History Main / MacGyvering

* In an early issue of the third ''ComicBook/BlueBeetle's'' original run, the Peacemaker is able to make a knock-out gas using ordinary itens from a convenience store.

** In one episode, Gil Grissom's crime lab kit is stolen while he's up in the middle of nowhere alone investigating a murder. Instead of filling out a form with the local police or requesting a new one from the lab in Vegas, he uses items he buys at a home maintenance supply shop as a makeshift kit.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' has pulled this off several times, usually on those rare instances where he is without his utility belt.

-->'''Brenda:''' You made nerve gas from common ''kitchen items''?
-->'''Peacemaker:''' Also used anti-freeze and road salt. Let’s not exaggerate.

%%* Basically the mutant ability of Forge in ''ComicBook/XMen''

** [=MythBusters=] testing has also showed that while [=MacGyver=]'s improvised explosives like the sodium gel capsule are all chemically plausible, they aren't sufficiently powerful to do any real damage. This was likely intentional on the part of [=MacGyver=]'s producers

** In the prequel series ''Series/BetterCallSaul'', Mike manages to evade a tail using just a stick of gum, which he feeds into a ticket machine in the parking lot so that it breaks and causes a traffic jam after he drives away. Mike also interviews in a parking ramp for a position of escording a man selling stolen pharmaceuticals to a drug dealer, competing with another man who is heavily armed, demonstrating his superiority by disarming the other candidate. In general Mike's mere presence and confidence that he can master a situation with the resources at hand are more important than any weapons or tools he brings to the scene.

* In the Cuban film ''Film/JuanOfTheDead'' the gang decides their only option to survive the ZombieApocalypse is to escape to Florida. Their flotation device is no mere raft; they attach empty oil drums to a convertible and build a ramp with to jump into a wall and to the sea..

* Shogetsu from ''Manga/{{Dazzle}}'' got a can of mackerel for lunch... but no can opener. So, with a few tools he got from the school's kitchen and science lab and the graphite from a pencil, he made a welding torch in the hopes that it would open the can. It did, but sadly, it also burned the mackerel. Oh, and Rahzel and Fay both had can openers.

[[folder:Anime]]

* ''LightNovel/HeavyObject'':

** Again in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' when Chief O'Brien manages to fashion a Tricorder into an improvised bomb to disable Garak, who was [[LetsYouAndHimFight temporarily driven to xenocide]] by exposure to a Cardassian PsychoSerum.

* Basically the mutant ability of Forge in ''ComicBook/XMen''

[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* In chapter 38 of Fanfic/TheGreatAlicornHunt, Applebloom manages to make a BeeBeeGun as part of a plan to deal with a rampaging chaos being, out of random machine parts said chaos being broke.
* Taylor in the fanfic [[https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/finding-the-path-worm-au.321619/ Finding The Path]] does a LOT of this, due to the fact that she holds the Path to Victory. Common household items -- such as a stress ball, a permanent marker, and a tissue box -- in her hands make her capable of taking out [[spoiler: the Wards, the Undersiders, Amy, and Glory girl]] ''all at once''.
* Brad and Matt from ''Fanfic/{{FREAKINGENSOKYO}}'' solve many of their problems this way.
* In ''FanFic/MyStupidReality'' [[Manga/DeathNote Light]] modifies a cheap laptop to work better with pieces ripped out of L's refrigerator.
** [[TruthInTelevision Somewhat grounded in reality]], believe it or not; the heat-exchanger from a fridge would be powerful enough to counteract a hell of a lot of overclocking.

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''s Medic literally created a device that can heal people from the brink of death to full physical health within the minute, out of a flowerpot, blender, fire hose, several gauges and malfunctioning medical equipment. The Soldier has a cobbled-together rocket launcher, Pyro a flamethrower, and Medic once more, a syringe gun that's just as cobbled together as the Quick Fix.

* In ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', [[TheSmartGuy Rhinox]] often has to improvise with whatever spare parts sre available to build new useful tech. {{Lampshade|Hanging}}d in "Chain of Command":

-->-- '''Website/TheAgonyBooth [[http://www.agonybooth.com/agonizer/MacGyver/Pilot.aspx?Page=4 recap]]''' of the first ever episode of ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}''

* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' has Fred building a contraption that is either something lethal based on catapults, or a machine to make toast. [[spoiler: It decapitates via flying blades.]]
** Fred did that sort of thing a few times through the course of the series. One other time, it was to defend herself against Wesley in the episode "Billy" when a demon so evil that ''Lilah'' [[EvenEvilHasStandards killed the demon]] poisoned Wesley with violent and misogynistic emotions.
* Second only to the trope namer in fame would be ''Series/TheATeam'' who would consistently be imprisoned by villains who would inexplicably lock the 'Team in a warehouse (or other location) full of enough PVC piping, broken-down all-terrain vehicles, used engine parts, and potentially-explosive material to ensure that they could (after an ATeamMontage) build a makeshift tank, equip themselves with heavy artillery (usually consisting of the aforementioned PVC piping and explosive chemicals), stockpile massive amounts of ammunition, and still have enough material left over to escape from captivity via a very large, door-breaking (if not violently building-destroying) explosion.
* In the ''Series/BabylonFive'' episode "Grey 17 is Missing," Garibaldi makes use of a steam line and some bullets he had in his pocket to make an impromptu gun to kill a monster running loose on the level in the title.
* In ''Series/BreakingBad'', Walt and Jesse are left stranded in the wilderness when their RV's battery dies. They eventually are able to construct a new battery out of coins, bolts, brake pads, and their meth-making chemicals.

* Mike Westen of ''Series/BurnNotice'' does this constantly, either preparing at home or in the field. He has [[GreenLanternRing particular expertise with cell phones]]. His friends Fiona and Sam has also demonstrated some competence in this area. The narration provided by Michael often explains that this is part of his training as a spy since it is assumed that operatives will rarely have access to actual 'spy gear' and will have to improvise from readily available items.
* Australian Aboriginal show ''Series/BushMechanics'' is built around this trope - the first episode sees the protagonists claim an ancient car and macgyver it into (barely) working order out of scraps from a car yard and fix it up along the way using garbage, trees and an axe. When they stop for tea and find they're out of matches, one makes a fire the way "the old folks" taught him...with jumper leads and the car battery.
* Defied by Beckett in the ''Series/{{Castle}}'' episode "Last Call". Before exploring a hidden passageway under a bar, Castle rigs up a torch by placing a roll of toilet paper in the cup of a plunger and soaking the paper with liquor.
-->'''Beckett:''' What are you doing, Castle?
-->'''Castle:''' We're going to need light. (lights a match to ignite the liquor-soaked toilet paper)
-->'''Beckett:''' (blows out match, pulls out a flashlight) We're also going to need breathable air. (hands Castle an electric lantern)
-->'''Castle''' (muttering to himself) A torch would have been more fun.

** In one episode, Gil Grissom's crime lab kit was stolen while he was up in the middle of nowhere alone investigating a murder. Instead of filling out a form with the local police or requesting a new one from the lab in Vegas, he uses items he buys at a home maintenance supply shop as a makeshift kit.
** Catherine did it once too, when she feared she'd been raped in "Built To Kill," though it was more like the first CSI: NY example below with using stuff on the scene than it was Grissom's.

** In "Trapped," Danny got stuck in a panic room and had to improvise with super glue, a coffee pot, a cd case and several other items the victim had stockpiled. He even calls Stella "Miss [=MacGyver=]."
** When the lab is stormed by drug lords in "Snow Day," Mac builds a bomb and laser trip wires out of stuff on hand.

** Sheldon uses sulfuric acid from a recyclable battery to weaken a bar of a cell he and an inmate are locked into during the prison riot in "Redemptio."
* The Doctor in ''Series/DoctorWho'' does not carry a gun (though he has used them on occasion), and often cooks up homebrew supertech.
** In the episode "The Time Monster," he built a "time flow analogue" out of cups, spoons, a pie pan, and other objects found in a small house.
** In "Time Crash," the Tenth Doctor lampshades this based on the fact that the Fifth Doctor never used a sonic screwdriver after it got destroyed in [[Recap/DoctorWhoS19E4TheVisitation "The Visitation"]].

** This even extends to the TARDIS. In the earliest episodes it was implied that he invented it himself and his granddaughter named it; we gradually learned that he actually just jury-rigged it back to functioning order, after finding it rusting away in a museum. Then stole it.
** The Kahler race introduced in "A Town Called Mercy" is described by the Doctor as being one of the most ingenious races in the galaxy, being able to build a spaceship "out of Tupperware and moss."

* The Professor on ''Series/GilligansIsland'' could make a lot of things from the materials on the island, and jokes about the show made him able to make anything if he had enough coconuts.
** Except a boat.
*** It was even Lampshaded in Gary Larson's ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide''!
*** Gilligan later himself calls the Professor out on this, in one the zillions of cameos in the AffectionateParody beach party movie ''Film/BackToTheBeach''. In that film, Bob Denver plays a bartender that is explicitly the same character from ''Series/GilligansIsland'':
--> '''Willy Gilligan:''' You know, I lived with a guy for years. A real genius. He could take a couple of these pineapples or a couple of coconuts with some strings and wire and make a nuclear reactor. But he couldn't fix a two-foot hole in a boat.
* In ''Series/TheGoodDoctor'' pilot, Shaun uses baggage handling tape and a tube from a vending machine to make a one-way valve so he can operate on a boy injured by broken glass in an airport.

* ''Series/{{Lupin|2021}}'': the protagonist goes to prison to get informations about his deceased father, then fakes a suicide by hanging to get out of there via a {{bodybag|trick}}. He survived the hanging because he built himself a safety harness using a basketball basket's net, and used some meds to reduce his heartbeats to pass off as dead.
* In the ''Series/{{MASH}}'' episode "A War For All Seasons", Hawkeye and B.J. rig a primitive dialysis machine using meat casings from a Toledo sausage company and a washtub ordered from Sears & Roebuck.
** In "Mulcahy's War", Father Mulcahy has to perform a roadside tracheotomy with a pocket knife and an eyedropper.
** "They Call The Wind Korea" sees Major Winchester and Klinger reinflate a man's lung with a pocket knife, syringe, catheter, and surgical clamp.

* Tabby from ''Series/MonsterWarriors'' is a real gadget queen who takes ordinary household appliances and turns them into monster-blasting weaponry—-hold on to your hair diffuser around this girl!

* ''Series/ThePartridgeFamily'': When the bus's engine blows a gasket in "Don't Bring Your Guns To Town, Santa," Keith creates a new one out of an old inner tube.
* In ''Series/PersonOfInterest'' Finch makes a [=WiFi=] antenna using a Pringles can. Root makes a cutting torch with an oxygen cylinder, spaghetti and tinfoil.

* The USA series ''Series/RoyalPains'' features the lead doctor utilizing "A bottle of vodka, a sharp knife, a plastic sandwich bag, a BIC pen, and some duct tape" to save the life of a hemophiliac who was bleeding internally. The girl helping him remarked [[LampshadeHanging "What are you, [=MacGyver=]?"]]

* Used explicitly as a verb in the pilot episode of ''Series/StargateSG1'', where Samantha Carter refers to having been forced to "macgyver" a crucial device to make the Stargate work. The fact that Richard Dean Anderson used to BE ''Series/{{MacGyver|1985}}'' makes this a cheeky ShoutOut (which was apparently [[ThrowItIn ad-libbed]] on-set by Creator/AmandaTapping, much to Anderson's surprise).
** And don't forget the one-shot Stargate in "Ascension," made out of (among other things) toaster parts.
** There's also a prank executed for the bloopers reel in "Solitudes," (planned by Amanda Tapping and episode director Martin Wood) where Carter and O'Neill are stranded in a glacier, and she laments that she's "stuck in a glacier with [=MacGyver=]" and he can't figure a way out for them.
---> '''Carter:''' We got belt buckles and shoelaces and a piece of gum: build a nuclear reactor, for crying out loud! [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J847OF_jZ20 (RDA's face is priceless)]]
* In the ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "Arena," Kirk manages to build a primitive ''cannon'' out of various ingredients (bamboo, sulfur, potassium nitrate, coal, and diamond crystals) he tripped over while stranded on a uninhabited asteroid. Partly justified by the fact that the asteroid was set up by powerful aliens so the combatants could fashion their own weapons, but still, a ''cannon''... (The Chinese used similar mortars out of bamboo or ceramics centuries before Europeans made cannons out of metal.)
*** Busted in the ''Series/MythBusters'' first mini-myths episode. They simply could not refine the black powder by hand to a point where it would propel the crystals with anywhere near the velocity needed to wound or kill, and when they tried the same rig with ''real'' black powder, it backfired and "killed" their Kirk stand-in (played by Buster).
*** One ExpandedUniverse novel mentioned that that episode was turned into a training exercise that was considered hellishly difficult, and that 90% of the people who tried Kirk's approach ended up blowing themselves up when the cannon misfired. Riker's solution was to use the makeshift cannon as a giant mine, and clubbed the Gorn with a rock while it was disoriented from the blast.
** And in ''The City at the Edge of Forever'' Mr. Spock builds a computer with 1930's technology, complete with a [[RuleOfCool very cool but pointlessly energy-wasting]] Jacob's Ladder.
-->'''Spock''': I am endeavoring, ma'am, to construct a mnemonic memory circuit using stone knives and bearskins.
** [[MrFixIt Scotty]] gets a shuttle to run on the energy from phaser weapons in "The Galileo Seven."
** ''Franchise/StarTrek'' does it again in the ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' episode "A Fistful of Datas." Worf, stranded in [[PhlebotinumBreakdown an Old West simulation]], makes a forcefield out of telegraph parts and his communicator.
** And again in the ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' two-part episode "Demons/Terra Prime," when Trip picks a futuretech lock using his zipper and belt buckle.
** And again in ''Series/StarTrekVoyager''. B'Elanna Torres turns a phaser into shielding to seal a gap in a shuttle.
** [[OverlyLongGag And again]] in ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' where Chief O'Brien manages to fashion a Tricorder into an improvised bomb to disable Garak, who was [[LetsYouAndHimFight temporarily driven to xenocide]] by exposure to a Cardassian PsychoSerum.
** In-universe, Starfleet officers (engineers in particular) have this reputation. It's even lampshaded by a captured enemy who hopes for them to have "one of those famed Starfleet engineers who can turn rocks into replicators" so he can live the high life as a Federation POW, instead of starving on some empty rock or being butchered by his soon-to-be insane troops.
* In the ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' episode [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E09Croatoan "Croatoan" (S02, Ep09)]], Sam and Dean make explosives out of alcohol and other supplies in the medical clinic.

* In one episode of ''Series/{{Warehouse 13}}'' Artie releases himself from handcuffs by making an electromagnet out of a hotel iron so he can get his toolbag. {{Lampshaded}} with "I was doing this [[WhileYouWereInDiapers when [=MacGyver=] was still trapped in his crib]]!"
* A cross between this trope and SufficientlyAdvancedAliens, the aliens of ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds1988'' fashioned intergalactic communications, weapons, and scanning equipment out of numerous household products.
* When ''Series/TheWizard'' does not have a high-tech toy handy, he can also macgyver one to save the day.
* In ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "Detour", Scully tries to open a bullet and use the gunpowder to start a fire. She does open it (what a badass!), but the gunpowder explodes in one bright flash and the wood doesn’t catch.

--> And if you're on a party on the starship Enterprise,
--> And the karaoke player just plain old up and dies
--> Set up a neutrino field inside a can of peas,
--> Hold onto Geordi's visor and sing into Data's knees!

%%* The main character in the ''VideoGame/TexMurphy'' games is all about this. It's necessary to advance past dozens of puzzles throughout the games.

** In ''VideoGame/DeadRising2'', Chuck can make a weapon out of every last thing he finds. These range from simple (Nails + Baseball Bat = Baseball Bat With Nails Through It) to creative (Knifes + Boxing Gloves = WolverineClaws) to really weird (Chainsaws + Paddle = Double Ended Polearm With Chainsaws at both ends) to just plain crazy (Gas Can + Super Soaker = ''Flamethrower.'')
** In ''Videogame/DeadRising3'', Nick can not only craft on the spot, but, being a mechanic, he can also combine vehicles to make super vehicles, some of which are even armed with special weapons.
* In ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'' the protagonist, Isaac, builds a plasma cutter (the main weapon of the series) out of a flashlight and a surgical laser.
* ''VideoGame/DeadSpace3'' takes it to the next level by having Isaac craft everything involving his guns including tiny upgrade chips from tungsten, semiconductors, transducers and yes, scrap metal. The whole thing gets then turned up on [[HarderThanHard Pure Survival Mode]] where no ammo, health or stasis kit drops at all. Instead you get resources with which to craft all that stuff yourself.
* Jeff Andonuts from ''VideoGame/EarthBound'' is the BadassBookworm that can make anything from a Slime Generator from a broken iron to a Gaia Beam from a broken antenna.

** By combining a leaf blower with a vacuum cleaner, you can build a cannon that launches anything you put in, from tin cans to teddy bears. or a [[http://pt.xfire.com/video/42dbe/ toaster]]

* In ''VideoGame/JaggedAlliance 2'' you can make some gadgets out of random items you find. For example: duct tape and a steel tube can be used to make a barrel extender for your rifle, which increases its range (though it's prone to get fired ''off'' since it's only held on with duct tape), or combining a game system, an x-ray tube, and a couple other things to make an x-ray scanner (reports of massive doses of x-ray radiation when in use are "unconfirmed").

* Parodied in ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry7LoveForSail''. When you try to combine random objects, the announcers says something along the lines of, "Larry, sometimes you try to mix two things together, but what do you always get? An ass".

* This is Doc Hawkins' trick in ''VideoGame/{{MDK2}}''. "[[MundaneMadeAwesome I've created]] ''[[MundaneMadeAwesome toast]]''! Delicious!"

* Any of the ''VideoGame/MonkeyIsland'' games where Guybrush Threepwood has to use all manner of wacky items to save the day. One is in ''VideoGame/TheCurseOfMonkeyIsland'', where [[spoiler:you have to pour cooking oil on a guy's back so he'll get sun burnt and you can then peel off the skin on his back which just happens to have a map tattooed on to it]].
* Spoofed in ''VideoGame/NightInTheWoods''. While hanging out with Bea during a housecall to fix Mrs. Miranda's noisy furnace, Mae attempts to cobble together a fix of her own using the objects you find in the basement: a fan, a fishing pole, a badminton racket, and a garden gnome. There are a few options available, all of them look ridiculous, and [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome all of them just fall apart before you even get a chance to try it out]]. Oh, and while you were messing around, Bea already fixed the problem because she does this sort of thing for a living.
--> '''Bea:''' "Way to go, Mae. Please don't fix anything ever again."

** At the end of ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheCuriousVillage'', [[spoiler: the titular character manages to build a functioning glider from some poles, drapes, and other junk. Not only could it carry three people, but he was able to thwart the villain's own sinister flying contraption with it.]]
** That's nothing - in ''Anime/ProfessorLaytonAndTheEternalDiva'', [[spoiler:Layton manages to produce a functioning helicopter out of a bunch of odds and ends in a shack on a deserted island. As above, it carries three people. And somehow works.]]
** Not to be outdone, ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheUnwoundFuture'' has the good professor create a working [[spoiler:''machine gun'' out of some spare slot machine parts. He's under heavy gunfire, but when a bullet knocks the parts loose, he's only one quick puzzle away from sending the {{Mooks}} running with their tails between their legs.]]

* While it's closer to an InformedAbility rather than anything else, ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'''s Miles "Tails" Prower is reportedly capable of doing this, according to ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''. In the same game, he [[spoiler: uses his tails as extra appendages and reprograms a roboticizing machine to let him keep his free will with nothing but a toothpick.]] This boast exchange between him and Sonic displays to what extent Tails can do this. His boast regarding this also doubles as a referencing a NoodleIncident.
--> '''Tails''': "I've built a TV out of paper clips..."
--> '''Sonic''': "Yeah..."
--> '''Tails''': "And reprogrammed a super computer using dishwashing detergent and a toothpick..."
--> '''Sonic''': "I know..."
--> '''Tails''': "...So look, fixing a propeller on a biplane? That's about as difficult as taking a nap."

* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2''s Medic literally created a device that can heal people from the brink of death to full physical health within the minute, out of a Flower pot, blender, fire hose, several gauges and malfunctioning medical equipment. The Soldier has a cobbled-together rocket launcher, Pyro a flamethrower, and Medic once more, a syringe gun that's just as cobbled together as the Quick fix.
* The entire equipment system in the rebooted ''[[VideoGame/TombRaider2013 Tomb]]'' ''[[VideoGame/RiseOfTheTombRaider Raider]]'' series revolves around this trope. Lara usually only receives the basic weapon of each class automatically, and everything more advanced needs to be assembled from parts she can find throughout the game. These weapons as well as other parts of her gear can then be upgraded with random pieces of scrap that need to be salvaged as well. ''Rise'' expands upon this system by introducing a wide variety of improvised weapons for Lara to craft on the fly, ranging from tin can grenades and smoke bombs over gas canister fire bombs and walkie-talkie proximity mines to rigging dead mooks with deadly poison gas traps that silently kill anyone who tries to investigate the body. And let's not forget about her arsenal of nifty special arrows up to and including cluster grenade arrows, all of which can be crafted from scavenged resources at any time as well.

* ''VideoGame/{{Wizardry}} 8'' has the gadgeteer class. Spell casters can obviously cast spells and bards can produce similar spell-like effects when they find the proper musical instrument. Gadgeteers will be collecting odd assortments of scrap and knick-knacks to assemble devices that allow them to do the same--like a lava lamp that hypnotizes enemies. Their unique weapon, the omnigun, also functions this way: it gets more powerful as the gadgeteer gains levels because they're installing upgrades and new functions. At first model omnigun is slow, inaccurate and uses musketballs and sling stones for ammo, the final model is very fast, very accurate, can cause a laundry list of debuffs, and can use ''every kind of ammo''.

* In one ''Webcomic/EightBitTheater'' strip, Red Mage saves the day using a portable hole, an immovable rod, a bag of holding, and an ice spell. Of course, it all takes place off screen.
* A parody on ''Webcomic/AnsemRetort'': Zexion made a new heart for Riku out of bendy straws and a Hot Pocket.

* One instance of possible Mac Gyvering is found in the webcomic ''Webcomic/CtrlAltDel'', where the main character, Ethan, makes a bipedal, sentient robot out of a single Xbox. This robot then develops a taste for gaming and becomes another character in the comic.

* Agatha in ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' [[http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20080104 has her moments.]]

* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' space criminal Fructose Riboflavin has a knack for building alien [[AppliedPhlebotinum supertech]] out of odds and ends. Useful, since he spends so much of his life as a perpetual fugitive.
* Parodied numerous times in ''Webcomic/RealLifeComics'' - among other things, Tony has made a [[http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/000302.html quantum space-time teleportation device]] and a [[http://www.reallifecomics.com/archive/021017.html trans-dimensional portal device]] out of random materials lying around.

* In ''[[http://www.dcr.net/~stickmak/Stories/MasksI.htm Masks,]]'' there's a superpower that allows people to do this.
* According to [[http://trollscience.com/ Troll Science,]] it seems there is nothing a Troll cannot achive using only flashlights, magnets, and a complete disregard of the laws of physics. exibt A is this charming little [[http://trollscience.com/troll/view/8 wagon.]]

* Parodied on ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDad'' when Roger uses a rock, some twigs and a piece of gum to make a ''SniperRifle'' complete with bullets and scope.
* On ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'', [[TheSmartGuy Rhinox]] often had to improvise with whatever spare parts were available to build new useful tech. {{Lampshaded}} in "Chain of Command":
-->"Make a device to extract physical molecular structure from an alien probe? Man, I gotta be a miracle worker."
** And it worked, too!
* Grampy from the old ''WesternAnimation/BettyBoop'' cartoons usually did this. A prominent example comes from the 1936 ''WesternAnimation/ColorClassics'' short "Christmas Comes But Once a Year", wherein Grampy [=MacGuyvers=] together several Christmas toys for a group of downtrodden orphans, using nothing more than common household items.
* ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'': [[GadgeteerGenius Gadget]] [[WrenchWench Hackwrench]] has this as her hat. Thanks to CartoonPhysics--not to mention a healthy dose of RuleOfFunny--she can build practically ''anything'' using what's lying around, including a ''fully functional rocket ship out of a garbage can''.
* Both subverted and played straight in ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': the KND's self-parodying BambooTechnology equipment mostly consists of random objects, pieces of wood, and duct tape, fondly referred to as '2x4 Technology.' It was played completely straight (and exaggerated) in Operation: E.L.E.C.T.I.O.N.S., a kid escaped from a cell by slugging Lunk (who was guarding him) stealing Lunk's bubble gum, and turning the gum into a makeshift skeleton key. (Which, likely [[RuleOfFunny for the sake of humor]], was given the 2x4 designation [[FunWithAcronyms G.U.M.M.B.O.]] right on the spot, standing for Gooey Unlocking Mush Maximizes Break Outs.)
* Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/DaveTheBarbarian'', where Dave makes a megaphone out of "a squirrel, a string, and a megaphone." It was simply a squirrel tied to a megaphone.
-->"You might be wondering why I tied a squirrel to a megaphone." ''(beat)'' "Well, goodnight."

* Satirized in the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "Brian: Portrait of a Dog". Peter writes a letter: "Dear [=MacGyver=], Enclosed is a rubber band, a paper clip, and a drinking straw. Please save my dog."
** [=MacGyver=] proceeds to fumble around with the rubber band and the paper clip and accidentally shoot himself in the eye.
* Subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before". Fry tries to make a bowstring out of caterpillars, but the first time he uses it the string breaks and leaves him with caterpillars all over his face and clothing.
* Played with on ''WesternAnimation/GIJoeRenegades''. Being fugitives on the run, it's a given. Duke manages to defuse a bomb with a wad of chewing gum, but Roadblock's attempts to jury-rig an engine-cable for the truck don't go as smoothly.
* ''WesternAnimation/InsideJob2021'''s Reagan can put together bombs from Amazon Alexas, drones from Simon Sez's and a fully functioning laser weapon using only gun's laser sight and her phone's circuit board (though why she didn't just use the gun is unclear). Ironically, [[PopculturalOsmosisFailure she has no idea who MacGyver is]].

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePony'': In "The Return Of Tambelon", the ponies are able to break out of Grogan's dungeon by using their gruel ration and Fizzy's bubble-making magic to turn a crack in the ceiling into a gaping hole that they can escape through.
** In a [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic G4 episode]], we're introduced to Party Favor, a stallion who can make anything out of balloons, whether it be binoculars or a bridge.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Kaeloo}}'': [[GadgeteerGenius Mr. Cat]] once built a cloning machine using a cardboard box, a wooden board, some wires and a pair of toilet plungers.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLegendOfKorra''; in the Season 3 episode "Long Live The Queen", Asami builds a working Sand-sailer out of the wrecked remains of an airship so she, Korra, and a group of Earth Kingdom soldiers can escape the desert (and the giant [[SandWorm sand shark]] intent on eating them).

** In "Kiss Kiss Bang Bangalore", where Creator/RichardDeanAnderson guest stars, he starts [[ActorAllusion doing this in]] [[ThisIsReality real life]] after Patty and Selma kidnap him from a ''Series/StargateSG1'' convention (he gets so much of a kick after escaping them [=MacGyver=]-style, he actually keeps coming back for more), such as making "[=MacGyver=]-burgers" out of Slim Jims and rubber bands. Also contains this quote:
--> '''Richard Dean Anderson''': ''"I've come up with another escape. I want you to tie me up and lock me in the trunk of your car, under the pier at low tide. All I need are these everyday objects — a toothpick, some liquor, a gun with no bullets, bullets, and three of my ''[=MacGyver=]'' writers."''
** In "Black Widower," Patty, Selma and Sideshow Bob watch an episode of ''[=MacGyver=]'', which concludes with this exchange:
--->"Thank you, Senor [=MacGyver=], for saving our village."
--->"Don't thank me. Thank the moon's gravitational pull."
* ''WesternAnimation/StarTrekLowerDecks'': "[[Recap/StarTrekLowerDecksS2E04MugatoGumato Mugato, Gumato]]": Boimler and Rutherford rig a bunch of jungle debris and spare equipment into a holoprojector so that they can do a presentation for the Ferengi on the cost-benefit ratio of mugato poaching versus a theme park-style nature preserve.

* Played for Laughs in ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'' episode "Webworld". During a therapeutic building exercise, the AxCrazy Galvatron manages to construct a fully functional laser gun out of the ordinary materials he's given.
* ''WesternAnimation/XmenEvolution'' in "Joyride" Sam uses his chewing gum to fix the controls to the X-Jet they flew unauthorized after they were fried accidentally by Jubilee getting startled by Kitty and Lance.

** Although it's not like non-Ork players don't get in on the action either. Because of [[CrackIsCheaper the price]] of the hobby, any 40k player (or indeed, wargamer) worth their salt will have a [[NamesTheSame bitz box]] whether they are Orks, Humans, Eldar, whatever. It is the most efficient way to go about doing things and anyone who has played for a long time will have closets full of hoarded spare parts that they can cobble together into just about anything.

* While it's closer to an InformedAbility rather than anything else, ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'''s Miles "Tails" Prower is reportedly capable of doing this, according to Videogame/SonicLostWorld. In the same game, he [[spoiler: uses his tails as extra appendages and reprograms a roboticizing machine to let him keep his free will with nothing but a toothpick.]] This boast exchange between him and Sonic displays to what extent Tails can do this. His boast regarding this also doubles as a referencing a NoodleIncident.

* In ''Circumference of Darkness'', the main character is locked in a barn along with some friends. Using a broken tractor, some copper tubing, and some other random items, he builds a fully functional [[AwesomeButImpractical giant tesla coil]] inside the barn. This also leads to a YouHaveFailedMe moment from the mooks responsible by their boss.

** The character Violet uses her skills as an inventor to create gadgets off-the-cuff with available materials, often in dire situations.
** And Klaus gets his turn in ''The Miserable Mill''.

Note that the gadget has to be based on more science, creative thinking and RubeGoldbergDevice than simply, "Hey, this blunt object could hurt someone!" Look for those under ImprovisedWeapon. May involve NoodleImplements.

* ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'' features the title character forging a letter that will result in the execution of his {{Poisonous Friend}}s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with various items around the ship where he's being taken to his own execution.