Line #130 Main/StuffBlowingUp


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6	%% This list of examples has been alphabetized. Please add your example in the proper place. Thanks!
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12	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1657899018094979200
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15	[[quoteright:350:[[Film/SixUnderground https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/6_underground_things_exploding.png]]]]
16	[[caption-width-right:350:Kaboom!]]
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18	->''"Whenever there seems to be a dull, quiet or otherwise non-car-filled moment, [director Creator/JustinLin] likes to believe that filming a bunch of cars exploding will distract the audience long enough to forget that these movies are objectively terrible.\
19	I sort of hate that he's right."''
20	-->-- ''Website/{{Cracked}}'' [[http://www.cracked.com/blog/i-cant-tell-if-movies-are-being-serious-anymore/ reviews the trailer]] for ''Film/FastFive''
21	%%No more quotes please. There is a quotes page specifically to gather all those explosion-related quotes.
22
23	First rule of Hollywood: "''Anything'' can explode".
24
25	Let's face it, everything's better with exciting, fiery explosions. Television scripts are short, deadlines are pressing and since audiences love "things that go BOOM!", shortcuts are taken. There's a pretty good chance the audience has already seen something blow up at least once during a typical first half-hour of television or film viewing. The [[http://jabootu.net/?p=13 Jabootu glossary]] defines this trope as "'''Jason’s Rule of Explosive Endings''' (n): The habit of Bad Movies, having run out of ideas, to end the picture by just blowing things up."
26
27	Note, however, that while we movie-goers react to explosions with some combination of shock and awe, if the folks on-screen are not so close to the blast they're surfing the shock wave away from the epicenter, they'll probably be [[UnflinchingWalk strolling off coolly]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sqz5dbs5zmo in slow motion]], not even deigning to turn their heads to acknowledge things going to Hades behind them. From this, we can also infer that if one does not grant an explosion power by looking at it, it cannot strike you down with a piece of shrapnel. If they foolishly glance at an explosion, they may still survive by running from it and jumping, but are much more likely to get killed.
28
29	Note that RealityIsUnrealistic. Explosions in RealLife don't typically create massive fireballs. When a bomb goes off, you get a big shockwave, the ground shakes, things are propelled through the air at high and dangerous speeds, windows crack, walls can fall down, people can get torn apart by debris or die without apparent injury, but no flames. Explosions are incredibly dangerous, but they don't [[RuleOfCool look awesome]]. Hollywood needs things to look cool, so they add fuel to their pyrotechnics so that you also get massive fireballs. Works that strive for realism will avoid this.
30
31	A SubTrope of GarnishingTheStory. If only some characters in a work use it, can lead to FollowTheChaos. Compare KillItWithFire.
32	----
33	!!Sub-tropes:
34	[[index]]
35	* ActionBomb: A character that blows itself up as an attack.
36	* AngstNuke: When losing control of your emotions results in an actual explosion.
37	* AwesomenessIsVolatile: Explosions from too much awesomeness.
38	* BaaBomb: Exploding sheep are hilarious.
39	* BigBulkyBomb
40	* BrightnessShadows
41	* BubblegumPopping: A huge bubblegum bubble pops and covers the blower's face.
42	* CatastrophicCountdown
43	* CartoonBomb: An explosive in the form of an iron ball with a fuse in it.
44	* DefeatEqualsExplosion
45	* DelayedExplosion
46	* DetonationMoon: Blowing up the moon.
47	* DunkingTheBomb: Disabling a bomb by dunking it in water
48	* EarthShatteringKaboom
49	* EducationThroughPyrotechnics
50	* EveryCarIsAPinto: Car damage = instant fireball.
51	* EverythingExplodesEnding
52	* ExplosiveInstrumentation: Electronics having a tendency to explode whenever they fail.
53	* ExplosiveOverclocking
54	* ExplosiveResults
55	* ExplosiveStupidity: Mishandling explosives can get you or an innocent bystander blown to smithereens.
56	* ExplosionPropulsion
57	* ExternalCombustion
58	* FeedItABomb
59	* FieryCoverup
60	* GasLeakCoverup
61	* GrillingPyrotechnics
62	* HairTriggerExplosive
63	* HavingABlast
64	* HindenburgIncendiaryPrinciple
65	* ImpressivePyrotechnics
66	* MadBomber
67	* MadeOfExplodium
68	* OutrunTheFireball
69	* PaperBagPopping
70	* PGExplosives
71	* PlanarShockwave
72	* PopGoesTheHuman
73	* PostDefeatExplosionChain
74	* PowderTrail
75	* PreExplosionGlow
76	* ReadingsBlewUpTheScale
77	* RelocatingTheExplosion
78	* RidiculouslyPotentExplosive
79	* SatchelCharge
80	* SplashDamage
81	* SpontaneousHumanCombustion
82	* StickyBomb
83	* SweepingLaserExplosion
84	* ThrowDownTheBomblet
85	* TimeBomb
86	* UnflinchingWalk
87	* WhyAmITicking
88	* XylophoneGag
89	* YourHeadASplode
90	[[/index]]
91	----
92	!!Examples subpages:
93	[[index]]
94	* StuffBlowingUp/{{Advertising}}
95	* StuffBlowingUp/AnimeAndManga
96	* StuffBlowingUp/ComicBooks
97	* StuffBlowingUp/FanWorks
98	* [[StuffBlowingUp/LiveActionFilms Film — Live-Action]]
99	* StuffBlowingUp/{{Literature}}
100	* StuffBlowingUp/LiveActionTV
101	** ''StuffBlowingUp/OneThousandWaysToDie''
102	** ''StuffBlowingUp/WalkerTexasRanger''
103	* StuffBlowingUp/VideoGames
104	* StuffBlowingUp/WebAnimation
105	* StuffBlowingUp/{{Webcomics}}
106	* StuffBlowingUp/WesternAnimation
107	** ''StuffBlowingUp/SpongeBobSquarePants''
108	* StuffBlowingUp/RealLife
109	[[/index]]
110	----
111	!!Other examples:
112	[[foldercontrol]]
113
114	[[folder: Art]]
115	* Art/NorthAmericaPortraitOfAContinent:Yucca Flat, Nevada, being the site of the most nuclear tests in the world, is depicted with a billowing mushroom cloud.
116	[[/folder]]
117
118	[[folder:Comedy]]
119	* Humor columnist Creator/DaveBarry:
120	** He described his interest in Exploding Things in a note in ''Dave Barry Talks Back'':
121	--->"I don't wish to toot my own horn, but I definitely deserve to win several Nobel Prizes for the ground-breaking scientific work I've done in the field of exploding things. Since I wrote my first report, several years ago, about a snail that exploded in a restaurant in Syracuse New York, I have received literally thousands of letters from alert readers sending me newspaper clippings about exploding ants, pigs, trees, yogurt containers, potatoes, television sets, finches, whales, municipal toilets, human stomachs, and of course cows."
122	** Dave Barry was rather disappointed to find out that the medical discovery of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome "exploding head syndrome"]] did not mean "the actual [[YourHeadASplode explosion of a person's head]], ideally Barry Manilow's in concert."
123	--->"... you wake up in the middle of the night having 'a violent sensation of explosion in the head.' Big deal. We get that all the time, but you don't see us whining to the ''Lancet''. You see us making a mental note to drink gin from smaller containers."
124	** He also popularized the [[http://www.theexplodingwhale.com exploding whale incident]] in Oregon. This took place in 1970, long before Barry wrote about it, but it's through his article that most people know about it.
125	[[/folder]]
126
127	[[folder:Comic Strips]]
128	* ''ComicStrip/LittleNemo in Slumberland'' always had fireworks being set off in some way on the Fourth of July.
129	[[/folder]]
130
131	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
132	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' loves this trope, mostly for the effects animators to show off (such as the RunawayTrain violently exploding in a large, stereotypical Hollywood explosion with sparks flying upward!).
133	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', the big robot apparently self-destructs so completely it's reduced to something finer than powder. But wait, there's more. On the "special features" DVD, there is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbdqjkJ7ooo an easter-egg self-parody video]] that makes homage to the amount of times that things explode in the movie, as well as the buttons that are pressed and the doors that are opened and shut, by stringing them all together to the tune of "The Anvil Chorus" from Verdi's opera ''Il Trovatore''. The sequence ends with this quote: "The Incredibles — no sequence unexploded."
134	* ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'': What does a military do when a skeleton is trying to be Santa Claus, scaring the crap out of the kids? Blow him up with missiles, apparently!
135	[[/folder]]
136
137	[[folder:Music]]
138	* OlderThanTheyThink example: Music/PyotrIlyichTchaikovsky's ''1812 Overture'', a bombastic orchestral piece celebrating [[UsefulNotes/TheNapoleonicWars Russia's victory against Napoleon]] in the titular year. Authentic performances are known to use actual cannons firing.
139	* Music/ThePlasmatics: They enjoyed blowing up cars during their stage shows.
140	* Music/FatboySlim "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NfPIs9Zlc8 Gangster Tripping]]". In fact, the final version of the script is a single line: "Blow stuff up."
141	* The end of Junior Senior's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trCwPP8ZW9Y Move Your Feet]]"
142	* [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon's]] ''raison d'être.''
143	* "7 and 7 Is" by Love -- the only way to cap the blistering tone of the song is with a thermonuclear explosion.
144	* The music video for "Hero" by Music/{{Skillet}} consists almost entirely of the band performing in front of this non-stop. ''[[RuleOfCool In the rain.]]''
145	* The absolute ending of the clip for remake of Ronnie Hawkins' "Mary Lou" (the same clip that had an EatTheCamera near the beginning).
146	* The Music/WiseGuys song "Hier fliegt gleich alles in die Luft" is discussing this exact trope.
147	* This is pretty much the entire story of Music/LemonDemon's song "Action Movie Hero Boy". Kid sees action movie, wants to recreate it himself, finds dynamite and explosives, and then... kaboom.
148	* Music/{{Noah\|Indonesia}}: Just before the last chorus, the car which has been the focus of "Walau Habis Terang" video suddenly explodes into a fireball for no apparent reason (except for possible symbolism).
149	[[/folder]]
150
151	[[folder:Pinball]]
152	* Explosions are in abundance in ''Pinball/AttackFromMars'' and its sequel ''Pinball/RevengeFromMars''.
153	* Everything in ''Pinball/DemolitionMan,'' appropriately enough.
154	* The playfield for Hankin's ''Pinball/TheEmpireStrikesBack'' has cartoonish explosions everywhere.
155	* Not only does ''[[Pinball/F14Tomcat F-14 Tomcat]]'' feature lots of explosions throughout the game, but the player can press the flipper buttons before launching a ball to generate more.
156	* In the ''KISS'' pinball tables (both the [[Pinball/KissBally Bally original]] and the [[Pinball/KissStern Stern update]]), nearly everything is either [[IncendiaryExponent on fire]] or exploding.
157	* True to the license, this is heavily used in ''Pinball/LethalWeapon3''
158	* ''[[Pinball/OperationThunder Operation: Thunder]]'' is all about using a squadron of F-15s and Stealth Fighters to blow up enemy targets all over the place.
159	* The Potato mines and Cherry Bombs in ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombiesPinball''.
160	* ''Pinball/NoGoodGofers'' includes dynamite and gopher-seeking missiles... on a golf course.
161	* ''Pinball/RedAndTedsRoadShow'': Anything that Red and Ted can't run over with their bulldozer gets blasted instead.
162	* Creator/SternPinball's ''[[Pinball/StarTrekStern Star Trek]]'' has the ''Vengeance'', which shakes during battles; on the [[LimitedSpecialCollectorsUltimateEdition Premium and Limited Edition tables,]] destroying it causes to list forward and "crash" into the playfield.
163	* Done all over the jungle in Creator/{{Gottlieb}}'s ''Pinball/{{Raven}}''
164	* There's no shortage of explosions in ''Pinball/LastActionHero''
165	* ''Pinball/TheMandalorian'': The center of the playfield features a massive explosion in the background primarily for the RuleOfCool. ([[WordOfGod The game's lead artist]] noted that the main goals were situated within it specifically to [[https://www.starwars.com/news/the-mandalorian-stern-pinball "highlight the excitement of all the conflicts throughout the series."]])
166	[[/folder]]
167
168	[[folder:Podcasts]]
169	* Kimmi from the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' game of ''Podcast/CoolKidsTable'' has an affinity for explosives, and the rest of the crew has to regularly discourage her from using them to solve all her problems.
170	[[/folder]]
171
172	[[folder:Pro Wrestling]]
173	* Atsushi Onita got the idea to use landmines triggered by barbed wire, and later, plastic explosives concentrated in specific parts of the ring after founding [[Wrestling/{{FMW}} Frontier Martial-Arts Wrestling]]. This eventually led up to matches wrestled on a timer that counted down to the moment the ring itself would explode. Even in the LighterAndSofter "World Entertainment Wrestling" era, Mr. Gannosuke stuck a cherry bomb in H's ass.
174	* During its short run, Wrestling/WrestlingSocietyX more than once saw a championship match decided via pin fall in an exploding coffin.
175	* When FMW was {{reviv\|al}}ed, Atushi Onita was willing to go to New Jersey to work a match for Wrestling/{{CZW}} to promote it, vowing to bring explosives with him. CZW officials managed to convince him to keep explosions down to Wrestling Society X levels out of fear for Matt Tremont, who had stepped up to the challenge, but there were explosions in NoBudget CZW nonetheless.[[/folder]]
176
177	[[folder:Puppet Shows]]
178	* Notably an airliner crashing on takeoff in ''Series/CaptainScarletAndTheMysterons'' (properly dusty and smoky, not much of a fireball, but a visible shockwave. Nice).
179	* ''Series/FraggleRock'' has an episode where Junior Gorg is grudgingly helping his parents with the spring cleaning. Meanwhile, Boober is braving the Gorgs' garden to dispose of a soup that makes things invisible but also causes rockquakes. Junior stops him, grabs the soup, and throws it over his shoulder, causing an explosion that blows up all the junk in the yard. The Gorgs and their castle are fine, though.
180	-->'''Junior:''' Well, Ma, that's one way of getting rid of the trash!
181	* ''Series/TheMuppetShow''
182	** Crazy Harry, who would show up whenever someone would say "dynamite". Or "explosion". Or, once, "fish". He would then press down on a plunger trigger, and things would go boom. Presumably, the entire stage was always wired, just in case.
183	** Different Muppets would explode, sometimes precluded by a declaration to "Blow their tops", sometimes without warning. Kermit even admitted to explosions being one of the show's trademarks.
184	** The writers of ''The Muppet Show'' had three rules as to how to end a sketch quickly: Blow something up, eat something, or throw penguins around.
185	* The ''Series/{{Thunderbirds}}'' titles end with a spectacular set of explosions to tell you that it's made with {{UsefulNotes/Supermarionation}}. Most Gerry Anderson shows seem to have something exploding in their titles, but ''Thunderbirds'' is definitely the most spectacular. Most episodes of Gerry Anderson shows usually involve large amounts of pyrotechnics at some point as well.
186	** The only thing Gerry Anderson loved more than building models was blowing them sky high.
187	* ''Series/{{Stingray}}'' opened with a shot of a still ocean followed by the words "STAND BY FOR ACTION!" followed by the ocean exploding for no adequately explained reason.
188	[[/folder]]
189
190	[[folder:Radio]]
191	* ''Radio/TheGoonShow'': "You rotten swine, you! You have deaded me again with the dreaded dynamite!"
192	** The exploding taxis...
193	---> "Drop that explosion!" [BOOM]
194	** Or how to break the world altitude record for pianos.
195	** Or Major Bloodnok, who was a walking, talking series of explosive sound effects.
196	[[/folder]]
197
198	[[folder:Roleplay]]
199	* A given in ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder''. Almost every vehicle blows up spectacularly upon defeat, with the Mech's [[SelfDestructMechanism self-destructions]] taking the cake. Many player [[Webcomic/{{Homestuck}} alchemies]] and attacks also cause this trope. [[TheEngineer Lothyra]] and the [[WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}} Planet Express Crew]] were particularly infamous for this due to their frequent use of {{Antimatter}}-based weaponry, culminating with the former ''completely destroying the player spawn point and almost destroying the Godmodder's tower'' when her space station that contained her main antimatter store was [[ColonyDrop accidentally deorbited]].
200	[[/folder]]
201
202	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
203	* In the FATE adaptation of ''ComicBook/AtomicRobo'', the GM advice notes recommend using the "Big Damn Explosion" tactic to restore interest - if things are stalling, or the players can't reach a conclusion on what to do, or everyone is running low on Fate points, [[ChandlersLaw have something blow up]] - [[BreadEggsBreadedEggs a car, a rocket-propelled grenade, a car hit by a rocket-propelled grenade]] - and then proceed from there. Explosions have the pleasant trait of being hard to miss, even for the most clueless player character.
204	* The various editions of ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' include numerous options for the discerning mage, but the most iconic spell of all time is the classic Fireball.
205	* If something doesn't go kaboom at some point in ''TabletopGame/FengShui'', you're doing things wrong. The Jammers even have it as their battle cry: "BLOW THINGS UP! BLOW THINGS UP!"
206	* Similarly, the Death Leopard society in ''TabletopGame/{{Paranoia}}'' has "blow shit up and have fun" as its entire policy. Also tends to happen when: the Troubleshooters use grenades, the Troubleshooters have grenades used on them, something overloads, something that's intentionally explosive explodes, a can of Bouncy Bubble Beverage gets shaken too hard[[note]]useful if you don't have clearance for real grenades[[/note]], someone {{Logic Bomb}}s Friend Computer and causes a reactor overload, a T-Shooter [[TooDumbToLive pyrokinetically sets off a grenade in someone else's bag while both are in a small room]][[note]]true story[[/note]], someone fires too many shots before changing laser barrels, or the GM is getting bored and wants to get the session over with.
207	* Orks in ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' love explosions as much as they do loud guns, fast vehicles and a good fight. So much that for them, a troop transport detonating in midair killing every boy inside and resulting in a catastrophic explosion is just as good a result as if it had successfully landed.
208	[[/folder]]
209
210	[[folder:Theatre]]
211	* In the West End musical adaptation of ''Theatre/CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory'', Violet Beauregarde explodes. [[DisneyDeath She gets better]]... maybe.
212	* In ''Theatre/TheMusicMan'', the town bad boy Tommy puts a firecracker in Mrs. Shinn's costume.
213	[[/folder]]
214
215	[[folder:Theme Parks]]
216	* Happens quite often at Ride/DisneyThemeParks, most notably in ''The Studio Backlot Tour''.
217	* At the Ride/UniversalStudios parks:
218	** The Hobgoblin makes several buildings blow up with his pumpkin bombs on ''Ride/TheAmazingAdventuresOfSpiderMan''.
219	** This occurred in the former ''Ride/EarthquakeTheBigOne'' attraction, when a propane truck crashed down and hit a subway column.
220	** Subverted in ''Ride/TheFuntasticWorldOfHannaBarbera'', when Bill Hanna and Joseph Barbera think that their computer is about to blow, but it doesn't.
221	** Several explosions occur on the ''Ride/{{Jaws}}'' ride due to the skipper's grenade launcher, the biggest one occurring when the skipper accidentally shoots a gas dock.
222	** The former ''Ride/{{Kongfrontation}}'' had several buildings partially blowing up, due to the damage from King Kong's rampage.
223	[[/folder]]
224
225	[[folder:Toys]]
226	* ''Toys/{{Bionicle}}'' has ExplodingFishtanks, [[FantasticFruitsAndVegetables Exploding Fruit]], an (apparently) [[NoodleIncident Exploding Rahi]], and, most recently, an exploding [[spoiler: EldritchAbomination]].
227	[[/folder]]
228
229	[[folder:Web Original]]
230	* ''Roleplay/DestroyTheGodmodder'':
231	** There are plenty, some of them described quite impressively. From the death star to tanks to whatever the godmodder feels like blowing up.
232	** The UOSS did this... and took out half the battlefield in the process. The fireworks were so impressive none of the entities did anything that round.
233	* [[http://www.devastatingexplosions.com/ Old Spice \| Devastating Explosions, at the Touch of a Button]]. ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
234	* ''WebOriginal/ProtectorsOfThePlotContinuum'':
235	** Overloaded Canon Analysis Devices are a RunningGag. One exploding CAD was even used as an impromptu grenade against a MartyStu.
236	** [[Literature/JediAcademyTrilogy Sun Crushers]] enable the elimination of urple star systems, and can also be loaded with other ammo.
237	** One Pyro (member of the Department of Geographical Aberrations) got reamed out "for taking unnecessary risks with ... mithril diazide." That's probably a formula of [=MiN6=], "nitrogen-stuffed detonation bait" as quoted below.
238	* ''Roleplay/RockPaperAnything'': Explosives are used frequently, from dynamites to TNT to [[NukeEm a Tsar Bomba.]]
239	* Part of the reason WebVideo/TheSlowMoGuys exists is because Gavin and Dan like seeing stuff blown up and replayed in slow motion. Stuff includes: globes, statues, cars, ''cooling towers''...
240	* A common theme in the chemistry blog ''[[http://pipeline.corante.com/archives/things_i_wont_work_with/ Things I Won't Work With]]''.
241	--> Azides have featured several times in the Things I Won't Work With series, starting with simple little things like, say, fluorine azide and going up to all kinds of ridiculous, gibbering, nitrogen-stuffed detonation bait.\
242	"Easy to handle" compared to what? Cocaine-soaked cobras?
243	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VeB_-gWSdA&feature=related Try to repeat after me: BOOM Brass section, go: BOOM Now the winds: BOOM Now the drums: BOOM ]]
244	* [[PickACard Pick a microwave show, any microwave show]].
245	* One scene in ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'' has Milagros (in Pangoro form) accidentally launching Bastion across a room after an attempted high-five.
246	* ''Series/TheCallOfWarr'': The first scene of "Undercover Soldier" ends with the soldier blowing up criminals on a train and on the tracks...with an explosive lemon muffin.
247	* The ''WebVideo/YogscastMinecraftSeries'', being set in ''VideoGame/{{Minecraft}}'' and all, has this happen a lot, for various reasons:
248	** Particularly in adventure maps, even if Simon doesn't produce TNT on his own, something always seems to blow up eventually. On one occasion, what blew up was [[EpicFail the entire map they were playing through]] over the course of ''fifteen seconds'' of [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments continuous]] [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome explosions]]
249	** Creepers. Made worse by LetsPlay/SimonLane's ineptitude at keeping an eye out for them.
250	** The wizard Fumblemore, [[IneptMage whose spells frequently cause explosions]], and who has a tendency to trot out the TNT frequently when they bring him along on other maps.
251	** TNT in general, especially when LetsPlay/LewisBrindley and Simon are impatient and one or the other spawn in TNT to "solve" puzzles.
252	** Creeper_Boss, an "NPC" with a Creeper skin whose attack is to spam TNT.
253	** This tends to happen a lot during a series finale, such as in ''WebVideo/HoleDiggers'' or ''[[WebVideo/MoonQuest JaffaQuest]]''.
254	** LetsPlay/{{Sjin}} set LetsPlay/DuncanJones' nuclear reactor to overload, killing him and almost everyone else there and ending the first series of ''Tekkit'' (since everyone was migrating to a new server, they chose to TrashTheSet).
255	[[/folder]]

Context Main / StuffBlowingUp