History Main / PieInTheFace

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': In "Fraggle Wars," the World's Oldest Fraggle explains to Red that they're supposed to hate the Cave Fraggles because they have no sense of humor. He says that they think the best part of getting a pie in the face is [[IncrediblyLameFun cleaning up afterward]].

* The infamous [[HeteronormativeCrusader anti-gay activitist]], Anita Bryant, famously got a banana-cream pie smashed in her face by gay-rights activist, Tom Higgins, during a press conference on October 14, 1977.

[[caption-width-right:240: [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry Let em have it!]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350: [[WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry One Custard Pie? Let me have it!]]]]

* Johnathan from ''VideoGame/CastlevaniaPortraitOfRuin'' can throw cream pies at enemies. [[MagikarpPower When leveled up]] it's also arguably the most powerful [[ElementalPowers Dark-element]] weapon in the game [[spoiler:making it the perfect tool to take out BonusBoss Richter Belmont]].

The trope is also one of the most common and ancient forms of SlapstickKnowsNoGender and has been applied universally almost ever since its inception.

* ''Film/CarryOnLoving'' combines this with a RunningGag: throughout the film, which is about a computer dating agency, there's a young couple who appear in various scenes just enthusiastically making out with each other. In the climactic food fight, the young woman stops kissing her man long enough to look up and see what's going on and gets a cream cake in the face. She doesn't even wipe it off but goes back to making out again.

* ''Literature/SkippysList'' references one particular incident where pies, to be thrown at the unit CO, would be auctioned off for a charity fundraiser. The pies, however, would be "[[BlatantLies voluntarily]]" bought by individual soldiers. So Skippy, being TheLoonie that he is, decides that a traditional cream pie would be too blasé, and goes with something [[http://skippyslist.com/2007/07/09/cephalopod-surprise/ a little nontraditional...]]

* The climactic scene of ''Film/NannyMcPhee'' has this with wedding cake.

* ''Series/FawltyTowers'': In "The Hotel Inspectors", Basil takes revenge on Mr Hutchison for being the fussiest guest ever, by squashing a squidgy pie in Mr Hutchison's crotch, and another in his face. He also instructs Manuel to pour cream into Mr Hutchison's briefcase.

* Creator/LaurelAndHardy made money by selling pies to throw in their short film ''Film/TheBattleOfTheCentury'', which [[TropeCodifier codified this trope]].[[note]]The fight in the film involved [[https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2023/ ''3,000 pies''.]][[/note]] For a long time much of the second reel that had the scenes setting up the pie fight [[ItMakesSenseInContext (involving a fixed fight and a banana)]] was lost; however, [[http://silentlondon.co.uk/2015/06/15/second-reel-laurel-hardy-battle-of-the-century-pie-fight/ in June 2015 a collector found a well-preserved full copy of the second reel]]. The restored film was screened in 2017.

* Creator/LaurelAndHardy made money by selling pies to throw in their short film ''Film/TheBattleOfTheCentury'', which [[TropeCodifier codified this trope]]. For a long time much of the second reel that had the scenes setting up the pie fight [[ItMakesSenseInContext (involving a fixed fight and a banana)]] was lost; however, [[http://silentlondon.co.uk/2015/06/15/second-reel-laurel-hardy-battle-of-the-century-pie-fight/ in June 2015 a collector found a well-preserved full copy of the second reel]]. The restored film was screened in 2017.

* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCsIuCZ8hds A Japanese commercial for the Xbox]] ([[WhatWereTheySellingAgain which, had absolutely nothing to do with Xbox]]) shows a woman trying to avoid a mechanism that keeps launching pies. Pretty soon, the music starts to build up as the mechanism winds up, and then...

* ''Literature/{{Goosebumps}}'': Slappy (in ghost form) does this to Shep in "the Ghost of Slappy" in the lunchroom at school after possessing a bowl of spaghetti to fall on him.

* In the middle of [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/document-050 The Great Researcher Prank War]] at Wiki/SCPFoundation, two people tried to win [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-050 SCP-050]] by throwing pies at each other. A frustrated Dr. Bright threw four pies at the current holder of the SCP, getting it himself much to his irritation that this trope could be considered 'clever'. Throwing pies soon got banned from the prank war.

* Indeed [[Wiki/{{Wikipedia}} The Other Wiki]] has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_who_have_been_pied a page devoted to people who have been "pied" at some point]]. It goes so far as to note, "This list is incomplete; [[AmbiguousSyntax you can help by expanding it]]."

* Happens in ''ComicStrip/{{Tumbleweeds}}''. Example include:

-->'''Greasy:''' "One of" don't cut it.

* ''Webcomic/{{Freefall}}'' (which provides the page quote) blatantly foreshadows it starting [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1800/fc01752.htm one strip]]. It only takes a few strips before the pies [[http://freefall.purrsia.com/ff1800/fc01756.htm fly]].

* ''VideoGame/MarioParty'': ''Super Mario Party'' features a 2-vs-2 minigame where the players throw cream pies at one another, with more continually being restocked on the tables in the back of their respective zones. As the characters get hit, they get more and more of a CoveredInGunge look.

* For a high-tech version of the traditional pie fight, see the butterbug butter battle near the end of Creator/LoisMcMasterBujold's ''Literature/ACivilCampaign''.

* This is what kicks of the events of ''Literature/SonicTheHedgehogInRobotniksLaboratory''. Sonic and Tails are bored so they dress Tails up as a ghost, make a luminous custard pie, and attempt to lure Router out with a “special delivery”.
* ''Them: Adventures with Extremists'' by Jon Ronson. This is done to Creator/DavidIcke during a press conference in the expectation of humiliating him (it's hoped he'll lose his temper on camera). But the pie misses and so the thrower [[InsultBackfire ends up looking worse than Icke]].

* In ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'', ComicBook/TheJoker's [[LimitBreak super move]] starts by throwing a pie into his opponent's face, allowing him to move in for [[CrowbarCombatant the rest]] [[NoRangeLikePointBlankRange of the]] [[StuffBlowingUp attack]].

See also EdibleAmmunition, FoodFight, FoodSlap, FoodShoveGag, ProducePelting, as well as CarryingACake (this is one possible, but not inevitable, result of performing that trope badly).