History Main / MidnightSnack

* There was a board game called "Don't Wake Daddy" where the players were kids sneaking for a snack in the middle of the night. Landing on squares that made noise forced the player to press the button on Daddy's alarm clock. If he woke up, your piece went back to start.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Chowder}}'': In one episode, Chowders love of midnight snacks has turned him into a Sleep Eater, a monstrous creature that he turns into when he's asleep and mindlessly devours everything it can get it's hands on. Chowder desperatly wants to stop doing it, since he can't remember anything he ate, making it pointless, but the only cure is to keep the monster from eating for an entire night, which is easier said than done.

* Taken UpToEleven in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' when [[BigEater big Ed]] sleepwalks while eating his way through the entire cul-de-sac.

* In issue 5 of the new ''Comicbook/{{Ms Marvel|2014}}'' the heroine has to raid the fridge at night after a failed rescue attempt because [[CastFromHitPoints her powers drain her life force]]. For her misfortune her family also noticed and concluded that she must have sneaked out while grounded, so she got [[GroundedForever even more grounded forever]].

* In ''Literature/RighHoJeeves'', the gourmand Tuppy Glossop has been fighting with his vegetarian fiancée Angela. Bertie advises him to pretend not to be hungry at dinner, so Angela will think he is pining over her--and then nip down to the kitchen while everyone's asleep and have some steak-and-kidney pie. Unfortunately, though, what with [[HilarityEnsues one thing and another]] the entire household ends up coming down to the kitchen at midnight. Angela uses the midnight snack as even further evidence of Tuppy's gluttony, and he doesn't even get time to eat it.

Also known as the Midnight Fridge Raid--which may induce FridgeLogic.

A common occurrence in American sitcoms and other comedy shows is to have some character get up in the middle of the night in order to have a snack. This may be due to the character being a BigEater, or being on a diet and attempting to cheat on it without anyone noticing.

* ''Film/{{Poltergeist}}''. Late at night while everyone is dozing off one of the paranormal researchers goes to the kitchen to get something to eat, including a steak and chicken leg from the fridge. He gets [[NightmareFuel/LiveActionFilms a lot more than he was expecting]].

* ''[[ModernWarfare Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2]]''. If you enter a specific house in the level ''Exodus'', you'll find an enemy in the middle of raiding a fridge. Once he is caught off guard, he will proceed to kill you.

* In the Franchise/ArchieComics feature ''Li'l Jinx,'' Charley goes on a strict diet, supervised by his friend Greg, but each weigh-in reveals he hasn't lost any weight. Charley invites Greg to spend an entire day watching him, to prove that he isn't cheating. Greg observes that Charley is indeed following the diet religiously. However, that night, staying over at his friend's, he awakes to find Charley raiding the fridge and eating in his sleep.

** It's mentioned in the books (specifically, ''Mort'') that it is a universal law that any pantry raided furtively in the middle of the night will inevitably contain half a jar of mayonnaise and an elderly tomato, regardless of its normal daytime contents.

* In the World War II comedy film ''Film/LaGrandeVadrouille'', Stanislas Lefort, passing as the husband of the hotel's manager, gets hungry in the middle of the night and goes to the kitchen of the Hôtel du Globe, which is requisitionned by a bunch of German officers (this being the Occupation time). After filling a tray, he gets spotted by Major Achbach's aide, who he lied to about there being no more to eat, and the aide snatches the tray from him, thanking him for keeping that food for the Major.

Sometimes two or more people will have the same idea. May either be a plot point or a RunningGag.

* In ''Film/LaGrandeVadrouille'', Stanislas Lefort gets hungry and goes to the kitchen of the Hôtel du Globe, which is requisitionned by a bunch of German officers, passing as the husband of the hotel's manager. After filling a tray, he gets spotted by Major Achbach's aide, who he lied to about there being no more to eat, and the aide snatches the tray from him, thanking him for keeping that food for the Major.

* ''Series/WhodunnitUK'': In "Which Eye Jack", several characters use getting a snack from the larder (a piece of cheese, an apple, a mug of ale) as an excuse to visit the inn's common room and attempt to persuade Jack to join their crew.

* ''Film/{{Poltergeist}}''. Late at night while everyone is dozing off one of the paranormal researchers goes to the kitchen to get something to eat, including a steak and chicken leg from the fridge. He gets [[NightmareFuel/{{Film}} a lot more than he was expecting]].

* Jimmy's dad does this in the ''WesternAnimation/JimmyNeutronBoyGenius'' movie. Right before all the adults in the town are abducted.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': Homer Simpson, of course. One night, he ate 64 slices of American cheese (and went blind). Another time, he ate a piece of doughnut... which was promised to him by Satan in exchange for his soul.

* ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'': Snoopy would often decide he wanted a midnight snack when he had trouble sleeping. However, because he slept outside in his doghouse, he would have to bang on the door to be let in. Charlie Brown was rarely sympathetic to this.

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* One strip from ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' features a duck wandering into the kitchen to get a midnight snack, and getting ambushed by a hunter in a duck blind.

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* ''Film/{{Poltergeist}}''. Late at night while everyone is dozing off one of the paranormal researchers goes to the kitchen to get something to eat, including a steak and chicken leg from the fridge. He gets [[NightmareFuel/{{Film}} a lot more than he was expecting]].

[[folder: Literature ]]

* It's mentioned in the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' books (specifically, ''Mort'') that it is a universal law that any pantry raided furtively in the middle of the night will inevitably contain half a jar of mayonnaise and an elderly tomato, regardless of its normal daytime contents.
** "Somnambulistic Nibbles" is a recognised mealtime at Unseen University. Catering staff are specifically employed to deal with midnight snacks for wizards - a goodly proportion of whom may actually be sleepwalking at the time.

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-->have you ever been hungry in the middle of the night?
-->that happens to me sometimes
-->and then i go raid the icebox
-->for example, the other night i did that
-->we had some leftover welsh rarebit
-->i found that and a couple crackers
-->piece of celery
-->and an olive and i
-->sat down in the middle of the night
-->i was very, very
-->...hungry

[[folder: Newspaper Comics ]]

* [[ComicStrip/{{Blondie}} Dagwood]] is probably the TropeCodifier. He's often shown in the kitchen in his pajamas, collecting ingredients up his arms or assembling Tower-of-Babel-sized sandwiches for midnight consumption. He's even been known to do it in his sleep, but usually his snack-building is done in a state of wide-awake, unadulterated joy.
* ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' does this often.
* [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Snoopy]] would often decide he wanted a midnight snack when he had trouble sleeping. However, because he slept outside in his doghouse, he would have to bang on the door to be let in. Charlie Brown was rarely sympathetic to this.
* One ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' strip has a couple coming downstairs to discover to their relief the noises they had been hearing are just "Kevin" engaging in this, Kevin being a nine-foot-tall horned monster. Another strip has a man's own stomach thwarting his dieting attempts by sprouting legs and going on midnight fridge raids.

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* For James in ''{{Webcomic/Roommates}}'' the 2AM fridge raid resulted an invitation to [[ChessWithDeath poker with Horrors]].

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsRainbowRocks'', [[Characters/FriendshipIsMagicTwilightSparkle Twilight Sparkle]] is staying up late during a sleepover, still trying to come up with a counterspell, when [[Characters/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirlsSunsetShimmer Sunset Shimmer]] walks in on her as she goes to the fridge. The girls end up having a little heart-to-heart conversation instead.
* A classic ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' short is called "[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin The Midnight Snack]]".
* [[WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons Homer Simpson]], of course. One night, he ate 64 slices of American cheese (and went blind). Another time, he ate a piece of doughnut... which was promised to him by Satan in exchange for his soul.
* [[WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants In the "Suds" episode of Spongebob Squarepants]] Spongebob is unable to sleep, so he decides to treat himself with a [[FlintstoneTheming seanut butter]] and jelly sandwich, allegedly the best hypnotic in the sea. He takes one bite, then falls like a brick. Unfortunately, he left the fridge door open, and it turned his house into a house-cicle and the freezing temperatures gave him suds.
* Taken UpToEleven in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy'' when [[BigEater big Ed]] sleepwalks while eating his way through the entire cul-de-sac.

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[[folder: Other ]]

* There was a board game called "Don't Wake Daddy" where the players were kids sneaking for a snack in the middle of the night. Landing on squares that made noise forced the player to press the button on Daddy's alarm clock. If he woke up, your piece went back to start.
* Creator/AmySedaris advises alcoholics and lonely ice cream eaters to "rotate your stores," because cashiers notice when the same person comes in at one a.m. every night and makes the same telltale purchase.

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* [[Comicnook/{{Peanuts}} Snoopy]] would often decide he wanted a midnight snack when he had trouble sleeping. However, because he slept outside in his doghouse, he would have to bang on the door to be let in. Charlie Brown was rarely sympathetic to this.