History TemptingFate / WesternAnimation

--->'''Homer:''' Eee hee hee! I've got your donut, Lard Lad, and what are ''you'' gonna do about it?!

* In a [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnUvZP7-5LM clip]] from the never-produced ''{{Buffy the Vampire Slayer}}'' animated series:

* [[PixarShorts "Your next stop is the hospital!"]] (Cue Doctor Feelbad being shot out of the arena by the Tormentor [[{{Cars}} (Mater's]] monster truck wrestler alter-ego) and [[DestinationDefenestration into a hospital)]]

However, things go wrong in the next few scenes. In prison, a Dai Li agent delivers Long Feng his meal, but also quietly reassures Long Feng that the organization retains loyalty to him, not the King. Toph goes to meet her mother, and ends up being captured in a metal box by Master Yu and Xin Fu. The Kyoshi Warriors arrive before the Earth King, who formally welcomes them. [[spoiler: Unknown to the king, however, they are actually Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee, disguised in Kyoshi Warrior garments and makeup, setting the stage for the (temporary) takeover of Ba Sing Se...]]

** This textbook exchange:

'''Patrick:''': Yeah, [=SpongeBob=]?\\

* The original ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePony'' cartoon used this in the pilot episode's opening theme song. The lines "No sign of trouble in sight" and "May all your days be bright" prove to be tempting fate because soon after the ponies are attacked by the goons of a villain seeking to bring about TheNightThatNeverEnds.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}''
** "Wet Painters" [[PlayingWithATrope played with it incessantly]]. [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are painting a house filled with valuable collectibles. Cue Murphy's Law, involving a paint bubble.
-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' What could be worse than a giant paint bubble?!\\
'''Patrick:''' Ooh! I know this one! ''(produces a bubble wand, dips in into the paint, and blows another giant paint bubble)'' TWO giant paint bubbles!\\
''(the bubbles collide and form one MASSIVE paint bubble)''\\
'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' I don't think this can get any worse!\\

* ''{{X-Men Evolution}}'': In the episode "Cruise Control", the X-Men are taking a vacation on a cruise ship. When Boom-Boom is going to breakfast, {{Storm}} says to her, "Remember, low profile." Boom-Boom says, "It's just breakfast. What could happen?" Cue the breakfast scene, in which the X-Men accidentally reveal their powers to the passengers and cause a huge mess. Also it's ''Boom-Boom'' who starts the whole mess by throwing one of her bombs, although it's Jean using her powers to put out the fire caused by Boom-Boom's bomb that tips off the passengers. Later in the episode, when they're on an island Boom-Boom says the ''same line'' ("What could happen?"), right before the volcano acts up.

* In ''TheFairlyOddparents'' movie "Wishology: The exciting middle part"...

* ''CampLazlo'': One of the mini-shorts has a camper raking a big pile of leaves and saying "I can't imagine having to do that again." The plot of the short has Skip and Chip driving an out of control speedboat, so we expect the speedboat to ram into the leaves. [[spoiler:Instead, it rams into another campmate who happens to walk by.]]
* In the 2nd episode of ''SlackerCats'' Buckley and Eddie are arguing about who will steer the car and who will do the breaks. They both decide to steer.

* ''WinxClub'' season 3 arguably would have been better off ''not'' subverting this trope: Stella says, of saving someone from her own homerealm to get her Enchantix, "I hope I don't have to save Chimera." [[spoiler:When push comes to shove, she ends up saving her dad, left by Chimera and her mom escaping in his vehicle. So instead of maybe getting [[HeelFaceTurn Chimera coming over to Stella's side]], we end up getting Chimera being ignominiously defeated in an anticlimactic battle.]]
* An episode of ''RockosModernLife'' has a flashback where Ed Bighead has two balls left to win a bowling game. He throws the first one away as he claims he doesn't need two balls. As he uses the final ball, the announcer says that only something terrible that would haunt him for the rest of his life would cause this to not go perfectly. Ed then accidently destroys the entire building... and ''still'' doesn't get a single pin down.
* ''SpaceGhost''

* ''JonnyQuest'' TOS.

* ''TheMagicSchoolBus'': "PLEASE let this be a normal field trip!" [[LampshadeHanging "With the Frizz?" "NO WAY!"]]
* In one episode of ''EdEddNEddy'', Ed's bratty sister Sarah is acting like a princess and bossing the Eds around. At one point Eddy remarks "Next thing you know, she'll want a throne!" GilliganCut to "Queen Sarah" sitting on a hastily cobbled-together throne, and Eddy [[YouJustHadToSayIt offering "A toast, to my big fat mouth!"]]
* ''{{Superfriends}}'' (1973/74) episode "Too Hot to Handle". The heat causes wax statues of the main heroes to melt, so Wendy and Marvin remove the uniforms from the statues.

* ''PhineasAndFerb''

** Probably the best, [[HilariousinHindsight and most lasting]], example: "All the ponies in this town are '''crazy'''!" [[FreakOut One by one...]]

* The original ''MyLittlePony'' cartoon used this in the pilot episode's opening theme song. The lines "No sign of trouble in sight" and "May all your days be bright" prove to be tempting fate because soon after the ponies are attacked by the goons of a villain seeking to bring about TheNightThatNeverEnds.

* One episode of ''TheLifeAndTimesOfJuniperLee'' features Juniper tempting fate by commenting on how there hasn't been any magical emergencies lately despite the warnings from the more GenreSavvy Monroe.
* All the time on ''JimmyTwoShoes'', to the point where Jimmy's CatchPhrase is "Like that's even possible." It is.
* ''DannyPhantom'', episode Reign Storm, after Danny stuffed Dash's locker full with toilet paper:

* {{Archer}}: Sterling and Katya go on the run, and archer assures her'' "we'll always be one step ahead of them. No matter who's hunting us. Even if it's, oh, I don't know, a criminally insane cyborg." ''Cut to [[spoiler: Barry]], a criminally insane cyborg out for revenge on Archer.

* An episode of ''[=~Rocko's Modern Life~=]'' has a flashback where Ed Bighead has two balls left to win a bowling game. He throws the first one away as he claims he doesn't need two balls. As he uses the final ball, the announcer says that only something terrible that would haunt him for the rest of his life would cause this to not go perfectly. Ed then accidently destroys the entire building... and ''still'' doesn't get a single pin down.

* {{Archer}}: Sterling and Katya go on the run, and archer assures her'' "we'll always be one step ahead of them. No matter who's hunting us. Even if it's, oh, I don't know, a criminally insane cyborg." ''Cut to [[spoiler: Barry]], a criminally insane cyborg out for revenge on Archer.

** In "King Mario of Cramalot", Mario, Luigi, The Princess, and Toad are manacled in a dungeon with a small circumference but a (temporarily) high ceiling. Mario says things could be worse, and Luigi asks how. Mario gives the example that [[DescendingCeiling the ceiling could start lowering until it crushed them]]. No points for guessing what starts to happen, but extra credit if you guessed that the ceiling would be [[IncrediblyLamePun pointy]]. Mario then says that the [[DrowningPit room could start filling up with water]]. It does... start, anyway.

* {{Archer}}: Sterling and Katya go on the run, and archer assures her "we'll always be one step ahead of them. No matter who's hunting us. Even if it's, oh, I don't know, a criminally insane cyborg." ''Cut to [[spoiler: Barry]], a criminally insane cyborg out for revenge on Archer.

-->'''Sam:''' "Never" is karma's doorbell. Ding-dong, it's for you.

** Probably the best, [[HilariousinHindsight and most lasting]], example: "All the ponies in this town are ''crazy''!" [[FreakOut One by one...]]

** Having captured Toph in a metal container, and in the process of carting her home, Xin Fu gets sick of her yelling and taunts her, saying, "You might think you're the greatest earthbender in the world, but even you can't bend metal!" Guess what skill she proceeds to teach herself and use in the next few hours.

** While the Gaang's ship is under attack, Sokka says, [[RockBottom "Things couldn't get much worse!"]], then a giant sea serpent pops out of the water. The trope is however swiftly subverted, as a stray shot causes the serpent to attack their pursuers instead, prompting a "Thank you, the universe!" from Sokka.
** Played straight and lampshaded in one episode.
--> Sokka: " The universe just loves proving me wrong!
--> Toph: " That's 'cause you make it too easy!"

* One ''TomAndJerry'' cartoon was about a white laboratory mouse that had consumed several volatile explosives, escaped, and is threatening to destroy everything in its path once it explodes. Tom, after hearing about the exploding white mouse on the radio, encouters said mouse, but it turns out to be his archnemesis Jerry, who disguised himself as the white mouse by covering himself with flour just to give Tom a scare. Shortly after Jerry's disguise is accidentally washed off, the ''real'' white mouse arrives, at which point Tom hears over the radio that the explosives inside the mouse have deteriorated and is no longer dangerous, "the white mouse will not explode." Tom decides to triumphantly drop-kick the white mouse out the front door, causing it to explode for real and level the neighborhood.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'': While the Gaang's ship is under attack, Sokka says, [[RockBottom "Things couldn't get much worse!"]], then a giant sea serpent pops out of the water. The trope is however swiftly subverted, as a stray shot causes the serpent to attack their pursuers instead, prompting a "Thank you, the universe!" from Sokka.

** Also, in the two-part episode "The Boiling Rock", the Warden says that no one has ever escaped from his prison. [[spoiler: By the end of the episode, FIVE people have escaped -- Sokka, Zuko, Hakoda, Suki and Chit Sang.]]

* In ''CloneHigh'', Abe is running for student body president and getting his butt kicked. Gandhi says "At least things can't get any worse." and Abe berates him because of this trope. As if on cue, Cleo dumps him. Gandhi then says, "Wait... at least things can't get any ''better''." Abe says it doesn't work that way. After Abe leaves the scene, as if on cue, a butterfly flies over and gives him a dollar.
** Also parodied wonderfully in the episode where Ponce, a character who had never been seen before and was very obviously introduced just so he could be gratuitously killed off, spends the entire first half of the episode making blatant fate-tempting statements, such as constantly telling his friends he loves them just in case he never sees them again. Sure enough, he is randomly killed by a flying plastic bag.
* ''CodeLyoko'': Any time Jérémie makes an assessment of the situation on Lyoko, something immediately happens to make it the opposite. Thus, optimism leads to nothing but trouble, but saying "It's all over!" appears to summon a DeusExMachina.
** "Kadic Bombshell": Aelita asks Jérémie if he can fix the unexpected problem with the Supercomputer. He worriedly tells her, yes, "but the problem is that it might take a little while, and of course during that time, XANA could..." BEEP BEEP BEEP "...activate a tower!" XANA never lets an opportunity to let the kids tempt fate slide.

** Also, this textbook exchange:

* ''JusticeLeagueUnlimited'': In the episode "Grudge Match", {{Huntress}} and BlackCanary face off and against brainwashed superheroines in a [[CatFight Glamour Slam]]. After breaking Hawkgirl and Comicbook/{{Vixen}} out of their brainwashing, Huntress is feeling lucky and shouts "Is that all you've got?" to villainess Roulette -- who promptly sends (also brainwashed) ''WonderWoman'' onto the stage. Cue the heroines' ''OhCrap'' expressions.
** Also, the episode "Divided We Fall"'s ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53OyPYa7SEI "Are you going to'' fight me'', boy?"]]'' ([[Awesome/JusticeLeague Hell yeah he's gonna]].)
*** Just after Flash disappears, Luthor says "what do you know, I did kill him". After Superman overcomes the temptation to burn Luthor to a crisp, it turns out Flash is actually still alive.

* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', when the family find themselves competing in a torturous Japanese game-show, Homer tempts fate by saying that he prefers their current predicament to the "lightning round"; he gets struck by lightning. Then, recognising the pattern, he hopefully wonders whether there'll be an "ice-cream round"... and gets struck by lightning again.
** Also, when Mr. Burns rounds up an all-star baseball team to defeat the Shelbyville plant, he challenges fate to have them all befall nine separate misfortunes. This turns out to be a subversion because only ''eight'' of his players do. (Tropes being tropes, the one who doesn't have a misfortune, Darryl Strawberry, is the one who's taking Homer's spot in the lineup.)
*** Seven, actually. Don Mattingly made it, but Burns tossed him for his sideburns.... which he didn't have. Hey, it's ''The Simpsons''.

* ''WesternAnimation/FamilyGuy'''s "Dial Meg for Murder" subverts this trope into a comment on the audience's racist assumptions: When Brian talks Meg out of robbing Mort Goldman's pharmacy and the two leave, Mort comments, "Well, at least I didn't get robbed!" Then, "How can I help you four fine black gentlemen today?" The show then cuts away to continue the story, leaving the viewer's familiarity with the trope and with common racial stereotyping to conclude the scene.

** Also, from their ''StarWars'' [[FamilyGuyPresentsLaughItUpFuzzball parody]] "Something Something Something Dark Side:"

* The "Wet Painters" episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{SpongeBob SquarePants}}'' [[PlayingWithATrope played with it incessantly]]. [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick are painting a house filled with valuable collectibles. Cue Murphy's Law, involving a paint bubble.

* On ''SuperMarioBrosSuperShow'', "The Bird! The Bird!", Toad is whisked away by a Birdo with extremely bad vision, who thinks he's her baby. This leads the Mario Brothers and the Princess up the tallest mountain in an already snowy land to bring him back. At one point, Mario says that "it could be worse". When Luigi asks how, an Albatoss drops a Bob-Omb nearby. It and the next four Bob-Ombs are easily disposed of before they go off, but the next three are dropped farther up the path, setting off an avalanche.

* ''{{X-Men Evolution}}'': In the episode "Cruise Control", the X-Men are taking a vacation on a cruise ship. When Boom-Boom is going to breakfast, {{Storm}} says to her, "Remember, low profile." Boom-Boom says, "It's just breakfast. What could happen?" Cue the breakfast scene, in which the X-Men accidentally reveal their powers to the passengers and cause a huge mess. Also it's ''Boom-Boom'' who starts the whole mess by throwing one of her bombs, although it's Jean using her powers to put out the fire caused by Boom-Boom's bomb that tips off the passengers.
** Later in the episode, when they're on an island Boom-Boom says the ''same line'' ("What could happen?"), right before the volcano acts up.

* One of the ''CampLazlo'' mini-shorts has a camper raking a big pile of leaves and saying "I can't imagine having to do that again." The plot of the short has Skip and Chip driving an out of control speedboat, so we expect the speedboat to ram into the leaves. [[spoiler:Instead, it rams into another campmate who happens to walk by.]]
* In the second episode of ''SlackerCats'' Buckley and Eddie are arguing about who will steer the car and who will do the breaks. They both decide to steer.

** It doesn't.

** Episode "Brago". As a boy leaves an escape tunnel:

** Episode "The Looters". As a pirate ship approaches a ship carrying a cargo of gold:

* ''WesternAnimation/TotalDramaIsland'': After the Killer Bass' tent is burned down, an angry Courtney declares that things couldn't get any worse. On cue, it starts to rain.
** From the first episode:

* ''TheMagicSchoolBus'': "PLEASE let this be a normal field trip!"
** [[LampshadeHanging "With the Frizz?" "NO WAY!"]]

* In the ''PhineasAndFerb'' episode "A Hard Day's Knight", Candace agrees to dress up like a princess for their medieval fair. After a few moments she wonders "Wait a sec. Could this be one of those things that backfires horribly on me? Nah." Throughout the rest of the episode, she suffers indignity after indignity.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode "Marjorine", Butters is forced by the other boys to [[FakingTheDead fake his death]] as part of a plan to infiltrate the girls. His parents are grief-stricken, at which point a random old man suddenly shows up to try and convince Butters's Dad not to rebury him at an old Indian burial ground in a bid to [[CameBackWrong bring him back]]. Of course, Mr. Scotch wasn't even aware of the burial ground, so all the man did was give him the idea.

* All the time on ''JimmyTwoShoes'', to the point where Jimmy's CatchPhrase is "Like that's even possible." Needless to say, it is.

* One ''TomAndJerry'' cartoon was about a white laboratory mouse that had consumed several explosives who escaped and is threatening to destroy everything in its path once it explodes. Tom, after hearing about this exploding white mouse on the radio, actually tries to catch said mouse, but it turns out to be his archnemesis Jerry, who apparently disguised himself as the white mouse by covering himself with flour. Shortly after Jerry's disguise is accidentally washed off, the ''real'' white mouse arrives, at which the radio tells Tom that "the explosives inside the mouse have deteriorated and is no longer dangerous, so the white mouse will not explode." Jerry immediately runs for cover just as the mouse decides to explode anyway on Tom...