History Main / DancingPants

!This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=16650898700.40295200 under discussion]] in the Administrivia/TropeRepairShop.
[[quoteright:223:[[Literature/TheSneetchesAndOtherStories https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/green_pants_3.jpg]]]]

->''Then I was deep within the woods\\
When, suddenly, I spied them.\\
I saw a pair of pale green pants\\
With nobody inside them!''
-->-- '''Creator/DrSeuss'''

Clothes can do a lot of things when worn by people. It can keep them warm, it can make them look cool, it can [[ClothesMakeTheSuperman give them super-powers]] or [[ClothesMakeTheManiac turn them violently evil]].

There are some weird articles of clothing that don't have to be worn by anyone to do things: somehow, they can move around with nobody inside 'em. For some reason, the disembodied clothing is usually a pair of pants. [[note]]Trousers for those of you SeparatedByACommonLanguage.[[/note]]

Compare AnimatedArmor.
----
!!Examples:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* Senketsu, a living SailorFuku in ''Anime/KillLaKill'' is shown to be able to move at least somewhat on his own, such as when he forces himself onto Ryuko.
* ''Manga/{{Doraemon}}'' have a gadget in the form of a Wind-up Clockwork Key, that can be attached to anything, even ''articles of clothing''. At least one Doraemon comic involves Doraemon and Nobita having an impromptu tea-party with a bunch of animated clothes.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* ComicBook/IronMan has had at least one suit of his PoweredArmor [[InstantAIJustAddWater become sentient]] (and start acting disturbingly like an [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything abusive boyfriend]]).
* The first issue of the ''[[Film/WhoFramedRogerRabbit Roger Rabbit]]'' comic books featured as a villain a sentient set of "fancy pants," which talked like a gangster most of the time but got eloquent when wishing it would meet a pair of "female pants" to end its loneliness. [[WorldOfWeirdness This was pretty much par for the course]].
* Azzarello and Chiang's ComicBook/DoctorThirteen backup in Tales of the Unexpected featured a pile of superhero costumes attacking the obscure band of characters as a [[TakeThat statement]] about how the company ignores the stranger heroes in favor of big-name heroes that are ultimately nothing but sales icons.
-->'''Doctor Thirteen''': No father wants to see his daughter become a fashion victim.
* One Bronze Age Franchise/{{Superman}} story had the Man Of Steel dealing with his entire Clark Kent disguise having a life of its own. He finds out that he passed through a cloud in space consisting of microscopic sentient beings that got attached to his clothing and he ends up taking them home.
* ''ComicBook/JudgeDredd'' was issued a new uniform for on-street evaluation that came with an onboard AI that could detect criminals more easily and act as a sort of PoweredArmor. However, the fashion designer who created the uniform gave it a personality similar to his own and [[AIIsACrapshoot began executing perps for "crimes against fashion."]] When Dredd disagreed with this, the uniform removed itself from Dredd's body and went on a rampage until Dredd was able to bring it down.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* One ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip had Calvin's clothes jump him and put themselves on him in odd combinations. His mother then scolds him for dressing improperly, to which he responds, "You think I ''wanted'' to dress this way?"
* A walking pair of pants appeared in ''The Pajama Diaries'', with Jill Kaplan telling husband Rob, "Looks like it might be time to wash the yoga pants."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/LaterTraitor'': Maloof's mental world is a big city run by a mafia that works for him. These mafia members are all animate suits with nobody wearing them. According to WordOfGod, this is representative of the fact that Maloof internally dehumanizes people because everyone he knows is either a jerk or works for his parents, so they're not important to him. This dehumanization extends to his bodyguard Mikhail because Maloof sees Mikhail as a tool to get back at his tormentors with and not as a person.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''A Route Obscure and Lonely'', Spike [[DreamWalker enters Rarity's dream]] and finds is populated with dancing clothes. They try to prevent Spike from passing by entangling him, then they get more violent when he finds the key that can wake up Rarity.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Film — Live-Action]]
* One of Mike Jittlov's demo reels in ''Film/TheWizardOfSpeedAndTime''.
* There's a full magic ''suit'' in TheMovie of ''Film/MyFavoriteMartian''.
* Plenty of clothes, including pants, danced in the Creator/WaltDisney movie ''Film/BedknobsAndBroomsticks'', thanks to the Substitutiary Locomotion spell.
* The movie ''Film/{{Legend 1985}}'' had a dancing (and possibly evil) dress. When the princess danced with it she ended up wearing it.
* The Cloak of Levitation from ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' doesn't dance, but it is sentient and can move completely separately from its owner. It -- among other things -- protects Strange from getting his throat sliced open, drags him over to a trap he can use to subdue the BigBad, [[ClothFu fights a mook]] by wrapping around his head and slamming it into the ground, and wipes Strange's tears.
* ''Film/{{Slaxx}}'' is a HorrorComedy about [[AttackOfTheKillerWhatever a pair of killer, possessed jeans]], so naturally, there's a scene of them doing this when they hear Shruti listening to UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} music. [[spoiler:It's actually plot-relevant, as it foreshadows that the ghost possessing the pants is originally from India and connected to the [[NoOSHACompliance sweatshop labor]] that went into making them.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* [[TropeNamer Named for]] a Creator/ShelSilverstein poem in ''Where The Sidewalk Ends''.
* The Pale Green Pants With Nobody Inside Them from the Dr. Seuss story ''[[Literature/TheSneetchesAndOtherStories What Was I Scared Of?]]'' Scary-looking, but quite harmless.
* In ''Literature/ReaperMan'', the surplus life force causes clothing and other inanimate objects to get up and walk (or, more accurately, run) around on their own. In particular the wizards notice a full suit running off, followed by another pair of trousers, chased by a man shouting "I paid seven dollars for you!" Ridcully is astonished by this; he didn't know there was a tailor in the city who'd include a spare pair of pants with a seven dollar suit.
-->"If it comes round again, trip it up. I want to see the label."
* There is a Japanese children's picture book about a little boy who dawdles getting dressed, so his pants run off without him and he has to chase them. Basically, a silly story about not being late.
* The villains of ''Literature/{{Larklight}}'s'' second book are [[spoiler:aliens from near the end of time called Moobs, which disguise themselves as clothes (mostly hats) and can [[DemonicPossession take control of]] or [[{{Telepathy}} telepathically communicate with]] people who wear them.]]
* In ch. 197 of the second "year" of ''Literature/TalesOfMU'', Steff enchants Mack's jeans with an undead animation spell. [[spoiler:Once off her, they try to wrap around her head and are eventually destroyed.]]
* In ''Literature/{{Warbreaker}}'', Vasher at one point animates a suit of clothes to grab a sword and fight beside him. Works quite well.
* In the ''Literature/NintendoAdventureBooks'' entry "Pipe Down!", part of the plot involves the Mario Brothers trying to find a pair of magical self-propelled boots.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/ICarly'' has a bra that tells [[MundaneGhostStory unscary scary stories]].
** A broken washing machine would be pretty terrifying to a bra.
* Willow does this with magic to one of Tara's shirts on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', to try and cope with being lonely.
* One of the Zonks on ''Series/LetsMakeADeal''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Music Videos]]
* The video to Music/HerbieHancock's "Rock It": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EY4ZISypOlQ Warning: May be creepy for some.
* One of Music/SpikeJones' "videos" had a dwarf completely hidden inside a pair of pants, introduced as "The Bottom Half of [[Music/ElvisPresley Elvis]]."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
* There's a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' monster named a ragamuffyn, which is usually a cloud of sentient magical clothing. It also comes in varieties that are made of rags or weapons.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Toys]]
* This weird pair of [[https://katnip.wordpress.com/category/weird-toys/#jp-carousel-1528 wind-up, hopping, yodeling lederhosen]]. Because kids just can't get enough of a pair of waddling ghost pants, right?
** It's even creepier on action ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oqnSSCHXWY see it on Youtube]]). Or more awesome. Your call.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]
* One level in ''VideoGame/MonsterParty'' has pants that are (of course) [[EverythingTryingToKillYou trying to kill you]].
** [[WebVideo/JonTron "Is...Issat pants?"]]
* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'' includes a collectible object in the form of a pair of patched jeans that walk about with faint disco music playing in the background. After the player collects them, they can be seen (and heard) wandering about the firehouse. The note on your Paragoggles reads: "These bell-bottoms keep on truckin'...WITH NO-ONE INSIDE THEM!"
* The titular hero of ''VideoGame/{{Plok}}'' is a being made up of clothes who can [[DetachmentCombat fire out his arms and legs at will]].
* One of the most dreaded monsters in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'' are the horrifying schleets, which look like ordinary pairs of pants. When you get close enough, they jump up and tear out your eyes in order to lay their eggs in your eye sockets. At least, that's what [[TheAlcoholic Oghren's]] heard.
-->"What kind of moron do you think I am? [[DontBeRidiculous Schleets don't lay eggs!]]"
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': The intended function of the Y-17 trauma override harness was autonomous casualty recovery, physically walking for its operator should he become incapacitated. Unfortunately, the prototypes had several design flaws: if they don't have a home base, they unpredictably wander; they cannot detect if the occupant is still alive; and they can replicate their users' fighting ability to effect a fighting withdrawal, but lack IFF protocols. Two centuries after the Great War, Y-17 harnesses still wander Big Mountain as mobile coffins.
* The arcade and Turbografx-16 CD versions of ''VideoGame/WonderBoyIIIMonsterLair'' have Sunglar, the boss of Stage 6, who is basically a cloak, fedora, and pair of sunglasses with RaymanianLimbs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}'', Ardam randomly encounters [[http://www.adventurers-comic.com/d/0343.html one pair of evil pants]]. The sheer stupidity of an article of clothing apparently [[EverythingTryingToKillYou trying to kill him]] sends him into shock.
* In one ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' storyline, Gwynn enchants a pile of laundry and clutter to become a Clutter Monster which would force Torg to clean up their apartment. It died when they put away some of the clothes that it was using for vital organs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]
* This happened in the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutronBoyGenius'', "When Pants Attack".
* One of the ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'' episodes had a humiliating incident in which Arthur's pants fell down at school inspire a dream where his pants were trying to eat him. Go figure.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' episode "Lost Soul", the Batsuit is taken over by a hostile AI. Terry goes up against it equipped only with one of Bruce's old utility belts and Nightwing's old mask to conceal his identity, and [[BroughtDownToBadass wins]].
* In the WesternAnimation/BettyBoop short "WesternAnimation/TheOldManOfTheMountain" Betty escapes from The Old Man by [[GivingThemTheStrip slipping out of her dress]] which then slaps him in the face and runs off after her.
* ''WesternAnimation/DarkwingDuck'' had an alien planet of mind-controlling hats (a literal PlanetOfHats, if you will).
* ''WesternAnimation/EekTheCat'' has a character named Clutter, a living pile of laundry.
* Greenbeard's gloves in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', which can move under their own power and force whoever's wearing them to steal things.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' had Johnny's genius sisters create a pair of pants that increased his intellect called Super Smarty Pants. It developed sentience as well as {{Yandere}} traits towards Johnny, including trying to kill a love interest (whom he repeatedly denied he did have feelings for).
* One ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short involves WesternAnimation/PorkyPig getting sentenced by the Leprechauns to "The Wearin' o' the Green Shoes"!
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Rarity's dream from ''Do Princesses Dream Of Magic Sheep'' unsurprisingly enough features a myriad of dresses, some floating through the air like jellyfish and other dancing about. She's enjoying it until the [[NightmareWeaver Tantabus]] shows up and turns them into nightmares.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' Doofenshmirtz attempted to create a ray that would dry his clothes after his dryer broke, but instead made one that made anything hit with it dance... which includes his clothes. "Still sopping wet..."
** "Summer Belongs to You" features the Klimpaloon, an animated OldTimeyBathingSuit that lives in the Himalayas. "[[MemeticMutation NANG NANG NANG NANG NANG NANG NANG NANG NANG NANG NANG]]"
* In the ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode [[ShaggyDogStory "Procrastination,"]], Spongebob gets to his desk, and realizes his pants are missing. They taunt him and run out the door of the Pineapple House, screaming "FREEDOM!!!" It's AllJustADream, though.
** In the episode "Ripped Pants", [=SpongeBob=] keeps ripping his swim trunks for a laugh, but eventually the others get tired of the gag, until even the pants themselves have had enough and leave off on their own.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'': In [[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E5Frybo "Frybo"]], shattered [[HeartDrive gem]] shards bring clothes to life. This includes Steven's pants, which he has to chase down. Later, Steven uses one of the shards to bring a GoofySuit to life; when it goes berserk, [[spoiler:he brings all his clothes (including his underwear) to life to defeat it.]]
-->''[[{{Understatement}} THAT'S UNUSUAL!]]''
* The Techno-Trousers from the ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' short "The Wrong Trousers".
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Other]]
* The [[https://cryptidz.fandom.com/wiki/Fresno_Nightcrawler Fresno Nightcrawler]] is a cryptid that resembles an animated pair of pants with eyes.
[[/folder]]
----

* One Bronze Age {{Superman}} story had the Man Of Steel dealing with his entire Clark Kent disguise having a life of its own. He finds out that he passed through a cloud in space consisting of microscopic sentient beings that got attached to his clothing and he ends up taking them home.

* ''Fanfic/LaterTraitor'': Maloof's mental world is a big city run by a mafia that works for him. These mafia members are all animate suits with nobody wearing them. According to WordOfGod, this is representative of the fact that Maloof internally dehumanizes people because everyone he knows is either a jerk or works for his parents. This includes his bodyguard Mikhail, whose mental counterpart is faceless just like the rest of his goons, because Maloof sees Mikhail as a tool to get back at his tormentors with and not as a person.

[[folder:Fanfiction]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Rarity's dream from ''Do Princesses Dream Of Magic Sheep'' unsurprisingly enough features a myriad of dresses, some floating through the air like jellyfish and other dancing about. She's enjoying it until the [[LivingShadow Tantabus]] shows up and turns them into nightmares.

* ''Film/{{Slaxx}}'' is a horror movie about [[AttackOfTheKillerWhatever a pair of killer, possessed pants]], so naturally, there's a scene of them doing this when they hear Shruti listening to UsefulNotes/{{Bollywood}} music. [[spoiler:It's actually plot-relevant, as it foreshadows that the ghost possessing the pants is originally from India and connected to the [[NoOSHACompliance sweatshop labor]] that went into them.]]

* The Cloak of Levitation from ''Film/DoctorStrange2016'' doesn't dance, but it is sentient and can move completely seperately from its owner. It -- among other things -- protects Strange from getting his throat sliced open, drags him over to a trap he can use to subdue the BigBad, [[ClothFu fights a mook]] by wrapping around his head and slamming it into the ground, and wipes Strange's tears.

* ''Anime/{{Doraemon}}'' have a gadget in the form of a Wind-up Clockwork Key, that can be attached to anything, even ''articles of clothing''. At least one Doraemon comic involves Doraemon and Nobita having an impromptu tea-party with a bunch of animated clothes.

* This happened in the pilot episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfJimmyNeutron'', "When Pants Attack".

* In ''Discworld/ReaperMan'', the surplus life force causes clothing and other inanimate objects to get up and walk (or, more accurately, run) around on their own. In particular the wizards notice a full suit running off, followed by another pair of trousers, chased by a man shouting "I paid seven dollars for you!" Ridcully is astonished by this; he didn't know there was a tailor in the city who'd include a spare pair of pants with a seven dollar suit.

!!Examples

[[folder: Anime And Manga ]]

[[folder: Comic Books ]]

* Azzarello and Chiang's DoctorThirteen backup in Tales of the Unexpected featured a pile of superhero costumes attacking the obscure band of characters as a [[TakeThat statement]] about how the company ignores the stranger heroes in favor of big-name heroes that are ultimately nothing but sales icons.

[[folder: Fan Fiction ]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' fanfic ''A Route Obscure and Lonely'', Spike [[DreamWalker enters Rarity's dream]] and finds is populated with dancing clothes. They try to prevent Spike from passing by entangling him, then they get more violent when he finds the key that can wake up Rarity.

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

[[folder: Music Video ]]

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* One ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip had Calvin's clothes jump him and put themselves on him in odd combinations. His mother then scolds him for dressing improperly, to which he responds, "You think I ''wanted'' to dress this way?"
* A walking pair of pants appeared in ''The Pajama Diaries'', with Jill Kaplan telling husband Rob, "Looks like it might be time to wash the yoga pants."

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]

* ''Series/ICarly'' has a bra that tells [[MundaneGhostStory unscary scary stories]].
** A broken washing machine would be pretty terrifying to a bra.
* Willow does this with magic to one of Tara's shirts on ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', to try and cope with being lonely.

[[folder: Tabletop Games ]]

* There's a ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'' monster named a ragamuffyn, which is usually a cloud of sentient magical clothing. It also comes in varieties that are made of rags or weapons.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

* One level in ''VideoGame/MonsterParty'' has pants that are (of course) [[EverythingTryingToKillYou trying to kill you]].
** [[WebVideo/JonTron "Is...Issat pants?"]]
* ''VideoGame/GhostbustersTheVideoGame'' includes a collectible object in the form of a pair of patched jeans that walk about with faint disco music playing in the background. After the player collects them, they can be seen (and heard) wandering about the firehouse. The note on your Paragoggles reads: "These bell-bottoms keep on truckin'...WITH NO-ONE INSIDE THEM!"
* The titular hero of ''VideoGame/{{Plok}}'' is a being made up of clothes who can [[DetachmentCombat fire out his arms and legs at will]].
* One of the most dreaded monsters in ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOriginsAwakening'' are the horrifying schleets, which look like ordinary pairs of pants. When you get close enough, they jump up and tear out your eyes in order to lay their eggs in your eye sockets. At least, that's what [[TheAlcoholic Oghren's]] heard.
-->"What kind of moron do you think I am? [[DontBeRidiculous Schleets don't lay eggs!]]"
* ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'': The intended function of the Y-17 trauma override harness was autonomous casualty recovery, physically walking for its operator should he become incapacitated. Unfortunately, the prototypes had several design flaws: if they don't have a home base, they unpredictably wander; they cannot detect if the occupant is still alive; and they can replicate their users' fighting ability to effect a fighting withdrawal, but lack IFF protocols. Two centuries after the Great War, Y-17 harnesses still wander Big Mountain as mobile coffins.
* The arcade and Turbografx-16 CD versions of ''VideoGame/WonderBoyIIIMonsterLair'' have Sunglar, the boss of Stage 6, who is basically a cloak, fedora, and pair of sunglasses with RaymanianLimbs.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Web Comics ]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Adventurers}}'', Ardam randomly encounters [[http://www.adventurers-comic.com/d/0343.html one pair of evil pants]]. The sheer stupidity of an article of clothing apparently [[EverythingTryingToKillYou trying to kill him]] sends him into shock.
* In one ''Webcomic/SluggyFreelance'' storyline, Gwynn enchants a pile of laundry and clutter to become a Clutter Monster which would force Torg to clean up their apartment. It died when they put away some of the clothes that it was using for vital organs.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* The Techno-Trousers from the ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' short "The Wrong Trousers".

* ''WesternAnimation/EekTheCat'' has a character named Clutter, a living pile of laundry.
* Greenbeard's gloves in ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'', which can move under their own power and force whoever's wearing them to steal things.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyTest'' had Johnny's genius sisters create a pair of pants that increased his intellect called Super Smarty Pants. It developed sentience as well as {{Yandere}} traits towards Johnny, including trying to kill a love interest (whom he repeatedly denied he did have feelings for).

* In ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'', shattered [[HeartDrive gem]] shards brings clothes to life. This includes Steven's pants, which he has to chase down. Later, Steven uses one of the shards to bring a GoofySuit to life; when it goes berserk, [[spoiler:he brings all his clothes (including his underwear) to life to defeat it.]]

* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanBeyond'' episode "Lost Soul", the Batsuit is taken over by a hostile AI. Terry goes up against it equipped only with one of Bruce's old utility belts and Nightwing's old mask to conceal his identity, and [[BroughtDownToBadass wins]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Rarity's dream from ''Do Princesses Dream Of Magic Sheep'' unsurprisingly enough features a myriad of dresses, some floating through the air like jellyfish and other dancing about. She's enjoying it until the [[LivingShadow Tantabus]] shows up and turns them into nightmares.