History Main / PinchMe

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1609327918008039600&page=1 under discussion]] in the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/conversations.php?topic=renames Trope Repair Shop]].]]]]]]

The intersection of AllJustADream and the OntologicalMystery.

You're trapped in a weird and inexplicable situation. Nothing you do seems to get you any closer to sorting it out. However will you escape?

Simple: it's all just a dream. Once you know that, you're free.

It doesn't have to be a literal dream. Maybe you've been hooked up to a LotusEaterMachine. Maybe you're having a hallucination thanks to your enemy spiking your drink. It could be a magical perception-altering spell. Whatever.

The key thing is that as soon as you ''realize'' that it's not real, you snap out of it.

There is ''some'' real life support for this: most people have found themselves suddenly woken just as they realize that they're dreaming. This may be a defensive mechanism to prevent sleep disruptions (the state of being aware that one is dreaming, called "lucid dreaming", cannot cause a breakdown of the mechanisms that normally prevent behaviors such as sleepwalking, contrary to popular belief. Many people enjoy lucid dreams and try to have as many as possible, generally with only positive side effects). But anyone who has experienced sleep paralysis knows that it's not always as simple as that. (and if you've ever been able to control Sleep Paralysis, things get more complicated).

Pinching is generally used as a method of dream detection because it is said that we don't have the sense of touch in a dream. If it's real, then you'd feel the pain from a pinch. This has been debunked by lucid dreamers, who can feel pain/touch in a dream.

See also DidYouSeeThatToo for seeking confirmation that something is real. Unrelated to ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve_and_Pinch_Me Adam and Eve and Pinch Me]]'' (the novel or the childish prank). Not to be confused with the use of self-inflicted pain to free themselves from a dream or an illusion, which is DreamEmergencyExit and SlapYourselfAwake.

----
!!Examples:
[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Manga/LuckyStar'', doujinshi artist Hiyori is approached at Comiket by a man who offers her an opportunity to write for Comptiq. She pinches her cheek, finds that it hurts, and thinks for a moment that it was reality... until she wakes up and discovers that she was, indeed, dreaming, and can feel pain in a dream.
* From ''Manga/KOn'', in maybe the third or fourth dream she had that day, Azusa rightly guesses she's in a dream and asks dream!Mugi and dream!Ui to pinch her, and she laments that she won a trip to Finland in that dream.
* Parodied in ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf'': When Akane goes on a date with Ryōga, he's sure that it must be a dream -- so he hits his head against the wall hard enough to cause structural damage to the building. It doesn't hurt, so he thinks he must be dreaming. However, the real reason it didn't hurt is because he's just that strong after training with Cologne.
* ''Anime/{{Tamagotchi}}'' has two instances where this happens:
** In episode 30a, after waking up from two nightmares related to their mother in a row, Mametchi and Chamametchi pinch each other to make sure they're not dreaming a third time.
** In ''Yume Kira Dream'' episode 11, the fictional celebrity duo D2 visits the Kira Tamamori shop and gives Yumemitchi and Kiraritchi some D2 cards. Yumemitchi and Kiraritchi pinch each other to make sure they're not dreaming, then get excited since they actually met D2 in real life.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Asian Animation]]
* ''Animation/HappyHeroes'': In episode 49, Doctor H., is excited over Miss Peach saying she's actually willing to date him, and asks Happy S. to punch him to see if he's dreaming it all up. Happy S. whops him with his Happy S. Punch.
-->'''Doctor H.:''' You know, a nice, light punch would have sufficed.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Books]]
* Exploited in a ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' comic. The heroes are trapped in a dream-machine by the villain The Key; however, the machine is constructed so that realizing that they're dreaming and awakening will provide the energy for the machine's true function.
* In ''[[ComicBook/Supergirl2005 Supergirl (Volume 5)]]'' issue #22, [[ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} the titular heroine]]'s dream starts to fade as soon as [[ComicBook/{{Legion Of Super-Heroes}} Lightning Lad]] explains that she is dreaming.
* In ''ComicBook/{{Zot}}'', Jenny "woke up" to find that she had dreamed Zot and his parallel world, until she realized it was a dream.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch'': At the start of "The Weirdo Map" (Gold Key #8), Peevly issues weekend passes to the bears. Bubi pinches himself to see if he's awake.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Comic Strips]]
* [[https://www.gocomics.com/calvinandhobbes/1988/07/11 This]] ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' story has Calvin falling from a great height. He figures it's just a dream, and that all he has to do is look down and gasp, and then he will wake up. Doesn't work.
* In [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1999/05/13 this]] ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' comic, when Jon learns that a woman wants to go out with him, he says to Garfield: "Pinch me, I must be dreaming!", to which Garfield complies. Jon then wakes up in his bed, screaming.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Fan Works]]
* In one SlashFic, the main character's just had sex with his best friend and isn't sure whether he's dreaming, so he pinches his friend, who asks him what the hell that was for. "But you're supposed to pinch someone to see if you're dreaming!" "You pinch ''yourself,'' idiot!"
* In the Portal fanfic Fanfic/BlueSky, Wheatley asks Chell to touch him so she can prove she's really there, as [=GLaDOS=] messing around with his insides has been making him see things. She responds by painfully yanking him out of the wires connecting him to [=GlaDos=].
* Fan fiction for ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' has many girls who [[TrappedInAnotherWorld fall into Middle-earth]]. If she wants out, she may deduce that she is dreaming, and try to wake herself. This never works, because it is no dream.
** In ''Fanfic/TheAwkwardAdventuresOfMeghanWhimblesby'', when she sees the movie characters, she tries to wake from her dream. In chapter 1, Meghan pinches herself. In chapter 2, she tries to escape danger by shouting, "WAKE UP!" Then she bleeds. Because of her blood, Meghan concludes, "I'm not dreaming."
** ''Fanfic/IAmNotAMarySue'' dumps Caroline into bad fan fiction. She tries to wake herself as in ''Film/TheWizardOfOz'', by bumping her heels and saying "There's no place like home!", but it was not a dream.
* In ''Fanfic/MyHuntsmanAcademia'', Izuku pinches himself every now and then just to make sure he isn't dreaming because he just feels so lucky and blessed to be able to come to Beacon and become a Huntsman despite being born a Broken Soul without an Aura or a Semblance.
* In ''Fanfic/TheWebOfTheSpiderMan'', Peter pinches himself and twists his own skin to make sure he isn't dreaming after waking up [[HeroicBuild ripped]] and with superpowers. After confirming that he isn't dreaming (and that it really, really hurt), he's ready to jump for joy.
* ''Fanfic/MaybeTheLastArchieStory'': Invoked when [[ComicBook/ArchieComics Reggie Mantle]] wonders whether he is really talking to a cat, and [[ComicBook/SabrinaTheTeenageWitch Salem]] retorts "[He's] not about to claw [Reggie's] ankle to prove [he's] not dreaming."
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
* About halfway through the film ''WesternAnimation/WakingLife'', the main character learns he can tell if he's dreaming by flipping light switches or checking digital clocks. Unfortunately, this knowledge doesn't help him wake up.
* The Disney version of ''WesternAnimation/AliceInWonderland'' ends with her being chased by the Queen and her subjects, begging the talking doorknob to let her out. The doorknob is ''still'' locked and explains that she ''is'' out, and shows her sleeping under a tree through his keyhole. Alice then shouts for herself to wake up.
* In ''WesternAnimation/FunAndFancyFree'', Bongo pinches himself the first time he sees Lulubelle to make sure he wasn't dreaming.
* In ''WesternAnimation/BeeMovie'', Vanessa stabs the back of her own hand with a fork to wake herself up when Barry the bee talks to her for the first time. It hurt a lot.
* The Hero Boy in ''WesternAnimation/ThePolarExpress'' does this to try and wake himself up on top of the titular train. It doesn't work, and he tries to wake up by throwing snow in his face, then burying his face in the snow. Both don't work.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
* In the movie ''Film/VanillaSky'', Tom Cruise realizes that he is dreaming at the end of the movie when he finally removes the mask he wears to hide his disfigured face to find that his face is perfectly fine underneath. This prompts him to start shouting that he wants to wake up.
* A deleted scene in ''Film/BackToTheFuture'' -- after Marty has realized that he's in 1955 from a newspaper -- had him asking an passing-by old lady to pinch him. It comes out a bit brusque because he's panicking, resulting in him receiving a smack across the face.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]
* In Creator/StanislawLem's novel ''The Futurological Congress'', Ijon Tichy is the victim of a hallucinogenic attack, and treats his doctors, revival after cryo-freezing and FishOutOfTemporalWater setting as a product of his hallucinations, usually trying to fall back in a sewer he had originally been hiding in to snap out of it. [[spoiler: He's absolutely right.]]
* In Creator/RobertSheckley's short story ''Ghost V'', the two main characters realize the air of the planet they've landed on contains chemicals that cause hallucinations; unfortunately, since YourMindMakesItReal, knowing that they're hallucinations doesn't make them the least bit less dangerous.
* In ''Literature/ALittlePrincess'', after [[spoiler:Sara sees the food, furniture, and fire left for her in the attic]], she marvels that for a dream, everything ''feels'' real, and then puts her hands by a fire. She draws them away quickly, saying that a dream-fire wouldn't be so hot. In the next chapter she admits to pinching herself repeatedly and "just now I touched a hot coal, on purpose."
* In Creator/RebeccaLickiss's ''Literature/EccentricCircles'', Malraux, unasked, pinches Piper to establish that it's not a dream.
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': In the spinoff novel ''The Stealers of Dreams'', the Doctor scoffs at someone who literally pinches himself to remind himself that it's ''not'' just a dream. The Doctor explains that though a dream can feel real, when something ''is'' real you generally just know - so the pinching is unnecessary.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/DogWithABlog'': Karl and Avery pinch other to detect if they are in one of Avery's kissing dreams.
* ''Series/TheNanny'': Fran has a DreamWithinADream about having huge feet and then waking up to Mr Sheffield making out with her after she tells him about it. When she wakes up for real, she pinches herself to make sure she isn't still dreaming.
* Subverted in ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'': Bailey realizes she is dreaming when London calls her "the prettiest girl in the whole world" and tries to pinch herself to wake up, naturally finding that she can't feel anything in a dream.
* ''Series/{{Jonas}}'':
-->'''Joe''': Quick punch me in the arm so I know I'm not dreaming!!!...Ok I'm definitely not dreaming because that really hurt!!!
-->'''Kevin''': ''(ComicallyMissingThePoint)'' Unless you're dreaming that it hurt so that was a dream hurt.
-->'''Nick''': ''(sofly punches Kevin)'' Was that dream hurt or regular hurt?
* ''Series/DoctorWho'': "Vengeance on Varos". Also "The Trial of a Timelord".
* ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'': "Specter Of The Gun". The realization that their situation is just a psychic projection renders Kirk and company ImmuneToBullets. In their defense, immunity required a certitude of belief that could only be achieved via mind-meld to a nigh-emotionless Vulcan.
* ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'': [[MagicalNativeAmerican Chakotay]] uses an embedded subconscious trigger to let him know if he's actually asleep (Earth's moon). He can then will himself awake by tapping the back of his hand three times.
* An early episode of ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' involved hallucinogenic alien pollen, but most of those affected didn't figure it out.
* ''Series/StargateSG1'': "The Gamekeeper".
* ''Series/FirstWave'' in approximately every third episode.
* ''Series/TheXFiles''. Subversion: Mulder and Scully realize that they are trapped in a chemically induced hallucination, and are promptly freed. Wackiness continues to ensue, at which point it occurs to Mulder that there is absolutely no scientific reason that their having worked it out should negate all the hallucinogenic chemicals in their systems. It's the supporting cast who end up rescuing them for real.
* ''Series/TheGeorgeLopezShow'' uses this twice when George eats a peculiar worm in his drink. Both [[GRatedDrug hallucinations]] end with his Cuban father-in-law dancing in a worm suit.
--> '''Vic Palmero:''' You are having a hallucinogenic reaction to ''me.'' I'm in your ''belly.'' Watch me dance.
* Mildly subverted in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'''s season 4 finale. Buffy realises she's dream-fighting the First Slayer and wakes up. As she's looking around the Slayer attacks again. Buffy ignores her and wakes up for real.
** In the first season episode, ''Nightmares'', where everyone's nightmares are coming true, Xander tries to get out of standing in front of his entire class while wearing only his underwear, by pinching himself.
* ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' did it with a psychological tool.
* In an episode of the sitcom ''Series/{{Newhart}}'', after suffering through yet another day's worth of insanity from the locals, Dick pinches himself hoping he's dreaming. It doesn't work, but [[spoiler: at the end of the series it's revealed that he really ''was'' dreaming the whole thing.]]
* In ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'', Al says this to Jefferson, who responds by punching him in the jaw. Al promptly goes, "I said ''pinch'' me, not ''punch'' me!" Jefferson then grabs a big handful of Al's gut.
* The episode of ''Series/{{Blackadder}}'' where he accidentally burns the [[NoPlansNoPrototypeNoBackup only copy]] of the dictionary. The writer of the dictionary bursts in on Blackadder and says something to the effect of "I'm tired of the damn thing, it's rubbish, burn it". Blackadder is overjoyed, but then "Baldrick, who gave you permission to become an Alsatian?". Which is enough of a clue for Blackadder to realise and wake up.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Magazines]]

* In one letters column in Nation Lampoon, a baseball player finally achieves his dream of getting signed to the majors, and says "pinch me!" Someone does...[[CruelTwistEnding and the pinch severs a nerve and cripples his pitching arm.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theatre]]
* National Theatre's 2014 production of ''Theatre/{{Treasure Island|2014}}'' has a variant: when the castaway Ben Gunn discovers that there are new people on the island where he's been marooned alone for years, he pinches ''them'' to test whether they're really there. Jim Hawkins takes it in good part, but Captain Smollett objects violently.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]

* Evoked by Franziska von Karma in ''Franchise/AceAttorney: Justice for All'', where, after hearing that [[spoiler:the killer had flown away from the crime scene]] the Judge asks Phoenix for his opinion.
-->'''Phoenix:''' Right now, I can't believe any of this! I'm not even sure if this day has been some kind of [[Creator/FranzKafka Kafkaesque]] dream... ''gets whipped by Franziska'' OWWW!!!
-->'''Franziska:''' Now do you think its still a dream!? Huh, Mr. Phoenix Wright!?
** Hilariously echoed in ''Trials and Tribulations'' after another piece of similarly dubious testimony.
-->''Franziska whips the Judge''
-->'''Judge:''' Uwaaah! What was that for!?
-->'''Franziska:''' ...This is all a bad dream. I was hitting you on the cheek to test that theory.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Erfworld}}'', Parson, still not quite sure it's not all a dream, tries pinching himself to "wake up".
* In ''WebComic/{{Menage a 3}}'' Gary finds himself handcuffed to an unconscious girl through no fault of his own (long story) and thinks he's dreaming, so he tries to supply his brain with a sensation that it can't replicate. As he's a virgin, he does that by groping her breast. Then he realizes that he's awake.
* In ''Webcomic/ButImACatPerson'', Sparrow asks her friend Bianca to pinch her [[https://www.bicatperson.com/comic/chapter-one-13/ when she hears the stray dog that followed her home start talking to them]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]

* At the near end of ''Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers''' "The Mario Parable", when Narrator sends Mario to [[spoiler:be killed]], the latter wonders he's just dreaming, and Narrator accepts with him by saying that everything is not real except him.
-->'''Narrator:''' Of course. None of this is real. I am real. You are not.
-->'''Mario:''' ''(scene switches to Castle Grounds)'' I am Mario! Of course I am real.
* Bowser Jr. upon finding out he's in Chef Pee Pee's body in the ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'' episode "Switching Bodies". He tries slapping himself and slamming into the mirror wall.

[[/folder]]

[[folder:Western Animation]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'', "Op UTOPIA": Nigel realises that he's in a hallucination the moment he sees Wally swim (the real Wally can't swim). Cut to chamber with Nigel in it, struggling to break free.
* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'':
** In [[ComicBook/ForTheManWhoHasEverything an episode]] where Superman is entrapped by a LotusEaterMachine and has to realize that his world was destroyed. In the same episode, Batman is attached to the plot device in question, and realizes it almost immediately--he knows, deep down, that his father didn't beat up the mugger, but was killed by him. A tearjerker moment for both, as Superman tells his scared son good-bye as Krypton explodes and Batman is forced to relive that terrible moment again.
** In "[[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream Only a Dream]]", Flash recognizes that he's in a dream a few minutes after Dr. Destiny shows up and believes that his alarm clock will wake him up.
-->'''Flash''': Huh? This isn't supposed to happen.
-->'''Dr. Destiny''': That's because this time, there isn't going to ''be'' a wake-up call.
* ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'': In "Fear of a Krabby Patty", when [=SpongeBob=] hears that the Krusty Krab is now open 24 hours, he repeatedly pinches himself in the side and yells out in pain, realizing that he's not dreaming.
* Subverted in the story "Where Oh Where is Flick?" of ''WesternAnimation/PBAndJOtter''. Flick enters into a dream in which Mallard Man asks him to help him and he immediately says "I must be dreaming!" Mallard Man agrees that he is and Flick is perfectly cool with this.
* In one episode of ''WesternAnimation/ZigAndSharko'', when Zig finds Marina next to him, he pinches himself with a crab just to be sure.
* In ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'', believing a situation too good to be true, Little Dog orders Big Dog to pinch him. After he complies, he tells him "Harder!"
* In "First Responders to the Rescue" from ''WesternAnimation/DocMcStuffins'', when the boy Dev is accidentally transported to the Toy Hospital, Stuffy tells him that he's still in his bedroom and he's just having a dream. Stuffy sounds less than convincing, but Dev buys it. Then Stuffy decides to take it further by saying it won't hurt if he pinches ''himself'', then does so and shouts in pain. It's then ruined completely when he [[AgonyOfTheFeet accidentally steps on Dev's foot]], causing him to feel pain too and decide that what's happening must therefore be real.
* ''WesternAnimation/DangerMouse'': DM and Penfold are confronted with sentient appliances in "Mechanised Mayhem." Penfold pinches DM.
-->'''DM''': Ow! Penfold, what was the pinch for?\\
'''Penfold:''' I wanted to see if I was dreaming.\\
'''DM:''' Well, why didn't you pinch yourself?\\
'''Penfold:''' Ah, I might have been only dreaming I pinched myself.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch'' episode "Raffle Ruckus" has Hair Bear winning the zoo in a raffle only to take on the same keeper responsibilities Peevly usually does. He's about to call it a night when the phone rings.
-->'''Hair Bear:''' Oh no! Tell me I'm dreaming! (''after Bubi fields the call'') It's no dream... it's a nightmare!
[[/folder]]
----

* Played for tears in ''Anime/SailorMoon''. In the first season finale, Usagi is sitting alone in the snow after all four of the other Inner Senshi die one by one, each sacrificing themselves for her. She tells herself that she is only dreaming, and when she wakes up everyone will be there and tell her good morning.

* One ''ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes'' story has Calvin falling from a great height. He figures it's just a dream, and that all he has to do is look down and gasp, and then he will wake up. Doesn't work.

* A plot element in ''Film/{{Inception}}''. Pinching alone's not nearly enough; a 'kick' of some sorts is required to forcibly eject the dreamer from their dream -- the sensation of falling backwards that causes your protective instincts to start you fully awake. This causes a problem when a dream has the protagonists [[GravityScrew floating in zero-gravity]], meaning they ''can't'' fall.

* In ''Webcomic/ButImACatPerson'', Sparrow asks her friend Bianca to pinch her when she hears the stray dog that followed her home [[TalkingAnimal start talking to them]].

** In [[Recap/JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream Only a Dream]]", Flash recognizes that he's in a dream a few minutes after Dr. Destiny shows up and believes that his alarm clock will wake him up.

See also DidYouSeeThatToo for seeking confirmation that something is real. Unrelated to ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_and_Eve_and_Pinch_Me Adam and Eve and Pinch Me]]'' (the novel or the childish prank).

* In ''Manga/AkameGaKill'' when Esdeath and Tatsumi are teleported away to a distant island, Tatsumi, thinking it's an illusion asks Esdeath to "hurt me". Esdeath is overjoyed, because she thinks this means Tatsumi is a masochist and as an insane sadist with a VillainousCrush on Tatsumi, she thinks this makes them a better match. He quickly corrects her.
* Many a {{shonen}} hero has managed to free himself from a villain's illusion by the use of self-inflicted pain (e.g., stabbing himself in the leg, breaking his own finger, etc...) like [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Sasuke Uchiha]] during the Chuunin Exam in his first fight against Orochimaru or [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]] while facing an opponent that could nullifying all of his senses for a few seconds. The above example in ''Manga/AkameGaKill'' was caused by Tatsumi remembering that his mentor Bulat did this to overcome hypnosis.

* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
** "Vengeance on Varos". Also "The Trial of a Timelord".
** In the spinoff novel ''The Stealers of Dreams'', the Doctor scoffs at someone who literally pinches himself to remind himself that it's ''not'' just a dream. The Doctor explains that though a dream can feel real, when something ''is'' real you generally just know - so the pinching is unnecessary.

* In the ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "Mr. Monk Meets the Playboy," Randy is so awestruck when the team enters Dexter Larsen's bedroom while questioning Larsen about the murder of his publisher that he asks Stottlemeyer to pinch him. Stottlemeyer naturally says "no".

* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', lucid dreamers can exit magic dreams by pinching themselves. TheRant notes that you ''can'' experience pain in dreams, but because this trope exists and magic is powered by intent, pinching yourself is the obvious way of signaling "I want to wake up now"

[[WMG:[[center:[[AC:This trope is [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1609327918008039600&page=1 under discussion]] in the [[https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1597830869030327400&page=1#1 Trope Repair Shop]].]]]]]]
->''"Pinch me''\\
''Pinch me''\\
'''Cuz I'm still''\\
''Asleep''\\
''Please God''\\
''Tell me''\\
''That I'm still asleep."''
-->-- Music/BarenakedLadies, "Pinch Me"

* Subverted in a ''[[Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica JLA]]'' comic. The heroes are trapped in a dream-machine by the villain The Key; however, the machine is constructed so that realizing that they're dreaming and awakening will provide the energy for the machine's true function.

* In [[https://www.gocomics.com/garfield/1999/05/13 this]] ''ComicStrip/{{Garfield}}'' comic, when Jon learns that a woman wants to go out with him, he says to Garfield: "Pinch me, I must be dreaming!", to which Garfield complies. Jon then wakes up in his bed, screaming.

* Wild Arms the ''Nothronychus'' in ''WesternAnimation/TheLandBeforeTime: Journey of the Brave'' asks Mr. Threehorn this at one point. Mr. Threehorn just glares at him, so he just pinches himself.

* The Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker team originally used the gag mentioned in the ''Police Squad'' example below in their feature film ''Film/{{Airplane}}'', in the {{Flashback}} scene where Ted Stryker relives his first meeting Elaine and asks a sailor seated next to him in the bar to pinch him. The sailor becomes visibly uncomfortable and slides away.
* Brittany says this twice in ''[[Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel]]''; the first time is when the Chipettes enter Ian's penthouse for the first time, and the second time is moments before Ian mentions barbecue.

* In the live action ''Film/{{Scooby Doo}}'': Shaggy and Scooby come across a buffet of hot dogs in a forbidding castle (ignoring the suspiciousness of that, of course).
-->'''Shaggy''': Wow! Look at this, Scoob! It's like a medieval Sizzler! Pinch me, I'm in heaven--OW! It's just an expression, Scoob!\\
'''Scooby''': Roh, right. Sorry.

* ''Series/WizardsOfWaverlyPlace'': Justin says this line upon meeting Rosie.
-->'''Justin''': I feeling like this is all a dream like someone should pinch me...AWWWW NELVIS!!!!

* Amusing variation: In ''Series/PoliceSquad'', Drebin mentions in his narration that at such a moment he asked the guy next to him to pinch him. Said guy, a big ugly bruiser, gives him an odd look and ''very'' carefully backs away.
* Used humorously in ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOfZackAndCody'':
-->'''Carey''': I'm dreaming...NO ONE PINCH ME!
** Later subverted in ''Series/TheSuiteLifeOnDeck'': Bailey realizes she is dreaming when London calls her "the prettiest girl in the whole world" and tries to pinch herself to wake up, naturally finding that she can't feel anything in a dream.

** "The Deadly Assassin". The Doctor is able to escape the Master's traps by denying that they exist. Also "Vengeance on Varos". Also "The Trial of a Timelord".

[[folder:Music]]

* Music/BarenakedLadies' song "Pinch Me" references this trope by name, though in this case it refers more to aimlessly drifting through the aftermath of some big occurrence that hasn't fully sank in for you yet.

[[/folder]]

* In ''Webcomic/{{Sinfest}}'', [[http://www.sinfest.net/archive_page.php?comicID=2787 a flood of good luck makes Slick ask for this.]]
* In ''Webcomic/ButImACatPerson'', Sparrow asks her friend Bianca to pinch her when she hears the stray dog that followed her home [[TalkingAnimal start talking to them]].

* Played straight in ''WesternAnimation/SpongebobSquarepants'' in the episode "Squilliam Returns".
--> '''Squidward''': Pinch me, I must be dreaming... ow!
--> '''Spongebob''': If you need anything else, just ask.
** Subverted in Krusty Dogs:
-->'''Spongebob''': I must be dreaming! Pinch me, Squidward!
-->'''Squidward''': Pinch yourself, you ninny.
** In "Fear of a Krabby Patty", when [=SpongeBob=] hears that the Krusty Krab is now open 24 hours, he repeatedly pinches himself in the side and yells out in pain, realizing that he's not dreaming.

* King Julien in ''WesternAnimation/ThePenguinsOfMadagascar'': "I must be dreaming the most horrible dream inside my head! Quick, pinch me, now bite me, now slap my face and spank my right buttock!"

* ''WesternAnimation/ReadyJetGo'':
** In "Space Junk", Sean is flying outside the saucer, collecting garbage, with a guy named Zucchini. He then asks Sunspot to pinch him, which he does.
** This also happens in "Whole Lotta Shakin'", and in "Zerk Visits Earth".

* ''Series/{{House}}'' uses a variation in [[spoiler:the second series finale "No Reason"]]: House comes to realise he is hallucinating, but is unable to escape until he deliberately kills his 'patient', breaking his subconscious suspension of disbelief.

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'', "Perchance to Dream": Bruce Wayne finds himself in a world where his parents are still alive and someone else is Batman. He realizes it's all just a dream when he finds he can't read any books (based on the idea that the left side of the brain, which controls the interpretation of written words, is mostly dormant during dreaming), though it takes him a bit longer to figure out how to free himself.

** In "Fear of a Krabby Patty", when SpongeBob hears that the Krusty Krab is now open 24 hours, he repeatedly pinches himself in the side and yells out in pain, realizing that he's not dreaming.