History Main / ToppledStatue

* The "People's Ending" of ''RepublicTheRevolution'' features a crowd smashing the statue of Novistrana's now-former dictator.

* In the "Day of Chaos" storyline in ''JudgeDredd'', the colossal Statue of Judgement (which symbolically dwarfs the Statue of Liberty in the series) is toppled by the forces attacking Mega-City One. It's not just symbolic in this case--the statue was the headquarters of the Judges' surveillance and electronic tracking activities and its destruction creates many blind spots in the city.
* ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen: The Black Dossier'' shows a statue of [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Big Brother]] being removed.

* ''BruceAlmighty'' has a variation, where Bruce watches a billboard of himself be torn down and set on fire in the midst of a riot he inadvertently caused with his careless power abuse.
* ''PlanetOfTheApes'' has the iconic image of the partially buried Statue of Liberty, providing TheReveal that the planet is actually ''earth'' and humankind fell a long time ago.
* ''TheScorpionKing'', a large statue of Memnon at the front of his palace is destroyed when the palace gets blown up.
* The special edition of ''ReturnOfTheJedi'' added a scene with a mob tearing down a statue of the emperor on Coruscant.

* In ''TheLordOfTheRings'', orcs defaced a monument to a king of Gondor when they took Ithilien. They broke the head of the king off and put there a boulder with Sauron's eye instead, and wrote some ClusterFBomb runes on it.

* An interesting variation in ''{{Firefly}}'', when Jayne discovers that he is celebrated as a Robin Hood-style folk hero by a town of slaves, complete with a statue in his likeness. By the end of the episode, Jayne's true nature is revealed to the townsfolk and Jayne angrily pushes over the statue himself. Later, he remarks to Mal to nobody in town seemed to care what he really was, and they were probably rebuilding the statue as he speaks.

* During TheAmericanRevolution, the statue in New York City of George III on horseback was toppled after the Declaration of Independence. The statue was later melted down to make bullets.

* ''ElHazard'': After infiltrating the Buggrom citadel, and rescuing Fatora, Makoto and the others make their escape. During which, he asks [[DarkskinnedRedhead Shayla]] [[PlayingWithFire Shayla]] to help [[spoiler: Ifurita, who'd been freed from Jinnai's control and using her remaining energy to cover their escape.]] One of Shayla's blasts triggers a chain reaction of explosions throughout the hive which ultimately causes Jinnai's statue to crumble as it topples over.

* ''ThePrinceOfEgypt'', the film's opening sequence shows a great statue being erected. By the end of the film's famous Plagues sequence, it's crumbled to the ground.

* A side-quest in ''VideoGame/{{Borderlands 2}}'' has you sneak into Hyperion's model city of Opportunity and use a hacked Constructor to destroy four big statues of the game's BigBad, egotistical Hyperion CEO Handsome Jack.

* ''ShadowOfTheColossus'': after you beat each Colossus their respective statue falls.

* After running from the LivingStatue of Salazar in ''ResidentEvil4'', it topples and takes out a bridge, forcing you to PressXToNotDie.

* The British raised a statue of Lord Nelson in downtown Dublin (similar, but smaller than, a statue of Lord Nelson in London). Many took it as a symbol of the British dominion over the Irish. The IRA blew it up in 1966. Then they wrote a funny song about it.

* ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen: The Black Dossier'' shows a statue of [[NineteenEightyFour Big Brother]] being removed.

* ''ShadowOfTheColossus'': after you beat each Colossus their respective statue falls.

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', orcs defaced a monument to a king of Gondor when they took Ithilien. They broke the head of the king off and put there a boulder with Sauron's eye instead, and wrote some ClusterFBomb runes on it.

* In ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'', orcs defaced a monument to a king of Gondor when they took Ithilien. They broke the head of the king off and put there a boulder with Sauron's eye instead, and wrote some ClusterFBomb runes on it.

* The sonnet ''Ozymandias'' centers on this concept, a destroyed statue laying in the middle of buried ruins containing an inscription of the great wonders the king built.

Nothing quite puts an exclamation point on the downfall of a ruler or a kingdom like the destruction of an effigy of them. Their power and control over the people is broken and to drive it home a statue of them is shown being destroyed in a spectacular, dramatic fashion.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Luffy accidentally does this when he tries to get Zoro his swords back from Helmeppo. Unfortunately, he ends up crashing into a new statue of Helmeppo's father as the latter is standing there ordering officers to put it up. HilarityEnsues.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Luffy accidentally does this when he tries to get Zoro his swords back from Helmeppo. Unfortunately, he ends up crashing into a new statue of his father as the latter is standing there ordering officers to put it up. HilarityEnsues.

* In ''Manga/OnePiece'', Luffy accidentally does this when he tries to get Zorro his swords back from the mook Helmeppo. Unfortunately, he ends up crashing into a new statue of his father as the latter is standing there ordering officers to put it up. HilarityEnsues.

* ''GurrenLagann'', Kamina's statue in Kamina City was pulled down when the people revolted.

* ''One Piece'': Luffy accidentally does this when he tries to get Zorro his swords back from the mook Helmeppo. Unfortunately, he ends up crashing into a new statue of his father as the latter is standing there ordering officers to put it up. HilarityEnsues.

* In ''LordOfTheRings'', orcs defaced a monument to a king of Gondor when they took Ithilien. They broke the head of the king off and put there a boulder with Sauron's eye instead, and wrote some ClusterFBomb runes on it.

* At the end of ''TheTwilightZone'' episode "The Little People", the statue of a man who'd been lording over a microscopic civilization on another planet is toppled by the little people themselves, after the man is killed by giants.

* In the Dwarf intro to ''LordOfTheRingsOnline'', the statue of Thorin Oakenshield has been torn down by the Dourhand clan and a statue of Skorgrim, the Dourhands' ancestor, erected in its place.

* In ''HalfLife 2'', after starting the rebellion, one of the first things you witness is Breen's propaganda screen being toppled by the resistance.
* ''CaveStory'': After defeating The Doctor, if you proceed to the BrutalBonusLevel, you can take a detour to visit a room with a statue of The Doctor (as well as the three previous bearers of the Crown). You can destroy these statues--and they drop powerups when you do so.
* In ''AgeOfMythology The Titans'', you have to destroy several statues of [[GeneralRipper General Melagius]] before dealing with him in person. In this case because smashing statues grant you gifts and bonuses.

* ''One Piece'': Luffy accidentally does this when he tries to get Zorro his swords back from the mook Helmeppo. Unfortunately, he ends up crashing into a new statue of his father as the latter is standing there ordering officers to put it up. [[Hilarity Ensues]]

* In the currently-running "Day of Chaos" storyline in ''JudgeDredd'', the colossal Statue of Judgement (which symbolically dwarfs the Statue of Liberty in the series) is toppled by the forces attacking Mega-City One. It's not just symbolic in this case--the statue was the headquarters of the Judges' surveillance and electronic tracking activities and its destruction creates many blind spots in the city.
* ''TheLeagueOfExtraordinaryGentlemen'', The Black Dossier shows a statue of [[NineteenEightyFour Big Brother]] being removed.

!! Comics

* ''Ozymandias'' centers on this concept, a destroyed statue laying in the middle of buried ruins containing an inscription of the great wonders the king built.

! Examples

!! Anime

!! Film
* ''BruceAlmighty'' has a variation, where Bruce watches a billboard of himself be torn down and set on fire in the midst of a riot he inadvertantly caused with his careless power abuse.

!! Literature

!! Live-Action TV

!! Video Games

* In ''HalfLife 2'', after starting the rebellion, one of the first things you witness is Breen's statue being toppled by the resistance.

* ''ShadowOfTheColossus'', after you beat each Colossus their respective statue falls

!! Western Animation

!! Real Life