History Main / GogglesDoNothing

* Creator/LiamDryden of the band Music/ChameleonCircuit sports a fairly awesome pair at times, notably in live concerts, his "TimeTravel" outfit, and when he and Creator/AlexDay are [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzj1OF7d9m4 raiding Wal-Mart.]] Liam even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s the fact that he just wears them on his head as a NiceHat most of the time in the Wal-Mart video.

A character wears goggles or other eyewear, despite the fact that they don't have an actual use. In many cases, they'll only ever wear them ''above'' their eyes (see picture) like some weird hat.

-->-- '''Not Federal Agents''', ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''

-->-- '''[[MostDefinitelyNotAVillain Not Federal Agents]]''', ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''

--> '''Razputin''': Ha, you can't! ''That'' is the purpose of the goggles.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Nostalgia}}'', Melody's [[RobeAndWizardHat pointy witch hat]] sports a pair of goggles for some reason. She never wears them.

*** The Cid wears a pair of goggles up on his forehead, not because as an engineer he may need them at any time, but to hide the ThirdEye that marks him as a pure-blooded [[TheEmpire Garlean]].

A character wears goggles or other eyewear, despite the fact that they don't have an actual use. In many cases, they'll wear them ''above'' their eyes (see picture) like some weird hat.

* ''ComicBook/RobinSeries'': The extra two sets of goggles lenses that don't cover Redback's eyes don't appear to have any use outside of giving her a spider-like aesthetic. Though of course she's never seen outside of costume, nor confirmed to be human so given that she's in the DCU they could possibly be covering another two sets of eyes.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'', it's not really clear why Terra wears goggles. She rarely uses them and they look more like swim goggles than anything. Also, her power involves controlling rocks, which the goggles wouldn't protect against anyway. When she [[NotQuiteFlight rides a rock as she levitates it]], the goggles may protect against the wind. They may also protect against dust and dirt that get flung around when she moves rocks.

* Subverted in ''Manga/AttackOnTitan''. When the main form of combat is high-speed aerial acrobatics, goggles are pretty much the only way to keep from losing one's vision-correction apparatus. They also serve much in the same way as pilot's goggles, although that raises the question of why more characters don't wear them, as only Hange is shown to wear them more-or-less regularly — and she wears glasses anyway.

* Quatre Raberba Winner of ''[[Anime/MobileSuitGundamWing Gundam Wing]]'' has a pair of goggles. The practical way to use them would be for crossing the desert - the only time he does wear them is inside his Gundam.

* Bob Burden's ''ComicBook/FlamingCarrot'' wears flippers all the time, [[CloudCuckooLander in case he needs to swim.]]

* ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} does not wear goggles. However, the fact that the filed-down horn stumps on his forehead were ''mistaken for goggles'' by many early fans goes to show how ubiquitous the "goggles as fashion accessory" idea is. Even Creator/GuillermoDelToro, the director of [[Film/Hellboy2004 the first pair of movies]], thought they were goggles.

* Imperial defector Bodhi Rook wears protective goggles on the top of his head for almost all of his screen time in ''Film/RogueOne''. Yes, he's a pilot but he flies a cargo shuttle in space so their utility would seem limited. The only time they might have been useful - on the dusty desert planet of Jeddha - he still doesn't wear them in the prescribed fashion.

* ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'': Features a lower class subculture referred to as "Goggleboys", whose goggles are actually low cost virtual reality rigs. Middle and upper class copy their aesthetic to look hip and cool, featuring goggles that are purely decorative.

** In a wasteland with, as shown in some areas, lots of blowing dust. She's encountered indoors, though, so has no need to keep them down - unlike a lot of the outdoor [=NPCs=] (who take great care to keep wrapped up, for the most part, against the elements, including goggles).

** Rikku from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' wears a pair of goggles in her swimwear. When she takes it off, there's ''another'' pair of goggles around her neck as part of her normal outfit, but she doesn't actually don them. The actual reason most Al Bhed have goggles ''is'' safety, technically--but it's got more to do with safety from FantasticRacism than sparks and metal shavings, as they specifically wear opaque lenses that hide their spiral eyes. For whatever reason, Rikku elects not to do this when she becomes Yuna's guardian.

* The male PlayerCharacter from ''[[VideoGame/FossilFighters Fossil Fighters: Champions]]'' wears oersized goggles over his hair. The setting has a plausible reason to have them - keeping dirt of the eyes while cleaning fossils. However, this is never seen, and when the other major charcters don't have goggles either, including the female PlayerCharacter, they never amount to more than an accessory.

** [[http://us.media1.battle.net/cms/gallery/YRKA6UMGLQ701315846622103.jpg The mage Tier 13 set]] has what looks like a pair of glowing goggles - on the forehead. They are meant to just look cool as the particular set has been dubbed "Technomage."

* ''Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses''.com has That Chick with the Goggles.

* ''WesternAnimation/BooBoomTheLongWayHome'': Jack always wears a pair of pilot goggles, but they are more for the show than anything else. In episode 23 and 24 he briefly uses them as protection during a blizzard, but the other characters (who don't have goggles or any other form of eye protection) don't seem bothered by the snow either.

** Even {{Cyberpunk}} is guilty of this with its signature mirrorshades- though they might be waiting for [[GogglesDoSomethingUnusual display glasses]].

* In ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', it borders on a RunningGag that the lead character always wears goggles. It started with [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Taichi/Tai]], then [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 Daisuke/Davis]] actually started wearing Taichi's original goggles. ''Then'' [[Anime/DigimonTamers Takato]] wears them because he watched a different version of Digimon on television. Then there's [[Anime/DigimonFrontier Takuya]], [[Anime/DigimonXrosWars Taiki/Mikey]], [[Anime/DigimonXrosWarsTheYoungHuntersWhoLeaptThroughTime Tagiru]], [[Anime/DigimonUniverseAppMonsters Haru]], Tsurugi in ''Next'', and Hikaru in ''D-Cyber''. Strangely, [[OlderThanTheyThink the very first guy to wear goggles]] ([[NoExportForYou another guy named Taichi]] in ''[[Manga/DigimonVTamer01 V-Tamer 01]]'') actually got them as a gift from a pilot and [[UnbuiltTrope used them for that very purpose.]] In several instances, the characters do actually use them. The problem is that nobody else seems to ever be bothered by whatever condition prompts the current goggle boy to wear them.

** Well, every lead character aside from [[Anime/DigimonSavers Masaru/Marcus]], but that's probably because he's [[BadassNormal too manly for them]]. However, [[Anime/DigimonXrosWars fans prefer goggles]]. Note that Masaru doesn't look like Elementary / Junior High school student, [[YoungerThanTheyLook despite the fact that he is the latter]].

* Both titular characters (even though one is an otter-weasel hybrid) in the ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxter'' series wear goggles around their heads. In Jak's case this trope is averted: his goggles are useful in [[VideoGame/JakAndDaxterThePrecursorLegacy the first game]] for sniping out enemies and Dark Eco crystals using yellow Eco; in [[VideoGame/Jak3Wastelander the third]] he wears them while out in the desert. Played straight with Daxter in most games, until he eventually puts them to use while being flung through the air to dismantle planes in ''VideoGame/JakAndDaxterTheLostFrontier''. He also wear his goggles over his eyes in an early cutscene in ''VideoGame/JakXCombatRacing''.

See also PurelyAestheticGlasses. SubTrope of UselessAccessory.

** Wanze of Cipher Pol. is a chef who wears googles on his forehead. In an SBS question corner, the author said that they were to prevent him from crying when he chops onions. In response to another reader's statement that onions irritate the nose to cause tears, Oda said that Wanze [[GogglesDoSomethingUnusual sticks them in his nostrils]].

* In ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'', it borders on a RunningGag that the lead character always wears goggles. It started with [[Anime/DigimonAdventure Taichi/Tai]], then [[Anime/DigimonAdventure02 Daisuke/Davis]] actually started wearing Taichi's original goggles. ''Then'' [[Anime/DigimonTamers Takato]] wears them because he watched a different version of Digimon on television. Then there's [[Anime/DigimonFrontier Takuya]], [[Anime/DigimonXrosWars Taiki/Mikey]], [[Anime/DigimonXrosWarsTheYoungHuntersWhoLeaptThroughTime Tagiru]], [[Anime/DigimonUniverseApplimonsters Haru]], Tsurugi in ''Next'', and Hikaru in ''D-Cyber''. Strangely, [[OlderThanTheyThink the very first guy to wear goggles]] ([[NoExportForYou another guy named Taichi]] in ''[[Manga/DigimonVTamer01 V-Tamer 01]]'') actually got them as a gift from a pilot and [[UnbuiltTrope used them for that very purpose.]] In several instances, the characters do actually use them. The problem is that nobody else seems to ever be bothered by whatever condition prompts the current goggle boy to wear them.

* The protagonist of ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' has an [=MP3=] player around his neck, with headphones hanging on his chest. Except for the opening cutscene, he never uses them onscreen. Although [[spoiler: Fuuka upgrades the headphones at the end of her Social Link, and the upgraded headphones unlock the Scathach persona]]. The player is then referenced in a bit of a MythologyGag in which [[TheLancer lancer]] and ButtMonkey Yousuke (voiced by the [[Creator/YuriLowenthal same voice actor as P3's protagonist]]) is shown to also be wearing an [=MP3=] player. He's actually shown wearing them in battle, even ''tapping his foot'' (Though not quite in-time to the battle music, sadly.) And shown taking them off post-battle.

** Rikku from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyX'' wears a pair of goggles in her swimwear. When she takes it off, there's ''another'' pair of goggles underneath. She never wears these. Which is particularly baffling as she is of a race of people who can stay underwater apparently indefinitely and none of them ever put on any goggles when doing so. On the other hand, her older brother is wearing his goggles all the time and never takes them off.

* Slightly averted in ''WesternAnimation/RockyAndBullwinkle with Rocky, in that he does mostly use them when he's flying, even though he stills wears them on the head most of them time even when they're not needed.

* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'': Both Monterey Jack and Gadget wear goggles on their head as part of their normal outfit, but rarely (as in, maybe once or twice ever) wear them over their eyes. This despite the fact that they fly around in a high-speed air vehicle without a windscreen all the time. Once Monterey wore his normal flightcap goggles on his head and a ''second'' pair actually over his eyes.

* {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in ''VideoGame/{{Red Alert 3}}'' where one of the allied units (who wear goggles) say when clicked on "Ze googles! Zey do nothink!".

See also PurelyAestheticGlasses. Subtrope of UselessAccessory.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]