to actually know what was really in the gift and purposefully said the wrong information in an attempt to kill Tsuna, but Ryohei got hurt instead]]. Needless to say, Tsuna [[TranquilFury was not happy]] [[ColdBloodedTorture at all.]]
* A literal example in ''Fanfic/AWolfAmongstLions'' as Arya Stark is abducted by the Freys who send a warning to both the Starks and the Lannisters with the severed fingers of Arya and her brother. Tywin Lannister's response to his ward being taken and abused is [[ThreatBackfire to declare war on House Frey]].

* In ''Film/AllTheMoneyInTheWorld'', a secretary receives J.P. Getty III’s ear in the mail.
* In ''Film/TheBigLebowski'', the eponymous "Big" Jeffrey Lebowski is sent one of his wife's, Bunny, toes after a botched money exchange. [[spoiler: Although this is actually a ruse to make Lebowski ''think'' they have his wife, and it turns out that one of the conspirators had his poor girlfriend provide the toe.]]
* ''Film/TheBlairWitchProject'' has a variation of this when [[spoiler: Josh's blood-soaked hair and teeth are left outside Heather's tent, packed in sticks wrapped with scraps of his shirt.]]
* In the Creator/JohnWayne movie ''Film/{{Brannigan}}'' (1975), an American member of TheMafia is kidnapped by {{London Gangster}}s who send a finger in the mail when holding him for ransom. [[spoiler:Ironically the mobster is in on the kidnapping, regarding the finger as an acceptable loss.]]
* In ''Film/TheCandySnatchers'', the kidnappers plan to cut off Candy's ear so they can send it to her father. Eddy talks them out of it, so instead they force her to scream so they can record it, then purchase an ear from a worker at the local hospital.

* In ''Film/{{Gigli}}'', Louis orders Larry and Ricki to send the DA one of his kidnapped brother's thumbs. However, they find themselves unable to go through with it, so they break into a hospital morgue and cut a thumb off a random corpse in his place. Their plan, of course, backfires when the authorities receiving the digit are able to identify the thumbprint and confirm it's not Bobby's, which infuriates Mr. Starkman.

* Referenced in ''Film/ALifeLessOrdinary'', when incompetent kidnapper Robert asks his victim what he's supposed to do next. Celine tells him about the last time she was kidnapped, when she was 12.

* In ''Film/PaidInFull'' (2002), Sonny, the child of Mitch, is taken hostage [[spoiler: by his uncle Ice and an accomplice named Tommy]]. As told in a scene with Mitch explaining the event, he found an envelope in the morning containing Sonny's severed finger.

* At the end of ''Film/{{Se7en}}'', [[spoiler:a package is received from the captured SerialKiller containing the head of his latest victim -- Mills' wife]].

* In ''Film/SplitSecond1992'', a long-vanished SerialKiller returns and taunts the protagonist by sending him a metal briefcase that turns out to contain the heart of the first new victim packed in ice with a very large bite taken out of it.

* In the BackStory of ''Film/TheWorldIsNotEnough'', the terrorist Renard took Elektra King hostage and demanded a ransom from her wealthy father who, on the advice of M, refused to pay up. So Renard cut off her ear and sent it to him to encourage payment. [[spoiler:Elektra was actually a willing participant in this, considering herself betrayed by her father and the British government.]]

* In one of the ''Literature/AlexRider'' books, Alex swaps rooms with a friend he made in hospital to protect him from kidnappers (the friend's father is rich). When they catch Alex and decide to send one of his fingers to his "father", Alex panics and admits the truth. [[spoiler: Alex later learns that the entire kidnapping was masterminded by the friend's dad, including this part.]]

* ''Literature/TheBoyFromAleppoWhoPaintedTheWar'', Khalid is taken by soldiers. Before they release him, they cut his hands off and leave them in a parcel for his family.
* The plot of ''Literature/CareerOfEvil'' is kick-started when a severed woman's leg that arrives in the mail to the offices of private detective Cormoran Strike.

* The ''Literature/ErastFandorin'' series:

* Used in the ''Literature/{{Firekeeper}}'' books, when kidnappers send [[spoiler: Citrine's]] fingers to [[spoiler: Lady Melinda]]. Her only reaction is to burn them.

* In the ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' novel ''Arrow's Fall,'' a villain asks sweetly, "How will your Queen react to receiving her favorite Herald... but a small piece at a time?"
* An eponymous example in Ghislain Taschereau's French novel ''Inspector Spector and the Dead Finger'' where the BigBad gets the inspector involved by leaving a dead severed finger on top of a mailbox for no apparent reason. Fortunately, the inspector has a secret weapon: he [[DealWithTheDevil sold his soul to the Devil]] to be [[SacrificedBasicSkillForAwesomeTraining the world's greatest detective.]]
* In Joyce Carol Oates' ''My Heart Laid Bare,'' an entire ''body'' is delivered this way, cut up into parts and then stowed in appropriate boxes (the head in a hatbox, feet in a shoebox, etc.)
* In ''[[Literature/MythAdventures Myth-Inc Link]]'', Skeeve receives a package containing a severed finger. Recognizing the ring it's wearing as one he'd foisted off on Queen Hemlock to force her to give up conquering the world[[note]]He gave her and King Roderick unremovable magic rings, claiming that if one wearer died so would the other.[[/note]], he concludes that she cut it off to free herself from its magic and is once again a threat. [[spoiler:At the end of the book, however, both Skeeve and the reader learn that things aren't quite what they seem. The finger was Roderick's, and Hemlock sent it to Skeeve to tell him that she'd figured out the rings were just a bluff when Rod died of natural causes.]]
* In the fifth ''Literature/{{Pendragon}}'' book, St. Dane leaves Bobby a bag containing [[spoiler:Gunny's severed hand]].

* In ''Literature/TheRifter'', this is how Laurie summoned John into a trap to use him to open the Great Gates: sending him one of his lover Kyle's fingers. She chose the ring finger, because she was furious that John got his lover back when she couldn't have her dead husband.

* In ''Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf'', the people who kidnapped the prize dog of a RichBitch mail her a box full of said dog's fur. [[spoiler:This also doubles as a way to hide it in the kennel it was being kept at.]]

* In the novel ''Sick Puppy'', the protagonist, in his efforts to force a lobbyist to shut down a proposed resort development program that existed purely to funnel pork to cronies of the governor, holds the lobbyist's dog hostage and mails the man the ear and paw of a Labrador Retriever. Subverted in that the parts had been taken off another dog who had died in an accident, not the lobbyist's dog.

* Inverted in one of the Creator/AndrewVachss short stories. VigilanteMan Alex Cross handles the problem of a pedophile stalking a rich man's daughter, and contacts him for the remainder of his payment. The businessman is skeptical; how does he know Cross did anything? Cross tells him to expect a package from 'Mr Green' that his secretary must bring to him unopened, and which he should open without anyone else in the room, and as for [[DisposingOfABody disposing what's in the package]], that's ''his'' problem. The businessman quickly decides he doesn't need verification after all.

* ''Series/{{Alias}}'': Sloane receives his wife's ring finger through the mail as proof she's still alive and being held hostage. [[spoiler: It's actually a [[ThePlan plan]] set in motion by Sloane himself. ''His wife'' cut off her own finger and mailed it to him.]]
* In the '80s, the Canadian comedy show ''Series/{{Bizarre}}'' parodied this, with a skit featuring a man and woman waiting anxiously for correspondence from their son's kidnapper. After revealing that they'd been sent a few pieces of him already (fingers and toes) they received a new box. When the wife asked what part of him was in it this time, the answer was, "His shit." In an alternate ending, it was instead his foot, to which the parents happily exclaimed, "Now we have enough to put him back together again!"
* In the ''Series/BlackMirror'' episode [[Recap/BlackMirrorTheNationalAnthem "The National Anthem"]], the kidnapper mails the Princess' finger to the press after it is revealed that [[spoiler: the PM is using a body double in a sex tape]]. However, [[spoiler:forensic examination shows it's NOT the Princess's finger. In an appallingly extreme bluff, it's the ''kidnapper's''.]]
* Used in ''Series/{{Bones}}'' quite often.

* In the ''Series/ChicagoPD'' episode "Care Under Fire", a group of criminals abduct a boy and send his cut off ear to his father. It's also mentioned they cut off the finger of a previous victim they kidnapped.

* One ''Series/{{CSI}}'' episode features a man who found the cut off index finger of his mistress in her apartment. Later, [[spoiler:they find the body]] and it is revealed that [[spoiler:it was the man himself who had killed her. To avoid suspicion of the murder, he staged it as a kidnapping gone wrong.]]

* This is a recurring theme throughout the whole of season one of ''Series/{{Dexter}}'', but never quite so strongly as [[spoiler: the time that the Ice Truck Killer mails a jar of blood with a hotel room key in it to the homicide division. The hotel room key turns out to lead to a hotel room (duh) with walls covered with much more blood.]]
* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS37E10TheBattleOfRanskoorAvKolos The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos]]", the BigBad threatens this to Paltraki the ship captain - [[HostageForMacGuffin he has Paltraki's crew as hostages]], and will teleport them onto Paltraki's ship, piece by piece, unless Paltraki cooperates.

* ''Series/{{Firefly}}'': In "[[Recap/FireflyE10WarStories War Stories]]", Niska offers Zoe [[SadisticChoice either Malcolm or Washburn]] in exchange for ransom and Zoe picks Wash. Niska then declares the money to be "to much" and gives her Malcolm's ear as a "small refund.
* One episode of ''Series/{{Forever|2014}}'' begins with a detective receiving a human heart in the mail.

* ''Series/ForeverKnight''. The HeadInABox version occurs in "Ashes to Ashes". [=LaCroix=]'s evil vampire daughter announces her presence to her father by leaving the decapitated corpse of the [[SealedEvilInACan graverobber that unsealed her]] in the Raven's beer fridge. There's also a box which [=LaCroix=] warily opens...only to find his daughter's locket there. Then he removes the wrapping it's resting on and finds the head.
* {{Subverted}} in ''Series/GameOfThrones''; Ramsay Bolton sends King Balon Greyjoy [[spoiler: the severed penis]] of his captured son Theon. As pointed out by Ramsay's father Roose, this is rather StupidEvil, as it means Theon [[spoiler: is now useless as an heir]] and therefore no longer worth ransoming.
* In one episode of ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', the girls' young neighbor Daisy holds Rose's teddy bear for ransom. At one point, Blanche receives one of his ears in the mail.

* In the ''Series/{{Haven}}'' episode "Chemistry", Mara goes missing and a ransom note with her severed pinky toe arrives. [[spoiler:It turns out Mara had never been kidnapped and had been manipulating everyone. She cut off her toe herself both to make the ransom note believable and to mock Duke, who had threatened to cut off her toe while interrogating her back in "Nowhere Man" but couldn't go through with it.]]
* Subverted in an episode of ''Series/HettyWainthroppInvestigates'', where it turns out the kidnapping was staged, and the body part belonged to somebody else (the "kidnapper" was working at a job that gave him access to dead bodies).
* Parodied in Season 4 of ''Series/{{House}}'', when Drs. Cuddy and Wilson try to force House to hire a new team. Wilson attempts blackmail by "kidnapping" House's guitar. When House still won't give in, Wilson sends him the torn off whammy bar as a threat.
* In the ''Series/JonathanCreek'' episode "Angel Hair" a kidnapper sends a tuft of hair to the hostage's lover. (Kind of...[[spoiler:the hair and the kidnapping itself was completely staged, in an attempt to make the ''hostage'' look as though she were faking her own kidnapping in order to extort money out of her married lover. The hair ends up being a major continuity problem for the person pulling the strings, as the woman is in a hair-pulling CatFight just ''before'' the actors grab her and cut her hair off, making it seem like she's grown a full head of hair back in a matter of seconds.]]).
* Inverted/subverted in a ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'' season finale, when Goren receives a human heart while investigating the death of his brother Frank and possible kidnapping of his nephew. Turns out [[spoiler: it actually belongs to serial killer Nicole Wallace, who had killed Frank and was subsequently killed by Goren's unhinged mentor, who wanted to remove himself, Nicole and Frank from Goren's life in one fell swoop]].
** In another ''Criminal Intent'' episode, "Weeping Willow", the mutilation of an online celebrity's boyfriend via cutting off his ear happens on-camera to show that the kidnappers are serious.
* In an episode of ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'', a serial killer, who uses riddles to lead the team to his victims, cuts off the ear of his first victim and sends it to them, warning them that they are running out of time before he kills her.
* Done with an added layer of {{Squick}} on ''Series/{{Luther}}'' where the kidnappers cut out their hostage's ''tongue'' just to prove they're serious. Later, they send further body parts.
* The serial killer variation showed up on ''Series/Millennium1996'' where a sinister figure known as "the Judge" has criminals committing vigilante killings and mailing body parts to the victims' victims. For instance a builder whose shoddy workmanship killed someone has his hand cut off.
* Parodied in a ''Series/MrShow'' sketch in which a kidnapper calls the wealthy father of the boy he's kidnapped and demands to know whether he received his son's toe in the mail to prove his serious intent. Except he forgot to mail the toe. And he appears to have accidentally removed his ''own'' toe, instead of one of the kid's. And he's already released the kid. And the police are able to track his call while he's dithering about all of this. The kidnapper ends up trying to sell the father his own toe for $50.00. Obviously, [[StupidCrooks he's not a very effective kidnapper]].

** One investigation began when a pair of eyeballs, mailed as a threat, was unwittingly sent to an address where the intended recipient wasn't even living anymore.

* Parodied on the Nickelodeon show ''Series/NedsDeclassifiedSchoolSurvivalGuide'', where the school bully, Loomer, takes the title character's Life Science baby care project doll and sends it back to them piece by piece. The horrified [[GeniusDitz Cookie]] exclaims, "What do we do now?" to which Ned smiles and replies, "Nothing." Backfires when the day before the babies are to be inspected the teacher suddenly moves up the deadline they still don't have the head. [[spoiler: They get the head back in time but still fail the inspection because of the teeth marks left on one of the arms that had been hidden in a sandwich that Cookie was eating.]]
* Used [[spoiler:and subverted]] in a 2000 episode of Swedish soap opera ''Series/NyaTider''. The series's BigBad, Carl Gripenhielm, is sent a package containing his son Philip's index toe, as a taunt to make him send money to the kidnappers. [[spoiler:Some scenes later it is revealed that the son cut his toe off himself, and is faking the kidnapping, together with DepravedHomosexual friend Hampus.]]

** And then of course there's the actual fingers in the mail, previously attached to [[spoiler:Beecher's kidnapped son]].

* On ''Series/{{Revenge}}'', "Impetus," Charlotte has been kidnapped, and after Conrad disobeys instructions from the kidnapper, he receives a package including an ear and a video of Charlotte being beaten. The viewers know, but Conrad doesn't, that Charlotte is more or less fine; the video was faked and the ear taken from a random corpse in the morgue.
* Parodied in ''Series/SamAndCat'' when Nora escapes from prison and kidnaps Dice in order to get revenge on Sam. She sends Sam a letter informing her that she has kidnapped Dice when Sam looks inside the envelope, she finds a piece of Dice's hair.
* Parodied in the ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' skit "Happy Smile Patrol." When a white supremacist gang takes a church group hostage, the news reports states that, without making any demands, they've "begun sending fingers and ears to authorities."
* PlayedForLaughs in the ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' episode "My White Whale". In a CutawayGag after Dr. Cox denies acting like a complete lunatic, doll enthusiast Dr. Norris receives a parcel containing the hand of a doll that went missing after he refused to break his schedule to look at Dr. Cox's son. Soon after, Dr. Cox reveals that [[SubvertedTrope the hand belongs to another doll]]--not the one that Dr. Norris is missing.
* In ''Series/{{Slasher}}'', Sarah receives a finger in the mail from the Executioner, belonging to [[spoiler:Verna [=McBride=]]], his first victim.
* A recurring sketch on ''Series/ThatMitchellAndWebbLook'' involves two men who share an office, one of whom is a hostage negotiator.

* On ''Series/WithoutATrace'' after a man is kidnapped and his wife tries to deliver the ransom, she comes back with his severed finger, claiming the kidnappers want more money and cut his finger off to demonstrate how serious they are. It turns out the ''wife'' engineered the whole thing and told the kidnappers to do it to make the story more plausible.
** In another episode, the agents discover that their VictimOfTheWeek was kidnapped by a "coyote" (someone who illegal immigrant families pay to smuggle their loved ones into the country), whose trademark is to cut off the victim's ear as a warning to those who can't pay him.

* Case #20 of ''Videogame/CriminalCaseGrimsborough'' opens with the player character receiving a severed finger mailed to them at the police station.
* In one of the quests for the Dark Brotherhood in ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIVOblivion'', the player is tasked with killing a [[{{Retirony}} recently retired]] commander of the Imperial Legion, and for a fat bonus, chopping off a finger and planting it in the desk of his successor as a warning.

* Screw up the investigation of the first murder case in ''VisualNovel/KaraNoShoujo'' and a suspiciously large crate will be delivered to your office. [[spoiler:Contents: the body of your good friend's wife, minus her right leg, uterus, and the unborn child she'd been carrying. Made even worse once you discover that ''she's still alive''.]]
* In the ''Blood & Wine'' DLC for ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', [[spoiler:the vampire Dettlaff van der Eretein is blackmailed into assassinating five men, and warned that "If you do not succeed, instead of the next letter you will receive a finger of your beloved."]]

* Parodied in ''WebAnimation/TheCyanideAndHappinessShow'' short "The Note".

** Parodied in the printed precursor comic, when Helix is kidnapped. Since he's a ''robot'', his compatriots just reassemble him as the parts arrive in the mail. The last thing to arrive is his head. [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/zu/ffkidnap.gif He then comments on his "rescue"]].

* In ''Webcomic/GuildedAge'', the heroes come across a town seeking to fulfill quests, to build popular support for their attempt at forming an Adventurer's Guild. Expecting tough competition, they instead find, to their dismay, that ''no'' quests whatsoever have been fulfilled thanks to an ongoing war, and the bulletin is covered in unanswered behests. One in particular involves a kidnapping, wherein the kidnapper promises to send a piece of their victim for every week their ransom remains unpaid. And the bulletin in question had been up for ''several months'' by that point.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Wheels and the Legman and the Case of Grandpa's Key", Steve and Roger apparently get one of Stan's fingers in the mail. [[spoiler:Subverted; it turned out it was a ruse by Stan and that the "finger" was really a mozzarella stick with the crumbs licked off.]]

** In the episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS5E4Rosebud Rosebud]]", when the Simpsons find Mr. Burns's beloved teddy bear from his childhood, Lisa and Homer suggest they send Burns one of its eyes.

** A disturbing example is discussed in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS24E9HomerGoesToPrepSchool Homer Goes to Prep School]]" where Homer flatly says that he wouldn't pay a ransom for Bart in the event of his son being kidnapped and would likely feed an ear cut off Bart to the dog. Even more disturbingly, Bart is fine with this, aside from telling his father that the dog wouldn't eat his ear unless it was wrapped in cheese.

* In 1978 Belgian billionaire son Édouard Empain was kidnapped. The abductors cut off a piece of his pinky finger and send it by mail to invoke pressure on the family.

* In a deeply weird ''self-inflicted'' case, the eccentric medieval knight Ulrich von Liechtenstein once did this as a romantic gesture. During an attempt to woo his lady love on the tournament circuit, he claimed that he had injured his finger in a joust for her honor. When she expressed doubt, he cut off the damaged finger and mailed it to her. Records indicate that whilst she was touched by the gift (metaphorically, not literally), she turned him down anyway, leading him to undertake a ''second'' round of tourneys, the 'Venusfahren', whilst wearing a blonde wig and an oversized woman's dress over his armor. Fortunately for the tattered remains of Ulrich's dignity, that one worked.
* Another self-inflicted example is somebody sending Creator/JaredLeto their ''own ear'' as a gift. Leto then proceeded to wear the ear around his neck as a necklace because, you know, that's what everyone does when somebody sends you their ear.

* The Season 1 finale of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' features a variation on this trope; SSA Jason Gideon receives, at his cottage, a baseball card and a head in a box via courier, which sets the BAU's targets on this new case.

* In Creator/PiersAnthony's ''Literature/ApprenticeAdept'' series, the villains kidnap Clip, one of the protagonist's unicorn allies, and send him Clip's horn as proof. [[spoiler:Clip is rescued, and the protagonist uses his magic to reattach the horn.]]

* In Lawrence Block's ''Literature/TheBurglarWhoPaintedLikeMondrian'' an envelope containing whiskers is stuffed into Carolyn's mailbox to prove that the kidnapper has her missing cat.
* The plot in ''Literature/CareerOfEvil'' is kick-started when a severed woman's leg that arrives in the mail to the offices of private detective Cormoran Strike.
* In Creator/RobertEHoward's ''Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian'' story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", Murilo is given a recognizable ear as a hint. That said, he admits he doesn't know if it's a hint he should flee the city as a fugitive, or that it's just a sign his upcoming execution for his not-yet-revealed treachery against the state. Either way, he decides not to wait and find out and chooses to break out Conan from prison to kill the cruel man who now holds his life in his hands.

** In ''Literature/TheCoronation'' includes a subversion of the ransom demand variation; the hostage was killed immediately after the finger was cut off as part of the villain's EvilPlan.
** In ''[[Literature/SpecialAssignments The Decorator]]'' Fandorin, who is hunting a SerialKiller, gets a severed ear in the mail. It turns out to be a prank.

* In one ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' novel, the crimelord who has the halfling Regis captive has one of his men give Drizzt and friends (out to save Regis) a package when they reach his city: a halfling's severed finger. [[spoiler:Not only is it from Regis, the crimelord does it ''again'' as they're breaking into his lair.]]
* In Creator/MercedesLackey's ''Literature/HeraldsOfValdemar'' novel ''Arrow's Fall,'' a villain asks sweetly, "How will your Queen react to receiving her favorite Herald...but a small piece at a time?"

* In the Literature/PhryneFisher novel ''Away With the Fairies'', the RuthlessModernPirates who abduct Lin Chung mail his ear to Phryne.

* ''Literature/TheRifter'': How Laurie summoned John into a trap to use him to open the Great Gates: sending him one of his lover Kyle’s fingers. She chose the ring finger, because she was furious that John got his lover back when she couldn’t have her dead husband.

%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
%%
%%
%%&

* In the ''ComicBook/EmmaFrost'' [[OriginStory origin comic series]], Emma and her boyfriend Troy are kidnapped by loan sharks that Troy owed money to. When they find out that Emma is the daughter of a millionaire, they ship a box full of her hair and an ear to her family, along with a ransom note. [[spoiler:The ear, it turns out, was actually Troy's, him having been killed earlier trying to save Emma.]]

* In ''[[http://kinsfire.fanficauthors.net/Burning_Day/The_Beginning_of_the_End/ Burning Day]]'' the latest Dark Lord wannabe sends Harry a package containing a finger from his youngest daughter. It turns out that [[spoiler: it was actually a transfigured finger sent by Dolores Umbridge to trick him into going {{Papa Wolf}} and doing the Ministry's job for them]].
* A literal example in ''Fanfic/AWolfAmongstLions'' as Arya Stark is abducted by the Freys who send a warning to both the Starks and the Lannisters with the severed fingers of Arya and her brother. Tywin Lannister's response to his ward being taken and abused is [[ThreatBackfire to declare war on House Frey]].
* In ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4030232/44/Flames_and_Family_II_Road_of_Ruin Flames and Family II: Road to Ruin]]''--a ''Manga/Reborn2004 fanfiction--Mochida gives Tsuna a box that is supposedly a gift from Mochida's boss. However, it's revealed to be [[spoiler: the finger of a little child who had been used in a deadly experiment that Mochida's boss was in charge of]]. To make matters worse especially when Mochida [[spoiler: was revealed to actually know what was really in the gift and purposefully said the wrong information in an attempt to kill Tsuna, but Ryohei got hurt instead]]. Needless to say, Tsuna [[TranquilFury was not happy]] [[ColdBloodedTorture at all.]]
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''Fanfic/PrincessCelestiaGetsMugged'', the StupidCrooks who kidnap a disguised [[PhysicalGod Princess]] [[PlayAlongPrisoner Celestia]] originally planned on doing this to 'Sunny Skies' with her ear, but ultimately [[EvenEvilHasStandards don't have it in them to do it]] and decide to use her tail and mane instead.
* In ''Fanfic/{{A New World|IcedFairy}}'', the Lunarians send a group of messengers to bargain with Gensokyo's powers, hoping they will all fall into line and allow them a clear shot at Eientei. While all negotiations end in catastrophic failure, the Scarlet Devil Mansion takes special care in sending back [[StronglyWordedLetter an appropriate response]] that includes the ears of the messenger.

* A common feature in ''Series/TheProfessionals'' fanfics. If Doyle is kidnapped it is almost certain that Bodie (or Cowley or CI5 or [[IHaveYourWife whoever they're trying to persuade]]) will be sent anywhere from one curl to pretty much all of his hair.

* In Creator/RobertEHoward's Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian story "Literature/RoguesInTheHouse", Murilo is given a recognizable ear as a hint. That said, he admits he doesn't know if it's a hint he should flee the city as a fugitive, or that it's just a sign his upcoming execution for his not-yet-revealed treachery against the state. Either way, he decides not to wait and find out and chooses to break out Conan from prison to kill the cruel man who now holds his life in his hands.
* In ''The Bishop's Heir'' of the Literature/{{Deryni}} series, Loris sends Kelson Bishop Henry Istelyn's finger (still wearing his bishop's ring) in a show of defiance. Istelyn's head later follows.
* The Literature/ErastFandorin series:

* ''Series/PoliceSquad''

* ''Series/TheProfessionals''

--->'''Doyle:''' They phoned the ''Express''. There's something waiting for us in a phone box in Jubilee Walk.
--->'''Minister:''' I don't like the sound of that "something".
--->'''Bodie:''' Half an ear, perhaps?
--->''(The Minister gives Bodie a DisapprovingLook and walks off. Doyle laughs.)''
--->'''Cowley:''' There are times, Bodie, when I find your ribaldry quite distasteful!

--->'''Bodie:''' I hold up one finger and that's what you get--one finger!
--->''(GilliganCut to [[WouldntHurtAChild Doyle sharing a chocolate bar with the girl]])''

-->'''Colin:''' ''(on the phone)'' Yeah, I got the finger. Um, to be honest with you, Barry, I don't know why you're expecting me to be quite so shat up; the kid's not a pianist. Well, yeah, I'm sorry, but the message the parents are giving me is that if you mean business, you'll send a whole hand and only ''then'' will they call the bank. ''(listens)'' Well, I'm glad they're not my folks too, Barry, but look at it from their point of view. They do have ''three other sons.''

* In the ''Blood & Wine'' DLC for ''VideoGame/TheWitcher3WildHunt'', [[spoiler:the vampire Dettlaff van der Eretein is blackmailed into assassinating five men, and warned that "If you do not succeed, instead of the next letter you will receive a finger of your beloved."]]

* Parodied in ''WebAnimation/TheCyanideAndHappinessShow'' short "The Note."

* In the ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' episode "Wheels and the Legman and the Case of Grandpa's Key", Steve and Roger apparently get one of Stan's fingers in the mail. [[spoiler: Subverted; it turned out it was a ruse by Stan and that the "finger" was really a mozzarella stick with the crumbs licked off.]]

---> '''Lisa:''' He'll pay more money if he thinks the bear's in danger.
--->'''Homer:''' Yes. Send him the eye.

* In an episode of ''Series/ColdCase'', a coyote (smuggler of humans along the US-Mexico boarder) would kidnap the children of families that missed payments, cut off their ear and mail it to the family, then kill the child if there was still no payment received.
* Similarly, the season 1 finale of ''Series/CriminalMinds'' features a variation on this trope; SSA Jason Gideon receives, at his cottage, a baseball card and a head in a box via courier, which sets the BAU's targets on this new case.

** "Pranksta Rap", Bart pretends to be kidnapped and makes a call to the rest of the family while posing as the kidnapper. Homer immediately demands that the kidnapper send body parts to prove that he really has Bart. Marge objects.
** In another episode, when the Simpsons find Mr. Burns's beloved teddy bear from his childhood, Lisa and Homer suggest they send Burns one of its eyes.

** A disturbing example is discussed in "Homer Goes to Prep School" where Homer flatly says that he wouldn't pay a ransom for Bart in the event of his son being kidnapped and would likely feed an ear cut off Bart to the dog. Even more disturbingly, Bart is fine with this, aside from telling his father that the dog wouldn't eat his ear unless it was wrapped in cheese.

** In "Days of Wine and D'ohses", Homer and Bart find that Milhouse's parents have thrown away his blanket and Homer gets the idea to sell it back to him piece by piece.

* Unfortunately, this is relatively common in kidnapping cases, where kidnappers often send a body part (usually an ear or a finger) of the victim to the victim's relatives as a proof that they're being held and still alive and to increase pressure on them to ensure a speedy payment of the ransom:
** In the 1970s, young heir John Paul Getty III got his ear cut off a la Electra King and sent to his grandfather as a proof of him being kidnapped. He was rescued in the end, but ended up drug-addicted and later comatose.
** In 1978 Belgian billionaire son Édouard Empain was kidnapped. The abductors cut off a piece of his pinky finger and send it by mail to invoke pressure on the family.
* UsefulNotes/JackTheRipper may have sent half a human kidney to the head of the Whitechapel Vigilance Committee, George Lusk. The letter sent with it alleged that the kidney had come from the body of Catherine Eddowes (the Ripper's fourth victim); the other half, the letter alleged, he had fried and eaten.

* In Lebanon in the 1980s, a terrorist group once kidnapped a Soviet diplomat, then cut off his finger, which was sent to the Soviet embassy in Beirut as proof that they had him. The Soviet response, after a short KGB "investigation", was to send a box to the terrorist leader containing his beloved brother's ''head''. The hostage was swiftly released, and Soviet diplomats were never bothered again.

->"''Poor Jeremiah, he was such an accommodating footman. Always used to bring in the morning post. I never expected to find him ''in'' the post.''"
-->-- '''His Amused Lordship''', ''Videogame/FallenLondon''

* ''Literature/OctoberDaye'': In ''One Salt Sea'', Rayseline cuts off one of Dean Lorden's fingers and sends it to his parents in a box, presumably as a threat. The act ends up backfiring on her, though, because Patrick Lorden takes it to Toby at Connor's behest, and Toby uses the finger to ride Dean's blood, which helps her to figure out where Rayseline stashed him.

->"Poor Jeremiah, he was such an accommodating footman. Always used to bring in the morning post. I never expected to find him ''in'' the post."

--> '''Lisa:''' He'll pay more money if he thinks the bear's in danger.
-->'''Homer:''' Yes. Send him the eye.