History Main / LittleStowaway

* Spridle and Chim Chim of ''Anime/SpeedRacer'' are often hiding in the Mach 5's trunk, half the time causing trouble, half the time helping solve it.
* In ''Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya'', Kyon's little sister hides in his travel bag to go with him on a vacation. Of course, she is instantly discovered, but in the anime version (pictured), they ultimately allow her to go with them.
%%* Thorfinn in ''Manga/VinlandSaga''.

%%* Gruelle in ''Literature/BodaciousSpacePirates''.
* ''Manga/VinlandSaga'': In chapter 8, Thors is departing from Iceland with the purpose to join the Jomsvikings in an attack on England. As families and locals see the voyagers off, Thorfinn (who was shown to be very upset about his father leaving in the previous chapter) is nowhere to be found, and Ylva suggests that he is sulking because he was previously scolded by Thors. After the ship has rowed out to the open sea and Thors declares that they have "reached the current" and the ship will now travel on its own, Thorfinn's voice asks whether that means "we can't go back, father?" Moments later, Thorfinn emerges from a barrel and hurries to the railing to pee.
* ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventureStardustCrusaders'': Anne, a.k.a. "Stowaway Girl" (she was [[NamedByTheAdaptation nameless in the original manga]]), who imposes herself on the heroes after being caught stowing away on the ship they take early on. Eventually, however, they do figure out where her parents are and shove her onto the next flight to her home.

* ''ComicBook/{{Superboy}}'': Jon Kent sneaks onto an Air Force transport plane to save his maternal grandfather, Sam Lane, from execution at the hands of [[{{Qurac}} Logamban]] military forces. He's also hiding from his mom, who has stowed away on the same plane and would not approve of him following her into a war zone.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch''/''[[Anime/CardCaptorSakura Cardcaptors]]'' fanfic ''[[FanFic/StarlightSeries A Trip To Japan]]'', Experiments 419 and 426 hide in briefcases so they can tag along on the family vacation. Meanwhile, Kero (as per usual) hides away in Sakura's backpack.
* In ''Fanfic/TheDesertStorm'' series, Anakin helps his best friend Jax stowaway on Jedi Knight Dahvo's ship when Dahvo is asked by Shmi to bring her son to her on Shili. Thanks to a Force technique that Shmi had taught to Anakin and Jax, Jax is able to hide his presence for a full day.
* In ''Series/TheBrittasEmpire'' fic "[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/2356694/1/Riding-On-The-Wild-Side Riding on the Wild Side]]", Carole hides her twins in holdalls under her and Julie's seats and Ben in the luggage compartment away from Brittas whilst on a trip to Alton Towers, as Brittas doesn't believe theme parks to be good for children and Carole had an issue paying the babysitter she had found (that, and Ben's [[ManBitesMan habit of biting people]] also caused issues). Brittas immediately figures out what Carole is doing and threatens to kick them off the bus, but Laura and Helen manages to defuse the situation by buying a ticket for Ben (with the twins, being under 4, getting to go free) and sorting out car and safety seats for the children.

* Russell in ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', though accidentally, by being on the porch of Carl's house when it takes to the air.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles1'': The kids stow away on the jet when Helen goes to rescue Bob. By the time she finds out they are there, it's too late -- their plane is shot down. Fortunately, they survive.

* In ''ComicBook/{{Asterix}}: WesternAnimation/TheSecretOfTheMagicPotion'', Pectine stows away in... Getafix's cauldron, being small enough to fit in, as the druid travels to the Carnutes Forest with Asterix and Obelix. Well, Obelix did know she was here, but she made him promise not to tell.

* In ''Film/StowawayToTheMoon'', a pre-teen boy stows away on an Apollo mission.
* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'': Kelly Curtis, Ian Malcolm's daughter, manages to sneak aboard the trip to Isla Sorna without her father and the other adults knowing.

* The film version of ''Film/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' has a little girl stow away on the ship to be with her father.
* The Creator/ShirleyTemple film titled ''Film/Stowaway1936.'' It's by accident--HeartwarmingOrphan Shirley dives into the trunk of a rich guy's car to escape the rain, then falls asleep, and manages to sleep through the car being hauled onto the boat that the rich guy is sailing away on.
* The Creator/ShirleyTemple film titled ''Film/BrightEyes'', in which Shirley's godfather is an airline pilot, which of course leads to Shirley stowing away on his plane.
* In ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'', the hero refuses to take his daughter with him to the mysterious location, so she hides under a blanket in his car. By the time he notices her, it's too late to send her back and both continue the journey together.
* An adult version in ''Film/ToHaveAndHaveNot''. Eddie is told to stay behind but sneaks onto the boat and thus becomes part of the nightly MacGuffinEscortMission.

* Laura in ''Film/{{Logan}}'' escapes the Reavers and sneaks offscreen into the trunk of Logan's car which brings her to his hideout.

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'': The Baron is forced to bring Sally Salt along because she sneaked on his hot air ballon, from which she was almost dropped to her death due to hiding inside a ballast sack he emptied.
* ''Film/TheNiceGuys'': Holland March's AdorablyPrecociousChild Holly hides in the trunk of his car when he goes to an adult costumed party to investigate. Upon finding her, he immediately shuts the trunk close with the intention of leaving her there, but the valet objects.

* ''Film/AvengersInfinityWar''. Tony Stark refers to 16 year-old Peter Parker as this (being the youngest and least experienced member of our heroes) on finding he's also hidden on the spacecraft taking them to Thanos, after Tony supposedly sent him back to Earth because he thought it was a SuicideMission.
* ''Film/CaptainMarvel2019'', as Nick Fury and Carol Danvers escape Project Pegasus on a quadjet, they hear a 'meowing' coming from behind them, meaning that Goose the cat had somehow gotten onboard before take off. Fury {{Lampshades}} it.
--> '''Fury:''' We got a stowaway.

* Arkady Darell in ''Literature/SecondFoundation''. At the end, we learn [[spoiler:that she probably wasn't acting entirely of her own volition]].
* Deconstructed in ''Literature/TheColdEquations''. Marilyn is an eighteen year old girl who wants to join her brother in creating new space colonies. When the ship she's stationed on makes a stop by the planet he's on, she hides on the ship that's sent to land. [[spoiler:The pilot is forced to send her out the airlock, because they don't have enough fuel to make it to their destination with an extra person on board.]]
* The boy in ''Literature/MyFathersDragon'' hides in a burlap sack and is loaded onto a cargo ship to get to the island of the animals.

* In Francisco Coloane's novel ''"El último grumete de la Baquedano"'' ("The last cabin boy of the Baquedano"), the protagonist Alejandro is a 15-year-old who stows away in the Baquedano ship to fulfill his two life dreams: to be a sailor like his DisappearedDad, and to search for his long-lost older brother Manuel. He's found out soon and, after some deliberation, soon is taken by the crew in as cabin boy. [[spoiler: After several adventures Alejandro locates his brother, who's living in the Extreme South after GoingNative, and returns home more or less happily.]]
* The hero of ''Literature/CastawaysOfTheFlyingDutchman'' ends up on the Dutchman when fleeing his abusive stepbrothers, where he is set to work with the cook.

* In ''Literature/SkinOfTheSea'', the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yumboes yumbo]] boy Issa acts as a guide for Simi and Kola while they're on land. Later, when they're traveling to Esu's island, Issa hides in the hold so he can help them rescue Taiwo and Kehinde.
* ''Literature/GoblinsInTheCastle'': Violet, the title character of "The Stinky Princess", chooses to stow away in the goblin Bindlepod's saddlebag and run away to Nilbog with him. He is not amused when he finds her and insists on returning her to her parents, but the stench of goblin from said saddlebag has become entrenched in her body, and proves too horrible for the king to accept having her around their kingdom anymore.
* ''Literature/TheMonsterGarden'': [[spoiler:When Frankie and Monnie run away, they hide under a tarp on a flatbed truck to travel to Mendicote Woods.]]

* A 17 year old Lara Croft does this in ''VideoGame/TombRaiderChronicles''.

* [[{{Tsundere}} Maribel]] attempts to stow away on her father's fishing boat at the start of ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVII''. TheHero has to blow her cover and get her kicked off the boat, setting the scene for her to join the ''real'' adventure later.
* In ''VideoGame/InfiniteSpace'', Katida Lanco sneaks onboard the player's ship after being rescued. Unfortunately, she suffers from a medical condition that makes long-term space travel almost impossible.
* [[CatGirl Meracle]] of ''VideoGame/StarOceanTheLastHope'' is one in her BackStory. She is from a primitive world, and snuck on board a visiting space ship because it smelled good. That is the start to the chain of events that leads her to join the party.
* Kira Carsen's backstory in ''VideoGame/StarWarsTheOldRepublic'' has her escaping Korriban by stowing away on a slave transport when she was 10.
* In ''VideoGame/Grandia1'', Justin's friend, Sue, stows away on the ship he's on, and gets caught. Normally, the law of the sea requires that stowaways be tossed overboard in a barrel. However, since she's just a kid, they ultimately decide to be lenient and make her and Justin become apprentices sailors (since sailors can't be stowaways.)

* In ''Webcomic/ImpureBlood'', [[http://www.impurebloodwebcomic.com/Pages/Issue4PAGES/ib092.html how Mac gets on the airship.]]

* The ''VideoGame/{{Arknights}}'' spinoff ''Rhodes Island's Records of Originium - Rhine Lab'' begins with a little girl named Dalia being brought on board the [[BaseOnWheels Rhodes Island landship]] in a supply crate. Somewhat rarely for this trope, she didn't sneak aboard herself -- she was put there by a well-meaning couple as she was [[LittlestCancerPatient afflicted with Oripathy]], which Rhodes Island specialises in treating.

* As does Penny in ''WesternAnimation/InspectorGadget'', though she always hides herself from her Uncle (and often gets caught by the villains instead).

* Adult version (well... ManChild version) on ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}''; Pam and Cheryl stow away on a ''space flight'', largely as an excuse to put the comic relief characters in the episode even though it's implausible enough that the main cast are there...
** Pam and Cheryl stowing away onto missions is a series-long RunningGag to the point that eventually they're brought onto missions simply because they'd sneak aboard anyway.
* In the four-part ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' episode "Smurfquest", Sassette stows away while Papa, Grandpa, Handy, Hefty and Greedy Smurf go on a quest to recover elements in order to renew their long-life stone. They're none too pleased, but she comes in handy after all.

* Occurs a few times in ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth''. In most cases, it's Kshin (the youngest of the Defenders) and his alien companion, Zuffy, who stow away. However, in "The Would-be Defender", Earl Sump, a young wannabe superhero spending the day with the Defenders, smuggles himself onto Flash's ship and ends up endangering both himself and Flash.
* ''Literature/VickyTheViking'' (1974): In episode 1, Halvar, chief of the Vikings of Flake, promises his son Vicky to take him along on their next raiding cruise if Vicky can beat him in a footrace/stone carrying competition. When Vicky succeeds very much against Halvar's expectation, Halvar is in a quandary because he knows that the other Vikings are against taking Vicky on board. As a solution, in episode 2 Vicky suggests for Halvar to smuggle him aboard in a barrel, so he can later pretend he did not know that Vicky was on the ship. This works, and when Vicky is finally discovered, Halvar feigns surprise and indignation, but persuades the crew to take him along rather than to lose time by turning back. Meanwhile, Vicky's friend Ylvie, who has got wind of Vicky's plan, tries to join him by hiding in another barrel, but is found out before the ship departs.
* ''WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991'':
** In the episode "[[Recap/RugratsS2E10ReptarOnIceFamilyFeud Reptar on Ice]]", the babies try to reunite Reptar with his baby (a lizard they find in the backyard), in order to hide it from the grown-ups through, Tommy and Chuckie take turns [[SquirrelsInMyPants hiding it in their diapers]].
** In the episode "[[Recap/RugratsS6E1ChuckiesDucklingADogsLife Chuckie's Duckling]]", Chuckie tries to leave a baby duckling [[{{Imprinting}} that imprinted on him]] at Tommy's place while he and the babies go play at the park. When the duckling attempts to follow after him, Dil [[SquirrelsInMyPants hides it in his diaper]], where it stays until they arrive at the park and reunite there.
* The ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode "All Ducks on Deck" had the nephews stow in Donald's duffel bag to see him do something heroic in the Navy.

* In the four-part ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' episode "Smurfquest", Sassette stows away while Papa, Grandpa, Handy, Hefty and Greedy Smurf go on a quest to recover elements in order to renew their long-life stone. They're none too pleased, but she comes in handy after all.

* Annabelle in the ''Film/{{Transformers}}'' fic ''[[FanFic/BlackCrayons A Child's Innocence]]''.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'':

* ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark'': Kelly Curtis, Ian Malcolm's daughter, manages to sneak aboard the trip to Isla Sorna without her father and the other adults know.

%%* Malcolm's daughter in ''Film/TheLostWorldJurassicPark''.

%%* Spridle and Chim Chim of ''Anime/SpeedRacer''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': The kids stow away on the jet when Helen goes to rescue Bob. By the time she finds out they are there, it's too late -- their plane is shot down. Fortunately, they survive.

* The Shackleton Arctic expedition (1914-17) saw a young, unqualified friend of one of the crew stow away. He ultimately proved his worth, hanging on a lot better than several of the trained sailors; he survived along with the rest, although he lost all of his toes to frostbite.

** The trope gets played straighter in ''Mushroom Samba'', where Ed and Ein stow away in the trunk of another bounty hunter's car. This causes the cops to think she's kidnapped Ed, who sleepily slips away during the commotion.
%%* Gruelle in ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates''.

* [[ComicBook/{{Superboy}} Jon Kent]] sneaks onto an Air Force transport plane to save his maternal grandfather, Sam Lane, from execution at the hands of [[{{Qurac}} Logamban]] military forces. He's also hiding from his mom, who has stowed away on the same plane and would not approve of him following her into a war zone.

* ''Series/DarkMatter'': This is how Das (later known as Five) got onboard the ''Raza'' before the pre-series mindwipe that erased everyone's memories while they were in stasis (leading them to [[YouAreNumberSix adopt numbers as names]]). She pickpocketed a crook on the space station where she lived with a bunch of other homeless orphans, stealing what will later turn out to be the [[MacGuffin Blink Drive key]], and he came looking for it, fatally injuring her friend TJ and wiping out the rest of their group. Having overheard Marcus (Three) and Jace (One) talking about their docked ship earlier, Das smuggles herself and TJ aboard via some crates and leaves him in the ''Raza'''s cargo bay while she goes in search of medicine for him. Unfortunately, she picked a ship crewed by [[PsychoForHire the worst]] criminals [[TheDreaded in the galaxy]], and she's caught by Marcus and nearly ThrownOutTheAirlock until Griff (Six) interrupts him (Marcus then claims he was just trying to scare her, but it's left [[AmbiguousSituation ambiguous]] whether he's telling the truth). Griff argues to the rest of the crew that they should keep Das around because she's a [[TeenGenius prodigy with computers and tech]]; Marcus votes to sell her off and Portia (Two) doesn't much care what happens to her as long as she's off the ship, not wanting a child crewmember, but Jace and Ryo (Four) side with Griff, making a majority. While this deliberation is going on, [[DeathOfAChild TJ bleeds to death in the hold]].

* A teenage example in ''Series/GrangeHill'': On a ferry trip to France, two boys try to take a boy on the trip who does not have a passport, by smuggling him through the coach emergency exit.

* In Francisco Coloane's novel ''"El último grumete de la Baquedano"'' ("The last cabin boy of the Baquedano"), the protagonist Alejandro is a 15-year-old who stoves away in the Baquedano ship to fulfill his two life dreams: to be a sailor like his DisappearedDad, and to search for his long-lost older brother Manuel. He's found out soon and, after some deliberation, soon is taken by the crew in as cabin boy. [[spoiler: After several adventures Alejandro locates his brother, who's living in the Extreme South after GoingNative, and returns home more or less happily.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'': The kids stow away on the jet when Helen goes to rescue Bob. By the time she finds out they are there, it's too late -- their plane is shot down.

* Chip in ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'' stows away when Belle leaves the castle to care for her ailing father. Maurice outright calls him a stowaway and Chip comes to the rescue when Maurice and Belle are locked into the house by Gaston. This enables Belle to try and warn the Beast of the hunting party, the sight of her gives the Beast his HeroicSecondWind.

* The ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'' episode "All Ducks on Deck" had the nephews stow in Donald's duffel bag to see Donald do something heroic in the Navy.

* The "WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987" episode "All Ducks on Deck" had the nephews stow in Donald's duffel bag to see Donald do something heroic in the Navy.