Follow TV Tropes

Following

Context Main / LosingHorns

Go To

1->''"Ohhh, sad trombone!"''
2-->-- '''''Bidiots'' Host''', ''VideoGame/TheJackboxPartyPack 2''
3
4A series of sad notes heard on some {{game show}}s whenever a contestant has lost (the BonusRound, generally). These come in several flavors:
5
6* The "mock {{fanfare}}" resembling a bar from the show's original ThemeTune, with the last note a "sad trombone" glissando. Some examples of this type have only the "sad trombone".
7* A series of goofy notes that form a descending "Wah-wah-wah-wahhhhhh" (a "stock" example can be found [[http://www.sadtrombone.com here]]). Does not always have to be four. Non-game show examples (especially in cartoons) are likely to fall under this type.
8* A mocking tune, such as the MockingSingSong, played on some instrument.
9
10Generally associated with EpicFail. Some can qualify as NightmareFuel to younger viewers. Compare LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand, which can be used to similar effect in other media. Contrast with BigWinSirens, which are the opposite reaction to the opposite outcome. Nothing to do with antlers falling off or [[FetishRetardant the other kind of lost horn]]. Subtrope of MockingMusic, which uses more complete pieces instead of just two notes from the brass section.
11----
12!!Mock fanfare:
13* The CBS daytime version of ''Series/ThePriceIsRight'' has one of the [[UrExample earliest examples]] and easily the [[TropeMaker most recognizable]], used after double overbids in the Showcase end game and many pricing game losses (especially ones involving cars or large amounts of cash). These were also used on several other Goodson/Todman game shows. Heard on ''[[Series/DoubleDare1976 Double Dare]]'' and the original version of ''Series/CardSharks'' in truncated form, and the 1980s versions of ''Card Sharks'' in full. It consists of the first four notes of TPIR's main theme on a tuba, followed by a trombone "groan". Listen to it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmkY9lem-2I here.]]
14** Thanks to MemeticMutation, this horn has come to indicate an EpicFail at ''damn near anything''.
15* The Creator/AlexTrebek version of ''Classic {{Series/Concentration}}'': One "groan" played on trombones, similar to ''Price'' but '''much''' more ominous, is heard after a bonus loss. Recycled on the 1989 revival of ''Series/NowYouSeeIt''.
16* ''Series/OneVersusAHundred'' had a slower version of the main theme, when the One lost to the Mob. Listen to it [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1YHpD1mFsk here.]]
17* The American runs of ''Series/{{Blockbusters}}'' had a different one for each version, each resembling that version's theme song.
18* ''Series/WhoWantsToBeAMillionaire'' uses a quick musical cue whenever someone answered a question correctly, and a sad inversion of said cue when someone's final answer was wrong. The fanfare heard when someone wins the million is definitely SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic, but should you happen to be the unfortunate soul who ''[[JumpScare misses]]'' the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fl9p6wfrql4 million-dollar question,]] then you're in for [[HellIsThatNoise one hell of a noise.]] [[spoiler: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHmpLT7RNHE Ken Basin]]]] was the first person in the US version to experience this disastrous outcome, although it came [[spoiler: after he [[BreakTheHaughty bragged like a douche he would get the million.]]]] Unfortunately, the new music package used by the U.S. version after it switched to the shuffle format ''doesn't have one''.
19* ''History [=IQ=]''
20* Game shows produced by Creator/JayWolpert almost ''always'' have unique ones:
21** ''Series/{{Blackout}}'': A synthesized one that descends VERY quickly.
22** ''Rodeo Drive''
23** ''Series/ShoppingSpree'' has a comical one that is broken up into pieces.
24** The Doug Davidson version of ''The Price Is Right'' replaced the original horns with a groan on an electric guitar... and ''[[HellIsThatNoise glass breaking]]''. The cut that [[WhatCouldHaveBeen didn't make it to the air]] also featured the first bar of the theme played ''Shopping Spree''-style and had even more horns... possibly the most evil example of this trope ever produced.
25** The first cycle of ''Series/WaitTilYouHaveKids'' had '''three''': a one-note horn for no one getting a question right in the main game, and a stock foghorn ''followed by'' a standard theme-tune variation (therefore Type B mixed with A) for a bonus loss. When the show took a more "serious" tone, the one from the upfront game was removed (as were most of the other sound effects), and the bonus loss sound was changed to a series of standard buzzers followed by a barely-audible effect of someone "sliding down the keys" on a piano, and even this was buried in the ThemeTune reprise.
26* ''Series/{{Greed}}'' has these, usually heard after about 20 seconds of silent suspense. And when contestants reach the life-changing dollar figures and lose it all, it is painful to hear.
27* ''Series/FortBoyard'', while not ending its lose cue in a falling off, plays a sad version of its theme tune if a team loses in the Treasure Room, whether by an incorrect password, or any team getting trapped inside by getting too greedy and staying in too long. (A bell rings when the gate is starting to close, so if you hear the bell and don't get out of Dodge, then it's a pretty well-deserved loss.) Over time, this also began happening for teams that get below the house minimum value of €3,000. Although it's a technical win, it feels a lot more like a loss. As of 2016, you get a [[https://youtu.be/mXLJAlTrfFQ?t=8173 wonderful orchestral piece based off of the main theme's middle eight]].
28* The Japanese show ''Series/PanelQuizAttack25'' plays a few short jazzy notes, followed by a trumpet falling off if the day's winner doesn't identify the subject of the final short film within five seconds. Also uses Type B for incorrect answers in the main game.
29* ''Series/ElGranJuegoDeLaOca'' used Type A in its original Italian incarnation as well as in its second and third seasons in Spain for failed challenges. The first season in Spain used Type B (although a Type A was used as a mock fanfare in that version when a FanDisservice character was brought out for a challenge).
30* ''Series/CatchPhrase'' - the UK version had one as its time's-up buzzer in the bonus round that could only be described as a cross between a fart and a slide whistle.
31* ''[[Series/OneThousandHeartbeats 1000 Heartbeats]]'' has a zap sound that sounds like a machine powering down combined with that long "[[HellIsThatNoise beeeeeeeeeeeep]]" sound you get when a heart monitor {{flatline}}s. (Appropriate, since the contestant's overall time limit for their game is based on their own heart rate.)
32* ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed'' has The E-Rank music, where a horribly off-key version of the main theme plays when you get a E-Rank.
33* The first two ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog1'' games used a sad saxophone version of the main theme for Game Over or [[TimedMission time running out]]. The 8-bit versions played an off-key version of the theme whenever you lost a life.
34* ''VideoGame/AdventureIsland'''s death jingle is the last bar of the main theme with a trombone-style glissando at the end, while the Game Over fanfare is a mix of Type A and B.
35* ''VideoGame/KidIcarus1986'': The Game Over fanfare, fittingly, is a "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faw0djryJpQ you lost]]" arrangement of the GrimReaper's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZtX6ln3Fww theme]].
36* In ''VideoGame/DuckTales'' on the NES, [[https://youtu.be/QSE4_j3DOJQ the Game Over jingle]] is the first bar of the theme tune's chorus followed by the "life lost" sting. [[https://youtu.be/l1nTHHiOFVg It also reappears in the remake]] if you lose all your lives on [[HarderThanHard Extreme difficulty]].
37* ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' for the NES plays [[https://youtu.be/eYhsT9jmQQ8 a depressing fanfare]] when Mac loses a match. Also used in ''VideoGame/IWannaBeTheGuy'' if you die to Mike Tyson.
38* On ''Series/SquareOneTV'', the [[ShowWithinAShow Game Within A Show]] "Mathman" played an ominous electronic horn if Mathman incorrectly answered a question, followed by a two-tone groan when Mr. Glitch caught him.
39* 680x0 based Macintosh computers starting with the Mac II up to the pre-AV Quadras played an arpeggio known as the "Chimes of Death" upon startup failure, usually accompanying the Sad Mac icon. The SE/30, Portable, [=IIcx=], [=IIci=], and [=IIsi=] preceded the arpeggio with a ScareChord, while on the LC's, Classic II, Color Classic, [=IIvx=], Powerbooks, Performas, and Quadras, it was followed by the intro lick from ''Series/TheTwilightZone1959'', sometimes used on its own.
40* When time runs out in the VHSGame ''TabletopGame/PartyMania'', you hear three alarm clock buzzes, followed by the "Charge" fanfare, ending in a falling off.
41* In ''WesternAnimation/TheWindInTheWillows1983'', when the escaped-from-jail Mr. Toad bails from the locomotive to evade his pursuers, the "Motorcar Montage" {{leitmotif}} ends with a glissando and fall-off.
42* ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestITheSarienEncounter (VGA)'', on GameOver, plays an orchestral ScareChord followed by a whole tone scale glissando and a trailing-off bar of the main theme.
43
44!!Goofy Notes:
45* The {{Zonk}}s on ''Series/LetsMakeADeal'', beginning with the 1976 Las Vegas season and, while with a different effect, continuing throughout the current version with Wayne Brady.
46* Losing the "nine keys" version of the BonusRound on the Bergeron version of ''Series/TheHollywoodSquares''.
47* The British version of ''Series/{{Blockbusters}}'' used a three-note version as the Gold Run's time buzzer.
48* Heard on occasion when a challenge was lost on Creator/{{Nickelodeon}}'s ''[[Series/WhatWouldYouDoNickelodeon What Would You Do?]]''
49* Bonus losses on Creator/{{MTV}}'s ''Idiot Savants''.
50* A two-note synth "fog horn"-like sound played whenever anyone hit the {{Whammy}} on ''Series/PressYourLuck''. Though it was no different with the fourth Whammy that eliminated a player, there were specialized Whammy animations for those situations (most notably the umpire Whammy). On the beta version ''Series/SecondChance'', a similar sound was used upon hitting a devil but it was more like "wah waaah."
51* On the Spanish version of ''[[Series/{{Wipeout1988}} Wipeout]]'' (called "Alta Tension", literally, "High Tension"), if the round ends by having all of the incorrect answers selected, or if the player loses the BonusRound, several low-pitched "wah-wah" notes played, ending in a "falling off." Unusually, it's a fusion of two types of losing horns (A and B).
52* The Australian ''Series/WheelOfFortune'' had this when a contestant landed on Bankrupt.
53* The original version of ''Series/TheGongShow'' had the whole band play one of these whenever someone got gonged.
54* ''[[Series/{{Boom}} BOOM!]]'' features these when a contestant detonates a bomb.
55* ''Series/FamilyFortunes'' uses the distinctive two-note "EHH-UHHH!" whenever a wrong answer is given.
56* In ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSandiego'', incorrectly placing a marker during the Bonus Round resulted in two electronic horn notes that sounded like "uh-oh".
57
58'''This type shows up outside the realm of game shows as well:'''
59* ''Advertising/{{Cryptoland}}'': The typical "wah wah wah waaaah" plays when Cristopher tells Connie he needs to take security more seriously.
60* In the ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'', the host and the bots sometimes imitate this sound to mock forced comedy in whatever movie they're riffing. Two memorable examples:
61** Joel and the Bots imitate this sound to riff on the line "It stinks!" in ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S03E03PodPeople Pod People]]''.
62** They also do it when Dropo gets caught hiding in ''[[Recap/MysteryScienceTheater3000S03E21SantaClausConquersTheMartians Santa Claus Conquers the Martians]]''.
63* WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic uses this as a gag a few times, in response to the the bad jokes in movies like ''Film/MortalKombatTheMovie''. ''Film/LostInSpace'' however is so bad that instead of playing the horns he makes the noise himself (increasing the volume with every gag).
64** At one point he used the sound so often that ''it broke''.
65** He has also used the ones from ''The Price Is Right'' at least twice.
66* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', "Swarm of the Century", Ponyville gets overrun with locust-like creatures called parasprites. The parasprites are eventually led back to the Everfree Forest, but by that point the town has been thoroughly ransacked, and Pinkie Pie [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI7YDIaU-4I literally plays a sad trombone]] to close out the episode. [[spoiler: Considering it's the first instrument she said she had to find, but she doesn't use it for her One-Pony Band, the trope is borderline {{Parodied}} since she apparently saw it coming.]]
67* At the end of the ''WesternAnimation/ThePowerpuffGirls1998'' episode "Geshundfight", [[HarmlessVillain the Amoeba Boys]] lament how they're still not getting taken seriously as criminals, despite having just been [[NotSoHarmlessVillain indirectly responsible for a crippling plague]]. When Boss tells his comrades [[BrickJoke "I told you we shoulda taken the orange!"]], the narrator [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud produces this sound]] and gently mocks the Amoeba Boys for their incompetence.
68* ''WesternAnimation/RazzberryJazzberryJam'': In “Join The Jam”, a wah-wah-wahhh sound plays whenever Louis gives an auditionee the thumbs-down [[TerribleIntervieweesMontage (which happens a lot)]]. Befitting him, the notes are played on a trumpet rather than a French horn.
69* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode "I'm Your Biggest Fanatic", one of the Jellyspotters goes "Wah-wah-waaah!" every time their leader Kevin was humiliated, and at one point Kevin tells him to cut it out.
70* In the kung-fu movie ''Film/DrunkenMaster'', one of these sounds after the villain falls face-first into a pile of manure during a fight.
71* In the [[Creator/TheCannonGroup Cannon Group]] movie ''Film/EnterTheNinja'', a Type B sad trombone plays after the ninja hero defeats a bad guy in a fight then tosses the villain's artificial hook at his feet. Some critics think that, considering the uneven and frequently goofy tone of this cheap action film, director Menahem Golan used this sound unironically.
72* In ''VideoGame/BanjoKazooie,'' the "failfare" for when you fail a mini-game or task is a slow, low "wooop, wooop, woooooooh" sound.
73* In ''VideoGame/FancyPantsAdventures'', low, almost cello-like tones descend upon the loss of a life. It can be quite [[{{Pun}} disconcerting]] compared to the upbeat tunes of the rest of the game.
74* ''Series/StorageWars'' plays this for laughs when someone is expecting a big haul on an item and it's worth considerably less.
75* [[Series/TheWildWildWest Artemus Gordon]] plays this on the violin in "The Night of the Casual Killer" when, for once, his partner Jim West does ''not'' end up with the girl-of-the-week.
76* Featured prominently in the Debbie Downer sketches in ''Series/SaturdayNightLive''.
77* ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph'': Heard when the result of Ralph and Vanellope's endeavors in the go-kart factory produce a very messy-looking but still functional kart. Subverted, since Vanellope ''loves'' the resulting kart (and it works perfectly, too!)
78* ''VideoGame/SheepDogNWolf'' plays them every time Ralph the Wolf runs into a wall.
79* How about ''Anime/LupinIIIPartIII''? In episode 3, a girl clings to Lupin and forces him to take her home with him. When he tries to scare her away, she tells him his plan isn't going to work...cue the four-note horn motif.
80* On the ''Series/{{Community}}'' episode "[[Recap/CommunityS5E08AppDevelopmentAndCondiments App Development and Condiments"]], dystopian chaos ensues over a student-developed mobile app where users rate each other on a scale of 1 to 5 "[=MeowMeowBeenz=]". When someone is given a rating of 1, a meowing Type B tune plays.
81* ''Series/SesameStreet'' hasn't exactly Type B (sequence isn't entirely falling) but also the familiar wah-wah-wah-waaaaaah trombone. Often used when a character has an less-than satisfactory ending, such as Bert enduring Ernie's antics in the middle of the night.
82* The UsefulNotes/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne & PC versions of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' allow you to put on the Type B losing horn as a car horn in Los Santos Customs.
83* ''VideoGame/ToontownOnline'' plays this in too many places. Even going ''sad'' results in this.
84* In ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'', if you visit Papyrus's house and look under the sink, the Annoying Dog will run off with part of Papyrus's bone stash. [[TheSlacker Sans]] will then mock his brother by sticking his head out of his room for the sole purpose of playing the losing horns on a trombone.
85-->'''Papyrus:''' SANS! STOP PLAGUING MY LIFE WITH INCIDENTAL MUSIC!
86* A RunningGag in the ''WesternAnimation/WanderOverYonder'' episode "The Good Deed" has a banjo version of the losing horns playing whenever Wander and Sylvia find [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished one of their good deeds has gone awry]].
87* One of the many {{Running Gag}}s on ''WesternAnimation/{{Archer}}'' involves a ''spoken'' version: the phrase "womp womp" is used in place of a trombone by several characters when someone else loses out on something.
88** One episode also used "The Price Is Right" version twice, played by character holding up a smart phone.
89* ''VideoGame/NorthAndSouth'' plays something like this when a player fails to take a fort before running out of time.
90* In the ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' cartoon "Cool Things", Homestar [[SayingSoundEffectsOutLoud makes a "wah-wah-wah" sound]] after Marzipan orders him to help clean up the words "Cool Tapes" he painted on her living room wall.
91* Early [=PowerPC=]-based Macintosh Performas (all within the 5000 and 6000 series) often played a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aa9CC2DHdnk dramatic three-note descending brass fanfare]] followed by a RimShot whenever they crashed or failed to start up.
92* The cry of [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Magikarp]], a Franchise/{{Pokemon}} stereotyped as being weak and utterly useless, almost [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9oKsrrYduI sounds]] like a mocking sound.
93* ''VideoGame/SimCity'''s SNES port had [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BymBc54ulCg a four-note descending horn fanfare]] accompanied by an emergency vehicle siren (used by itself in the original PC version) when a disaster struck.
94* In ''VideoGame/SpaceQuestIVRogerWilcoAndTheTimeRippers'', the "Ms. Astro Chicken" arcade [[GameWithinAgame minigame]] plays a classic sad trombone when you lose a life. The main game uses the mock fanfare variant on the Game Over screen, as well as if you enter an invalid code in the Time Pod.
95* ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' uses this in the Soldier's Fubar Fanfare taunt.
96* Used frequently in Creator/DingoPictures films. Often used at [[{{Narm}} hilariously inappropriate times]], such as in ''Wabuu'' where it's used when Wuschel faints from pain after being crushed beneath a fallen tree.
97* Creator/LJNToys' ''T&C Surf Designs: Wood and Water Rage'' uses nine descending notes for loss of a life, with mocking notes added to the end for Game Over.
98* On ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', the very first time Bulk and Skull get thrown--within a minute of their introduction in the pilot episode--by Kimberley and Trini, they get the synth version of the ''waah-waah-waah'' losing horns, telling you exactly where these two stand in the scheme of things right from the get-go.
99* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
100** In "Hungry Hungry Homer", Homer discovers a closetful of evidence that the Springfield Isotopes are planning to move to Albuquerque and tries to show the authorities, only for the team owner to [[ItWasHereISwear get rid of the evidence before they arrive]]. And just to mock Homer further, he replaced them with a man who plays "Waah-waah" on a trombone when he opens the door.
101** In "The Mansion Family", when Homer realizes the Coast Guard ship he's asking for help is mocking him (he had earlier mocked them because they couldn't arrest him, as he was in international waters), the ship plays the ''waah-waah-waah'' sound.
102* In ''Film/ANightAtTheOpera'', an early version of the Sad Trombone motif gets ad-libbed into the overture to ''Theatre/IlTrovatore''. (The orchestra plays the overture normally after this until [[CartoonConductor suddenly changing to "Take Me Out to the Ball Game."]])
103* Frequently used on ''Series/WorldsDumbest'', sometimes by the commentators themselves, for a particularly amusing EpicFail (and there are ''plenty'' to choose from).
104* In ''VideoGame/FestersQuest'', the Game Over screen plays the main riff of ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' theme ending with four descending "wah wah wah wah" notes.
105* ''VideoGame/PoliceQuest'' plays a six-note chromatic riff in certain Game Over situations.
106* ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'' used a stock two-tone foghorn, which also appears in the LicensedGame ''Veediots!''.
107* In ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'', we're told the Librarian has ''very specific'' tastes in theatre, demanding {{Slapstick}} in any performance "and especially that bit when someone takes someone else’s hat off, fills it with something oozy, and replaces it on the deadpan head while the orchestra plays 'WHAH…Whah…whah…whaaa…'".
108* ''VideoGame/NFLBlitz'' plays a "wahh wahh wahh wahhhhhh" when a play ends in a failed fourth down conversion, failed field goal, failed 2-point conversion, or [[EpicFail safety]].
109* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' plays [[https://youtu.be/2yDSoYOsTmI six descending notes]] on strings when Link dies.
110* Frank [=DeVol=]'s stock incidental music for ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' features such a four-note stinger.
111* The now-defunct Facebook ''Farkle'' game played a three-note version of this when a player rolled a Farkle.
112* In ''Film/Joker2019'' a trombone player on Murray's show belts out a "wah-wah" in reaction to Arthur's unfunny joke.
113* Three different variants are used in the 1980s ''Franchise/CuriousGeorge'' shorts whenever George gets into trouble: a three-note tuba, a four-note harmonica and a five-note trombone.
114* ''VideoGame/{{Paperboy}}'' plays six descending bassoon notes followed by a leap up an octave and a step down a major third if any customers cancel their subscriptions at the end of a day.
115* ''VideoGame/SonicShuffle'' plays a series of descending electronic notes if [[{{Whammy}} the Eggman card]] is drawn.
116* ''Pinball/{{Heist}}'': If any member of the CaperCrew gets arrested, the game plays stock "wah-wah" horns in response.
117* ''Pinball/ToyStory42022'': Failing the SkillShot sometimes causes the game to play the traditional "wah-wah-wahhh" horns.
118* This is Stevens' entire shtick in ''WesternAnimation/RandyCunninghamNinthGradeNinja'', playing "Wa wa waa" with his trombone at opportune moments, as a RunningGag.
119* ''Series/GakiNoTsukaiYaArahende'': In the annual Batsu games, a two-note cue plays anytime the No-Laughing rule is violated.
120* ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'': In the [[TheEeyore "Debbie Downer"]] sketches, a "wah-wah-wah-wahhh" or "wah-wahhh" trombone plays whenever Debbie shares a depressing fact or story.
121* ''Snake III'': The losing jingle comes with a wah wah wah waaah fanfare.
122* ''Film/CarryOnBehind'': "Wah-wah" music is heard when Carol and Sandra hold up the chicken which was to be their dinner after it was run over by a van.
123* ''Film/TheRailwayChildren'': When Perks has to deliver the massive hamper to the Three Chimneys, and has to get through a very narrow stile with great difficulty. He does this by balancing the hamper and his hat on top of the stile, and squeezing underneath. This whole scene is accompanied by a "wah-wah" theme.
124
125!!Mocking Notes
126* Both ''Just Men!'' and the Davidson version of ''Series/TheHollywoodSquares'' used an electronic version of the MockingSingSong if the champion's car didn't start.
127* ''Series/{{Cram}}'' also played a Mocking Sing Song as soon as the clock hit zero at the end of the BonusRound.
128* The Latinoamerican game show ''Sábado Gigante'' (Giant Saturday) has an actual character, ''El Chacal'' (The Jackal), a masked man whose purpose was to play a mock bugle call on-camera, in a setup similar to ''Series/TheGongShow''.
129* On the short-lived 1983 show ''Just Men!'' and on the John Davidson ''Hollywood Squares,'' a car that didn't start in the bonus round was ushered with a "Nyah nyah-nyah nyah-nyah nyah!" fanfare.
130
131'''As with Type B above, this type also shows up outside the realm of game shows:'''
132* ''VideoGame/MegaMan3'' has a very jolly song playing over its "Game Over!" screen. Music/BrentalFloss' "[[WithLyrics What if X Had Lyrics?]]" series added hilariously over-the-top [[ReasonYouSuckSpeech mocking]] as well.
133* The game over music for the original Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog [[InvokedTrope invokes]] the losing horn, even though the 16-bit instrument used doesn't really sound like a trombone.
134* ''[[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Salamander/Life Force]]'''s Game Over screen plays a cheery tune similar to "Unchained Melody".
135* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioKart'': The game plays the first ten notes of "[[CreepyCircusMusic Entry of the Gladiators]]" if you fail to place on the podium.
136* Some versions of ''VideoGame/TheOregonTrail'' play a mockingly upbeat version of {{Taps}} when the last party member dies and their tombstone is displayed.
137* In the SNES version of {{TabletopGame/Monopoly}}, two bars from Music/FryderykChopin's ''Marche Funèbre'' play when a player declares bankruptcy.
138* In ''VideoGame/LeisureSuitLarry1InTheLandOfTheLoungeLizards'''s NonStandardGameOver where Larry is DrivenToSuicide over failing to lose his virginity, the beginning of "Call To the Dairy Cows" from Rossini's ''William Tell'' overture plays as the sun rises, followed by the first two bars of Chopin's aforementioned ''Marche Funèbre'' as Larry shoots himself in the head.
139* Creator/{{Stern}}'s ''Super Bagman'' unexpectedly uses "Auld Lang Syne" for Game Over.
140* ''VideoGame/{{Circus}}'', in one of the earliest video game examples, plays both an 8-bit Type A glissando and the beginning of Chopin's ''Marche Funèbre'' when a clown falls to their death. This was in turn referenced by Music/YellowMagicOrchestra in their songs "Computer Game (Theme from The Circus)" and "Acrobat".
141* In ''F/A-18 Hornet'', if a pilot is killed in action, the last bar of {{Taps}} is played at the end of the mission debriefing.
142* ''VideoGame/ForzaHorizon 4'''s custom vehicle horns include the aforementioned "Funeral March" as well as a trombone slide and "wah wah wah wah".
143* ''VideoGame/{{Pitfall}}'' uses the first phrase of the ''Series/{{Dragnet}}'' theme when the player loses a life. Also used in the arcade adaptation when Harry falls into a pit.
144* ''[[https://youtu.be/fvvA1ZJMl1E Glypha]]'', an Egyptian-themed ''VideoGame/{{Joust}}'' clone for Macintosh computers, plays the first bar of "[[RegionalRiff The Streets of Cairo]]" {{in the style of}} a funeral dirge when you get a Game Over.
145* In ''Dubbelmoral!'', a Swedish Macintosh game, a choir sings "Hallelujah!" when [[HaveANiceDeath the player character dies]] [[NonStandardGameOver or gets expelled from the University]].
146* ''VideoGame/CityConnection'' plays the German traditional tune "Flohwalzer (Flea Waltz)", known in Japan as "Neko Fujinatta (I Stepped on the Cat)", when the player collides with a cat. Likewise, a lick from "Turkey in the Straw" plays if you get wrecked by the cops.
147* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia1'' has two death fanfares: "Accident", which quotes the first three notes of "Taps" but in a minor [[{{Scales}} key]], and "Heroic Death", which blends "Taps" with Chopin's "Funeral March". Also, if the Princess's hourglass runs out, you are treated to the HeartbeatSoundtrack ticking to a halt, then a funerary dirge aptly named "Tragic End".
148* ''VideoGame/PizzaTower'' has [[TheRival The Noise]] suffer this. After pulling a minigun on Peppino, the horns come in playing his Leifmotif when Noisette drags him off-screen [[AwfulWeddedLife screaming]].
149* ''Manga/OnePiece''; the anime adaptation has a silly kazoo theme play after [[spoiler: Kaido gets blown up by his own attack courtesy of [[ToonPhysics Gear 5 Luffy]] and he collapses in an AshFace mess]].
150
151!!Others
152* ''VideoGame/BalloonFight'' uses a slide whistle when a player falls out of the sky after losing their balloons. A similar sound is heard in ''VideoGame/PunchOut'' when either Mac or his opponent is knocked down.
153* Inverted on ''Series/BeatTheGeeks''; stock BigWinSirens played ''if the Geeks beat you'' in the Bonus Round.
154* ''Series/{{Chockablock}}'', a British children's series from the 1980s, is another non-game show example. Whenever Chockabloke or Chockagirl gives an answer which deviates from the Rhyme of the Week, or pictures of two non-rhyming things are spun in during the Rockablocks game, the titular computer responds by making a sound like someone blowing a raspberry.
155* A harsh two-tone buzzer was heard on Bob Eubanks' version of ''Series/DreamHouse'' upon the doors failing to open if the couple entered the incorrect combination to unlock them.
156* Not a game show, but ''Series/TheElectricCompany1971'' used what sounded like a dejected duck when the actor(s) on screen failed to read the displayed word or sentence within five seconds.
157* ''Formula Retro Racing'' uses a horn groan followed by a space zap sound when you run out of time in a race.
158* Creator/DickClark's ''It Takes Two'' used the same horn for incorrect guesses.
159* In ''VideoGame/IWasATeenageExocolonist'', one photonophor[[note]]a flutelike instrument that produces light beams when played[[/note]] event has you going around playing a ''wakka wakka'' noise on it whenever someone trips.
160* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheWindWaker'''s Sinking Ships minigame had the minigame's host, Salvatore going "sploosh!" whenever you miss, [[https://www.google.com/search?q=The+Price+Is+Right&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8#q=wind+waker+minigame&tbm=vid leading some to call it the "sploosh minigame"]]. Additionally When you lose, a an alternate, yet still triumphant sounding version of the [[BigWinSirens victory fanfare]] is played.
161* ''National Lampoon's Funny Money'' used the sound of a baby crying if the bonus picture was not guessed.
162* ''[[Series/TreasureHuntUS The New Treasure Hunt]]'' used a subdued version of its BigWinSirens when the grand prize check was shown to have been chosen and passed up.
163* Later "Old World" Macintoshes, aside from the aforementioned [=PowerPC=] Performa horn failfare, used either bongo drums(Centris/Quadra AV), a car crashing([=NuBus=] [=PowerMacs=]), or glass breaking(PCI [=PowerMacs=]) for their hardware failure sound.
164* The children's version of ''TabletopGame/{{Pictionary}}'' used a ship's horn for incorrect puzzle guesses and bonus losses.
165* In ''Series/{{Pointless}}'', a noise which sounds like a cross between a whoosh and a boom is heard whenever a contestant gives an incorrect answer. If this happens in the first two rounds, that contestant automatically adds 100 points to their pair's score. (Since the object of the game is to get the lowest score possible, this often leads to the pair being eliminated.)
166* In the American version of ''Series/WheelOfFortune'', hitting [[{{Whammy}} Bankrupt]] results in a descending slide whistle.
167* ''Series/WhereInTheWorldIsCarmenSanDiego'' played a foghorn for the ''crook'' when the winning contestant pulled the chain to put them in jail.
168* Creator/JayWolpert also subverted the trope:
169** ''Series/HitMan'' had a loud "space zap" [[http://www.qwizx.com/gssfx/usa/hmtcend.wav noise]] as the buzzer for the [[BonusRound Triple Crown]].
170** ''Series/{{Whew}}'' featured a GreekChorus of the villains [[http://www.qwizx.com/gssfx/usa/w-timesup.wav shouting]] ''"Tiiiiime's uuuuuup!"'' when a contestant ran out of time either in the front game or the [[BonusRound Gauntlet]].

Top