History Main / GladYouThoughtOfIt

* In ''Disney/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', when Louie the Crocodile refuses to take the heroes to the person that can break their spell (due to how dangerous it is), [[GuileHero Naveen]] starts saying that is a pity he cannot fulfill his dream of playing jazz in the river boats, and that maybe if he wasn't a crocodile, it may be possible. After a few seconds, Louie says that he could ask to become human, with Naveen calling him a genius for "getting" that idea.

* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}'': Darrin and Samantha hire a maid. Unfortunately, she's a klutz who breaks everything she touches, and they soon fire her. It turns out she's desperately trying to pay for her son's medical school. She apologetically owns up to her incompetence and, after mentally totalling the damages with the speed of a calculator, promises to pay it all back. Impressed with her math skills, Samantha suggests that Darrin should get her a job in the accounting department where he works. When he agrees, Samantha chases after the maid before she can leave, telling her excitedly, "Darrin had the most wonderful idea!"

-->-- ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment''

** Polly tries to get Blouse to do this in ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment''. It doesn't go ''quite'' how she planned. The book suggests this is a skill all sergeants (and people who gravitate to that rank like Polly) acquire to keep the officers in line.
** Lord Vetinari is a master of this (presumably just to amuse himself, given that he's an absolute dictator whose word is law). In the following example from ''Discworld/TheLastHero'', it serves Vetinari's interest to make Archchancellor Ridcully agree with him, because the two are theoretically of equal rank and friction between the city and the University could be troublesome:

* In ''[[Toys/PollyPocket Pollyworld]]'', Lorelei tries to have Polly sent to a boarding school by convincing Polly's Dad it's ''his'' idea.

* ''Film/MyBigFatGreekWedding'': Getting the father to allow Toula to work at her aunt's place.

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[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

'''Cosmo:''' (''sarcastically'') I'm glad you thought of it.

* ''Series/TheATeam'', "[[Recap/TheATeamS4E4LeaseWithAnOptionToDie Lease With an Option to Die]]". B.A.'s mother thinks he's the head of the A-Team, so the others play along. When the subject of a plan comes up, Hannibal thinks of one while saying that B.A. had told them about it on the way. B.A. goes along with it.

* ''Series/{{Psych}}'' had an episode where Shawn realized that Carlton Lassiter really needed a jolt of confidence, so he and Gus spend the episode solving the week's case, and then relaying the information to Carlton in such a way that he solves it on his own, much like how you're coming up with all these examples now.
* ''Series/{{Monk}}'' did this when Disher lost his confidence, planting the idea in his head with a tape while he slept. As such it's technically an example.

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* {{Invoked}} in ''Theatre/TheKingAndI'' - it's a minor plot point that Anna has to do this because she cannot be seen as offering advice to the King. So she pretends to be guessing what he's going to do - and quite naturally he says that she's guessed right, and then proceeds to do just what she "guessed" that he would do.
* ''[[{{Film/Xanadu}} Xanadu On Broadway]]'':
-->'''Kira''': If only there were a book, a magic book, that listed all the locations in Los Angeles, and had their phones numbers next to it.\\
'''Sonny''': Yeah...\\
'''Kira''': ...and if the book had pages the color of amber.\\
'''Sonny''': I know! I'll look it up in the phone book!\\
'''Kira''': My god, you're brilliant!

-->'''Benjamin Franklin''': Now, if we could think of a Virginian with enough influence to go down there and persuade the House of Burgesses--
-->'''Richard Henry Lee''': [[NoIndoorVoice DAMN ME IF I HAVEN'T THOUGHTA SOMEONE!]]
-->'''Franklin, John Adams''': Who?
-->'''Lee''': Me!
-->'''Franklin''': [[BlatantLies Oh, why didn't I think of that?]]

* ''VideoGame/MassEffect3'' - During the quest to get the various merc bands on your side, Shepard learns that the leader of Eclipse is in police custody due to being borderline AxCrazy. If you don't want to release her, you can convince her right-hand man to leave her in there and take over - or get him to "suggest" having her released and assassinated.

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* In ''[[Machinima/RedVsBlueTheRecollection Red Vs Blue The Recreation]]'', Simmons, Lopez, and Donut are being hunted by the Meta. When Lopez makes one of his usual Hispanic comments, Donut (Who took high school Spanish but is nowhere near as proficient as he thinks he is) assumes Lopez has come up with a way to escape, and relates this idea to Simmons. Simmons likes the idea, and congratulates Lopez for his thinking. Meanwhile, Lopez can't tell either of them that the idea has a few holes in it.
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* ''Literature/CodexAlera'': In the last book, Ehren uses this to get [[spoiler:Attis]] to get himself killed trying to [[spoiler:fight Invidia]]. Considering the effectiveness and the [[RefugeInAudacity sheer audacity]] of his choice of victim, it winds up as not just an example Ehren's CrowningMomentOfAwesome, but also might be listable as an example of GladYouThoughtOfIt.

* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}: Darrin and Samantha hire a maid. Unfortunately, she's a klutz who breaks everything she touches, and they soon fire her. It turns out she's desperately trying to pay for her son's medical school. She apologetically owns up to her incompetence and, after mentally totalling the damages with the speed of a calculator, promises to pay it all back. Impressed with her math skills, Samantha suggests that Darrin should get her a job in the accounting department where he works. When he agrees, Samantha chases after the maid before she can leave, telling her excitedly, "Darrin had the most wonderful idea!"

* ''Series/{{Bewitched}}: Darrin and Samantha hire a maid. Unfortunately, she's a klutz who breaks everything she touches, and they soon fire her. It turns out she's desperatly trying to pay for her son's medical school. She apologetically owns up to her incompetence and, after mentally totalling the damages with the speed of a calculator, promises to pay it all back. Impressed with her math skills, Samantha suggests that Darrin should get her a job in the accounting department where he works. When he agrees, Samantha chases after the maid before she can leave, telling her excitedly, "Darrin had the most wonderful idea!"

* In ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'', this is how [[spoiler:the High Priest of Hel gets Roy to take him to the Godsmoot. He can't just tell Roy where it is, or ask Roy to take him there (and if Roy knew what "Durkon's" [[OmnicidalManiac intentions]] were, he would absolutely refuse), so he and Roy look around Tinkertown until they find someone heading to the Godsmoot, under the pretense of looking for someone who can resurrect Durkon. As the High Priest puts it, he's a vampire, making something seem organic when it's really an unnatural facade is his entire thing.]]

* In ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'', this is how [[spoiler:the High Priest of Hel gets Roy to take him to the Godsmoot. He can't just tell Roy where it is, or ask Roy to take him there (and if Roy knew what "Durkon's" [[OmnicidalManiac intentions]] were, he would absolutely refuse), so he and Roy look around Tinkertown until they find someone heading to the Godsmoot, under the pretense of looking for someone who can resurrect Durkon. As the High Priest puts it, he's a vampire, making something seem organic when it's really an unnatural facade is his entire thing.]]

* ''Film/{{Inception}}'' [[spoiler:the meaning behind the name,]] and the entire point of the film.

** Lord Vetinari is a master of this (presumably just to amuse himself, given that he's an absolute dictator whose word is law). You could use this example from ''Discworld/TheLastHero'':

You know how the GladIThoughtOfIt trope is when a character suggests something, only to have another scoff at the idea, but then claim it to have been their own idea when it succeeds? Well, maybe there's a trope involving a character who has a plan, but wants someone else to think it's their idea and thus drops subtle hints about carrying out the plan under the idea that it was their idea to begin with. But it'd need someone to make such a page, and I can't think who...

* The legendary "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" speech from ''[[Creator/WilliamShakespeare Shakespeare's]] ''Julius Caesar'' is a famous example. Mark Antony, who gives the oration, is given strict instructions ''not'' to praise Caesar by the conspirators. Antony agrees and promises to "bury Caesar, not praise him"...then proceeds to use those "insults" to sway the public's opinion against the murderers, [[ExactWords all while explaining why what he's saying aren't compliments]]. Soon, the Roman populace is whipped into a frenzy of love for Caesar; the conspirators are next kicked out of Rome, which eventually leads to a civil war that ends in their defeat. This is all a subtle scheme on Mark Antony's part to seize power for himself and his own allies; by making it seem like he's simply following the crowd's will, he's able to endear himself to them and gain their unwavering support.

* In ''Theatre/SeventeenSeventySix'', Benjamin Franklin uses this twice in rapid succession with his and John Adams's proposal for American independence stalls in the Continental Congress. Franklin summons [[LargeHam Richard Henry Lee]] of Virginia to ask about how to get the idea moving again, and Lee suggests getting someone else in Congress to propose independence, just as the Pennsylvanian planned. Franklin then makes a show about wondering what Virginian could ''possibly'' have enough influence in the state's House of Burgesses to suggest writing the proposal...and Lee immediately realizes that he's the perfect choice, [[ThatRemindsMeOfASong bursting into song]] about how he'll get the resolution within a day. The whole situation is promptly lampshaded by Adams, who wonders why Franklin didn't simply ask Lee for help; Franklin replies that if he had, they would [[YouOweMe owe Lee a favor]], a situation that could cause issues in the future.

* ''ComicString/{{Dilbert}}'' realized that deliberately invoking this on his boss was about the only way to get funding for an idea Dilbert came up with. Considering [[GladIThoughtOfIt his]] [[PointyHairedBoss boss]], he's right. Dilbert refers to this as "bossifying" his idea, and an example can be seen [[http://dilbert.com/strip/2014-01-12 here]]...

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'': Stephen, Candyland's head house slave, is forced to do this with the estate's owners and staff after [[spoiler:Calvin, who is much more receptive to his criticism and input, is killed]]. He privately confides to Django how [[HintDropping heavily he had to drop hints]] before anyone finally picked up on his suggestion of [[spoiler:selling Django to a mining company known for its atrociously cruel treatment of slaves]].

* ''Film/DjangoUnchained'': Stephen, Candyland's head house slave, is forced to do this with the estate's owners and staff after [[spoiler:Calvin, who is much more receptive to his criticism and input, is killed]].
He privately confides to Django how [[HintDropping heavily he had to drop hints]] before anyone finally picked up on his suggestion of [[spoiler:selling Django to a mining company known for its atrociously cruel treatment of slaves]].