History Main / PalatePropping

* In ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'', this trope leads to a MexicanStandoff, with the dragonslayer Bowen literally crouched inside Draco's mouth, his sword's point braced against the dragon's palate. Neither can make the finishing move without killing themself as well, so SnarkToSnarkCombat ensues, when Bowen [[PeekABooCorpse finds the remains of a previous dragonslayer stuck between Draco's teeth]].

* In ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'', this trope leads to a MexicanStandoff, with the hero literally crouched inside Draco's mouth, his sword's point braced against the dragon's palate.

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'': Edgin tries to hinder the animated drake statue by using Holga's axe to wedge it inside its maw. Unfortunately the axe's haft is [[RetractableWeapon collapsible]] and so it on works for a few seconds.

* ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsHonorAmongThieves'': Edgin tries to hinder the animated drake statue by using Holga's axe to wedge it inside its maw. The axe handle promptly breaks, however.

* ''Manga/{{Attack on Titan}}'': In a moment of HeroicResolve, Eren saves [[spoiler: Armin by yanking him out of a titan’s mouth all the while propping it open with his own arm.]]

* ''Anime/TheUltraman'' has the monster, Gamiba, whose VolumetricMouth can devour anything, resulting in Ultraman Joneus using ''himself'' to prop the monster's jaws open for a short while so that Joneus can fire his Planium Beam into Gamiba's throat.

* ''ComicBook/{{Rahan}}''. The title character once manages this while bound hands and feet, when offered in sacrifice to a big prehistoric crocodile. He catches a branch between his feet and wedges it between the croc's jaws, who then swims away rather miffed.

* In ''Botanica'', propping a snapdragon-like plant's mobile blossom open with a stick allows you to collect its seeds. Downplayed in that the bloom in question isn't dangerous, just uncooperative.

-->'''Genie:''' Now that you have row after row of razor-sharp teeth, regular brushing is a must!
-->''(Shark!Aladdin snaps the brush with his jaws and bites after Genie)''
-->'''Genie:''' WHOA! I'm not even gonna ''mention'' that he needs mouthwash.

* This trope is actually averted for the crocodile, which has extremely powerful muscles for biting down, which can exert as much as 5000 pounds of force. Inversely, a crocodile has extremely weak muscles for ''opening'' its mouth, which means that once a crocodile has bit down, its mouth can be held shut with a hug (Not recommended since they can throw you off) or duct tape.

* ''Young Samson and Goliath'': Used in the episode "The Lost City of the Dragon Men". Samson rips a tree trunk out of the ground and sticks it into the mouth of an attacking crocodile to prevent it from attacking him.

* ''LightNovel/BofuriIDontWantToGetHurtSoIllMaxOutMyDefense'': This tends to happen to giant monsters that try to eat Maple.

* ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock]]'': Littlefoot uses a stick to prop up a [[spoiler:seemingly-dead]] ''Allosaurus's'' mouth, but abandons the effort when [[spoiler:it starts breathing]].

* Occurs in ''WesternAnimation/IceAgeTheMeltdown'' when the prehistoric crocodilian creature known as [[AllThereInTheManual Cretaceous]] leaps at Manny and gets its jaws caught around his tusks, before being thrown back into the water.
* In ''[[WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock]]'', Littlefoot uses a stick to prop up a [[spoiler:seemingly-dead]] ''Allosaurus's'' mouth, but abandons the effort when [[spoiler:it starts breathing]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'', Lewis uses a shovel to prop open the tyrannosaur's jaws.
* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Moana}}'', Maui performs the "full body" version of this, standing on Tamatoa's lower teeth with his hands on the upper jaw in a desperate attempt to avoid being eaten.
* Fred tries this trope on the fish-monster in ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooCampScare'', propping its crocodile-like maw open with the net gun. It hinders the creature's snapping jaws, but only for a matter of seconds until it breaks the prop.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheSwordInTheStone'', Wart (in fish form) does this to the pike in the moat with a broken-off piece of spear. Merlin compliments him for using his head.
* On the ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' short "WesternAnimation/AMatterOfLoafAndDeath", Gromit props open a crocodile's mouth with a French baguette.

* ''WesternAnimation/AladdinTheSeries'': In "Shark Treatment", after Aladdin [[BalefulPolymorph is changed into]] [[ThreateningShark a shark]], Genie conjures up a giant toothbrush to prop his jaws open and avoid being attacked.

DontTryThisAtHome. Bones are quite hard and quite durable. If something is able to cleanly snap your skeleton in pieces with one bite, trying to shove your broom, gun, clarinet, etc. into its mouth to prop it open is very unlikely to work. If you have the time and reflexes to try this, you're better off merely trying to escape before it does bite.

DontTryThisAtHome. Bones are quite hard and quite durable. If something is able to cleanly snap you in pieces with one bite, trying to shove your broom, gun, clarinet, etc. into its mouth to prop it open is likely not going to work. If you have the time and reflexes to try this, you're better off merely trying to escape before it does bite.

[[folder:Eastern Animation]]
* In the Korean animated movie ''Super Kid'', Gokdari jams his magic staff between the jaws of an alien to keep it from eating him, and then ''expands'' the staff until the alien's jaws are stretched so far apart that its teeth shatter when it tries to close its mouth again.

[[folder: Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/AbraxasHrodvitnon'': During the Yonaguni battle in Chapter 13, the Many's MindHive forms a gigantic flytrap-like set of jaws on itself which Monster X is forced to hold open with its hands to avoid getting caught in it -- Monster X relents and [[spoiler:temporarily loses an arm to the jaws]]. Later, this trope is {{inverted}} when Methuselah locks [[spoiler:Keizer Ghidorah's right head]]'s jaws shut by impaling his horn upward through the head's jaw and skull; forcing the head to eventually [[{{Jawbreaker}} tear its own jawbone]] getting free.
* ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10590553/ Gone Batty]]'': In addition to the instance from the ''WesternAnimation/{{Silverwing}}'' cartoon canon, Goth does this to Throbb ''again'' when the Vampyrum and their captives end up spending the night in a cave in a [[ForWantOfANail deviation]] from the show's course of events, until Melody removes the stick in an act of kindness.
[[/folder]]

* In ''Film/ReturnOfTheJedi'', Luke braces the Rancor's jaws open with a large bone from the floor of its pit. This buys him a few seconds, but not much, as the Rancor's bite is powerful enough to snap it in two.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin'': Professor Gimmick was able to throw a number of sticks to stop the many bounders during the first episode. Later in the same episode, he accidently stuck the treasure map in L.B.'s mouth, which was somehow rigid enough to work - and allowed Tweeg to replace it with a FoolsMap.

* ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons1983'': Diana uses her [[RetractableWeapon telescopic staff]] to prevent a dragon/dinosaur that caught her in its claw from eating her. The beast manages to snap the staff in two after some struggle, but it doesn't matter much since the magic weapon can self-repair anyway.

* Occurs in ''WesternAnimation/IceAge2TheMeltdown'' when the prehistoric crocodilian creature known as [[AllThereInTheManual Cretaceous]] leaps at Manny and gets its jaws caught around his tusks, before being thrown back into the water.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Ferdinand}}'': Valiente uses a metal post to prop apart the giant crushing plates of the slaughterhouse assembly line.

* In ''Film/{{Aquaman}}'', Arthur uses the Trident of Atlan to prop open the jaws of Orm's tylosaur steed when Orm chases him to the surface for their final duel.

* ''WesternAnimation/DungeonsAndDragons'': Diana uses her [[RetractableWeapon telescopic staff]] to prevent a dragon/dinosaur that caught her in its claw from eating her. The beast manages to snap the staff in two after some struggle, but it doesn't matter much since the magic weapon can self-repair anyway.