History Main / SkeletonsInTheCoatCloset

* ''VideoGame/TitanQuest'': When [[spoiler: Hades]] is halfway defeated, he'll wear an odd visor, turn his right arm into a bunch of tentacles and then magically materialize a suit of armor made of bones on his body.

** Cubone is a somewhat tragic example. The young take their mother's skull as a helmet and let their head grow into it. [[FridgeLogic Which makes one wonder about what's going on when one hatches and its sprite already has the "helmet".]]

* ''Franchise/DoctorWhoExpandedUniverse'': Literature/FactionParadox members wear [[CoolMask ceremonial masks]] created from the skulls of creatures "[[TemporalParadox that really shouldn't have existed in the first place anyway]]" and [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/armour.jpg full-body armor]] made from [[OurVampiresAreDifferent Yssgaroth]]-tainted [[JustForFun/TimeLord Homeworld]] agents. It's a Faction Paradox thing -- they embrace and celebrate death instead of fearing it.

[[caption-width-right:350:The skulls belong to people who tried to give him fashion advice.]]

What sort of person would clothe themselves in bones and skulls?[[note]]Apart from the fact that [[StrippedToTheBone skeletons are indestructible.]][[/note]] Someone who no doubt appreciates them as symbols of mortality and death. The wearer of such attire must surely lead a hardened lifestyle of murder, combat, and death-bringing. Perhaps you could say that they're... [[JustForPun bad to the bone]]?

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'': In ''Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon'', the titular beast is a rare breed of dragon that scavenges for dragon bones to wear as armor to protect its soft hide. The Boneknapper of the short has been chasing Gobbler for years for a specific dragon bone he keeps.

* ''Literature/TheWayOfKings'' (the first book of ''Literature/TheStormlightArchive'') has Kaladin, in later chapters, [[spoiler: wear the grown armor and bones of fallen Parshendi warriors]] to enrage them, drawing their attention toward himself and away from his fellow bridgemen.

* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'': Some the Orcs wear animal skulls as helmets.

Alternatively, they could just be {{cavemen}} or other "[[BarbarianTribe uncivilized]]" people, making the most of the all-natural materials available; in cases where helmets are fashioned out of skulls, this may likely overlap with HornsOfBarbarism. Might be constructed of NothingButSkulls.

* ''Franchise/TheTransformers'': The toyline ''War For Cybertron: Kingdom'' toyline introduced a new type of toy, the Fossilizers, who all transform into the skeletons of different dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. They're also a form of EquippableAlly, whose body can be separated to form weapons and armor that can be attached to hardpoints on other figures in the ''War For Cybertron'' trilogy.

A staple of ObviouslyEvil design. Compare CreepySouvenir, SpikesOfVillainy, and ChainedByFashion. See also BadWithTheBone and BallisticBone when bones are used as {{Improvised Weapon}}s.

* ''Webcomic/AxeCop'': Axe Cop has a [[OneMillionBC caveman]] ancestor named [[http://axecop.com/comic/ask-axe-cop-95-club-cop/ Club Cop]] whose [[BadWithTheBone club]], armor, and ''mansion'' were made from the bones of his enemies.

* Creator/GamesWorkshop:

** ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer}}'':

*** Savage Orcs are very into the caveman version of this.
*** Quite naturally, the Vampire Counts and Tomb Kings of Khemri (Warhammer's two Undead factions) use bone armour and clothing a lot - sometimes just sculpted representations of bones, but just as often actual bones themselves.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Rifts}}'':
** Skulls are a major motif of [[TheEmpire Coalition]] forces, including robotic infantry made to look like walking skeletons.
** Also the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, Death in particular, who ride upon giant steeds most of which are covered in bones. Necromancers in Rifts also gain power from using and handling bones.

* The ''Franchise/TheTransformers'' toyline ''War For Cybertron: Kingdom'' toyline introduced a new type of toy, the Fossilizers, who all transform into the skeletons of different dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. They're also a form of EquippableAlly, whose body can be separated to form weapons and armor that can be attached to hardpoints on other figures in the ''War For Cybertron'' trilogy.

See GenuineHumanHide for the ''skin'' equivalent and HumanResources for ''anything else anatomical'' equivalent.