History Main / LastMinuteProject

* In one ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' strip, Calvin writes a report about bats in which he calls them bugs, uses a lot of vampire myths, and includes an "illustration" consisting of the Franchise/{{Batman}} logo with fangs added. He thinks that having a professional binder will cover up for his lack of research, but it backfires when everyone in the class calls him out for saying [[InUniverseFactoidFailure bats are bugs.]]

Related to BookDumb, InUniverseFactoidFailure, RidiculousProcrastinator, and CreatorsApathy.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Calvin writes a report about bats in which he calls them bugs, uses a lot of vampire myths, and includes an "illustration" consisting of the Franchise/{{Batman}} logo with fangs added. He thinks that having a professional binder will cover up for his lack of research, but it backfires when everyone in the class calls him out for saying [[InUniverseFactoidFailure bats are bugs.]]

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E17LisaTheSimpson Lisa the Simpson]]", Lisa forgot about a school agriculture project, so she makes a pig by sticking some pushpins into an eraser. Even the normally-apathetic Miss Hoover is shocked at how Liza had done this

** In "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E17LisaTheSimpson Lisa the Simpson]]", Lisa forgot about a school agriculture project, so she makes a pig by sticking some pushpins into an eraser.

** From "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E5TreehouseOfHorrorIII Treehouse of Horror III]]":

* ''Series/TheInbestigators'': Comments from the other characters indicate that most of Kyle's projects fall into this category. This is definitely the case in "The Case of the Missing Solar System". When Kyle comments that his model of the solar system looks crap compared to Maudie's, Maudie says that she likes the way he has used rice bubbles to represent the asteroid belt. Kyle looks down at his model, and then says that's not the asteroid belt. Its just where he spilled his breakfast on the model as he was finishing it that morning. He then eats the rice bubbles.

-->--''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', "Dial 'N' for Nerder"

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[[folder:Fan Works]]
* ''Fanfic/{{Syngenesophobia}}'': Chapter 31 contains a rare positive example. During art class, while his classmates are all well into their projects, Lincoln doesn't even know what to draw. He panics when he sees that the teacher, who has been making his way around the room student to student, is now at Ronnie Anne, who is the student next to him. Desperate to have something for his teacher to see so not to get punished, he draws what he has been seeing in his dreams. He ends up creating a large, incredibly complex and high quality drawing in the space of a few minutes. When his teacher sees it, he is so impressed he doesn't even stop to tell Lincoln where to improve his work before moving onto the next student.

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* A young Shawn from ''Series/{{Psych}}'' did a book report on ''Literature/CharlottesWeb'' without reading to the end. Failure ensued.

* Sam on ''Series/{{iCarly}}'' once turned in an orange for a project about environmental efficiency. She got an A. Inverted in the same episode when Freddie and Carly each do elaborate projects (Carly created an electric scooter, Freddie a large composter) and they both fail, having to go on a root and berry trip with their teacher.
* Happens in the ''Series/EvenStevens'' episode [[MusicalEpisode ''Influenza''.]] To her horror Ren realizes that she isn't prepared to give her project on the US moon landing and only knows what year it occurred. She tries to save face... in song: "We went to the moon in 1969/[[ShapedLikeItself Not 1968 but the year after...]]" and proceeds to sing about what celestial bodies NASA didn't visit that year. She failed the project. [[spoiler: Lucky for her it was AllJustADream.]]

[[folder:VideoGames]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]

[[folder:WesternAnimation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'': Arthur, Buster, and Binky are teamed up for a report on an exhibit at the art museum. Binky is convinced that one of the abstract art pieces was hung sideways and wants to do the report on that. Arthur and Buster think that will make them look like a bunch of idiots. They finally agree to let Binky work on his project while Arthur and Buster do a different exhibit. Only they waste so much time worrying about Binky's project that they forget to write the report and copy it from the museum's brochure. The other kids in the class literally follow along as they read it. [[GeniusDitz They are only saved when Binky's half turns out to involve masses of research, a letter to the artist, and a video of the museum re-hanging the painting in response to his project. ]]
* A ''WesternAnimation/RobotChicken'' skit begins with an elaborate battle between costumed heroes and villains, one of whom is called Mockingbird. The skit then cuts to a classroom, revealing the whole thing was a kid's attempt at a book report on "Literature/{{To Kill a Mockingbird}}". The teacher sighs, "Couldn't even spring for the Cliff's Notes, huh?"
* In ''Film/OsmosisJones'', during a {{Flashback}} to a science fair, a struggling student was given a project about using oysters to filter water. The teacher remarks that the student most likely just started the project the morning of the science fair, but that she was going to give him an A anyway to give him a leg up. [[spoiler: Mr. [=DiTorre=] ate one of the oysters, and Ozzy made him puke. [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished Which got Ozzy "suspended for use of unnecessary force."]]]]
** The episode "The Great White Bean" of ''WesternAnimation/OzzyAndDrix'' had Hector confident that he could come up with a project ''on the very last day''. [[spoiler:Surprisingly he did; he decided to make it "Which food from the cafeteria does the dog prefer?". The answer: none, all of them seemed to scare him off. Not enough to win first place on the competition, but it does get him a passing grade anyway]].
* In ''WesternAnimation/TheKidsFromRoom402'' episode "The One Man Committee", Jessie is preparing a report on Christopher Columbus with two other kids. The entire extent of his studying is reading a single sentence ("Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America, was born in Genoa"), and during the presentation he leaves it to his partners to answer every question, leading to all three of them receiving C's. To make up for it, Jessie is allowed to prepare another report... except this time, all of his studying consists of watching ''Film/FourteenNinetyTwoConquestOfParadise''. Or rather, reading a review of the film, because he didn't feel like watching it all the way through.

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* In ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'', Hayner, Pence, Olette, and Roxas put off a summer independent study until they only have three days of summer vacation left. At Pence's suggestion, they decide to investigate seven rumors surrounding Twilight Town. With the exception of "The Spooky Steps" (which was the result of [[TheDitz Rai]] miscounting them), [[{{Foreshadowing}} all of them had something to do with organization XIII.]]

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Related to BookDumb, CriticalResearchFailure, RidiculousProcrastinator, and CreatorsApathy.

* ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'': Calvin writes a report about bats in which he calls them bugs, uses a lot of vampire myths, and includes an "illustration" consisting of the Franchise/{{Batman}} logo with fangs added. He thinks that having a professional binder will cover up for his lack of research, but it backfires when everyone in the class calls him out for saying bats are bugs.

** Another time on TheSimpsons in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS9E17LisaTheSimpson Lisa the Simpson]]", Lisa forgot about a school agriculture project, so she makes a pig by sticking some pushpins into an eraser.

* Peter has a habit of doing this in ''ComicStrip/FoxTrot'', including writing an essay on ''Literature/MobyDick'' in two and a half hours ''on the morning of the day it was due''.

When a school project or other work that requires research is ''so'' bad, it's plainly seen that the character didn't even ''try'' to study, or in some cases didn't get a chance to study. Usually they either make up some random and awfully incorrect nonsense or plagiarize from the internet within 24 hours of the project being due.

** Another time on TheSimpsons in "Lisa the Simpson" Lisa forgot about a school agriculture project, so she makes a pig by sticking some pushpins into an eraser.

** From a Halloween episode:

* Sam on ''Series/{{iCarly}}'' once turned in an orange for a project about environmental efficiency. She got an A. Inverted in the same episode when Freddie and Carly each do elaborate projects (Carly created an electric scooter, Freddie a large composter) and they both fail, having to go on a [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar root and berry trip with their teacher]].

ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.

* Happens in the ''Series/EvenStevens'' episode [[MusicalEpisode ''Influenza''.]] To her horror Ren realizes that she isn't prepared to give her project on the US moon landing and only knows what year it occurred. She tries to save face... in song: "[[{{Earworm}} We went to the moon in 1969]]/[[ShapedLikeItself Not 1968 but the year after...]]" and proceeds to sing about what celestial bodies NASA didn't visit that year. She failed the project. [[spoiler: Lucky for her it was AllJustADream.]]