History Main / PlungerDetonator

* Used in the ''BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' episode "Graduation Day" to set off the explosives that destroyed Sunnydale High.

* ''Film/TheThing''. The remaining crew members set up dynamite charges to blow up the base, with a detonator to set them off. Unfortunately the title monster grabs it before they can use it, but TheHero improvises.
* ''BattleOfTheBulge'' (1965). A group of German paratroopers disguised as US [=MP=]s pretend to rig a bridge behind American lines for demolition while actually holding for their own army. Part of their act includes two men ostentatiously hooking up a detonator while other men pretend to rig charges. Everyone is fooled until the leader of the squad of U.S. Army engineers actually assigned to blow the bridge arrives and immediately protests such a clear (and stupid) violation of basic safety procedures. He and his men get shot dead for his trouble.

* I remember the protagonists using the modern ones in ''{{Tremors}} 2'' - explosives strapped to remote-control cars which they got the land-sharks to eat before blowing them sky high.

* The Dragon uses one of these to blow up a train in the ''JonahHex'' movie.
* Pretty sure I recall Professor Fate using one of these in ''TheGreatRace'', but I can't recall the specific instance.
* A couple of these show up next to a rack of hand grenades in an early scene in ''The Ipcress File''. Palmer pushes the handle of one down, presumably to see if it's connected to anything.
* ''[[BatmanTheMovie Batman]]'' (1966). The Riddler uses a small one to detonate explosives and blow open a door into the United World building.

* ''ComicStrip/MotherGooseAndGrimm''. In the [[http://www.grimmy.com/images/MGG_Archive/MGG_2012/MGG-2012-09-17.gif strip for September 17th 2012]], Grimm uses an [[RoadRunner Acme detonator]] in an attempt to open the refrigerator door.

This detonator is usually a plain square box with a plunger on top and wires attached. Although a DeadHorseTrope in RealLife, it is ubiquitous in classic WesternAnimation and frequently encountered in VideoGames and action stories set between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. In the real world these are actually called "blasting machines" because the plunger spins a little magneto similar to an old-fashioned hand-crank phone to generate the electricity used to detonate the explosives.

* ''Film/{{Patton}}''. During the Battle of the Bulge a German soldier uses one to detonate some explosives and start an avalanche onto an American column. Combines HollywoodHistory with DidNotDoTheResearch because no such incident ever happened and real German detonators used a clockwork mechanism using a handle that ''turned''.

* ''BattleOfTheBulge'' (1965). A group of German paratroopers disguised as US [=MP=]s pretend to rig a bridge behind American lines for demolition while actually holding for their own army. Part of their act includes two men ostentatiously hooking up a detonator while other men pretend to rig charges. Everyone is fooled until the leader of the squad of U.S. Army engineers actually assigned to blow the bridge arrives and immediately protests such a clear (and stupid) violation of basic safety procedures. He gets shot dead for his trouble.

* One is a big part of a major scene in ''TheBridgeOnTheRiverKwai''. In fact, what happens at the end with it is actually another DeadHorseTrope. Going to use a spoiler tag: [[spoiler:The dying guy falling on the Plunger Detonator is a DeadHorseTrope]].

* I remember the protagonists using the modern ones in ''Tremors 2'' - explosives strapped to remote-control cars which they got the land-sharks to eat before blowing them sky high.

* [[TheMuppets Crazy Harry]] loved these.

* TheMonkees occasionally tried to use one, by clipping two alligator cables to whatever they were trying to blow up, then pushing the plunger on a hand-sized box, at which point something ''else'' would blow up.

* [[GuiltyGear Faust]] uses one for his [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Instant Kill]] from X onward. The exact results vary from game to game (sometimes the explosion is delayed and gives both players a FunnyAfro, sometimes it goes off like a nuke).

* In KarateBears: the hero rigs explosives and an [[http://www.karatebears.com/2012/04/rig-electionsexplosions.html election]] at the same time!

[[quoteright:350:[[LooneyTunes http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Detonator_6550.jpg]]]]

[[folder: Advertising ]]

[[folder: Film ]]

[[folder: Literature ]]

* ''Series/{{Farscape}}'' sees plenty of these in a few of the episodes which take place in John's mind. In this case, the landscape is transformed into a LooneyTunes style desert, with John as the Roadrunner and Harvey as Wiley E. Coyote. [[HIlarityEnsues Hilarity]] and [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]] ensue.

* A staple accessory of ''LooneyTunes'' characters, especially Wile E. Coyote.

* ''[[{{Ptitle2tyh4gpfa5lj}} Ocean's Eleven]]'': When Reuben's old building is blown up.

[[folder: Video Games ]]

[[folder: Web Comic ]]

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''{{Patton}}''. During the Battle of the Bulge a German soldier uses one to detonate some explosives and start an avalanche onto an American column. Combines HollywoodHistory with DidNotDoTheResearch because no such incident ever happened and real German detonators used a clockwork mechanism using a handle that ''turned''.

As often as not, a comedic character attempting to use it results in [[WheresTheKaboom Where's The Kaboom]]. Alternatively, a comedic character may accidentally set it off early (or during the moment of relief after an explosive crisis has been averted) by absently sitting or leaning on the handle. Bonus points if the detonator actually explodes instead of the attached explosives.

* ''BlazingSaddles''. Sheriff Bart tries to use one to detonate the explosives in the fake Rock Ridge and blow up the villains, but it doesn't work. The Waco Kid has to set them off with a shot from his revolver.

* ''{{Series/Farscape}}'' sees plenty of these in a few of the episodes which take place in John's mind. In this case, the landscape is transformed into a LooneyTunes style desert, with John as the Roadrunner and Harvey as Wiley E. Coyote. [[HIlarityEnsues Hilarity]] and [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]] ensue.
* ''{{Series/Batman}}'' episode "While Gotham City Burns". When the Dynamic Duo are trapped inside a giant steel book and about to be steamed to death, the Gotham City police use one to detonate some explosives and blow the book open.

* The cave level (and some others at times) in the SNES ''TheSmufs'' game.

* ''{{Farscape}}'' sees plenty of these in a few of the episodes which take place in John's mind. In this case, the landscape is transformed into a LooneyTunes style desert, with John as the Roadrunner and Harvey as Wiley E. Coyote. [[HIlarityEnsues Hilarity]] and [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]] ensue.

* In KarateBear: the hero rigs explosives and an [[http://www.karatebears.com/2012/04/rig-electionsexplosions.html election]] at the same time!

* Pretty sure it was used in ''TheVillain''. (But that's rather expected, since that movie was largely a live-action cartoon.)

* ''BattleOfTheBulge'' (1965). A group of US [=MP=]s (actually German paratroopers in disguise) are pretending to rig a bridge behind American lines for demolition while actually holding for their own army. Part of their act includes having two men ostentatiously hook up a detonator while other men pretend to rig charges. Everyone is fooled until the squad of U.S. Army engineers actually assigned to blow the bridge arrives and immediately protests such a clear (and stupid) violation of basic safety procedures and get shot dead for their trouble.

* One cutscene in ''WingCommander I'' if you do well in the campaign shows a group of Terran soldiers demolishing a Kilrathi base using one.

As often as not, a comedic character attempting to use it results in [[WheresTheKaboom Where's The Kaboom]]. Alternatively, a comedic character may accidentally set it off early (or during the moment of relief after an explosive crisis has been averted) by absently sitting or leaning on the handle.

* The title characters from ''{{Worms}}'' remove themselves from the battlefield with one of these.

[[LooneyTunes http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Detonator_6550.jpg]]
[[caption-width:446:[[AcmeProducts Acme]] detonators, for all your demolition needs.]]

* ''YoungIndianaJones'': I seem to remember a scene where Indy had to put the plunger back into such a detonator just in time or something.
* Often used by our saboteur heroes on''[[HogansHeroes Hogan's Heroes]]'' when time bombs were not sufficient. In one case they even got their Nazi 'captor' to press the plunger himself, under the impression that he had loaded the tunnel with fake dynamite while pretending to be one of the Allies.

* ''{{Farscape}}'' sees plenty of these in a few of the episodes which take place in John's mind. In this case, the landscape is transformed into a LooneyToons style desert, with John as the Roadrunner and Harvey as Wiley E. Coyote. [[HIlarityEnsues Hilarity]] and [[StuffBlowingUp explosions]] ensue.