History Main / StairwayToHeaven

** Also of note is "[[Recap/CowboyBebopSession26TheRealFolkBluesPart2 The Real Folk Blues (Part 2)]]", in which [[spoiler:Spike dies while [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic descending]] down a staircase from the ExecutiveSuiteFight]].

* Creator/GeorgeGershwin wrote "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise", which famously appeared in the movie ''Film/AnAmericanInParis''.

--'''Roy's Archon:''' Said it violated their ascetic vows, and they felt like they were in a mall.

* ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' "[[WesternAnimation/SatansWaitin Satan's Waitin']]" - escalator to both Heaven and Hell. Unfortunately for Sylvester, the up escalator is corded off.

Named after the Music/LedZeppelin song, from the band's [[Music/LedZeppelinIV untitled fourth album]].

Sometimes when a character [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence ascends to a higher plane of existence]] they also have to ascend ''the stairs'' to that higher plane of existence, which is usually a FluffyCloudHeaven or a CelestialBureaucracy.

[[folder:Anime]]
* In ''Anime/CowboyBebop'', when Spike is [[MushroomSamba high on mushrooms]] he hallucinates a staircase that he climbs infinitely (he is really just stepping on the the same step of a real set of stairs) and meets a frog:
-->'''Frog:''' This here's the stairway to heaven. You know that, doncha?\\

** Also of note is the series' finale, where [[spoiler:Spike dies while [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic descending]] down a staircase from the ExecutiveSuiteFight]].

-->--'''Literature/BookOfGenesis''' 28:12

[[folder:Video Games]]

** [[SequenceBreaking Unless you long jump]] [[{{Speedrun}} up the stairs]] ''[[GoodBadBug backwards.]]''

* ''VideoGame/TouhouProject'' has the stairway that physically leads to Hakugyokuro, and the land of the dead around it. Not exactly ''Heaven'' per se, but it is a land of the peaceful dead.

* ''TheHornBlowsAtMidnight'' replaces the Stairway with a celestial SpaceElevator for the angels to use in coming to earth.

* ''Cabin In The Sky'' shows Eddie Anderson and Ethyl Waters ascending a Stairway To Heaven to close the movie.

* Subverted in ''Manga/KannazukiNoMiko''. The stairway that Chikane goes up to at the shrine of the moon led to her solitary imprisonment, which is required to save the world. [[spoiler:It's better in the manga, where Himeko decided to stay with Chikane at the shrine on the moon]].

* In the ''Literature/{{Incarnations of Immortality}}'' series, Satan has a Hellevator which can go from Earth, to Purgatory, to Hell and to Heaven, but only certain people can use it.
* In the religion of Allsaints in ''{{Literature/Seraphina}}'’ the dead are lead by St. Eustace up the Heavenly Stair to Heaven.

* ''{{VideoGame/Scribblenauts}}'' has a level where you must get some bad guys into heaven. Now, you could just tie them to a pegasus and drag them up with chains, but if you summon a stairway, hey presto, they just float up and you win the level.
* ''VideoGame/{{Touhou}}'' has the stairway that physically leads to Hakugyokuro, and the land of the dead around it. Not exactly ''Heaven'' per se, but it is a land of the peaceful dead.

* ''Film/AMatterOfLifeAndDeath'' (which was released as ''Stairway To Heaven'' in the U.S.) mentions an escalator.
* ''The Heavenly Kid'' has an Escalator to Heaven.

Sometimes an AbsurdlyLongStairway. Contrast {{Hellevator}}. If the character doesn't make it in, the stairs may turn into a SurpriseSlideStaircase to Hell. Not to be confused with SpaceElevator. See also RideTheRainbow.

* In ''VideoGame/SuperMario64'', there is a staircase that you can get to, but if you open the door to it before you have the key, it goes up basically forever, no matter how much you climb there's still more ahead. But turn around and you've only gone up a handful of steps.