Line #104 Main/ConsolationPrize


1	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bayonetta_stone_9933.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:"Oh, what a day!"]]
3
4	->''"With trophies like that for the losers, who wants to be a winner?"''
5	-->-- '''Pac-Man''', ''WesternAnimation/PacMan'', "The Old Pac-Man and the Sea"
6
7	Welcome, welcome, and [[GameShow thank you for playing]] Website/TVTropes! [[AC:Applause!]]
8
9	Unfortunately, I'm afraid you're not our big winner here today, and so we have to say goodbye! [[AC:Awwwwwwwww!]] But you're not [[AllOrNothing leaving empty-handed]]! No, you're going home with our fabulous [[TitleDrop Consolation Prize!]] @/FastEddie, [[TheAnnouncer tell our lucky losing contestants]] what they've won!
10
11	::''That's right, our [[SelfDemonstratingArticle Consolation Prize]] is a nice little gift basket loaded with various and sundry [[ProductPlacement household goods and items, maybe some store credit]], and we'll even throw in the HomeGame version of our own GameShow! Wow, look at that shiny box! [[PromotionalConsideration Courtesy of]] '''TropeCo/TropeCo'''[[TradeSnark ®]]!''
12
13	[[AC:Applause!]]
14
15	Thanx, Eddie! And before our grand champion starts feeling left out, let me remind everyone that the Consolation Prize is, by necessity, [[UndesirablePrize of inferior value]] compared to our show's ''real'' prizes. But at least it's not a {{Zonk}}. Now, off with you runners up, and let us bask in the glow of our ''real'' winner!
16
17	[[AC:Cheers And Applause!]]
18
19	''What, there's no year's supply of Rice-A-Roni, The San Francisco Treat?[[AC: Ding! Ding!]] That's'' '''THE''' ''memetic Consolation Prize, you know...''
20	----
21	!!Examples:
22
23	[[foldercontrol]]
24
25	[[folder:Arcade Games]]
26	* The ''Stacker'' UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame lets you pick a "Consolation Prize!" when you're close to the top. However, you only have one opportunity to take said prize -- [[AllOrNothing losing while going for the Major Prizes gets you nothing]]. That said, since the minor prizes are things like pencils and small plastic toys and the major prizes are usually video game consoles or iPods, not too many people choose the consolation prize.
27	* The ''Mega Stacker'' at Dave & Buster's is a bit more fair with its consolation prize- 200 tickets for reaching the Minor Prize level on a game where the Major Prize is 1000 tickets.
28	* Some crane games also dispense candy when you play them, so if you didn't get the toy you were after, you at least got some candy.
29	[[/folder]]
30
31	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
32	* One ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' comic strip spoofs this with a TV show announcer revealing that the lovely prizes for the runner-ups are tickets to "LOSER-ville!" Garfield thinks that there's finally one game show that's got that part right.
33	[[/folder]]
34
35	[[folder:Fan Works]]
36	* In the ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' fic ''Fanfic/QueenOfAllOni'', even though Jade's BatmanGambit to steal the masks from Section 13 fails, SOLELY due to the SpannerInTheWorks known as Agent Wisker, she still manages to escape with information on the locations of the ''other'' set of artifacts she was looking for!
37	* In ''[[http://archiveofourown.org/works/4943245/chapters/11809145 Make a Plan]]'' Harry and his friends discuss the inherent disappointment of AllOrNothing and decide to make gift baskets for the runners-up in the Triwizard Tournament.
38	* In ''Fanfic/ThisBites'', [[spoiler:thanks to Ace and Marco immolating Whitebeard's body, Blackbeard was unable to get the Tremor-Tremor Fruit from it before it regenerated, meaning that the fruit was now somewhere in the world and that Teech may never find it. However, Blackbeard decided to settle on another close proximity Devil Fruit that had some potency: Byrnndi World's More-More Fruit]].
39	[[/folder]]
40
41	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
42	* The only achievement the loser girl Rene from the animated short ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_B2UZ_ZoxU Spellbound]]'' has under her belt is a "You Tried" award.
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Literature]]
46	* ''Literature/HomerPrice'': In "The Doughnuts", due to an accident, a diamond bracelet gets mixed into the doughnut batter and ends up inside the machine. When they figure this out, Uncle Ulysses (acting on advice from Homer) announces a sale on doughnuts. Whomever buys the doughnut with the bracelet inside can't keep it... but they get a consolation prize of 100 dollars (not ''quite'' the value of the bracelet, but still a good prize) from the bracelet's owner.
47	[[/folder]]
48
49	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
50	* {{Game Show}}s: Probably the originator of this trope, as spelled out in the introduction:
51	** Many game shows have {{Bonus Round}}s that, if the contestant unsuccessfully completes its objective (to win the grand prize), will award the contestant a consolation prize for components he/she did meet successfully. Notable examples include Fast Money in ''Series/FamilyFeud'' ($5 for each point scored below the target of 200) and ''Series/{{Pyramid}}'' ($50 to $300 for each category correctly guessed, depending on its placement on the Winner's Circle board, with Creator/DickClark famously adding the total aloud).
52	** Many game shows that had HomeGame adaptations also got a copy of the board game, as part of their stash of consolation gifts.
53	** Additionally, many hosts will also remind contestants of what else they had already won if they fail to win the bonus round (or, if it's ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'', a pricing game). Drew Carey doing this in the latter case has annoyed a few longtime [=TPiR=] fans [[note]](particularly those who wanted a Bob Barker-clone or were frustrated with the show in general since Roger Dobkowitz's ouster in 2008)[[/note]], although Barker has done this on occasion and both Dennis James and Tom Kennedy frequently did this.
54	** ''Series/TheCrystalMaze'' occasionally ran special editions of the show where the contestants were kids. They often did really well but fell down at the last hurdle - the famous crystal dome, missing out on the grand prize - a trip to Disneyland. Or so they thought. The host suddenly revealed that they were going to Disneyland anyway. More conventionally, every competitor, regardless of how well they did, got a replica of one of the crystals.
55	** ''Series/QueenForADay'': The producers deliberately kept the consolation prize stash small for losing contestants, according to one history of the genre. The explanation: The show wanted to prevent fortune-seeking contestants who lied about their "dire" circumstances just to get onto the show. This was, because in addition to things that a contestant truly needed (such as medical care or therapeutic equipment to help a chronically ill child, or her out-of-work husband a decent-paying job), there were other gifts, such as fur coats, vacations and so forth as part of the stash. Even though the consolation gifts were comparably less expensive, such as a toaster oven or a camera kit, no legitimate contestant ever left empty handed.
56	*** Said consolation prizes were also left unmentioned on the program for the same reasons, leading to the popular belief that the losers were left with nothing, adding to the show's infamy.
57	*** Averted in the occasional episode that was "Princess for a Day", featuring tween girls as contestants. Only one girl won the "crown", but it was always announced that all four participants would receive the items they had asked for.
58	** Normally, even the unluckiest contestants on ''Series/DealOrNoDeal'' walk away with at least a small amount of cash, even if it's a single penny. But when a hapless contestant on the Australian version managed to win literally nothing, they handed him a GiantNoveltyCheck for [[http://web.archive.org/web/20120424012642/http://au.tv.yahoo.com/deal-or-no-deal/features/article/-/5200929/peter-popas-nothing/ the amount of "Nothing"]].
59	** ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'': During the Drew Carey era, after a contestant lost an over/under pricing game on the first item (a roll of aluminum foil), he spontaneously gave the contestant the roll as a souvenir.
60	*** Drew has been keeping up the trend, if a bit randomly. If a contestant loses on a game based on grocery items, Drew will give the contestant the item that made them lose as a souvenir, whether it is walnuts, potato chips, or even whipped cream.
61	*** Early in the show's history, a losing contestant in Grocery Game -- provided they used all five grocery items but failed to reach $6.75 -- was given a $100 cash consolation.
62	*** Just prior to the second Showcase Showdown (or the Showcases during the 30-minute era), "Contestants not appearing on stage" (or CNAOS, as it was fondly abbreviated by fans) were usually given a combination of grocery items plus small prizes, usually up to $500 in value. Since Season 41, CNAOS receive $500, which is not stated on-air.
63	*** Several of the on-stage pricing games that featured small prizes still allowed the contestants to keep whichever small prizes they correctly guessed a pricing question to, even if they lost.
64	** On the nighttime Cullen-era ''Price'' from the start mid 1963, all contestants received gift packages from the show's sponsors at the very onset. In the home sweepstakes, viewers whose cards were used on the show but didn't win still won a nice consolation prize. Additionally, contestants (except for the returning champion) who failed to win a prize received a consolation prize (often a portable TV, camera or other prize up to about $300).
65	** On the Taiwanese version of ''Series/AreYouSmarterThanA5thGrader'', the first question is worth NT$1000 as well as a NT$500 guarantee (about US$17), so that players who flunk out in the first half of the game still get a minimal consolation prize, unlike the US version. But on the occasions that a contestant answered the very first question incorrectly, they were awarded a big novelty check for "ZERO YUAN".
66	** In the Trebek version of ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'', third place contestants won a small prize like artwork or something similar while second place frequently won trips. All departing contestants would receive your standard bundle of grocery items along with the home game where applicable. The show then changed the consolation prizes to be $1000 and $2000 to the contestants that finished in 3rd and 2nd respectively.
67	** If the contestants misses buckets 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 on ''[[Series/TheBozoShow Bozo's Grand Prize Game]]'', they keep the prize(s) matched to the last bucket they were successful on. [[note]](A base prize was won for success with the first bucket, with the contestant winning both that prize and more items for bucket 2, then that prize package and more for bucket 3, and so on, until a grand prize was offered for the last bucket.)[[/note]] (In some markets, if the contestant missed bucket 1, they tried again until successfully landing the ping-pong ball; this varied through the years, however, and depending on the market and/or year, a miss on the first bucket still netted them a prize such as a towel with Bozo's likeness on it or a balsam-wood airplane).
68	** Any ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' contestant who finished with $0 originally received parting gifts. This was changed to $500 cash in Season 20, and again to $1,000 in Season 23.
69	** On the PBS Kids game show: ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'', The gumshoe would get a consolation prize if they did not complete a round. If the gumshoe came in third place in round 1, They would get a traveling bag, It contains a atlas book, an official Carmen Sandiego wristwatch, a Carmen Sandiego T-Shirt, and subscription to the National Geographic World Magazine. If the gumshoe did not complete round 2 (Jailtime Challenge), They would get a world band radio. If the winning gumshoe did not complete the map round in 45 seconds (Or 60 seconds if they are using the Asia map), They would get a portable CD player and some selection of [=CDs=] from around the world.
70	** ''Series/ReadySteadyCook'' gives the losers a wooden spoon. While this might seem like an appropriate [[CookingDuel cooking-themed]] booby prize, it's a cultural in-joke that pre-dates the show by a long way (see Real Life below).
71	** ''Series/{{Concentration}}'': An unusual case for the 1970s Jack Narz version – in that consolation-level prizes, such as Bic writing pens, flashlight batteries and boxed Betty Crocker potato dishes were front-game prizes. Yes, you still could get Rice-o-Roni as a consolation prize if you didn't win anything, but there was the possibility that it was a front-game item as well.
72	*** Additionally, if you solved just one of the Double Play bonus round rebuses, you still came away with $100.
73	*** During the original NBC version, a winning contestant that had nothing in his prize rack when he solved the rebus won $100.
74	*** Also, when is the last time a car was offered as a consolation prize? Well, when you didn't win the game ... but during the course of play, you uncovered both Wild Cards in the same turn. The car was yours from then on, and no one could take it away from you, even with a loss or an opponent's "Take" card [[note]]and yes, more than once an opponent specified she wanted the car when she got her take … but was denied[[/note]] or upon finding a "Forfeit" card [[note]]which was still in use then, meaning [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you had to forfeit a prize to your opponent]][[/note]] and it was the only prize available. This "Double Wild means a car" rule was in play during the final three years or so of the original NBC version.
75	** ''Series/BlanketyBlank'' had "The Blankety Blank chequebook and pen!", [[{{Spoonerism}} spoonerised]] in the Les Dawson era as "chequepen and book!"
76	** In the 1985 pilot version of ''Series/FindersKeepers'', if the runner failed to complete the final search before time ran out, he or she would receive whatever amount was won in prizes as a consolation.
77	** ''Series/FortBoyard'': If a team failed to release the gold in the treasure room, they were given a small bag of gold, or in later series, one single coin.
78	** The short-lived ''Series/MervGriffinsCrosswords'' offered its losing contestants a Croton watch with the show's logo on it. One unlucky contestant who somehow won with a negative score ''and'' lost the bonus round also walked away with said prize (a situation that could have easily been avoided had they at least implemented a house minimum).
79	* {{Averted\|Trope}} with the original format of ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' and many shows that [[WhoWantsToBeWhoWantsToBeAMillionaire attempted to follow]] in its footsteps.
80	** However, the American shuffle format plays this straight, awarding $1,000 to anybody who answers any of the first ten questions wrong.
81	** Celebrity editions of such shows also award a guaranteed minimum for the contestants' charities, such as £1,000 in ''Series/{{The Chase\|GameShow}}'' and £5,000 in ''Series/TheMillionPoundDrop''.
82	* ''The Bozo Show'': The long-running children's TV show (hosted by the eponymous clown) had a segment called the "Grand Prize Game," a progressive skill game where the youthful contestants had to throw a pingpong ball into a series of six buckets, each one placed further from the contestant than the last. The value of the contestant's prize package increased as the contestant's success continued, with a grand prize (in addition to everything else already won) awarded for getting all six. Very rarely did anyone fail to make the first bucket (in some instances, it was literally at the kids feet, and all they had to do was let go and drop the ball,) but if they were so unlucky, they were given a consolation prize "just for playing" -- usually, a towel with Bozo's face on it, or a balsam-wood airplane, each worth about $1 or $2.
83	** Of course, if you were the unlucky child who pouted after getting just the consolation gift -- such as was claimed in the "Cram it, clown!" urban legend -- you might forfeit even ''that'' prize ... thus leaving with nothing.
84	* A game show in a ''Series/MadTV1995'' sketch offered as a consolation prize a "lifetime supply of Rice-A-Roni... the board game"; one box.
85	** Another skit offered Rice-A-Roni to contestant who wanted liver, but gets the Rice-A-Roni but can liver in it.
86	* A ''Series/LateNight with Creator/JimmyFallon'' sketch featured the game show ''Wheel of Carpet Samples''. The winner got to keep his carpet sample, and the losers were left with a $300 gift certificate.
87	** ''Wheel of Game Shows'' (which is rigged so that everyone loses) has a Music/LedZeppelin t-shirt with an L that fell off (making them read "Ed Zeppelin"), along with a [[TheMerch Jimmy Fallon album]].
88	* The 1969 game ''[[Series/RowanAndMartinsLaughIn Letters To Laugh-In]]'' scored viewer-submitted jokes read by the panelists. The highest-scoring joke each week won a trip to Hawaii, whereas ''lowest''-scoring joke won a trip to "beautiful downtown Burbank". And since this was Fall 1969 as opposed to (for example) May 1975, there wasn't nearly as much to do there.
89	* ''Series/{{MASH}}'': In "Smilin' Jack," chopper pilot Jack Mitchell is trying to become Chopper Pilot of the Year, only he's now been grounded as he was diagnosed with diabetes.
90	-->'''Hawkeye:''' You'll have to settle for Miss Congeniality.
91	[[/folder]]
92
93	[[folder:Music]]
94	* Parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic in the song "I Lost on ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}''", in which legendary announcer Don Pardo lists off all the stuff Al ''didn't'' win:
95	-->'''Don Pardo:''' You don't get to come back tomorrow! You don't even get a lousy copy of our HomeGame! You're a ''complete'' '''''loser'''''!!!
96	[[/folder]]
97
98	[[folder:Pinballs]]
99	* Some games give you a small-to-medium amount of points by losing a ball down an outlane (gaps on the bottom-left and bottom-right of the playfield, which leads to the drain, ending the ball). Examples include Focus in ''Pinball/CreatureFromTheBlackLagoon'', which gives out 500,000 points, which is a good amount but not worth losing a ball; Bit in ''Pinball/TheWalkingDead'', worth 500,000 points times the end-of-ball bonus multiplier; and Big Shot in ''Pinball/DrDude'', worth a varying amount depending on the number of times his figurine is hit during play. A few machines do give out pretty hefty awards though, up to ''multiple free games'', putting into ViolationOfCommonSense territory.
100	* ''Pinball/DoctorWho'' has The Master's Bonus, which is obtained by draining the ball in a specific place.
101	* ''Pinball/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'' has the Thank You Mr. Data bonus, only accessible once per game as a sort of EasterEgg if you start a mission, completely fail to make any progress whatsoever in it (so you only get the token 5 million bonus for starting it), drain the ball, and interrupt Mr. Data's not-at-all snarky comment on your failure with the flippers.
102	[[/folder]]
103
104	[[folder:Radio]]
105	* On Creator/TheBBC Radio 2 quiz ''[=PopMaster=]'', which frequently has questions of the form "In what year did these three songs chart?", the consolation prize is a FunTShirt with the legend "One Year Out!"
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Theatre]]
109	* In ''Creator/MontyPython: Live At The Hollywood Bowl'', several notable historical figures [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ9myHhpS9s participate in a quiz show.]] When Karl Marx fails to win the Grand Prize, the emcee (Eric Idle) comments, "Well, no one leaves this show empty handed. So we're going to cut off his hands."
110	* ''Theatre/OfTheeISing'', in the BeautyContest:
111	-->'''Fulton''': Matter of fact, we're getting up some consolation prizes. Got the list, Jenkins?\
112	'''Jenkins''': Here you are, sir.\
113	'''Fulton''': Of course the first prize, as you all know, is Mr. Wintergreen himself. The SecondPrize is a season pass to Coney Island. And the third prize is an autographed photograph of Clara Bow, or ten cents in gold.
114	[[/folder]]
115
116	[[folder:Video Games]]
117	* ''VideoGame/AlterEgo1986'': If you don't win in ''The Date of a Lifetime'', you still receive a copy of Morgana Morganstein's best selling self-improvement guide ''Be the Man I Want You To Be".
118	* Should the fates conspire in your favor and you encounter an [[RandomlyDrops Ultra-Rare]] monster in ''VideoGame/KingdomOfLoathing'', but then you mess up and get beaten by it, you get a [[http://kol.coldfront.net/thekolwiki/index.php/Consolation_ribbon Consolation Ribbon]] instead.
119	** Sometimes, this is a weird inversion. Unlike the prize you get for killing an Ultra-Rare, the consolation ribbon is untradeable; players who are [[BribingYourWayToVictory wealthy enough to buy Ultra-Rare items]] often ''intentionally lose'' to the monster so they can get the ribbon.
120	* In the ''VideoGame/ShadowHearts'' series, if you fail on the Lottery, you get Tissues. In the [[VideoGame/ShadowHearts1 first game]], you ''need'' Tissues at one point to get one of Yuri's most powerful Fusions - which is why Margarete's prize for completing the MonsterArena is Tissues (in case you never lost the Lottery).
121	** For those who feel that this seems a little random, it might be noted that tissues are in fact a common consolation prize in Japanese lotteries.
122	* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare2'' introduces Deathstreaks. When a player loses several lives without killing any enemies, they get one of four bonuses (that they select prior to the match). They are "Copycat", which allows you to copy the gear of the soldier that killed you, "Painkiller", which grants you a 10-second health boost upon respawning, "Martyrdom", which has you priming a grenade as you die, and "[[LastStand Final Stand]]", which lets you, upon receiving what should be lethal damage, crawl around on the ground with your primary weapon ready to fire. If you survive long enough in final stand, you get back up.
123	* Ask a Website/GaiaOnline member about Potatoverseer.
124	* There's a ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' achievement for the Sniper by this name. It requires the achiever to be on the receiving end of a BackStab from a Spy, their natural and greatest enemy. [[BlackComedy Fifty times.]]
125	* Inverted in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaPhantomHourglass''. When you send a lottery ticket to the mailbox, and you supposedly don't win, you get a ship part as a consolation prize. When you do win, they forget to put the prize alongside the letter, so you receive nothing at all.
126	* Doing poorly in a mini-game in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' 's Gold Saucer gets you a tissue. The weird part is that ''winning'' all eight fights in the Battle Square still gives you one in addition to the prize.
127	* The Stone Award is what you receive when you ''completely'' blow a level in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}''. Yes, this game is cruel enough that they invented a level ''below'' Bronze just in case you completely botch things. Which is quite likely on your first (few) playthrough(s). The figure also happens to be game's biggest ButtMonkey Enzo.
128	* Inverted in ''VideoGame/BillyVsSNAKEMAN'' with the game "First Loser". Everyone who plays throws in X amount of ryo. The top twenty or so highest bidders get... one kunai! (Kunai are 100 ryo each in the game's shop, and used to perform the weakest jutsu.) The first player ''outside'' of the top ranks gets an extremely valuable item. Thus, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you want to be the first loser]].
129	* ''VideoGame/TomodachiLife'': Lose to one of the Islanders in an Islander Game and they'll "reward" you with either a Box of Tissues or a Toilet paper. Both are ShopFodder that sell for exactly $1.
130	* The Gold Saucer in ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' gives players a small amount of MGP (currency for prizes in the Gold Saucer) should they not win the mini-cactpot or jumbo cactpot (a scratch off and lottery respectively), though the consolation prize is usually less than the amount of points the player paid for to play the games. The player is given some MGP back if they lose the lottery since getting nothing back in return would be borderline gambling and many places have strict laws when it comes to online gambling.
131	* Should a level go utterly FUBAR in ''VideoGame/TheWonderful101'', you won't even get a Bronze at the end of it. Instead you'll get a tiny plastic consolation prize. The newspaper at the end of a section in the level will even demand to know "WHERE ARE OUR REAL HEROES?!". And given how [[NintendoHard unforgiving]] the game is, you may well end up seeing it at least once in a playthrough. Incidentally, this game is from the [[Creator/PlatinumGames same developers]] as the above-mentioned ''Bayonetta''. Go figure.
132	* In ''VideoGame/{{Miitomo}}'', the Miitomo Drop game has a few spaces on the bottom that award candy, if you were unfortunate enough to not land near a clothing item.
133	* In a number of the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' video games, losing a set number of times (normally 10 times) unlocks the SecretCharacter Mokuba, Kaiba's BrattyHalfPint little brother. As should be obvious, he is the easiest duelist to beat by a good margin, so the game is basically insulting you by giving you the 'privilege' of playing with one of the main character's younger siblings until you get better.
134	* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'': During the Fourth Day in the simulated Twilight Town, Roxas takes part in the Struggle Tournament. Winning against Setzer earns him the Champion Belt (which boosts his resistance against Fire, Blizzard and Thunder damage if equipped); if he loses, he gets the Medal (an Accessory that boosts strength by one) as the consolation prize.
135	* The score/trophy system in the James Bond game ''VideoGame/NightFire'' has a ranking below Bronze, for completing the mission but failing to meet the Bronze quota. This yields no unlockable rewards (Bronze at least gives the player character art). This can be seen most reliably in later stages of the game on the lowest difficulty (the score is multiplied based on the difficulty selected), as the quotas for all trophies save for Platinum (which always requires 1 million points, requiring the 007 tokens collected to make up for it) increase for later stages.
136	* ''VideoGame/AmericanRacing'': You always earn a paltry amount of cash when you fail a level in the original.
137	* {{Discussed\|Trope}} and PlayedForLaughs in ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando''. During the first visit to Maktar Nebula Gladiator Games arena, the commentator says that if Ratchet doesn't win, he'll get a consolation prize. The camera pans to screen showing [[BlackComedy a tombstone]].
138	* In ''VideoGame/{{Aleste}} Collection''[='=]s Aleste Challenge mode, completing a challenge without getting hit awards a Gold Medal and 10,000 Challenge Points. If you get hit once, you get a Silver Medal, which is worth ''three'' CP. Complete the challenge without qualifying for either to get a Bronze Medal, which is worth one CP. The Silver medal is still good for knowning which segments you can almost no-hit, but is effectively worthless for the Aleste Challenge online leaderboard.
139	* In ''VideoGame/NuclearThrone'', you unlock the character Melting after the first time you die.
140	* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3'', each end-of-level has a roulette box that tasks you with getting three of the same card, and awards you 2 extra lives if you get all mushrooms, 3 extra lives if you get all flowers, and a whopping 5 extra lives if you get all stars. If you mess it up though, getting three of any combination of cards still earns you a single extra life for your troubles.
141	* Much less generously, if you miss the end-of-level tape in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld'', the tape is at least worth a single coin and 100 points.
142	[[/folder]]
143
144	[[folder:Webcomics]]
145	* In ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'', When Daryl loses the first round of the champions tournament,he gets a tiny dagger as a consolation prize.Since the city it is being held in is attacked by Sarengal's cultists a minute or so later, and Daryl didn't have any other weapons to use, it actually became a lifesaver for him, and he continues to use it to fight.
146	[[/folder]]
147
148	[[folder:Web Original]]
149	* Website/{{Neopets}}' Tiki Tack Tombola has the Booby Prize, which are usually even ''more'' pointless than the regular prizes.
150	* The streamer Ludwig's Twitch game show Mogul Money has the 2nd place contestant receive a custom bidet (a type of washer used to wash genitalia), worth around $500. 3rd place receives 3 ''used'' AA batteries.
151	[[/folder]]
152
153	[[folder:Western Animation]]
154	* In the season one finale of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', after Shendu's destruction resulted in the Dark Hand losing the treasure Shendu had promised them in return for retrieving his talismans but refused to give them, Finn noticed the said talismans in the sand that used to be Shendu's palace, and asks Valmont if he'd be happy with a consolation prize (and keep in mind, the talismans give their wielders magical powers).
155	* On ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'', the dogs are contestants on a ''The Price Is Right''-type show, where the consolation prize is a box of dog biscuits. Naturally, the dogs want the biscuits, and try to lose on purpose, [[SpringtimeForHitler but they just keep on winning]].
156	* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode, "If You're So Smart, Why Are You Rich?," The Riddler failed to kill the corporate executive who cheated him out of a job thanks to Batman, but at least he escaped and has the satisfaction that the exec now is plagued with a terrified paranoia for the Riddler to strike at him again.
157	* In ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' episode, "Up the Down Steroid", Cartman plans to cheat the special Olympics, but fails miserably due to being morbidly obese and Jimmy taking steroids to win. However, he wins a "spirit award" - A gift certificate to Shakey's Pizza and $50.
158	[[/folder]]
159
160	[[folder:Real Life]]
161	* Many contests, especially youth-related (and especially more where young children are involved) give ribbons, certificates, etc., to everyone who participated, meaning that even a contestant who fared poorly -- but at least did his best -- went away with something.
162	* In Britain and the Commonwealth the traditional consolation prize is a wooden spoon. Website/TheOtherWiki [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wooden_spoon_(award) has a whole article on this]]; it started at Cambridge University as a prize for the lowest-scoring Maths student to still earn a degree, but was eventually discontinued. The Six Nations rugby tournament awards a (theoretical) "wooden spoon" to the overall losing side, and many smaller quizzes, competitions and tournaments will give away a real one (sometimes with some kind of decoration, as a kind of anti-trophy, but sometimes just an everyday kitchen utensil).
163	* In pro sports like football or hockey, missing out on the post-season playoffs hurts bad for any team and its fanbase. However, the team and their fans can occasionally enjoy some ''[[WeWinBecauseYouDidnt schadenfreude]]'' and get some of their pride back if they still play well enough to ruin the playoff hopes of whichever other team is their major [[TheRival rival]].
164	** Also in U.S. sports leagues, teams get to draft new players in reverse order of the previous season's records, so theoretically the worst team has the opportunity to get the best available incoming pro, assuming they've scouted the recruits correctly and injury doesn't come into play.
165	** In some leagues, like the NBA, a playoff spot can be considered this since so many teams make the playoffs the lower seeded teams are so inferior they literally have no chance of advancing. All they get is the extra revenue for the additional home games.
166	* The UsefulNotes/OlympicGames gives certificates known as "victory diplomas" to the fourth through eight participants, and the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierre_de_Coubertin_medal Pierre de Coubertin medal]] might be this to those who show sportsmanship while losing higher prizes.
167	* Many people think bronze medals for the third place is this, specially in elimination tournaments where the two semifinal losers play for bronze. It's commonly averted as the bronze winner is usually happy to actually win anything (while the silver medalist might content with his prize but [[SecondPlaceIsForLosers would have preferred to win gold]]).
168	* A notable consolation prize for losing a war was the island of Elba. After his first abdication, Napoleon was exiled there, but not as a prisoner. Elba was made into an independent country with Napoleon as its ruler: he was still an Emperor, but with a tiny empire. Of course, he decided it wasn't enough (though he made some good reforms while he was there) and he tried to win again. After his second abdication, St Helena was very much ''not'' a consolation prize.
169	* In the 1830s, the State of UsefulNotes/{{Ohio}} and the soon-to-be State of UsefulNotes/{{Michigan}} fought a war over the city of Toledo (in the loosest possible sense of "fought" and "war"). The Federal government awarded Toledo to Ohio and gave Michigan its Upper Peninsula as a consolidation prize -- one which turned out to be a treasure trove of resources. Ultimately, the real loser of that war turned out to be UsefulNotes/{{Wisconsin}}, which might have claimed the U.P. otherwise.
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	! Notable aversions
173	* Groucho Marx's radio quiz show ''Series/YouBetYourLife'' had a clever twist: if the contestants wound up losing all their money (or ended their appearance with less than $25 in winnings), Groucho would ask them a consolation question worth $25. The consolation question was one which it was almost impossible to get incorrect (though some contestants did miss it): "Who is buried in Grant's Tomb?", "When did the War of 1812 start?", and "What color is an orange?" were among them.
174	** In one episode, Groucho asked the contestants if they really wanted to bet all their winnings on a question. One of the contestants replied, "Why not? I know who's buried in Grant's Tomb."
175	** A contestant once gave the proper answer of "no one" to the Grant's Tomb question. Groucho was surprised that he got it "wrong" until the contestant pointed out that Grant's Tomb is an ''above ground mausoleum''.
176	** An alternate game show used similar questions... but with a twist. Mentioning a specific Grant, or asking where Panama hats are made. In Ulysses S. Grant's tomb, there's both Ulysses S. Grant AND his wife, Julia! (Panama hats are NOT made in Panama, but in Ecuador.)
177	* ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' used to offer consolation prizes to any contestants who finished with a score of $0. Starting in the early 2000s, they now get the "house minimum": first $500, then $1,000.
178	* Similarly, ''Series/{{Jeopardy}}'' has always paid full winnings only to the first place winner ever since Trebek joined in 1984. The second- and third-place contestants originally got parting gifts, but now, second and third respectively get flat amounts of $2,000 and $1,000.
179	* On the current version of ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'', when a contestant gets {{Zonk}}ed, Wayne Brady will often give them a bit of money (usually around $100) in exchange of them doing a small task, so they don't walk away empty-handed.
180	* During the Richard Dawson era of ''Series/FamilyFeud'', if a family won only a small amount (less than $100), he would bump it up to $250.
181	* On ''Series/SaleOfTheCentury'', losing contestants still kept everything credited to them in the main game, including their score in dollars. (Of course, the latter usually wouldn't be much, as it was a rare occurrence for the ''winner'' to have a score greater than 100, much less the losers.) It was possible, and in fact not even terribly unusual, for a contestant to lose yet get a bigger single-episode haul than the winner, by virtue of prizes that don't count towards the score - although of course, the endgame prizes offered to the winner were much more valuable, and only the winner can come back and get one step closer to the lot.
182	* ''Series/TheHollywoodSquares'' (and many other Creator/MerrillHeatter-Bob Quigley produced shows) had consolation prize packages that often totaled $1,500--and these were nice gifts! For instance, on one Heatter-Quigley show, the loser walked away with a photo session at Olan Mills studios, a microwave oven (and a couple other kitchen appliances), a water softener, a $300 Iowa Pork Producers gift certificate, and some Sarah Coventry jewelry. Other contestants have received things such as two-night stays at a local resort, encyclopedias, gift certificates to clothing stores, car care packages and much more. Keep in mind this is what the loser receives!
183	* In its last two seasons, ''Series/FamilyGameNight'' would give the families who played and lost $100 for participating, and they still got a shot at the Community Chest. If they happened to pick the winning combination, they would earn a shot at a new car.
184	** In season 3, the only proper consolation prize was in ''Yahtzee Bowling'', which was $100 per member.
185	* Some seasons of ''Series/FamilyFeud'' combined this with ProductPlacement to give the losing family a $500 Green Dot debit card, which is not much less (or possibly even more) than the winning family gets if they fail the Fast Money round. Of course, the winners get to play again.

Context Main / ConsolationPrize