History Main / IncrediblyObviousBomb

->'''Security Guard 1''': I found this in the waste basket.\\
'''Security Guard 2''': Hey, that's pretty nice clock. I wonder why they threw it out.\\
'''Security Guard 3''': It's probably because it's four minutes too slow. Let me fix it. ''[winds clock]'' There.\\

-->'''Cornelius''': It's a -- it's a -- it's a -- it's a -- it's a -- it's a...\\
'''Ruby Rhod''': No no no no no no. [[TemptingFate 'Cuz if it was a bomb, the alarms would go off 'cuz all these hotels have bomb detectors, right?]]\\
[the alarms go off]

-->'''Clouseau:''' Special delivery... a bomb. Were you expecting one? ''({{Beat}})'' '''[[OhCrap A bomb?!]]''' AUUUUUGGHHH!!!!

-->'''Tracy''': They ''looked'' like bombs! I mean, i didn't ''see'' them, but... i'm ''sure'' they looked ''just'' like them.

* In what is probably a ShoutOut to ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'', the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' and ''Franchise/XMen'' story ''Fanfic/MutantStorm'' parodies this trope by exchanging a kidnapped Jean with an [[ExpospeakGag exothermic reaction device]] at a Death Eater hideout. Charles [[InvokedTrope did tell Logan]] [[ExactWords to give the Death Eaters a bomb that would warn them of what was going to happen...]]

* Throwable explosives in ''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' are dynamite bundles, with a green radar screen or a red blinking light in the cases of proximity and remote ones. In the sequel, they're remodeled as green blocks of C4 with bright red (remote), green (proximity) and yellow (timer) lights on the upper face.

* The infamous [[ThatOneLevel dam level]] of ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' for the NES had you swimming around deactivating devices that are obviously bombs. Justified in that, well, they're underwater; who's going to be swimming around in there with whirling traps, electric zappers (that thankfully [[FridgeLogic only zap you if you're between the electrodes, rather than electrifying the waters]]), seaweed that stings, and seaweed that captures you outright, just to get close enough to see what they are?? Who, indeed...

* ''Film/RevengeOfThePinkPanther'' (1978): Inspector Clouseau has a mob assassin put what is '''very''' obviously a bomb ''right into his hands''. His reaction?

* ''VisualNovel/TheGreatAceAttorney'': Played with in case 2-3. A culprit leaves an obvious time bomb in the middle of his room and hides in a custom bomb proof safe. He expects that his pursuers will enter the room, notice the obvious bomb,and then flee allowing him enough time to slip away undetected. Unfortunately for him, Herlock Sholmes immediately deduces that the bomb is in fact an [[InsaneTrollLogic anti-gravity device]] and spends a considerable amount of time explaining his reasoning. Its only after the player spends an equal amount of time making they're own deductions that we are able to acknowledge that the obvious time bomb is indeed an obvious time bomb, one that is by now moments away from exploding in fact.

This trope has a degree of TruthInTelevision; military explosives are always clearly labeled. They spend a lot more time sitting in a warehouse somewhere than they do being used to blow things up, after all, and you wouldn't want some idiot to blow up the warehouse because they mistook a crate of bombs for a crate of [=MREs=]. And most explosive weapons are designed to explode immediately upon reaching the target, so it's okay if the target realizes it's a bomb; they won't have much of a chance to do anything about it. Even a bomb intended for use as a trap -- a mine, for instance -- will probably be concealed under dirt, behind a wall or beneath a tarp or something similar, so the fact they're labeled really doesn't hurt their effectiveness either. Still, the real thing is not nearly as blatant as the page image; [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:US_M18a1_claymore_mine.jpg it probably looks more like this]].

* Played with some in an episode of ''Manga/OutlawStar''. A terrorist manages to disable the Outlaw Star and leaves it grappled to an advertising satellite that's rigged to explode. Gene attempts to open an access panel which prompts a minor explosion and a scolding from the terrorist. Gene keeps poking around and finds the real bomb behind another panel. It boils down to a typical "which wire do I cut?" scenario. But [[spoiler: it was all a double bluff by the terrorist, and the 'real' bomb is a fake rigged to explode either way, the REAL real bomb was behind the first panel that exploded and was easily disabled]].

* In the first chapter of ''[[Fanfic/BatmanRevisited One Big Joke]]'', [[spoiler: Deadshot]] leaves a concealed but very ''loud'' bomb for Batman and the Question when they investigate a breakout at Blackgate Penitentiary; Bats is able to disarm it using a hacking gadget.

** Averted in a later episode when a bomber goes on a rampage through the station. We never see what the bombs look like (except the final one [[spoiler: attached to the station's fusion reactor]]), but the first one is found by a bunch of lurkers who find it interesting enough to get right next to it just before it goes off. Otherwise, we just see explosions occur, taking everyone in the vicinity completely by surprise.

* In the ''Series/{{Sherlock}}'' episode "The Empty Hearse", Sherlock and John find an incredibly obvious bomb which comes complete with flashing digital timer even though it was intended to be remotely detonated. [[spoiler: The timer turns out to be a ''safety feature''; the location the bomb is in is itself supposed to be secret, and the bomb can be easily disarmed with a simple off switch.]]

* {{Invoked|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/SplinterCellPandoraTomorrow''. [[spoiler:Sam disguises himself as a maintenance crewman and just leaves the final smallpox canister in the middle of the airport, timer ticking down and all. Security catches wind of it almost immediately, evacuate the airport and call in bomb disposal, who detonate the device harmlessly.]]

** The Demoman's grenade launcher also shoots obvious grenades, that flash his team color for a few seconds before exploding. The sticky bombs don't flash, but they're still somewhat obvious.
** The Spy's sapper also counts - a large, grey rectangle placed on an Engineers building. To blow them up. Almost impossible not to notice a building that has been "sapped." They also have labels on them reading 'Electro Sapper' or 'Anti Turret Device' (in Chinese for the Red Tape Recorder).

''[[EarthShatteringKaboom BOOM!]]''

* Subverted in ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'', where a portion of the game has you running around, deactivating bombs. The bombs in question are large, bulky yellow boxes with a blinking red light and the implied scent of cologne. However, after you deactivate all the bombs you find out that they were just decoys to distract you from all the real, much better-hidden explosives. The C4 the players use aren't labeled either, and the claymores are actually well-disguised.
** Played straight with the semtex bombs in a few areas (mainly the one walkway and that one room) -- with the explosives labeled as such. This series is a little schizophrenic with this trope.
*** Somewhat justified in that the explosives weren't meant to blow up the bridge, but rather act as a personnel deterrent (in other words, "You don't go through here unless you want to be blown up").

* {{Invoked|Trope}} in ''VideoGame/SplinterCell: Pandora Tomorrow''. [[spoiler:Sam disguises himself as a maintenance crewman and just leaves the final smallpox canister in the middle of the airport, timer ticking down and all. Security catches wind of it almost immediately, evacuate the airport and call in bomb disposal, who detonate the device harmlessly.]]

* In ''VideoGame/SuperTuxKart'', if you hit a BananaPeel, you kart might pick up a bundle of red sticks with a ticking clock. Not a good thing. Bump another kart to [[HotPotato pass the bomb]]. Before it blows up!

** In ''Film/{{Octopussy}}'', Bond is trying to convince the general of the US airbase that there's a nuclear bomb hidden in the circus cannon (the fact that he's dressed as a clown doesn't help). He's in the process of being dragged away by security when Octopussy grabs a gun off guard and proceeds to ShootOutTheLock on the cannon's base. The doors fly open and everyone gasps in horror at the sight of a digital timer counting down.

* In what is probably a ShoutOut to ''Literature/StarshipTroopers'', the ''Franchise/HarryPotter'' and ''Franchise/XMen'' story ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7404056/11/Mutant_Storm Mutant Storm]]'' parodies this trope by exchanging a kidnapped Jean with an [[ExpospeakGag exothermic reaction device]] at a Death Eater hideout. Charles [[InvokedTrope did tell Logan]] [[ExactWords to give the Death Eaters a bomb that would warn them of what was going to happen...]]

* Zig zagged by the devices used in the 1927 Bath School disaster, in which a disgruntled civil servant set explosives that killed 38 students and six adults. The two bombs (one of which failed to explode) were large arrangements of dynamite and other explosives connected to, you guessed it, a mechanical timer. However, the bombs were brought in piece by piece and carefully hidden away, and even then the bulk of the devices were in containers of various sorts. But when the remains of the school were searched after the disaster, and the investigators found the undetonated device, it was immediately clear what the were were looking at. This might actually be the {{Trope Maker|s}}, as photos of the dud were widely circulated at the time.

* Used for a BatmanGambit in ''Film/{{Red}}''. The CloudCuckoolander of the BadassCrew drives his target in the direction he wants by charging towards him and his bodyguards, screaming madly while wearing a vest stacked with dynamite, wires and a ridiculously large Mickey Mouse clock. They flee this maniac so fast [[NotMyDriver they don't question the car that pulls up just in time to drive them to safety]]. Played straight in the sequel [[spoiler:with the Red Mercury bomb]].

* One of Jerry Series/{{Seinfeld}}'s jokes about [[FunnyAneurysmMoment airline security]] has a security officer inspecting a "hairdryer with a scope" and a "bowling ball candle".

* In ''Film/{{Predator}}'' the eponymous alien has one mounted on his wrist, complete with a gradually increasing in frequency beeping sound and an alien digital timer, [[TakingYouWithMe which is obviously a self-destruct device]].

* ''Film/HarbingerDown'': [[spoiler:TheMole handily produces an electronic timer during her JustBetweenYouAndMe exposition, counting down the minutes and seconds till the limpet mines she's placed on the vessel go off]].

* ''Film/RevengeOfThePinkPanther'' (1978): Inspector Clouseau has a mook put what is '''''very''''' obviously a bomb ''right into his hands''. His reaction?
-->'''Clouseau:''' "Special delivery... a bomb... were you expecting one?" (''{{Beat}}'') "'''''[[OhCrap A bomb]]'''''?! AUUUUUGGHHH!!!!"
:: Heck, these bombs started being a problem for Inspector Clouseau two films prior (''[[Film/TheReturnOfThePinkPanther Return of...]]'').

* Similar to ''Film/TheSpecialist' example, in ''Film/Transporter2'' Frank sees the bomb's red flashing light reflected in a puddle beneath his car. Exactly the same thing happens in ''Film/MissionImpossibleII''.

* Whilst most real-life bombers avoid this trope for obvious reasons, some deliberately invoke it to get headlines or make a political point. The various IRA franchises in particular were keen on this during the latter half of the ’90s (particularly after the Omagh bombing ) when actually setting off bombs would have resulted in a ZeroPercentApprovalRating. Some domestic terrorist groups would set deliberately obvious bombs and then tip-off the police or army as to where, just to remind them that they could still launch a major bombing campaign [[IfIWantedYouDead if they wanted to.]]

** Also, the Chrono Bombs in ''[[VideoGame/CommandAndConquerRedAlert3 Red Alert 3]]''.

** A more powerful one with black dynamite appears in Crazy Theater as part of a challenge called 'Avoid the Blast'. Anyone caught in the blast [[DeathIsCheap will get killed]], [[XanatosBackfire including the one carrying it]].

''[EarthShatteringKaboom]''

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