History Main / BankToaster

* In one ''ComicStrip/ShermansLagoon'' strip, an octopus is seen thinking about the various options and account choices banks provide, ending his inner monologue with the remark that getting a free toaster used to be so much easier.

* A [[http://www.rooftopcommunications.com/content/portfolio/view.cfm?catid=3&pid=28 commercial]] for Chesapeake Bank of Maryland implies that larger banks, here represented as [[BrandX "Big Bank"]], are so out of touch with their customers that they equate giving out items like the toaster with customer service.

-->'''Item description of the Complimentary Virtupets Toaster''': Congratulations on a BRAND! NEW! TOASTER! *canned applause*

* ''Series/CobraKai'': Anyone who buys a car from [=LaRusso=] Motors gets a free Bonsai tree. Daniel's rival Tom Cole eventually counters by offering a free drought-resistant cactus.

-->Well I went to the bank this morning
-->And the cashier said to me
-->If you join the Christmas Club
-->We'll give you ten little flags[[note]]flag decals[[/note]] for free!
-->Well I didn't mess around a bit
-->I took him up on what he said
-->And I stuck them stickers all over my car
-->And one on my wife's forehead!
* Mentioned (almost word for word) at the beginning of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSANwJYYU5I this song]] by Creator/MarcUweKling

* In ''The Admiral Was a Lady'', the male characters (all demobbed World War II soldiers who are currently unemployed) use this to their advantage to make a bit of extra money on the side. A local bank offers a free piggy bank as its opening gift. Instead of simply cashing their unemployment cheques with the cheque-cashing man who charges a fee, they deposit the cheques in a new bank account, get the piggy bank, immediately close the account (for a cash withdrawal, no money lost)... and then sell the piggy banks to the local pawnbroker!

After the 2000s, banks have transitioned to providing cash incentives or consumer electronics as an incentive to do business with them, turning this into a DeadHorseTrope. These rewards are provided to the customer after the account has been available for a set amount of time and a certain number of deposits have been made to the account, to prevent individuals from opening an account simply to take advantage of the promotion.

* ''Series/CobraKai'': Anyone who buys a car from [=LaRusso=] Motors gets a free Bonsai tree. Daniel's rival Tom Cole eventually counters by offering a free low-water cactus.

* {{Discussed|Trope}} in Season 1 of ''Series/MadMen'', when the admen mention how giving away toasters and other appliances is a gimmick to get housewives to stop visit the bank. This is the starting point of Sterling Cooper's actual pitch to get ''men'' to open new accounts with what they call the "executive account," which emphasizes features to ensure privacy against snooping wives (like sending statements to a man's office, rather than his home).

* In the period western comedy ''The Cherokee Kid'', when the title character approaches a teller at what is intended to be a bank robbery, the teller eagerly explains to him that if he opens a new bank account, he can receive a complimentary bar of pine tar soap. He then continues to name bigger rewards for opening bank accounts with larger deposits. When the main character finally announces men are here to rob a bank, the teller gets to mention that with a new account deposit of $300, one can get a new gun, which the teller promptly produces to deter the would-be thieves.

* The WebVideo/{{Scamalot}} video ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSoXEtFPTfI Toaster]]'' involves prankster James Veitch demanding a free toaster in an e-mail reply to a Nigerian fraudster trying to pull a FourOneNineScam. He claimed he needed to open a new account to take advantage of the Nigerian gentleman's incredible offer, and he might as well claim the free toaster while he was about it. He later recounted the same story [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Uc-cztsJo during a TEDTalk]]

After the 2000s, banks have transitioned to providing cash incentives or consumer electronics as an incentive to do business with them, turning this into a DeadHorseTrope. These rewards are provided to the customer after a the account has been available for a set amount of time and acertain number of deposits have been made to the account, to prevent individuals from opening an account simply to take advantage of the promotion.

* ''Series/AllInTheFamily'' had Edith explaining to Archie why there is money in the bank they cannot use. It seems that she used money from the main account to open some new accounts so she could get free stuff (a heating pad, an electric blanket and a radio). There's a "substantial penalty for early withdrawal" so the money has to stay in those accounts for now.

* Newspaper editorial cartoons which focus on the American banks during the global financial crisis of the early 21st century make use of the bank toaster visual.

* The page image, above, comes from a [[http://www.rooftopcommunications.com/content/portfolio/view.cfm?catid=3&pid=28 commercial]] for Chesapeake Bank of Maryland, which implies that larger banks, here represented as [[BrandX "Big Bank"]], are so out of touch with their customers that they equate giving out items like the toaster with customer service.

* In the ''VideoGame/HotlineMiami2WrongNumber'' custom campaign ''[[https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=741478472 A Real Human Bean]]'', the protagonist Hammarin, is entitled to a toaster offered by his bank. He goes to the bank and kill everyone on his way to the toaster.

Banks love finding ways to get new people to deposit their money with them and open an account. Decades ago, in the United States, at least, that involved giving away free toasters, alarm clocks, or other cheesy home electrical appliances to new customers, which grew to be an expected perk for opening a new bank account. Indeed, the free toaster became so closely associated with new bank accounts that it has influenced how banks are depicted in American media and popular culture.

As it has become much more rare for RealLife banks to give out toasters and similar house appliances in our present day (though freebies and perks are handed out for new bank accounts to this day), this trope has grown into more of a ForgottenTrope.[[note]]As you can now buy a toaster for less than $8, very few people would consider this a reason to choose a bank anymore.[[/note]]

* An old joke in LGBT culture is that if you turn someone queer, either you or the other person gets a toaster oven. This is based on the homophobic belief that LGBT people have to actively recruit others, [[AllGaysArePedophiles especially children]], to the lavender side.

* When replying to a scam email to troll the scammers, James Veitch joked about getting a free toaster for opening a fictional bank account [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4Uc-cztsJo as described in this TEDTalk]].

* The WebVideo/{{Scamalot}} video ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSoXEtFPTfI Toaster]]'' involves a prankster demanding a free toaster in an e-mail reply to a Nigerian fraudster trying to pull a FourOneNineScam. He claimed he needed to open a new account to take advantage of the Nigerian gentleman's incredible offer, and he might as well claim the free toaster while he was about it.