That one quote about the tube full of lights on the moonbase.
— Buck Murdock, Airplane II: The Sequel
Needs a much better description.
When a random object appears in a character's possession for comedic effect, and its presence is immediately lampshaded.
Usually attributed to Rule of Funny, as most people tend not to acquire items they have no use for.
Rummage Failure may result in this, though items in question are more likely to be plain ignored.
Compare/Contrast
Examples
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Film (Live-Action)
- In Airplane II: The Sequel, the crew of Moonbase Alpha Beta are perplexed as to the function of a tube full of lights that turn on and off in sequence. The base commander (played by William Shatner) insists it must have some use for it to be sitting in a prominent place on the bridge.
Western Animation
- Phineas and Ferb:
- In "Candace Gets Busted," Doofenshmirtz, after accidentally teleporting Candace's party into his pants, realizes he mixed up his random location wheel with his dry-cleaning wheel. He then wonders why he has a dry-cleaning wheel.
- In the Mission Marvel crossover, Doofenshmirtz's search for an extension cord produces one less than a foot long.
Doof: Too short, too short, too long, Way too short! Why do I even have this?
