History Main / PlayingDoctor

* A rather surprising example came from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' between [[ToyShip Bobby and Connie]]. The two of them, after a large misunderstanding about Connie thinking Bobby doesn't like her because she hasn't developed yet, decide to take off their shirts in front of each other and see each other's bodies. While Bobby gets his shirt off, Connie is interrupted by her father entering the room. Being that Kahn doesn't like Bobby already, and hates the idea of Connie being exposed to what he assumes to be rednecks, he's pretty pissed off. This example is very strange because the two of them are clearly at that age when they're starting to notice the opposite sex, and experience sexual urges, and are at least partly playing the game ''because'' of those urges, and yet the entire affair carries a clear feeling of innocence. There is the fact that sex wasn't on Bobby's mind at all. He thought couples took their clothes off and looked at each other, nothing more.

* Washu gives this reasoning when Mihoshi walks into her lab and catches Washu in a nurse's outfit and Tenchi stripped to his boxers (and Washu's hand ''in'' his boxers) in the seventh episode of ''Anime/TenchiMuyo''. Mihoshi, being TheDitz, takes it as meaning "the game" and ponders about joining in before causing trouble for the poor scientist.
* In ''Anime/{{Shuffle}}'', Mayumi uses this to explain a situation she got in with Rin. Specifically, [[spoiler:she fell and landed with her panties in his face, and when she didn't like his reaction she decided that she'd get revenge by taking his pants off.]] Even though Mayumi was at fault, Rin wound up getting in trouble when Primula told the teacher what Mayumi'd said.
* The very first chapter of ''Manga/ACentaursLife'' contains an older example than usual when the three main characters, all middle school girls, engage in a round of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours". The motive is still "find out what the others look like under their clothes" since the three girls are an Imp, a Satyr and a Centaur respectively and the whole goal was to assure the centaur that her genitals, which she has never seen, don't resemble a cow's.
* The ''Manga/DagashiKashi'' anime has a flashback in episode 6 of Saya and Kokonotsu playing doctor, with Saya very unsatisfied by Kokonotsu's pill-dispensing quack who refused to "examine" her (at the moment, he was fascinated by a candy that came in pill-like blister packaging).

* One ''ComicBook/{{Lanfeust}}'' SpinoffBabies has Lanfeust and Cixi find an out-of-the-way spot to "play mommy and daddy"... [[AwfulWeddedLife meaning beat the crap out of each other while yelling about his coming home drunk every night or her flirting with the fishmonger.]]

* In ''ComicBook/{{Titeuf}}'', the protagonist is asked by a girl to play doctor, [[LiteralMinded he takes it literally]] and proceeds to simulate an injection... with a sharpened pencil.

* Subverted in a ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'' [[http://www.gocomics.com/foxtrot/1996/10/09 comic]] in which Jason and Eileen simply role-play various medical bureaucrat lines to each other.
-->'''Jason:''' Have a seat and I'll see you in four hours.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* A straighter example of "I'll show you mine if you show me yours" is from the movie ''Film/TheIceStorm'', starring a young Christina Ricci. (It's consistently the most popular clip on Hulu.)
* ''Film/BladeRunner'': While talking to Rachel about her memories, Deckard reminded her about the time she and her brother played doctor. Her brother showed her his, and when it got to be her turn, she chickened and ran. The memories were actually implanted in her: they came from Tyrell's niece.

* In ''Film/JerseyGirl'', Ollie walks in on his daughter and a boy from school as she's "showing him hers." Amazingly, this is a rare example of the act actually being ''shown,'' as we're [[{{Squick}} treated]] to a shot of the boy standing up with his pants down (from behind, of course).
* Creator/JohnWaters' 1977 film ''Film/DesperateLiving'' features a brief scene early on wherein the kids of the psychotic housewife (anti) heroine are doing this. Said psycho housewife walks in on them and flips, accusing the son of rape and fretting that the daughter is pregnant. Like the rest of the film, this is so over the top as to edge into BlackComedy.

* In one of humorist Creator/PatrickMcManus's short stories, he recounts the time as a kid that he got invited over by his neighbor Olga Bonemarrow to "play doctor"; it turned out the girl was referring to a mind-numbingly dull medical-themed board game.
* In ''Cider With Rosie'', Laurie Lee recounts playing doctor with a local girl named Jo Jenkins. The 1971 and 1998 film versions provide rare examples of the game being played all the way in visual media, but the 2015 version avoids this by way of the FullyClothedNudity trope.

* ''Literature/InCryptid'': When Antimony and [[HumanOutsideAlienInside Sarah]] were kids, they "played cryptozoologist" so Annie could learn about [[BizarreAlienBiology cuckoo biology]]. Angela (Sarah's mom) and Evelyn (Antimony's mom) were ''pissed'' when they found their daughters naked in the barn.
* In Barbara Wersba's ''The Dream Watcher'' Albert got in trouble with the father of the girl next door when he played doctor with her once during first grade.
* In ''Literature/AlwaysComingHome'',it is mentioned sexual games are actually encouraged among the Valley kids to such an extent, that by the age of ten, they tend to be well knowledgeable about contraceptives.

* {{Subverted}} on ''Series/FullHouse'': the kid yelled "don't open the door, Daddy" because she and a male friend were playing [[spoiler:eye]] doctor, and [[spoiler:the eye chart was on the back of the door]].
* On ''Series/{{MASH}}'', Hawkeye would regularly use "want to play doctor?" as a pick-up line on the nurses.
* Inverted on ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'', when Leonard and Penny come into the apartment to find Sheldon and Amy playing doctor, Star Trek style; both are fully clothed, Sheldon is lying on the couch and Amy is running a medical tricorder over him.
-->'''Sheldon:''' I'm in hell, Leonard. (turns to Amy) Don't stop!
* There exists an episode of ''Series/MyWifeAndKids'' in which Michael Kyle educates Kady in self-defense, cautioning her of boys who offer to "play doctor" with her. At the end of the episode, one of Kady's classmates approaches her and requests to play doctor with her in the most innocent (and literal) sense of the term… but this doesn't stop Kady, who misinterpreted her father's warnings, [[GroinAttack from knocking the poor kid to the ground]].
* ''Series/DoctorWho''. Amy mentions playing quite a few games of doctors and nurses with Rory while they were growing up. There's a LoveTriangle subtext given Amy's long-standing obsession (including sexual) with ''the'' Doctor, whereas Rory now works as a male nurse.
* ''Series/PersonOfInterest'': Referenced as part of a LesYay ShipTease joke, one of ''[[RunningGag many]]'' that happen between [[FanPreferredCouple Root and Shaw]].
-->'''[[CombatMedic Shaw:]]''' ''[checking on Root's two injuries]'' Keep 'em dry. Change the dressings every 72 hours.\\
'''Root:''' ''[smirking]'' I love it when you play doctor.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. As a preteen, Sam falls for the GirlNextDoor after he [[RescueRomance saves her from bullies.]] She lampshades the trope when giving him an AfterActionPatchUp. "Time to play doctor."

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}'':
** Played for drama when Oliver Queen is shot, and the others have to patch him up themselves as they can't afford to take him to a hospital where the police will ask awkward questions.
--->'''Diggle:''' Remember playing Operation when you were a kid?\\
'''Felicity:''' Yes... and it never made me want to throw up.
** Given the RunningGag of Felicity saying ThatCameOutWrong things to Oliver, the innuendo version is inevitably used for a CallBack of this incident.
--->'''Felicity:''' The last time the Vigilante paid your mom a visit, you got shot, and I got to play doctor with you. ''[exasperated expression]'' [[LampshadeHanging Ahh! My brain thinks of the worst way to say things.]]
* ''Series/ElChavoDelOcho'' uses a variant in the episode where Quico is sick. El Chavo wants to play doctor by doing the "hit the knee with a hammer to test reflexes" part. HilarityEnsues when Quico's reflexes result in him raising the ''other'' leg, or the arm.

* On ''Radio/TheGoonShow'':
-->'''Bluebottle:''' ''(plaintively)'' I don't like this game! Let's play another game. Let's play Doctors and Nurses.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* Subverted in ''Webcomic/OzyAndMillie'' as it's used to parody health insurance ('Thanks for sitting here by yourself for an hour. Here's a referral.'). They wonder why they're so concerned about playing doctor and conclude it's out of worry it'd make them cynical. Keep in mind that Ozy is normally a HalfDressedCartoonAnimal anyhow.

* A really disturbing example happens in ''Webcomic/ForestHill'', when a 5 year old girl named Talitha forces 4 year old Hunter to do this against his will, although she calls it playing house. Hunter's father is very upset when he hears about this. This becomes even more disturbing when it is revealed that [[spoiler:she has been watching her father's adult movies and that her father is one of the people that Benni's abusive father forced Benni have sex with for money.]]

* A rather surprising example came from ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' between [[ToyShip Bobby and Connie]]. The two of them, after a large misunderstanding about Connie thinking Bobby doesn't like her because she hasn't developed yet, decide to take off their shirts in front of each other and see each other's bodies. While Bobby gets his shirt off, Connie is interrupted by her father entering the room. Being that Kahn doesn't like Bobby already, and hates the idea of Connie being exposed to what he assumes to be rednecks, he's pretty pissed off. This example is very strange because the two of them are clearly at that age when they're starting to notice the opposite sex, and experience sexual urges, and are at least partly playing the game ''because'' of those urges, and yet the entire affair carries a clear feeling of innocence. There is the fact that sex wasn't on Bobby's mind at all. He thought couples took their clothes off and looked at each other, nothing more.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' done InTheStyleOf ''Film/TheLittleRascals'', Rascal-Peter sees Rascal-Lois enter the classroom and muses to himself, "Wow, I'd like to play doctor with ''her''… and remove her appendix before it burst, causing sepsis."

* A very dark take on the concept by a French comic guy: one kid asks the other to play doctor; he replies "Sure, I got a surgeon's costume for Halloween." Next panel has the parents congratulating themselves on getting the kid such an intellectually-stimulating toy (the surgeon outfit), while [[BlackComedy a large pool of blood leaks out from behind a closed door]].

* A mild example in ''VideoGame/GalaxyAngelII'' that's played for laughs and not for titillation due to the franchise focusing on innocent romance. Nano-Nano and Kazuya play doctor as the latter takes off his shirt and the former examines Kazuya's chest. Then Nano-Nano offers to take off her shirt so that Kazuya can have a turn examining her chest... but Kazuya, who unlike Nano-Nano is very much aware of the AlwaysFemaleDoubleStandardFanservice ramifications involved with examining a girl's naked chest, runs away screaming. Nano-Nano just wonders what got into Kazuya all of a sudden, too naive to realize the implications of what she was asking him.

For legal reasons, this game is almost never played all the way in visual media, is mentioned happening off stage, or is interrupted before too many clothes come off. A common "bit" is for a parent to catch the children doing this and completely overreact, making the kids more confused and traumatized than the game ever would have. A common [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] is for precocious or overly intellectual children to actually be roleplaying medical professionals without any intent of taking off clothing. Indeed, this subversion is much more common in media than the "straight" use, as you'll see in the examples section.

* [[http://arkham-insanity.deviantart.com/art/The-Dangers-of-Playing-Doctor-90619838 "The Dangers of Playing Doctor"]] on Website/DeviantArt, with Ed and Al (from ''Anime/FullmetalAlchemist'').

** Another time, it gets implied when after PlayingHouse with Susie, Calvin gets fed up and takes off his clothes so he can go play JungleMan by himself. This leads to his mom getting a call from Susie's parents about how he took his clothes off at her house.

This trope occurs when oung children are pretending to have a checkup at the doctor. Sometimes the checkups become quite (or uncomfortably) thorough.

Young children looking at each other without any clothes on.

For legal reasons, this game is almost never played all the way in visual media, is mentioned s happening off stage, or is interrupted before too many clothes come off. A common "bit" is for a parent to catch the children doing this and completely overreact, making the kids more confused and traumatized than the game ever would have. A common [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] is for precocious or overly intellectual children to actually be roleplaying medical professionals without any intent of taking off clothing. Indeed, this subversion is much more common in media than the "straight" use, as you'll see in the examples section.

It's considered kind of cute for very small children to do this, less so as they get older, and if either participant has hit puberty, they've lost the ChildrenAreInnocent excuse. Indeed, if anyone past puberty suggests "playing doctor," it's an UnusualEuphemism. And if one child participant is significantly older than the other, it's [[Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit usually a bad sign]].

* In ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/sonamyfan362/art/Amy-Jr-and-Moe-s-First-Date-396156739 a scene from this story]]'', Bertha (a 13-year-old teenager, and NOT a child) tells Moe (who is 10 years old) that she will show him her chest if she can see him in the nude. Amy Jr. bites Bertha's hands, forcing Bertha to drop her bikini top, and getting Bertha arrested for indecent exposure in public.

For legal reasons, this game is almost never played all the way in visual media, being mentioned off stage, or interrupted before too many clothes come off. A common "bit" is for a parent to catch the children doing this and completely overreact, making the kids more confused and traumatized than the game ever would have. A common [[SubvertedTrope subversion]] is for precocious or overly intellectual children to actually be roleplaying medical professionals without any intent of taking off clothing. Indeed, this subversion is much more common in media than the "straight" use, as you'll see in the examples section.

* ''ComicStrip/LifeInHell'': [[https://lifeinhellarchives.tumblr.com/image/145260593697 One comic]] listing a bunch of children's experiments ends with a male character looking at a female and wondering "What's under that dress?".

* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'' has a take on it, [[http://www.smbc-comics.com/index.php?db=comics&id=2386#comic but instead of MD, they play PhD]].

* In Creator/BarbaraWersba's ''Literature/TheDreamWatcher'' Albert got in trouble with the father of the girl next door when he played doctor with her once during first grade.

Not to be confused with "playing [[Series/DoctorWho The Doctor]]", Playing ''VideoGame/DrMario'', PlayingHouse, [[ActorAllusion Playing]] ''Series/{{House}}'', or ImNotADoctorButIPlayOneOnTV.

* Happened in a movie called ''Anatomy of Hell''. You actually saw the genitalia of the little girl playing doctor, Carolina Lopes.
* Schlocky horror film ''Milo'' has the title character, as a child, show a series of girls his abortionist father's collection of preserved fetuses (the children are all NightmareFetishist types) in exchange for one of them playing doctor with him. Unfortunately for the chosen girl, his idea of "doctor" involves scalpels.

* In the Creator/PhilipKDick novel ''Eye in the Sky'', a little boy is disappointed when he finally convinces the neighbor girl to show him hers -- and there's nothing there. Which turns out to be the same thing he's got down there! They're in a FisherKingdom run by someone who finds genitalia icky.

* In Barbara Wersba's ''The Dream Watcher'' Albert got in trouble with the father of the girl next door when he played doctor with her once during first grade.

* In an episode of ''Series/That70sShow'', there's a flashback, where it's revealed that Kelso played doctor with Jackie when they were little. Kelso remembers to this more fondly than their first date, because he "got further".

!!Examples

* There is one example in ''ComicBook/LePetitSpirou''… only it turns out both of them are cheating. Also, the cover for Tome 3, as pictured above (the shadow is l'abbé Langelusse catching them in the act, with the follow-up image being Spirou using his stethoscope on the fainted reverend).
* One ''{{ComicBook/Lanfeust}}'' SpinoffBabies has Lanfeust and Cixi find an out-of-the-way spot to "play mommy and daddy"... [[AwfulWeddedLife meaning beat the crap out of each other while yelling about his coming home drunk every night or her flirting with the fishmonger.]]

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' has Calvin playing doctor with his neighbor Susie Derkins. Of course, this being Calvin and Hobbes, it is [[ArtShift presented in the style of]] ''ComicStrip/RexMorganMD'' to showcase [[ArtStyleDissonance just how weird Calvin is]], and Susie storms off due to the excessive treatments Calvin suggests from the symptom of "My foot hurts, doctor."
-->'''Doctor:''' It's psychosomatic. You need a lobotomy. I'll get a hacksaw.
** Another time it gets implied when after PlayingHouse with Susie, Calvin gets fed up and takes off his clothes so he can go play JungleMan by himself. This leads to his mom getting a call from Susie's parents about how he took his clothes off at her house.

-->'''[[CombatMedic Shaw:]]''' ''(checking on Root's two injuries)'' Keep 'em dry. Change the dressings every 72 hours.
-->'''Root:''' ''(smirking)'' I love it when you play doctor.
* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}''. As a pre-teen Sam falls for the GirlNextDoor after he [[RescueRomance saves her from bullies.]] She lampshades the trope when giving him an AfterActionPatchUp. "Time to play doctor."

* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. Played for drama when Oliver Queen is shot, and the others have to patch him up themselves as they can't afford to take him to a hospital where the police will ask awkward questions.
-->'''Diggle:''' Remember playing Operation when you were a kid?
-->'''Felicity:''' Yes...and it never made me want to throw up.

-->'''Felicity:''' The last time the Vigilante paid your mom a visit, you got shot, and I got to play doctor with you. ''(exasperated expression)'' [[LampshadeHanging Ahh! My brain thinks of the worst way to say things.]]

%% * They did this in ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'', sans the doctor role-play.

* In ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/sonamyfan362/art/Amy-Jr-and-Moe-s-First-Date-396156739 a scene from this story]]'', Bertha (a 13-year-old _teenager,_ and NOT a child) tells Moe (who is 10 years old) that she will show him her chest if she can see him in the nude. Amy Jr. bites Bertha's hands, forcing Bertha to drop her bikini top, and getting Bertha arrested for indecent exposure in public.

* In ''[[https://www.deviantart.com/sonamyfan362/art/Amy-Jr-and-Moe-s-First-Date-396156739 a scene from this story]]'', Bertha (a 13-year-old _teenager_, and NOT a child) tells Moe (who is 10 years old) that she will show him her chest if she can see him in the nude. Amy Jr. bites Bertha's hands, forcing Bertha to drop her bikini top, and getting Bertha arrested for indecent exposure in public.