History Main / ReachingBetweenTheLines

* Providing the page image, in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' episode "Doug's Fat Cat" Doug agrees to take care of Roger's cat Stinky. When she gets sick and Doug is worried what will happen if he tells Roger the truth, he imagines Roger grabbing him by the neck and pulling him through the phone, then strapping him to a car and preparing to flatten him with a monster truck while yelling that he trusted Doug (so this is a justifiable case that's not even ''real'' in-universe).

* One of futuristic devices ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' pulls out is a tool that allows you to reach out over the phone. It lead to disastrous results, as you'd expect with Nobita [[AccidentalPervert accidentally ripping Shizuka's skirt from her]]. Twice!

* Done with only slightly more logic by Manuel in ''Series/FawltyTowers'' to prove his boss isn't there. "He no here! Listen!" (''waves phone about'')

** In "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS2E21ThePony The Pony]]", Darwin sticks his eye through the receiver of the Wattersons' house phone to check on Anais. Likewise, in "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS4E32TheMisunderstandings The Misunderstandings]]", Penny sticks her eye through the receiver and sticks her lips through the mouthpiece to kiss him.

** In "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS4E32TheMisunderstandings The Misunderstandings]]", Penny sticks her eye through the receiver of Gumball's house phone, then sticks her lips through the mouthpiece and kisses him.
** In "[[Recap/TheAmazingWorldOfGumballS5E34TheDeal The Deal]]", one of the Watterson kids' antics after they turn feral without Richard's supervision is to put a raw chicken in the garbage disposal. They also rewired the house, so when Nicole answers the phone, the chicken comes out liquefied through it and hits her in the face.

* Two variations occur in the ''WesternAnimation/GarfieldAndFriends'' episode "T.V. of Tomorrow", where Jon, Garfield, and Odie look at various futuristic TV models. One includes a "Taste-O-Vision" feeding tube mask meant to allow the viewer to experience what people are eating on TV shows. Unfortunately for Garfield, the interactivity isn't limited to food, as mud from an on-TV mudslide pours through the tube as well. Likewise, the 3-D TV Garfield and Odie try out next is a little ''too'' real, allowing Binky the Clown to hit Odie with a custard pie, both to be splashed by a surfing show's wave, and an octopus tentacle to reach through the TV and pull Odie in. A remote control from the outside sets him free.

Compare TelephoneTeleport (in which the character physically travels to the other end of the phone line rather than merely reaching out through it) and TelevisionPortal (in which a video link is used in a similar manner).

* In Bill Cosby's ''Film/GhostDad'', he at one point teleports through the phone to berate the man on the other end, courtesy of the fact that he is currently a ghost.

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Grow}}'' demonstrates the trope using a cell phone and multiple recipients.

* In one ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} cartoon, Peppermint Patty wants to send flowers to Charlie Brown and asks Marcy how she should do it and Marcy says to send them by phone. Cut to Peppermint Patty trying to shove flowers into the receiver of a phone and saying “she’s got to be kidding.”

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SkylandersAcademy'' episode "Return to Cynder", one of the Golden Queen's [[PokeThePoodle petty schemes]] is calling someone on the phone and [[TakenForGranite turning the caller to gold]]. The end of the episode reveals that she was talking to [[ButtMonkey Hugo]].

!!Examples

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* ''FanFic/TheGreatAlicornHunt'': In Chapter 14, Pinkie Pie reaches through the magic mirrors they're using to communicate to give Rainbow Dash a hug. Naturally, everypony else wonders how she did that.
* ''[[FanFic/AdoptedDisplaced Sons of Damas]]'': Shining Armor is able to zap Errol, who's currently hacked into their holo-projector's transmission. A flabbergasted Errol lampshades the trope.
-->'''Errol:''' How did you manage to shoot me ''through'' a communication transmission? (...) "That's impossible!
* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_awgUg6q8WA this]] ActorAllusion animatic of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Blue Diamond gets a "Conflict Of Interest" notice stuck to her face through her [[BlandNameProduct Dull]] monitor when she tries to (unsuccessfully) edit her own Wikipedia page.

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

* ''Series/TheBennyHillShow'': In a sketch, Benny plays a switchboard operator in an apartment building with [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speaking_tube speaking tubes.]] At one point he took two calls, one from a man whose plumbing was leaking and another from a woman who had a small fire, indicated by the fact that water comes out of the former tube, and smoke out of the later. He then connected the tubes together so the leaking water would put out the fire. Another couple of callers were a doctor and his patient, and the tubes were broken (they couldn't be connected) so he had to act as an inbetween. The doctor sent a pill to the patient by blowing it through the tube to Benny, who then blew it to the patient; but he sucked when he should have blown and swallowed the pill himself.

-->''I wish I could climb right through the telephone line''
-->''And give you what you want so you could still be mine...hey hey''

* ''Webcomic/TheOrderOfTheStick'': Not only can Tiamat call you [[MultipleHeadCase on five different lines at once]], you also have to worry about [[BreathWeapon fire, lightning, gas, cold and acid]] [[http://www.giantitp.com/comics/oots0667.html coming out of the receiver]].

[[folder:Web Original]]

* In the Franchise/HomestarRunner [[HalloweenSpecial Halloween]] toon, "Jibblies 2", the Horrible Painting casts a jibblie spell on Marzipan by leaving a message on her answering machine, causing [[HypnoRay green rays]] to emanate from the speaker.

* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''

** This also happens a couple times in ''WesternAnimation/JetsonsTheMovie''. At one point, as George drives off to work at the new plant, a monitor turns on the dashboard and all the members of his family each take turns saying goodbye, and when Astro appears, he sticks his head out of the monitor and gives George a big lick on the face. At another point, at the plant, Mr. Spacely is displayed on a huge TV screen. He warns George to keep things moving there, because "lost time means lost money. And lost money means [[PunctuatedForEmphasis lost. Vice. President!]]" He then leans his head out of the screen (which is huge, and so his head is huge, too) and into George's face to say sternly, "Get it?" George gulps.

* One of futuristic devices ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' pulls out is a tool that allows you to reach out over the phone. It lead to disastrous results, as you'd expect with Nobita [[AccidentalPervert accidentally ripping Shizuka's skirt from her]]. Twice!.

This mostly seems confined to cartoons, although similar events have shown up in live action comedies from time to time, usually ones that don't confine themselves too closely to the laws of reality. Unless of course its those [[AllJustADream scenes in particular that are not real]]. While there are more serious [[Film/TheMatrix works]] where phones are used as transport focuses, this is about humourous uses.

** WesternAnimation/BugsBunny once answered a quiz show in a phone booth and the prize money comes through the change slot.

** In "Karate Choppers", [=SpongeBob=] tries to karate-punch Sandy through the telephone wire, but Sandy redirects his punch through the speaker of her own telephone so [=SpongeBob=] hits himself.

* In one commercial for Advertising/WilkinsCoffee, Wilkins the frog is on the phone to the grocery store. He orders some Wilkins Instant Coffee, which is immediately sprayed out of the phone's mouthpiece and into his mouth.

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_awgUg6q8WA this]] ActorAllusion animatic of ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', Blue Diamond gets a Conflict Of Interest notice stuck to her face through her [[BlandNameProduct Dull]] monitor when she tries to (unsuccessfully) edit her own Wikipedia page.

--> Errol: "How did you manage to shoot me ''through'' a communication transmission?" (...) "That's impossible!"

** In "The Misunderstandings", Penny sticks her eye through the receiver of Gumball's house phone, then sticks her lips through the mouthpiece and kisses him.
** In "The Deal", one of the Watterson kids' antics after they turn feral without Richard's supervision is to put a raw chicken in the garbage disposal. They also rewired the house, so when Nicole answers the phone, the chicken comes out liquefied through it and hits her in the face.
** In "The Cage", Gumball tries to protect Mr. Corneille from getting crushed by a muscular wrestler by calling the latter's manager, who does [[OverlyLongGag multiple]] coffee {{Spit Take}}s on Gumball's face through the phone.

* Providing the page image, in the ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' episode "Doug's Fat Cat" Doug agrees to take care of Roger's cat Stinky. When she gets sick and Doug is worried what will happen if he tells Roger the truth, he imagines Roger grabbing him by the neck and pulling him through the phone, then strapping him to a car and preparing to flatten him with a monster truck (so this is a justifiable case that's not even ''real'' in-universe).

* ''WesternAnimation/FilmationsGhostbusters'': A ghost does this to Jake in the opening credits--it bellows out the first part of the "LET'S GO, GHOST...BUSTERS!" line. In that case though its less the existence of cartoony rules that allow random teleportation and more the fact that its a ghost who doesn't have much physical limitations.

* In one ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} cartoon, Peppermint Patty wants to send flowers to Charlie Brown and asks Marcy how she should do it in and Marcy says to send them by phone. Cut to Peppermint Patty trying to shove flowers into the receiver of a phone and saying “she’s got to be kidding.”

** In "The Cage", Gumball tries to protect Mr. Corneille from getting crushed by a muscular wrestler by calling the latter's manager, who as a RunningGag does coffee {{Spit Take}}s on Gumball's face through the phone.