History Main / ContrivedClumsiness

This trope bears no relation to the {{sit com}} ''AccidentallyOnPurpose''.

[[AC:Comic Books]]

* ''{{Disney/Pinocchio}}'': Honest John gets Pinocchio's attention by tripping him up with his cane.

[[AC:Literature]]

* In {{Robin McKinley}}'s ''Chalice'', one of the primary antagonists uses a very malicious form of fake clumsiness to set the demesne's Master up for a MortonsFork: he "trips" within the Master's reach, forcing the Master - a former priest of elemental fire - to choose between catching and involuntarily burning him (an insult) or letting him fall (also an insult).

* Parodied along with ShameIfSomethingHappened in one episode of MontyPythonsFlyingCircus. A couple of [[TheMafia Mafia types]] try to shake down an army base commander, eventually leading to the famous [[BreakingTheFourthWall fourth-wall breaking]] line "Stop that! It's silly!"

[[AC:Newspaper Comics]]

[[AC:Radio]]

[[AC:Western Animation]]

** Bart also uses the "My finger slipped" excuse in a "{{Treehouse of Horror}}" episode, where Lisa's science experiment turns into a miniature civilization.

--> Meg: AHH!! WHAT THE HELL?!
--> Peter: Oh, Meg, you startled me!

* The "accidental" spill variant was used by Icky Vicky the babysitter in ''FairlyOddparents''. She doesn't just spill a drink, though. It is a significant amount of water, enough to drench the other girl.

** In one early episode, the family is supposed to solve their problems by shocking each other. At the beginning of the exercise, Bart accidentally-on-purpose shocks Lisa, claiming his finger slipped. Lisa shocks him back saying, "So did mine."

* ''TheEmperorsNewGroove'': As Kuzco and Pacha try to get the potion that will turn Kuzco human, Yzma knocks over the other potions so they can't tell which is which, saying "Oops, clumsy me!" as she does.

* ''Series/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': In the pilot episode, TheLibby performs the drink spill variant to Sabrina. Later, when she does it again, Sabrina uses her magic to make the drink tilt back towards her.

* ''NotAnotherTeenMovie'' plays with this classic "teen movie" trope. The heroine is in a dress, already wet from falling the pool, and the AlphaBitch, sarcastically feigning clumsiness, spills a glass of WATER on her. The heroine reacts with humiliated tears, and other characters react similarly:

* ''NotAnotherTeenMovie'' plays with this classic "teen movie" trope. The heroine is in a bathing suit, already wet from the pool, and the villainous [[TheLibby Libby]], sarcastically feigning clumsiness, spills a glass of WATER on her. The heroine reacts with humiliated tears.

* In ''SorceryAndCecelia, or, The Enchanted Chocolate Pot'', Cecelia disposes of [[spoiler: the titular chocolate pot by pretending to "accidentally" spill it]]. It helps that she already had a reputation for clumsiness.

* In the movie ''{{UHF}}'', one of the {{jerkass}}es from the competing television station trips the camera man for the title station, and sarcastically chimes "Oopsie!" after. Later, the victim of this action enacts his revenge by doing the same thing to the {{jerkass}}, except this time, the trip ends in a mud puddle.

* In an early episode of ''{{House}}'', the title character decided to make a point about how he's treated as a handicapped person by jamming his cane into a woman's foot as he passed her. He apologized in a sincere fashion, and watched as the woman apologized back for snapping at him.

** In one early episode, the family is supposed to solve their problems by shocking each other. At the beginning of the exercise, Bart accidentally-on-purpose shocks Homer, claiming his finger slipped. Homer shocks him back saying, "So did mine."

* In ''KitchenPrincess'', the heroine has made friends with a rich girl who also happens to be a rich model. Her name is Akane, and she seems nice, but she's actually a BitchInSheepsClothing. While eating lunch together, she purposely knocks the heroine's lunch onto her dress, then gets upset and causes her friends to turn on the girl.

* The drink spill variant was used very overtly by Jackie Tyler in the ''DoctorWho'' episode "Love and Monsters."

[[AC:Film]]

* ''Series/{{MASH}}'':

* In one early episode of ''TheSimpsons'', the family is supposed to solve their problems by shocking each other. At the beginning of the exercise, Bart accidentally-on-purpose shocks Homer, claiming his finger slipped. Homer shocks him back saying, "So did mine."
** Bart also uses the "My finger slipped" excuse in a "Treehouse of Horror" episode, where Lisa's science experiment turns into a miniature civilization.
* ''{{Disney/Pinocchio}}'': Honest John gets Pinocchio's attention by tripping him up with his cane.
* ''TheEmperorsNewGroove'': As Kuzco and Pacha try to get the potion that will turn Kuzco human, Yzma knocks over the other potions so they can't tell which is which, saying "Oops, clumsy me!" as she does.

* ''{{MASH}}'': In TheStinger of an episode where Hawkeye, BJ and Charles were on a promotion committee, they evaluated prospective promotees and gave their recommendations. Private Igor, who works in the mess tent chow line and was not promoted, tosses a scoopful of mashed potatoes on BJ. "Oh, I'm sorry. But what do you expect from a dumb private?"
** Another example from ''{{MASH}}'': A flashback in one episode showed Father Mulcahy "accidentally" tucking a tablecloth into his belt and upstaging the meal of a visiting general who was causing a holdup in the mess tent.

* In one episode of ''{{Scrubs}}'', Elliot was in a crabby mood and tossed her drink on the ground right in front of Janitor, sarcastically saying "oops" as she walked past.

* In one of the newer ''MissionImpossible'' movies, a kidnapping target is spilled on, to force him into the bathroom. He is then abducted through the vents.

* The first ''BackToTheFuture'' has an example of the "accidental" trip; Marty [=McFly=] trips Biff Tannen when they're in the diner in 1955 Hill Valley, {{California}}.

* ''SabrinaTheTeenageWitch'': In the pilot episode, TheLibby performs the drink spill variant to Sabrina. Later, when she does it again, Sabrina uses her magic to make the drink tilt back towards her.

* In a second season of ''DarkerThanBlack'', one scene shows the depraved Genma having his partner Mina conduct [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxibustion moxibustion]] on him, which is the "payment" for using his powers. He makes a pervert comment, and Mina who DoesNotLikeMen accidentally-on-purpose burns him.

* A non-comedic example of this is in ''{{Gundam00}}'' wherein the ChildSoldier bombs a wedding party, killing almost everyone there. When questioned about it, [[CuteAndPsycho giggles]] and says she accidentally pressed the wrong button. The reason she bombed the party was because [[MoralEventHorizon they were having more fun than her]].

* Cliff Secord does in ''TheRocketeer'', when he's at the South Seas Club, where his girlfriend Jenny is with Neville Sinclair, who's looking for the rocketpack. He "accidentally" spills some champagne on Jenny just before she tells Neville about him and how he's got the rocketpack.

* ''{{Freakazoid}}'' had a villain named Arms Akimbo who ran a ProtectionRacket, "accidentally" knocking things over with his elbows until the owners give in. The damage gets more and more ridiculous with each scene, until we see StockFootage of a nuclear explosion, followed by Akimbo saying "Oops!"

* On ''FamilyGuy'', after seeing Jillian's boyfriend accidentally trip a waiter and immediately spring into action to prevent him and his drinks from spilling over, Brian tries to do the same in order to impress his former girlfriend, by deliberately tripping the next waiter to walk by. The waiter falls, his drinks crash, and he questions why Brian would do something like that. Adding insult to injury, the waiter had just recovered from recent hand surgery, and was told he should not have come into work that day, but Jillian's boyfriend massages his hand and makes it better.