History Main / FakeMuscles

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheItchyAndScratchyShow'', Scratchy really does get pumped up by lifting weights but Itchy thinks he's just pulling this. Itchy pokes Scratchy with a pin, expecting his balloon muscles to explode.

* ''TheSimpsons'' parody this in an Itchy And Scratchy short. Scratchy bulks himself up at the gym, and shows off against Itchy. Itchy attempts to pop his muscles with a nail like you'd see if the muscles were fake, but doesnt work since these are real. The solution? Itchy stings him with the nail several dozen times, causing Scratchy to become woozy from bloodloss.

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* ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'' had an episode where Fabio, [[{{U2}} Bono]] and Music/YokoOno participated in a threeway battle. After Fabio killed Bono, Yoko ended up revealing that not only was Fabio nearly bald and [[DodgyToupee wore a hairpiece]], his impressive model physique was just a bodysuit, underneath he's scrawny with a paunch. However, Fabio still ended up winning when he crushed Yoko in an extendable sofa bed while she was too busy laughing at him.

* ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'' had an episode where {{Fabio}}, [[{{U2}} Bono]] and Music/YokoOno participated in a threeway battle. After Fabio killed Bono, Yoko ended up revealing that not only was Fabio nearly bald and [[DodgyToupee wore a hairpiece]], his impressive model physique was just a bodysuit, underneath he's scrawny with a paunch. However, Fabio still ended up winning when he crushed Yoko in an extendable sofa bed while she was too busy laughing at him.

* ''WesternAnimation/CelebrityDeathmatch'' had an episode where {{Fabio}}, [[U2 Bono]] and Music/YokoOno participated in a threeway battle. After Fabio killed Bono, Yoko ended up revealing that not only was Fabio nearly bald and [[DodgyToupee wore a hairpiece]], his impressive model physique was just a bodysuit, underneath he's scrawny with a paunch. However, Fabio still ended up winning when he crushed Yoko in an extendable sofa bed while she was too busy laughing at him.

* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'': Immortan Joe's clear plastic armor molds his sexaganarian gut into a six-pack. Even if he wasnt an old man, he's also dying of cancer.

* ''CelebrityDeathmatch'' had an episode where {{Fabio}}, [[U2 Bono]] and YokoOno participated in a threeway battle. After Fabio killed Bono, Yoko ended up revealing that not only was Fabio nearly bald and [[DodgyToupee wore a hairpiece]], his impressive model physique was just a bodysuit, underneath he's scrawny with a paunch. However, Fabio still ended up winning when he crushed Yoko in an extendable sofa bed while she was too busy laughing at him.

* ''Film/MadMaxFuryRoad'': Immortan Joe's clear plastic armor molds his sexaganarian gut into a six-pack.

* ''WesternAnimation/XMenEvolution'' had an episode where Kurt tries to tweak his [[MasterOfIllusion holoprojector]] to make himself appear muscular. It works for a while... then it malfunctions.

* Used in ''XMenOrginsWolverine'' to create Frank Dukes' muscular build at the beginning of the movie. No point in paying a guy to bulk up for a few minutes of screen time when you're only going to have him in a fat suit later.

Compare FakeBoobs. See also MusclesAreMeaningless.

* One episode of the Strong Bad Emails at ''WebAnimation/HomestarRunner'' had him draw a fake six-pack on his round little body with a sharpie. He pitches the concept as if it were an exercise or workout device with which to get rippled abs.

* In ''WesternAnimation/TheRenAndStimpyShow'', in a parody of the old Charles Atlas "The Insult that Made a Man out of Mac" ads, Stimpy is humiliated at a beach, and is convinced by an Atlas stand-in (with a globe for a head!) not to exercise and get stronger, but to get a body fat transplant that ''looks'' like muscles.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'': [=SpongeBob=] obtains Anchor Arms to impress Sandy, though said arms prevent him from doing something simple as lifting a cup. By the end of the episode, his charade fails after failing to lift a heavy weight.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'' episode "Samurai versus Samurai", a supposed BadAss turns out to be wearing padding and a corset to look fitter than he really is.

* In the ClassicDisneyShort "The Art of Self Defense", WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} enters a gym sporting a TopHeavyGuy figure, until he takes off all the robes and towels he's wearing, revealing himself to be as lanky as ever.

* In one ''Franchise/PinkPanther'' cartoon, Pink puts on an inflatable muscle suit to outdo a bodybuilder.

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* In "Series/ModernFamily", Mitchell wears a Spiderman costume to work on Halloween, with his suit overtop, leading his boss to comment about his muscles.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon "Muscle Beach Tom", Tom stuffed heliums balloons into his bathing suit to make himself look muscular. Because the balloons made him float, he tied an anchor to his waist. Tom won his girlfriend back from Butch, but Jerry gave him away by untying the anchor, inflating his suit into a balloon and pricking it, sending Tom floating away into the sky.

* On the ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon "Muscle Beach Tom", Tom sticks balloons under his bathing suit to make himself look muscular. Because the balloons keep lifting him up, he had to tie an anchor to his waist to keep from floating away. Jerry gives him away by inflating the balloons further until they pop and Tom goes flying all over the place.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures'' episode "The Buster Bunny Bunch" has a short called "Buffed Bunny" in which Buster tries to impress Babs (who he thought was looking at a picture of a gymnasium, [[spoiler:though it turned out she was looking at a carrot cake billboard]]) uses this at one point while trying to bulk up. One segment ended up as a bumper for reruns on Creator/TheHub.

-->'''Spanky:''' Just as I thought! Captain Muscles is just a skinny old guy in a blown-up costume!