History Main / ItBelongsInAMuseum

->'''Fedora:''' You got heart, kid, but that belongs to me.
->'''Young Indy:''' It belongs to [[UsefulNotes/FranciscoVazquezDeCoronado Coronado]].
->'''Fedora:''' Coronado's dead, and so are all his grandchildren!
->'''Young Indy:''' This should be in a museum!

-->'''Panama Hat:''' Dr. Jones, this is the second time I've had to reclaim my property from you.
-->'''Indiana Jones:''' That ''belongs'' in a ''museum''!
-->'''Panama Hat:''' [[GoodIsOldFashioned So do you!]]

* Came up in ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'' of all places. Rob inherited an old-fashioned roll-top desk from his IdenticalGrandfather, and searched it for a treasure which the grandfather had implied was hidden in it. The treasure turned out to be a picture of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln (with Grampa in the foreground as an infant) taken by CivilWar photographer Matthew Brady. Rob takes a moment to "separate my greed from my conscience", then decides:
--->'''Rob Petrie:'''This is a piece of Americana, honey; it belongs in a museum. ''[brightens up]'' With a plaque! "On loan from the collection of Rob and Laura Petrie!"

-->'''Guybrush Threepwood:''' That diamond belongs in a museum!
-->'''King André:''' So do Postimpressionist paintings, Mister Threepwood. So do Postimpressionist paintings.
-->'''Guybrush Threepwood:''' What the heck is THAT supposed to mean?
-->'''King André:''' One day... you will understand.

-->'''[[WebAnimation/TeenGirlSquad Cheerleader]]:''' This is taking too long!
-->'''What's Her Face:''' I'm already bored!
-->'''So and So:''' I'm going home!
-->'''The Ugly One:''' I belong in a museum!

-->'''Sulu:''' It would have looked nice in some museum.
-->'''Spock:''' It never would have reached a museum, Lieutenant. There was too much power in that one setting. If not the Kzinti, the Klingons or some other species would have tried to possess it.

-->'''Pinkerton agent''': (''showing Zorro his mask'') This belongs in a museum. So do you.

--> You belong in a museum!

--> "Where'd you find your rides? A museum?"

* Came up in ''Series/TheDickVanDykeShow'' of all places. Rob inherited an old-fashioned roll-top desk from his IdenticalGrandfather, and searched it for a treasure which the grandfather had implied was hidden in it. The treasure turned out to be a picture of UsefulNotes/AbrahamLincoln taken by CivilWar photographer Matthew Brady. At first, they were going to sell it, then weren't sure, and ended up giving it on permanent loan to a museum.

* ''Series/TheYoungIndianaJonesChronicles'', episode "British East Africa, September 1909"
-->'''Teddy Roosevelt:''' Beasts such as these belong in a museum, for everyone to share.

** Also, in ''VideoGame/TheSecretOfMonkeyIsland'' you can claim that the Idol of Many Hands "belongs in a museum" when you are caught trying to steal it. Note that in neither case Guybrush actually means it, and it's just one of the optional lines of dialog to try to get the item for himself.

* The tagline of the Museum of Military history in UsefulNotes/{{Vienna}} reads, “Krieg gehört ins Museum!”[[note]]War belongs in a museum![[/note]]

* In the interwar period the general opinion about the state of [[TanksForNothing the Japanese armor]] varied between the SoLastSeason and ''this''. At the start of the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar, most of the Japanese armored corps consisted of the late-[[RoaringTwenties Twenties]] and early-[[TheThirties Thirties]] designs, and while they were more or less adequate against the Chinese, who didn't have even that, the VillainForgotToLevelGrind, and when Japan entered the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in earnest, ''they did close to zero progress'' — the IJA, which was responsible for tank development, was constantly sidelined and denied resources in favor of the IJN, which actually bore the brunt of the war. This was understandable, but by the end of the war, Japanese tanks were [[TheAllegedCar the everyone's laughingstock]] and hardly ever had any military impact. Even the humble M4 Sherman was ''completely superior'' against ''anything'' the Japanese could field. The Americans had to use fragmentation rounds against the Japanese tanks: [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill anti-tank rounds simply penetrated the Japanese armour, broke everything on their trajectory and came out from the other side]], leaving no other damage but the entry and exit holes (and anything in-between).

Note that there are some hard feelings related to this trope. Imperial powers dedicated a lot of time and energy to looting their new colonies of every relic, artifact, piece of art, or item of history they could and carting them back to the motherland. This extended to brutally hacking statuary out of walls or off of plinths, leaving hands and feet behind (which are visible in the stolen pieces as off-color replacements and, of course, in the remnants left at home). For decades now, the now liberated former colonies have been demanding the return of their stolen history, with the museums of western Europe steadfastly refusing to return them, citing the WhiteMansBurden of properly caring for them. Naturally, much of the world doesn't particularly care for an AdventureArcheologist braving the dangers of a third world country in order to "rescue" native art and transport to his homeland.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' episode "Control Freak!". After Team Rocket invades an underground temple and grabs a golden mask and staff, an archeologist named Tiara says that the mask and staff are priceless pieces of ancient history and belong in a museum.

* Inverted in ''ComicBook/StarWarsDarthVader'', in a sequence homaging Franchise/IndianaJones, where Doctor Chelli Lona Aphra, a rogue archaeologist who is essentially Jones' {{Expy}} EvilCounterpart, breaks into a vault where old superweapons are stored and dodges a variety of booby-traps before being caught just as she's about to get away. She insists that the MacGuffin is too useful to be left gathering dust in a museum -- "It belongs in an armory!"

----

->'''Young Indy:''' It belongs to Coronado.

* ''LightNovel/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'': In the very first episode, [[PragmaticHero Souma Kazuya]] lays out several plans in order to help the kingdom of Elfrieden to rise out of its' debt, one of these involves dipping into the royal treasury to sell off some of it to other nations in order to get some money. Princess Liscia was worried that he ended up selling off the entire treasury which contained historic and cultural pieces that are important to Elfrieden; only for Souma to reassure her that he had the treasury categorized into three groups: Group A: cultural heritage pieces, Group B: jewelry and decorations, and Group C: [[AmplifierArtifact Magical Tools]], with only Group B being sold off and invoking the trope for Group A.
-->'''Souma Kazuya:''' When it comes to A's fundraising potential, they have more long-term value put on display in a museum.

* ''LightNovel/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'': In the very first episode, [[PragmaticHero Souma Kazuya]] lays out several plans in order to help the kingdom of Elfrieden to rise out of its' debt, one of these involves dipping into the royal treasury to sell off some of it to other nations in order to get some money. Princess Liscia was worried that he ended up selling off the entire treasury which contained historic and cultural pieces that are important to Elfrieden; only for Souma to reassure her that he had the treasury categorized into three groups: Group A: cultural heritage pieces, Group B: jewelry and decorations, and Group C: [[AmplifierArtifact Magical Tools]], with only Group B being sold off and invoking the trope.
-->'''Souma Kazuya:''' When it comes to A's fundraising potential, they have more long-term value put on display in a museum. It wouldn't make much sense to sell them off.

* ''LightNovel/HowARealistHeroRebuiltTheKingdom'': In the very first episode, [[PragmaticHero Souma Kazuya]] lays out several plans in order to help the kingdom of Elfrieden to rise out of its' debt, one of these involves dipping into the royal treasury to sell off some of it to other nations in order to get some money. Princess Liscia was worried that he ended up selling off the entire treasury which contained historic and cultural pieces that are important to Elfrieden; only for Souma to reassure her that he had the treasury categorized into three groups: Group A: cultural heritage pieces, Group B: jewelry and decorations, and Group C: AmplifierArtifacts, with only Group B being sold off and invoking the trope.

* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'' has [[TheDragon the Dark Ace]] mocking the Rex Guardians, whose [[OldSchoolChivalry customs]] and [[CoolBike Skimmers]] are at least several decades out of date[Note]InUniverse, the Rex Guardians were actually the very first legion of Sky Knights that all other Sky Knights would later follow in the footsteps of; however the current generation of Rex Guardians [[WeHaveGrownComplacent have grown complacent]].[/Note], with this as he's swatting them out of the sky.

* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'' has [[TheDragon the Dark Ace]] mocking the Rex Guardians, whose [[OldSchoolChivalry customs]] and [[CoolBike Skimmers]] are at least several decades out of date[note]InUniverse, the Rex Guardians were actually the very first legion of Sky Knights that all other Sky Knights would later follow in the footsteps of; however the current generation of Rex Guardians [[WeHaveGrownComplacent have grown complacent]].[/note], with this as he's swatting them out of the sky.

* ''WesternAnimation/StormHawks'' has [[TheDragon the Dark Ace]] mocking the Rex Guardians, whose customs are at least several decades out of date, with this as he's swatting them out of the sky.

* The Archaeology skill tree of ''VideoGame/DungeonsOfDredmor'', being a running parody of ''Franchise/IndianaJones'' (complete with his iconic [[NiceHat fedora]] as a bonus item), has a skill named after this quote (it grants the player the ability to cash in artifacts in exchange for experience points).

* In the interwar period the general opinion about the state of [[TanksForNothing the Japanese armor]] varied between the SoLastSeason and ''this''. At the start of the UsefulNotes/SecondSinoJapaneseWar, most of the Japanese armored corps consisted of the late-[[RoaringTwenties Twenties]] and early-[[TheThirties Thirties]] designs, and while they were more or less adequate against the Chinese, who didn't have even that, the VillainForgotToLevelGrind, and when Japan entered the UsefulNotes/WorldWarII in earnest, ''[[WhatAnIdiot they did close to zero progress]]'' — the IJA, which was responsible for tank development, was constantly sidelined and denied resources in favor of the IJN, which actually bore the brunt of the war. This was understandable, but by the end of the war, Japanese tanks were [[TheAllegedCar the everyone's laughingstock]] and hardly ever had any military impact. Even the humble M4 Sherman was ''completely superior'' against ''anything'' the Japanese could field. The Americans had to use fragmentation rounds against the Japanese tanks: [[TheresNoKillLikeOverkill anti-tank rounds simply penetrated the Japanese armour, broke everything on their trajectory and came out from the other side]], leaving no other damage but the entry and exit holes (and anything in-between).

** In "[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS2E23EdwardsExploit Edward's Exploit]]", Gordon says that Edward should retire and "be preserved."
** In "[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS5E2HorridLorry Horrid Lorry]]", one of the titular lorries tells Toby he belongs in a museum instead of working at a quarry.

** In "[[Recap/ThomasTheTankEngineS23E5HeartOfGold Heart of Gold]]", when Toby comes to Ulfstead Castle to fill in for Stephen while the latter is being repaired at the Steamworks, Devious Diesel asks Toby if he's come to be put on display. Some passengers also say that Toby looks like he belongs in a museum when Toby is about to begin the tour of Ulfstead Castle, but they stick up for him at the end of the episode when they learn that Toby stopped a pair of thieves that tried to steal King Godred's crown.

* Towards the end of the ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'' special, "WesternAnimation/SodorsLegendOfTheLostTreasure", [[spoiler:Marion digs up the lost pirate treasure that Sailor John has been looking for. Upon hearing about this from Thomas, Sailor John reveals that he wanted to keep the treasure for himself, and lied to his railboat, Skiff, about donating it to a museum. Thomas tells him that the treasure has been stolen by pirates many years ago, and doesn't belong to them or him. He also tells him that, to ensure it doesn't get stolen again, it's going to the museum Sir Topham Hatt is planning to put it in. Sailor John does steal the treasure the following night, leading Thomas to chase him down to get it back.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/ThomasTheTankEngine'', The Fat Controller's engines are often told this by other characters due to their age.

-->-- ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'' (the TropeNamer)