History Main / MidasTouch

A character is given a [[TheMagicTouch special ability so that everything they touch]] turns a substance into a certain substance of superficial value to the character that gets it, such as gold or candy. However, that character soon finds out that this ability is actually undesirable. Often something [[GoneHorriblyWrong Goes Horribly Wrong]] with this new ability and they have to reverse it. [[AnAesop The lesson]] is often that {{Greed}} [[CapitalismIsBad is bad]].

* ''Discworld/LordsAndLadies'' has the Lancre Morris Men discuss the legend.[[note]]A more conventional version than the dyslexic variant mentioned in ''Discworld/WitchesAbroad''.[[/note]] When the one of them asks how the king went to the lavatory, the others say that's the point; you could be holding a fortune in your hands and have nothing to spend it on.

* In Disney's ''Disney/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'', the band of thieves is after a [[{{MacGuffin}} legendary artifact]], the "Hand of Midas" which can turn things to gold. The villain Saluk is turned to gold when Aladdin's father tosses the artifact to him and he catches it barehanded. When escaping the ruins, he is also forced to leave behind his turned-to-gold cape because the weight was slowing him down. Eventually, he decides the hand was not the ultimate treasure he truly wanted, and throws it into the ocean...but not before it lands in the boat of the other thieves first, turning it to gold and causing it to sink.

* In Disney's ''Disney/AladdinAndTheKingOfThieves'', the band of thieves is after a [[{{MacGuffin}} legendary artifact]], the "Hand of Midas" which can turn things to gold. The villain Saluk is turned to gold when Aladdin tosses the artifact to him and he catches it barehanded, then Aladdin's father decides to sink the entire ruins by turning them to gold as well. During their subsequent escape, he is also forced to leave behind his turned-to-gold cape because the weight was slowing him down.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheGoldenTouch'' is an early Walt Disney film (directed by the man himself) retelling the traditional King Midas fable.

* The series finale of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'' involves a cursed artifact called the "Golden Goose" which could turn anything to gold. Scrooge comes to his senses after the Beagle Boys steal it and turns his three nephews to gold, then races to return the duck to its hidden temple when the duck's curse starts spreading, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt turning everyone and everything to gold]].

!! Examples

[[folder:Films -- Animated]]

--> When everything, everything
--> Everything you touch turns to gold, gold, gold

--> Midas is king and he holds me so tight
--> And turns me to gold in the sunlight

--> As my reflection passed
--> I hated what I saw
--> My golden eyes were dead
--> And a thought passed through my head
--> A heart that's made of gold can't really beat at all

[[folder:Mythology and Religion]]

[[quoteright:292:[[Literature/TheChocolateTouch https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/the_chocolate_touch.jpg]]]]

* ''The Chocolate Touch'' by Patrick Skene Catling is a story about a boy who loves chocolate more than anything, and receives an enchantment so that everything which touches his lips or mouth turns to chocolate. He quickly becomes sick of chocolate, then sick in general. Things get worse when he kisses his mother...

* The episode "Goldfingers" of the animated adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Iznogoud}}'' resolves around Iznogoud meeting Karat of the Black Mountains, a distant descendant of King Midas. He still carries the curse of his ancestor, but over the course of many generations it has degraded from turning everything into solid gold to merely covering it with a layer of fake gold. Iznogoud tries to get Karat to do this to the Sultan, but in the end Iznogoud himself suffers this fate.

The [[Myth/ClassicalMythology myth]] of King Midas is the TropeCodifier. It tells of a king who [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor wished everything he touches would turns to gold]]. The Greek god of wine Dionysus gives him this ability, which he [[BlessedWithSuck enjoys at first but finds it has its drawbacks]], such as when [[TakenForGranite he turns his daughter into gold]] by hugging her.

* The Myth/{{Greek myth|ology}} of King Midas is the TropeCodifier. Midas is obsessed with gold and so Dionysus, the god of wine, grants him the ability to turn everything he touches into gold. However, he finds eating and drinking is nearly impossible with this ability (in another version he turns his daughter into gold after hugging her). Dionysus instructs Midas to wash his hands in the river to reverse it.

A character is given a [[TheMagicTouch special ability so that everything they touch]] turns a substance into a certain substance of superficial value to the character that gets it, such as gold or candy. However, that character soon finds out that this ability is actually undesirable. Often something [[GoneHorriblyWrong GoesHorriblyWrong]] with this new ability and they have to reverse it. [[AnAesop The lesson]] is often that {{Greed}} [[CapitalismIsBad is bad]].

A character is given a [[TheMagicTouch special ability so that everything they touch]] turns a substance into a certain substance of superficial value to the character that gets it, such as gold or candy. However, that character soon finds out that this ability is actually undesirable. Often something GoesHorriblyWrong with this new ability and they have to reverse it. [[AnAesop The lesson]] is often that {{Greed}} [[CapitalismIsBad is bad]].

* The series finale of ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'' involves a cursed artifact called the "Midas Duck" which could turn anything to gold. Scrooge comes to his senses after the Beagle Boys steal it and turns his three nephews to gold, then races to return the duck to its hidden temple when the duck's curse starts spreading, [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt turning everyone and everything to gold]].

!Examples

[[AC:Advertising]]

[[AC:Films -- Animated]]

[[AC:Jokes]]

[[AC:Literature]]

[[AC:Live-Action TV]]

[[AC:Music]]

[[AC:Mythology and Religion]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

[[AC:Web Comics]]
* In ''Webcomic/{{Nukees}}'', Dionysus applies the Midas curse to Gav, which turns everything one touches into the thing they desire most. In Gav's case it's Guinness, which impresses the alcoholic god enough to rescind the curse.

[[AC:Western Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/JayJayTheJetPlane'' has an episode which one of the characters can turn anything they touch into candy. It's AllJustADream, though.

* The episode "Goldfingers" of the animated adaptation of ''ComicBook/{{Iznogoud}}'' resolves around Iznogoud meeting Karat of the Black Mountains, a distant descendant of King Midas. He still carries the curse of his ancestor, but over the course of many generations it has degraded from turning everything into solid gold to merely covering it with a layer of fake-gold. Iznogoud tries to get Karat to do this to the Sultan, but in the end Iznogoud himself suffers this fate.

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Indexes: ThisIndexIsCursed, MagicAndPowers, SourGrapesTropes

Now sponsored by Tropers/SingingRain per Administrivia/UpForGrabs rules. Title Crowner [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/AlternativeTitles/MidasTLP here]]. Page Action Crowner [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/crowner.php/PageAction/MidasTouchTLP here]].
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