History Main / TheThingThatGoesDoink

This is a traditional water feature that is found in the yards of Japanese homes, properly called a ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shishi-odoshi shishi-odoshi]]'' or "deer scare"/"deer-chaser". It has a bamboo cup on a fulcrum that slowly fills with falling water. When it fills, it tips over and empties; when it flips back upright, its hollow back end hits a stone underneath it and makes a distinctive hollow-log "doink" sound. With a simple two-second shot of this device doing its thing, it is established without a doubt that this BigFancyHouse is a place of wealth[[note]]they require constantly running water to operate, which means either an absurd utilities bill or, especially in works set pre-industrialization, high value land containing a river or stream[[/note]] and tradition[[note]]They date back several centuries, to a time when wild deer actually were a problem that needed to be dealt with in a way that didn't involve wasteful and labor-intensive mass slaughter[[/note]].

If the [[BuffySpeak doinker]] happens to be in a Western home, you can bet that they're a NewAgeRetroHippie or at the very least [[PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy an extremely wealthy non-Asian person who recently converted to Zen Buddhism]] and insists that it "balances the home's ''chi''" or whatever.[[note]]Never mind that wild deer actually ''are'' a problem that needs to be dealt with in much of North America. Not to mention the not-always-sober hunters they attract.[[/note]]

Also, don't confuse it with [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes anything going Boink]], the [[Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife machine that goes 'ping!']], the [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor machine that goes 'ding!']], or ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight. Nor with [[Wrestling/DoinkTheClown that clown from the WWE]].

* ''Manga/BlackButler'' In the first episode, when they enter the Japanese garden.
** This is justified as the rock garden was a quick fix to replace the ruined garden from before.
* When Alto from ''Anime/MacrossFrontier'' visits his [[BigFancyHouse home]] for the first time in a while, a thing that goes doink is heard in the background.
** It's actually shown in a later episode, confirming that indeed that noise was the thing that goes doink.

* The Mendou family from ''Manga/UruseiYatsura'' are quite possibly the richest people in the world; and they prove this by having ''multiple'' ''shishi-odoshi'' around various parts of their [[BigFancyHouse town-sized palace-and-villa-filled fortress]].
** When Kuruma is training Ataru in episode 9, a drunk Tengu lies passed out underneath a Thing That Goes Doink, getting repeatedly doinked in the head by it.
*** It's not just drunk - she tied it up there as punishment for sticking her with Ataru as her mate! (He made such a bad choice because he was drunk)
* ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'': Outside the shrine.

* There is one in the third episode of ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub''.
** And at the Haninozuka residence in a flashback in episode 18. Twice.

* Things That Go Doink are used as levers and platforms to solve puzzles at various times in ''VideoGame/{{Okami}}'', to make use of the Water Spout power. In the English version (at least), Issun doesn't know what to call them, either. He clearly likes them though, as evidenced by the page quote.
** He refers to them as "plonks" at multiple points.
** The catch? [[spoiler:[[MouseWorld You're two inches tall]], and the things that go doink are now bridges.]]
*** Genuinely enormous ones also appear in several other areas of the game, serving as switches to open doors. (Though in their case, it's more of a BOOM than a doink.)

* ''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters'' KYO manga reveals that the Kusanagi family lives in a Japanese BigFancyHouse, and they have one of these in the garden.
** Also, there's one of these in the background of Jubei Yamada's stage in ''VideoGame/FatalFury Special''.

* There is one in the third episode of ''Manga/OuranHighSchoolHostClub.''
** And at the Haninozuka residence in episode 18. Twice.

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

* One can be purchased for the garden of a player's home in VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV.

*** It's not just drunk - she tied it up there as punishment for sticking her with Ataru as her mate!

If the [[BuffySpeak doinker]] happens to be in a Western home, you can bet that they're a NewAgeRetroHippie or at the very least An Extremely Wealthy Non-Asian Person who recently converted to Zen Buddhism and insists that it "balances the home's ''chi''" or whatever.[[note]]Never mind that wild deer actually ARE a problem that needs to be dealt with in much of North America. Not to mention the not-always-sober hunters they attract.[[/note]]

Also, don't confuse it with [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes anything going Boink]], the [[Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife machine that goes 'ping!']], the [[Recap/DoctorWho50thASTheDayOfTheDoctor machine that goes 'ding!']], or ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight.

[[folder: Anime and Manga]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

[[folder: Real Life]]

* When Baiken uses her Instant Kill in the ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' video game series, the scene abruptly changes to show her and her opponent's silhouettes through the wall of a traditional-style house, with The Thing That Goes Doink in the near foreground. When it goes doink, the opponent dies[[labelnote:*]]This is [[YouAreAlreadyDead correlation]], not causation. Baiken's garden is not a Rube Golberg machine[[/labelnote]].

* When Baiken uses her Instant Kill in the ''VideoGame/GuiltyGear'' video game series, the scene abruptly changes to show her and her opponent's silhouettes through the wall of a traditional-style house, with The Thing That Goes Doink in the near foreground. When it goes doink, the opponent dies.

* It also makes an appearance in the snowy courtyard of the House of Blue Leaves, the site of the Bride's final duel with O-Ren Ishii in ''Film/KillBill Volume 1.''

* In the anime for Manga/JoujuuSenjinMushibugyou, the character Tenma comes from a traditional home and has a doinker in his flashback of when he received the paper dolls that he fights with.

* ''VideoGame/{{Kekkaishi}}'' has several. Both Tokine's and Yoshimori's houses have one, as does Urakai headquarters.

* A building with a few of these is visible from the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. They don't go "doink", though, as they're suspended up at the top of the wall.

* An automated thing that goes *doink* can be found in the courtyard of Ride/TheEnchantedTikiRoom at [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disneyland]] that tells when the next "show" will be.

* An automated thing that goes *doink* can be found in the courtyard of The Enchanted Tiki Room at [[Ride/DisneyThemeParks Disneyland]] that tells when the next "show" will be.

* In ''[[MysticalNinja Goemon's Great Adventure]]'' for the N64, there was one area (Frog Mountain) that used a giant one of these as the fork in the road (one route behind it, one route above it doubling back) -- however, you wouldn't know it unless you bothered to go all the way to the end of the giant thing, which conveniently enough went off-screen.

If the [[BuffySpeak doinker]] happens to be in a Western home, you can bet that they're a NewAgeRetroHippie who recently converted to Zen Buddhism and insists that it "balances the home's chi" or whatever.[[note]]Never mind that wild deer actually ARE a problem that needs to be dealt with in much of North America. Not to mention the not-always-sober hunters they attract.[[/note]]

Also, don't confuse it with [[ComicStrip/CalvinAndHobbes anything going Boink]], the [[Film/MontyPythonsTheMeaningOfLife machine that goes 'ping!']], or ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight.

* The [=PS2=] music/rhythm game ''Unison'' has its lead female characters dancing to a traditional Japanese ''enka'' song called "YoSaKu". The establishing shot of the performance hall shows one of these underneath a statue of an Eastern dragon.

** Also, there's one of these in the background of Jubei Yamada's stage in FatalFury Special.