History Main / HollywoodGiftwrap

* In one episode of ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', Dorothy gives Rose a birthday gift wrapped like this. In addition to being [[TheDitz ditzy]], Rose also shows herself to be GenreBlind: she attempts for a few seconds to tear off the paper, before Dorothy finally takes mercy and removes the lid for her.
* In the ''Series/{{Roundhouse}}'' ChristmasEpisode, the mother appears in a ParodyCommercial advertising a school for TV giftwrapping. During the segment, Amy opens a present wrapped in this manner, finding [[DartboardOfHate a dartboard]] of Creator/ShannenDoherty, while [[FunnyBackgroundEvent Ivan furiously tries to get a normal present open]].
* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Monica and Chandler's wedding presents are an [[AvertedTrope aversion]], being wrapped the realistic way with paper over a sealed box, which demonstrates one of the reasons of why this trope exists. In one scene Monica tears open a present and during the subsequent conversation the gift [[{{Blooper}} keeps switching]] between wrapped and unwrapped between cuts.

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* Gift boxes of this fashion show up often in Christmas-themed heists of ''VideoGame/PAYDAY2''. "White Xmas" has them used to covertly transport Columbian cocaine, somehow staying closed in this fashion after the plane they were in crashed in the woods... and often containing things like medical kits, stacks of cash, jewelry, and even giant pieces of toast with cheese on them (a RunningGag in the game, considering normal-sized variations of that would often show up for no rhyme or reason in safety deposit boxes in other heists) instead of the product the plane in question was actually transporting. They also show up in "Stealing Xmas", which makes sense considering it's set in a shopping mall around Christmas.

The usual exception to this trope is Christmas gifts for children; the shredding of wrapping and making a big mess of discarded paper and ribbons on the way to getting to the gift is ''expected'' and even Hollywood can't ignore that for its own benefit. Once the toy is unwrapped, the kid may [[KidsPreferBoxes ignore the fancy yoy and play with the big cardboard box]] instead.

The usual exception to this trope is Christmas gifts for children; the shredding of wrapping on the way to getting to the gift is ''expected'' and even Hollywood can't ignore that for its own benefit.

* Series/TreasureHuntUS:

* In ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'', Buzz Lightyear arrives in a box wrapped in this manner. Interestingly, Andy also receives a number of packages wrapped in the normal, real-life fashion, but these all get opened off-screen, presumably because [[NoFlowInCGI rendering tearing paper is hard]].

-->-- '''Connie''', '''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse'''

''Normal'' people wrap presents such that they are entirely enveloped by wrapping paper, which must be torn off before the contents can be revealed. This is a theoretically simple process that requires a minimum of cutting, taping and assembly. (''Theoretically'' -- many a comedy has enjoyed a catastrophic gift-wrapping sequence.) It also ensures that there is no ''easy'' accidental reveal of the hidden gift.

In the world of Hollywood, though, there is a bizarro style of wrapping that is used instead: a box with a lid are each wrapped separately, the gift (usually devoid of any manufacturer's packaging) placed within, and the lid simply set upon the box. Nothing (except, rarely, a ribbon) secures the lid to the box. It goes without saying that this is a far more complicated style of wrapping that takes longer and is far less secure than the usual. The point, of course, is to make it easy to quickly show the contents of the box within the limited time of a television program, and to avoid the need for time-consuming rewrapping between takes. It also avoids continuity errors while shooting coverage. And, of course, if it's a cartoon, it's easier to animate it this way as well.