Line #54 Main/AllThatGlitters


1	->''"All that glisters is not gold;\
2	Often have you heard that told:\
3	Many a man his life hath sold\
4	But my outside to behold:\
5	Gilded tombs do worms enfold."''
6	-->-- '''Morocco''', ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice''
7
8	Not everything that looks valuable on the surface is actually valuable. A glimmering facade on a house (whether metaphorical or literal) conceals a rotting foundation. Makeup conceals age and illness. [[StepfordSmiler A bright smile hides a life of suffering and sorrow]].
9
10	In short, appearances can be deceiving.
11
12	The most well-known example is fool's gold (iron pyrite). A bright shiny rock that looks like polished gold, but is in fact worthless. Indeed, [[GoldIsYellow true gold is a dull color]], [[AllNaturalGemPolish and may not look valuable at all to the ignorant]].
13
14	Whenever a character is deceived by surface appearances into overestimating the value of something, this trope is in play.
15
16	In works that wish to teach the Aesop that material wealth is not the true wealth we should seek for, it might be actual gold and jewels that "glitter" and deceive characters into choosing them over less obvious wealth such as love or honor. As such, this trope can often overlap with TheSimpleGestureWins.
17
18	Not to be confused with the Creator/NormanLear television series.
19
20	See also NumberOneDime. Compare PennyAmongDiamonds, WhenYouComingHomeDad, and the more cynical interpretations of UsefulNotes/TheAmericanDream.
21
22	Contrast WorthlessYellowRocks, SimpleYetOpulent.
23	----
24	!!Examples:
25
26	[[foldercontrol]]
27
28	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
29	* ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'': A little short story in the manga dealt with the host club trying to find the perfect soup that their principal had sampled when he was younger. Turns out it was a very common soup and that the one giving the soup to the principal would later be his wife.
30	* ''Manga/CaseClosed'': Conan and the Detective Boys get a treasure map from Dr. Agasa and go look for its treasure [[spoiler: and get in serious trouble when a bunch of adult thieves set out to find it first.]] The treasure was... [[spoiler: a picture and a a 20-something-years-old handwritten note by someone named Yusaku Kudo. The Detective Boys are disappointed, but Conan is ultimately fine - because Yusaku Kudo is his father, meaning that Yusaku made exactly the same treasure hunt when he was a child.]]
31	* ''Manga/FruitsBasket'': This trope is [[spoiler:Ren Sohma]]'s biggest punishment. [[spoiler:The box belonging to her dead husband Akira... the same that she manipulated Rin over (leading her to get '''really''' badly punished by Akito, and then she tried to kill Akito over? '''It's empty'''.]]
32	* ''Anime/TheGreatMissionToSavePrincessPeach'': [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Luigi]] turns to CatharticCrying after all the gold nuggets he grabbed in the mine are turned into regular rocks.
33	* ''Animation/GuardianFairyMichel'': This frequently serves as the Aesop to many episodes. The Black Hammer Gang hunts "treasures," as they assume all treasures are wealth-based. However, the "treasures" either end up being something they can't really spend, like seeds that can grow in any soil, or non-material things such as the love of family or the beauty of a city.
34	* ''Anime/SpiritedAway'': No-Face lures the spirit world inhabitants into feeding him by giving them what looks like gold, but the gold is actually just dirt. Chihiro is the only one who rejects the gold even before it's revealed to be fake.
35	[[/folder]]
36
37	[[folder:Audio Plays]]
38	* ''AudioPlay/BigFinishDoctorWho'': In ''[[Recap/BigFinishDoctorWho034SpareParts Spare Parts]]'', the Doctor discovers that the gold statues in the palace are merely covered with gold leaf. And later learns that the first generation Cyberman have yet to acquire their [[WeaksauceWeakness vulnerability to gold]].
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Comic Books]]
42	* The ''ComicBook/AtariForce'' comic book special story where Pakrat discovers crystals that he thinks are valuable that are [[SolidGoldPoop made from Babe's shedding skin scales]]. At the end of the story, Pakrat finds out that after a while they turn to dust.
43	* ''ComicBook/TheSmurfs'' comic book story "The Little Tree" has Timber and an elf named Vini search for a legendary golden tree that produces golden pinecones in order to help pay off Gargamel's debt before sundown or else he would threaten to burn the elf's sister, who was turned into a tree. Upon reaching the island where the tree is located, though, Timber and Vini discover that the pinecones are just ordinary ones reflecting sunlight and the tree that produced them is an ordinary tree. With some quick thinking, Timber gets Painter to bring a can of gold paint, then they dip the pinecones into them to make them appear golden, and later hand them off to Gargamel, who after bringing them to the bailiff to pay off the debt finds out that they are just painted pinecones.
44	[[/folder]]
45
46	[[folder:Fan Works]]
47	* The ''[[Literature/TheSilmarillion Silmarillion]]'' fanfiction series ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/series/1300685 All That Glitters: Gold Rush AU]]'' revolves around this, recharacterising the Feanorians as Irish prospectors who head west as part of the Gold Rush, drawn by Feanor's promises of gold and a new life but finding...[[TraumaCongaLine all events of Silmarillion canon, and then some]].
48	* ''Fanfic/CalvinAndHobbesTheSeries'': Subverted when Calvin fails to get the [=VideoNow=] he wanted, Hobbes tells him there's more to life than just handheld TV's. Calvin agrees - [[ComicallyMissingThePoint there are]] ''[[ComicallyMissingThePoint bathtub]]'' [[ComicallyMissingThePoint TV's now!]]
49	* ''Fanfic/TheKeysStandAlone: The Soft World'': The four get a hard lesson in this when they raid a dungeon and come out with lots of treasure — but most of it is fake or cursed. All in all, they make a measly 9,000 Swords for hours of tedious trudging around.
50	* ''Fanfic/VowOfNudity'': Petrichor, the villain of one story, kickstarts the plot by robbing and murdering a sailor known to possess a magic fish-controlling stone. Unfortunately, he steals a bright blue gem locked away in the sailor's safe, assuming it was the stone in question, and completely overlooks a drab sea-glass pebble sitting in plain sight on his desk.
51	[[/folder]]
52
53	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
54	* ''[[Anime/TheCastleOfCagliostro Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro]]'' has a lost treasure, which counts as a partial example. The Roman ruins' enormous value is purely cultural, but the international attention they'll receive from academics and tourists will be useful for Clarisse and her country's economy. Lupin, however, wistfully notes that it's too big for his pocket.
55	* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda1'': The Dragon Scroll, purported to be the ultimate source of wisdom and power for the Dragon Warrior [[spoiler: is completely blank. Somewhat subverted in that the scroll also reflects the face of the person looking at it back onto them, hinting at the fact that the chosen Dragon Warrior already has all the wisdom and power they need within them, and they needn't rely on mystical scrolls.]]
56	[[/folder]]
57
58	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
59	* ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade'': The Holy Grail that grants its user immortality is kept inside a room with cups of all shapes and sizes. The old Knight Templar who guards it explains that the [[OnlyTheWorthyMayPass final test to prove oneself worthy]] is to pick out the right one. Donovan assumes that the Holy Grail must be a magnificent treasure fit for a king, as Jesus was the Son of God. The gold gem-encrusted cup he chooses to drink from turns out to be the wrong one, and he decays into a pile of ashes within seconds. Indiana then chooses the real one, which turns out to be an ordinary-looking cup that the son of a carpenter would use.
60	-->'''Templar:''' He chose... poorly.
61	** They're downplayed examples, but pretty much all the movies in the series involve Indy on the hunt for some fabulous exotic treasure only for him to end up coming to some more important realisation about himself or those around him.
62	* ''Film/InheritTheWind'': In the remake, this is invoked verbatim by Henry Drummond while having an after-work chat with Brady.
63	* ''Film/PinkForceCommando'': The Diamond of the Sun is a massive diamond as large as a person, whose glow can be seen even in the night… turns out to be fake. The shine of the diamond actually comes from an internal light source, and the diamond itself is glass.
64	* ''Film/{{Popeye}}'': In the live-action movie, Bluto has been after Poopdeck Pappy's mysterious treasure, which becomes the focal point of the finale. While Bluto and Popeye fight, Pappy retrieves his chest, and shows Swee'pea (And the audience) that it's filled with keepsakes, trinkets, and a few cans of spinach. Clearly worthless to Bluto, but the spinach gives Popeye the strength to turn the fight around.
65	* The MacGuffin in ''Film/RainingInTheMountain'' (1978) is a sacred Buddhist scroll, regarded as priceless by the two rival conspirators trying to steal it. However the Abbot of the monastery where the scroll is kept regards it as just a tattered parchment, worthless except for the message it contains. [[spoiler:At the end of the movie, his successor burns the scroll to prevent any more trouble, after having the contents copied for distribution. The new Abbot makes a point of gifting one of these copies to the surviving conspirator, who doesn't look happy but is hardly in a position to admit why.]]
66	* ''Film/RichieRich'': The villain, Van Dough, hears about the Rich family vault and assumes it's where the Rich family keeps all their wealth. He engineers the kidnapping of Richie Rich's parents in an attempt to get access to it, only to find out that it's full of keepsakes. When he has a meltdown demanding where all the money is, [[SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome Mr. Rich tells him it's in banks, real estate, stocks, and presumably other revenue generating forms,]] in a tone that suggests he thinks Van Dough is an idiot for thinking their money would be anywhere else. This is actually a joke about the original franchise, where that WAS the case.
67	* ''Film/{{Casper}}'': The plot is kicked off by Carrigan learning that Whipstaff Manor supposedly contains a priceless treasure. There is in fact a safe hidden away in the lab Casper's father built beneath the mansion and Carrigan eventually dies and becomes a ghost just to get through the unopenable door. Turns out the "treasure" is actually...a baseball signed by Casper's favorite player. It obviously had enormous sentimental value to Casper's father, enough for him to keep it in the safe, but has no monetary value.
68	[[/folder]]
69
70	[[folder:Literature]]
71	* ''Literature/DonQuixote'', written about eight years after ''The Merchant of Venice'', refers to this trope as "a saying" (Ch. 33), providing another indication that it's really even older.
72	* The saying, in various phrasings, dates back to at least the 12th century; the earliest reference to it in English is by Creator/GeoffreyChaucer.
73	* Inverted in ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'', in a poem about Aragorn, where the normal phrasing is reversed. The original saying means "Just because it glitters doesn't mean it's gold," and this example means "Just because it doesn't glitter doesn't mean it's not gold".
74	-->''All that is gold does not glitter,\
75	Not all those who wander are lost.\
76	The old that is strong does not wither,\
77	Deep roots are not reached by the frost.\
78	From the ashes a fire shall be woken,\
79	A light from the shadows shall spring.\
80	Renewed shall be blade that was broken,\
81	The crownless again shall be king.''
82	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'':
83	** The [[PretentiousLatinMotto motto]] of the Alchemists Guild inverts the saying with "[[CanisLatinicus OMNIS QVI CORVSCAT EST OR]]" (All That Glitters Is Gold). Of course, the chief discovery of the guildmembers in fact being "how to turn gold into less gold."
84	** The [[RequisiteRoyalRegalia throne of Ankh-Morpork]] is utterly rotten wood beneath a layer of gold foil, which symbolizes the old kings quite nicely.
85	** It’s often said that Ankh-Morpork dollar coins contain less actual gold than seawater, but it’s stated that they’re backed by gold at the city bank in ''Literature/MakingMoney'' [[spoiler: until it turns out that the Lavish family had thoroughly looted the vault and replaced the gold with fakes during their management of the bank.]]
86	* Innocent Smith in ''Literature/{{Manalive}}'' argues that, since the only reason gold is valuable is that it glitters, anything that glitters really is gold, or good as gold.
87	* Inverted in the Literature/SherlockHolmes short story ''The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual''. The lost treasure Brunton seeks is just a few broken bits of metal and colored stones [[spoiler:--actually the lost crown of Charles I, priceless for its historical value alone.]]
88	* Played with in the Literature/AlbertCampion detective novel ''The Tiger in the Smoke'', which revolves around a ruthless criminal hunting for a mysterious treasure supposedly hidden by the family of the commanding officer of his wartime unit and bequeathed to his wife. Only the criminal and his allies actually believe that the 'treasure' is something of significant monetary value, however; pretty much everyone else suspects it's probably not worth as much as the criminal believes it is but nevertheless try to stop him acquiring it because, well, it's not his, he's murdered several people to try and get it and it's the principle of the thing. [[spoiler: It turns out to be a beautiful but near-worthless ivory replica of a Madonna-and-child valuable to the wife only for the sentimental connection to her dead husband.]]
89	* Played with in Literature/TheExecutioner novel ''Ambush on Blood River''. Mack Bolan is asked by a deposed African leader to recover a safebox stolen in a robbery during the Congo Crisis. Bolan is not interested until it's explained that as well as a stash of diamonds, the safebox also contained a list of people working for American intelligence (naturally the DirtyCommunists are also racing to seize this prize). Bolan recovers the safebox, only to find the list has crumbled to dust long ago; the former ruler was after the diamonds all along.
90	* Subverted in ''Literature/FateStrangeFake''. Lord El-Melloi II, after submitting a sweepstakes card for a game he bought, wins a cheap piece of merch - a knife said to be used and signed by Jack the Ripper. However, before he can receive it, his CloudCuckoolander student Flat Escardos, who at this point is raring to head off to America to participate in the Snowfield Holy Grail War and is only held back by the fact he has no special relic to summon a Servant, gets his hands on the box. El-Melloi II, recognizing it as some prize he won, gives it to him without a second thought. The big problems start when the ecstatic Flat's massive power and the Snowfield Grail War's quirks totally ignore the apparent need for a genuine artifact and bring forth a Berserker-class Jack the Ripper.
91	* In the short story "Literature/TheNecklace", Mathilde asks to borrow what she thinks is an expensive diamond necklace from her wealthy friend. She loses it, buys a replacement necklace on a loan to prevent her friend from finding out, and spends ''ten years'' doing hard labor to pay off its cost of thirty-six thousand francs plus interest. When she finally tells her friend what happened, her friend tells her that the necklace she thought was an expensive diamond one was actually a cheap imitation that was worth only five hundred francs at most.
92	* Subverted in ''Literature/TheBandsOfMourning''. The titular Bands are hidden in a TempleOfDoom. The crew first tries going down the deathtrap-littered hallway that leads to a grand, golden room with a broken display case where the Bands should be. It's a decoy. Then a dying Wax stumbles into a simple room where the corpses of the priests who built the temple surround an unadorned pedestal, a simple set of bracers on top. That's also a decoy. [[spoiler:The ''real'' Bands are HiddenInPlainSight, and aren't bands at all. They're the spearhead on the giant statue at the front of the temple]].
93	* One of the main aesops of ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' - Ebenezer Scrooge spurns the warmth of his fellow man, both refusing to give and receive kindness, instead focusing on the acquisition of wealth. Despite his vast fortune, he spends almost none of it on comforts, keeping both his home and his office bitterly cold and eating gruel for dinner. Scrooge eventually learns from the spirit of his now-deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, the consequences of his greed - specifically that he will spend eternity bound in chains and lockboxes, condemned to wander the earth and never rest.
94	* ''Literature/SpiceAndWolf'': Lawrence and Holo are frequently on either side of many a scam. For instance, Holo and a young merchant infatuated with her create a market for pyrite, forcing Lawrence to scramble to profit from the price boom before it busts, with help from the city alchemists.
95	[[/folder]]
96
97	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
98	* A season two episode of ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' uses this trope as its title and features a bacteria-eating virus which starts turning things to gold (and then to rust).
99	* An episode of ''Series/SeaQuestDSV'' has the resident conartist loading the boat up with glowing blue crystals. [[spoiler: That turn out to be bioluminescent squid poop.]]
100	* Sarah initially feels this way about taking over Beth's life in ''Series/OrphanBlack'' - Beth has a stable job, a nice apartment, a hot boyfriend, and $75,000 in an account her boyfriend doesn't know about to steal. [[spoiler: Then it turns out Beth is a cop on suspension for shooting a civilian, and is in deep with Clone Club. The $75,000 belongs to another clone.]]
101	* One ''Series/OneLifeToLive'', after discovering his wife's duplicity (she'd pretended to be pregnant to get him to marry her), Todd compared to a piece of artwork in their living room, picking it up, describing its beauty, then smashing it to the floor, saying, "But when you get right down to it, it's nothing but cheap crap."
102	* ''Series/LittleHouseOnThePrairie'' had an episode where Laura and a friend think that they've found gold but when they bring their haul into town, they find out it's only pyrite (fool's gold).
103	* ''Series/{{MASH}}'':
104	** Charles finds a small vase among a peddler's wares and thinks it's a priceless antique. As he doesn't have the money to buy it (this was the episode where a goat ate the payroll), he borrows the money from Rizzo, at the "simple" interest rate of 100% per day. Not only does the vase not turn out to be valuable, but Charles winds up broke having to pay back Rizzo for several days of "interest".
105	** An early episode had Radar prospecting for gold in the mountains near camp, as Korea is one of the largest gold-producing nations. He doesn't find any but Hawkeye and Trapper use the story about there being gold nearby to convince Frank to give up a transfer (after Frank and Margaret both asked to be transferred because of Hawkeye and Trapper's practical jokes, Henry put the two captains on double duty until they get replacements).
106	* ''Series/{{Arrow}}''. In "Haunted", Series/{{Constantine}} meets Oliver Queen who is infiltrating a mercenary group on the island of Lian Yu. Constantine retrieves the magical artifact he's after (a large jewel on a wooden staff), then to make things look good for Oliver's cover, [[MakeItLookLikeAStruggle he punches Oliver in the face]], then breaks the jewel off and hands it to Oliver to bring back, explaining that most villains see the flashy stuff, but it's the staff that contains the real magic.
107	* Series/{{VIP}} episode [[Recap/VIP2x16HardValsNight Hard Val's Night]] involves the band Music/{{Lit}} hiring Val and her team to track down lead singer A.Jay's stolen diamond-encrusted belt buckle. After they manage to track it down they learn the diamonds are just plastic and paste, not real, much to A.Jay's surprise and disappointment. However it's later [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] when they learn the buckle has secret codes encrypted on it, which gets the attention of an arms dealer that starts pursuing them.
108	[[/folder]]
109
110	[[folder:Music]]
111	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU9qWR6Bosw A song]] by Dan Seals talks about a man who loved a beautiful rodeo woman, but she's focused on her career and doesn't want to have anything to do with him or their daughter. This song's name? "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)".
112	-->''But oh, sometimes I think about you, and the way you used to ride out\
113	In your rhinestones and your sequins, with the sunlight on your hair\
114	And oh, the crowd will always love you, but as for me, I've come to know\
115	Everything that glitters is not gold.''
116	* Music/{{Soundgarden}}'s "Pretty Noose" concerns, in Music/ChrisCornell's words "an attractively packaged bad idea ... something that seems great at first and then comes back to bite you", hence the allusion to a noose trap - and fitting the trope name more, the second iteration of the chorus goes "Diamond rope, silver chainPretty noose is pretty pain".
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Poetry]]
120	* Creator/OgdenNash's "Look What You Did, Christopher!" is a pessimistic look at contemporary American life. One line goes, "All that glitters is sold as gold."
121	[[/folder]]
122
123	[[folder:Radio]]
124	* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': In the episode ''Indian Burial Ground'', Miss Brooks, Mr. Boynton and Walter Denton confuse broken toys buried in Mr. Conklin's vacant lot with valuable Indian artifacts.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Theater]]
128	* The name of this trope comes from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' by William Shakespeare (though, in the original play, the line was "all that glisters is not gold"). When Bassanio figures out the riddle, he gains Portia's hand in marriage, having learned that he should appreciate her for her mind rather than her beauty. (Of course, she was very wealthy, [[SweetAndSourGrapes so in winning the hand he got the gold too]].)
129	* In ''Theatre/CatOnAHotTinRoof'' the pivotal confrontation between Big Daddy and his son Brick invokes this trope. Brick tells his father that he isn't impressed with his vast wealth and all he wanted was a father not a boss. Big Daddy retorts that what was there that he didn't buy him when he was growing up? Brick then screams that you can't buy love and proceeds to destroy a vast collection of art that Big Daddy had purchased in an auction to show that none of the material stuff really mattered to him, he only wanted his father's love. Big Daddy says that he does love him he just wanted what was best for him because he grew up poor and his own father left behind nothing of value that would be worth remembering other than an old suitcase with a Military uniform in it. Brick disagrees saying that his grandfather left behind love for Big Daddy, moved to tears Big Daddy agrees and promises to try better as a father for Brick.
130	* Referenced in ''Theatre/HMSPinafore'' when Little Buttercup attempts to hint to Captain Corcoran that he isn't nearly as nobly born as he thinks he is. As he's "anything but clever" it goes straight over his head, of course.
131	--> ''Black sheep dwell in every fold;\
132	All that glitters is not gold;\
133	Storks turn out to be but logs;\
134	Bulls are but inflated frogs.''
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Video Games]]
138	* ''VideoGame/ANNOMutationem'': In one side-mission, Ann is asked by several treasure hunters to collect several gold coins scattered around Freeway 42 and have them checked out for their authenticity. The gold coins are later explained to be made of material that looks identical with gold, but is considered virtually worthless.
139	* ''VideoGame/LuigisMansionSeries'': In all games, you obtain the gem on King Boo's crown after defeating him, but it's always the least valuable treasure. It is worth 5000G (as much as a single coin) in the [[VideoGame/LuigisMansion first game]], has no value at all in ''[[VideoGame/LuigisMansionDarkMoon Dark Moon]]'', and [[spoiler:outright vanishes after grabbing it]] in ''VideoGame/LuigisMansion3''.
140	* ''VideoGame/ShovelKnight'': King Knight learns this the hard way during the ''King of Cards'' campaign. His driving goal is to become a real king- the whole reason he participates in the Joustus card game is because the tournament winner is called the King of Cards. Eventually, he [[spoiler:betrays the kingdom to the Enchantress]] to gain the throne... only to find that his prize is becoming a PuppetKing, HatedByAll because ''everyone'' knows he's a usurper.
141	[[/folder]]
142
143	[[folder:Web Comics]]
144	* Used by the heroes in ''Webcomic/SequentialArt''; most of the other party members have been drugged to sheer stupidity, so Art gets them to follow him by [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=860 offering a "prize"]]. Which is just a ruse.
145	* Spoofed in [[https://www.swordscomic.com/swords/CCCXXI/ this]] ''Webcomic/{{Swords}}'' strip.
146	-->'''Troll''': You may take one sword from my treasured collection! But be warned - many carry terrible curses!
147	-->''(Adventurer picks up a wooden sword)''
148	-->'''Adventurer''': A simple test! [[GenreSavvy Only a humble sword such as this will be safe!]]
149	-->'''Troll''': snort It wasn't a test, you dumb idiot.
150	-->''(The Adventurer's whole arm is now a tree)''
151	-->'''Adventurer''': [[WrongGenreSavvy Oh...]] Is it too late to pick again?
152	[[/folder]]
153
154	[[folder:Western Animation]]
155	* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfTeddyRuxpin'': In "Escape from the Treacherous Mountain", the group finds the treasure they were looking for: six crystals, and a ''huge'' hoard of gold and jewels. Unfortunately, the Gutangs sound the alarm before they can take all of the treasure, so they can only take the crystals, and one small jewel. Meanwhile, Tweeg and L.B. come in to take the rest of it. However, it turns out that the treasure was just an illusion (other than the crystals, which were real), which disappears as soon as it leaves the confines of the city, leaving Tweeg and L.B. exhausted and penniless for their efforts.
156	* In ''WesternAnimation/{{Jingaroo}}'', after Sydney and Jabiru get buried in sand when trying to get the treasure, their friends help get them out and they realize friendship is much more valuable than material riches.
157	* A ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon, "Speedy Ghost to Town", has Daffy on the pursuit of Speedy Gonzales and his friend, Miguel, after Speedy reveals to Miguel what Daffy believes to be gold, as well as a map to a mine with plenty more. After several failed attempts to get the map, he finally holds up Speedy and Miguel at their mine and demands their stash. They proceed to give him their cart, only for Daffy to realize the mine wasn't filled with gold, but something Speedy and Miguel would find more valuable: [[StockAnimalDiet cheese.]]
158	* In the ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'' episode "Ultimate Rescue: Pups Save the Pupmobiles", the Patrol paints a pile of rocks gold and leave them for [[StickyFingers Sid Swashbuckle]] to find. Sure enough, he takes the bait, and it ends up sinking his sub.
159	* Lampshaded and Subverted in ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'' with The Lost Treasure of the Golden Squirrel. Before going on a quest to find the eponymous treasure, King Julian asks if it's an actual treasure rather than something like the value of friendship, since in his words, you can't trade friendship for goods and services. And indeed, the treasure is a room full of gold.
160	* ''WesternAnimation/PJMasks'': In "Voyage of the Golden Asteroid", after spending the entire episode first preventing Pirate Robot from stealing the asteroid, and then preventing said asteroid from crashing into Earth after [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Newton and Pirate Robots fight changes it's course]], it is revealed the asteroid was not actually made of gold but iron pyrite. Pirate Robot still thinks it's a treasure though.
161	* This is used as a SecretTestOfCharacter on ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' by a group of aliens who let Earth get their hands on a massive quantity of "space cash" and see if they will be honest and return it. All of Earth does not and squanders it, believing the whole world to be rich, and even goes so far as to ''nuke Finland'' when that country decided to tell the truth. When the aliens reveal the truth to them, they point out that "space cash" was only worth what Earth arbitrarily decided it was worth and permanently exiles Earth from ever interacting with the rest of the galaxy as punishment for failing the test.
162	* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' uses a variation of the trope in one episode. [=SpongeBob=] replacing his old spatula with a high-tech one, then crawls back to his old one after his new one declares it's too good for him. [=SpongeBob=] even says "all that glitters is not gold". And the episode title is... (''drumroll'') "All That Glitters".
163	** Another episode starts with [=SpongeBob=] pick up what Mr. Krabs thinks is a penny, and the rest of the episode focuses on Krabs' obsession with getting the penny from [=SpongeBob=]. It turns out the "penny" is actually a wad of chewed gum [=SpongeBob=] had wanted for his collection. [[spoiler: Subverted when the "gum" turns out to be a crumpled-up $500 bill.]]
164	* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs1981'' episode "All That Glitters Isn't Smurf", where Gargamel kidnaps Smurfs in order to make gold, and Papa Smurf lures the evil wizard to a mountain of fake gold coins made from Smurfette's hair in order to rescue his little Smurfs.
165	* The trope name is dropped in an episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/TheComicStrip Tiger Sharks]]''. There, it is played ''very'' literally -- what looks like a hoard of golden spheres is actually dangerous toxic waste causing RapidAging in anyone touching it. Both the heroes and one of the major villains have a problem because of it... the other villain learned his lesson many years ago.
166	* This proves to be Anne Maria’s undoing in ''[[WesternAnimation/TotalDrama Total Drama: Revenge of the Island]]''. After finding what she believes is a huge diamond, she jumps into the catapult with Brick and declares that she’s quitting the competition. However, Chris informs her the diamond is actually cubic zirconium, and she’s launched away before she can get off the catapult.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Real Life]]
170	* Can [[TruthInTelevision also occur]] in RealLife -- several early European [[BoldExplorer exploration]] expeditions (most notably [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Frobisher Martin Frobisher's]]) returned to their homelands with literally tons of iron pyrite, believing that they'd found gold. Even nowadays a common name for pyrite is "Fool's Gold".
171	* ''Cap Diamant'' (literally Cape Diamond), a cliff in [[UsefulNotes/{{Quebec}} Québec City]], is named as such because the explorer [[UsefulNotes/CanadianHistory Jacques Cartier]] believed the glittering stones he could see there from afar were diamonds. When he had them analyzed by experts in France on his return in 1542 it turned out to just be quartz.
172	* Creator/CharlieSheen told a story about running into UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump shortly after he'd gotten married, and Trump gave him the diamond cufflinks off his jacket as an impromptu wedding gift. Sheen later had them appraised and found out they were cubic zirconia instead of real diamonds.
173	[[/folder]]
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175
176	[[Music/SmashMouth Only shooting stars break the mold.]]
177

Context Main / AllThatGlitters