History Main / SecretHandshake

* In the ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'' episode "Lars and the Cool Kids", Steven tries to get a high-five from Lars, [[HighFiveLeftHanging who refuses]], so he high-fives Lars's chest instead. Later in the same episode, when Steven offers a high-five, Lars shakes his head, smiles, then puts his hand on Steven's chest. This gesture appears more as Steven and Lars continue to interact. This is most notable during the "Wanted"-arc, where Steven and Lars are [[spoiler: trapped on Homeworld]]. Steven comforts Lars with the gesture as he's having a panic attack, and when [[spoiler: Steven has to leave Lars behind on Homeworld]], he attempts the gesture again. Lars pushes his hand away, then [[ManHug gives him a hug instead]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': after Homer joins the Stonecutters, he gives the secret handshake to his plumber so the plumber will fix his leaky basement pipes for free.
** In another episode, another billionaire asks Mr Burns to perform the "billionnaire's secret handshake". Something very acrobatic ensues, which ends with their combined hands forming a $.
* Bender proves he was part of the Robot House Fraternity in ''{{WesternAnimation/Futurama}}'' episode "Mars University" with this. His version is described as "close enough" -- and he accidentally tears one of the other guy's fingers off.

* ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': In one episode, ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', Robotnik replaces Sally with a robot duplicate. It's good enough to pass muster for most of the episode, but when it fails to perform the secret handshake, Sonic realizes something's up.
* On ''WesternAnimation/JimmyTwoShoes'', Lucius does this with a mechanical hand as a means of getting into his vault.

* In the season 2 finale of ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'', Twilight Sparkle and Princess Cadance have a variation, though they don't actually shake hoofs the idea is more-or-less the same. [[spoiler:This also serves as both the first clue to Twilight that the first Cadance is a fake when she doesn't recognize the "hoofshake" and [[TrustPassword how the real Cadance convinces Twilight that she's the real one]], by performing the sequence for her.]]
-->"Sunshine! Sunshine! Ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!"
* In ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' episode "Slap Happy", the Jelly Cabin invents an AccidentalDanceCraze which, by ContrivedCoincidence, is the same as the Legume Council's secret handshake. To ensure he won't be blamed for a security breach, Scoutmaster Lumpus tries to teach Jelly Cabin a new dance craze, which ends up including jumping through a ring of fire, riding another camper like a horse, and throwing a fit.
* In ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'', members of the Order of the White Lotus identify each other through a board game called Pai Sho. The secret handshake begins by opening with the white lotus tile (which the order is named after) placed in the center space, and forming a pattern across the board resembling a large flower.

* According to some ancient accounts, the Christian fish symbol was used for discreet recognition during periods of Roman persecution: one person drew an arc in the dirt, and the other would complete the symbol. So why a fish? In Greek, the word for fish is an acronym of "Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior" (''also'' in Greek, of course; the Greek word for fish isn't "jcgss"). Almost all other acronym stories ("For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge", "Port Out, Starboard Home", and the like) were invented well after the fact and indeed after about 1900, but in this case Augustine, who lived around 400 AD--only about 100 years after the persecution--wrote about it as if the story were true. The fact that several of the apostles actually were fishermen probably helped.

* In ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' episode "Slap Happy", the Jelly Cabin invents an AccidentalDanceCraze which, by ContrivedCoincidence, is the same as the Legume Council's secret handshake. To ensure he won't be blamed for a security breach, Scoutmaster Lumpus tries teach Jelly Cabin a new dance craze, which ends up including jumping through a ring of fire, riding another camper like a horse, and throwing a fit.

* In a ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' episode, Patrick tries to test Mr. Krabs' coolness by seeing if he knows the "secret cool-guy handshake". As a shot in the dark, Mr. Krabs just shakes Patrick's hand as straightforward as possible and passes.

** Not to mention the [[OverlyLongGag six and a half hour long]] secret handshake between [=SpongeBob=] and the robotic Mr. Krabs, which involves standing on one leg, putting a glass of chocolate milk on your head, singing the National Anthem of Bikini Bottom, shooting from a cannon through a ring of fire, eating 105 black licorice jellybeans through a straw, and (if it's the third Wednesday in January, and it's not raining) gargling with vanilla pudding.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/CampLazlo'' has Lumpus trying to create a new handshake for Jelly Cabin after they accidentally figure his club's secret handshake. The new handshake includes jumping through a ring of fire, riding another camper like a horse, and throwing a fit.

A subtrope of HandshakeSubstitute. In some cases, this may appear as a form of BluffTheImposter, if a character asks someone to give the handshake knowing their group doesn't use one.

* Series 4 of ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'' shows an example of this in a flash back to Captain Jack's life in the 20s, where a trio of men each grasp another's wrist with their hand, forming a triangle between them.

* In ''Series/MyHero'', Ultronians perform a single wave of their elbows directed towards each other as a greeting, joined with the phrase "zneet", or sometimes "zneet znadder zneet".