History Main / WhatDoesThisButtonDo

* [[http://www.dilbert.com/strips/comic/2007-12-06/ This rather surreal]] ''ComicStrip/{{Dilbert}}'' comic.
* [[http://www.broadside.net/M09051119.htm This]] ''Greenside'', though it's never made explicit whether it's because the character in question is a Marine, or simply because he's a Private.

* Ling Xiaoyu says this in Panda's ''VideoGame/Tekken5'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbFGBCcpf-E ending.]] HilarityEnsues.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'': Flash does this in "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E24To26Starcrossed Starcrossed]]" (said button is in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUof_lw46h8 the cockpit of a Thanagarian gunship]])... and blows a giant hole in the wall of Wayne Manor, almost killing Alfred. Batman immediately rounds on him, saying "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis THAT'S. NOT. HELPING]]!"

* An employee at Robotoki's office pushed a button because he was apparently curious about what it did. It was the studio's panic button; [[http://www.joystiq.com/2013/06/01/robotoki-offices-stormed-by-lapd-after-designer-unknowingly-pres/ their building was subsequently raided by an LAPD SWAT team.]]

* ''Series/{{Castle}}'': Detective Beckett often laments that Castle is prone to this. HilarityEnsues in one episode when his curiosity results in him believing he has been cursed by a Mayan mummy!

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Harvey Bullock asks this about one of the Batmobile's buttons. Batman half-grins and says, "Passenger ejector seat". Doubles as a ShoutOut to a rather similar event in which Batman duped the Joker with that button.

** In Season 9 of the ''WebVideo/{{Hermitcraft}}'', Doc exploits Grian's bad habit by hiding a horde of ghasts inside of the redstone device and make a sign that says "DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON!" in order to prank him for Secret Fools Day. The resulting prank is what you expected, but several months later, Grian's habit (alongside with Scar tagging along) accidentally destroys Doc's tunnel bore, which leads to an EscalatingWar of pranks and the redstone robot fight between Grian, Scar, and Mumbo against Doc and Ren.

** In Season 9 of the ''LetsPlay/HermitcraftServer'', Doc exploits Grian's bad habit by hiding a horde of ghasts inside of the redstone device and make a sign that says "DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON!" in order to prank him for Secret Fools Day. The resulting prank is what you expected, but several months later, Grian's habit (alongside with Scar tagging along) accidentally destroys Doc's tunnel bore, which leads to an EscalatingWar of pranks and the redstone robot fight between Grian, Scar, and Mumbo against Doc and Ren.

** On Day 6 of ''[[LetsPlay/LifeSMP Limited Life]]'' while his faction-mate Jimmy is interrogating Lizzie-as-Pearl (who's in another faction) about his late frog Judge Judy And Executioner (long story), Grian presses the button which triggers the PitTrap where both are standing on, killing both Jimmy and Lizzie-as-Pearl -- while [[LampshadeHanging Jimmy dies yelling at Grian for being an idiot]].

* Dr. Smith on ''Series/LostInSpace'' is made of this trope. For all his raving cowardice, the man never met a button he wouldn't push. Probably the best example is when he finds a giant machine, stupidly activates it. and it produces an android which tries to kill him. The Robinsons destroy the android and forbid him to go near the machine again. So of course, [[TooDumbToLive he sneaks back and does exactly the same thing]] ''[[TooDumbToLive again.]]''

-->-- '''Creator/TerryPratchett''', ''Literature/ThiefOfTime''

* The ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' movie, ''Larry-Boy and the Fib from Outer Space'' plays this straight within the Larrymobile. There's a panel of multicolored buttons that Alfred didn't take the time to label, and he tells Larry this ''while he's driving towards the city's water tower''. Larry's trying to find the button for the 'Mobile's flight system, but Alfred can't remember which one it is until the last second.

* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Harvey Bullock asks this about one of the Batmobile's buttons. Batman half-grins and says, "Passenger ejector seat". Doubles as a ShoutOut to a rather similar event in which Batman duped the Joker with that button.
** ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheBraveAndTheBold'':
*** When Batman and the Joker team up, the Joker asks this about every button in the Batmobile.[[note]]It might well be a CastingGag, since the Joker's VA, Jeff Bennett, was also the dad on ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory.''[[/note]] Finally, when Batman warns him to ''especially'' [[BriarPatching not push the big red button]], the Joker does, getting sprayed with sleep gas as a consequence. Even better, he does it ''twice.'' Batman smirks at the second one.
*** Joker does this once more in the ColdOpen of his VillainEpisode "The Vile and the Villainous!" where after [[TheBadGuyWins helping The Misfit defeat Kamandi and Prince Tuftan's forces over the ICBM missile]], he (much to The Misfit's horror) presses the button for it. Cue EarthShatteringKaboom.
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck''

''"Don't touch that!!"''\\

* ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'' has Dexter's big sister [=DeeDee=] as the arguable TropeCodifier, having elevated this to an art form and having "What does this button do?" as her catchphrase.

* At the end of the ''WesternAnimation/FairlyOddParents'' episode "Vicky Loses Her Icky", Cosmo finds the President's BigRedButton, exclaims "I don't know what it does!", and presses it to everyone's horror. Cue EarthShatteringKaboom... on [[BaitAndSwitch Pluto]]. Cosmo's dialogue afterwards strongly implies he knew what the button did all along, and merely invoked the trope [[TheGadfly to mess with Timmy]].
-->'''Wanda''': Oh no! We blew up Pluto!\\
'''Cosmo''': Well, sure! [[ExactWords The president never said]] ''[[ExactWords which]]'' [[ExactWords world it blew up!]]

** In ''Space Cadet'', this isn't said but the first thing Stewie does is push a big red button in the space shuttle Chris was giving a tour of, saying, "Ooh, big red button, I don't care what it does!"

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheGrimAdventuresOfBillyAndMandy'' episode "Big Boogey Adventure", after Skarr manages to escape Grim in a submarine, he notices a flashing button and decides to press it. It shoots out a laser that goes [[TorsoWithAView through Skarr's body]], who laments having forgotten the button does that.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'', specifically "Battle of the Planets", GIR is sent to distract Dib. He goes off and makes it look like he's going to do something evil and actually competent, when all he ends up doing is randomly pushing buttons on Dib's controls, saying, "What's this do? What's that do?" And somehow this manages to ''fulfill'' his given assignment regardless.

* Flash does it in ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' (said button is in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUof_lw46h8 the cockpit of a Thanagarian gunship]])... and blows a giant hole in the wall of Wayne Manor, almost killing Alfred. Batman immediately rounds on him, saying "[[PunctuatedForEmphasis THAT'S. NOT. HELPING]]!"

** The WesternAnimation/BugsBunny cartoon "Lighter Than Hare" has Bugs' robot facing off against Yosemite Sam of Outer Space's robot:

** The WesternAnimation/DaffyDuck / WesternAnimation/ElmerFudd cartoon "WesternAnimation/DesignForLeaving": Daffy turns Elmer's house into a "Push-button" home, with each button controlling a different gadget. The entire short is this trope with Daffy and Elmer testing different buttons and comical results therein. At one point, Elmer takes in interest in a BigRedButton that Daffy warns never to touch("Not the [[GotMeDoingIt WED]] ONE! Don't ''ever'' push the wed one!") [[BrickJoke At the end of the short]], curiosity gets the better of Elmer and he pushes the button. [[spoiler: It's for a "In Case of Tidal Wave" device, and raises the house hundreds of feet into the air on a piston. Daffy then flies by in a helicopter, offering to install a blue button to get the house down.]]

* The classic ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' episode "Space Madness" ends with Commander Hoek, driven mad by... well, by space madness, brings Cadet Stimpy around the bend with him by ordering him to guard the History Eraser Button, with a very strict order not to let anyone touch it. Finding out what that button does is already tantalizing enough before the narrator decides to pile on the excruciating suspense.

'''Stimpy:''' NO I CAN'T! ''(pushes button)''\\
'''Narrator:''' Tune in next week as-- ''[[KilledMidSentence (Erased from history)]]''
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Bart Simpson on an invisible (read: made with transparent casing) computer. He managed to crash the hard drive to the point where it ''caught fire.''

** In Season 9 of the ''LetsPlay/HermitcraftServer'', Doc exploits Grian's bad habit by hiding a horde of ghasts and make a sign that says "DO NOT PRESS THIS BUTTON!" in order to prank him for Secret Fools. The resulting prank is what you expected, but several months later, Grian's habit (alongside with Scar tagging him) accidentally destroys Doc's tunnel bore, which leads to an EscalatingWar of pranks and the redstone robot fight between Grian, Scar, and Mumbo against Doc and Ren.

* ''LetsPlay/LifeSMP'': Grian from the LetsPlay/HermitcraftServer is ''infamous'' for randomly pushing any and all buttons he sees. In Day 6 of Limited Life, this leads to disasterous consequences: while his faction-mate Jimmy is interrogating Lizzie-as-Pearl (who's in another faction) about his late frog Judge Judy And Executioner (long story), Grian presses the button which triggers the PitTrap where both are standing on, killing both Jimmy and Lizzie-as-Pearl -- while [[LampshadeHanging Jimmy dies yelling at Grian for being an idiot]].

* ''ComicBook/TeenTitans''; [[ComicBook/RobinSeries Tim Drake]] manages to smuggle a batmobile to California under the 'Batarang budget' and tells the group not to touch the blue button after being asked that question. A page later reveals it most likely contacts Batman, right after [[ComicBook/{{Impulse}} Kid Flash]] has managed to crash the car upside down.

* ''Film/Apollo13''. As the crew begins to prep for its re-entry, we briefly glimpse a piece of paper over a panel in the cockpit, simply marked "NO!". When all three men get back in the cockpit, Jim asks Jack about the note; Jack admits that he was getting "kinda punchy" and didn't want to accidentally [[ThrownOutTheAirlock jettison the LEM with the other two men still inside]]. (This happened for real on the actual Apollo 13. The note part, not the jettisoning the LM part.)

* In ''Contraband Rocket'', a 1956 sci-fi novel by Lee Correy, rocket geeks restore a scrapped atomic rocket and fly it to the Moon. While landing on autopilot, someone accidentally hits his hand on a switch and goes into a panic. After landing safely...
-->Chubb discovered what switch he had accidentally hit. He found himself staring at a luminous light panel on the overhead which said plainly: ''You have just hit the panic switch, provided by the Electronics Division for your convenience in times of stress.''

'''Bugs' robot:''' I'll go with you on one condition. That you don't press this button. ''[points to button on body frame]''\\

'''Bugs robot:''' Eh, what's up, doc?\\
'''Sam's robot:''' I'll show you what's up. ''[pulls ray gun]'' You're coming with me.\\
'''Bugs robot:''' I'll go with you on one condition. That you don't press this button. ''[points to button on body frame]''\\
'''Sam's robot:''' Oh, yeah? No Earth robot is going to tell me what button to press. I'm a-pressin'!\\

* Asked in Episode 15 of ''LightNovel/BodaciousSpacePirates'' when Marika brings the yacht club aboard the Bentenmaru to fill in for her quarantined crew. Answer: It fires the ship's main cannons.

* ''Anime/IsekaiQuartet'': When the ''LightNovel/{{Konosuba}}'' group finds a mysterious button, Aqua immediately wants to press it. Kazuma holds her back, pointing out it could do something dangerous. Megumin says she agrees with his logic but presses it anyway. Pressing it whisks the group away to the series' school setting.

--->'''Phineas:''' Alright, Candace, you'll be fine as long as you don't push any buttons randomly.\\
'''Candace:''' I CAN'T HEAR YOU, TOO BUSY PUSHING BUTTONS RANDOMLY!

* Burnie Burns of Creator/RoosterTeeth was shocked to find out that there was a "death switch" to the machinima offices in their kitchen -- a poor schmoe found the switch and began flipping it, innocently wondering why the kitchen lights weren't turning off. Gus Sorola, Barbara Dunkleman and Creator/GavinFree postulated that, had the switch existed during the early days of the company, Burnie would have flipped and ripped it out
''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheTempleOfDoom'' style.

'''Narrator:''' Tune in next week as--

->''"Do You know the button song?\\
The Button Song, the Button Song\\
When you play the Button Song\\
You'll find out what goes wrong!"''
-->-- '''Wander''' (while pressing random buttons on Lord Hater's ship controls), ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'', "The Prisoner"

* On ''Series/TopGear'', James May built a limousine from an Alfa Romeo and a Saab, creating a two-headed Frankenvehicle. Richard Hammond couldn't resist pulling a lever on the Alfa side... which uncoupled the steering and left the "Alfaab" fishtailing wildly while Jeremy Clarkson tried to regain control.

* Lampshaded on ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' (the original radio series).

[[folder:Web Comics]]

* In ''Fanfic/HarryPotterAndTheInvincibleTechnomage'' (a fanfiction in which Literature/HarryPotter is adopted by [[ComicBook/IronMan Tony Stark]]) the Dursleys and Harry go to a Stark International factory. Dudley decides to apply this trope, and his father not only doesn't do a thing to stop his son but [[TooDumbToLive prevents some people from stopping the kid]]. The result? The Dursleys die, another family that was there dies, a technician dies, and the only survivor is Harry thanks to his magical powers.

* In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlph_4wvF8s this]] ''VideoGame/TitanFall2'' fansong, "Wait, what's this button for?" "[[AC:Eject eject, that's the nuclear core]]

* ''WebVideo/TheBuggerAnthology'': In "The Dalek Invasion of Funk", the Doctor finds a button labeled "Health & Safety Violation Alarm", wonders what the button does, and presses it. It activates an alarm, prompting all the nightclub guests to flee.