History Main / GoingToSeeTheElephant

* Interestingly, Maggie Antrobus wants to see a whale before she dies in the same author's ''Theatre/TheSkinOfOurTeeth''. The Barnum Museum really ''was'' a tremendously popular place in the mid- to late-1800s, and the whale was a notable exhibit.

* In Creator/ThorntonWilder's ''Theatre/TheMatchmaker'', the clerks Cornelius and Barnaby take advantage of their overbearing boss going on an overnight trip to give themselves the day off and go to New York City to see what wonders it has.
* The same happens in ''Theatre/HelloDolly'', the musical adaptation of ''The Matchmaker'', with Barnaby specifically having the fixed desire of seeing the stuffed whale in Barnum's museum.

The name of the trope is from a 19th-century expression that meant "to take a trip to see or do something exotic." In UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar era, it was sometimes used to refer to going to war. Sometimes used as a MacGuffin, making the character go in order to drive the plot, but not always, as it lacks the interchangeability of a true [=MacGuffin=]. Often, ItsTheJourneyThatCounts.

Compare with TheHomewardJourney. Also see RoadTripPlot, where the story is about the journey itself. No relation at all to the ElephantInTheLivingRoom, which everybody is pointedly trying to ignore. Also has nothing to do with [[INeedToGoIronMyDog going to see a man about a horse...]]

* Literally inverted in ''Literature/AroundTheWorldInEightyDays''. During one leg of his journey, Phileas Fogg literally goes to see an elephant, but he's shown zero interest in sightseeing; he just wants to hurry up and get past a gap in the train routes.

* In ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'', the entire reason Rapunzel leaves her tower is to go see the lights that appear on her birthday every year. They're more important than most examples though, as they are sent by [[spoiler:her parents, the King and Queen of Corona, who want her to return more than anything]].

** Mentioned by name in ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad''. It's even the last line, as the witches talk about how they're eager to get back home to Lancre: "But they took the long way round, and saw the elephant."
** As indeed did Sam, Sybil and young Sam in ''Discworld/{{Snuff}}''. And after the harrowing events of ''Discworld/TheFifthElephant'', Sam and Sybil decide to take it easy on the way home.

* Barnaby Tucker, in Creator/ThorntonWilder's ''The Matchmaker'' (and its derivative, ''Theatre/HelloDolly'') has the fixed desire of seeing the stuffed whale in Barnum's museum when he goes to New York.

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* ''WebAnimation/CharlieTheUnicorn'': Candy Mountain, Charlie, Candy Mountain! Of course, unlike most depictions, Charlie doesn't want to ''go'' to Candy Mountain; his friends (?) just annoy him into going.
* From ''[[WebComic/RoomiesItsWalkyJoyceAndWalky Roomies!]]'', [[http://www.itswalky.com/d/19990714.html Danny and Billie see Mount Rushmore.]] Because.
* A ''WebComic/PennyArcade'' strip shows Gabe and Tycho seeing the "World's Largest Grape" and "World's Oldest Cat" on a road trip. They decided to skip the museum of sodomy.
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* Music/WeirdAlYankovic's "The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota" is a parody of similar GoingToSeeTheElephant songs.

** As indeed did Sam, Sybil and young Sam in ''Literature/{{Snuff}}''. And Sam and Sybil spend the whole of ''Literature/TheFifthElephant'' doing.... well, take a wild guess from the title.

* On one episode of ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'', Heffer and Rocko go on a road trip to see Phlegm Rock (a rock formation shaped like a runny nose, where the "mucus" is algae-ridden water spewing from a spring) before it closes and gets paved over.

* This is arguably the structure of ''Literature/TheCanturburyTales''. The storytellers are on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Thomas Becket, but that is essentially Chaucer's excuse to get people from all walks of life to exchange their tales.

Somewhere, not too far from the hero's hometown, there is something new and exotic to go see or do. The hero is fascinated with the idea of checking out this new thing, and he and his friends set out on a journey to do just that. Their journey drives the rest of the plot. This differs from characters on a quest, because there's no overarching need for them to take the trip, other than "let's go take the trip". They're tourists, not heroes out to destroy [[Literature/LordOfTheRings The One Ring]]. In addition, the actual object at the end of the journey is utterly unimportant, other than as a prod for the character to take the journey in the first place.

* In ''Losin' It'', each of the boys has a different "elephant" he wants to see during their trip to Tijuana, Mexico. One character wants to see a donkey show[[note]]A show that involves a woman and a doney[[/note]], another wants his car seats re-upholstered and the third just wants to get some cool fireworks.

* Done literally by Sam in ''Literature/LordOfTheRings''. He gets to see an oliphaunt, confirming the Hobbit rhyme is an appallingly realistic depiction of one. He also does this in a more metaphorical sense, initially joining Frodo because he wants to see Elves, who are almost mythical for Hobbits.

* ''[[ForgottenRealms Starlight and Shadows]]'' trilogy. A young, talented and [[ChaoticNeutral fun-loving]] drow wizard chanced upon a book about some forgotten surface people that mentioned an obscure tradition -- rune magic. She thought it may be interesting to investigate the matter. Not that she expected to find a great power in it, just because it's unusual enough. The rest of three books cover ''some'' consequences of her curiosity.

* Mentioned by name in ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad''. It's even the last line, as the witches talk about how they're eager to get back home to Lancre: "But they took the long way round, and saw the elephant."

* In ''Losin' It'', each of the boys has a different "elephant" he wants to see during their trip to Tijuana, Mexico. One character wants to see a donkey show, another wants his car seats re-upholstered and the third just wants to get some cool fireworks.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', the Funnies are taking a road trip to see the Great Painted Gorge. Mr. Funny tries to make good time, but Doug and Judy keep getting distracted by tourist traps due to boredom over the long drive.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventuresHowISpentMyVacation'', Plucky and the Pig family visit a theme park called Happy World Land, and Plucky is clearly excited for the attractions. To Plucky's disappointment, however, Hampton and his family just ride the monorail around the park (because Mr. Pig doesn't want to overdo it on their first visit), after which they promptly leave.

* Mentioned by name in Creator/TerryPratchett's ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad''. It's even the last line, as the witches talk about how they're eager to get back home to Lancre: "But they took the long way round, and saw the elephant."

* In Creator/TamoraPierce's ''[[Literature/TortallUniverse Protector of the Small]]'' series, "going to see the kraken" is used as a [[HoldYourHippogriffs substitute idiom]] ... sort of. In this case, "kraken" stands for the how overwhelming one's first experience with open battle is.

* Many of gold seekers who went west during the Gold Rush hoping to hit pay dirt or the young trailhands going from Texas to the wild Kansas cowtowns described their journeys as "going to see the elephant."
* Until 1896, there was an building literally shaped like an elephant on Coney Island which housed a brothel. The phrase "going to see the elephant" was (and still is in some pockets of New York City) used as a euphemism for visiting a prostitute.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'', the Funnies are taking a road trip to see the Great Painted Gorge. Mr. Funny tries to make good time, but Doug and Judy keep getting distracted by tourist traps.

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-->-- '''Creator/ErnestHemingway'''

-->-- '''ErnestHemingway'''

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* Played straight by Sam in ''Literature/LordOfTheRings''. He gets to see an oliphaunt, confirming the Hobbit rhyme is an appallingly realistic depiction of one. He also does this in a more metaphorical sense, initially joining Frodo because he wants to see Elves, who are almost mythical for Hobbits.

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* ''CharlieTheUnicorn'': Candy Mountain, Charlie, Candy Mountain! Of course, unlike most depictions, Charlie doesn't want to ''go'' to Candy Mountain; his friends (?) just annoy him into going.