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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''
to:
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''''WesternAnimation/ThreeBelow'': When the trio of aliens have just arrived in Arcadia and try to [[AlienAmongUs pass as humans]], they don't understand the concept of Earth money yet. When Krel is in a music store and sees a record he likes, he simply takes it and walks out. Though he gets accused of shoplifting, the agent that comes to the scene simply makes him return the record and lets him [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure get off with a warning]].
-->'''Detective Scott:''' Do we have a problem here?\\
'''Shop Girl:''' He just shoplifted that.\\
'''Krel:''' Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'':
-->'''Detective Scott:''' Do we have a problem here?\\
'''Shop Girl:''' He just shoplifted that.\\
'''Krel:''' Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'':
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* ''WesternAnimation/ThreeBelow'': When the trio of aliens have just arrived in Arcadia and try to [[AlienAmongUs pass as humans]], they don't understand the concept of Earth money yet. When Krel is in a music store and sees a record he likes, he simply takes it and walks out. Though he gets accused of shoplifting, the agent that comes to the scene simply makes him return the record and lets him [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure get off with a warning]].
-->'''Detective Scott:''' Do we have a problem here?\\
'''Shop Girl:''' He just shoplifted that.\\
'''Krel:''' Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
-->'''Detective Scott:''' Do we have a problem here?\\
'''Shop Girl:''' He just shoplifted that.\\
'''Krel:''' Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
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!!Examples
to:
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[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]
to:
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--> '''Detective Scott''': Do we have a problem here?
--> '''Shop girl''': He just shoplifted that.
--> '''Krel''': Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
[[/folder]]
--> '''Shop girl''': He just shoplifted that.
--> '''Krel''': Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
[[/folder]]
to:
-->
'''Shop
--> '''Krel''':
'''Krel:''' Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
----
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Changed line(s) 29 (click to see context) from:
* In the ''Series/Friends'' episode "The One With the Ring", Chandler finds the perfect engagement ring, and asks Phoebe to keep an eye on it while he gets his wallet. Phoebe amuses herself by trying on an absurd amount of jewlery, and then realises someone's just bought the ring while she was distracted. She runs after the buyer and immediately sets off the security system, with barred doors slamming down on both sides of the atrium. This is all sorted out by the time Chandler gets back, but when he asks how she managed to lose the ring, she snaps "They put me in jail!"
to:
* In the ''Series/Friends'' ''Series/{{Friends}}'' episode "The One With the Ring", Chandler finds the perfect engagement ring, and asks Phoebe to keep an eye on it while he gets his wallet. Phoebe amuses herself by trying on an absurd amount of jewlery, and then realises someone's just bought the ring while she was distracted. She runs after the buyer and immediately sets off the security system, with barred doors slamming down on both sides of the atrium. This is all sorted out by the time Chandler gets back, but when he asks how she managed to lose the ring, she snaps "They put me in jail!"
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* The central plot of ''The Leaky Establishment'' by Creator/DavidLangford is Tappen discovering that, despite all the security systems in the Nuclear Utilisation Technology Centre, he has managed to accidentally take plutonium home with him, and trying to work out how on Earth he can get it ''back'' through the security systems, since telling his bosses what happened is unthinkable.
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None
Added DiffLines:
* In the ''Series/Friends'' episode "The One With the Ring", Chandler finds the perfect engagement ring, and asks Phoebe to keep an eye on it while he gets his wallet. Phoebe amuses herself by trying on an absurd amount of jewlery, and then realises someone's just bought the ring while she was distracted. She runs after the buyer and immediately sets off the security system, with barred doors slamming down on both sides of the atrium. This is all sorted out by the time Chandler gets back, but when he asks how she managed to lose the ring, she snaps "They put me in jail!"
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None
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* In ''Film/HomeAlone'', Kevin goes to buy a toothbrush at the pharmacy. While there he runs into old man Marley. Kevin backs away in fear, then runs away while still holding the toothbrush, leading to one of the employees calling him a shoplifter.
to:
* In ''Film/HomeAlone'', ''Film/HomeAlone1'', Kevin goes to buy a toothbrush at the pharmacy. While there he runs into old man Marley. Kevin backs away in fear, then runs away while still holding the toothbrush, leading to one of the employees calling him a shoplifter.
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* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' had the episode "Charlie Did It!" where baby Charlie grabbed a pair of sunglasses from a rack right as Teddy and Gave were leaving the store, triggering the alarms. The manager has a grudge against Gabe, so he calls the cops and detains Teddy and Gabe in his office.
to:
* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' had the episode "Charlie Did It!" where baby Charlie grabbed a pair of sunglasses from a rack right as Teddy and Gave Gabe were leaving the store, triggering the alarms. The manager has a grudge against Gabe, so he calls the cops and detains Teddy and Gabe in his office.
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Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* ''Film/MyCousinVinny'': In a convenience store, Stan and Bill take a tuna can and forget to pay for it. Right after they leave, the clerk is murdered and Bill and Stan are taken to the police station, convicted of shooting the clerk. They think it's for shoplifting the tuna can, and comment on how excessive the punishment is.
to:
* ''Film/MyCousinVinny'': In a convenience store, Stan and Bill take pockets a tuna can because his arms are full and forget to pay for it. Right forgets about it until after they leave, he and Stan have already left. Not long afterwards, the clerk is murdered and Bill and Stan found shot to death. As the prime suspects, the two are taken to the police station, convicted of shooting the clerk.where they are put in a police lineup, questioned, and subsequently arrested. They think it's for shoplifting the tuna can, and comment on how excessive the punishment is.
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One of the most basic forms of crime is theft - taking something that isn't yours. It's a common petty crime among bullies, stealing lunch money or food from other students, or from video stores and what have you.
to:
One of the most basic forms of crime is theft - taking something that isn't yours. It's a common petty crime among bullies, stealing lunch money or food from other students, or from robbing video stores and what have you.
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Understatement cleanup
Changed line(s) 19 (click to see context) from:
* ''Film/MyCousinVinny'': In a convenience store, Stan and Bill take a tuna can and forget to pay for it. Right after they leave, the clerk is murdered and Bill and Stan are taken to the police station, convicted of shooting the clerk. They think it's for shoplifting the tuna can, and comment on how the punishment is [[{{Understatement}} a little excessive]].
to:
* ''Film/MyCousinVinny'': In a convenience store, Stan and Bill take a tuna can and forget to pay for it. Right after they leave, the clerk is murdered and Bill and Stan are taken to the police station, convicted of shooting the clerk. They think it's for shoplifting the tuna can, and comment on how excessive the punishment is [[{{Understatement}} a little excessive]].is.
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Changed line(s) 18 (click to see context) from:
* In ''Film/HomeAlone'', Kevin goes to buy toothpaste at the pharmacy. While there he runs into old man Marley. Kevin backs away in fear while still holding the toothpaste, leading to one of the employees calling him a shoplifter.
to:
* In ''Film/HomeAlone'', Kevin goes to buy toothpaste a toothbrush at the pharmacy. While there he runs into old man Marley. Kevin backs away in fear fear, then runs away while still holding the toothpaste, toothbrush, leading to one of the employees calling him a shoplifter.
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* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE16HarleysHoliday Harley's Holiday]]", Harley Quinn, freshly released from prison and intent on leaving her criminal life behind, decides to go clothes shopping. Unfortunately, she hurries off with her new dress right after purchasing it, not waiting for the clerk to remove the anti-shoplifting tag. A guard tries to get her attention, but this scares her and she starts running, setting off the store alarm.
to:
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE16HarleysHoliday Harley's Holiday]]", Harley Quinn, freshly released from prison and intent on leaving her criminal life behind, decides to go clothes shopping. Unfortunately, she hurries off with her new dress right after purchasing it, not waiting for the clerk to remove the anti-shoplifting tag. A guard tries to get her attention, but this scares her and she starts running, setting off the store alarm. At the end of the episode, after she's sent back to Arkham, Batman gives her the dress because she ''did'' pay for it.
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Created from YKTTW
Added DiffLines:
One of the most basic forms of crime is theft - taking something that isn't yours. It's a common petty crime among bullies, stealing lunch money or food from other students, or from video stores and what have you.
But sometimes, theft can be a completely accidental thing. Perhaps one has found something they'd long been looking for and puts it into their pocket so as not to lose it, then forgets to pay when leaving the store. Or if they're working in retail, they stick a misplaced item in their apron and accidentally leave without re-shelving it. Whatever the case, the character has accidentally committed theft, and the consequences vary depending on the situation.
Can sometimes lead to a CassandraTruth when the character didn't intentionally steal the item, but no one believes them. Compare MistakenForThief when a character is mistakenly thought to be a thief. See also AccidentalKidnapping for when what accidentally gets stolen is a person.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Examples
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In an issue of ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', Jughead gets some money from his bank account, but then belatedly realises that the ATM was glitching out and giving him too much money. He fears that the money is someone else's.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/HomeAlone'', Kevin goes to buy toothpaste at the pharmacy. While there he runs into old man Marley. Kevin backs away in fear while still holding the toothpaste, leading to one of the employees calling him a shoplifter.
* ''Film/MyCousinVinny'': In a convenience store, Stan and Bill take a tuna can and forget to pay for it. Right after they leave, the clerk is murdered and Bill and Stan are taken to the police station, convicted of shooting the clerk. They think it's for shoplifting the tuna can, and comment on how the punishment is [[{{Understatement}} a little excessive]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' installment "Double Down", Greg and Maddox can't find a tiny LEGO brick that belongs to the latter. Just when Greg is about to go home, Maddox notices the brick stuck to Greg's elbow and accuses him of stealing it, not willing to believe that it was an accident.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* One episode of ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'' sees Clarissa accidentally walking out of a store in a bustier after trying it on and forgetting to remove it afterwards. She spends the whole episode debating how to return the bustier without getting accused of shoplifting.
* ''Series/FullHouse'': DJ gets a royal blue sweater from Danny that she really loves. After it accidentally gets destroyed, Stephanie goes to the store and finds another sweater and takes it, under the guise of "Buy now, pay later". Stephanie is unaware that this only applies to credit card purchases -- and she actually shoplifted when she gives it to DJ.
* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' had the episode "Charlie Did It!" where baby Charlie grabbed a pair of sunglasses from a rack right as Teddy and Gave were leaving the store, triggering the alarms. The manager has a grudge against Gabe, so he calls the cops and detains Teddy and Gabe in his office.
* In an episode of ''Series/SisterSister'', during a field trip to the museum, Roger accidentally takes the statue of an Ancient Egyptian love goddess. He decides to hold on to it when he discovers it makes girls fall for him, but decides to ask the neighbors, Tia, Tamara, Lisa, and Ray, to help him give it back when the police release his sketch on the news.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''
** Sort of in the season five segment "Nerves of Steal." Buster wants to get one of the new Cybertoys but they are too expensive, so he resorts to stealing one by placing it in Arthur's backpack, making the theft unintentional on Arthur's part (since he's the one who left the store with it) but intentional on Buster's.
** In the season six segment "D.W.'s Backpack Mishap," when the kids flee the pool due to rain, D.W. mistakenly steals one of the Tibble Twins' backpacks (and vice versa).
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE16HarleysHoliday Harley's Holiday]]", Harley Quinn, freshly released from prison and intent on leaving her criminal life behind, decides to go clothes shopping. Unfortunately, she hurries off with her new dress right after purchasing it, not waiting for the clerk to remove the anti-shoplifting tag. A guard tries to get her attention, but this scares her and she starts running, setting off the store alarm.
* Subverted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken''. After a theft detector goes off indicating Cow apparently stole something unknowingly, she and Chicken are chased throughout the episode by the red guy. When she goes through the detector again, it doesn't go off on her but does for the red guy, leading to the latter's arrest. It turns out the detector had been broken for years.
* ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'': In "Dollar Day'', Fanboy and Chum Chum go to the Frosty Mart to buy Frosty Freezy Freeze for one dollar, but Chum Chum spends their last dollar on an arcade machine right as they are supposed to make their payment. The duo are horrified by the thought of becoming "stealers" and spend the episode trying to find a way to pay. [[spoiler:Luckily for them, a robot from the future that Fanboy [[ChekhovsGunman mentioned wanting to build earlier in the episode]] arrives with a dollar to pay for the Frosty Freezy Freeze]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episode "Cops and Robert," Hank bumps into a meek man named Barry Rollins. Hank thinks the man is trying to pickpocket him and demands Barry give him what Hank thinks is his wallet. After Barry runs off, Hank looks more closely and realizes he has inadvertently mugged Barry and taken ''his'' wallet. Later on, Hank tries to clear up the misunderstanding and return it to Barry -- but Barry, feeling victimized all these years, snaps and goes after Hank with a baseball bat.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': In "Flop Starz", Candace drags Linda out of a store to show her a building with a poster for Phineas and Ferb's new band (the building gets destroyed before Linda can see it). Linda was trying on one of the store's jackets when she was dragged out, so a security guard chases after them and tells Linda that she has to pay for the jacket she's wearing.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' fourth season episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E21MargeInChains Marge in Chains]]", Marge is arrested for accidentally stealing a bottle of bourbon, and her time in prison sends the town into chaos.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick borrow a balloon without asking but have the intention of returning it. However, when it pops and they can't fix it, they realise that they can't return it and thus it is no longer borrowed, but stolen. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out that the merchants were giving away the balloons for free anyway.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ThreeBelow'': When the trio of aliens have just arrived in Arcadia and try to [[AlienAmongUs pass as humans]], they don't understand the concept of Earth money yet. When Krel is in a music store and sees a record he likes, he simply takes it and walks out. Though he gets accused of shoplifting, the agent that comes to the scene simply makes him return the record and lets him [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure get off with a warning]].
--> '''Detective Scott''': Do we have a problem here?
--> '''Shop girl''': He just shoplifted that.
--> '''Krel''': Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
[[/folder]]
But sometimes, theft can be a completely accidental thing. Perhaps one has found something they'd long been looking for and puts it into their pocket so as not to lose it, then forgets to pay when leaving the store. Or if they're working in retail, they stick a misplaced item in their apron and accidentally leave without re-shelving it. Whatever the case, the character has accidentally committed theft, and the consequences vary depending on the situation.
Can sometimes lead to a CassandraTruth when the character didn't intentionally steal the item, but no one believes them. Compare MistakenForThief when a character is mistakenly thought to be a thief. See also AccidentalKidnapping for when what accidentally gets stolen is a person.
----
[[foldercontrol]]
!!Examples
[[folder:Comic Books]]
* In an issue of ''ComicBook/ArchieComics'', Jughead gets some money from his bank account, but then belatedly realises that the ATM was glitching out and giving him too much money. He fears that the money is someone else's.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Films - Live-Action]]
* In ''Film/HomeAlone'', Kevin goes to buy toothpaste at the pharmacy. While there he runs into old man Marley. Kevin backs away in fear while still holding the toothpaste, leading to one of the employees calling him a shoplifter.
* ''Film/MyCousinVinny'': In a convenience store, Stan and Bill take a tuna can and forget to pay for it. Right after they leave, the clerk is murdered and Bill and Stan are taken to the police station, convicted of shooting the clerk. They think it's for shoplifting the tuna can, and comment on how the punishment is [[{{Understatement}} a little excessive]].
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* In the ''Literature/DiaryOfAWimpyKid'' installment "Double Down", Greg and Maddox can't find a tiny LEGO brick that belongs to the latter. Just when Greg is about to go home, Maddox notices the brick stuck to Greg's elbow and accuses him of stealing it, not willing to believe that it was an accident.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* One episode of ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'' sees Clarissa accidentally walking out of a store in a bustier after trying it on and forgetting to remove it afterwards. She spends the whole episode debating how to return the bustier without getting accused of shoplifting.
* ''Series/FullHouse'': DJ gets a royal blue sweater from Danny that she really loves. After it accidentally gets destroyed, Stephanie goes to the store and finds another sweater and takes it, under the guise of "Buy now, pay later". Stephanie is unaware that this only applies to credit card purchases -- and she actually shoplifted when she gives it to DJ.
* ''Series/GoodLuckCharlie'' had the episode "Charlie Did It!" where baby Charlie grabbed a pair of sunglasses from a rack right as Teddy and Gave were leaving the store, triggering the alarms. The manager has a grudge against Gabe, so he calls the cops and detains Teddy and Gabe in his office.
* In an episode of ''Series/SisterSister'', during a field trip to the museum, Roger accidentally takes the statue of an Ancient Egyptian love goddess. He decides to hold on to it when he discovers it makes girls fall for him, but decides to ask the neighbors, Tia, Tamara, Lisa, and Ray, to help him give it back when the police release his sketch on the news.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}''
** Sort of in the season five segment "Nerves of Steal." Buster wants to get one of the new Cybertoys but they are too expensive, so he resorts to stealing one by placing it in Arthur's backpack, making the theft unintentional on Arthur's part (since he's the one who left the store with it) but intentional on Buster's.
** In the season six segment "D.W.'s Backpack Mishap," when the kids flee the pool due to rain, D.W. mistakenly steals one of the Tibble Twins' backpacks (and vice versa).
* In the ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' episode "[[Recap/TheAdventuresOfBatmanAndRobinE16HarleysHoliday Harley's Holiday]]", Harley Quinn, freshly released from prison and intent on leaving her criminal life behind, decides to go clothes shopping. Unfortunately, she hurries off with her new dress right after purchasing it, not waiting for the clerk to remove the anti-shoplifting tag. A guard tries to get her attention, but this scares her and she starts running, setting off the store alarm.
* Subverted in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/CowAndChicken''. After a theft detector goes off indicating Cow apparently stole something unknowingly, she and Chicken are chased throughout the episode by the red guy. When she goes through the detector again, it doesn't go off on her but does for the red guy, leading to the latter's arrest. It turns out the detector had been broken for years.
* ''WesternAnimation/FanboyAndChumChum'': In "Dollar Day'', Fanboy and Chum Chum go to the Frosty Mart to buy Frosty Freezy Freeze for one dollar, but Chum Chum spends their last dollar on an arcade machine right as they are supposed to make their payment. The duo are horrified by the thought of becoming "stealers" and spend the episode trying to find a way to pay. [[spoiler:Luckily for them, a robot from the future that Fanboy [[ChekhovsGunman mentioned wanting to build earlier in the episode]] arrives with a dollar to pay for the Frosty Freezy Freeze]].
* In the ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'' episode "Cops and Robert," Hank bumps into a meek man named Barry Rollins. Hank thinks the man is trying to pickpocket him and demands Barry give him what Hank thinks is his wallet. After Barry runs off, Hank looks more closely and realizes he has inadvertently mugged Barry and taken ''his'' wallet. Later on, Hank tries to clear up the misunderstanding and return it to Barry -- but Barry, feeling victimized all these years, snaps and goes after Hank with a baseball bat.
* ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'': In "Flop Starz", Candace drags Linda out of a store to show her a building with a poster for Phineas and Ferb's new band (the building gets destroyed before Linda can see it). Linda was trying on one of the store's jackets when she was dragged out, so a security guard chases after them and tells Linda that she has to pay for the jacket she's wearing.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' fourth season episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E21MargeInChains Marge in Chains]]", Marge is arrested for accidentally stealing a bottle of bourbon, and her time in prison sends the town into chaos.
* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'', [=SpongeBob=] and Patrick borrow a balloon without asking but have the intention of returning it. However, when it pops and they can't fix it, they realise that they can't return it and thus it is no longer borrowed, but stolen. [[spoiler:Subverted when it turns out that the merchants were giving away the balloons for free anyway.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/ThreeBelow'': When the trio of aliens have just arrived in Arcadia and try to [[AlienAmongUs pass as humans]], they don't understand the concept of Earth money yet. When Krel is in a music store and sees a record he likes, he simply takes it and walks out. Though he gets accused of shoplifting, the agent that comes to the scene simply makes him return the record and lets him [[ReasonableAuthorityFigure get off with a warning]].
--> '''Detective Scott''': Do we have a problem here?
--> '''Shop girl''': He just shoplifted that.
--> '''Krel''': Impossible. [[ComicallyMissingThePoint That shop is far too heavy to be lifted.]]
[[/folder]]
