History Main / BullSeeingRed

* WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker encounters this moment in the early short "The Hollywood Matador". It happens when the bull in question sees his red underside. (note: Woody's belly feathers were originally red)

-->-- '''Tory''', ''Series/{{Mythbusters}}''[[note]]Because the Mythbusters ''aren't'' TooDumbToLive, the actual test involved foam mannequins.[[/note]]

This is more popular in cartoons where the bull's emotions and behaviours can be drawn (gusts of breath snorted from the nose, red filling up the eyes etc.) and you don't have to pay for the pleasure of an irritated bull in your studio.

* Despite not actually using bulls, an early episode of ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' still invokes the spirit of this trope. [[BigCreepyCrawlies Scyther]] and [[ShockAndAwe Electabuzz]] are both said to fly into a berserk rage at the sight of the color red. It just so happens that Pikachu had discovered a love for ketchup in that same episode, so during a showdown between two rival gangs whose leaders used a Scyther and Electabuzz, a stray attack splits Pikachu's ketchup bottle open, splashing the stuff across both combatants' eyes. Since everything they see is now tinted red, they promptly start attacking everything in sight (including their trainers).
* In one episode of ''Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena'', shortly after [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext Nanami turns into a cow after wearing a cowbell for several days]], Anthy finishes the sweater she had been knitting the entire episode and gives it to Utena. A red sweater. Which results in Cow!Nanami becoming enraged and Utena using the sweater as a bullfighter's cape.

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* In the ''Animation/MotuPatlu'' episode "Bull Power", Dr. Jhatka creates a drink that causes whoever consumes it to become as powerful as a bull. Ghasitaram suggests he give the drink to Patlu, who starts to chase anything he sees that is colored red after drinking it.
[[/folder]]

* The same happens in a ComicBook/DonaldDuck comic story, ''"The colorblind bull"'', where Grandma Coot has a - [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin yeah]], and said bull starts rampaging at the sight of anything that's ''light blue''. The ''real'' disaster happened after the bull won the ''blue ribbon'' at a fair, and Donald (who still didn't understand what the problem was) got the bright idea of sticking the ribbon to the bull's forehead...

* ''Film/SpaceJam'' had Daffy painting the rear end of one of the Monstars red. This elicited great laughter from the Toons in the audience, until Toro, the bull from "WesternAnimation/BullyForBugs" notices it, which is what Daffy was going for all along. Cue one Monstar [[PainPoweredLeap going airborne]] ''[[PainPoweredLeap in]]''[[PainPoweredLeap voluntarily]]. "Bully For Bugs" itself has Bugs flapping his red matador cape in the bull's face, but Toro acts more fascinated than angry.

* Danny [=DeVito=]'s character in ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'' is whacked by handing him a Schlitz malt liquor and a red smoking jacket. Sure enough, the Schlitz Bull comes charging through the wall at him. Which, for those not aware, is a ShoutOut to Schlitz's famous late 70's/early 80's ad campaign where a bull would do a Kool-Aid Man wall crash at the end of each commercial.

-->"Is this the usual ''pro''-cedure for these Group Ther'py shindigs? Bunch of chickens at a peckin' party?...The flock gets sight of a spot of blood on some chicken and they all go to ''peckin''' at it, see, till they rip the chicken to shreds, blood and bones and feathers. But usually a couple of the flock gets spotted in the fracas, then it's their turn. And a few more gets spots and gets pecked to death, and more and more. Oh, a peckin' party can wipe out the whole flock in a matter of a few hours, buddy, I seen it. A mighty awesome sight. The only way to prevent it -- with chickens -- is to clip blinders on them. So's they can't see...And that’s just exactly what that meeting I just set through reminded me of, buddy, if you want to know the dirty truth. It reminded me of a flock of dirty chickens."

* In the Adam West ''Series/Batman1966'', the trope is subverted when Batman escapes a deathtrap of being tied to the ground to be trampled by a herd of bulls. He frees himself and waves his cape to make the charging herd avoid him. When Robin notes he was able to do that without the cape being red, Batman tells him that cows are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle#Vision colorblind]] so the color of his cape didn't matter.

* Busted in one episode of ''Series/MythBusters''. The experiment culminated with a terrified Tory in a red jump suit standing very still in a rodeo ring with a temperamental bull. While rodeo clowns ran around distracting the bull, Tory was completely ignored. It did look for a time like he should have brought some [[BringMyBrownPants brown pants]].
** Further tested when three capes of different colors--red, yellow, and blue--were waved in front of a bull herd. Turns out that the bulls went after the yellow and blue capes as often as they charged the red one.

* ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'': Discussed in the second game when examining a particular object in the first case. Kay wonders if a bull would be drawn to Edgeworth because of his clothes, and he points out ([[ShownTheirWork correctly]]) that it's not the color that draws the bull's attention, it's the movement. She then retorts that, in that case, the bull would still be compelled to charge at Edgeworth because of his cravat.

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Grace [[https://www.egscomics.com/egsnp/2016-06-22 thinks]] Reinhardt from ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'' should have the option to wear bull themed armor because of his charge ability and the fact that in ''Overwatch'', the opposing team is highlighted in red. In TheRant, Dan is quick to point out that this trope is not TruthInTelevision.

-->'''Mater''': They sure liked that fancy red paintjob of yours.
* WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts

* ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'': Used in "[[Recap/MickeyMouseS2E16AlRojoVivo Al Rojo Vivo]]". Pete once again tries to have Minnie to himself while Mickey is shoved into the running of the bulls and has to avoid the bulls, which is hard for him because fate seems obsessed with making him end up in areas with red objects.
* ''WesternAnimation/MonsterHigh'': In "I Only Have Eye For You", Draculaura notices that Iris Clops has a crush on Manny Taur (whom, as his name says, is a minotaur) and tries to set them up. Unfortunately, Manny Taur goes angry whenever he sees something red (although he wears a red shirt) , which happens whenever Iris tries to talk to him. Draculaura convinces her to wear a red t-shirt; since Manny likes Iris, he calms down and even comments that colors looks good on her.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' spoofing ''Franchise/StarWars'' features a bull named "Chewcudda". Never show Chewcudda anything red...not even your tongue.
* WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker encounters this moment in the early short ''The Hollywood Matador.'' It happens when the bull in question sees his red underside. (note: Woody's belly feathers were originally red)

* Lampshaded in a [[http://90ie.ru/25/fanta-a-razve-byki-ne-daltoniki/ Russian ad]], where a guy ends up in inside a fence with a bull. One of his friends shouts from outside he's wearing red. The guy covers himself with mud... and then another of his friends remarks [[OhCrap "Aren't the bulls color blind"]]?

This usually only applies to regular bulls, but parodies and comedic versions may also extend it to bovine FunnyAnimals and to fantastical bull-like creatures such as [[ALoadOfBull minotaurs]].

* ''Film/SpaceJam'' had Daffy painting the rear end of one of the Monstars red. This elicited great laughter from the Toons in the audience, until the Bull from "WesternAnimation/BullyForBugs" notices it, which is what Daffy was going for all along. Cue one Monstar [[PainPoweredLeap going airborne]] ''[[PainPoweredLeap in]]''[[PainPoweredLeap voluntarily]]. "Bully For Bugs" itself has Bugs flapping his red matador cape in the bull's face, but Toro acts more fascinated than angry.

* Creator/MartyRobbins: In "Utah Carol", a herd of stampeding cattle is further agitated by seeing a red blanket trailing behind on of the riders, prompting them into charging down towards her.

* Discussed in the [[NoExportForYou second]] ''VisualNovel/AceAttorneyInvestigationsMilesEdgeworth'' when examining a particular object in the first case. Kay wonders if a bull would be drawn to Edgeworth because of his clothes, and he points out ([[ShownTheirWork correctly]]) that it's not the color that draws the bull's attention, it's the movement. She then retorts that, in that case, the bull would still be compelled to charge at Edgeworth because of his cravat.
* In the casual adventure game ''Botanica'', you need to hang a piece of red cloth in front of a bull-like animal to make it charge. The cloth is white initially, so you also have to gather items to ''dye'' it red first.
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' had a boss battle against a bull that ''hated'' the colour red. And as Conker was a red squirrel...yeah.
* Even mythical bull-creatures are affected by this trope. In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'', the hero manages to lure a minotaur into a trap by using a bright red scarf. The minotaur's growled comment: "Rrrrrreeed..."
* In ''VideoGame/NeighboursFromHell 2'', one of the pranks Woody does to Rotweiller is to paint the bench he is sleeping on red (Rotweiller [[FanDisservice wears a swimsuit]] in this game) and after he wakes up, the bull behind him becomes angry.

The fact that the color is irrelevant [[JustForFun/TropesExaminedByTheMythBusters was proven]] long before the ''Series/MythBusters'' tackled it on their show. Characters may also occasionally mention that [[AnimalsSeeInMonochrome bulls are colorblind]], but this is also untrue (though the range of colors they can see is narrower than a human's). As this awareness has grown over time, expect to see many deconstructions and aversions, with the characters pointing out these significant bits of information.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles'': In the episode "Please Please Me, the Fab Four are having a picnic in Spain, and Ringo is shaking ants off their red picnic blanket. It attracts a bull, causing John, Paul and George to run.

* A MonsterOfTheWeek in ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' (not adapted to ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'') was a bull with a cowboy motif. At one point Ninjaman pulls out a red cape and begins waving it in front of him, causing the bull to become angry (even growing his horns) and drag him into a bullfighting game.

* A MonsterOfTheWeek in ''Series/NinjaSentaiKakuranger'' (not adapted to ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers) was a bull with a cowboy motif. At one point Ninjaman pulls out a red cape and begins waving it in front of him, causing the bull to become angry (even growing his horns) and drag him into a bullfighting game.

* ''ComicBook/{{Wonder Woman|1942}}'': Mint Candy's love interest is a matador/matadora and when she turns her back on a bull that's still in its pen to answer a question the bull is enraged at her swinging red cape and manages to burst through the fence to try to attack her.

* Used as the conflict for the ''WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse2013'' short "[[Recap/MickeyMouseS2E16AlRojoVivo Al Rojo Vivo]]". Pete once again tries to have Minnie to himself while Mickey is shoved into the running of the bulls and has to avoid the bulls, which is hard for him because fate seems obsessed with making him end up in areas with red objects.
* In the ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' episode "Robot Rodeo," ''robotic'' bulls go absolutely insane at the sight of a red balloon. Oddly, [[RuleOfFunny it works quite well]]. FridgeBrilliance applies here: The bulls are, as stated above, robots. They were probably programmed to react that way to the color red because that's how a couple of kids assume bulls should behave.
* The ''WesternAnimation/{{Popeye}}'' cartoon "For Better Or Nurse" has Bluto deliberately trying to injure himself (as is Popeye) so he can be near nurse Olive at a hospital. He tucks a red towel under his chin and taunts a nearby bull. Unfortunately for Bluto, the bull is smitten with the cow mascot of a dairy product ad billboard. When that script was [[RecycledScript recycled]] for the cartoon series that renamed Bluto as "Brutus", Popeye paints himself red to taunt a bull. Brutus pours invisible ink on Popeye to make the bull miss him.
* Spoofed: In ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCyberChase'', Fred uses Daphne's violet jacket to outmaneuver a charging lion, noting "it's not red, but it'll have to do". (In Fred's typical smartass fashion, he shouts "Leo!" because "Toro!" just provoked a WhereWhere reaction).

* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': Mint Candy's love interest is a matador/matadora and when she turns her back on a bull that's still in its pen to answer a question the bull is enraged at her swinging red cape and manages to burst through the fence to try to attack her.

* In ''ComicBook/TopTen'', they mention that bulls are ''colorblind''.

* In one ComicBook/ArchieComics story taking place at a rodeo, a bull escapes from his pen and it looks like he's about to hurt the cowgirls -- but then it sees Archie's red hair and goes after ''him''. Afterwards, Archie is applauded for [[AccidentalHero "distracting"]] the bull.

* Danny [=DeVito=]'s character in ''Film/JohnnyDangerously'' is whacked by handing him a Schlitz malt liquor and a red smoking jacket. Sure enough, the Schlitz Bull comes charging through the wall at him. Which, for those not aware, is a ShoutOut to Schlitz's famous late 70's/early 80's ad campaign where a bull would do a Kool-Aid Man wall crash at the end of each commercial.

* In the Adam West ''Series/Batman1966'', the trope is subverted when Batman escapes a deathtrap of being tied to the ground to be trampled by a herd of bulls. He frees himself and waves his cape to make the charging herd avoid him. When Robin notes he was able to do that without the cape being red, Batman tells him that cows are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle#Vision colorblind]] so the color of his cape didn't matter.
* ''Series/EmptyNest'': After Harry is visited by his carefree globetrotting brother, he decides to travel to [[ItsAlwaysMardiGrasInNewOrleans Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls]], [[MakesJustAsMuchSenseInContext wearing a red sweater and no sunscreen]]. The episode ends with him frantically trying to remove the sweater as the bull herd approaches.

* Even mythical bull-creatures are affected by this trope. In ''VideoGame/KingsQuestVIHeirTodayGoneTomorrow'', the hero manages to lure a minotaur into a trap by using a bright red scarf. The minotaur's growled comment: "Rrrrrreeed..."
* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' had a boss battle against a bull that ''hated'' the colour red. And as Conker was a red squirrel...yeah.

* In ''VideoGame/NeighboursFromHell 2'', one of the pranks Woody does to Rotweiller is to paint the bench he is sleeping on red (Rotweiller [[FanDisservice wears a swimsuit]] in this game) and after he wakes up, the bull behind him becomes angry.

* WesternAnimation/WoodyWoodpecker encounters this moment in the early short ''The Hollywood Matador.'' It happens when the bull in question sees his red underside. (note: Woody's belly feathers were originally red)
* Spoofed: In ''WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooAndTheCyberChase'', Fred uses Daphne's violet jacket to outmaneuver a charging lion, noting "it's not red, but it'll have to do". (In Fred's typical smartass fashion, he shouts "Leo!" because "Toro!" just provoked a WhereWhere reaction)
* In ''Literature/TheBerenstainBears'' cartoon this trope was averted when the characters are told to distract the bull by waving their brown scout hats. As the smart one points out, it's not the color so much as the motion of the objects that makes them upset.
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' spoofing ''Franchise/StarWars'' features a bull named "Chewcudda". Never show Chewcudda anything red...not even your tongue.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheBeatles'': In the episode "Please Please Me, the Fab Four are having a picnic in Spain, and Ringo is shaking ants off their red picnic blanket. It attracts a bull, causing John, Paul and George to run.
-->'''George:''' Ringo, look out!\\
'''Ringo:''' Why? These little nippers can't hurt you! (''after the bull passes and tears the blanket with its horns'') Hmm. They wasn't ants after all. They was moths!

* In the ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'' animated short "El Materdor", Mater tells Lightning the story about how he was a famous bulldozer fighter in Spain (bulldozers being the analog of bulls in this world). The bulldozers naturally react to Mater's red cape, and later to Lightning himself:
-->'''Mater''': They sure liked that fancy red paintjob of yours.

* In one Franchise/ArchieComics story taking place at a rodeo, a bull escapes from his pen and it looks like he's about to hurt the cowgirls -- but then it sees Archie's red hair and goes after ''him''. Afterwards, Archie is applauded for [[AccidentalHero "distracting"]] the bull.

* ''Film/SpaceJam'' had Daffy painting the rear end of one of the Monstars red. This elicited great laughter from the Toons in the audience, until the Bull from "WesternAnimation/BullyForBugs" notices it, which is what Daffy was going for all along. Cue one Monstar going airborne ''in''voluntarily. "Bully For Bugs" itself has Bugs flapping his red matador cape in the bull's face, but Toro acts more fascinated than angry.

* In the Adam West ''Series/{{Batman}}'', the trope is subverted when Batman escapes a deathtrap of being tied to the ground to be trampled by a herd of bulls. He frees himself and waves his cape to make the charging herd avoid him. When Robin notes he was able to do that without the cape being red, Batman tells him that cows are [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle#Vision colorblind]] so the color of his cape didn't matter.

* ''Film/SpaceJam'' had Daffy painting the rear end of one of the Monstars red. This elicited great laughter from the Toons in the audience, until the Bull from "WesternAnimation/BullyForBugs" notices it, which is what Daffy was going for all along. Cue one Monstar going airborne ''in''voluntarily. "Bully For Bugs" itself never mentions this trope -- the bull is just angry.

The actual reason for the use of reddish/pinkish colors in RealLife bullfighting is to mask the bull's blood, as covered by BringMyRedJacket. See also RedIsViolent and BrutishBulls.

* The best live-action example has to be from ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'', when Simone's jealous ex Andy chases our hero into a Texas rodeo. A bull then catches sight of Andy's red shirt and chases him right out of the movie.

* The best live-action example has to be from ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'', when the red shirt-clad bully chases our hero into a Texas rodeo.