History Main / GratuitousLaboratoryFlasks

->''"What manner of [[MadScientist mad scientist]] neglects his flasks of colored liquid? Next you'll question the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator Van de Graaff generator]] in the middle of the room - and where will '''that''' leave us?"''
-->-- '''Professor Lupin Madblood''', ''{{Webcomic/Narbonic}}''

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'', Papa Smurf and Gargamel's respective labs are always filled with loads of recognizable Florence and Erlenmeyers. The question is, where do they obtain it from? There is no Glassblower Smurf as far as we know. And in this period, most containers and vessels for liquids were still made out of lathe shaped baked clay.

Dedicated lab glassware was invented mostly in the mid to late 19th century. Prior to that, distilling vessels such as alembics do date back centuries, but they were made completely of metal and scientists actually used very little glassware, glass-working still being a rare craft reserved for artisans. The ubiquitous Erlenmeyer flask wasn't invented until 1860. The retort flask, another ubiquitous and recognizable vessel, was actually considered outdated by the time the Liebig condenser was invented in the late 1800s. [[CriticalResearchFailure Despite these facts]], chemistry glassware frequently shows up in settings that predate their invention or futuristic settings where they should probably be considered impractical and primitive. Retort, Round bottom, Florence, Volumetric, Pasteur, and Erlenmeyer flasks may show up in a medieval wizard or alchemist's workshop or an scientist's lab in a far future SpaceOpera.

* In TheSmurfs, Papa Smurf and Gargamel's respective labs are always filled with loads of recognizable Florence and Erlenmeyers. The question is, where do they obtain it from? There is no Glassblower Smurf as far as we know. And in this period, most containers and vessels for liquids were still made out of lathe shaped baked clay.

Many of these overly complicated glassware apparatuses, particularly the tall ones suspended by cris-cross networks of ringstands and clamps, seem to be based on all of the photos that have been taken of the classic 1952 experiment by Stanley Miller and Harold Urey.

What's the best way to visually demonstrate that a character is a man (or woman!) of science, [[MadScientist mad]] or otherwise? Why, with tons and tons of flasks and beakers, of course! These are usually crammed everywhere conceivable in the scientist's laboratory, connected with spiraling glass tubing and usually filled with bubbling [[TechnicolorScience colored liquids]], even if an experiment isn't actually in progress, and typically it's just there to be set dressing. Often, it's there to be dramatically [[TrashTheSet smashed]] during a fight scene, an [[GoneHorriblyWrong experiment gone wrong]], or during the MadScientist's [[FreakLabAccident transformation]]. Bonus points if the scientist has no need of such chemistry equipment (such as being a physicist or anthropologist for example), and never actually ''does'' anything with it. Also, oftentimes you see Erlenmeyer flask put over a burner in this sort of a setup, which is '''not''' done (that's what round-bottomed flasks are for, since this shape heats up more evenly, so it's less likely to crack from uneven distribution of heat).

-->'''Kronk''': You know, in my defense your poisons all look alike. You might think about relabeling some of them.

Dedicated lab glassware was invented mostly in the mid to late 19th century. Prior to that, distilling vessels such as alembics do date back centuries, but they were made completely of metal and scientists actually used very little glassware, glass-working still being a rare craft reserved for artisans. The ubiquitous Erlenmeyer flask wasn't invented until 1860. The retort flask, another ubiquitous and recognizable vessel, was actually considered outdated by the time the Liebig condenser was invented in the late 1800s. [[CriticalResearchFailure Despite these facts]], chemistry glassware frequently shows up in settings that predate their invention or futuristic settings where they should probably be considered impractical and primitive. Retort, Round bottom, Florence, Volumetric, Pasteur, and Erlenmeyer flasks may show up in a medieval wizard or alchemist's workshop or an alien scientist's lab on a distant planet.

* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': Both Aughra's observatory and the Chamber of Life (where the Skeksis drain Podlings of their essence) are filled with all manner of lab glassware and other brick-a-brack. Neither Aughra nor skekTek use them for anything, and they exist only to be smashed (by the Garthim when busting into Aughra's home and by skekUng when he has a breakdown). They are perfectly recognizable lab glassware and almost look out of place for a planet that is ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway. The set designer actually spared some effort to dress the glassware to make it look less like it was purchased from a modern lab supply company. They were given embellishments to make them appear rustic and primitive instead of mass produced.

* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': Both Aughra's observatory and the Chamber of Life (where the Skeksis drain Podlings of their essence) are filled with all manner of lab glassware and other brick-a-brack. Neither Aughra nor skekTek use them for anything, and they exist only to be smashed (by the Garthim when busting into Aughra's home and by skekUng when he has a breakdown). They are perfectly recognizable lab glassware and actually look very out of place for a planet that is ALongTimeAgoInAGalaxyFarFarAway.

* ''Film/TheDarkCrystal'': Both Aughra's observatory and the Chamber of Life (where the Skeksis drain Podlings of their essence) are filled with all manner of lab glassware and other brick-a-brack. Neither Aughra nor skekTek use them for anything, and they exist only to be smashed (by the Garthim when busting into Aughra's home and by skekUng when he has a breakdown).

* Just about any given cover for ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' or ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' will have this in full effect. The Bernie Wrightson edition of ''Frankenstein'' goes one step further; all depictions of Victor Frankenstein's work area throughout the book are so chock full of glassware that they not only seem to play no role in his work, but realistically, would actually impede him. It has also been mentioned (see intro above), that none of the recognizable lab glassware was even around yet at the time Mary Shelly wrote the book, let alone during the time period that the story is allegedly set (Captain Robert Walton's letters are dated in the 17XXs).

* Just about any given cover for ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' or ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' will have this in full effect. The Bernie Wrightson edition of ''Frankenstein'' goes one step further; all depictions of Victor Frankenstein's work area throughout the book are so chock full of glassware that they not only seem to play no role in his work, but realistically, would actually impede him. It has also been mentioned (see intro above), that none of the recognizable lab glassware was even around yet at the time Mary Shelly wrote the book, let alone whenever the story was meant to have taken place (not necessarily as recent as 1818 when the book was published).

* Just about any given cover for ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}'' or ''Literature/TheStrangeCaseOfDrJekyllAndMrHyde'' will have this in full effect. The Bernie Wrightson edition of ''Frankenstein'' goes one step further; all depictions of Victor Frankenstein's work area throughout the book are so chock full of glassware that they not only seem to play no role in his work, but realistically, would actually impede him.

* ''Plan 7 of 9 from Outer Space''. MadScientist Dr Zarkendorf has the obligatory MadScientistLaboratory "equipped with the sophisticated tools of modern science: Jacob's Ladders, Van De Graaf generators, bulky pilot-lit cabinets, poorly-adjusted Bunsen burners, retorts bubbling with sinister chemicals, murky jars holding mutant monstrosities, strung wires with bad insulation."

** Griffin in ''Film/TheInvisibleMan'', much like his counterpart in the [[Literature/TheInvisibleMan novel]], has a bunch of lab glassware on a table in his room at the inn, including a retort that seems to serve no purpose. The only piece of equipment he's ever seen doing anything with is a beaker he mixes something in - and then throws. He has a lot more in his old regular lab, seen when Cranley and Kemp visit it in one scene.

* Aurora never did a model kit based off of ''TheInvisibleMan'' (either the [[Literature/TheInvisibleMan novel]] or the Creator/ClaudeRains [[Film/TheInvisibleMan film]]), so Moebius Models did an Aurora-themed kit called "Creator/HGWells' ''The Invisible Man''." As its name implies, it's based more on the original novel than the Universal film, and they apparently drew on the chapter titled "The Thousand and One Bottles" for inspiration, because dear old Mr. Invisible (posed in the middle of removing the wrappings which render him visible) have so much stuff that he puts Aurora's efforts to shame. Not only is there a table with a retort, a graduated cylinder, a mortar and pestle and a flask with "smoke" coming out of it (similar to the bottle in Aurora's Bride of Frankenstein), but also an adjacent bookshelf crammed with loads of beakers, bottles and books, plus a human skull and a terrarium with partially-invisible lab rats. Not quite the "thousand and one" vessels from Wells' book, but it's a lot.

* Creator/{{Universal}} was quite big on this sort of thing in their science fiction and horror films, particular the films under the Film/UniversalHorror umbrella.
** In ''[[Film/Frankenstein1931 Frankenstein]]'', although there isn't an excess of chemistry glassware on hand (promotional stills are another matter), there's still a bit of gratuity with some flasks. Just before bringing the Monster to life, there's a brief bit where Henry Frankenstein goes and pours something into a flask, swishes the contents around, nods in satisfaction, and sets it down. He never does anything with it or returns to it again.

Dedicated lab glassware was invented mostly in the mid to late 19th century. Prior to that, distilling vessels such as alembics do date back centuries, but they were made completely of metal and scientists actually used very little glassware, glass-working still being a rare craft reserved for artisans. The ubiquitous Erlenmeyer flask wasn't invented until 1860. The retort flask, another ubiquitous and recognizable vessel, was actually considered outdated by the time the Liebig condenser was invented in the late 1800s. [[CriticalResearchFailure Despite these facts]], chemistry glassware frequently shows up in settings that predate their invention or futuristic settings where they should probably be considered impractical and primitive. Retort, Round bottom, Florence, Volumetric, Pasteur, and Erlenmeyer flasks may show up in a medieval wizard or alchemist's workshop or an alien scientists lab on a distant planet.

What's the best way to visually demonstrate that a character is a man (or woman!) of science, [[MadScientist mad]] or otherwise? Why, with tons and tons of flasks and beakers, of course! These are usually crammed everywhere conceivable in the scientist's laboratory, connected with spiraling glass tubing and usually filled with bubbling [[TechnicolorScience colored liquids]], even if an experiment isn't actually in progress, and typically it's just there to be set dressing. Often, it's there to be dramatically [[TrashTheSet smashed]] during a fight scene, an [[GoneHorriblyWrong experiment gone wrong]], or during the MadScientist's [[FreakLabAccident transformation]]. Bonus points if the scientist has no need of such chemistry equipment (such as being a physicist or anthropologist for example), and never actually ''does'' anything with it. Also, oftentimes you see Erlenmeyer flask put over a burner in this sort of a setup, which is '''not''' done (that's what round-bottomed flasks are for, since this shape heats up more evenly, so it's less likely to crack from uneven distrubution of heat).

->"What manner of [[MadScientist mad scientist]] neglects his flasks of colored liquid? Next you'll question the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_de_Graaff_generator Van de Graaff generator]] in the middle of the room - and where will '''that''' leave us?"

* One of the earliest examples of this trope is the Queen's laboratory in ''Disney/SnowWhite''. Some red liquid ''cackles'' (!) when heated over a bunsen burner.

* ''Disney/TheGreatMouseDetective'': Basil has a chemistry setup in his home, which he actually uses to determine that Fidget's burglary list has come in contact with salt water, leading Basil to deduce that Fidget frequents a sleazy pub "where the sewer meets the riverfront." In fact, when Ratigan snares Basil in his ambush, he chides Basil, "Trouble with the chemistry set, old boy?"

* Yzma's [[AirQuotes "secret lab"]] in ''Disney/TheEmperorsNewGroove'' not only features a lot of spiraling glass tubing running throughout the room, but also shelves and shelves of ''literally'' a thousand and one bottles of her "[[InsistentTerminology poisons]]" (read: various magical potions). They're all pink in color and are very poorly labelled. {{Lampshaded}} by [[DumbassHasAPoint Kronk]].

->'''Morbulus:''' So, this is the secret lab of the legendary Dr. Viper.\\
'''Dr. Viper:''' Quite an eyeful, isssn't it, Morbulusss?\\
'''Morbulus:''' Very impressive. Looks like you've got everything a mad scientist needs right here.
-->-- ''WesternAnimation/SwatKats''

** The ChooseYourOwnAdventure series ''Literature/GiveYourselfGoosebumps'' featured two covers of gratuitous flaskery (is that a word?), and neither really featured any descriptions of such things in the text.