History Main / PrankInjuries

* In a ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip, Calvin hides some pasta up his shirt and claims to Susie that his intestines are coming out, then opens up his shirt to make the pasta spill out.

* In ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'', the first book has Greg be jealous of the attention Rowley is getting for his broken hand and so he bandages his own hand and claims that he has a "raging infection caused by a splinter that was left untreated", but that just weirds everyone out. At the end of the first book, Rowley also does the "arrow-through-the-head" gag.

* In a ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip, Calvin hides some pasta up his shirt and claims to Susie Derkins that his intestines are coming out, then opens up his shirt to make the pasta spill out.

[[folder:Web Comics]]
* [[http://www.unshelved.com/2003-2-21 This]] ''Webcomic/{{Unshelved}}'' strip.
[[/folder]]

* One of the {{Nice Hat}}s you can get in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' simulates a large butcher knife stuck in your head. (This being ''[[BloodyHilarious Team Fortress 2]]'', it may well be an ''actual'' butcher knife stuck in your head.)

* The arrow gag is taken UpToEleven in the ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'' episode "One If By Clam, Two If By Sea". After a hurricane hits Quahog, Peter stumbles around with a fence plank impaled through his body. After horrifying his family, he reveals that it's just set up like the fake arrow trick.

* ''Film/AprilFoolsDay'' took this to the extreme.

* There is a scene in ''Summer School'' in which a teacher walks in to find his entire class has apparently been massacred, as they are lying around covered with gaping, seeping wounds. This is shortly revealed to be a prank.

* One of the {{Nice Hat}}s you can now get in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' simulates a large butcher knife stuck in your head. (This being ''[[BloodyHilarious Team Fortress 2]]'', it may well be an ''actual'' butcher knife stuck in your head.)

May result in CryingWolf if they actually get injured afterwards (which can lead to AnAesop about deception being wrong) or DeadlyPrank (if they actually injure themselves in an attempt at playing injured). See also ABloodyMess regarding "injuries" involving fake blood. For a similar thing where characters pretend to lose consciousness, see the "Fake Faint" section under {{Fainting}}.

The character's reasons for doing this can vary: often, like most pranks, it's to make them or someone else laugh or to shock someone. It might also be to trick people into thinking they're injured (in a similar fashion to PlayingSick) to [[AttentionWhore get attention]] or get access to something or [[LazyBum as an excuse to be lazy]] or to get away with something (e.g. "What? How can I have done it? My leg's broken!").

* In an episode of ''Series/TreasureAttic'', a large talking dog has a cold and is bored of recovering in bed. He shouts, "Owie!" when he's not really hurt, and when they discover the lie, they tell him the story of ''Literature/TheBoyWhoCriedWolf''.

-->[[http://legends.disney.go.com/legends/detail?key=Steve Martin "The arrow-through-the-head was a thing we used to sell at Disneyland," Martin says, "It was just so silly. It was like anti-comedy."]]

May result in CryingWolf if they actually get injured afterwards (which can lead to AnAesop about deception being wrong) or DeadlyPrank (if they actually injure themselves in an attempt at playing injured). See also ABloodyMess regarding "injuries" involving fake blood and LameExcuse for when a character lies about being injured (or sick, allergic, etc) but doesn't actively fake the affliction. For a similar thing where characters pretend to lose consciousness, see the "Fake Faint" section under {{Fainting}}.

* On ''Disney/{{Pocahontas}}'', Radcliff's valet Wiggins pulls the old arrow-through-the-head bit.

Prank items used in imitating horrifying injuries. Would getting your chest penetrated by an axe be too inconvenient? You could always use items which resemble an axe submerged in you, without actually entering your chest. Alternatively, items which resemble wounds could make you look under-the-weather. May result in CryingWolf or DeadlyPrank. See also ABloodyMess regarding injuries involving fake blood.

* In the third ''Film/ScaryMovie'', one of the main character's friends from the previous film fakes these (being expected to die in 7 days as part of the film's status as a parody of ''Film/TheRing'') before being killed off proper.
* ''Film/AprilFoolsDay'' took this to the extreme.

* ''Series/MythBusters'': Adam Savage is fond of these, having both the arrow and knife variety of head injury prank items in his possession, as well as having used them before for humorous [[NoFourthWall pieces to the camera]].

* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'': in the ''[[WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddysBigPictureShow Big Picture Show]]'' movie, Ed and Eddy manage to scare Edd in the gag factory wearing items that portray with a fork and an axe through their heads respectively.

Prank items used in imitating horrifying injuries. Would getting your chest penetrated by an axe be too inconvenient? You could always use items which resemble an axe submerged in you, however without actually entering your chest. Alternatively, items which resemble wounds could make you look under-the-weather. May result in CryingWolf or DeadlyPrank. See also ABloodyMess regarding injuries involving fake blood.

* One ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' comic had a reversal of the fake-arrow-through-head hat, an Indian with a fake ''rifle'' stuck through their head.

Prank items used in imitating horrifying injuries. Would getting your chest penetrated by an axe be too inconvenient? You could always use items which resemble an axe submerged in you, however without actually entering your chest. Alternatively, items which resemble wounds could make you look under-the-weather. May result in CryingWolf or DeadlyPrank.

Prank items used in imitating horrifying injuries. May result in CryingWolf or DeadlyPrank.