History Main / MadScienceFair

* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBros'': The series pilot, "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosPilotTheTerribleSecretOfTurtleBay The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay]]" features an outwardly innocuous example as the world's greatest scientists are called together at the United Nations HQ to display their inventions at the "Peaceful Scientific Advancement Symposium". Given the series ForScience attitude and sheer number of {{Mad Scientist}}s in attendance, it devolves rather quickly. Dr. Venture himself shows off the "Ooo-Ray", [[ReluctantMadScientist believing it to have peaceful applications]] (but unable to state what any of them ''are''), but then immediately melts the scale model of a city. [[TheFantasticFaux Prof. Impossible]] unveils an environmentally friendly car that emits ozone to repair the ozone layer. While apparently peaceful, [[ArtisticLicenseChemistry there are a few issues with that]] -- Pure ozone is ''toxic'' and breaks down so quickly at ground level that it would never reach the upper atmosphere. It would poison everyone around it while failing in its "peaceful" application.

Do people not appreciate your paper mache volcano using real lava? Need to replace your lousy, hand-me-down [[UsefulNotes/NikolaTesla tesla coils]] at an affordable price? Want to trend in the latest, fashionable [[TheIgor hunchback assistant]]? Visit your local Mad Science Fair! Purchase a raffle ticket on the way in and earn the chance to win your very own Neiman Marcus-brand MadScientistLaboratory!

* In ''ComicStrip/{{Foxtrot}}'' a summer camp Jason and Marcus went to had a science fair with projects like cold fusion and a synthetic tadpole brain. They themselves made a miniature warp engine but due to accidental sabotage there's no indication if it would have worked.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In ''Spyfall'', the Doctor finds herself pulled out of an alien dimension into the Adelaide Gallery in the late 1800s, where various engineers are promoting their inventions - in particular, Charles Babbage's Difference Engine. The Doctor passes off her sudden arrival as the Marvellous Apparating Man (...Lady); shortly thereafter the Master arrives to threaten the crowd with his Tissue Compressor Eliminator. [[spoiler:While he's preoccupied intimidating the Doctor, Ada Lovelace gets the drop on him by commandeering another inventor's machine gun.]]

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* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': There's the Whateley Weapons Fair, a mix of a Mad Science Fair and a BazaarOfTheBizarre where the [[GadgeteerGenius Gadgeteers]] and [[MadScientist Devisors]] to showcase their inventions and offer them for sale. Furthermore, there are plenty of non-mutant {{Teen Genius}}es outside of Whateley Academy, so otherwise mundane science fairs tend to have at least one bit of MadScience on hand which inevitably either 'goes Westworld' and has to be stopped, or else attracts thieves and/or some CorruptCorporateExecutive out to grab it.
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* The ''WesternAnimation/TheTick'' episode "Tick vs. Science" features a Mad Science Fair where Carmelita's father presents his new mind-switching device.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' episode "Bring on the Bad Guys Part 4", Horizon High's open house is like this, with various {{Teen Genius}}es submitting Stark-level technology -- and Flash Thompson, with utterly unwarranted confidence, entering a baking soda volcano. [[spoiler: After Spidey combines several of the inventions to defeat Electro, and most of the others get destroyed in the fight, Flash gets a DisqualificationInducedVictory.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': The series pilot, "[[Recap/TheVentureBrosPilotTheTerribleSecretOfTurtleBay The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay]]" features an outwardly innocuous example as the world's greatest scientists are called together at the United Nations HQ to display their inventions at the "Peaceful Scientific Advancement Symposium". Given the series ForScience attitude and sheer number of {{Mad Scientist}}s in attendence, it devolves rather quickly. Dr. Venture himself shows off the "Ooo-Ray", [[ReluctantMadScientist believing it to have peaceful applications]] (but unable to state what any of them ''are''), but then immediately melts the scale model of a city. [[TheFantasticFaux Prof. Impossible]] unveils an environmentally friendly car that emits ozone to repair the ozone layer. While apparently peaceful, [[ArtisticLicenseChemistry there are a few issues with that]] -- Pure ozone is ''toxic'' and breaks down so quickly at ground level that it would never reach the upper atmosphere. It would poison everyone around it while failing in its "peaceful" appliation.

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': There's the Whateley Weapons Fair, a mix of a Mad Science Fair and a BazaarOfTheBizarre where the [[GadgeteerGenius Gadgeteers]] and [[MadScientist Devisors]] to showcase their inventions and offer them for sale.

Mad Science Fairs are like regular [[ScienceFair Science Fairs]], but on a more exaggerated scale, with [[MadScientist Mad Scientists]] showcasing their various creatures, [[DoomsdayDevice doomsdays devices]] and various other miscellaneous contributions to [[AppliedPhlebotinum Fringology]]. In more techy settings, expect {{Tech Bro}}s to show up.

Mad Science Fairs are like regular [[ScienceFair Science Fairs]], but on a more exaggerated scale, with [[MadScientist Mad Scientists]] showcasing their various creatures, [[DoomsdayDevice doomsdays devices]] and various other miscellaneous contributions to [[AppliedPhlebotinum Fringology]].

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* The ''[[Literature/{{Cinderella}} Cinderella]]'' holiday short from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' replaces the [[DancesAndBalls grand ball]] with a Glorious Science Faire, the winner of which will get to marry one of the princes- or both of them. Agatha's stepmother sets the stepsisters up with Agatha's potato clock, ant farm, and model volcano (after rejecting her other inventions, including a talking fish and a machine for getting parallel lines to meet) and ordering her to stay home. Agatha shows up to the science fair anyways, with her own project: [[spoiler: an army of giant robots]].
** In the actual main storyline of the comic, one such science fair is [[https://www.girlgeniusonline.com/comic.php?date=20220620 mentioned in passing]]. Apparently [[BigBad the Other]], before doing all the CivilizationDestroyer and ZombieApocalypse stuff, had ''([[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking gasp!]])'' stolen Francisia's work for a project at university's Midwinter Abominations Festival.

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* The ''[[Literature/{{Cinderella}} Cinderella]]'' holiday short from ''Webcomic/GirlGenius'' replaces the [[DancesAndBalls grand ball]] with a Glorious Science Faire, the winner of which will get to marry one of the princes- or both of them. Agatha's stepmother sets the stepsisters up with Agatha's potato clock, ant farm, and model volcano (after rejecting her other inventions, including a talking fish and a machine for getting parallel lines to meet) and ordering her to stay home. Agatha shows up to the science fair anyways, with her own project: [[spoiler: an army of giant robots.]]

* The penultimate story arc of ''Webcomic/{{Narbonic}}'' takes place at one of these, and among other wacky hijinks involves Dave joining [[WeirdTradeUnion a henchmen's union]] and Artie being recruited by a think-tank that turns out to have a sinister agenda.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MarvelsSpiderMan'' episode "Bring on the Bad Guys Part 4", Horizon High's open house is like this, with various {{Teen Genius}}es submitting Stark-level technology -- and Flash Thompson, with utterly unwarrented confidence, entering a baking soda volcano. [[spoiler: After Spidey combines several of the inventions to defeat Electro, and most of the others get destroyed in the fight, Flash gets a DisqualificationInducedVictory.]]

* The kids at Tesla High in ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' are just as much of mad scientists as their parents, experience has taught Deputy Jo Lupo to attend the science fair in full SWAT gear.

* Most entries in the''Webcomic/GunnerkriggCourt'' science fair in "Two Strange Girls" are fairly normal, but there are exceptions. We don't see much of Annie's, but it appeared to involve medical impliments and blood, and the audience reaction was "[[{{Squick}} Ewwww]]!" We see even less of Zimmy and Gamma's, except that it's microscopic, Annie considers it an abomination, and we later see it being removed by a Hazmat team while Zimmy insists it isn't dangerous. And Kat created an antigravity chamber ... to study how proteins form in zero-gravity, and is very confused that nobody seems to be interested in that bit.

* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': There's the Whateley Weapons Fair, where the [[GadgeteerGenius Gadgeteers]] and [[MadScientist Devisors]] to showcase their inventions.