History Main / MacGuffinBlindness

* A combination of "Convinced by Another" and "Hidden in Plain Sight" comes into play with the protagonists themselves. The "Convinced by Another" is the princess over on Alderaan, with a name change and hidden among allies to the Jedi. The "Hidden in Plain Sight" is the farmboy camping out on Vader's home planet, in the custody of Vader's stepbrother, and they didn't even bother changing the surname.

* ''Manga/{{Bleach}}:'' Urahara hid the Hogyouku [[spoiler:inside Rukia, [[WhatTheHellHero without her knowledge or consent]] to keep Aizen from finding it.]]

* ''Film/MenInBlack'': The "Galaxy in Orion's belt" (Ignorant of the Form). No one told them at the time that, for example, Orion was ''a cat''.

** Film/MenInBlack: The "Galaxy in Orion's belt" (Ignorant of the Form). No one told them at the time that, for example, Orion was ''a cat''....

* In ''Literature/HarryPotter'':

** At the climax, the Holy Grail's in front of them, but it's hidden amongst a whole mess of fake grails, so the heroes have to make an educated guess about which is the real Grail. Classic NeedleInAStackOfNeedles, but Ilsa Faust is able to convince Donovan to drink from the wrong one.

* ''Disney/{{Moana}}'' spends most of her film searching for Te Fiti so she can return the Heart of Te Fiti to her, and this includes an encounter with Te Ka in the middle of the film. It isn't until the end of the film that Moana realizes, Te Ka ''is'' Te Fiti, overcome with rage and despair at losing her heart. This is Ignorant of Form.
* ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'': Rapunzel spends the entirety of the story fascinated by the multitude of glowing lights that appear in the sky each year on the night of her birthday. She doesn't recognize that she's the reason those lights are in the sky until very late in the movie, due to Mother Gothel's manipulative upbringing. This is Convinced by another.

* '''Ignorant of the Form.''' Say they knows what they're supposed to be looking for, but the problem is, no one ever told them what it's actually supposed to look like. In the event, they're consciously looking for the object and it's right in front of them, but they don't recognize it.

* ''Literature/{{Holes}}'' sees an odd example, where the MacGuffins are a combination of people and things, and all are ignorant to each other until the very end. Stanley Yelnats dismisses his family's story of his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather, so he doesn't understand the significance behind Zero's last name being Zeroni (Madame Zeroni cursed said great-great-grandfather for failing to uphold his end of a promise). And while he knows that the bullet shell with the KB monogram that he found belonged to famed outlaw Kisin' Kate Barlow, and that they were digging for ''something'' in the Texas desert, he doesn't realize why finding the bullet shell was important, though he does make it a point to remember where it was initially found. He eventually sings to Zero as he drinks from a mountain pool, inadvertently breaking the curse on his family, and he and Zero return to where the bullet shell was found to dig a little further, where they discover the shell was a marker for the location of Barlow's rumored treasure hoard.

* In ''Film/IndianaJonesAndTheLastCrusade''. The Holy Grail's in front of them, and they know what it is, but they don't know which one it is. Classic NeedleInAStackOfNeedles, but Ilsa Faust is able to convince Donovan to drink from the wrong one.

** After Harry learns what horcruxes are, he attempts to hide a potions book in the Room of Hidden Things. In order to distinguish this cupboard so he can find it again, he puts a bust of a wizard on top of it, and puts a battered old tiara on top of that. [[spoiler:That tiara is actually the Diadem of Ravenclaw, one of the horcruxes Harry is supposed to hunt down.]] This is Ignorant of Form, as he is supposed to be actively hunting down horcruzes, but he does not know that the diadem itself is a horcrux and just believes it to be another fixture of the Room of Hidden Things.

Simply put, the good guys and the bad guys are always looking for [[MacGuffin that one thing]] that will be [[AchillesHeel the weakness to the opposition.]] Sometimes, they both are the same thing. A classic example comes from ''Franchise/StarWars'', where the stolen plans for the Death Star are held by R2-D2, and the [[TheEmpire Empire]] is trying to find it to secure the plans, and so spell doom for the Rebels, and the [[LaResistance Rebels]] are trying to find the plans to find a weakness in the Death Star.

Sometimes, however, the object they are searching for shows up right in front of their face and they are any of the following: convinced (by someone else or just don't believe it themselves) that it is something else unrelated to what they're looking for, magically tricked into believing otherwise, or [[FailedASpotCheck just don't even notice it]].

This does not apply if the person in question does not know they're supposed to be finding this particular object. However, if they know they're hunting for it, but have no idea what it looks like, it does apply.

* '''Ignorant of the Form.''' Say the protagonist knows what they're supposed to be looking for, but the problem is, no one ever told them what it's actually supposed to look like. In the event, the protagonist is consciously looking for the object and it's right in front of them, but they don't recognize it.

* In ''Anime/FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'', Rufus Shinra, who's been stuck in a wheelchair (as he's dying from Geostigma) being interrogated by the villains for most of the film, reveals that [[spoiler:not only is he much more well than he lets on, but the head of Jenova was on his lap in a sealed box the entire time.]] Convinced by another, because Rufus Shinra was hiding it and [[BatmanGambit playing on Kadaj's personality.]]

* ''Disney/{{Moana}}'' spends most of her film searching for Te Fiti so she can return the Heart of Te Fiti to her, and this includes an encounter with Te Ka in the middle of the film. It isn't until the end of the film that Moana realizes, Te Ka ''is'' Te Fiti, overcome with rage and despair at losing her heart. Ignorant of Form.
* ''Disney/{{Tangled}}'': Rapunzel spends the entirety of the story fascinated by the multitude of glowing lights that appear in the sky each year on the night of her birthday. She doesn't recognize that she's the reason those lights are in the sky until very late in the movie, due to Mother Gothel's manipulative upbringing. Convinced by another.

* In ''Film/LooneyTunesBackInAction'', Bugs and Daffy are able to keep the Queen of Diamonds card away from Elmer Fudd by playing a quick game of "Is This Your Card?" by mixing it into a deck of identically-backed cards, only revealing the real Queen of Diamonds card right before taking off and leading Fudd on a classic Looney Tunes chase. Convinced by another, though it only lasts for a few seconds.

* In Creator/AlanDeanFoster's ''Literature/GloryLane'', [[spoiler:the protagonists' adorable shape-shifting Companion Cube turns out to be the item everyone else in the entire book is looking for, and no one realizes it till the end.]]

** After Harry learns what horcruxes are, he attempts to hide a potions book in the Room of Hidden Things. In order to distinguish this cupboard so he can find it again, he puts a bust of a wizard on top of it, and puts a battered old tiara on top of that. [[spoiler:That tiara is actually the Diadem of Ravenclaw, one of the horcruxes Harry is supposed to hunt down.]] Ignorant of Form, as he is supposed to be actively hunting down horcruzes, but he does not know that the diadem itself is a horcrux and just believes it to be another fixture of the Room of Hidden Things.
** Weaponized by the Lestranges, who would charm every object in their vaults with a fire and a cloning charm. If the objects were touched directly, the object would multiply and grow unbearably-hot to touch, creating a NeedleInAStackOfNeedles in the hopes that the intruder would continue to find and touch the wrong object and eventually be crushed/incinerated under the weight of the constantly-expanding burning matter. Harry, Ron, and Hermione find this out the hard way during their attempt to steal Hufflepuff's Cup from the vault, though they are able to ultimately succeed.

* Happens to Sibuna in ''Series/HouseOfAnubis'' in the second season. After an entire season of risking their lives and battling both Victor and Rufus to get to the Mask of Anubis, the Mask doesn't work even when used by [[TheChosenOne Nina]]. It turns out the real Mask of Anubis was the thought-to-be-fake mask on display at the artifact exhibition, having been seen by all the characters but dismissed as a replica. A mass case of Convinced By Self.

** The party discovers that the Black Materia they have been searching for is actually [[spoiler:the entire Temple of the Ancients, which they've been exploring for the previous thirty minutes.]] Ignorant of Form.
** The White Materia Aerith carries in her ribbon. The only thing that can stop said Black Materia, and no one knows what it is or does until the end of the game. Aerith thinks it does nothing and is only decoration for a while. Convinced by self.
* ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'': The Dark/Light Stone, depending on your version, is sitting in plain sight in the Nacrene Museum, but Team Plasma doesn't notice it. Ignorant of form.
* In ''VideoGame/QuestForGlory'' there's a thief-specific subplot running through the series regarding the search for a legendary blackbird statue, a ShoutOut to Literature/TheMalteseFalcon. In the second, third, and fourth games you can find a fake blackbird, and in the fifth you finally find the real one. However, the real bird also appears in the first game, but you can't pick it up because your character doesn't know what it is yet. Although the game is trying to convince you it isn't what you are looking for, which makes it convinced by another, in this context, the player doesn't know what it is, so it is ignorance of form.
* ''VideoGame/SkiesOfArcadia Legends'' For much of the game, Vyse and company travel the globe in search of the moonstones, to keep them out of Empress Teodora's hands. They manage to find all but the silver moonstone, not knowing [[spoiler:it was hidden inside Fina all along. She was unaware of this, herself, until Ramirez revealed that all Silvites are born with one!]]
* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfTheAbyss'', TheHero Luke, and TheRival, Asch are each given a McGuffin by the goddess. However, Luke fails to receive his. After searching the world for it, Asch figures out what happened to it. Luke is a clone of Ashe, made using magical energy. As the McGuffin Luke was given was made of the same energy, Luke somehow ended up absorbing the McGuffin into himself.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In [[Recap/DoctorWhoS27E1Rose "Rose"]], the Doctor is looking for a big round antenna in the heart of London in which the Nestine Consciousness may have hidden its transmitter. As he's saying this, right behind him framing his head is the London Eye (a giant Ferris wheel). Rose spots it, but the Doctor doesn't notice it until after Rose has pointed it out to him ''[[RuleOfThree three times]]''.

->'''Ben:''' (Using a Jedi mind trick) These aren't the droids you're looking for.
->'''Stormtrooper:''' These aren't the droids we're looking for.
-->-- ''Franchise/StarWars: Film/ANewHope''

Simply put, the good guys and the bad guys are always looking for [[MacGuffin that one thing]] that will be [[AchillesHeel the weakness to the opposition.]] Sometimes, they both are the same thing. A classic example comes from ''{{Star Wars}}'', where the stolen plans for the Death Star are held by R2-D2, and the [[TheEmpire Empire]] is trying to find it to secure the plans, and so spell doom for the Rebels, and the [[LaResistance Rebels]] are trying to find the plans to find a weakness in the Death Star.

Sometimes, however, the object they are searching for shows up right in front of their face and they are any of the following: convinced (by someone else or just don't believe it themselves) that it is something else unrelated to what they're looking for, magically tricked into believing otherwise, or [[FailedASpotCheck just don't even notice it.]]

* '''Convinced By Self.''' It could be that they were distracted, focused on something else at the time, and didn't feel it was worth investigating to make sure. Or perhaps they could simply talk themselves out of it. "This can't possibly be the all-powerful MacGuffin!" So long as it is mundane and the person seeking that manages to ignore the MacGuffin, this is the case.
* '''Convinced By Another.''' The smooth-talking rogue could talk the interested party into not buying it for being worthless. Perhaps TheHero has been captured by the BigBad and needs to fast-talk him into believing it's not what he's looking for. So long as the primary means are mundane and it is not the person doing the searching that convinces the searching party, this is the case. Sometimes, the other being may be hiding the MacGuffin by making it a NeedleInAStackOfNeedles.

* '''Ignorant About the Form.''' Say the protagonist knows what he's supposed to be looking for, but the problem is, no one ever told him what it's actually supposed to look like. In the event that the protagonist is consciously looking for the object and it's right in front of him, but he doesn't recognize it.

[[folder:Film - Animated]]
* Disney/{{Moana}} spends most of her film searching for Te Fiti so she can return the Heart of Te Fiti to her, and this includes an encounter with Te Ka in the middle of the film. It isn't until the end of the film that Moana realizes, Te Ka ''is'' Te Fiti, overcome with rage and despair at losing her heart. Ignorant of Form.

[[folder:Film - Live-Action]]

* ''Franchise/StarWars Film/ANewHope'': In Mos Eisley, four stormtroopers ask to see the identification of Luke and Obi-Wan, and investigate into the droids briefly, but Obi-Wan uses The Force to trick the head stormtrooper that they aren't the droids they're looking for. An obvious example of magical trick.
** And just before that, the droids are fleeing an Imperial attack. Some gunners on the Star Destroyer see their escape pod, but decide not to shoot it down because their scanners detect no life signs aboard.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'', Series 1, Episode 1: "Rose." The Doctor is looking for a big round antenna in the heart of London in which the Nestine Consciousness may have hidden his transmitter. As he's saying this, right behind him framing his head is the London Eye (a giant Ferris Wheel). Rose spots it, but the Doctor doesn't pay attention until Rose points it out.

* In ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', Glory searches all through season 5 for the key, but doesn't until right near the end realize that it was Buffy's sister Dawn all along.

->'''Ben:''' [[JediMindTrick These aren't the droids you're looking for.]]

->'''Ben:''' (Using a Jedi Mind trick) These aren't the droids you're looking for.

* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', Francis Drake is oblivious to the fact that the magic drinking cup she got from [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu defeating a dying Poseidon]] that produces endless amounts of food and ale on request is actually a RealityWarping Holy Grail. She doesn't realize its significance until Chaldea arrives and informs her.

%% Add indices: Ignored Index, Recognition Tropes, Index Failure: You fail to recognize the Mac Guffin for what it is, Invisibility Index, Contrived Stupidity Tropes, Mistaken For Index

* In ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'', Francis Drake is oblivious to the fact that the magic drinking cup that produces endless amounts of food and ale on request is actually a RealityWarping Holy Grail disrupting the flow of history.

->'''Ben:''' [[JediMindTrick These aren't the droids you're looking for.]]