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4[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grand_theft_auto_hydrant.png]]]]
5
6->''"Cool 'er off, sucker!"''
7-->-- '''Any of the [[Franchise/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles Turtles]]''', ''[[VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime Turtles in Time]]''
8
9In media when an out of control car runs over a fire hydrant the inevitable result is a geyser of water that [[InstantIndexJustAddWater instantly adds]] both drama and excitement to the scene. In reality the ''most'' likely result is a good deal of front end damage and a bill to repair the broken hydrant, but in a non-trivial amount of cases the car '''will''' wind up as an aquarium. Whether this trope is ArtisticLicense or TruthInTelevision depends on [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_Hydrant#Construction the design of the hydrant:]] "wet barrel" models bring highly pressurized water all the way up into the part that sticks above ground, while "dry barrel" variants keep the vital valve equipment many feet underground, and that is opened via a long shaft.
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11Any location subject to cold temperatures '''must''' employ dry barrel hydrants to [[HarmlessFreezing avoid problems with burst pipes]]. This combined with the protection against the very calamity that the Hydrant Geyser portrays is why dry barrel hydrants make up the overwhelming majority of installed units in North America. Of course with wet barrel units being acceptable in warm locations such as Southern California, that design makes up the [[CaliforniaDoubling majority seen in media]], hence the popularity of the trope.
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13This trope is constantly hovering on the border of becoming {{discredited|Trope}} or even a {{dead horse|Trope}}, with spoofs and parodies making up a large number of examples, however it is frequently played straight both in media and RealLife. Like the [[EveryCarIsAPinto exploding car]], this trope maintains a strong grip on the popular psyche causing people to be [[RealityIsUnrealistic genuinely surprised]] when hydrants are knocked over with little fanfare.
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15The presence of a Hydrant Geyser can always be HandWaved away by saying that any given dry barrel unit was accidentally left pressurized via an open valve.
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17Often the geyser is preceded by a comical rumbling of the ground as if the hydrant acted as some sort of champagne cork or oil well cap. This is always wrong as a pressurized hydrant will instantly gush water, not take a few seconds to "get going".
18
19Similar to TelepathicSprinklers. See also WaterGeyserVolley
20
21----
22!!Examples:
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24[[foldercontrol]]
25
26[[folder:Advertising]]
27* Happens in [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2OnpElD767c this 1999 commercial]] for Kraft's ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats|1991}}'' Macaroni and Cheese when the Cheesasaurus Rex crashes his bicycle into a hydrant, causing a gusher of cheesy sauce to come shooting from where the hydrant was.
28[[/folder]]
29
30[[folder:Comic Books]]
31* In the {{WesternAnimation/Dynomutt|DogWonder}} story "The Incredible Mr. Mastermind" (Marvel, issue #2), Blue Falcon finds himself on top of a hydrant geyser after Dynomutt knocks it over. But it's not Dog Wonder's fault—Mastermind has taken remote control of him.
32[[/folder]]
33
34[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
35* ''Film/AnimalHouse'': During the destruction of the parade, a float with a Genghis Khan head on it is sent crashing into/over a hydrant. The resulting geyser comes out of the head (rather than just blowing it off-- RuleOfFunny, after all).
36* In ''Film/TheBluesBrothers'' a geyser is seen to erupt after the police car collides with The Good Old Boys Winnebago after the Blues Brothers flee the Country Bunker.
37* In ''Film/BruceAlmighty'', Bruce uses his God powers to knock a hydrant over, allowing some kids to play in the resulting geyser.
38* ''Film/DemolitionMan'' hands us a very peculiar one as Simon Phoenix takes a shot with his newly-acquired BFG and decapitates a fire hydrant, resulting in the expected geyser. The catch is that this particular hydrant was in an ''archaeological dig of an LA street buried when the Big One earthquake struck.'' Meaning the entire city was destroyed and buried and yet somehow this hydrant still had pressure. Ragnarok Proof, indeed.
39* Happens during the "Do I feel lucky?" bank robbery scene in ''Film/DirtyHarry''. Bonus points for the car also wrecking a flower stall at the same time.
40* In ''Film/Ghostbusters1984'', Stay-Puft knocks one over and gives his rampage a touch of realism. [[note]]Fun fact: the model makers actually used air and corn starch to make the small-scale geyser properly visible to the camera.[[/note]]
41* Towards the end of ''Film/LethalWeapon'', when the cops are shot in front of Murtaugh's house their car rolls into a hydrant that creates the geyser that then creates the mood for the ultimate fight scene.
42* In ''Film/RoboCop1987'', when the Boddicker gang are playing around with their [[MoreDakka Cobra Assault Cannons]], one blows the top off a fire hydrant causing a geyser.
43* In ''Film/SupermanIII'' the action opens with an out of control car knocking over a hydrant, which proceeds to fill the passenger compartment with water and threaten to drown the person [[JammedSeatbelts trapped inside]].
44[[/folder]]
45
46[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
47* In an episode of ''Series/CSIMiami'' a hydrant geyser threatens to wash away critical evidence after a motorist was shot (thus causing the geyser).
48* ''Series/H2OJustAddWater'': Cleo discovers she can [[MakingASplash command water]] when she opens a fire hydrant and sends a bully flying with a blast of pressurized water. A second wave of her hand depressurizes the hydrant and shuts the water valve off.
49* Episode 5 of the short-lived 1980s [[Film/TheLoveBug Herbie]] TV series, Calling Dr Herbie, has The Love Bug intentionally backing into a hydrant in order to soak the used-car salesman inside him, out of revenge for Jim & Susan buying a station wagon.
50* One episode of ''Series/{{NCIS}}'' starts with a gushing hydrant as the result of an assignment GoneHorriblyWrong. After an ass-chewing from [[DaChief Vance]], we find out HowWeGotHere.
51* ''Series/{{Scorpion}}'': In "Revenge", Happy deliberately creates a hydrant geyser by knocking the cap off a hydrant, and using the resultant jet of water to knock two fleeing bad guys off their motorcycles.
52* [[https://youtu.be/jVhlJNJopOQ?t=137 This]] skit has Creator/RyanGosling bumping into a hydrant and this trope unfolds.
53[[/folder]]
54
55[[folder:Music Videos]]
56* In the video for "What They Want" by Music/{{DMX}} and Sisqo, the motif of people playing in the geyser of a broken hydrant is used, but instead of children, the people playing in it are grown women. Partly for {{Fanservice}}, and partly because the entire rap is a MisogynySong in general.
57* In the video for Music/RickyMartin's "Livin' La Vida Loca", a car goes out of control and hits a hydrant, busting it instantly and creating the geyser.
58[[/folder]]
59
60[[folder:Theme Parks]]
61* At Ride/UniversalStudios:
62** The former Ride/{{Kongfrontation}} attraction at Ride/UniversalStudios had a broken fire hydrant shooting off water down in the streets, to show off the damage King Kong had done there.
63** A fire hydrant also gets broken and shoots water during the WesternAnimation/HeyArnold sequence in [[Ride/JimmyNeutronsNicktoonBlast Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast]], a water effect would then be used to make the riders feel as if they're getting sprinkled by it.
64** This would occur in the also-defunct ''Ride/TwisterRideItOut'' attraction when a car gets pulled forward by the tornado, dislodging a fire hydrant in the process.
65[[/folder]]
66
67[[folder:Video Games]]
68* Both ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTheArcadeGame'' and ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtlesTurtlesInTime'' allow you to send water flying out of a hydrant, damaging any enemies in its path.
69* Several ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' games will do this if you hit a hydrant at any significant speed. From ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV'' onwards, the geyser has actual physical properties instead of being just an animated sprite of flowing water like in previous titles -- the water pressure can knock people over and even lift cars.
70* In ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil3Nemesis'', Jill passes by a busted hydrant on her way to the police department. By the time she comes back (a few minutes in real time, but several hours in-game) the hydrant has run out of pressure and the there is no more geyser.
71* One of VideoGame/PacMan's special move in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros for Wii U and 3DS'' makes him summon a fire hydrant which then sends short spurts of water on its sides, pushing the characters on the way. If Pac-Man stands atop the hydrant, a little geyser will push him upward. This move is based on the 1984 arcade game ''VideoGame/PacLand'' in which hydrants are obstacles, though the upward geyser is completely new to this game. A bit subverted as the water spurts if the Hydrant is ''not'' destroyed. Of course all of this does not make any sense and is just for [[VideoGamePhysics the sake of the game mechanics]].
72* In the second part of ''VideoGame/RoadOfTheDead'', shooting a hydrant and driving through the geyser is the preferred way of putting out a burning engine.
73* You can bust hydrants in ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', and they generate an infinite (but modest) water geyser. You can [[HealItWithWater drink from it to regain health]].
74[[/folder]]
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76[[folder:Web Comics]]
77* In ''Webcomic/{{Spinnerette}}'', Captain Alberta uses his water control powers to [[http://www.spinnyverse.com/2013/04/15/04152013/ pop a hydrant]] and use the water within as a weapon.
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79
80[[folder:Web Videos]]
81* ''Film/{{Pixels}}'': Franchise/DonkeyKong causes a pixellated one in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugV6cLgwomo original short]] version.
82[[/folder]]
83
84[[folder:Western Animation]]
85* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode ''22 Short Films About Springfield'' Chief Wiggum, on foot, recognizes Snake at the wheel of his car at a light and in the ensuing attempt to flee Snake crashes into a mailbox which results in a geyser of letters spewing forth from the ground.
86* This was a RunningGag in the ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' episode in which Rocko teaches Mrs. Wolff how to drive; she would keep running into hydrants, which fill the car with water.
87* In ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', Mr. Freeze kicks open a fire hydrant and fires his FreezeRay at the geyser to create a rapidly rising column of ice that he rides up a skyscraper. The animators admit it's unrealistic, but it [[RuleOfCool looks really cool.]]
88* In the ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' episode [[ChristmasEpisode "It's a Wonderful Leaf"]], Darkwing accidentally rips a hydrant off the pavement when he [[TongueOnTheFlagpole gets his beak stuck on it]], and he uses the ensuing geyser to soak and freeze Bushroot and his army of living Christmas trees.
89* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'': During a high speed chase, Drakken uses his hovercraft's [[TractorBeam Gravatomic Ray]] to try and catch Kim and Ron. He accidentally rips a fire hydrant out of the ground, creating a geyser that staggers his vehicle and lets the heroes get away.
90* ''WesternAnimation/TheLoudHouse'': While on a sugar strike, Lola flees from the ice cream truck, whose driver considers her his best customer. The chase ends when he crashes into a water fountain, which sprays a geyser strong enough to lift the entire ice cream truck into the air.
91* ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'': In "Stayin' Cool", the ice cream truck Mickey, Donald, & Goofy cool off in lands on a fire hydrant after flying off a hill. The hydrant ruptures, quickly filling the truck with water before a geyser bursts out the top (blowing off the cone decoration on the roof & lowering the temperature outside in the process).
92[[/folder]]

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